Richard and Andre's Western Australia Holiday 2003

Andre and I took two weeks off work in late June and early July and headed for Western Australia. We took over 400 photos of the trip (gotta love digital cameras). Here are the top 40 or so. I've also included links to things we saw and places we'd been - because usually their photos are better than mine. These linked pages will open in a new window, leaving this page available to continue reading.

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The Train Journey

We boarded the Indian Pacific in Sydney around 2.30pm on Wednesday 25 June, bound ultimately for Perth. The journey is about 65 hours, with stops in Broken Hill, Adelaide, Cook and Kalgoorlie. Up until just a few years ago, the Indian Pacific was government-run, with the primary purpose being for transport. A private company now operates this train (as well as the Ghan, and the Overlander) and the service, food and facilities are very good. We travelled Gold Kangaroo class which gave us a 1st class 2-berth cabin with full ensuite, and a la carte menu included. Drinks of course were extra, but were reasonably priced.

You can choose to do tours at each stop (we took tours at Broken Hill and Kalgoorlie). In Broken Hill we were taken to the Flying Doctor Service, a tour of the town, then a quick visit to a Gem Gallery. In Adelaide, we decided we needed to stretch our legs and as we had a fairly long stay here, we walked the 5 or so kilometres into the CBD, did some sightseeing, then headed back to rejoin the train. Our next stop, Cook, used to accommodate up to 300 people. Now that the train locomotives are diesel and the track is well-maintained, Cook is virtually a ghost town in the middle of the desert. Two people live there permanently (we only saw one woman). From there we headed to Kalgoorlie (along the longest straight stretch of railway track in the world), arriving in the early evening. Unfortunately it was raining so we saw the town through the wet windows of the tour bus. The rain did subside sufficiently for us to get out at the viewing platform at the Super Pit - an enormous open-cut mine. Then it was off to see the red-light district (3 buildings I think) and back on the train, for the overnight run into Perth.

Perth and Fremantle

The next few days were checking out Perth and Fremantle. From the hustle-bustle of Sydney, Perth is a dream. We stayed at Sullivan's Hotel, a great 3 1/2 star hotel walking distance from the centre of Perth. Gavan Sullivan proved to be an excellent host, and of course the staff were very friendly and efficient. Perth city is quite compact - but the suburbs stretch for a total of 80 kilometres along the coast. The highlights of our time in Perth were the Western Australia Museum, Perth Mint, The Swan Bells and Burswood Casino (we resisted the temptation of throwing our money into the slot machines).

Fremantleis a thriving little town as well. The marinas are amazing - thousands and thousands of pleasure craft all just sitting there burning money for their owners. I guess because it's only 18 kilometres south of Perth, everyone keeps there boats here. A highlight of the trip down to Fremantle was encountering two small pods of dolphins cruising slowly down the Swan River. It's such a joy to see these creatures.

Bullsbrook Maze and York

For something different, we headed out to Bullsbrook, to Sequoia Park Maze. This place has 6 mazes (1 large wooden maze, a hedge maze, two pine mazes and two small mazes for kids). It also has animals and birds, and barbecue and picnic areas. The day we were there, only one other (small) group was visiting, but I expect on weekends and school holidays it becomes very busy.

Our next stop was historic York - an hour or so east. This quaint little town seems to rely heavily on tourism, but so far has managed to maintain it's country culture and atmosphere.

Down to Yallingup and Margaret River

After an overnight stay back in Perth, we ventured down the coast. We'd set ourselves a fairly relaxed pace, expecting to travel about 300 kilometres per day. Of course, we didn't realise how picturesque South-West Western Australia was, and didn't take into account that we really should be off the highways by sunset (you tend to forget about kangaroos when you live in a big city).

The next two nights we would be staying in Yallingup, in a cottage owned by Richard Haye. What a fantastic place! Overlooking the ocean in the middle of a National Park, well appointed and very reasonably priced. We stayed in the cottage for two nights, using it as our base for the Margaret River region.

Our first stop on our drive from Perth was Bunbury. Our plan was to visit the Dolphin Discovery Centre and perhaps catch sight of some dolphins. Unfortunately we arrived a little late (around 1pm) as they usually are spotted here in the mornings. We found the centre quite interesting.

Carrying on we headed to Busselton, for a walk out onto the pier. The pier is just under 2kms long (the last 70 metres is not currently accessible due to construction work on a new underwater observatory). We just made it back to dry land before a very large storm hit - some other people weren't as lucky and had to run the last 400 or 500 metres in the driving rain and wind.

A quick drive got us to Yallingup, and we were fortunate that the storm passed as we arrived, and in time for a superb sunset over the ocean (my first from mainland Australia).

The next day we visited Ngilgi Cave. There are over 300 caves in this region, but only six open to tourists. We spent time visiting Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse, Canal Rocks and down to the Margaret River region (known for its excellent wines).

Next Stop Walpole

The following day was quite hectic and covered a lot of ground. It would be easy just to drive down to Augusta, passing Karri forests along the way. But we instead decided to take the Boranup Drive. This gravel road had no traffic, and took us right through the middle of the Karri forests. We stopped for a short while to hug some trees and take in the natural beauty.

Back on the main road then down to Augusta and Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse. Cape Leeuwin is where the Indian Ocean meets the Southern Ocean - a very rugged and very beautiful area. Our next stop was Beedelup Falls then on to Pemberton.

We arrived in Pemberton just in time to catch the tram for the tour to Warren River. The driver was very knowledgeable and interesting. The round trip was nearly two hours, so we hurried to the Gloucester Tree, a 60 metre Karri tree originally used as a fire lookout but now a tourist attraction. Andre took the plunge to climb it, stopping once to call for a helicopter to get him down.

It was now around 4pm and we headed to Walpole. With the sun going down my biggest worry was kangaroos - luckily we only saw one, about 15 feet off the road and not quite ready to jump in front of moving traffic. That evening we stayed at the Walpole Tree Top Motel. This is an excellent motel! Everything was perfect - the room, the staff, the service, the amenities and especially the restaurant. I have nothing but praise for the owners and the staff.

Walpole to Denmark (via Albany)

The next morning we headed out to the Valley of the Giants and the Tree Top Walk. The walk takes you up into the canopy of these giant trees. After doing the Tree Top Walk, a quick walk through the forest at ground level is humbling. From there we crossed the highway and went to the coast, to spend a short while on pristine beaches. Back on the main road and down to the Denmark/Albany area, visiting Elephant Rocks, The Gap, and Natural Bridge. The senses were challenged throughout the day. That evening we stayed at the Denmark Waterfront Motel (unfortunately the restaurant was closed so it was down to the local take-away for fish and chips).

Heading Home

Unfortunately, our holiday was almost over. We now had the long drive back to Perth. The roads all round the South-West are excellent quality and if you pick your times (ie. no school holidays, weekdays, etc) there's no traffic.

Again, we stayed at Sullivan's Hotel in Perth. The following morning we did our final sightseeing, lunch at Burswood Casino, then off to the airport for the flight home.