Perks on Earth

A week ago today, Hanna and I drove to the International Departures terminal at Perth airport to drop Mum, Dad, Alice and Harry on their return journey. I am not good at goodbyes, I never have been. Knowing this, I tend to opt for the quick and swift farewells – a quick hug in a drop-off area or a sprint through the airport because I’m late (no surprise there) and therefore have no time to process the goodbye at hand. However, this time, there was no hope of saving the sadness. Hugging my four family members goodbye at the end of the most wonderful three weeks spent together, was heartbreaking. My mum, always the most dreaded of all farewells, mimicked my own tears as the time came for them to enter security, and begin the long journey back to Ardmore, Ireland, where I will follow them in 11 months time. I was lucky though, because by my side and braving for another week down under, was Hanna, my younger sister. All hugs and tears, we loaded ourselves back into our truck and made our way to my Dad’s cousins home, who was kindly giving us a home for the night. Once we arrived, the sadness of the departure faded into an excitement as we planned our next few days. Hanna and I are by no means pro campers, but equipped with a sleeping bag, tent, and a Hilux pick-up truck, we were as ready as ever to head off and explore more of Western Australia before I made my return to Sydney.

Waking up the next more, preparations were in full swing. Hanna got all the run-down information on the mechanics of the truck (she will be an engineer soon after all, so I side stepped that one quickly). All packed up and ready for road, we got the run down of life in the bush, and how we were to survive. Avoiding the ‘3 S’s’ – snakes, spiders, and sharks, and all the dangers the bush brought, we nervously giggled as we pulled out of their driveway and tried to picture our reactions if we did come face to face with any of these situations on our travels. Though we didn’t know it yet, our destinations in the Margaret River Region were far from the rural bush we had been warned about, and we spent the week in the comforts of civilisation.

Day 1 – From Perth to Busselton to Margaret River

Leaving Perth behind us, we took the Highway down south, headed for our first stop in Busselton. The roads were long and straight, potentially easy to tire of, but we were both facsinated, still caught up in the unusualness and uniqeness of this country and it’s landscapes. Growing slightly more hot and uncorftable among all our bags in the front seat, the turnoff for Busselton came as a welcome sight. Straight down to the famous fetty, a beach busy with young families and water sports came before us, all littered around the famous jetty. In for a quick swim, we didn’t hang around too long, aware that we wanted to get to our campsite to set up and relax. What we didn’t realise at the time, was that Bussleton jetty is not only famous it’s size or uses, but for it’s underwater spectacles, a snorkling wonderland created beneath the surface. But alas, maybe next time I’ll be more prepared!

We reached Margaret River at around 3pm after a long but enjoyable 4 hour drive. We arrived to the campsite and quickly set up our tent, wary of the rains held in the grey skies above. Though we managed to stay dry, we quickly layered on every item of clothing we had brought, endlessly surprised at the Australian summer weather. Realising we probably needed pegs and not having such, we made our way tp Bunnings. En route, we passed a sign advertising for an outdoor cinema at the Cape Mentelle winery, a showing of ‘Mrs Harris goes to Paris’. Completely unaware as to what the movie entailed, the $16 tickets convinced us it would be the perfect activity to start off our holiday. Plus, everyone had told us we couldn’t visit the Margaret River region without paying a visit to one of its famous winerys.

We arrived at Cape Mentelle at 6pm, laden with pillows, blankets and (of course) TimTams. Cuddled into our beanbags and ready to see what this Mrs Harris would be getting up to, we were treated to a beautiful sunset as the clouds cleared enough for us to peak at the pinks beneath them. We would have enjoyed any film that played, the surroundings demanded such, but, Mrs Harris goes to Paris proved a great hit. Smiling from ear to ear, Han and I followed the story of a widowed cleaner who falls in love with a Dior dress, and we followed her on her jounrey to acheiving her dream. Not my usual film choice, but it was fantastic, a real feel good film. As we drove back to our little tent home for the night, the film had us in good spirits as we tucked ourselves in and huddled together for warmth. A great start to a fantastic trip.

Day 2 – Gnarabup Beach and Margaret River town

After a slightly noisy night (thank you to the parrots), we rose early to make the most out of every moment. One thing Han and I share, is a slight addiction to coffee, and an inability to function fully without it. So, naturally, our first stop was the Sea Garden Cafe in Prevally, where we had some amazing coffees, and Han had the most impressive looking avocado toasts I had ever seen (picture below to prove such). Coffee in our systems, we made our way to Gnarabup beach. Gnarabup beach is a popular surfing destination, so we made our way into the corner bay to avoid the winds. The beach was absoluetly stunning, a long stretch of white sands buckled into dunes where the sand met the surrounding vegetation. Spoiled for sunshine and the sea, we settled down and spent the morning reading, swimming, and sun-baking. As the sun rose and brought the temperature higher, we decided it was time to cool off, so back to our tent we went. We spent the afternoon exploring the town, browsing shops we could in no way afford but enjoying pretended we could. Back to our tent we cooked up some pesto pasta and enjoyed reading under the trees till the sun sank once more. In one day, full holiday relaxed mode was achieved, and it was great.

Day 3 – Hamelin Bay and Boranup Forrest

Our plans for our third day were of great excitement for us both. Rising early once again, we packed up the truck and headed further south. We stopped at YardByrd for some much needed caffiene and breakfast, and it was amazing. A rare find we had stumbled into, the cafe is build beside the new eco village 10km south of Margaret River, and the food, coffee, and atmosphere was to die for. The best avocado toast I have ever had (and only $7), if anyone finds themselves in the locality of this cafe, run, you won’t regret it. Full of coffee and food, we drove towards Hamelin Bay, our excitement growing all the way. We had been warned to arrive there early, and pulling in at 8.30am we nabbed the last car park. A popular destination amoung holiday goer, Hamelin bay is not only famous for its crystal waters, shallow reefs and sprawling white sands, but for the marine visitors which venture to the shallows every morning.

We arrived to Hamelin under grey skies and windy conditions, worried we would not be able to spot these gentle giants. However, no more than 5 minutes of walking the beach, we saw our first Sting Ray. Floating in the shallows, we ran down to get a closer look, and were quickly greeted by four of the creatures. I was shocked by their size, the largest one about 1.5 x 2 meters, the smallest one only a tiny baby. We walked along the shoreline with them, laughing at how bizarre it felt to be in the water with the inquisisitve creatures. As we neared to top of the headland, the rays swung back, ready to greet the next tourists who came along. Han and I explored the bay more, and found that it lived up to every expectation we had heard. The top of the headland offers the most beautiful sandstone embankments to the beach, a stunning backdrop to the calm seas behind us. As we found a secluded spot and settled down, the sun decided it was time to come out, and as she warmed the sands, the sea transformed into the most beautiful blue, matching the postcard photos we had seen. Taking another walk down the shore we witnessed the rays in perfect clarity through the waters, and were offered the chance to get close to the relaxed animals. Fasinated by their wavelike movement and velvet touch, it was no surprise that throughout the morning throngs of tourists arrived for a front row seat of the rays. Happy that we had seen all we could, we wandered back to the truck for our next adventure, Boranup Forest.

Boranup Forest was like entering a whole new landscape one of lush greenery and towering trees. Swallowed into the thick, we wound our way down the road, windows down and once again, in awe. We stopped to explore the forest more, but never strayed too far from the truck (for a probably irrational fear of snakes I won’t lie). Driving through that forest after such an amazing morning at Hamelin Bay was such a highlight for me, pure contentment bubbling inside me. We availed fully of the tourist route, stopped to learn about the Caves beneath the forest, and eventually leaving the green of Boranup behind for the coastline once more, tracing our way down to the Margaret River river mouth. Sun sleepy by this stage, we sat on the thick sandspit which separates the thundering oceans of Gnarabup beach from the tranquil waters of the Margaret River. Skilled surfers navigating the treacherous waves on one side, kayakers lazily fishing on the other, the sand spit seemed to separate two contrasting worlds, Han and I happily enjoying life in the middle. After soaking it all in, we headed back to our tent. As it was our last evening, we treated ourselves to dinner and pints in the town, but there was little surprise by the fact that once the sun sank, we were both on our way back to the tent, exhausted from the days adventures.

Day 4 – Dunsborough, The Aquarium, Eagle Bay, and back to the City

Sad that the last day of our trip had come around, we packed up the tent and got ready to say goodbye to the campsite. After struggling to squeeze our sleeping bags into their cases, we finally got on the road, a busy day ahead of us before we got back to Perth. Our first stop was the Aquarium beach, famed for it’s deep rock pools and abundant marine life. First though, coffee (no surprises there). We stopped at the famous Margaret River Bakery, and lets just say – the que was worth it! Maybe one of the best oat latte’s of the trip, we had to make a run back to the truck as the skies opened and rain poured down. Not the best timing for having all our gear loaded into the back of an open top truck, we quickly started up and headed towards the distant blue skies, again laughing at the irony of rain in summertime Australia.

Arriving to the cliffs above the Aquarium cove, our luck caught up, and the sun peeped through the clouds to welcome us. We made our way down the track and after 20 minutes, we came out onto the rocks. The Aquarium beach is one of the most famous in the region, so it was no surprise to stumble upon throngs of people all rushing towards the pools in the hopes of spotting a rare fish or crustaceon – maybe even a nurse shark?! Hanna and I made the mistake of arriving wholely unpreared for the snorkelling expereince, not even a pair of goggles between us. None the less, it didn’t stop us from hopping into the pools and enjoying the unique experience of swimming in the depths of such vast pools. For anyone planning a trip, I would recommend and early morning, and don’t forget your snorkel! A great first stop, we headed back up the hill towards the truck in search of some lunch and (more) coffee.

Dunsborough is a small beach town north of the Margaret River, and it was one of my favorite stops of the trips. Littered in small cafes, boutiques, and beach stores, it had all the atmosphere and subtle similarities to Ardmore, my local village in Ireland. Though, Dunsborough certainly had the upper hand on the nice weather! Fed and watered, we made our way to our final destination of the trip, Eagle bay. No expectations and no idea what to expect, we were completely gobsmacked when we arrived.

Emerging through the bush onto the beach, we were hit with a gust of wind and the most spectacular views. A flat beach of icing-sugar like sand spread before us, banking on the most pristine waters I have ever witnessed. The beach spanned for more than a kilometer, dotted with beach goers enjoying the bliss of the surroundings. Laughing that we had just pulled up to the Maldives, Hanna and I quickly stripped off and headed for the waters, basking in the utter beauty of our surroundings. Swimming in that pure crystal water was unlike anything I had witnessed before coming to Australia, and reminded me of the previous weeks swim at Rottnest island. The coastline of WA was something else. As we dried off on the beach, the wind picked up and encouraged us to finally get on the road and brave the long journey back to the City. Not before a quick stop at the world famous Meelup beach though, which, though truly beautiful, was rather crowed, so Han and I decided to leave our last swim at Eagle Bay.

Arriving back to Perth that night, while I welcomed a proper bed and a full nights sleep, I would be lying if i said I didn’t miss our little tent, the birds waking us up to the sunrise each morning. The adventures of the week were an honest treasure, and getting to spend such quality time with my beautiful little sister was a real blessing. As we headed for the airport the next day to part ways, it felt easier this time. Knowing we would see eachother again, and till then we had the beautiful memories of the WA coast to carry with us.