Van at Riverbend Caravan Park, Denmark

During our TALVOR travels across Australia, we have lost so much weight that on reaching Perth, we had to buy some new clothes! We are really enjoying our food and our lives so much more since undertaking this wonderful motorhome adventure.

Perth has some very beautiful beaches. We stayed with friends near North Beach and were amazed at seeing so many people overtly exercising. And the crowds of people at gorgeous Cottesloe Beach provided such a huge contrast to the lonely stretches of beaches we had appreciated recently. Kings Park was another highlight; an amazing collection of plants, art, war memorabilia and creative gardening, not to mention gourmet delights and marvellous views of the city and river. And to our amazement, it was here that we found our only Sturt’s Desert Pea, after travelling many hundreds of fruitless miles in search of this iconic plant.

New Norcia

One trip we did out of Perth was to New Norcia, about 130 kilometres inland. Australia’s only monastic village features amazing architecture and a stunning collection of European art, amongst other tourist attractions. Only about eight monks remain and all are elderly. The monks still own the hotel but other hands now make the wine and bake the fresh cottage loaves at the bakery. The Benedictine monks live by the principles of putting others before self, supporting and strengthening any weaknesses in each other. What a wonderful world it would be if we all could live by those guidelines. You can book some of the beautiful buildings for retreats, team building conferences or hold a wedding at the splendid old hotel. The history of the place is interesting, yet controversial, but a visit to this little township was a highlight for us.

Heading south from Perth, Freemantle is a must with its sense of history well preserved in its amazing old buildings. There’s a real sense of artistic awareness in the area as well. Later we stopped for lunch at Mandurah and marvelled at the thrombolites, cousins of the ancient stromatolites; both structures thought to be the first known oxygen producers on the planet.

Prevelly Beach

Next it was on to Bunbury for a delightful dolphin experience; everyone is welcome to wade thigh high in the water and enjoy the dolphins up close. It’s not very commercialised here as the dolphin viewing occurs on a public beach with locals jogging past and tourists out for a stroll on the foreshore. That evening we stayed in Busselton at a Big4 Tourist Park. Some of these Big4 Parks feature huge pillows, similar to a jumping castle but adults are allowed to jump on them - huge fun.

The next morning it was off to the Lighthouse at Cape Naturaliste where we enjoyed walks amongst the wildflowers on the cliff tops before joining a tour of this famous lighthouse. Here we marvelled at the huge lens balanced on a bed of mercury; in the past the poison was responsible for sending the poor lighthouse keepers mad.

Hamelin Bay

We later found ourselves in the Margaret River region. Less than ideal weather had us heading up to the Gabriel Chocolate factory to warm ourselves on the most delicious hot chocolate we had ever had the pleasure of tasting. We learnt about how the sugar content is indicated by the percentage of chocolate so that dark chocolate at 70% or more is the best for you, and how two to three squares of this melted in warm milk makes a divine nightcap. Warmed up (on the inside at  least), we next visited a couple of wineries, learning some of the local history from the helpful lady at Cullen’s, where the cellar door had a very cosy ambience.

Cape Leeuwin

Of all the wonderful wineries around, a few stood out for various reasons. One was Saracen, a huge complex located on a little island featuring a ‘temple’ of glass panels depicting the history of wine. Another feature was the incorporated Duckstein Brewery from which we were served a tasting sized selection of several German beers, accompanied by hot snacks. Strangely though, no beer was available for purchase to take away. We later came across this strange rule again at a winery/ brewery in Pemberton; beer for drinking in-house only!

All the wineries we visited had some special, unique features but the Voyager Estate stood out in several ways, first and foremost through its sheer size and beauty. The large stark white buildings in Dutch South African architectural style  dominated the surrounding acres of lush, green lawns, but the most breathtaking aspect was the abundance of roses. There were two walled rose gardens, amongst other hedge-lined garden beds, and a long arched avenue, covered in roses, leading to the cellar door. All the footpaths and borders of the numerous car parks were lined with roses and at various intervals, rose arbours had been erected. The place certainly kept several gardeners employed.

Voyager Estate

Another floral display, this time provided by nature, was the abundance of lilies in various types and colours, which abounded in the paddocks and lined the road verges. It was a glorious springtime show and we basked in the profusion of colour that kept the camera busy.

The camera did not receive as much use at Prevelly Beach as the only whale we sighted was too far away. In spite of being very windy and cloudy we still enjoyed a walk to the lookout, along paths lined with wildflowers, then out came the camera again at Cowaramup with its statues of cows gracing many street corners. Cows with shower caps on, cows with flowers, groups of cows, and the funniest of all was the golden cow up a pole, arms (forelegs) outstretched, bearing the caption, ‘free as a cow’.

Roads again flanked with pink and white lilies led us past more wineries, another chocolate factory, a cheesery and then on to Augusta and yet more amazing termite mounds. The varying shapes, sizes and even variations in colour continued to amaze us. Nearby, Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse is the most south-westerly point of Australia, where the Indian and Southern Oceans meet; a good photo opportunity. Here we also found another cow statue of the Moorine Marauder, a seated cow wearing an eye patch, an earring, with a parrot on the shoulder and a hook replacing one hoof, plus a spy glass placed up to its good eye! The talented artists in this area obviously have a keenly developed sense of humour.

From this point, we turned our RV east, heading in the direction of home; only 4,000 kilometres away. Our next stop was at Hamelin Bay but there were no rays in sight today, even though the Bay is renowned for its manta rays. Jewel Cave claimed our attention next; caves are a favourite of mine and this one was obviously a treasure trove, highlighted via marvellous lighting effects on the formations. Then it was on to Warner National Park which, to our surprise, had flushing toilets - always a welcome find. 

Gloucester Tree

The coldish weather made us grateful that we didn’t need to rely on the single outdoor cold shower that was provided in the Park. However, it was not so cold that we couldn’t still enjoy a walk admiring the assortment of yet more wildflowers.

Pemberton was our next camp. We were amazed at the cheap home prices, the beautifully coloured parrots, and admired the rows of neat vines at the many wineries, plus the different type of wattle that were in bloom with their beautiful scent. The super tall Gloucester Tree was  too dangerous to climb in the wet, but the walks around it were intriguing, though a bit of a challenge in the light rain with the close bushy undergrowth. Additional walks around Big Brook Dam ensured we had plenty of exercise for the day.

Moorine Marauder

Camping at Shannon National Park was different with its chip heater outside, complete with a wood pile and axe if you wanted to heat some water for a shower. Again, we were thankful for the bathroom facilities in our motorhome! Walpole Caravan Park was next down the track in a pretty setting on a lake with an abundance of pelicans. George captured a great series of photos with pelicans at rest, in flight, and skiing in to land on the water. They are amazing birds. From there we drove to Windy Harbour which was aptly named, but the wild wind didn’t prevent us enjoying lovely bushwalks amidst colourful, hardy wildflowers.

Walpole pelicans

Denmark in WA was a very pretty town with an obvious emphasis on traditional and alternative lifestyle choices; organic food, healing techniques and cottage crafts. Our Murana looks really cosy nestled amongst the roses at Riverbend Caravan Park, don’t you think? There was much to see in this area; so much that it should be left for another article.

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Written: Thu 01 Aug 2013
Printed: August, 2013
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