A few days of timber country and then we had only to drive a mere hour to one of the more famous locales in Australia – surfing and vineyard country – a combination that isn’t exactly symbiotic.  A lighthouse at Cape Leeuwin protects an important geographic spot….the southwestern-most point of Australia where the Southern Ocean and the Indian Ocean meet.  A ranger explained that the swell of the two seas meet at right angles. It was a beautiful calm day and we were positive we could see this occurring near the rocks in the photo.

 

 

 

 

It was a warm day and when we finally settled into one of our favorite caravan parks we took an hour to sit till last light watching kids play in the inlet that bordered the park. The next morning we were awakened by an intense red glow on the horizon and I jumped up and raced out to catch a photo of the sunrise.

 

 

 

The southwest coast of Australia is considered one of the pre-eminent locations for surfing in the world. We had hopes for viewing some action but there was only one day that we caught anyone riding. A series of low-pressure cells lined up in the Indian Ocean and blasted the area mainly with high winds making for confused seas and negative surf reports.

 

 

 

 

SW Western Aus is also known for something else – vineyards. While only 3% of Australia’s wines are produced in this region, 20% of the best Australian wines come from here.  There are reportedly 200 wineries and we spent one showery day visiting a number of them in the van and another day cycling to a few.  Some of the wineries have interesting architectural features, some have interesting history, and many have art and sculpture displays.  We had outstanding lunches at Voyager and Xanadu. While we were staying at a caravan park in Margaret River we didn’t cook at all.  Where there is good wine there is good food and we decided if we wanted to dine well on this trip, this was the place to do it.

 

 

 

 

 

A stop in the bustling small city of Busselton was meant to include a visit to an underwater observatory at the end of a 1.8 km jetty.  However the unsettled weather of the previous few days had muddied the waters and they had the good sense to close until visibility improved.  Since it was a comfortable calm day we decided to walk to the end just for fun rather than ride the sweet little train that ran down the middle of the pier. Now we can say we’ve walked the two longest jetties in Australia…the other was on our trip through the Red Centre last year.

 

 

We returned to timber country for a pre-booked truffle hunt one morning. It was an unusual experience and we walked away with a whole new appreciation for these fungal delicacies. Lola, the truffle dog, wore booties so if she were to accidentally dig where her sensitive nose caught a whiff, she wouldn’t damage these $500/kilo gems. We expected the hunt would involve a bit of activity but it was merely a demonstration of Lola’s skill and our gentle digging abilities. The “forest” was oak and hazelnut trees that are ideal for the growth of the spores.