DAY 81 – Busselton - Augusta

Good Morning Busselton!
 
Low 9°c (48°F) – High 16°c (61°F)
220km
 
It was so chilly overnight that neither of us slept well at all.  The hot water bottle hog however had a pretty good night and barely moved an inch.  As a result of lack of sleep and cold when we finally did fall asleep we overslept, waking just before 8.00am.  As luck would have it we had planned on a late departure as the trip to August was only 83km.  Thankfully the rain held off while Shane disconnected and packed up hoses and prepared the outside for hooking up to the car while I worked around our still sleeping friend to pack up the inside of the van.   As we were finalizing for our departure our rear neighbours started to crawl out of their van and swags looking a little worse for wear.  Evidently it was a big night.
 
The weather was relatively kind for the drive with just a few showers but more importantly hardly any wind.  Lots of white lilies grow everywhere in paddocks under trees.  They bring back fond memories for me of my grandmother who also used to grow them and I remember as a child we would grind up coloured chalk and “paint” the cut flowers and put them in a vase.  We have also seen many of the “blue trees” – such a great incentive and a reminder that it’s OK not to be OK sometimes.  Of course as we are nearing Margaret River now, a huge wine growing area of Western Australia, vineyards and signs to their location are everywhere.
 
But today’s entertainment came from two little towns en route to Augusta and we decided that once we had set up camp we would come back and explore them and also Margaret River.  On to Augusta and our destination – Westbay Retreat Caravan Park located just north of the township and situated on 14 acres of bushland fronting the Blackwood River.  It’s quite a unique park with plenty of open spaces and also cover of trees.  Power and water available and a very unique amenities block.  I didn’t get photos of that part as yet, but will try to take photos tomorrow.  Speaking with the caretaker later in the day when he called around to collect the fees, his father is the master craftsman, a cabinet maker by trade, he built all the timber sections while his brother did all the stone-work.  The result is impressive. 
 
After getting set up and having lunch and a coffee we loaded cameras in the car and backtracked with our first stop being Witchcliffe. The name originates from a cave in the area, Witchcliffe cave, that was recorded by a surveyor in 1900.  It is believed the name was given by the Bussell family whose property, Wallcliffe, was established in the area in the 1850s.  Witchcliffe is the site of a developing Ecovillage - The Ecovillage site was previously occupied by two farms: an organic vineyard and a hobby beef cattle farm.  The Director and Project Founder first identified the Ecovillage site in 1994. However, it wasn’t until 2010 that both properties were purchased with the intention of developing a model ecovillage, a highly sustainable, self-reliant community that will:
·        produce as much energy as it consumes
·        be self-sufficient in water
·        care for the local environment
·        generate ongoing economic and social opportunities for the area
·        be socially diverse and provide for all age groups
·        be self-sufficient in fresh food produce
·        be carbon negative.
 
Now all of this is amazing, but of course this Halloween girl was taken by the name, the logos and of course an opportunity to visit another Op Shop in the name of Halloween Pirates coming out with a belt, another scarf and some impressive buttons.
 
Our next stop was probably the most amusing town we’ve visited on this trip – Cowaramup which derives its name from Cowaramup Siding, which was located near the townsite, on the now disused Busselton to Augusta railway. The townsite was gazetted in 1925, originally to support the timber and dairy industries. The name is believed to be derived from the Noongar word cowara, meaning purple-crowned lorikeet.  Locals from the region often refer to the town as "Cowtown", a reference to the use of "cow" in the town's name and its history of dairy farming but also no doubt to the many plays on Cow that the town embraces.  In 2012 the town installed 42 lifesize fibreglass cow sculptures around the town, as a tourist attraction.  In July 2014, the town set a Guinness World Record for the largest group of people – 1,352 – dressed as cows.  The town also has a Dairy County Fair called “Deja Moo” and are working on a music festival which of course will be called a “Moosic Festival”.  One of the local shop owners told us that the local pharmacy can’t keep up with the demand for Cow Onsies which are its biggest seller.
 
We took a detour to Gracetown on the coast and from there back to Margaret River.  We had a bit of a chuckle about the poor effort for a town sign but Margaret River has an interesting combination of a cross between Warrandyte and Byron Bay.  A few unique buildings offered some photo opportunities as did the nearby river.  There are also some heritage buildings down by the river, but being in the shade of the trees, poor light and my ankle having already had more than enough exercise for the day we didn’t visit.
 
Margaret River lies in the valley of the “Margaret River”, the town being named after the river, which is presumed to be named after Margaret Whicher, cousin of John Garrett Bussell (founder of Busselton) in 1831. The coast to the west of the town is a renowned surfing location, with worldwide fame for its surf breaks.  The surrounding area is the Margaret River Wine Region and is known for its wine production and tourism, attracting an estimated 500,000 visitors annually.  In earlier days the area was better known for hardwood timber and agricultural production of the finest herbs in the southwest, as well as wine. 
 
Margaret River is the foremost Geographical Indication wine region in the South West Australia Zone, with over 57 square km (22 sq mi) under vine and over 200 producers with nearly 100 cellar doors. The region is made up predominantly of boutique-size wine producers, although winery operations range from the smallest, crushing 3.5 tonnes (3.4 long tons; 3.9 short tons) per year, to the largest at around 7,000 tonnes (6,900 long tons; 7,700 short tons).  The region produces just three percent of total Australian grape production, but commands over 20 percent of the Australian premium wine market.  Not being wine connoisseurs we didn’t do the wine tasting tour but it was amazing to see all the different wineries in the area.
 
From Margaret River it was back past our campground and a quick tour around Augusta itself including “The Landing Place” where Augusta’s first white settlers came ashore from the brig “Emily Taylor” on 2 May 1830, and a restaurant claiming to be the “last eating house before the Antarctic” (I guess technically it was on that road – with the Antarctic being 6,211km / 3,859 miles away), along with a top up shopping trip to IGA and then back to camp.  We hope to get back into Augusta tomorrow although unfortunately during the day there has been an increasingly worrying severe weather warning for the entire area from Perth down to Albany with flooding rain and gale force winds predicted.  Unsure what to do we’ve just set ourselves up to stay at Augusta and hope for the best as there is no way I’m towing a van in gale force winds.