October 15, 2010

Western Australia Roadtrip: Part 2

Read the previous posts here : The Roadtrip , Part 1 
 
Dunsborough - Yallingup - Margaret River

Good morning Dunsborough!

the caravan park we crashed

I haven't showed you my campervan, have I? 


Cool rite?

But if we were to rent this caravan, we had to pay more than AUD100 per day. Too expensive. Too big. Too heavy.

So, we settled for....
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.


BART SIMPSON!
 

Old skool kan? hehehe... But it's perfect for just the 2 of us.

 the campervan layout

This Bart Simpson includes free camping table and chairs, internal table and lounge, mattresses, camp stools, and kitchen area with cooking burner, countertop, sink, water container, ice box, pots and pans, and also the cutlery. Basically, our temporary home was complete.


Right after breakfast, we quickly drove out of the park because we were afraid that the park's management would notice this attention-seeking Bart Simpson campervan. We checked in illegally, remember? (^_^')

Our first stop of the day was the Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse, some 15 minutes drive from Dunsborough.


There's a guided tour for the lighthouse and you can watch the whales swimming up the coast during their migratory periods, from September to December. The fees was AUD11.50 for a half an hour tour but we decided to pass it as it wasn't the season then.

To enjoy the beauty of Cape Naturaliste, we drove to the nearby Sugarloaf Rock.




Sometimes when I travel, I regretted the fact that I didn't have a DSLR with me. All the beautiful scenery that I saw, the pictures I took with my mediocre camera just didn't do them justice. I could capture better pictures with the DSLR, couldn't I? Provided that I have the skills la.. haha. But it's gonna be a hassle to carry those bulky camera and the lenses around. So, my Sony T300 accompanied me wherever I went.


Beautiful! This impressive rock formation is one of the most photographed seascapes in Western Australia.


Done with Dunsborough, we continued the journey to Yallingup.


I read the town's history information and discovered that Yallingup is an aboriginal word meaning 'Place of Love'. Awwww...

The most loved tourist destination here is the Ngilgi Cave.


We took the standard tour that cost AUD18.50. It is semi-guided, the guide led us to explore the cave, told some interesting history and then let us wandered inside the cave, exploring it at our own leisure.



It was really an incredible experience walking through the cave, looking up at million stalactites all seemingly pointed at my face



and stalagmites rising from the floor.



It brought on excitement I never expected to feel from a few rocks in a dark place. 



I truly enjoyed sitting and looking at the amazing formations around me, the more I looked at the decorative cave formations, the more I was convinced that I was being transported to another planet.


But I was still on earth. So, it was time to get out.

Another loved destination in Yallingup is the Canal Rocks,


a series of rock formations that has a giant canal straight through the middle of them. 


the canal

Next, we moved down to Margaret River, one of the popular region in Western Australia.


It's mostly famous for the wine. Margaret River wine region has grown to become regarded as potentially one of the great wine-producing regions of the world. If you want to have a round of free wine tasting, this is the place to come. ;p

A visit to Margaret River is not complete without paying a visit to Margaret River Chocolate Company.


Those 2 are very synonymous with each other. Mention Margaret River to the locals, and they will suggest you to come here, other than the wineries. It provides a fascinating insight into the world of chocolate.


Those who are close to me will definitely know that I am mad about chocolate. So, you can imagine how excited I was to be here.


And did I tell you they treated visitors here to FREE chocolate tastings? AWESOME! hehehe...

oh so yummy!

easter egg chocolate



Margaret River is perfect for a family outing. Other than the Chocolate company, I am sure kids, or even adults, will enjoy this Candy Cow, a delightful confectionery store.



You can also see how the cereal are made in Margaret River Nuts & Cereal.




I didn't drink coffee but Nadia was an addict, so we paid a visit to Yahava Koffee Works.

the many choices available


Before it's getting dark, we went to check out the Gnarabup Beach.



The beach was beautiful, and the weather was nice. So we took everything out,



and had a pleasant picnic by the beach.


We watched the sun set


and later on went to Margaret River Resort. After one night sleeping inside the campervan we gave up. hahahahha...

Nahh.. I wasn't that spoilt ok. Nadia's foster family was there, bringing their visiting relatives from Singapore. They invited us to spend the night with them, how could we say no right? :D

4 comments:

Madam Sooyaree said...

cool nye bart! ala hippie gitu

rara said...

lepas tu pasang radio kuat2.. memang macam hippie! hehehe...

aziahmk said...

rara...bestnya...tgk cekelat2 tuh....

rara said...

kak monik: sedappppp wooo coklat margaret river tu! :D