The Great Southern, WA.

Posted 29th Nov 2023.

Nick:

“For all of the time that we have been travelling up north in this great continent I had been concerned about the oil leaks from the diffs, the gearbox and transmission. I can hear you saying it is a Land Rover and it is supposed to leak! Upon inspection in Kalbarri I discovered that a switch on the transfer case was leaking but of course one cannot buy Land Rover parts up north so whilst in Perth I purchased a new switch and installed it, no more gearbox leaks. Upon arrival in Narrogin I serviced the car, changing all of the oils, filters and greased all of the bits that are supposed to be greased. I changed the pinion oil seal on the front diff and that worked well, but there was a persistent leak from the rear diff so I took the diff centre out and replaced the gasket between the housing and the centre as well as the pinion oil seal, took it for a drive and realised that the oil was leaking from the dome on the rear of the casing. Upon close inspection we realised that there was a crack in the housing. Charlie and I tried to weld it up but the heat opened up a 180 degree crack on the casing. No option but to pull the whole diff out of the car and strip it completely, Charlie then did lots of short tack welds and then I threw it back into the car and assembled all of the bits again. We have done over a thousand Kms since then and we have been oil leak free which is a bit of a first for an old Land Rover. It was a big job, made easier with Charlie’s extensive range of equipment and welding skills. “

We took a drive to test the car. Charlie showed us a huge Wandoo tree which is only known to the rangers who work there. Dryandra National Park is not famous for massive trees like those down at Walpole, so this was a pretty special specimen. We came across some lingering spreads of wildflowers, despite the hot dry conditions. But we never found that elusive Numbat that Charlie calls a Neverbat.

After a wonderful month in Narrogin, most of October in fact, we said a fond farewell to Charlie and Lynda. We headed to Busselton to meet up with our friends, Marilyn and Andrew (Mandy). Andrew had just completed 4 gruelling days of cycling the Cape Leeuwin to Cape Naturaliste competition, and for an old boy, did remarkably well.

We stayed on the foreshore of Geographe Bay in a shady campground. There was a cycle track along the foreshore, so 4 of us cycled the 12 km return trip to the jetty a couple of times for coffee and snacks. Marilyn was on a hired ebike that had a weird way of taking off like a rocket when least expected. Needless to say, Marilyn was the one who fell off, but it was the train tracks on the jetty that got her. After already having 2 broken ankles, it was a relief to see she’d survived this mishap with all bones intact.

In Busselton, we did the usual things like the walk to the end of the jetty. The foreshore precinct was terrific with nice cafes, a brewery and tourist shops. Charlie and Lynda joined us for 2 evenings. We enjoyed an exceptional dinner in Dunsborough at the Blue Manna Bistro. And the next day did a tour of wineries, a brewery and assorted attractions around the Great Southern region as it is now called. For each winery visited, we passed at least 5. Needless to say, we now have some special wines to bring to the Christmas table. But the fun had to end, as Marilyn and Andrew headed back to Suffolk Park and Charlie and Lynda back to Narrogin, leaving us and Swifty to carry on with our trip around Australia.

Being November now, we seem to choose campsites where large school groups congregate for end of the year activities. At Margaret River we stayed in a Nature Park, tall timbers, birdlife, a few wildflowers, fresh air, bike tracks and hiking trails, and a group of rowdy year 6’s. The camp kitchen complete with table tennis was open, rustic and noisy, right beside our camper. Oh well, we could escape during the day. The famed surf beach at Margaret River was heaving, very windy, sunny, spectacular but lacking in surfers. We indulged in a couple more wineries, some of them with an atmosphere of wealth, marble pavers, clipped rosemary hedges, roses galore, long polished timber bars, towering warehouse cellars and very expensive wines. 

We took a day trip to Cape Leeuwin. On the way we stopped in at Hamelin Bay, a small holiday spot that we’d stayed at in 2001. Memories of very young grandchildren (Jeremy) crawling, and being covered in black sand, and manta rays, sprang to mind. We pressed on to Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse. The sense of danger in the rough seas, the persistent howling wind and the remoteness made me realise just how resilient the early pioneers had to be. The children living in the rudimentary houses near the lighthouse were driven in an open horse and cart for 10 kms to Augusta for school. We had lunch in the pub at Augusta, but morning tea in a cafe with the weirdest arrangement of chairs that I’d seen anywhere. It was like they’d been given 8 or 10 dining room tables and chairs, then mixed them all so no chairs matched at the same table. I suppose you then have a choice, like Goldilocks, to sit on the most comfortable for you. It was a lovely day out, so we could handle the children’s noise at the camp in good spirits.

It was time to move on to Albany where Nick (brother-in-law) and Biddy’s (Nick’s sister) house awaited us. Biddy showed us as much of Albany as possible in the few days she was there before heading back to Fremantle to work. Many dog walks on beaches, cafe breakfasts and meeting her friends for g&t’s on the verandah. 

Then the real work began. Nick and Nick…so confusing….got into house renovations. Their 1897 house overlooks Princess Royal Harbour and is a short stroll to the centre of Albany.

“My” Nick and I love Albany and find it a very active community, with most weekends crammed with events. Such as the monthly car rally on the foreshore, the annual Ag Show the next weekend, regular farmer’s markets, an annual vintage motorbike rally and hill climb event, and we haven’t begun with the Christmas celebrations yet. There are a few pubs nearby, often with live music and many good restaurants that we’ll slowly sample during our 3 months here.

The Entertainment Centre is just walking distance away..we spent a delightful afternoon listening to the WA Symphony orchestra playing Mozart, Beethoven and Dvorak. It felt like a small version of the Lincoln Centre in NY.

One of the abiding strengths of Albany and surrounds is its glorious harbour and its historical roots to early settlement in WA. There are hundreds of old houses, most well restored, fitting memorials to the early days of the mostly English migrants. There are many museums, all recording in minute detail aspects of early settlement, like the whalers, the convict past, and the WW1 departure of troops in ships going to the Middle East. The National Anzac Memorial is particularly well done with stunning views over King George Sound. The Fortress nearby has great displays also, including the women’s rose garden. This is the only time I’ve walked into a garden and been knocked over by the rose perfume without leaning down to smell an individual rose.

The Museum of Albany has a poignant history of white settlement and its impact on the first nations people. The importance of the birds, animals, plants and sea creatures to the indigenous people in creating their stories in this naturally rich environment struck me, and now I’m seeing so many references to endangered species here and feel ashamed at the destruction white settlers have caused. 

The Stirling Ranges, just 100km north of Albany, are highly regarded as wildflower hotspots. So we set off, full of anticipation. But alas, the peak had passed and we didn’t see any massed displays of colours as we’d expected. However, some of the views were visually beautiful and the overcast day probably helped with the photos. There were some small treasures I found which always makes the drive worthwhile.

Around Albany there are many coves and beaches to explore, all within an hour of where we are staying. One morning we drove west past Cosy Corner and Shelley beaches to West Cape Howe National Park. A 4WD only track of steep hills and deep sand, it tested my metal, but Nick wasn’t phased as he guided the Landy up, over and through some pretty formidable tracks. We saw no-one else who was as determined as us to get to this most south westerly point in WA. The destination was stunningly awesome, isolated and blowing a gale as is typical along this coast. I was glad to get back to a firm gravel road after this little adventure.

Going east around Princess Royal Harbour out towards the Whaling station is Torndirrup National Park. Here we found The Gap and Natural Bridge, along with many other tourists and day trippers, then further along to Salmon Pools, all rugged coastlines with white sandy bays, rough white capped dark blue seas and azure water near the shore. Further on we got to Misery Beach, apparently voted the best in WA! I’m not sure about that, there are so many to choose from. 

We took a day trip with Biddy and Nick to Mutton Bird island beach. It was sensational, I’d vote that my favourite so far. I would add that the winery we later visited in Denmark called Single File was outstanding – the waiter bought the wine for tasting to our table out on the lawns, he served generous amounts and didn’t request payment as was normal at most other wineries. Bid’s dogs were welcomed and a bowl of water provided. It’s the small things that matter and make you want to buy their wine, which was very good.

We have spent quite a few hours in Albany on our bicycles. I’m so glad we’ve carted them all this way, through the dusty Pilbara and Kimberley when we doubted we’d done the right thing. There’s a great track from Bid’s house around to Emu Point, a delightful breakfast place, and the 18km ride is a good bit of exercise. Once the weather warms up a bit, a swim at Middleton beach on the bike track will definitely be a winner.

Walpole

After a week on our own, we decided to hook up Swifty and park at Walpole for 6 nights. 

It’s only about 115kms west of Albany on the other side of Denmark. Our quiet spot under the Peppermint trees not far from Nornalup inlet was a perfect base camp. The bikes came in useful again to explore the area with the Munda Biddi Trail linking up most of the villages. We took the kayaks out one day along the Frankland river, considered so beautiful that in the early 1900’s the Minister for Lands and Agriculture James Mitchell made an on-the-spot decision to set aside the area for conservation. Hence the beginning of the Walpole Wilderness. Anyway, after I’d gone upstream with Nick for a few kms, we returned to Nornalup launching ramp, put my boat back on the car, then Nick paddled 9kms to the river entrance and along the inlet to Coalmine beach where we were camped. Once on the inlet, the wind was gale force, pushing him along on white water waves, surfing. My dare-devil husband!!! He did the 9kms in 70 minutes!

There are many beaches along this sw coast, the best for swimming has to be Greens Pool. But others we visited included Peaceful Bay, Conspicuous Cliff, and my favourite for visual appeal was Mandalay.

I have always loved Banksias and love their forms – not only the flowers but also the leaves. Here are a few I’ve found recently.

The other big drawcard for Walpole is the Valley of the Giants Tree Top Walk. This walk over the crowns of giant red Tingle trees is truely awesome but more impressive is the Ancient Empire walk around the bases of these huge trees. How could the early explorers not value such amazing specimens and feel ok about clear felling hundreds of hectares of Native bushland? However, there is a sense that this whole region is a tinder box waiting to burn. The saving grace is that most Tingles will survive, as is evident by the hollow burnt out roots of some 50 metre high thriving trees.

One other important track is the Bibbulmun, a 1000km walking trail from Albany to Perth. Many times we’ve come across this track during our time in the Great Southern region. Once again we encountered a school group. Two buses parked alongside Swifty at 6.00am with the motor running for 20 mins while about 60 Wesley College boys loaded their packs and boarded for the trip home, having walked the Bibbulmun during the week. That was friday morning. On sunday afternoon the same 2 buses pulled up beside us and disgorged another large group of Trinity boys. I’m so pleased they are able to experience this wonderful area, slowly, on foot, no doubt without technology in their packs one would hope.

One other fabulous tour we did at Walpole was WOW wilderness ecocruise. For 2 1/2 hrs we were thoroughly entertained by Gary Muir. He could have been a circus performer, a comedian, a teacher, but he was an historian, environmentalist, and harbinger of so much local knowledge that I felt exhausted as well as exhilarated by the end of the tour. I sought out his book at the Visitor Centre the next day, with the bizarre true story about the suitcase discovered in a local boatshed that had papers, letters and photos from the early 1900’s about a local man who was a friend of Tolstoy. The Russian connection is fascinating and when Gary tells it, it is pure theatre. 

Whilst on the boat we were served homemade cake for morning tea. Gary says it was made by 4 generations of his family – his mum, his niece, his grandfather and himself. What a man.

I’ve probably reached my limit putting this blog together, and you dear friend and reader, probably have also. I’ll sign off now and wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Next blog will be in 2024.

Love from Jen & Nick