Bussleton/ Dunsborough

Saturday 3rd January – We were on the road by about 9.45am, it’s about 220km and a two and a half hour drive.  We’ve done this drive twice already pretty much so it’s all good.

We’d booked and paid for this park in advance. Busy check in, we got a great spot though, both for the caravan and the villa mum and dad were staying in. It was another fabulous villa, 2 bed and this one was a bit larger then the one we’d had in Woodman Point. 

 

Once we’d got set up and unpacked we went in to Bussleton for a bit of a look around. We walked along the beach front to the famous 2km long jetty and then back again.

Bussleton Beach and Jetty

 

Bussleton Jetty is really pretty, we will come back another day to walk it’s length and visit the oceanarium at the end.

 

Arty shot from user the jetty looking back towards the information cent

 

There was a lovely ice cream cart on the beach front selling gelato complete with authentic Italian salesman

 

The beach has one of those water parks too looks fun but perhaps more for older kids

 

Sunday 4^th January – As Maddy had another sleepover at nana and grandpa’s we took the opportunity to get some more early morning exercise in. Drew went for a ride and I went for a run in my new joggers! The joggers were great although I didn’t run as well as my last run, managed about 30 minutes before my knee started to play up so tried a bit of sprinting and interval training which isn’t easy, sprinting doesn’t half make you puff!

We then headed off to the Bussleton markets, which were OK but not quite Fremantle Markets or Margaret River. There were some pony rides which Maddy loved!

 

Then we headed to find somewhere for lunch, Drew had passed a sign for a restaurant called Little Fish on his bike ride so looked that up and the reviews sounded great, so we drove out there and managed to get the last available table!

 

Lunch waw absolutely awesome, we shared some light meals / entres but they were good sized so it was plenty for the 5 of us, washed down of course with a lovely glass of wine. Another beautiful spot and the food was wonderful, we enjoyed this lunch as much as any other we’ve had over the last few weeks. Highly recommend this one! The grounds were stunning too.

The dam at Little Fish

 

There was also a gallery there to look around with some expensive and really trendy pieces.

This is one of the sculptures in the garden

 

After lunch we drove over to Aravina Estate winery, this is one flash winery – there is some money here! We learnt it’s owned by a guy that has a consulting firm to the mines, seems he employs over 300 people… yep lots of money here!

 

With mum and dad at Aravina Estate winery

 

The owner must be a car enthusiast as at the back of the cellar door and restaurant there was a huge warehouse sized room without about 20 classic cars in.

 

There must have been several hundreds of thousands of dollars in the cars alone.

 

Dads not that keen on wineries, which is interesting as he drinks more wine than the rest of us…  but at least here he had something to keep him amused while we tasted the wines.  Interestingly out of all the wines we tried here, we were not actually that keen on any of them, so only purchased a couple to be polite.  It was a beautiful place and the restaurant and the shop that sold all sorts of upmarket homewards but it just all felt a bit too pretentious for us, I’d rather go to the smaller family run cellar doors and have a good old chin wag with the owners.

 

We then went to do something more Maddy related, so headed to Yallingup Maze.

 

It’s a bit pricey for all 5 of us so just Drew and Maddy went in the maze and mum, dad and I sat in the air conditioned café and played some of the puzzles that are scattered all over the tables. It’s a wonderful café for families, they have so many unusual puzzles to play with which are also for sale in the shop. Drew and Maddy enjoyed the maze very much too!

 

The maze had lots of secret doors which was a bit different – lots of fun!

 

Monday 5^th January – Maddy stayed at Nana’s and Grandpa’s for the night so Drew and I could get an early bike ride in, we were up at 5.15am and on the road by 6.00am, this time heading along the coast bike path towards Dunsborough. The path goes all the way, along some fab tracks along the beach and through some great streets, we were admiring the houses along the way very much. We rode just past Dunsborough and turned around at the 15km mark then headed back in to Dunsborough to find somewhere to get a coffee. Found a great little coffee shop open, very hip, and had a coffee and a raw muesli ball to share. We then rode back, getting a better speed up, it was quite flat, averaged just over 19km per hour and covered 32km, not bad and back by 8.10am!

 

Maddy was up and having brekkie with Nana and Grandpa.  We all got ready to go to the beach as today is forecast to be hot, high thirties! We’d heard Meelup Beach was good which is about 15km south towards the cape.

 

It was a lovely little bay although busy, we found a spot and Maddy and Daddy built a sandcastle while we had a sun bake. The water was crystal clear and a bit cold but we had a swim, even mum had a little dip.

 

We only stayed on the beach about an hour and a half, was getting too hot so we headed back to the van to shower and have some lunch. It’s great having mum and dads air conditioned villa. We made a healthy juice and some crackers for lunch.  We’ve pretty much done all our cooking around their cabin, it’s nice having the space!

After lunch we decided to go visit some wineries, hoping they’d be cool… first one Cape Naturaliste, great spot, beautiful property.

Cape Naturaliste Cellar Door

 

The grapes are grown organically although they are not certified, all their wines also get great James Halliday ratings and they are one of his 5 star rated wineries. We pretty much liked everything we tasted so another case was sent back to Sydney…. We had a wonderful time talking to the two owners, Jenny and Craig.

Their new sandstone house was gorgeous

 

The owner told us tales of having a Dugite snake in the open roof space of the cellar door on a number of occasions, one time the local snake catcher came and removed one and another time a snake dropped on to the floor right next to a customer who was wine tasting. We couldn’t help keep looking towards the ceiling while we were there….

 

After that we drove on to the chocolate place, Gabrielle’s, great chocolate, much more upmarket, we did buy some nice dark chocolate and an ice cream…

 

Then one more wine tastes, Happs, another beautiful spot, with gorgeous gardens and a gallery and pottery.

 

The wine was good especially the Malbec and another few bottles were purchased… this winery had a system for preserving the opened bottles of wine at the cellar door with nitrogen pumped in to the bottles.

Happs Winery 

 

Very hot day, back to the van for a home cooked dinner and early night. In the air conditioning…

 

Tuesday 6^th January – After such a hot day yesterday, this morning was overcast and threatening rain, in fact I think it may have even rained a little in the night, although I didn’t hear it. Drew still went off for his ride this morning.

I waited until Maddy woke up before I could go anywhere, she didn’t rise until Drew got back, so I headed out a little later and went for a walk with mum. It was an overcast morning when we set off but the sun came out and it was quite lovely.  Mum’s struggling a bit with her ankle today and was limping about 20 minutes in to our walk so we turned around and headed back, we managed to get back OK and still get 40 minutes in which isn’t bad. She’s keen to walk most days but at home has nobody to walk with. We are loving the walkways along this coast, beautiful.

It was hot when we got back so we decided to have a swim in the pool, which is just next to mum and dads cabin.

 

Not sure why but this morning it was almost empty in there, we had the pool pretty much to ourselves for a good hour. Maddy enjoyed playing with Drew swimming up and down and mum even came in for a dip.

 

We had lunch in their cabin and then headed out for a drive around.  First stop a jewellery place, which had stunning hand made jewellery, mostly silver, very nice, but very expensive, about $800 a bangle.

 

Then on to an art gallery which was also lovely, in lovely grounds with some really nice paintings, again very expensive, some in the $6,000 mark. The gallery owner was busy talking another customer and didn’t even say hello to any of us… I guess he thought we didn’t dress well enough to be able to afford any of this stuff…

 

We did rather like this piece…

 

Then on o Eagle Olives which had wonderful olives and oils and dukkas and jams… we could have easily stocked up there but managed to come away with just some olives and sour dough.

 

These cows are dotted around all over tis region, this one’s colourful! They were part of a charity fundraiser I do believe.

 

Great gardens too, really nicely done.  Drew loved them, we’re getting garden envy!

 

oh and 3 donkeys! These ones were really friendly, I do love donkeys, so does Miss Maddy!

 

Then on to Eagle Bay Brewery for a beer tasting, what a great spot overlooking a lake.

 

We had a paddle of beer between Drew and I and mum and dad shared one too, and a bowl of naughty chips… lovely hour!

 

Mum and Dad sharing a beer paddle

 

Popped in to Coles in Dunsborough for some fish for dinner, prawns, marinated octopus, herring and smoked trout!

Drew and I decided to get a quick bike ride in when we got back, just an hour before dinner.  We rode out on to the track that follows the coastline in to Bussleton and back.  Just 15km or so. It’s so beautiful here, we really do love this part of the world.

 

The beach here goes on for miles and miles, it’s quiet and calm and seems quite protected from the winds. Looks like it might be good for fishing too!  We actually didn’t ever get to fish while we were here, another reason to go back another time.

 

As we cycled back we came across a snake on the path, probably a Dugite, venomous but fairly shy, we threw a stone at it and it slithered back in to the bush. It was very exciting though, I do love snakes!

 

Lovely dinner in, the fish was delicious.  We then played a card game called “up the creek” and had a wonderful night, lots of laughs!

 

 

Wednesday 7^th January – Drew took a break from riding today but I wanted to get another run in, so I headed off in my new runners even though I’d had a rough night feeling very nauseous again! Not a bad run, knee played up but managed to get further than the last run and clocked up about 50 minutes running and 30 minutes walking, not bad.

Quick turnaround at home as I had an appointment with the breast scan place at 9.15am, which turned out to be a waste of time as they needed me to go back for the results in 3 weeks, which I said I can’t do, so told me to call and book a GP appointment… grrr!!!! So we got a GP appointment in Bussleton and headed over there. Turns out the doctor thought everything was fine and gave me a referral for a mammogram when we get to Adelaide as we couldn’t get one here without going back to Perth!

Came back for lunch then headed out to explore some more. This time to the Flametree winery just between the caravan park and Dunsborough.

 

Absolutely amazing spot, great cellar door, lovely white building.

 

We enjoyed talking to the host Natalie. Liked most but not all of the wine so got away with just 3 bottles.

 

We then headed over to Bussleton as we’d booked on the tour to visit the oceanarium at the far end of the jetty. Mum, Dad and Maddy took the train the 2km to the end of the jetty, Drew and I walked.

 

It really is glorious along here, the sea is green and blue and crystal clear. Not as many people fishing as we thought and nothing caught.

Bussleton Beach

 

Looking back to Bussleton Beach from the jetty

 

At the end is a fish viewing area within the oceanarium.  A guide takes the group down to some viewing windows underneath the jetty where you can see the fish and various corals etc. It was quite lovely really.

 

The end of the pier has an oceanarium built in which is basically a building that goes down to the sea level with windows in which you can look out at what there is in the ocean.  There were all colours of corals on the old pilons of the jetty.

 

We all enjoyed it and then Drew,Maddy and Dad caught the train back and I walked the 2km back with mum.

 

We then had dinner at the Goose Restaurant on the waterfront right in front of the jetty, fabulous location and great food

 

Drew and I shared light plates and we enjoyed sitting overlooking the beach and view to the blue sea.

 

Drew wanted to get some sunset shots of the jetty but it was a bit early so he dropped us off at the caravan park then headed back to get his photos.  He was out there until 9pm taking these shots, it was quite cold by the time he’d finished.

Bussleton Jetty at Sunset

 

He got some real beauties though, worth the effort.  I think we may print one of these off!

 

Bussleton Jetty – this one is my personal favourite

 

Back at the van I put a hair die on mums hair then retired early to update the blog of the last few days adventures and to read my book.  Mum and Dad leave on Saturday, we’re not really ready for them to leave as usual, but we promised we wouldn’t change flights this time as we will see them as we pass through Adelaide in about 7 weeks time anyways.

 

Thursday 8^th January – Drew was up and off early as he was joining a cycling group for a ride, so he set out for that. I called the office and spoke to the guys for an hour then headed out for a ride myself and Maddy had another sleepover at Nana and Grandpas. I had a wonderful ride, along the path to Busselton, beautiful day, 22km done, really enjoyed it and cycled well.

Riding in to Bussleton – great bike path all the way

 

Looking down Bussleton Beach from the jetty

 

Bussleton Jetty

 

The beach directly in front of the caravan park between Dunsborough and Bussleton

 

Drew enjoyed his 46km and cycling with the boys and catching up with them for a coffee afterwards.

We then went to the lighthouse at Cape Naturaliste to do the lighthouse tour, but this was the sign that greeted us…

 

We did the tour anyway and really enjoyed it, didn’t see a single snake!   The young girl that showed us through the lighthouse was really informative, we all learnt lots about life as a lighthouse keeper.

 

Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse

 

Lighthouse Precinct

 

Stunning views along the coast from the lighthouse

 

Then we went to a winery Swings and Roundabouts for lunch, all they do is woodfired Pizza but they were very very good.

 

We did a wine tasting here too and just bought a bottle of Rose to have with lunch. Lovely spot sitting out on the lawn with a great view.

 

Swings and Roundabouts for lunch

 

We then went to Gralyn winery as they are pesticide free although not certified organic, only a small winery, on 11 acres and again one of the old wineries in Margaret River, we were really surprised by how expensive they were, the cheapest bootle of red wine was $85 to $110 , the cheapest was a white port at $55….

 

We did get to taste everything and although it was great it wasn’t within our price range so we didn’t really want to buy, Drew ended up buying mum a bottle of the white chocolate port because she loved it. Seems as they are a small vineyard, on 11 acres, they produce limited quantity and now QANTAS serve their wine in Frist Class.

The vines at Gralyn 

 

Beautiful cellar door – looking out over their vines

 

Then we went to the Venison place to get some venison sausages and steaks for dinner, mum also bought some to take home.

 

We then took mum and dad around for a little drive around Wharncliffe mill to show them where we had stayed, still love it there and not completely full!

Then we went to Brownhill Estate which was one of the oldest wineries, no flash cellar door here, just a corner of their warehouse. We loved all of their wines and ended up having a case shipped back to Sydney, all reasonable prices for the quality of wine.

Driving in to Brown Hill Estate

 

Dropped in at our favourite help yourself organic fruit and veggie store and stocked up on supplies there, again nobody there, just an honesty system we love it.

 

Inside our favourite veggie shop

 

This is how the honesty system works… simple!

 

Than a quiet night in, enjoyed our venison steaks and sausages.

 

Friday 9^th January – Maddy had a sleepover at Nana’s again so Drew and I could go for a long bike ride together. We set off at 5.30am and this time rode out along the roads rather than on the bike path. It’s a lot faster on the roads until you come to a huge hill of course… Lovely and quiet that early although a bit cold, we needed an extra layer for sure, it was a bit overcast this morning too. We cycled out through the quieter roads and then back in to Dunsborough and found the organic café that Caz had recommened Samudra. Wow what a great place, we ordered some sour dough and avodado and a chia seed pudding with berries and nuts which was delicious, I will be trying to make that! Most of their menu for lunch or dinner was vegetarian and lots of raw, gluten free, dairy free and sugar free which will suit us perfectly, so we’ll be coming back! They had come yoga rooms and lots of classes and courses in health and nutrition, another good reason to move to this area when you have this on your doorstep. They also had a wonderful garden that stocked lots of organic herbs and veggies around the back. Then there was a shop that sold really cool yoga gear and lots of other cool clothes and stuff. Love this place!

 The beach at Dunsborough

 

We then cycled back along the path to the park, we’d done 46km all up which was wonderful, we really enjoyed it.

Once we were all showered and changed we decided to head to the beach for an hour, we tried Bunker Bay first but it was too windy, so we drove around to Yallingup and it was a bit more protected from the wind. By now it was lunchtime so we went to the Shaana café in Yalingup first for lunch. Another great spot, very cool place and great food, even licensed so another glass of Rose…

 

Cute sign at the cafe 

 

We then went down to the beach, although Dad didn’t join us, he stayed up in the shade.

Yallingup Beach

 

We enjoyed an hour down there though, we had a little swim, bit cold still but refreshing. It’s a lovely shallow and protected bay with a reef close to shore, great for kids, fairly busy.

 

Maddy the mermaid

 

Back for a shower and quick turnaround as tonight we are going over to Caz and Craigs for dinner, they are in an amazing house for a few nights, one we’ve looked at ourselves funnily enough on airbnb, we almost booked it for a week just before Christmas then didn’t as we decided it was a bit too pricy and ended up at Wharncliffe Mill instead.

 

The house was wonderful, right in the bush which would have been scary with bush fires but great place, quiet, 4 bedrooms and a couple of extra rooms. Beautiful layout.

 

We played a few games of pool which was great fun, haven’t done that in a long long time.

 

The girls were having a ball running around the house playing hide and seek and goodness knows what else.

Little Savannah, too cute this one!

 

Dinner was excellent, Caz’s vegetarian tacos, we love them, even mum and dad loved them too. Lots of story telling after dinner and too much wine before Mads was getting too tired and we had to retire… We had a really good night, great fun and lots and lots of laughs, a nice way to end mum and dads 3 week stay with us.

 

Saturday 10^th January – Maddy had 1 last sleepover at mum and dads then we were up and packed and organised and on the road to take them to the airport by 8.45am. It’s just under 3 hours from here and we made it in good time, said our goodbyes and then dropped Drew’s bike off before heading over to Fremantle to meet my youngest stepdaughter Rachel Dalby.

I haven’t seen Rach for 6 years nearly, since Maddy was 1 when we went back to the UK for her sister Hannah’s wedding. We arranged to meet at the Little Creatures Next Door, which is a tapas bar overlooking Fremantle Harbour. I was so excited to see Rach, I knew I would cry when I saw her and I did… doh! I couldn’t stop hugging her, she didn’t seem to mind too much, she knows me well. Lovely to meet her boyfriend Pete too, we hadn’t met him.

 

We sat and chatted for a few hours, Rach and I were so busy just catching up we left the boys to get to know each other and Maddy to read a book. It was so lovely to catch up, we’ve planned to have a weekend together in Margaret River next weekend so at least we had that to look forward to. The bar was excellent, top spot, Drew and I shared a few tapas which were great.

 

We then drove back to Caz and Craigs to drop Maddy off there for a sleepover, then headed back for a quick shower and change to go out for dinner, just the two of us!

We wanted to go to Sumadra the organic place in Dunsborough but it was closed, so we found a lovely little restaurant care of trip advisor called Piari. Great food, we took our own wine (as we have so much…) Lovely night although it always seems a bit odd when we are not with Miss Maddy after travelling together for almost 9 months now.

 

Sunday 11^th January – We took another opportunity to go for a bike ride together while Maddy was at Kalyra’s. This time just to Dunsburough and back, 31km all up.

 

We stopped at another lovely little café for brekkie, fabulous coffee and a really cool place. So many great little spots around this area, we fall in love with it a little bit more each day.

 

We then dashed over to Caz and Craigs to collect Maddy as they are leaving their stunning holiday home today and heading up to Bunbury for a few days. The girls had a wonderful sleepover and wanted to play in the huge pile of logs and tree trunks before we left. These kids don’t really need swings and slides, just a jumbled old pile of trees and they are happy as Larry! We did need to supervise them though as this is serious snake territory, we didn’t see one, but they’d be lurking around for sure!

 

“The House” – we all fell in love with this place.

 

We said our goodbyes once again to Caz and Craig, we hope to catch up again in a few days in Margaret River at Wharncliffe Mill.

We then headed to check out Smiths beach. Another stunning beach, this one was a bit busy, a fair few people there but still wonderful.

 

We enjoyed a couple of hours there, Maddy playing in the sand.

 

The water is pretty cool though, quick dip is all you need. The waves here are a little bit dumpy and it’s a steep slope in to the water, which isn’t ideal for the little ones. Maddy only paddled a bit, she didn’t go in far.

Caught him having a nap!  He says he doesn’t do this… but he does!

 

We came back for a healthy juice lunch and change then headed out again for an explore. This time we checked out Simmo’s Ice Creamery which is always busy every time we have passed, we wanted to know what the attraction was!

 

Once again it was busy, the car park was packed! There is a fair sized lawned area and several play grounds, lots of families sitting eating ice creams while the kids play. We bought an ice cream for Maddy and Drew then went and sat down in the grass. Then Maddy played on the play ground for a little while .

 

They also have a camel ride there so we treated Maddy to a ride, just $8 but for 2 minutes literally. The guy who runs it was telling me that with 4 camels in the busy season he can do 800 rides a day, at $8 each that’s over $6000!!!! Do that 7 days a week for a few weeks and you’d be pretty happy….

 

Back to the van for a quiet night in, this is the first time we’ve eaten in the van just the 3 of us for over 3 weeks, since mum and dad arrived before Christmas!

Monday 12^th January – Time to get a bit of running in this moring, Drew headed out first and did at good 10km or so. He ran well though considering he hasn’t run much for a while. I followed him and ran 11km and although it was pretty hot, I was really pleased with my run and my knee didn’t give me trouble at all, hoorah! The new runners are going well too, need a bit more wearing in but not bad. I couldn’t get 20km out of them just yet, they still nip my toes but soon I will! I was so hot though I jumped in the pool on the way back, in my full running gear, less my new runners of course.

Quick turn around then we headed out for the day, first the beach! Trying another new beach today, this time Injidup Beach. We parked on the headland above the beach and wow what an awesome view. The vast expanse of beach was almost deserted.

 

The ocean a stunning mix of blues against the clear blue sky. The sea was calm then every few minutes a set of huge waves would roll in.

 

It’s certainly not a safe swimming beach but there was a pool of sea water trapped against some rocks creating a perfect paddling pool for Maddy, so we headed down the track with our towels and swimmers.

 

What a great spot, Drew enjoyed wondering up and down the beach playing with his camera while Maddy played in the sand and I sun baked and did my puzzle book.

 

Stunning!

 

Maddy loved it here!

 

Panorama of Injidup Beach

 

We stayed for a couple of hours and as lunch was approaching we packed up and headed on to Dunsborough for lunch, Samudra! We love this little café, we ordered 2 vegan raw meals, a zuccinui noodle and veggie bowl with satay sauce for me and a version of bubble and squeak for Drew. Plus 2 cold pressed juices. Maddy had some pasta and cheese and a raw cacao milk shake, which she seemed to like.

 

Sitting on their big day beds relaxing and having a healthy lunch was great, this type of food makes you feel so good, it’s amazing the difference we are noticing when you eat something super healthy.

 

Desert at Samudra

 

Samudra have their own amazing organic veggie patch at the back of the cafe, very envious!

 

After lunch it was Maddy’s treat, we took her to a kids play area extraveganze XSpace. For just a $40 entry fee you pretty much get access to everything, and parents are free! There was a trampoline section which Maddy loved bouncing on for a good 30 minutes, where do kids get that much energy from?

 

Then there was a play zone where they climb up through things and across tunnels etc. Then lastly the water park, with 3 great water slides and one of those huge water buckets.

 

Then the largest inflatable slide, which looked awesome fun!

 

She had an absolute ball running around the water park and on and off the slides. It was a great place, heaven for kids! We didn’t leave there until 5.15pm after it had closed, we may have even been the last ones out!

 

Tuesday 13^th January – We are packing up and leaving today, so I wanted to squeeze one more bike ride in before we left. So I headed out on the bike track to Bussleton and back. I really wanted to try to increase my average speed today, I’ve not beaten the 20km / hr mark so I aimed for that! It was a 20km ride and another stunning day, I almost wiped out a dog that ran across the path but otherwise had a great ride. 21km per hour average, awesome!  Drew didn’t ride as he was a bit stiff and sore from his run yesterday.

No hurry to leave this morning as we are heading to Wharncliffe Mill which is less than 1 hour away.  Maddy went over to join the free kids craft morning and came back with 3 maskes she’d made, one for Kalyra, one for Savannah and 1 for herself. We’re meeting back up with them tomorrow at Wharncliffe Mill.

 

We packed up and headed off, it was great to be going back to Wharncliffe Mill that’s for sure although there was still a bit more to do and see in this area, next time!