An early morning run along the Geographe Bay beach was a perfect start to another long day. The Bay is named after the French explorer ship of the same name which was piloted by Nicholas Bourdain and who mapped much of southern and western Australia (including Kangaroo Island). The sun finally seemed to be around permanently for the day, so although it was cool, it was gorgeous. I found a pack of gulahs and a bunny, and was then ready for another day on the bus.
First stop, the town of Margaret River. It’s a town of about 20,000 which doubles during the holiday and summer season. The entire area became known for wine when the economic downturn in the 80’s forced many farmers to find solutions other than sheep farming. With the price of wool dropping (synthetics became less expensive and wool blends took away from the special features of merino), and the price of lamb in decline as well, it was discovered that the ideal climate of the region was perfect for wine. The town itself is cute and charming, and plays host to several major surf events every year as well as being an attractive spot for a weekend of wine tasting.
Next up was Mammoth Cave, one of many large caves discovered in the area. This is the largest but is named Mammoth for the fossils that were found inside. The entrance was a huge cavern and had the expected stalactites and stalagmites and because I’ve seen enough caves and I found it cold inside I skipped the rest of the tour and waited outside in the sun, among the very tall and very old (300 years) karri trees. It was peaceful.
Then we began several hours of tasting: wine, chocolate, dips and chutneys, beer. All delicious, all local to the region. And all before lunch. Actually the beer tasting was with lunch — platters of meats and cheeses. Quite nice.
Our last attraction for the day was the Busselton Jetty, which is the longest wooden jetty in the southern hemisphere at 1.88 km long. It was built in 1865 and served as a key link to the world. The shallow waters of the bay necessitated the long jetty, and a rail line along the length of the jetty moved the cargo from land to the ships and vice versa. The timber industry was the lifeblood of the jetty as the wood from the coveted karri and jarrah trees was exported around the world. All kinds of boats were served at the jetty, sailing ships, schooners, brigs and cutters all loaded and offloaded goods and often passengers who were coming to the area as new settlers. It’s no longer in use for commercial purposes, but it’s a a spot where regattas and an annual swimming event takes place. We didn’t have much time allocated to us, but three of us took the challenge to make it to the end and back in the allotted 45 minutes. It was a quick walk, but the blue sky and light breeze made it quite enjoyable.
And then we were off — 3 hours back to Perth. The driver has put on a DVD — “The Zookeeper”, which is ridiculous, so I’m working hard at ignoring it! While I started this tour with some negative thinking — the whole BUS TOUR thing — I will say that I’m glad to have seen this part of Western Australia, and that while this mode of transportation would never be my first choice, it’s been a good group of people, and there’s been some laughs. But I am looking forward to having some time back to myself beginning tomorrow, when it’s back to Melbourne.
