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| Cape Leeuwin |
Having just read "True Spirit" - Jessica Watson's book, it was interesting to see this part of the coast, as it was one of her 'milestones', and then she was zooming along in 'home waters'. Sooner her than me tho', as the coastline was pretty rugged. Especially with a stiff 'southerly' blowing, and plenty of rocky reefs along a lot of the WA coastline. She was a good few kms off land though, and I'm glad she was as well prepared as what she was, with the weather patterns like they can be and also there are evidently tricky currents where the Indian Ocean meets the Southern Ocean on that South West corner of land.
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| Lighthouse at Cape Leeuwin |
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| That John Forrest certainly gets around dosen't he?! (of lighthouse). |
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| The "Pirate" Cow - one in a series of sculptured cows that decorate the south west region |
Cape Leeuwin was so named, after a Dutch ship that had records of rounding that cape in Australia, in 1622. Matthew Flinders named it, when he charted the south and west coast of Australia in 1801.
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| About as south-easterly as you can get, and a pretty "stiff" one, the day we were there. |
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| Where two oceans meet |
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| Canal Rocks |
As the clouds roll in over the west coast...
Margaret River Chocolate Company
Fancy putting three bowls of choc buds, with spoons,
near the kids?? Free tasting! Are they nuts??
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And now for "The Candy Cow"...
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| Making Fairy Floss |
I was astounded and 'almost ashamed' (...almost??) when Lily said that she had never tasted fairy floss!! What a neglected child. Anyway, $2.00 soon fixed that, as we watched the sugar being heated and spun onto a stick. A very clever invention really. Mind you I probably won't ever buy her anymore. Horrible sticky, sweet stuff it is!
And around the corner a bit, in Augusta, was a memorial for the third landing of settlers from England to Western Australia, after the Swan River (Perth), and Albany. This they did on the 2nd May, 1830. It made us try and imagine just what that would have been like!? Sailing on a wooden, creaky boat from the Swan River settlement because there wasn't anymore land available there at the moment, around the other side of the world from what you are used to and if you were lucky enough to dodge the reefs you would put anchor down near the beach, usually adjacent to a river, and unload all your wordly goods into a tiny little wooden boat and row them ashore. (I'm not sure how the animals got to sure??). Thus you would arrive in your new home! No motel to spend the first few nights 'til you got settled, no shops to go and buy food, no water on tap, no friends, no....anything! Except a lot of sea, beach, scrub and some hills! Boy, were they brave! And there was at least one woman in this of settlers - Georgina Molloy, wife of the Captain, John Molloy. I must take my hat off to her - she must have been made of very 'strong stuff'.
Surfing - Margaret River Style
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| Loved these signs, posted at the beaches - the "Tribal Law" of surfing. And don't dare step out of line!! |
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| Some brave soul catching a wave at Prevelly Beach, at the mouth of the Margaret River - in the freezing water, massive water and the risk of those white-pointy things!! |
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