Just a note for those who have been following the blag: I’m finally working to catch up and finish it! Obviously we’ve been home a while now, but the blog isn’t forgotten.
I’ll fire off a note now and then when I’ve made significant additions.
Enjoy!
Moody clouds brighten the red-orange rocks on the coast. The chilly water and gusty wind heightens the sense of relentless forces wrought on the exposed land here. Rugged remaining rocks stand in defiance of those forces, but only the brutally tough skeletal have the mettle to withstand, and they really have been stripped to the bone.
We clamber to the top of Castle Rock and look over the bay, the wind sweeps through the rocks and birds soar above us.
Then we head to the scrub around Shelley Cove, framing the bright water with dark trees. And then onto Cape Naturaliste and the lighthouse there – here the exposure to wind keep all but the toughest scrub lands low and sleek on the rolling terrain.
Tomorrow is wine time!
We travelled from Perth to our little cottage on a winery in Margaret River. Obviously we needed to have some beer flights before heading to wine-country! Eagle Bay Brewing is on the way south and we make that our lunch stop.
The cottage brings back some of the remoteness feelings of the rest of the trip. It is cosy and the weather is starting to get colder and windier, a little house with a fireplace to ourselves it pretty nice.
The cellar door for the winery (LS Merchants) is a 10 minute walk along a dirt road from the cottage, we’ll be sure to head there when it is open!
Cottesloe Beach this morning. The water is a little brisk on first entry, but quickly becomes normal. The surf club building anchors the view back to shore as waves flow over us. We dry on the grass and head to Il Lido for lunch.
The salty tang of the ocean lingers as we devour our flat pasta with caviar and potato butter, kingfish crudo with honey and mozzarella, and burrata with nectarine. Wow.
On our way to a shower we visit the markets to pick up food before we head further south (and just a little closer to beginning our way back east!).
Dinner is bread, duck fat potatoes, pea and zucchini and pork loin at Bread in Common. It’s been a god food day!
With the new camera packed carefully, we ride the Ferry over to Rottnest Island. The day is perfect: clear, warm with a cool breeze. We pick up bikes to ride around the island and set off in one direction. The childhood feeling of freedom while riding a bike comes back, along with the playfulness of exploring a new place.
When we venture onto some beaches the sand is very fine and nearly white. The water sparkles, though the camera’s polarising filter can cut that out, peering into the turquoise waters.
There are seals lazing at one end of the island, lying with one fin held up; boats bob in various coves; and birds coast overhead.
