As you can guess, there’s nothing like packing up and moving on to bring out the sun. It was a truly gorgeous morning and, as we nosed out into the traffic, the sun reflected on the glassy-smooth water of the Leschenault estuary and warmed me right down to my bones. Of course it was too good to last, though there wasn’t a cloud in the sky at 0830.
To take the coast road as far as possible was the aim today and, mostly, we managed. Through the amazing Ludlow Tuart Forest, a fairy-land of trees with white lilies and purple flowering creeper, and places with names like Ludlow Hithergreen, to Cape Naturaliste to photograph the lighthouse. It didn’t take long at all, and I have to take issue with Mr Mercator, who has made the SW corner of Australia look bigger than it actually is.
Following the coast road after an early lunch at Dunsborough, we passed through some of the most beautiful countryside I’ve seen. It reminded me very much of the North Downs and Romney Marsh in Kent. The grass was so very green. There are an awful lot of vineyards in the Margaret River region and we passed a deer farm, hillsides with sheep and cattle dotted about on them… and then it rained. And rained.
This is a beautiful coastline on a day when the sea is glassy, but with all the rocks and shoals out there… with the right conditions it would be terrifying. The term, ‘rugged beauty’ comes to mind, but it doesn’t really describe it.
At Cape Leeuwin, where I turned the corner and have now started heading (mostly) east – between the showers of easing rain – I photographed the lighthouse, a pretty, tall affair, then called it a day and headed for a proper motel, a Best Western, where the room doesn’t smell of anything. Yay! There is also no Wi-fi around here. Perhaps tomorrow?
I’m sorry there are no photos with this post. The Internet in this part of the world is so piss-poor (Minister for Communications, outgoing and incoming, please note) that it took 18 mins 29 seconds to upload one small photo. I regard myself as very fortunate the connection has lasted long enough to cut and paste this journal entry. I am not optimistic that the Internet will improve from here on.