Idyllic isn't it? Makes you want to grab a surfboard or something and throw yourself in. Sun is out, water is warm, what more could you want? Well there's just one tiny problem. This place is teeming - teeming I tell you - with great white sharks. The other day, some guy was horribly dismembered by one just round the corner from here, and that's not to mention the chap who left nothing behind but a pair of chewed shreddies up in Perth. I need to keep reminding myself of this because otherwise, I could be persuaded to think that this place is as good as Cornwall. In Cornwall, it may rain all the time, the water may be as cold as interstellar space, but at least you know you can go for a swim (for 90 seconds until hypothermia sets in) without having a leg chewed off.
So, we set off out of Perth in the rain, having checked out of the pretty good Mantra and collected the car from Avis. Headed south down the freeway, getting out of the suburbs fairly quickly, and following the route of the commuter line to Mandurah, where we will stay tomorrow. The countryside down the route is fairly nondescript scrub and gum, with vast scope for development, as usual. Parcels of land are advertised here and there en route. We stopped for lunch at an out of town mall on the outskirts of Bunbury. There was a maccy d's, a KFC and the Feedingwell Cafe. Not wanting to put more cash into the capitalist corporate homogenisation system, we went to the Bleedinghell, which served the worst coffee in Australia and some toiny toasted sandwiches. Still, putting money into the lercal economy I suppose. On the way out we noticed a noodle bar and Dad was relieved I hadn't seen it. Noodles are kryptonite to Dad, it seems.
Carried on driving for another hour or so, and tracked inland before Busselton, driving due south on completely straight, empty roads through some national forest areas. There was some foreign-looking pine forest, but also a lot of native eucalypt, apparently greener and more varied than the type we saw north of Sydney. Miles upon miles of native wilderness - very striking to someone from a landscape which is almost entirely man made. turned west towards Margaret River and slowly signs of habitation appeared - vines, cattle and my first Australian sheep! I had forgotten that Australia is famous for sheep until I saw them. Destined for Uggs no doubt.
Margaret River itself is a fairly ordinary uninspiring town, so we looked at the visitor info centre then moved on out to the coast at Cape Mentelle. The beach was western, windswept and very beautiful. It reminded me immediately of Cornwall, or Cornwall before any people arrived, so unspoiled was it. Some guys were kite surfing but that was about all the visible human influence.
We drove up the Caves Road just inland, towards Yallingup where we are staying for the night. The countryside is almost English - green fields, rolling hills etc. The difference is the amount of wilderness between the agriculture, and the many vineyards. Stopped at a one at random, which turned out to be Lenton Brae, one of the best boutique vineyards in the area. Bought a very good bottle of cabernet merlot. You can't get it in Europe. Shame.
Then off to Yallingup, to our apartment at the very nice Seashells. We bought ingredients for dinner and visited the local beach, which was bathed in that evening light you only get on a west coast. Again it reminded me of an empty Cornwall, but I made myself remember the sharks...
Location:Seashells, Yallingup
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