View from the Deck on stormy day
The moon refection veiwed from the bed
Sunrise viewed from the bed
Road to Albany, lots of farms & Vineyards
Treetop Walk
Tree Top Walk
Crystal Cave
Crystal Cave absolutely beautiful
Hamlin Bay
Sting Ray near shore, would you like to go wading?
Sting Ray Beach Sign
Foreshore in front of house
View from the bed, see Lil's foot?
Sprying off the windows covered with salt spray
View from the living area
Blog #3 – Augusta
On our drive south east to Augusta we stopped at Margaret River for lunch and a look around the town. It is quite popular with tourists, with quite a lot of wineries and small breweries as well as dairy farms.
Our home in Augusta is very comfortable and on a hill just about a 150 feet from the ocean. The outlook is quite spectacular as there are windows all across the front of the house (you can see the ocean laying in bed), the deck area is partially surrounded with sliding glass windows, and is in the shade during the hot part of the day. So by opening the sliding windows it creates a cooling breezeway, and is a very comfortable place to be during the hot part of the day.
We have been fortunate with the weather, while being in the south west corner of the State, we have avoided most of the extremely hot weather they are experiencing in Perth and further north were they are setting records for the number of days it has been over 35C, they are something like 30 days now!!
However we head for Geraldton next week Mar 2, and the forecast is for the heat wave to continue into March, a time were it is usually starting to cool down as it is the start of their Fall season!
The Cape Leeuwin lighthouse is 6 kms south of here. This is where the Indian Ocean and the Southern Ocean meet. There are nice beaches and really interesting rock outcroppings. At the estuary of the Blackwood River, there is good access to the ocean for kite surfers so we can watch them from the deck.
On our drive south east to Augusta we stopped at Margaret River for lunch and a look around the town. It is quite popular with tourists, with quite a lot of wineries and small breweries as well as dairy farms.
Our home in Augusta is very comfortable and on a hill just about a 150 feet from the ocean. The outlook is quite spectacular as there are windows all across the front of the house (you can see the ocean laying in bed), the deck area is partially surrounded with sliding glass windows, and is in the shade during the hot part of the day. So by opening the sliding windows it creates a cooling breezeway, and is a very comfortable place to be during the hot part of the day.
We have been fortunate with the weather, while being in the south west corner of the State, we have avoided most of the extremely hot weather they are experiencing in Perth and further north were they are setting records for the number of days it has been over 35C, they are something like 30 days now!!
However we head for Geraldton next week Mar 2, and the forecast is for the heat wave to continue into March, a time were it is usually starting to cool down as it is the start of their Fall season!
The Cape Leeuwin lighthouse is 6 kms south of here. This is where the Indian Ocean and the Southern Ocean meet. There are nice beaches and really interesting rock outcroppings. At the estuary of the Blackwood River, there is good access to the ocean for kite surfers so we can watch them from the deck.
One of the beaches near by has very large sting-rays that cruise for food just a few feet from shore where there is barely enough water to cover them. You can stand within a yard of them as they go back and forth for a few hundred feet. Fascinating creatures.
We heard of a tree nursery where the owner called little birds to come for cracker crumbs. We went there and sure enough, they called up a variety of little birds, the special one was a Fairy Wren, sorry, no picture.
The area along this coast has quite a number of caves. We visited the Jewel Cave which is the biggest in the area and absolutely beautiful. There was a good plank walkway, lots of steps (250 down & up) to the viewing areas. The the air in the cave also has a fairly high percentage of Carbon Dioxide, which effects your breathing, so we were puffing when we climbed back out of the cave, but it was worth it!!
Augusta is a great little town, with all the usual necessary stores and services. We get a kick out of the slightly different way Aussies say things, road signs say “give way” instead of “yield” and “no overtaking” instead of “no passing”. They make perfect sense either way.
Our Augusta Exchangers, Tim and Jenny Ford, drove down from Perth to Eagle Bay, so we could have the use of the Fords car's car in Augusta. Along with them our Perth exchangers, Sue Johnson and Mike Leonard came down in their car, so Tim and Jenny had a way to get home without our driving them back to Perth. It's about 3 hours from Augusta to Perth. They have treated us very well.
We went on a overnight visit eastward to Albany, through a number of small towns on our way. This area has a history of logging, especially the karri tree which is widely used for furniture and floors. It is a beautiful deep mahogany colored hardwood very resistant to insects. At Albany we visited the Tree Top walk. It was great being near the canopy of these lovely trees. Unfortunately, no bird sightings.
Our next exchange is Geraldton which is a 6 hour bus ride north of Perth. We have been invited to stay overnight in Perth with Sue and Mike. They even offered to take us too the 8:30AM Bus. Talk about Aussie hospitality! We certainly look forward to having them come to Chase in September.
Next Blog from Geraldton
Augusta is a great little town, with all the usual necessary stores and services. We get a kick out of the slightly different way Aussies say things, road signs say “give way” instead of “yield” and “no overtaking” instead of “no passing”. They make perfect sense either way.
Our Augusta Exchangers, Tim and Jenny Ford, drove down from Perth to Eagle Bay, so we could have the use of the Fords car's car in Augusta. Along with them our Perth exchangers, Sue Johnson and Mike Leonard came down in their car, so Tim and Jenny had a way to get home without our driving them back to Perth. It's about 3 hours from Augusta to Perth. They have treated us very well.
We went on a overnight visit eastward to Albany, through a number of small towns on our way. This area has a history of logging, especially the karri tree which is widely used for furniture and floors. It is a beautiful deep mahogany colored hardwood very resistant to insects. At Albany we visited the Tree Top walk. It was great being near the canopy of these lovely trees. Unfortunately, no bird sightings.
Our next exchange is Geraldton which is a 6 hour bus ride north of Perth. We have been invited to stay overnight in Perth with Sue and Mike. They even offered to take us too the 8:30AM Bus. Talk about Aussie hospitality! We certainly look forward to having them come to Chase in September.
Next Blog from Geraldton
The scenery is absolutely gorgeous! It seems you spend a lot of time in bed watching it tho! The ice cave must have been spectacular but I'm not sure I could do that....I am very claustrophobic. Although I'm not terribly fond of height either, I think I could do the Tree Top Walk. Your write-ups are so nice to read. Will there be another blog before you come home? Keep having fun. We miss you but are looking forward to getting together when you get back.
ReplyDeleteGreat post - beautiful views!
ReplyDeleteDid you know that on 5 Jan 1833 my gt gt grandfather (and your gt grandfather-in-law) Henry Leeuwin Dempster was born at sea near there, hence his middle name. What a small world!
Hi Lil&Herb
ReplyDeleteWe are sure enjoying your blogs with all the beautiful pictures of the scenery. Great view of ocean and the sunsets. Look forward to your next stop.
I had commented before on your blogs,then realized it didn't get through.
Hope you are both keeping well. Love Les & Sheila