bunbury lookout tower

we started heading back today and of course had to go via bunbury for a lunch stop off and so we could go up the lookout tower, so i could show the kids. alex stayed in the car with doug, while we "ran" up the stairs (yes i nearly died!) to look from the top. i spent a lot of time in bunbury with my cousins as a child and we would always come to the lookout towers so i loved the familiar view out onto the beach with the lighthouse in the distance. 

such a gorgeous place, maybe our next holiday will be here! we asked the kids where they would like to go next and their answer was busselton (maddie) rarrrrrrr don't know (alex) and kalgoorlie! (joseph). he's decided he wants to visit kalgoorlie so he can see the inside of the mines. he's super keen on it - who knows, maybe he thinks he's going to find abandoned gold nuggets and diamonds (wrong country mate) down there. but who knows where our next adventure will take us. only time will tell though. i do know however, we certainly won't leave it as long next time! ❤

 

canal rocks

at the suggestion of a friend whose family own a house in dunsborough, we made a trip to canal rocks after our cave adventure. oh. my. goodness. this place is so majestic. i would have been so sad to find out afterwards that we had missed out. there is the most amazing man made setup created amongst nature to allow visitors to get right up close with the ocean. a wooden boardwalk has been set through the middle of the two sides of the rocks to assist people on getting over. i certainly wouldn't want to try it without it!

from margaretriver.com

Witness spectacular seascape views across the Indian Ocean and up and down the remote coastline at Canal Rocks. Thousands of years of the Indian Ocean surging and crashing against this section of granite coastline has chiselled out a narrow channel between the granite rocks. A narrow timber walkway allows for easy access and great views of the rushing ocean beneath. It is always impressive no matter what the weather, but breathtaking when the big storms and swells roll in. 

The timber pathway meanders around and across the rocks, taking in grand seascapes with swirling water to little pools and lagoons where you can look for marine creatures like cheeky crabs to brightly coloured starfish. 

maddie was in her element, she is such an ocean girl and loved every second of climbing about on the rocks as we looked around.

and i just can't explain the change in doug when we visit the ocean. i know it sounds cheesy, but it's almost as though it beckons him. he will just watch the ocean for hours without doing anything else. i have to wonder if it brings him comfort especially now that it's a way for him to be close to his mum again. 

we spent ages climbing around on the rocks and enjoying our time at the oceans edge, all rugged up

and just chilling...

before we moved on again. i mean seriously, we kind of had to tear ourselves away from this view!

joseph and i even climbed the hill behind the rocks and sat on the top watching maddie and doug until they were done and enjoyed our little time perched up there together.

our little blonde squad, while these redheads kept up their ocean bonding. i was yet again incredibly grateful for nanna having taken alex for the morning as i think i may have died multiple times watching him stumble through these rocks.

our last stop, the cliff top lookout to have a look over the leschenault inlet before we headed back to our air bnb on the main street of busso. ❤

 

ngilgi caves

we headed off to the ngilgi caves this morning with madeline and joseph, while alex went off to church at busselton branch with nanna and grandad. thank goodness for that as mum insisted - and i had seriously underestimated how difficult it would have been if we had taken him with us. 

we were met at the visitors centre by our guide for the morning - the lovely lisa from the lighthouse yesterday and the kids were absolutely thrilled, as was she. we learned all about the caves history as we waited to enter via the heavy wooden staircase before descending into the caves.

we also learned that when the caves were first discovered in the late 1800s, people would come to explore as a day trip and spend hours in there, climbing over the rock in the dark, in their very best clothes. entry was only possible via a rope ladder and explorers had to use a lamp. there is a corner in the cave called cupids corner where honeymooners would sneak off for some private time. there's also an impressive amphitheater where dame nellie melba once performed. 

places like this make me wonder how people don't believe in god. his majesty is all over this place. knowing that 1cm of these pillars can take 100 years to make, simply by the constant drip drip of water over time is incredible to me.

Found online at margaretriverattractions.com:

Europeans first learnt of Ngilgi Cave around 1899. Edward Dawson, William Curtis and Fred Seymour are commonly attributed with the ‘European discovery’, apparently having found the entrance whilst out searching for wild horses and dingo pups in the area. Several accounts indicate that all these men then explored the cave together.

By 1899 there had been so many caves discovered in the region that a government report was drafted, proposing that several of them could be developed for tourism. The government was supportive and, acting on the report, a ‘Caves Board’ was established by J.W. Hackett to develop and promote the caves. Edward Dawson applied to the government to have Ngilgi Cave opened as a tourist site in 1900, and he was head tour guide and caretaker for the next 37 years.

During this time the cave was known as Yallingup Cave; in fact it was not until the year 2000 that the indigenous name was adopted. A tour of the caves during the early 1900’s was vastly different to what is experienced today. A coupon ticket system was organised by the Caves Board. Visitors travelled from Perth to Busselton by steam train, then continued on horseback to the caves and either camped in the bush, stayed in pioneers’ homes or lodged at Caves House Hotel; originally built to accommodate the guests to Ngilgi. Admission to the caves was by guided tour only, with a ticket costing 1 shilling (10c).

The caves were originally crudely lit by candle or kerosene lamps, with patrons stumbling along rough paths in semidarkness. If the guide wished to point out a formation he would light a magnesium flare which burned brightly for a just a few seconds before plunging patrons back into darkness. Ngilgi was the first cave in the region to have electric lighting installed, with power supplied from a generator near Caves House Hotel. Ngilgi Cave undoubtedly played a formative role in the development of tourism in Western Australia.

thankfully the caves are much better equipped these days with boardwalks and electric lighting throughout. we all enjoyed our visit and spent a lot of time looking at the formations and trying to spot some fairies in the fairy cave.

all too soon it was time to go and we headed back out the wide cave mouth off for our next adventure.

two very happy kids without their toddler brother hahaha.

busselton jetty

i haven't actually been to busselton since i was in high school. when i was in year 9 or 10 and staying with my cousins in bunbury in the summer, they had a bus service, called the runaway bus that went to busselton and back for the day, twice a week. i went with my cousin and her friends and had the best time wandering around, looking at the shops and just hanging out. that was actually the last time i was here!

but being here with the kids was so much fun! we booked tickets on the jetty train and to the underwater observation centre at the end. because it's really interesting, here's some information about the jetty from busseltonjetty.com.au

"Just two and a half hours drive south of Perth, the Busselton Jetty is situated at the northern gateway to the Margaret River Wine Region, in the seaside resort town of Busselton.

Extending 1.8 kilometres over the protected waters of Geographe Bay, the heritage listed Busselton Jetty is the longest timber-piled jetty in the Southern Hemisphere.  As one of the most popular tourist attractions in Western Australia, it is a must see for any visitor to the Capes Region.

Construction of the Busselton Jetty began in 1865. Beginning as a mere 161 metres, sand drift resulted in an additional 131 metres being added in 1875.  Further extensions were made throughout the following 90 years creating the remarkable 1.8 kilometre length.

After more than a century of use and servicing over 5000 vessels, the Busselton Jetty officially closed as a Port in 1973. Once closed to shipping, government maintenance ceased.

Following the decline of government funding and the crippling effects of Cyclone Alby in 1978, a community group was formed to raise funds for much needed restoration and maintenance. Between 1987 and 2003, the community organisation now known as the Busselton Jetty Environment and Conservation Association (BJECA) raised sufficient funds to replace 50% of the Jetty structure, establish the train service and construct the iconic Underwater Observatory and Interpretive Centre.

In 2011 a $27 million refurbishment of the jetty structure was completed. $24 million was contributed by the Western Australian State Government with the balance contributed by the Shire of Busselton and BJECA.

The Busselton Jetty stands as a monument to the spirit and dedication of the Busselton community."

joseph and grandad getting ready for our train ride.

it actually takes a long time to get out to the observatory but the ride is so nice, with the ocean air and a speaker in the carriage telling us information about the jetty and its history. we just sat back and enjoyed the ride.

alex especially. although he has more energy that 14 people combined, he loved sitting with us as we cruised along in the train. his little face all lit up.

i mean seriously. how amazing is that view!

as you can see from the photos, alex climbed from person to person as we went along haha.

the underwater observatory was incredible.

built at the end of the jetty, it is a cylinder built into the ocean, then emptied out, to allow public access and education - providing an incredible 360 degree view of the ocean life there.

"Explore one of only six underwater observatories in the world at the Busselton Jetty.

Your Underwater Observatory tour starts with a relaxing train ride on the Stocker Preston Express along the length of the Jetty with 360-degree views across Geographe Bay. One of our friendly tour guides will greet you at the end of the Jetty to guide you through the Underwater Observatory. As you descend 8 metres below the oceans surface you will be lead through the natural wonders that lie beneath the Jetty where it’s piles create Australia’s greatest artificial reef host to an inspiring forest of vividly-coloured tropical and sub-tropical corals, sponges, fish and invertebrates. 

Discover more than 300 individual marine species in their natural habitat through eleven viewing windows at various levels within the 9.5 metres diameter observation chamber.

Each year during autumn and winter, the Leeuwin Current brings a narrow band of warm water down the Western Australian coastline. This warm southerly current is responsible for introducing an incredibly diverse array of tropical and sub-tropical species into Geographe Bay, resulting in coral growth at a latitude of 33 degrees south. This is a remarkable phenomenon when compared to the western coastlines of other southern hemisphere continents such as Africa and South America which have no coral growth below 5 degrees south."

look at the incredible views from the windows at the lowest level. the ocean floor is brimming with life and is incredible to watch.

this kid was obsessed. he stood at the huge windows just watching as the time went buy, loving on all the ocean life.

and even letting his little brother look on too

i love this pic. it's honestly like something from a painting or a movie still, just so calm and beautiful.

maddie loves anything to do with the water. she was in heaven and loved every second of this part of our day. i feel certain she would have stayed until close if we could have.

as the sun began to set, we made our way back. what a view. not a day goes by that i don't feel so blessed to live in western australia. we have so many beautiful places here to explore.

oceans, beaches, caves, coast, gorges. our state truly has it all. what a blessing to it is to be here. we could spend our whole lives exploring and i am certain we would still never see it all.

little mate watching the ocean as we made our way back

and a photo with my love. i hope this weekend away is doing him some good.

the kids had a little play on the shipwreck playground (so cool! i love the way it's even lying on it's side!)

while i walked a little way along and took some snaps of the jetty buildings. the sunsets here are just stunning. it's all so beautiful - i never want to leave. ❤

cape naturaliste lighthouse

now that the estate is finally sorted and we can breathe a sigh of relief and relax for a bit, we ran away for the long weekend to busselton. it's been two and a half years since we've been able to actually get away, as we haven't felt safe going anywhere further than an hour or so away while doug's parents were so unwell. doug and i booked to take the kids with us, but booked a house big enough to bring my parents along - which they happily did. it was sooooo nice to finally have some time to ourselves - away from the norm and not have to worry about a thing. 

we drove down yesterday and took our sweet time doing so, arriving late in the afternoon, but with enough time to duck into the local opshop and get some bargains. it is freezing and threatening to rain down here, so they had all their summer clothes for 50c. you bet your ass i got an amazing dress (or 3... haha) to take home.

we started today with a tour of the cape naturaliste lighthouse, which was incredible. 

i am so glad we booked the tour and didn't just wander around as we got to learn all about the history of the place, the families who lived here, more about lighthouses andddd

even climb the up the narrow old staircase and go out on the lighthouse platform for a better look. worth every cent i'd say! we had the most lovely guide, called lisa who knew the answers to all our questions and was wonderful with the kids. she was just delightful.

fun fact. the lighthouse lamp turns all day even when it isn't lit, to ensure that the sun cannot start a fire through the glass if it's constantly in one point. 

the view from up top was amazing, you could see forever - and this was my favourite bit of the view, these three gorgeous human, my lovely parents, looking after our toddler so that we didn't have to worry about him falling on the stairs or taking a dive off the top. yikes.

oh hey. just me on the top of a lighthouse. no big deal. haha.

i love seeing joseph with a smile on his face. although he wouldn't say so, i know his grandparents dying has affected him so much. he was so sullen and hard to reach after stephen died and i dread it happening again. i feel like this breath of fresh air has been so good for him.

the kids are loving everything and are having the best time. i am so glad we took some time out and came down.

these two were living their best lives out on the lighthouse balcony

and little alex found himself an alcove to chill in while he waited for us to come back down.

so happy to be here with the ones i love! ❤