GO AUSTRALIA: VERNEY NAYLOReventually makes it to southwest Australia, 50 years after a well-travelled friend described Perth as the place in the world he would most like to live – and discovers for herself what makes it such a special place
WHEN, NEARLY 50 years ago now, we asked a well-travelled Dutch friend where in the world would he like to live, he answered Perth in Australia. Which is why he was there to meet us when we landed at the city’s airport last October. He wanted to show us his chosen city and then to take us on a week’s tour of the far southwest corner of Australia.
To the new arrival, Perth is a city confident and pleased with itself. The sun was shining, tall cranes littered the skyline and businessmen were busy walking to meetings in their crisp white shirts. No sign of recession here! Shaded shopping malls and quaint half-timbered side streets tempted us with opal shops and eateries. But Perth is isolated, separated from the big cities of the east by vast deserts and, in spite of some parts of Australia having too much water, Perth doesn’t have enough to deal with its growth.
To get our bearings, we drove along the coast road and, yes, I dipped my feet in the Indian Ocean. In the late afternoon, people were taking wedding photos down on the beach and further along a ceremony (maybe a baptism) had just taken place and the celebrants were walking back up to the road in their wet clothes.
We ate dinner in a buzzy fish restaurant, Trigg Island Café, built, it seemed, right over the beach. The locals know you must book a window table and time it to coincide with the sunset. It was perfect – we watched the sun disappear over the horizon and the twinkling lights of ships out at sea making their way to Fremantle down the coast and, in the distance, the dark shape of Rottnest Island silhouetted against the western sky.
To the southwest of the city centre, and bordering the north shore of the Swan River, lies Kings Park – 4sq km of recreational parkland and botanic gardens. A visit here was good preparation for our trip as we studied a whole range of native plants all growing in groups according to their habitat.
DRIVING SOUTH out of Perth the next day with the sun behind us (I never quite got used to navigating in the southern hemisphere) I noticed that the roadsides had been planted up with native plants. We were heading for Margaret River, stopping for lunch at Bunbury and then taking our time on the sunny afternoon to absorb the landscape and the new – to us – vegetation. In the Tuart Forest National Park near Busselton, the ground was covered with arum lilies, though I learned later that they were garden escapees and are now regarded as weeds!
We continued on to Bunker Bay between Busselton and Cape Naturaliste, for our first sight of the stunning coastal scenery that we would see a lot of over the next few days – waves crashing onto rounded granite and gneiss rocks and sandy bays with surfers, all backed by flowering heathland. A short drive from Bunker Bay we walked along a wooden walkway to Canal Rocks to watch as the heavy swell flowed rapidly through a natural channel beneath us.
Along the sides of the Caves Road, close to Margaret River, were patches of pretty pink watsonias but, like the lilies, they are considered weeds here. Margaret River is the tourist centre for this area. We stayed in a casual sort of motel (a Comfort Inn) but the friendly atmosphere suited us just fine. The first evening we drove out of town at dusk to watch kangaroos grazing in the fields. They sleep during the day which explained why we hadn’t seen any before, so now I could tick them off my list.
The next day we had lunch at the Berry Farm in the shade of a huge old arbutus tree with a startlingly brilliant blue fairy- wren hopping amongst the tables. The afternoon was spent underground in Mammoth Cave, one of the many limestone caves in the area. A decked path leads deep underground where signs explain what you are looking at: stalagmites and stalactites as well as fossils of some of Australia’s megafauna – oversized animals that became extinct tens of thousands of years ago.
The rolling countryside around Margaret River seems to have a winery down every road. We ended up one lunch time at the Voyager Estate with attractive buildings in a Dutch colonial style, an extensive up-market wine and gift shop and a very grand restaurant. We were hungry, so we succumbed and ate a very grand meal washed down, of course, with wonderful wine. In the grounds was a small, immaculately kept, walled rose garden. The roses were at their peak, so a post-prandial stroll was a real pleasure.
CAPE LEEUWIN, just south of Augusta, is Australia’s most southwesterly point and its lighthouse is the mainland’s tallest and has been an important aid to mariners for more than a hundred years. When you stand on the viewing deck looking south, you have the Indian Ocean to your right (the west) and the Southern Ocean to your left (the east).
It was a long drive to Walpole, but we stopped at Beedelup Falls and after that the empty road was lined with dense forest that seemed to go on for ever but we eventually reached Walpole where we spent the night. The next day was showery and cool, but that didn’t stop us doing the famous Tree Top Walk which was quite an experience.
Our furthest point south was the town of Albany. This is the oldest European settlement in the state and the regional centre. It is built on a slope facing south overlooking King George Sound. While we were there it was cold, wet and windy and easy to believe that Antarctica was just over the horizon.
But there are good viewing points and an interesting coastline with rough seas and a natural rock bridge but no whales. The guide book says it can sometimes be hard NOT to see them. Well, I must have been trying really hard! Many coastal viewing points are described as “whale watching” locations but, having scoured the horizon with binoculars every time we were within sight of the sea, I failed to catch even a glimpse of one. I was told I was a little late in the season.
We left the coast and drove north into the outback. About 80km from Albany we passed through the Stirling Range, which had been visible from a distance as a long line of hills rising up out of the plain. Beyond lay gently undulating arable farming country. We saw several road trains carrying grain to the port at Albany for we were in the Wheatbelt.
Hyden is a small town in the middle of nowhere used as a base by tourists who want to look at Wave Rock. This spectacular erosional feature (15m high and 110m long) forms the edge of a large bare granite hill. It has the appearance of an enormous wave about to crash down onto whoever is underneath it. It is possible to climb up above the “wave” and the view from the top is stunning. The surrounding land is flat except for numerous granite mounds that rise up above the bush. Mulka’s Cave is a short drive away and was once inhabited by aboriginal people who left hand stencils on the rock walls.
We accidentally turned the wrong way out of the car park and it was half an hour before we realised we were lost. The wild flowers along the road had taken my eye off the map or perhaps, subconsciously, we wanted to put off the inevitable return to normality, but turn back west we did and 370km later we were driving down the wooded escarpment into Perth and joining the throngs of cars on the freeway.
I wonder where we would have ended up if we had followed that lonely road beyond Mulka’s Cave?
Into the land of giant trees
The southwest tip of Australia is known for its trees, mainly different species of Eucalyptus, many of which are amongst the tallest in the world.
Our introduction to these was in Tuart Forest National Park just north of Busselton. Amongst the tuart trees the smaller peppermint trees were in flower – long weeping branches covered with tiny white puffs of flower.
At Beedelup Falls we walked through the forest of karri, jarrah and marri trees trying to distinguish between them. The karri are the tallest and are only found in southwest Australia, reaching 90m, their tops shrouded in mist.
The Tree Top Walk should not be missed. The amazing sloping steel structure takes you gradually from the forest floor until you are 40m high in the very tops of the tingle trees (another type of eucalyptus) and then slowly brings you back down to earth. It is an easy but thrilling 600m walk.
This species of eucalyptus has a distinctive wide base that has frequently been hollowed out over the years by fire, fungal and insect attack. There are places in this Valley of the Giants where you can walk around and, indeed, into these massive trees. Quite humbling.
Where to stay and eat
Where to stay
Comfort Inn. Grange on Farrelly, 18 Farrelly Street, Margaret River, 00-61-8-9757-3177, grangeonfarrelly.com.au. Informal, comfortable and friendly, five minutes walk from the centre. Rooms from €87.
Tree Top Walk Motel. Nockolds Street, South Coast Highway, Walpole, 00-61-8-9840-1444, treetopwalkmotel.com.au. Convenient, bright and spacious. Rooms from €91.
Best Western Albany Motel. Spencer Street, Albany, 00-61-8-9845-7500, bestwestern.comau/ albanymotel. Comfortable with good views, but luggage has to be carried up stairs. Rooms from €124.
Wave Rock Motel. 2 Lynch Street. Hyden, 00-61-8-9880-5052, waverock.com.au/motel. Best in the area but the rooms seemed to be very dark. Rooms from €111.
Where to eat
Trigg Island Café. 360 West Coast Drive, Perth, 00-61-8-9447-0077, triggislandcafe.com.au. Fantastic views. Busy, with very good seafood. Dinner with wine from €66.
Voyager Estate. Stevens Road, Margaret River, 00-61-8-9757-6354, voyagerestate.com.au. Beautiful dining room. Excellent service. Very good upmarket food and wine. Lunch with wine €58.
McSweeney’s Gourmet. 5B Strickland Street, Denmark (between
Walpole and Albany), 00-61-8-9848-2362. Small cafe on main street. Tasty, home-made snacks. Light lunch €15.
Nonna’s Restaurant. 135 Lower York Street, Albany, 00-61-8-9841-4626. Italian establishment with nice food but premises not very cosy. Dinner with wine for €39.
Wave Rock Motel. 2 Lynch Street, Hyden, 00-61-8-9880-5052, waverock.com.au/motel. Bush Bistro, which means you choose your meat and cook it yourself, so bring an apron! Buffet salads. Dinner with wine from €29.
More information
* margaretriver.com.au
* albanytourist.com.au
* perthtouristcentre.com.au