South West Coast - Part 1 (Bussleton, Yallingup, Prevally, Margaret River & Pemberton)

The South West can be summed up as spectacular, big swells, refreshing water temps and sometimes very wet and windy. Luckily there is no shortage of breweries, wineries, distilleries and eateries to hang out in when the weather does go to shit! We have also been blessed with old and new friends to catch up with along the way. Some highlights are...

Bussleton - really long (1.8km) jetty is picturesque against blue turquoise water and Nada caught some squid off this jetty. Shelter Brewery gets an honourable mention for their red ale and sour beers.

Yallingup - big swells and Nada got a few good surfs in here and around the coast. Really cute little town and the Yallingup caves were good, extending over 30m deep (I still think Tunnel Creek caves on the Gibb are the best). We caught up with Matt, Kim and Zoe, who we met in Broome. We haven't been able to sync our travels south since then, always missing each other by a few days, but the planets aligned and we got to swap travel stories over wine and pizza. We also caught up with Dave (AKA - Dr Hat) and Jess, who we have known for a few years through a friend in Noosa. It is always good to see him and hear a few funny hospital stories! Honourable mention goes to House of Cards Winery for their cab sav.

Margaret River/Prevally - very popular place. Nada got a few good surfs in and the swell was decent (way too big for me!). The mountain bike trails were particularly good with smooth, fast, easy uphill climbs and flat tops on jumps so any ability can still roll over them. Kez and Snowy who are old childhood friends joined us for a night with Bobby, their little man for his first camping experience! They did awesome and Bobby has grown so much in the 6 months we have been away. We finally got to catch up with Kaitlyn and Nathan too! They have been doing a similar trip to us and since staying with Kaitlyn's parents in Darwin we were eager to catch up along the way but we have never been able to time it, except for a fleeting pass near Gnarloo. It was so good to celebrate their engagement and pending baby. We did a day trip to Hamelin bay which had sting rays swim right up to the shore line, and Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse where the Indian and Southern Ocean meet. This was our last sunset over the Indian Ocean which was bitter sweet.

Pemberton - The highlight in this area was the Bicentennial Tree climb, at approx 70m the platform was originally built as a fire spotting tower and so the platform sits above the canopy. It is a super sketchy climb to the top with pegs drilled into the trunk. The mesh is on the sides to provide some safety when overtaking other climbers but there is none underneath so you could slip through the pegs, although unlikely if you are coordinated, it makes you feel really exposed. I refused to look down until I made it to the top! I am suprised the National Park leaves this open due to liability issues, however its awesome that they do and expect people to be responsible for their own safety. There are really nice mountain bike trails here too, all levels, the black run was a lot more technical and steep than at Margaret River. Watched the 'race that stops the nation' in the local pub but sadly didn't back a winner :(

We needed more time as we would love to hike the Cape to Cape trail or sections of the Bibbulman Track, but this gives us an excuse to come back another time!