Western Australia
Next Entries »Good Budget Accommodation In Augusta, WA
Thursday, May 28th, 2009
One of my favourite places to stay in Western Australia in recent years has been the Baywatch Manor in Augusta. Frequently voted the best YHA hostel in Australia, it is much more than you might expect from backpacker accommodation … and has a wonderful bakery nearby.
I began staying there soon after the purpose built two-level building was opened in 1995. What first appealed to me was the location - centrally sited in a quiet part of the small town’s main street, with views over Flinders Bay (hence the Baywatch name). Just as appealing was the presence, only two minutes walk from the hostel, of the Augusta Bakery Cafe - my favourite eating place in southwest WA.
Next to impress me was the standard of the the place. Clean and comfortable are over-used words in accommodation literature, but they really do apply here. Spacious, tastefully decorated and well equipped are also accurate descriptions.
Sleeping quarters include shared dormitory rooms, twin, double and family rooms, plus the en-suite rooms which have the best views. Most rooms make use of the pleasant shared bathrooms. Downstairs are the communal dining area, kitchen, and lounge/TV room - nicer and more roomy than what most hostels provide.
The kitchen is particularly well equipped for those who like to keep costs down by self catering - something usually not possible in more expensive accommodation. Although with the bakery so close at hand, I confess I haven’t used Baywatch’s kitchen as much as I should have!
The original owners, Neville and Jane, provided the friendliness and good management that made good accommodation truly great. I haven’t been to Augusta as much since new owners took over, but the standards at Baywatch Manor appear to be just as high. My only complaint - and it’s only a small one - is that the mattresses are of the dense foam rubber variety rather than proper spring mattresses. You can’t have everything in budget accommodation.
Like most coastal spots, Augusta is very busy in the summer holiday period. At other times, it is a much quieter alternative to Margaret River and other tourist towns further north, largely because it is further from Perth. For anyone looking to explore the region from a comfortable but economical base - with views and a great bakery nearby - I can recommend Baywatch Manor at Augusta.
Links:
YHA Australia - the Baywatch Manor page, with online bookings and availability checking
Baywatch Manor Resort - more information and photos
Topics: Accommodation, Western Australia | Add Your Comment »
Lake Clifton Thrombolites, WA
Saturday, May 16th, 2009The stromatolites of Shark Bay, on Western Australia’s north western coast, are well publicised in the tourist literature. However you don’t need to go to such a remote place to see these pre-historic living rocks. Their close cousins - thrombolites - can be seen just south of Mandurah, within 100km of Perth.
In case you were wondering what these things are, both are types of rare and extremely primitive life forms. They consist of single-celled bacteria which deposit layers of silt and calcium that slowly grow into rounded rocks. Scientists believe they are the earliest form of life on earth, dating back about 3500 million years, and the origins of oxygen in the atmosphere. These relics are mostly extinct and exist only as fossils - living examples can still be found growing in just a handful of places in the world. Shark Bay is the well known Western Australian example, but Lake Clifton is more accessible.
Lake Clifton’s thrombolites can be reached from either of two roads - Mount John Rd and Clifton Downs Rd. Both are turn-offs from the Old Coast Road, south of Mandurah (and south of the Dawesville Channel) but north of where the new John Forrest Highway branches off towards Perth (see link below for map).
A few minutes drive brings you to a parking area with toilets and signs telling you about the thrombolites and their environment, which is part of Yalgorup National Park. From there a boardwalk takes you out over the shallow lake to where the thrombolites can be viewed from many angles. And what do you see? A community of rounded rock-like structures lying just beneath the surface … or just breaching the surface, depending on water levels. Their humble appearance gives no indication of their status as extremely rare and ancient life forms - living fossils.
The thrombolites are more exposed in the lower water levels of summer and autumn, but are still easily seen at other times. Visibility is more affected by wind - strong winds may roughen the water surface and limit the underwater view. On the other hand, wind helps keep away the mosquitoes which can be a nuisance in still weather.
Links:
Google map showing location of Lake Clifton Thrombolites
More about thrombolites and stromatolites
Environment and Conservation Dept - Yalgorup National Park
Topics: Alternatives, Western Australia | Add Your Comment »
Wild Solitude At Mandalay Beach, WA
Saturday, May 2nd, 2009
If wild and pristine coastline tickles your fancy, the south-western coast of Western Australia has much to offer. Between Walpole and Augusta lies nearly 200km of unpopulated and undeveloped coastline … the only catch is that most of it is accessible only by four wheel drive, or on foot. Even then, access is very limited. Fortunately, two points on this remote stretch can be reached by normal car - one of them is the ruggedly handsome Mandalay Beach.
This beach is only 8km from the main highway, and 21km in total from the town of Walpole, yet receives far less traffic than it deserves. Perhaps the gravel road puts people off. The first time I drove there, the narrow winding track nearly put me off with its soft sandy surface and lack of passing room. Since then the road has been substantially upgraded, and should no longer deter anyone. I drove it a few months ago, and apart from some loose stones and corrugations it was fine.
At the end of the access road you’ll find parking, a toilet, and a boardwalk leading through the dunes to a long viewing platform with magnificent panoramic views. Benches allow you to soak up the scene from a sitting position, something I can recommend if you want to linger and be soothed.
What you see from the platform is a clean unspoiled beach, rocky headlands, Chatham Island a few kilometres offshore, and the restless southern ocean. The wreck of the Mandalay, a Norwegian ship beached in 1911, is occasionally visible at low tide, and passing whales may be spotted in season. I’ve seen neither so far, but that just gives me an excuse to revisit. As is normal in this part of the world, a smorgasbord of wildflowers enhance any visit in spring.
Steps lead right down the face of the dunes to the beach. Ocean swimming is generally not recommended, but going for a walk can be pleasant, possibly invigorating in the frequently fresh winds.
Of course there’s no guarantee you’ll have the beach to yourself … but unless the weather or the fishing is really good, there’s a good chance you might. Whatever the case, roaming the rugged beauty of Mandalay Beach can be good for the soul.
Links:
Google map showing location of Mandalay Beach
Topics: Beaches, Western Australia | Add Your Comment »
Ludlow Tuart Forest, WA
Wednesday, April 1st, 2009
Once upon a time, the main road between Bunbury and Busselton in Western Australia passed right through the Ludlow Tuart Forest. The railway did too, so anyone in WA who ever went “down south” knew what a tuart tree looked like. You couldn’t miss them, the way they grew almost to the edge of the bitumen.
Times have changed. The railway is long gone, and a busy bypass takes traffic quickly around the edge of the forest. To see the tuart trees means diverting onto the overlooked old road … but it’s well worth the detour for anyone with an appreciation of Australia’s unique trees.
Tuart trees are native only to the coastal plain between Busselton and Jurien in the south west of Western Australia. They grow up to 40m high, live up to 500 years, and their stately grey trunks form an open forest different to others in the state. As with WA’s other tall forests, most have been cut down since Europeans settlement, leaving Ludlow Tuart Forest as the only surviving tuart forest anywhere.
Hiking in the forest is limited, with just a few roadside stopping places. But for anyone travelling between Bunbury and Busselton, the detour through the tuarts takes only minutes longer than following the traffic on the highway, and is a more scenic option - even if you don’t stop, or aren’t wild about trees. Tree-huggers will be rewarded with the sight of some majestic old trees you can’t see anywhere else.
Links:
WA Dept of Environment & Conservation - Tuart Forest National Park
The Wilderness Society - Campaign to save the Ludlow Tuart Forest
Google map showing location of road through Ludlow Tuart Forest
Topics: Scenic Roads, Western Australia | Add Your Comment »
The Little Pinnacles Of Cape Leeuwin
Friday, March 6th, 2009
The real pinnacles, Nambung N.P., WA
The Nambung National Park north of Perth contains one of Western Australia’s better known scenic attractions - The Pinnacles. This area contains what must be the most impressive examples anywhere of limestone pillars, but lesser examples can be found elsewhere.
Little pinnacles near Cape Leeuwin, WA
I stumbled across a patch of dwarf pinnacles near Cape Leeuwin, which is close to Augusta at the south west corner of Western Australia. From the town, if you follow the road out to Cape Leeuwin, near the end there’s a gravel road veering right to Skippy Rocks. From the car park a narrow unmarked trail leads north through coastal vegetation to a sandy hillside littered with interesting outcrops. I first found the spot while looking for good viewpoints for dusk lighthouse photos. Once I noticed the unique outcrops, I forgot about the lighthouse.
Like the real pinnacles, these little ones are the result of calcite in the sand dissolving and forming cemented layers around plant roots, or clusters of roots. When the plants eventually died and the surrounding sand blew away, these fossil roots (rhizoliths) were left behind. Near Augusta, most are in the form of erect pillars varying from thin to chunky, although some defy convention and point at an angle, or even bend.
The biggest is barely a metre high, and some of the more interesting ones are no more than 20cm; also they are not numerous, and are scattered among a lot of ordinary rocks. If size and extensiveness are important to you, these little pinnacles may underwhelm. But if you can appreciate detail and natural artistry, and are prepared to wander around, exploring the interesting variety of shapes can be rewarding.
The best time to see and photograph the wee pinnacles of Cape Leeuwin is in the last hour of daylight on a sunny day. That’s when the low angle of the sunlight highlights the sand texture, and the rocks look good bathed in the redder light. Sunrise wouldn’t work as well because the ridge to the east blocks off the rising sun.
I must emphasise that these little pinnacles are no substitute for visiting the real ones. But if that sort of thing appeals to you, and you happen to visit Augusta and Cape Leeuwin, the little pinnacles are also worth a look.
Links:
Google map showing location of little pinnacles
Explanation of how pinnacles form
Topics: Alternatives, Western Australia | Add Your Comment »
Elephant Rocks, WA
Monday, January 26th, 2009Having visited Elephant Rocks in New Zealand, I was keen to also check out Elephant Rocks in Western Australia to compare them, and see which ones look most like elephants.
Western Australia’s version are on the south coast at William Bay National Park, just west of the town of Denmark. Eroded from granite, they sit on the beach and in the shallow waters of a quiet sheltered bay. From some angles, some of them do in fact look a bit like elephants as viewed from the rear, minus the legs and other appendages. Whatever they look like, they provide a pleasant and distinctive backdrop to a beautiful swimming area, and are well worth visiting together with nearby Green’s Pool.
The resemblance to elephants is where the similarity with their NZ counterparts ends. The WA version have different geological origins, are coastal rather than inland, and have never formed part of a film set. On a warm summer day the WA rocks can become crowded with sightseers and swimmers, as they were when I visited last week.
As to which Elephant Rocks most resemble elephants, I’d have to give my vote to the WA version, but in both cases the imagination needs to be exercised.
For the record, three other formations named “Elephant Rocks” which I’m aware of, but will probably never visit, are at:
- Elephant Rocks State Park, Missouri, USA
- Elephant Rocks Municipal Golf Course, Williams, Arizona, USA
- Elephant Rocks, off Anvers Island, Antarctic Peninsula
The first two are named after rocks which resemble elephants, and the third is a habitat for elephant seals.
Links:
Google map showing Elephant Rocks (WA) location
Elephant Rocks & Elephant Cove - from Rainbow Coast website (great photos)
Topics: Attractions, Western Australia | Add Your Comment »
Lane Poole Falls
Tuesday, January 6th, 2009Western Australia may not be known for big waterfalls, but size isn’t everything! Some of our modest falls can be truly gorgeous after seasonal rains, with relative isolation and lack of crowds more than compensating for size.
Lane Poole Falls, WA
A lovely example is Lane Poole Falls, near Northcliffe in the southwest corner of Western Australia. It is best visited in winter or spring, when rains have produced a decent flow in the Canterbury River and conditions are better for bushwalking. The falls dwindle to just a trickle in the dryness of summer.
Reaching the falls is not hard, but not straightforward either. From the tiny town of Northcliffe - which even some locals consider “out of the way” - it is an 18km drive, partly on gravel roads, through attractive farmland to the Boorara Tree car park and picnic area. This tree was once a fire lookout tower, and the display near it is worth a look.
From the car park it is then a 5km return walk to the falls, passing through pleasant native forest which hosts a smorgasbord of wildflowers in spring. The track starts out almost flat then descends to the falls, which I think are made more attractive by their seclusion; the access trail providing a buffer from “civilisation”. If you visit after good rains, the Lane Poole Falls thunder noisily over the 12m drop into the creekbed, in stark contrast to the peacefulness of the surrounding karri forest.
Bottom of falls
The length of the walk to the falls, the distance from town, and the fact it is not on the way to anywhere else all help keep the crowds away from Lane Poole Falls. Chances are good that you’ll have the place all to yourself. By contrast, Beedelup Falls near Pemberton can often be crowded, because they are only a short distance from a main road in a prime tourist area. Most Perth people I know, who have travelled, have been to Beedelup falls, whereas few I’ve met know of Lane Poole Falls. Most would find the extra effort worthwhile.
Links:
Google map showing location of Lane Poole Fall, WA
Topics: Waterfalls, Western Australia | Add Your Comment »
Beautiful Misery Beach
Wednesday, November 12th, 2008Western Australia’s south coast has some beautiful beaches, and Misery Beach is one of my favourites despite its completely inappropriate name.
I found this delightful gem when I was exploring the coast near Albany, looking for peaceful secluded beaches sheltered from the prevailing winds and swell. Shelter is important because onshore south-westerlies, or south-easterly sea breezes, can make visiting some southern beaches a blustery sand-blown affair on windy days. Also, exposed ocean waters can be a little rough for swimming (nice looking beaches can have their down sides).
Misery Beach, Western Australia
Close examination of a map revealed a short north-facing beach, accessible by gravel road, which looked like it would be sheltered. The name - Misery Beach - aroused my curiosity. What reason could there be for such a name? I had to check it out.
The beach exceeded my expectations. It’s a gorgeous stretch of clean sand, not much more than 200 metres long. An impressive granite headland - part of Isthmus Hill - forms one end, while a rocky point marks the other. Thickly vegetated hillside rises behind the beach, sheltering it nicely from the south-east to south-west winds. Even in the stiffest onshore winds, one of the two ends is shielded from the worst of it. Likewise, good swimming can usually be found at one end or the other.
While the beach itself is great, it’s the views which make it memorable. The northerly outlook provides gorgeous vistas of King George Sound and its rugged coast and islands. On a clear day the tops of the Stirling Range, 90km away, peek over the coastal hills across the bay. For quiet contemplation amid the soothing sounds of waves, Misery Beach is a hard location to top … which only makes its name harder to fathom.
You might think such a beautiful beach would be well visited, but no, it’s always been quiet on my visits. Sometimes I’ve had it all to myself, and sometimes I’ve shared it with a few locals, but seldom have I seen sightseers. Requiring a few turn offs up side-tracks may have discouraged traffic, but the absence of any signposting was probably the main factor. One local resident I once spoke to on the beach hinted that any signs directing people to the beach would be quickly removed - so keen were some for Misery Beach to remain obscure.
A panorama of the view from Misery beach (click to enlarge)
Unfortunately, Misery Beach was well and truly signposted when I was last there, and even gets a mention in the Lonely Planet Guide to Perth and Western Australia. Now that word is out I don’t feel bad about sharing this sandy haven online. To find it, head about 20km out of Albany along Frenchmans Bay Rd. Just before the ex-whaling station, turn right to the Salmon Holes, then left down Murray Rd, then right up the gravel road towards Isthmus Hill car park, where another short track branches left to Misery Beach.
As for the name, the only explanation I’ve found is that it was named back when the whaling station was in operation, just a few hundred metres to the west. Apparently blood and whale guts used to wash ashore on the beach, which would indeed have made it miserable … a far cry from the cosy paradise of today.
Links:
Google map showing Misery Beach location.
Topics: Beaches, Western Australia | 1 Comment »