ImageS: Tourism Western Australia
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CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: NATURAL BRIDGE IN TORNDIRRUP NATIONAL PARK, HAMELIN BAY NEAR AUGUSTA, TREE TOP WALK IN THE VALLEY OF THE GIANTS, THE STIRLING RANGES, KARRI TREES IN BORANUP FOREST & SEAGULLS AT EMU POINT.
monsters from a children’s story, all knobbly skin and vast pink grins. Albany’s most visited building is Whale World. The town was Western Australia’s first European settlement and thrived on the whaling trade. The old processing plant out on the peninsula outlines its history, which continued until 1978. Compare the size of whaling boats with a whale’s skeleton and doff a respectful cap to the old-time whalers, even if whaling now seems barbaric. Right over in the west, in the Margaret River region, there are wild landscapes too. Cape Leeuwin is as far southwest as you can go without falling off Australia’s edge. Puff up the stairs of the country’s tallest lighthouse for fine views of the rugged coastline, where sweeping beaches and blue waters meet. The nearest town is Augusta, a laid back country
escape where you can fish and kayak the Blackwood River or hit the golf course. To the north of Margaret River and closer to Perth, the limestone of Cape Naturaliste is riddled with caves and underground rivers, nowhere more spectacularly than at Ngilgi Cave, where stalactites and stalagmites provide amazing displays. Take an informative tour, which also relates the Aboriginal legends associated with the cave. The brave can try torchlight tours or even a spot of adventure caving. Nearby, off Dunsborough, you can scuba-dive at the wreck of HMAS Swan, one of Australia’s best and most accessible wrecks. The naval destroyer was scuttled in 1997 in 35 metres of water, and is now home to dozens of varieties of fish, sponges and other marine animals. Families who want to see under the ocean without getting wet should drive into Busselton and walk along the heritage jetty, which extends its wooden finger 1.8 kilometres into Geographe Bay. At its Underwater Observatory, you can descend eight metres beneath the waves and spot the marine wildlife that lurks around the artificial reef. It isn’t only the coast that provides marvels in the southwest. Turn inland to find stunning eucalyptus trees that grow up to 90 metres high. Much original forest has been logged or cleared for farming, but you’ll find magnificent jarrah trees around Nannup and karri trees – among the world’s tallest hardwoods – between Manjimup and Denmark. As for Walpole-Nornalup National Park, it’s the only place in the world you’ll find red tingle trees, many 400 years old. Don’t miss the Valley of the Giants Tree Top Walk, which takes you 40 metres into the tree canopy for a different perspective on tingletree forest. What better escape from the urban jungle than into a primeval forest? JAN/FEB 2021
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