Road Trip to Perth - Days 5 to 8

First stops were to check out the replica Brig Amity, a ship that made several voyages of exploration and settlement in the mid 1800s.  and the local silo art depicting the Ruby Seadragon.

I then headed into Torndirrup National Park to see the Natural bridge, an arch formed by erosion.  A little further along the coast i stopped at Elephant Rocks.

I then moved inland to the great southern forests.   I climbed the tree top walk in the Valley of the Giants.  These giant eucalypts, (Tickle, Jarrah and Karri), are awe inspiring.  Many can reach up to 50 metres high.   

Then it was back to the coast at Walpole for the night having travelled 275 Km for the day (3,158 KM so far)

Continuing along the coast i had a lovely breakfast of hot chocolate and a fresh "pain au chocolat" at Windy Harbour.

Then it was off to Cape Leewin, where the Indian and Southern Oceans meet.  Oh, and there's a pretty speccy lighthouse there as well.

I had seen a few bushfires on my travels and this one started while I was at Cape Lewin

i stopped at the Margaret River Mouth before heading into town where I saw some of the locals before popping into my favourite winery, Voyager Estate, 

I stayed the night in Margaret River after driving 420 KM today (3,578 Km so far)

Next day I headed up to Cape Naturaliste National Park, and stopped at a couple of surf beaches before heading to the lighthouse.

Then it was along the coast through Dunsborough to Bussleton.  Bussleton is home to the longest wooden jetty in the southern hemispher at over 1.8 Km.

My last night of the trip was spent here after another 180 Km (3,758 Km so far)

On the last day I called in to Busselton, Bunbury and Jandakot Airports before finishing my trip on a grand total of 4,039 Km or 2,510 miles.

Road Trip to Perth - Days 3 and 4

Overnight was very windy and stormy and I woke to grey skies and drizzle more reminiscent of England than Western Australia.

Cocklebiddy is at the Eastern end of the 90 mile straight, the longest stretch of straight road in Australia.  

The weather was not good, so no photos of the journey as I didn't stop anywhere. My target for today was to reach Esperance, a port town on the South-eastern coast.  I arrived when the local sailing club were racing in the bay.

As t was still early, I drove part of the Great Ocean Drive.   The scenery here is beautiful.  Lovely sandy beaches and stunning cliffscapes.   

Of course I couldn't not take a few bird photos, with Pacific Gull and Sooty Oystercatcher both happy to be snapped.

I checked in to my motel having driven another 683 Km (2262 Km so far).  

Next morning I headed into Cape le Grand National Park.  First stop was Lucky Bay a beautiful white sand bay.  The waves were rolling in and crashing on the beach. Next stop was Thistle Bay and Whistling Rock.  The rock has been eroded by the wind and if you stand in the correct place it amplifies the sound of the waves below. I passed Frenchman Peak and was surprised to see that some people had climbed it.   

Tonight's stop was to be in Albany.  Once I arrived, I headed up to the lookout and then found the aptly named Big Dog Rock.   

Today's drive was 621 Km (2883 Km so far)