Western Australia 2012 @ Margaret River + Augasta

Margaret River is such a fine place where there are plenty of activities to keep ourselves busy during our stay there.

We decided to explore the beauty of underground caves. Due to time constraint, we only visited 2 caves, Jewel cave and Mammoth cave. These two caves were stunning and are accessible, each with their own story to tell and decorated with their own unique and dazzling formation.

Jewel cave is a guided tour while Mammoth cave is not. It is therefore important to check the timing of the tour @ Margaret Visitor Centre before going there.

1. Jewel Cave

Entering Jewel Cave is a surreal experience like no other. There were many steps to reach the lower part of the cave and hence may not be that suitable for the people with disability. I feel like the cave is an underground wonderland - a dazzling visual display of some of nature's finest and most meticulous work. I was taken away by the creations that have taken thousands of years to form - the stalactites and helicites are seen stretching and suspending across the ceiling like vines and dancing cobwebs. The guide told us that they are still stretching and will do so in the million years.

2. Mammoth Cave 

Mammoth Cave is a self guided audio experience of majestic chambers. It is the most easily accessible cave, with the first chamber accessible by wheelchair. It's self guided and we would just take a MP3 player and a headset and wander along the cave's boardwalks at our own pace. This cave, unlike jewel cave, contains fossils. The cave finishes with a winding walk through the beautiful marri trail with whistling birds and stunning floral displays.

entrance of the cave

@Mammoth cave

End of cave view

Outside the cave

3. Whales and Dolphins

I've always enjoyed a boat ride to the ocean to view the whales and dolphins. I'm never tired of it and each visit seems as exciting as ever. This time round, we signed up a whale watching and eco tour with Naturaliste Charters. The boarding time was early in the morning at 8am at Geographe Bay.

It took quite a while to arrive at the deep blue ocean before we sighted the first Humpback whale. We were excited and quickly went to the top deck to have a clearer view of the whale. The whale swam slowly due to its gigantic size. Soon, we noticed that there was a younger whale following this adult whale, whom was its mother.

As the whales swam, they started to flap their flukes, also known as the act of lobtailing, making loud slapping sound. We were told that the loud slapping noise causes fish to become frightened, thus tightening their school together, making it easier for the humpback to feed on them.

We were lucky to also see the whales blowing water out of its blowhole and finally with some luck, we managed to catch a view of the whale lunging out of the water (also known as breaching). The sight was spectacular.

You really need to be very attentive at all times especially when the whales were sighted. To capture the wonderful picture of the whales lunging out of the water or its tail flipping above the water, one really needs to be alert and snap the camera fast. The captain will try to steer the boat towards the whales so that we can have a closer look at this gigantic creature.

As Nov was not the migrating season for the Humpbacks, we have no chance to see more whales travelling in groups. It will be an awesome sight.

The entire trip lasted 2 hours and during the trip, we were lucky to spot a few dolphins chasing after the boat. The wind was strong and chilly. Hence, it's always good to wear more clothes and water-proof windbreaker to keep ourselves warm. Included in the tour was our breakfast, where we were served some butter cakes, sandwiches and coffee.

Boat to take us on whale watching

4. Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse

I missed the chance to visit the lighthouse when I was at Augusta in 2006 (my first visit to WA) and hence I'm not going to miss it the 2nd time. Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse is situated at the south westerly tip of Australia, standing at the point where the Indian Ocean and Southern Ocean meet. With a stunning blue backdrop of the ocean meeting the sky, the lighthouse appear to glow in white splendor, whilst the awesome force of the ocean crashing against the cape makes our visit a awesome experience.

You can either climb up the lighthouse at a small fee of AUD15 for the full Cape Leeuwin experience or choose to stroll the ground to soak up the sun. Within the premise, there is a café where you can enjoy a quiet tea, have some cakes and spend the time admiring the beauty of the 2 great ocean.

5. Our stay at Prideaus of Margaret River

Our stay at Prideaus was fabulous although the accommodation was slightly steep at SGD170 per night. The apartment was stylish with contemporary décor and very spacious. Not to mention, the queen size bed was quite comfortable. The location of the apartment was good and very near to all the restaurants. In fact, there was this seafood restaurant called "Waves" just opposite the apartment. The seafood risotto served at the restaurant was the best that I've had. I hope to visit the restaurant for its quality food again.

We also dined at a hotel restaurant down the road, well known for its steak. I was happy with the medium well steak. It tasted great. However, my blur blur hubby spoilt his own steak by having it well done. It turned out to be hard!

We really enjoyed our time @ Margaret river and we hope to return there again one day.