Hamelin Bay

4 – 7 November 2022

We left the caravan park at Woodman Point and drove down to the beach for a quick look. As we were walking along Mick stopped to talk to some fellow birders who told him about some birds much further along the beach, on the point. I waited on the beach and an hour and a half later, he returned, well pleased with having seen and photographed another new bird for the trip.

Finally back on the highway we drove south towards Busselton, stopping at Old Whittaker’s Mill rest area for lunch. There are no facilities at this spot, but it was sheltered from the wind by the trees. There are tracks looping through the trees all around the area, which looks like it is used by campers.

From there we continued on to the Bussel Highway and on through Margaret River, then on to Caves Road and Hamelin Bay. We called in to Hamelin Bay on our last visit to the west and it looked like a good spot. The caravan park is in the national park so dogs are not allowed which suits us perfectly.

Hamelin Bay is famous for the stingrays which gather in the bay, but we had come for the Rock parrots and other birds. The weather when we arrived was almost perfect – warm and with little breeze, but we knew that would probably change and that the nights would definitely be cold. We went for a walk along the beach and up onto the cliffs where the walking track forms part of the Cape to Cape Track.

On Saturday morning Mick was up early to photograph the birds, and after a late breakfast we headed to Augusta. We called in to Cosy Corner along the way so I could take a photo for a friend who was camped at Cosy Corner in Tasmania. Both beautiful spots but the WA one was very windy at the time so we didn’t stay long.

In Augusta we drove down to the water and found a lovely café for morning tea, before doing some shopping. The local Baptist Church community was holding a free sausage sizzle so we gratefully accepted a sausage and some fresh cinnamon donuts too. Despite their church affiliation there was no hard sell – we were happy to accept the free food along with a small flier which was discretely handed over with the food.

Hamelin Bay is famous for the smooth stingrays, black stingrays and eagle rays which live in the shallow waters of the Ngari Capes Marine Park and feed along the beach and around the old jetty. We were lucky enough to see a couple each time we went to the beach. It was difficult to get a photo because there were so many others trying to do the same thing and despite warnings to look but not touch and to stay a couple of metres away from these graceful creatures, many people were running along beside them and reaching out to pat them. We did manage a few photos when we noticed one further along the beach.

We left Hamelin Bay to travel to a friend’s place near Manjimup which would only take a couple of hours so we planned a couple of stops along the way.

Margaret River Region - Gracetown, Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park and Augusta

Gracetown

29 – 31 October 2018

We took our time packing up to leave Busselton as we were only going as far as Margaret River. We headed out through Dunsborough and then south on Caves Road. Along the way we stopped to have a look at Yallingup – one of many popular surfing spots in the Margaret River region.

Yallingup

Yallingup. A long paddle out the break.

Yallingup beach

Further south we found a very nice caravan park in a bush setting at Gracetown, not far from Margaret River township. We decided on two nights to allow time to do some exploring and visit some of the many food and wine merchants for which the area is famous.

Some of the local wildlife frequented the caravan park

After settling in we drove down to the beach at Cowaramup Bay, just down the road. This is another popular surfing spot. We then drove over to the town of Cowaramup and visited a few of the shops selling local produce.

Cowaramup Bay

Cowaramup Bay

In the morning we set off to explore Margaret River township, but first we drove down to the Margaret River mouth. Yet another popular surfing spot on this beautiful part of the coast – heed the warnings though - there are dangers out there! On into town and we spent a lazy morning walking up and down the main street poking our heads into interesting shops and galleries. From there we returned home for lunch, then set off again. This time we were really on a mission – to return to Cowaramup to buy fudge and pasta sauce, to visit the Margaret River Dairy Company to buy cheese, to the Providore for more gourmet treats and finally to a winery to taste some local wine. Of course I had to purchase some. That’s Christmas sorted.

We didn't go for a swim.

Margaret River mouth.

MadFish winery.

Sculpture and vines.

Some of the goodies we found in the area.

Back home and we enjoyed the company of neighbours around the campfire for the second night. It’s a real bonus when you meet nice people when travelling. Sharing stories and recommendations of places to visit makes for many friendly chats.

With the weather forecast suggesting there might be rain, we decided to risk it to go to a national park for a couple of nights. Again, because we didn’t have far to travel, we took our time setting off.

Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park – Boranup Forest – Jarrahdene Campground

31 October – 2 November 2018

We headed south again and stopped for a coffee before making our way to Jarrahdene Campground – one of the newer campgrounds in the national park. You do need to book, but we knew there was mobile service so we took the chance and drove in to have a look. I had looked online earlier in the morning and could see there were plenty of spots available, and it was only 11:00am so we drove around the campground until we found a campsite we liked and booked it online on the spot. Only $11 per person per night with a fire ring and picnic tables at most sites, as well as toilets and camp kitchens scattered around, it was great value.

Red-winged Fairywren young male.

Red-winged Fairywren female.

Red-winged Fairywren male.

Scarlet Robin male

Scarlet Robin male

White-browed Scrubwren

A great place for camping and birds. A family of Red-winged Fairywrens greeted us as we set up the camper trailer. As usual, the male was very reluctant to be photographed while the females were more obliging. Both Baudin's and the forest race of Red-tailed Black-cockatoo were about, mostly in the afternoons. I didn't get any shots as they were well up in the tall trees. I saw my first White-breasted Robin. One of the highlights of the trip! Mick.

It was fun to look for ground orchids on the walks.

Ground orchid

Not sure if this is an orchid but worth a shot.

The weather wasn’t great, and we did have a couple of showers come over in the night, but we still enjoyed a relaxing couple of days. There is a walking track that takes you around the old mill site, but it looks like it is still a work in progress. Some interpretative information is available, but we suspected that there will be more to come, and that path markers will be put in place to make it easier to follow. It was approximately 1.5km and an easy ½ hour with plenty of stops.

Our neighbours from Gracetown were camped nearby so we joined them around the fire each evening. The days were cool and the nights cold, but sitting by a campfire before bed certainly helped.

Once again we had a leisurely start for a short drive with a probable destination of Augusta, but keeping our options open as we kept an eye on the weather.

Augusta

2 – 3 November 2018

We set off further south with our first stop Hamelin Bay, famous for the stingrays that come in close to shore. We chanced a walk on the beach even though the sky was very grey, but we didn’t see any stingrays. On our way back to the car a couple coming towards us disturbed some birds – Rock parrots. Mick had these on his list of “I really want to see” birds so he was very excited. Unfortunately he had his landscape camera with him so he had to race back to the car to get his other one. Meanwhile I had to keep an eye on them. They took flight and when they finally landed I saw that in addition to the three we had seen first, there was another 6 feeding on the grass outside the caravan park. Mick made it back in time to take lots of photos of them.

Wild daisies on the walk to the beach.

A pretty beach but no stingrays.

A picture postcard bay but not such good weather.

Overseas visitors take photos of the Rock Parrots after we pointed them out.

Rock Parrot. Not a spectacular bird but one I've been hoping to see for a long time.

Rock Parrot

By the time he had taken enough photos it was lunch time so we drove into Augusta for lunch at the pub. Good meal, great view, friendly service. From there we made the obligatory visit to Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse – the tallest lighthouse in WA and the third tallest in Australia. Run by a not for profit organisation (like Cape Naturaliste) the entry fee is $6. You can take a guided tour for an additional cost – we didn’t.

Another new bird; Baudin's Black-cockatoo.

We've now been to three of the mainland extremities

I saw Rock Parrots on the walk to the lighthouse.

Nice views but a dull day.

After spending some time at the lighthouse we decided to stay in Augusta so made our way to a small caravan park, again in a bush setting. After a couple of nights in the national park, we really needed the facilities offered in a caravan park. Sitting around a campfire, chatting to the owners and fellow travellers made for a pleasant evening.

In the morning we headed into town – we discovered the Lions Shed as well as a shop selling vinyl records. Mick spent quite a while talking to the owner about music. After a visit to the Visitor Information Centre we set off again with Walpole our next destination.