Missives From Margs – Vintage!

It’s Autumn and that means it’s vintage time in Margaret River! It’s is probably the most exciting time of the year. Vintage starts mid February and extends until late April. Not only is it the time when this seasons crop of wine grapes are harvested and crushed, it is also peak tourist time. While summer holidays are always busy with family holidays, specially in a location with such fabulous beaches, autumn is the pick of the seasons weatherwise. So this region gets realy busy in autumn.

Naturally, winemakers and grape growers are nervously watching the weather, praying for sun and no rain. They are busy testing grapes so they can get them covered in nets before the Silvereyes (tiny little birds that peck holes in grapes) descend and wreck the crop. Contractors come to town to service the winemaking equipment, operate the grape harvesting machines and tractors. There is a sense of expectation in the air!

Vines covered in nets to prevent the tiny Silvereyes from ruining the grapes

The town is also full of backpackers. They come here primarily for the grape harvest, where they can work the hours required in specified jobs to gain their 2nd year tourist visa as well as some much needed cash to continue their travels. And of course, they are also here to enjoy the great weather and great surf. Head on down to Surfers Point any afternoon, after grape picking has finished for the day, and you will find the car parks full of campervans and old station wagons, packed high with camping gear. Out on the viewing terraces you can listen to just about every language on earth, as backpackers from around the world discuss their attempts at riding the famous Margaret River waves. Cafes and cellar doors are full of foreign accents as backpackers look for any opportunity to get a bit more income to fund their further travels around Australia. The hospitality industry here relies heavily on backpackers in peak season. Once vintage is over and the weather turns cold, they’ll be found heading north chasing the sun.

Backpackers cars of all shapes and sizes 

This season is also Grey Nomad season. As soon as summer holidays are over, the WA nomads pack up their vans and head south. Autumn is perfect time to experience the South West and Great Southern regions; sunny, not too hot and no school holiday crowds. They are closely followed by the East Coast nomads, also taking advantage of the prime weather before turning north to experience the fabulous northern regions like the Murchison, the Pilbara and the Kimberley. They are like an alien invasion, caravans rolling into town, swarming around the shops, visiting wineries, cafes and local attractions and, in turn, providing work for all the backpackers in the hospitality business.

And in amongst all this activity, tourists from Perth and overseas make their regular long weeeknd visits to the region, filling up the hotels, motels, Air BnB’s, B&B’s and camping areas. This is also the season for concerts and most weekends there is a well known performer at wineries and venues across the region. It’s wedding season too, so that just adds another level of excitment to the region. Most Saturdays you can find well dressed people walking to venues around town or at the wineries and restaurants.

Wineries offer great places to enjoy a relaxing glass

Victorian Austin Heally 3000 club visiting

There is a buzz around town at this time of year. Everything is busy, specially on weekends. Luckily the region is large and the attractions and venues spread out so we never really feel overwhelmed. We do however avoid town itself on weekends because it gets pretty busy.  Otherwise, there is a great atmosphere across the entire region. It’s a bit like footy grand finals weekend, everyone is happy and excited. There is so much to see and do hewre, that all travellers can find something to keep them smiling. Whether it’s relaxing in a cafe, enjoying wine, surfing, bushwalking or eating out, Margaret River is a happy place in Autumn.

Bushwalking in beautiful fresh surroundings

The famous Margaret River surf

Kalbarri

Oh Kalbarri, why did we neglect you for so long??

Kalbarri is a national park that has been a bit hidden from our view. On our first trip to WA, we drove straight past it. It tends to live in the shadow of its better known big brother, Karijini, the spectacular park in the Pilbara that is often regarded as Australia’s best NP. I must admit to getting them mixed up early in our travels and really only considering the Pilbara NP as the one to visit. West Australians of course have always known of the beauty of Kalbarri and it has been a popular destination for them for many years, specially as its just 600km from Perth so within a days drive to get here.

Kalbarri is unique in that it offers two completely different experiences for the visitor. The inland gorges offer spectacular scenery, carved out by the Murchison River into a grand canyon like vista. In complete contrast, the coastal section of the park offers something like a cross between Victoria’s spectacular Great Ocean Rd and South Australia’s Bunda cliffs. Place all of this near a gorgeous coastal village with a climate that allows almost year round accessiblilty and you have the makings of a brilliant NP.

Driving into Kalbarri from the south gives you little indication of the beauty of the coastline. The scene is one of flat coastal scrub leading to the ocean which you occasionally glimpse to your left. Its not until you enter the town proper and see the vista of the Murchison River inlet and river mouth below you that you get an inkling that this might be a special place. It’s all laid out before you, looking just like a perfect landscape painting. We arrived on a perfect day too, so we had that perfect Australian clear blue sky, contrasting with white sandy beaches and pale blue river. We needed to stay in a CP to catch up on our domestic duties which was just as well, because this section of the coast has virtually no free camps and a couple of not very cheap station stays. There is no accommodation or camping at all in the NP. After a quick drive round, we decided on the Kalbarri Tudor Holiday Park, which turned out to be nice, well run park with shady sites and clean amenities. We spent the afternoon doing our washing and getting the van tidied up.

Deb had pre booked a dog minding service for Molly for the next two days so we could spend our time enjoying the NP. By coincidence it turned out that our good friends Kevin and Marie from Mandurah knew the pet minder very well so when we found that out, we were very confident Molly would be well looked after. We dropped her off early and headed out for a day exploring the inland gorges. Surprisingly, it was really cold, despite the full, bright sun. A bitter wind was blowing in from the east.

This section of the park requires payment of an entrance fee, $13 for vehicle day pass, which is very reasonable considering  the excellent sealed roads throughout the park and very well established picnic facilities, lookouts and toilets at the key gorges. The Western Loop lookout is currently closed while they construct a “Skyway” platform extending out over the gorge, but all other attractions were open.

The drive out to the gorges is very flat and except for the masses of wildflowers, is fairly uninteresting, just flat scrubby vegetation as far as the eye can see. Our first stop was Natures Window and when we arrived at the car park we got an inkling of just how magnificent this park was going to be. The car park is perched on the edge of the very deep gorge carved out by the Murchison River through multiple layers of striking, stripey Tumblagooda Sandstone. This place is a geologists dream! The river trickles through the gorge 150 metres below. Over the millenia, it has carved out a spectacular gorge, eroding away the sandstone and leaving incredible rock formations behind. We were blown away by the scene, surely one of the most magnificent river gorges in the country. Natures window is a natural formation just a short walk away from the carpark, and consists of a hole right through the rocks, framing the river and gorge below. It is one of WA’s most iconic photo locations and we joined the small number of other early risers to take turns to get our own iconic photo. The view is breathtaking! We spent some time just admiring it and I went for a short walk down towards the river to get a different perspective. There is a full 8 km circuit walk that runs along the top of the gorge, before dropping steeply down to the river, then following the river for a few km before climbing steeply back up again. We didn’t really feel up to such a strenuous walk so contented ourselves with enjoying the view from the top. Our peace was shattered for a while by a couple of Irish families who had dragged their unenthusiastic small children down to look at the window. Long after they left we could hear the mother’s voice echoing up and down the gorge, but eventually peace reigned again!

Natures Window

View through the Window to the Murchison River

Layers of beautiful Tumblagooda Sandstone

Of course, the wildflowers were spectacular in the park. Different from the ones we had seen around Mulwela, but so many amazing shapes and colours along the roadside and walking tracks.

Our next stop was Z Bend Lookout a few km further up the river. Here, we looked down a deep gorge that switched back sharply in a Z shape. Incredibly sharp turns in such a deep gorge producing some spectacular views down into the gorge. This is another favourite photo opportunity, and luckily as we were here early, it wasn’t too busy. There were plenty of wildflowers to see too, alongside the roads and paths to the lookouts. We stopped here for our picnic lunch.

Z Bend

We then drove around 50km to the next two lookouts, Ross Graham and Hawks Head. These two lookouts are further out from Kalbarri, so less popular, but still very impressive. Hawks Head is a rock formation that supposedly looks like a Hawks head, but you needed a very good imagination so really see it. At Ross Graham lookout we took a walk trail down into the gorge to the river. Its not as deep here so the walk was steep but short. Down by the river we enjoyed a short break and took in the views typical of Murchison River country: deep red sandstone rocks, the river and beautiful white gum trees spreading out over the river bed. Gorgeous! There were three National Park workers rebuilding parts of the trail, backbreaking work moving new rock steps into place. All the work was done by hand, and all their tools had to be carried down into the gorge. It made us appreciate the efforts made to make our visit comfortable, safe and easy. After a full day exploring, we returned to collect Molly who had obviously had a great time with Simone and the other dogs.

Murchison River upstream near Ross Graham Lookout

Down by the Murchison River

Gorgeous gums by the Murchison River

The next day was for exploring the sea cliffs section of the park, just south of the Kalbarri township. Molly was much happier to stay with Simone today, despite there being some much bigger dogs to contend with today! I don’t think it took her long to sort them all out. We headed out the 15km to the most southern lookout, Natural Bridge. Again, it was very sunny, but with a strong, cold wind from the east so we needed to rug up again. We gradually made our way north back towards town, driving in from the highway to every lookout. The scenery was spectacular! Island Rock, Natural Bridge and the Grandstand were the first lookouts and revealed incredible steep cliffs with multiple layers of coloured rock dropping down into a perfectly blue sea. Again, there were lots of wild flowers to see, many different ones from yesterdays inland gorges. At Eagle Gorge we hiked down to the beach, a steep climb down into a pretty valley with fantastic views of the beautiful beach below. We enjoyed a break on the rocks, lapping up the sunshine as we were out of the cold wind down on the beach. Out next stop was Pot Alley, so called because lobster fishermen always lose lots of cray pots here in the rough bay. After waiting ages for a mini bus load of tourists to take a million photos and poses, we had the place to ourselves and enjoyed sitting high up on the rocks above the sea taking in the spectacular sights and sounds.

Island Rock

Island rock

That block looks ready to slip……

Natural Bridge

Island Rock

Eagle Gorge

Eagle Gorge Beach

Looking across Pot Alley

Pot Alley

By now, the cold wind was easing and the day was hotting up. We headed back to town for a coffee and discovered a coffee van at Jakes Beach, set up complete with comfy camp chairs so we could take in the morning sun and enjoy the view with our coffee.

Coffee Kalbarri Style

After a relaxing break, we headed back to Rainbow Valley and enjoyed a walk down to the beach at Mushroom rock and back through the valley of multi coloured rock formations. It was hot now and the walk was hard work, especially climbing back to the car park from the beach. We were ready for lunch when we returned so headed into town for a picnic lunch in the park by the river, very peaceful and relaxing. After lunch, our final destination was Red Bluff and a short walk to the lookout where we enjoyed fantastic views over the surf beach and up to the Murchison River mouth. Again we enjoyed a fantastic day exploring this magnificent park, and especially enjoyed being close to the ocean again.

Rainbow Valley

We were going to head off the next day to Murchison Station, but decided to stay another night in the CP in town. It was going to be a hot day and we wanted to explore the river and the township, so being close to town was more suitable. Also, the Station camp sites were busy and pretty dry and dusty so it made the decision to stay in town easy. We enjoyed a fabulous day exploring, paddling in the river and visiting the new lookout just out of town where we enjoyed expansive views over the town and coast.  A highlight was visiting the Zuytdorp Memorial Lookout near town where we had spectacular views across the rivermouth to the Zuytdorp Cliffs, north of Kalbarri. The cliffs extend for 150km north from the rivermouth and reach a maximum height of 250m, amongst the tallest sea cliffs in Australia. These cliffs are named after a Dutch East India Company ship that was wrecked on the cliffs in 1712 whilst on a journey to Batavia. The ships passengers were never heard from again, although it is suspected some of them made it to shore and may have even joined up with local aboriginal communities. The wreck was first sighted in 1927, but it wasn’t until 1954 that it was definitively identified as the Zuytdorp. We also enjoyed a relaxing walk along the rive in town.

View from Red Bluff, Zuytdorp Cliffs in the background 

Mouth of the Murchison River

Peaceful Murchison River

Molly enjoing her walk along the river where she met some little playmates

It was a very hot day so we also went down to Blue Holes, a popular local beach with beautiful sea pools amongst the inshore limestone reef, protected from the waves by the main reef, for a swim. It was very refreshing! We also went to Jakes Point, one of WA’s most famous surf breaks. Here you can walk out on the rock shelf and watch the surfers just metres away, surfing past you as they avoid the rocks. We were lucky enough to also see some dolphins surfing with the board riders on the same waves, jumping for joy as their ride finished!

Blue Holes

Surfing at Jakes Point

Dolphins enjoying a surf

Molly and Deb cooling off at Blue Holes

So, after 3 action packed days, it was time to move on. What a fantastic National Park, one of our favourites. And all centred around a really lovely little village located right on the banks of the Murchison River. It would be crazy to be here in school holidays, but practically any other time of the year it would be perfect. So many things to see and do, or just to sit and relax by the water…….perfect!

Margaret River Revisited 2018

Our time in Margaret River unfortunately has come to an end, for now. We really enjoyed our time back here, confirming that this is the place where we want to settle next. Living here for over two months gave us a great opportunity to get a better feel for the town and community here and to explore the region a little deeper. My recent blogs have shown you how we filled in our time here. We both managed to complete a little bit of work while we were here as well, but mostly we were able to relax, tour around and learn more about the area.

Our days were initially filled with picnics and beach visits, as the warm weather continued well into May. Then, as winter settled in, we explored many of the regions art and craft galleries. We continued to enjoy our walking explorations and really enjoyed the Wadandi Track Rail Trail, walking there most days. We managed to visit a few more wineries and have now visited 20 out of a total of nearly 100, so plenty of scope to keep us busy. We’ve tried coffee in just about every cafe in the region now and we were quite impressed with most of them. Our favourites? Yahava on Rosa Brook Rd never disappoints, Sea Garden at Prevelly for a comfy lounge and view of the ocean and YardByrd in Witchcliffe for a quiet garden setting and very well made coffee. Closer to town, Blue Ginger have a great cafe attached to their deli, which has a fantastic range of local produce, vego, organic etc. All four have dog friendly areas of course!

We enjoyed a day down in Pemberton amongst the big Karri trees. We met our Albany hosue sit owner there for a “meet and greet” and to make sure the dogs got on well. We also spent a day in Augusta, in the very southern end of the Capes region. The weather was perfect and we enjoyed walking along the Blackwood River inlet and exploring around Flinders Bay near Cape Leeuwin. Another day we drove north to Dunsborough, Cape Naturaliste and Meelup NP and enjoyed a day of perfect weather and spectacular scenery.

We shopped at the market every week and really enjoyed some beautiful meals made with excellent local produce. I’m really going to miss my weekly market visit, chat to the growers and a coffee after finishing the shopping. Deb was sad to have to finish up her dancing and pilates classes, but has made good contacts for when we eventually move here. We are also looking forward to seeing how the Pub Choir develops while we are away.

We visited our house a couple of times and were pleased to see it is being looked after. Our tenants are keen to stay as long as possible so hopefully will renew their lease later this year. We have started looking at what landscaping works we want to do when we move in (the place has only very basic landscaping at the moment),  and have met with a local landscaper to discuss some options and get some ideas.

We loved both our house sits, lovely homes on small acres so we could enjoy the beautiful scenery and serenity. We are constantly impressed at how generous, lovely and trusting people are when they let us stay in their houses and care for their pets and gardens. We have been blessed with great home owners and lovely houses in great locations. It was so nice to have such lovely homes to stay in for our two month stay here in Margs.

We sadly packed up two weeks ago and moved on to Bunbury. Our next house sit wasn’t  starting until the 14th July so Deb arranged to complete some work for Nicky, a Vet nurse friend in Bunbury, at her Petstock Clinic. We spent 3 months in Bunbury during our first trip in 2015 and although it’s not a well recognised tourist town, we enjoyed our time here, so it was nice to go back. We stayed at the same park we stayed at last time, and were pleased it was still well managed and reasonably priced. I managed to get back to the Wildlife Park where I volunteered in 2015, and caught up with the keepers and volunteers. The park has had some significant improvements since I left and it was great to meet many of the birds and animals I was so familiar with. Sadly, a few of them had passed on but Bar-ey, my favourite Sulphur Crested Cockatoo, was still there and keen to chat to me again! Deb enjoyed her work at the new Petstock Vet clinic and we enjoyed a few beautiful classic WA sunsets during some of the beautiful weather we enjoyed while there.

We moved on towards Yanchep, stopping at a small farm property called “Back to Nature” near Gin Gin for a couple of nights prior to starting the sit. The camp was close enough to Yanchep for us to complete a pre sit visit and handover before starting the sit. We enjoyed a peaceful night here in the bush before the crowds arrived for the last weekend of the school holidays.

So, on to Yanchep for the next month. We are looking forward to staying in this unique area and learning all about Allan Bond’s infamous “Sun City” development!

Farmers Market coffee

Surfers Point, Prevelly

Boranup Forest Drive

Bunbury Back Beach

Lambs in the vines

Back in the Van at “Back to Nature”

Wyalup Rocky Point, Bunbury

Sugarloaf Rock

Bunbury Back Beach

Molly and Nick Baudin

Bunbury Beach

Grass Trees

Nunbury suinset

Karri forest

Walking the Wadandi

Bamksia

Lefthanders near Gracetown

Cape Leeuwin

Relaxing at Gnarabup

Karri Tree

Relaxing with a red

Augusta – Blackwood River

Market produce

Yardbyrd Cafe

Bakery delights at the Farmers Market

Fresh greens

Best Pink Lady apples ever!

Free Range Eggs

Cabernet Sauvignon ready to pick

Canal Rocks

 

Margaret River Snapshots – Surfing

You can’t write a blog about Margaret River without mentioning surfing. It was surfing that really put Margaret River on the map, just before wine consolidated its position internationally. Surfers were exploring the local breaks as early as the 1920’s but it wasn’t until the 1970’s that surfers moved into the area and started to change the fabric of the local society. Prior to the surfers arriving, the area was a very depressed agricultural community, just dairy, beef farms and timber getting. The conservative locals were naturally suspicious of these new arrivals who didn’t seem to work and just surfed all day.  They wore strange clothes, ate strange food and were thus considered as outcasts by the locals. There are even stories of pub fights between surfers and lumber getters in the local pubs. But they were here to stay. The lure of some of the best surf breaks in the country was too great. They also provided much needed casual labour in the newly developing wine industry so the surfing culture grew up along with the wine industry.

If you go down to Surfers Point any day the surf is up, and you will see confirmation that Margaret River is indeed an international surfing icon. Surfers from around the world congregate here to test their skills on the famous break. Young kids from England, Europe, Canada, USA, South America and South Africa are all having the time of their lives in the waves. This place really is a Mecca for surfers from around the globe. But it is also a mecca for older surfers. No where else have I seen so many 50-60 year olds out surfing as here in Margaret River. Kevin Merrifield is one such local icon. He has been surfing the region for 60 years, and was one of the original surfers discovering the breaks in the 1950’s and 60’s. At 80, he is the oldest surfer in town and still surfs at the Point most days!

The impact of the surfers has been significant. They started the tourism revolution in Margaret River as more and more of them descended on the area. The huge “alternate” culture in the town is a direct result of the early surfers visiting the rea and settling down, bring their new ideas to the once conservative town. And their impact can be seen in so many different ways. The 130km “Cape To Cape” track that Deb and I walked in 2012 started its life as a series of access tracks used by surfers to reach their favoured breaks along the coast. Now it’s an internationally recognised adventure walk. The “hippy” culture is still alive and well in Margs with many services and businesses offering alternative medicines, foods, healings, etc. The significant Art culture in the region has its origins in the early says of the surfer’s migration to the region.

There are dozens of surf breaks along the coast. They all have quirky names like The Box, Honeycombes, Grunters, The Womb, Gas Bay, Three Bears, Gallows, Guillotines, Huzza’s, Rabbits and Cow Bombie. I’m not a surfer (tackling the waves on the NSW coast on my foamie as a teenager is as far as I got in my surfing journey) but both Deb and I love the beach. It’s our happy place. We love getting down to the beach and watching the surfers enjoying the waves, and marveling at their skill and daring.  The waves here are big and powerful. It has something to do with the swells rising rapidly from the depths of the Indian Ocean onto the roacky shore and offshore reefs. Locals use specially designed boards to cope with the power of these waves, which can easily break the lighter boards used on the East Coast.  When the surfs up, jet skis are often used to tow surfers in.

Our favourite place to watch the surfers? Gee, there are so many but Left Handers near Gracetown is a majestic beach where the surfers sit way out to sea waiting for their perfect wave. And Surfer’s Point at Prevelly is an iconic viewing spot, especially when Mainbreak is pumping.  But the most joyous place would have to be Gas Bay, just south of Gnarabup. Here we watch with delight as the future surf champions, girls and boys often as young at 8-10yo, ride to the beach on their bikes, surf boards clutched under their arms. They drop the bike and run down the steep track to the beach and mix it with the older surfers on the friendly breaks around the rocky headland. Their skills are amazing! Afterwards, they hop back onto their bikes and ride home, covered in sand and salt, hair dripping with brine. That’s what surfing is all about!

Surfers enjoying Gas Bay