Monday, May 8th:We are going to miss the apartment for the next three weeks as we'll probably be staying in a different place every night in SW Australia and along the west coast. It's nice to be able to unpack for a while and the Freo apartment had about everything we wanted. But, on with our adventures..... We picked up the car, a silver Hyundai Accent; smaller than the one we had for the Great Ocean Road and, as we realized right off, no cruise control. Heading south from Fremantle, our first stop would be Bunbury, but not before a near miss on the road. Another car was speeding along at 110k/hr (the speed limit), when the driver must have realized he was about to miss his turn. He slammed on the brakes, apparently locking his wheels, and spun around a couple of times. We were coming right at him, but luckily had time to slow down and move to the side of the road. Good thing there were two lanes on our side or he would certainly have rolled or collided with an oncoming car. As it was, he left plenty of tread burning on the road. In Bunbury, we stopped at the Tourist Office after which we decided it would be a nice place for lunch and not much else. We had fish at Aristo's (apparently he's a gourmet chef on TV) and shared our table with an older couple originally from Denmark, but who've lived in Perth since 1971.

The next town on our list is Busselton, noted for its 1.8k long jetty. At the tourist office, we made a booking at the Jacaranda B&B and then set off for the jetty. At the far end is the Underwater Observatory (UWO), so we bought two tickets (at A$20 each) and walked the length of the jetty (there's no other way to get there). The jetty was originally constructed of timber, but a cyclone and later a fire, destroyed sections of it and they were replaced by concrete. At one time there was a tram that carried visitors to the UWO, but it was discontinued because it was causing the jetty to deteriorate. The tracks still run the length of it. The UWO is a series of windows that look out at the open water from sea level down to about 8 meters. We could see the marine life that had grown on the pylons, and, as we got farther down, several species of fish. One of them had two hooks in its mouth!! We agreed that the "tour" wasn't worth the money, except that the proceeds go toward the jetty's maintenance.

The B&B is in a peaceful garden setting with winding brick footpaths and overhanging trees. Our room is in a separate cottage at the rear--very quiet. It has the prereqisite electric bed pad and a comfortable bed. At around 6:30 we walk into town for dinner. Surprise!! It's Monday night and almost all the restaurants are closed, but we find one that meets our needs. Rory has grilled fish and Rick has a steak. Both come with "gourmet" potatoes, except they turn out to be two small boiled potatoes--nothing gourmet about them. They were good, though and a welcome change from chips (fries). This has definitely been the least exciting day of our trip thus far.

Tuesday, May 9th: For the past two weeks, the news in Australia has focused on two trapped miners in Beaconsfield, Tasmania. They were found alive after the mineshaft collapsed. Another miner had been previously found dead, so the discovery that Todd Russell and Brant Webb survived has been considered a miracle by all of Australia. The two survivors had been inside a 2 meter by 1 meter iron cage and were thus protected from being crushed. They had been alive for 5 days when they were found and it took 9 more to drill through incredibly hard rock to reach them without triggering another collapse. We have been following this along with the rest of Australia since it happened. This morning at 5:59am they walked out of the mine and the celebration began!!

Our B&B had the most comfortable bed we've slept in so far--and we slept great!! At breakfast we chatted up Anne and John, a couple from north of Perth, who are planning to move to Busselton. Before we were finished, we had an invitation to meet them on our way back down the coast at the end of the month and spend at least one night. On the road again, we passed through Dunsborough to Cape Naturaliste thinking we'd give the lighthouse a try or maybe take a walk out to the point. But we'd been told about a sheep shearing demonstration south of Yallingup that starts at 11am. We also need petrol, so we drive back to Dunsborough to fill the tank and then on to the demo. For A$7 each, we're treated to quite a good exhibition of how to properly shear a sheep (taking the wool off all in one piece) and then we watch as Bibb, a border collie, brings in the sheep from out in the pasture. This is one smart dog; she really knows what she's doing and is very happy to receive the admiration of all of us.

What to do next? We stopped at a couple of Margaret River Valley wineries, getting a free tasting at the Cullen Winery, but decide to bypass the town of Margaret River and push on to Augusta at the southwestern most point of Australia. We want to catch the last tour of Jewel Cave, but first we stop at the Tourist Office to choose from a limited number of places to stay for the night. We opt for Wrenwood Chalets where they promise to have the fire going when we arrive. But first, the tour of Jewel Cave, one of three caves in the area that can be visited. Jewel Cave is no longer active--it had dried up some time ago. We are amazed at the extent of the caves and the size of the chambers. Our guide, Nick, is very knowledgable, and we get our money's worth (A$16.50 each) for the approximately one hour tour. We will descend to about 42 meters underground. Our ticket is also good for entry into Caveworks, "an eco-centre with displays of caves set amongst the natural environment of the Leeuwin-Naturaliste Ridge" according to their brochure. We'll visit this tomorrow, along with Cape Leeuwin.

Rory is ecstatic with what we find at Wrenwood Chalets. In addition to a fully equipped chalet, the place is a refuge for orphaned animals. Mary and Les, who own the property, have at least three kangaroos, an emu, seven gallahs (parrot-like birds) and several cockatoos, including Bill who has an entertaining repertoire of phrases and likes to play "peek-a-boo" from inside his large can of seed. It's enough for us to consider staying an extra day. We have a non-memorable dinner at the Augusta Hotel Lounge and return to the chalet. The fire has done its work and the chalet is very warm; so much so that we have to open the door in our bedroom to let in some cool air. There's a screen door to keep out any curious critters. Rick awakens in the middle of the night to find only embers in the fire. Rory suggests he close the door, but he doesn't. Big mistake!! By morning, the place is a lot cooler and Rory is freezing....

Wednesday, May 10th: Finally, at a bit past 7am, Rick gets up and gets the fire going again--only takes two tries! What a woodsman!! While Rory sleeps in, Rick has breakfast and goes out to feed the roos and the one gallah brave enough to take seeds from his hand. He also visits Bill, the cockatoo, and tries to outsmart the emu into stopping long enough for a photo. We have to be out by 10am, but Rick gets permission from Mary to stay a few minutes longer as Rory is running a little behind schedule.... Once the car is loaded, Rory takes her turn feeding the animals and we're off. She has determined that Caveworks is nothing more than an opportunity for selling souvenirs, so we opt to skip it and head directly for Cape Leeuwin and the Lighthouse. It'a another gorgeous day--sunny and mild, no jackets or fleeces today. Cape Leeuwin is where the Indian and Great Southern Oceans meet. Before we reach the lighthouse, we stop along a deserted beach so Rory can go shelling. She finds several, she hasn't seen before and then we continue to the Cape. We purchase two tickets for the 12:20pm lighthouse tour at A$10 each and hike up the hill. Grahme is our guide, and before the tour begins, he tells us that the Great Southern Ocean was formerly called the Antarctic Ocean. This clears up Rick's confusion about how come he never heard of the Great Southern Ocean before this trip. The visit to the lighthouse is great. We climb the 176 steps to the top as Grahme relates the history of Cape Leeuwin. This is a working lighthouse and we are regaled with tales of storms and shipwrecks. He points out where the two oceans actually meet and you can see the currents coming from opposite directions. The Indian Ocean is also 2-3 dgrees centigrade warmer than the Great Southern. This is due to the Leeuwin current, which is similar to the Gulf Stream and warms the western coast. In the distance we can see a bit of land called Cumberland Island. Apparently this Island is exactly on the opposite side of the world from Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. He also related a story about a challenge to a pizza place in the US that boasted it delivered anywhere in the world, to deliver one to Cumberland Island. First, they couldn't get a pizza through customs because of agricultural restrictions, but they could bring the dough in. They topped the pizza in Augusta and, when they couldn't get to the Island, delivered it to the front door of the lighthouse.

From Augusta, we drive the 140 or so kilometers to Pemberton. Our objective here is to climb the Gloucester Tree, a giant karri tree. Again, our first stop in a new town is the Tourist Office to find a place to stay. We choose the Pemberton Farm Chalets , another fully self-contained accomodation with a woodburning stove and an electric bed pad. Shirley greets us at the reception area and, when she hears we intend to climb the Gloucester Tree, tells us we can walk there from where we are. Seems like a great idea and her directions are perfect. We follow the fencing and dirt paths, spotting lots of birds, and we find the the park, where the tree is located, without any problem. To get to the platform, 61 meters (just about 200 feet) up in the tree, you climb on a spiral ladder of rebar spikes that have been hammered into the trunk of the tree. The spikes stick out about 2 feet from the trunk and there is heavy wire fencing to keep you close to the tree. Rick, who is not too fond of heights, found this somewhat reassuring. Rory went first with Rick about 20 spikes behind. Only about 6 people can be on the platform at any time and the "traffic flow" is in one direction at a time. In other words, everyone going up, must complete the climb before anyone can go back down. We are quite proud of ourselves when we reach the platform and spend a few minutes congratulating each other. We are at treetop height and have a close up look at several birds. The view itself is unspectacular, all you see is trees (Pemberton is several kilometers inland so no coast is visible). The descent is easier than the ascent, and upon reaching the bottom, we are congratulated by several people who are not up to the attempt themselves. For us, it's a major accomplishment and we eagerly relate our experience to anyone who'll listen. Finally we retrace our trek back to the chalet where we are greeted by "Nugget", the family dog, who has just had a swim in the horse trough and is very wet. Dinner tonight is at the Pemberton Hotel and we enjoy a fine meal: steak for Rick, marron (a freshwater crayfish) for Rory. Tonight Rick can't resist a dessert of white chocolate berry cheesecake, which is scrumptious. Back at the chalet, Rick gets the fire going and we happily review another great day in Oz.

Thursday, May 11th: Unfortunately Rick did too good a job with the fire, and the chalet is really warm. Rory is more than happy, but the heat keeps Rick from falling asleep for a couple of hours. Rory wakes up feeling great and another beautiful sunny warm day makes up for the short rest Rick got. At 9am, the animals are fed: two roos, one sheep and a horse show up for breakfast from Ron's (Shirley's husband) bucket. Nugget has come around to see what's going on, fresh from another swim in the horse trough. We're off by 9:30 to find a t-shirt that says: "I climbed the Gloucester Tree" for Rick. No one seems to sell them, but one fellow suggests the Tourist Office. When Rick walks in and asks, both ladies in the Office point to the rack in the back corner. Rick is delighted, and, in addition to his t-shirt, we both receive documentation certifying our accomplishments yesterday. A stop at the post office, so Rory can mail some postcards and then we're on our way to Walpole.

No matter what town we find ourselves in, the locals are quick to suggest that we need to spend several days enjoying the sights and attractions their city has to offer. For example, passing through the town(?) of Northcliffe, a place so small that every possible product and service is provided at one establishment, the lady who pumps our gas suggests we not be in such a hurry and visit the local sights. She even produces an illustrated brochure to help us. We thank her and continue on to Walpole. The major attraction here is the Valley of the Giants Tree Top Walk. This is an impressive feat of engineering: a 600 meter-long walkway that gradually rises to 40 meters above the forest floor and provides a unique opportunity to view the giant red tingle trees and the forest below. The Tree Top Walk is one of the sights on Rick's "must see" list. But, having already climbed the Gloucester tree takes some of the "challenge factor" out of the Walk. The fact that the top of the Gloucester Tree is 61 meters above ground also takes something away from the walkway. The "Ancient Empire Walk" (at ground level) provides an opportunity to see some of the huge tingle trees close up and marvel at their height and girth. The base of the trunks of many of them have openings wide enough to walk through.

Margaret at the Tourist Centre in Walpole provided two suggestions in addition to directions: 1) take the scenic drive from the Tree Top Walk to Bow Bridge and then on to Denmark and 2) stop at William Bay to see the Elephant Rocks. We take her advice and on the way to Bow Bridge we stop to feed five Indian Peafowl, two of which were pure white and not shown anywhere in Rory's Australian bird book. Since we didn't get a good look at their eyes, we're not sure if they were albinos. Following Margaret's directions to the letter, we arrive at William Bay, overlooking the most magnificant beach Rory has ever seen. It's almost deserted and sheltered by several mounds of boulders that seem to grow out of the water and prevent any waves from hitting the beach. At first we think these are the Elephant Rocks, but we're wrong. We walk over the rocky shoreline, encountering small pools teaming with crabs. We could have easily filled bushel baskets with these red, black and cream colored creatures and feasted for weeks. We spot a sign indicating Elephant Cove is just over another cliff. On the other side we find what is surely "Elephant Rocks". They look like a herd of huge elephants standing in the water. We could have stayed here for hours and consider stopping in Denmark for the night so we could do so. Instead, we continue on to Albany and the local Tourist Office to find a place to stay for the next two (maybe three) nights. We've been spoiled by our chalet stays the past two nights so that's what we ask for. We visit a couple and choose Emu Beach Chalets, about 6k from the town centre and only a 70m walk to the beach. Once we're settled in, it's back to Albany for groceries and dinner.

Friday, May 12th: Today is the beginning of our 6th week in Australia--and we still have six more after this one!! We are really pleased with the unseasonably mild weather. We haven't seen a cloud for 5 days. Rory is actually up early to walk on the beach and collect shells. She comes back in an hour with half the beach and very satisfied with her "treasures". It doesn't take us long to realize that, despite being told we'll need at least three days in Albany, we can do what interests us in less than one. Around 10:30, we set out for Natural Bridge and the Gap on Isthmus Bay. There is no charge to visit these sights which are located together along the rocky coast. The rocks are totally accessible, and Rick climbs out on top of Natural Bridge. Rory is skeptical, but finally agrees to take several pictures of him and then joins him among the boulders. It's another awesome scene, with the multi-hued sea crashing against the rocks and forming deserted cove beaches. The Gap is a deep gorge between sheer cliffs and viewed from a point about 20 meters above. When a tour bus arrives, we depart. We opt not to visit the touristy "Whaleworld", but instead follow a path to Frenchman Bay looking for a place to eat--but there isn't anything here except nature.

Back in town we find a nice place for lunch where Rory swears she has one of the best meals of the trip. After lunch we decide to return to a couple of shops we'd passed this morning: Gemworld and Bird World. At the latter, Rory had hoped to satisfy her "jones" for holding a bird, but there is no opportunity here. Neither turned out to be worth the few minutes we spent in each, so we set off in search of "Deer-O-Dome and Guinea Pig World" (a single sight), several kilometers out of town. We have no intention of touring this "attraction", but have to take a picture of their sign, because no one will believe such a place exists. It is closed until May 28th but we do get our photo and a good laugh. On the way back, we stop at "Dog Rock" (we're not making this stuff up....). Had it not been for a post card Rick saw in Gemworld, we'd have missed this wonder completely!!

Neither of us is hungry after our big lunch, so we agree a light dinner in the chalet will be good. It also gives us a chance to get organized for tomorrow. We'll need a few groceries, but we get to Coles 12 minutes after it closes. Rick pleads our case that we need only two items (really four) and the manager lets us in. (Would this happen in the US? NOT!!) Next stop is the petrol station and the chance to remove 5 days worth of bugs from our windshield. We're back to the chalet by 7pm.

Saturday, May 13th: Rick found a place in town that has free wireless internet access: Bar Cino, a coffee bar. The goal this morning is to get there by 9am when they open. Rory is ready early!!! for which she receives appropriate kudos, and this bodes well for the rest of the day. We are able to update our website, check email, and pay a couple of bills.

Our destination today is Hyden to see Wave Rock and we have a 350km drive to get there from Albany. We're told it should take about 4 hours, but we do it in 3 1/2 including stops. We pass through towns(?) with names like: Takalaprup, Amelup, Pingrup, Dornock, Pederah, and Kalgarin. We gas up in Pingrup, at the Pingrup Roadhouse, not because we really need to,but we've got to get the bugs off our windshield. After 20 minutes back on the road, the windshield is a mess again. Bugs the size of large birds are splatting against it--we see them coming. Finally we reach Hyden, a town of 120. There appears to be nothing here--not even the Tourist Office we're expecting. The entire town is at the local footy field watching their local team. We drive on toward Wave Rock and find the Tourist Office is part of the Lace Museum, Wildlife Park, and snack bar. A nice lady named Sheenagh explains the sights: the Wave Rock itself and the Hippo Yawn Rock. She explains that there is little in the way of accomodation here: "The Resort", The Wave Rock Motel" and some cabins near the entrance to the Rock. Wave Rock is exactly what its name implies: a vast expanse of rock in the shape of the curl of a 50 foot wave, formed by millenia of pounding wind and rain. The entry fee is A$7 a carload. The fee is waived if you stay in the cabins. We sacrifice and pay the fee after Rick has a look at one of the cabins. For A$88, the place has no heat, the bed is mushy, and we'll have to share it with most of the bugs we haven't already had splat against our windshield.

Wave Rock itself is pretty impressive and we take the requisite photos of ourselves along side it. We meet Laurie and Margot from Perth and wander about for a while with them, taking photos for each other. At the top of Wave Rock there is a collection of large boulders in various shapes and we try to determine which of them is the Yawning Hippo. It turns out none of them are; there's a separate walk to it. Since we've committed this much time, we might as well follow the 1.4km path. Rick expects it to lead back up on top of Wave Rock, but it doesn't. When we finally reach the Yawning Hippo, we are at a loss to figure out why this is such an attraction, especially considering the flies flitting all around us and the desolation of the area. There are no sounds, no birds, and very little in the way of vegetation. In short, this ain't no "Dog Rock". We're happy to return to the car.

The issue now is a place to stay. Do we take a chance in Hyden, or drive on to York, where the Tourist Office will surely be closed. We check out the resort--two bedroom cabins at A$112, but they're in the middle of nowhere (actually, so is Hyden) and we'll have to go to the Motel for dinner anyway. It's the only place in town.... Back at the Tourist Office, Sheenagh explains our options at the Motel: standard hooms for A$112 or luxury rooms for A$156. (Funny, she is one of the owners of the motel....). Rather than sleep in the car, we check out the motel. Lee at the desk shows us a standard room and it will do. Rick goes off to get the front of the car cleaned off. There are so many dead bugs on it that it looks like someone "lost their lunch" all over it. While he's gone, Rory finds that the heater doesn't work. We're given another room, which is fine except the bathroom light is out. Sheenagh comes by to replace the bulb and offers to move us to one of the luxury rooms at no additional charge. We accept, and what we wind up with is the nicest accommodation of our trip. It's got a spa tub, which Rory is dying to get into; and all the amenities. We're dumbfounded that a room of this quality is avaiable in this tiny town. Oh yes, dinner....The restaurant is a bistro open from 6-9pm: you choose your meat (steak, lamb chops, pork chops, sausages, chicken, burgers) and cook it yourself. We choose lamb chops and a t-bone and enjoy the experience immensely. The Wave Rock Motel turns out to be another highlight of our trip. Whodathunkit??

Sunday, May 14th: We spent most of the day in the car. We stopped in York to visit the Tourist Office and got quite a bit of good advice from Steve and Walter. When Walter found out that we'd spent last night in Hyden, he provided us with a bit of history about the place. Apparently, Sheenagh's father thought that Wave Rock should be seen by as many tourists as possible. The tour companies wouldn't bring groups because Hyden was too remote. So Russell (Sheenagh's father) built the motel and an airstrip. The latter is located out near the resort that we opted not to stay at. Russell was also a big footy fan and met Dennis (Sheenagh's husband) on a beach in SW Australia. Dennis had been a professional footy player so Russell invited him to come to Hyden to develop their local footy team. Dennis had no idea where Hyden was, but agreed to come. In three years, Dennis developed a team good enough to win the local championship. In the process he met and married Sheenagh, and together they run the Wave Rock Motel. We really love this stuff.....