Driving through D’Entrecasteaux National Park on the south coast of Western Australia in the rain but got rewarded with lots of kangaroos on the road drinking water from the puddles. Literally at least one around every bend

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They are actually not too shy and let you get quite close but eventually they hop off

And on the drive back … the sun was out, the road was dry – no kangaroo in sight. If it wouldn’t have rained, we never had known ….

Exploring the Southern Forests and Valleys in Western Australia (WA), one can only be humbled by the size and the age of the trees.

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Warren National park is a Karri forest (type of Eucalyptus tree) with trees more than 400 years old and up to 90m high. Impossible to capture the enormity.

The Heartbreak Trail is a drive that winds through the magnificent karri forest and along the Warren River. The track was originally built to clear a path for firefighters and got its name recognising the hard manual labour to build the track.

There are other magnificent monuments linked to the fighting of bushfires … fire lookout trees

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The lookout platform is reached by climbing 165 metal spikes hammered into the trunk, 65m above ground.

Not brave enough to try it …

Maybe tomorrow when we go to see the other one – Gloucester tree 🤔

Lost count of the number of lighthouses we have seen / visited but all of them have tons of history to share albeit very similar in theme … lives of the light keepers, their family and kids, shipwrecks and heroic rescues. And there are snakes at all of them we have been to 😟

The Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse which was built in 1895 is no different. Apart from …

• it’s at the most south-westerly point on the mainland of the Australian Continent
• it’s the largest in WA and third largest in Australia
• it’s still in operation today unlike many of the others
• it’s where the Southern Ocean meets the Indian Ocean

And it was blowing a gale when we were there giving us a small sense of the powers of wind and water

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Hamelin Bay in Margaret River Region is officially my favourite beach in Australia (at least so far).

Glittering blue sea, shiny white sand, so smooth that even I don’t moan walking in bare feet. See for yourself …

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Where is the excitement?

Hamelin Bay is home to some of the ‘vacuum cleaners of the ocean floor’. Yes, indeed: Rays.

Smooth stingrays, black stingrays and eagle rays inhabit the shallow waters of Hamelin Bay. And they are not shy, swimming up very close to people standing in the water

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Wonderful just to stay and watch. And yes, a few times I had to jump back to not being touched.

Driving south on Bussells Hwy in the Margaret River Region we come across a little town with lots of cow statues along the road, outside shops and in the park. One starts to wonder what this is all about …

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Is it something symbolising the name of the town?

No, nothing to with this. In fact, the name of the town is derived from the word cowara (name given by the aboriginal people to a lorikeet in abundance here) and ‘up’ which means ‘place of’ in the language of the Noongar people.

So, what is it with these cows then you wonder …?

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• The town was established as a settlement for dairy farmers in early 1920’s
• Given that the name is difficult to pronounce it was shortened quickly to become Cowtown, also as a reference to the dairy industry
• In 2010, the Cow Parade was held in the Margaret River Region. (In case you don’t know: Cow Parade is the world’s largest public art event. Started in 1999 in Chicago, it has been held in all major cities around the world. It is a fundraising project whereby local artists buy a cow, paint/decorate it and display it around the city. After the event, the cows are auctioned off and proceeds go to local charities)
• Shortly after the show all cows were sold off and the displays were only a fond memory

Two years later, two locals thought ‘Surely CowTown should have … a cow … in town … or maybe two … or maybe a whole herd?’

And the rest is history ….

Arrived at Margaret River today. Best place for beach, surf and wineries.

Starting off with a stroll along the Indian Ocean, watching the sunset

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… and marvelling at the daredevils of surfers riding the massive waves.

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E-scooters are unlocked using a smartphone app and are fitted with GPS tracking so that users and the operator can find them.

There are two operators with a permit to run an e-scooter share program in the city – easily distinguished by the colour. To get started, one just needs to download the app, create an account and find the nearest scooter. Well, you have to be over 18 too!

How cool is that?

Saturday, 27 degrees, fabulous blue sky and an apartment by the beach. Nothing better to do than going for a stroll / paddle,

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watch the local boys & girls playing a Beach Rugby tournament

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And not forgetting a refreshlng drink in the sunshine. Life is good 😎