Margaret River is the typical ‘tourist’ town certainly not catering for the passing tourist who might want to park their van for a while in order to explore the village. We enjoyed our cuppa at the local Lions Park beside the river and then drove through and out the other side on our way south. So much for there!
We were still having trouble with the vans brakes however enquiries at a couple of places gave Lawrie some hints on other things to try so we kept on tracking with limited success. Fortunately Augusta was less than 50kms away so we felt safe in making the trip. We arrived soon after lunch and decided we would stay here for 3 nights so as to make the best of it. Great van park, well set out and green grass all around. The park backs on to the mouth of the Blackwood River as it empties into Flinders Bay. Augusta is a small township, few shops, one garage (no gas), Post Office, the necessary tavern and bottle shop and a couple of takeaway food stores. At least the IGA supermarket has a good selection so we were not left wanting for any groceries.
One of the ‘must do’s’ of this trip was to go to Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse where the Indian and Southern Oceans meet at the mainland’s most south westerly point.
We had seen on a documentary that you could see the waves running into each other as they came from different directions and of course we wanted to see this for ourselves. Well we did and wow what a sight!
The lighthouse was built in 1895/6 and had three families living there so that the light was attended to 24/7. The last family left in 1998 following the lighthouse became totally mechanised in 1992.
It is the tallest lighthouse on Australia’s mainland and is still an important part of protecting the shipping along our coastline. The electric white light now installed has the intensity of one million candlepower and a range of 25 nautical miles. In those early days most of the shipping to Australia came via the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Leeuwin was often the first Australian landfall. The lighthouse had first been proposed in 1881 but the Eastern colonies rejected that they should contribute to the cost (even though most shipping was going there) so finally it was the colony of Western Australia who undertook the full cost of over 7,700 pounds (at that time).
It is the tallest lighthouse on Australia’s mainland and is still an important part of protecting the shipping along our coastline. The electric white light now installed has the intensity of one million candlepower and a range of 25 nautical miles. In those early days most of the shipping to Australia came via the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Leeuwin was often the first Australian landfall. The lighthouse had first been proposed in 1881 but the Eastern colonies rejected that they should contribute to the cost (even though most shipping was going there) so finally it was the colony of Western Australia who undertook the full cost of over 7,700 pounds (at that time).
Our day out also included a drive back along the way to Hamelin Bay which we had bypassed yesterday on our way south. A caravan park, boat ramp and some homes were the only signs of habitation that we saw.
There were folk swimming in the crystal clear waters and some fishing folk were returning in their boats whilst we sat on the rocks and enjoyed the sunshine and view. We chatted to a couple from Dundee in Scotland who are en-route to NZ to visit their son. It has been interesting to find folk from all parts of the world and hear their impressions as we have travelled around our own country. At the lighthouse we had chatted to an Italian couple (she on a Gopher) as we explained about the waves coming from different directions. They had a little English and we were able to enjoy a conversation as they told us of their son in Perth and that they are planning on spending New Year’s Eve in Sydney so what an adventure for them. Meanwhile our adventure continues with us spending the next couple of days just relaxing and walking the riverfront here in Augusta (that’s after the washing and cake cooking has been taken care of)!
There were folk swimming in the crystal clear waters and some fishing folk were returning in their boats whilst we sat on the rocks and enjoyed the sunshine and view. We chatted to a couple from Dundee in Scotland who are en-route to NZ to visit their son. It has been interesting to find folk from all parts of the world and hear their impressions as we have travelled around our own country. At the lighthouse we had chatted to an Italian couple (she on a Gopher) as we explained about the waves coming from different directions. They had a little English and we were able to enjoy a conversation as they told us of their son in Perth and that they are planning on spending New Year’s Eve in Sydney so what an adventure for them. Meanwhile our adventure continues with us spending the next couple of days just relaxing and walking the riverfront here in Augusta (that’s after the washing and cake cooking has been taken care of)!
No comments:
Post a Comment