Link to the previous page perth-e 
From Perth, after a 14-day „holiday“, we continued our „circumnavigation“ along the south-west coast. -G.
Busselton 29. December ’18
Today we walked 2 kilometres across the sea. Gerhard didn’t want to miss out on walking to the end of one of the longest jetties. Well, I’ll join him then.
This landing stage (jetty) was already built in a shorter form in 1865 and was repeatedly adapted and extended to meet demand in the following decades. In 1907 it had a length of over 1300 metres and the construction of a railway line began to transport the heavy goods to the ships. The jetty was used for cargo and passenger ships. At the time, it was the longest wooden jetty in the world. In 1972, the port was closed and the bridge was left to its fate. The government wanted to demolish the bridge, but met with strong resistance from the local population. An agreement was reached with the „Save our Jetty“ group to preserve it. On 4 April 1978, 700m of the Cyclon Alby was destroyed. Money was collected for the reconstruction and work began in 1995. A fire in between slowed down the reconstruction. The jetty was officially opened in 2011 and a tourist railway now runs on the tracks. It is barely faster than walking – but then you don’t have to. But it’s easier on the wallet.
We also found another tip here about how far away we are from everything. But 3328km to our starting point in Sydney – that gives us hope. -G.
We are now travelling the Cave Road. There are said to be 150 to 200 caves in this area, some say even more. 4 of them are very well developed by a non-profit organisation, but I still find the entrance fee steep. 1 cave is $22 per person and all 4 are $69. We opted for 2. Let’s see, maybe we’ll change our minds later.
Spent a shitty night today…. After the wonderful place the night before last and the very nice one last night, Gerhard wasn’t satisfied with anything, which ended up with us having already passed two grottos and having to stay at the side of the road just before the most important one, so that I almost got seasick and just staggered while walking, plus the fact that the RV has an enormous suspension, which caused me problems at the beginning. By the time we woke up, we had both slid down so far that we were lucky that our feet weren’t sticking out of the window.
The good thing was that we were right next to the grotto and it was drizzling, which was very pleasant. To say it straight away: we now have a different view on the prices!
First of all, we had to work hard to get down the 350 steps (again, I was glad to have overcome my fear of heights 15 years ago) and then even harder to get back up. But the grotto was overwhelming.
The coastal landscape fascinated us again and again, although we thought it was already all… -G.
In the afternoon we went to the south-western tip of the Australian continent, where the Indian Ocean meets the Southern Ocean (Antarctic Ocean) and you can actually see where they meet. I would never have thought that you could really see that.
Picture puzzle : Who can recognise which side the Indian Ocean is on ???
We only just managed to catch the last tour up the lighthouse, which was only 135 steps, but it was quite a climb. The guide was a petite woman in her late 60s who does this tour 6 times a day!
The lighthouse has already seen a few days of use. Before it was built, more than 
more than 22 ships – of which we know – were wrecked on the underwater rocks in front of it.
There were 3 lighthouse keepers here at the time, one of whom had to provide firewood and the necessary paraffin. Back then, the mirror rotated according to the principle of a clockwork mechanism. Today, the mirror is driven by a relatively small electric motor and works with LED light. The mirror is still the original from 1895.
The RV sites are all fully booked for the holidays, so we were able to fill up the water tank at the petrol station, which is probably the custom here, as we only just found out, otherwise you do it at the RV park. We then set off near the lighthouse with wine, champagne and delicious food and once again found a wonderful spot with a view of the Indian Ocean and the lighthouse. Fireworks and everything around them are forbidden here, I assume, and nothing of the sort is sold. As in the USA, it is also forbidden to drink alcohol in public. Sometimes whole places are alcohol-free, beaches and parks anyway or even a city centre: the mayor has decreed that from this point onwards neither alcohol may be drunk nor sold in the city centre, often smoking is also prohibited, but you don’t see anyone smoking anyway.
As the sun set, we slowly said goodbye to the old year 2018 and we had a bright morning 2019 with a great coastal landscape. -G.
So we had a good start to the New Year and the next morning got off to a good start too. I kept wanting to clean out our cutlery drawer, which had filled up quite a bit despite the „just the essentials“. It’s amazing how much „just the essentials“ can be.
This morning I was forced to start the New Year’s morning with it. As we occasionally switch from our morning EM drink to apple cider vinegar with honey (which is also supposed to be very healthy) out of necessity (we sometimes lag behind with the preparation), it was the latter’s turn today. I knocked over the full jar and unfortunately the drawer underneath was open……With EM that wouldn’t be a problem but honey drink sticks. I had to clean the drawer, cutlery and floor. But when everything was nice and tidy in the drawer again, it was a nice feeling and the housewife’s heart (yes, I know, beats too rarely) beat joyfully again. Maybe I will become a housewife after all. Forced to. Gerhard used to make breakfast and I used to make dinner. Now he drives the RV and does a lot of work and I automatically do the „housewife work“.
The passageway is created when the trees in the lower area are attacked and rotten by beetles etc. and these areas burn away during a bush fire. This protects the tree again and these „passages“ are created. -G.
After climbing through an imposing giant tree, we had to go on one of our well-known short walks, which addictively drove us further and further without water and food, we had to play explorer again. Despite sore muscles from the previous day, we continued down 135 steps, up 99, kilometres uphill, kilometres steeply downhill, despite a heatwave (which is changing from day to day at the moment)..
We have been driving through the Giant Forrest for 2 days. After months of seeing nothing but bush, the difference is gigantic. Trees 50 to 75 metres high, the thick ones are huge but even more interesting are the very thin giants. How can thin trees grow so straight up to this height, dead straight, with very smooth trunks and only at the very top do they start to branch out. And above all – where do they get all the wood from, there’s none in the ground ????? -G.
A viewing point for fire observation is built at the highest point on 8 trees. Anyone who has fun can climb up. My wife had no fun, nor did my husband.
Today we walked a spectacular treetop trail at a height of 45 metres, followed by a hike in Giant Valley. You are simply amazed where these trees get the strength to become so huge and extensive, as they stand close between other trees and have no deep roots, as you can see when they breathe their last and lie on the ground like a dinosaur. Above all, it is always pointed out how nature helps itself without the use of chemicals or saws.
And when you only see cattle on the track, which look very beautiful and healthy here with shiny fur and in many colors, something like this comes to mind (vegetarians may forgive me):
The cow is grazing in the field
Seeing if she can find a blade of grass
Peacefully standing in the round
Putting on the pounds
Till she lands on the plate
With the red wine from the cellar
Through stomach, intestine and mouth
it has made its rounds
until it lands in the ground
and becomes fertiliser again
and then the next cow comes along
to see if it can find a blade of grass………
PTB
Albany 04. Januar ’19
Are in Albany. Albany is the oldest settlement in Western Australia and was founded in 1826 as a penal colony. Albany developed into an important harbour town for receiving provisions for ships from Europe. At the beginning of the 19th century, Albany was a centre for whaling until this was banned and the factories were closed in 1978. Today, the city is an important agar and wine-growing centre and a tourist attraction. -G.
The first thing we did was look for a suitable rear view camera, which we hadn’t found yet, because ours wasn’t working and we didn’t have one and we wanted to finally get going, we should have insisted on it, it’s just part of it. So far nobody has been able to help us properly.
Here we found several very helpful salespeople and finally knew what was best for us.
The city centre of Albany is very cosy and after we found each other again ( we wanted to meet at the weekly market, but didn’t know that there were 2 markets, I ended up at one after questioning, the other had moved in the meantime and Mann spotted the sign. ) After searching in vain for my bike (I had parked it at the beginning of the street before the (main) road went downhill and became very busy) we finally met up.
We were delighted to find Macademia nuts at the market. We had once bought some on the east coast directly from the producer with a matching nutcracker. Now we know why these nuts are the most expensive of all. They have a small (0.5 mm) white dot on the tip (!). The nutcracker has a tip and it has to be placed directly on this white spot and if you are lucky, have found the spot, the tip does not slip off the other tip and the nut is still fresh, you can enjoy an intact nut. Another producer had a device that consisted of a hollow in the wood and was hit on the nut with a hammer and a lot of force ($ 35). When our nutcracker failed, we looked for suitable stones and it worked.
We haven’t found any suitable ones yet, there are only rocks here.
The RV park is the most expensive we’ve ever had, but not necessarily the best, but it is within cycling distance of the city centre, which is important when there is no local transport or it’s the weekend.
Once again we were able to wash everything through, the machines only run for 30 minutes, usually only with cold water. Today we’re lucky that the water can at least be set to warm. I’ve got into the habit of at least soaking with soda overnight.
The south coast has very dense and diverse vegetation, with 20 different tree and shrub species per 10 metres.
The last few days we have been running a lot again. Yesterday was the highlight: only 2.2 km one tour. Doesn’t sound too bad. We made a detour on the way from Albany to Esperance. We then set off at a relaxed pace: pah, 4.4 km, we’ve got that right! Take a litre of water with you for 4.4 km? We drink enough anyway. Fortunately, we had hiking boots on (including Gerhard, who had slipped a lot the day before) and warmer clothes too, as we had to turn on the heating last night. We drank a quick glass of water beforehand and then thought about the walking stick. Everything was fine. Not at all; it was all uphill, over hill and dale, very narrow. The glass of water had already left my pores after 10 minutes, after a kilometre I had the feeling it must have been 10, I continued with clenched teeth. It was only afterwards (luckily) that I realised that the path had the highest level of difficulty, 5. The highlight came at the top, this level of difficulty can hardly be described. Stand at the bottom: Only those who are not afraid of heights, are totally fit, have no problems climbing under and over high rocks at dizzying heights, have non-slip shoes on and can climb up and down a 7 metre high ladder leaning against a rock at a lofty height can enjoy the magnificent view at 670 metres. Gerhard climbed up, my wife enjoyed the view a few storeys lower.
After the climb and despite the incredible view, I was glad that our truck had cruise control so I could put my feet up. -G.
In the afternoon we drove into the mountains to a viewpoint. There was a hiking trail from there and when it said 3 km, approx. 3-4 hours, I didn’t think pah, not us, 3-4 hours for 3 km, but we didn’t do it, it was already too late !!!!!
The RV sites are often far away from the city centre, but sometimes large sites are open and there are usually toilets. Our RV is an advantage when staying overnight, as we have a shower and toilet inside. There are dumping points in every town.
But there are still huge piles of rubble from gold mines here – and art at work !!! -G.
In Esperance and the surrounding area, all the RV sites were fully booked, and the site we occupied almost proved to be our undoing. When we wanted to drive off, we realised that we were completely stuck in the sand. After futile efforts and sinking deeper, we were fortunately able to get our small ramps out and after a few attempts we had solid ground under our feet. We then got a tip from an overflow campsite and found out why it was so expensive and so busy here – summer holidays. An overflow is a campsite that is only made available temporarily, as required. Ours was part of a former cattle and sheep station, now designated as a historic site. A very large area in front of it is a car park belonging to a sports field and you can use the showers and toilets in the very large sports hall. And the revenue is made available for the sports facilities. And the good thing was that we reached the city centre easily by bike and went on a nice bike ride along the coast.
After 2 days (Gerhard finally wanted to replace the camera) we continued our journey. On recommendation, we made a short detour to Lucky Bay, named after a sailor whose life was saved by this coast after he was shipwrecked in the dark. The sand is probably the finest and whitest in the world. It is almost like icing sugar and you won’t sink in, not even the cars. But we preferred not to go there with our RV.
We manage the few metres to the beach on our own two feet and don’t have to stand with our front wheels in the water. A group of kangaroos are so trusting here that they walk around the beach and beg. -G.
We then visited Stonehenge nearby, a replica built on the same scale. However, it was built in its original state and also adapted to the sun. It was very interesting and we learnt a lot.
Now we are standing a little off the road after deciding to stay here for a day, as we amazingly have internet access and can do all our post without any distractions. It’s 40° again, but it cools down at night and so we can manage without air conditioning.
Tomorrow we’re off to the Nullarbor Plain, a world language at last! Made up of null, l’arbor (the tree) and plain. So no tree, no bush and not even a hill. The only thing that reassures me is that it cools down at night and I take a shower with a bottle from the fridge. (Waterbottle !!! -G. )
Now we will also collect our passenger again and stow him away carefully for ??? stow him away. -G.
Best regards – see you soon behind the desert track ! -G.
Oh – and here is the solution to our riddle above:
