Pat around Aus: Having a great time in the South West of WA!

I have been really busy doing LOTS of amazing things in south western Western Australia!
On our way to Bunbury we saw thousands of white lillies growing wild everywhere in the bush.

While we were in Bunbury Nan and I went to the Dolphin Discovery Centre.

At the centre I saw amazing coloured fish, octopuses, starfish, seahorses, lobster and a Port Jackson Shark. I also saw a dolphin skeleton which was very cool!

At feeding time a man fed the octopuses and shark. When he put his hand in the tank an octopus grabbed his hand with the suckers on its tentacles. It was funny! I learned interesting things about the octopus. The octopus has nine brains. It has one brain for each of its eight tentacles and one brain for its body. It also has three hearts. The octopus is very intelligent and can unscrew the lid off a food jar. They have to put toys in the tank so they don’t get bored.

The octopus's name was Inky

Inside the Digital Dolphinarium there were screens all around you where you could experience the sights sounds and adventures of dolphins in their natural environment. It was sad to see a baby dolphin die because a shark got it.

Outside the centre I had a look for real dolphins in the bay but unfortunately none came to see me.

On the lookout for dolphins

On our way down to Margaret River we stopped to have a look at the Busselton Jetty which is over 2km long.

Busselton Jetty

In the Margaret River region we visited the Jewel Cave. There are a lot of caves to see in this region.

I had to get ready for my tour into the cave

Our tour guide led us through the caves three large caverns where I saw gigantic stalagmites, flowstones and shawls towering above me.

The Organ Pipes

The Straw Stalagtites where one straw was about five metres long and is coming third in a race with other long straw stalagmites in the world. They are as thin as a pencil and very fragile.

Can you see the turkey sitting on the rock?

We had to climb up and down steep stairs and go through low tunnels where I had to duck my head.

I saw a Tasmanian Tiger skeleton and heard stories of how thousands of years ago Tasmanian Tigers fell into the cave and died. They think that the Tasmanian Tiger became extinct because of dingos killing them.

I liked the organ pipes the best and the limestone that looked like coral and glowed like shiny crystal. It was really scary when the guide turned off the lights to show us how dark it was in the cave. It was pitch black and I bumped into the railing.

The guide turned on coloured lights for a light show on the rocks

After we left the caves we drove down to the most south western point of mainland Australia to see the Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse. Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse was built in 1895 and is Australia’s tallest lighthouse. Its light can be seen from over 47km away.

The lighthouse was made of limestone

On our tour we wore an audio headset which told us all abut the lighthouse, the shipwrecks and the lighthouse keepers and their families. Once the children in the family turned 18 they had to leave the lighthouse. I think the kids must have been very lonely living in the middle of nowhere.

In the lighthouse I walked up lots and lots of steps on a steep spiral staircase up to the top of the lighthouse.

My favourite part was at the top because I could see where the Southern Ocean and the Indian Ocean meet. The waves were going in different directions and it was really windy on the walkway outside the top of the lighthouse. The lighthouse light was massive. While we were walking around we had to stay on the paths because there could be Tiger Snakes in the grass.

The right side is the Southern Ocean and the left side is the Indian Ocean. The houses are the lightkeepers' houses

A pirate cow

Olive green rock parrots

This old water wheel at the lighthouse is so old it has turned to rock

After our tour we travelled east and headed for Pemberton as we are going on a tram trip.

On our way to Pemberton we stopped at Beedelup National Park and went on a really cool walk to Beedelup Falls. We had to cross the river on a suspension bridge and it was fun because Pop was bouncing and swinging the bridge. Nan and I were yelling at him to stop.

I found this leaf that looked like Australia

At Pemberton we rode on a diesel tram through the forest of Gloucester National Park. It was a fantastic trip! We went over several bridges but I couldn’t see any fish down in the water.

Pemberton Railway Station

An old steam train that doesn't work any more

Our tram for the journey

I saw an emu in the field

Our driver told us all about the flora and fauna on our way and told us all about the Karri tree timber mill that we passed in the train.

The Cascades

We stopped for a walk at a waterfall called The Cascades where the water was really rushing down the stream. The driver told us lots of stories. He told us about a little boy they found at The Cascades who was lost because he had run off from his dad. He was very lucky to be found!

I loved this trip!

We had lunch at Pemberton Swimming Pool.

Pemberton Pool is a natural spring

We saw this nice duck fly off from the pool

After lunch we went to the Gloucester Tree in the Gloucester National Park. You are allowed to climb the tree but I didn’t because you could easily fall through the gaps in the rods that you climb up on. The tree was used as a fire lookout. It was very scary because it was so high up. Nan felt sick just looking at people climbing up on the rods.

This was as far as Nan and Pop would let me go

On our way to Walpole we visited the Valley of the Giants where we walked on a winding boardwalk trail through massive red tingle trees. There was a boardwalk so you didn’t stand on the delicate roots of the tree.

I liked Grandma Tingle the best! I liked the Grandma face on the tree.

This huge Tingle tree fell over in 1979

We stopped the night at Cozy Corner Beach campsite and went on a lovely beach walk. There was lots of seaweed on the beach but hardly any shells.

The next day we went to Albany and drove down to the Albany Whaling Station where I learned some interesting facts about the whaling days. The harpoon guns were cool but I didn’t like seeing the whales killed. I am glad that in Australia they don’t do whaling any more!

The view from Albany Whaling Station

A whaling ship

Whale harpoons

At Albany we saw the replica of the ship Brig Amity.

The Brig Amity took men and supplies of animals, food, seeds, tools and other things needed in the new settlements back in the old days. The original ship was wrecked in a storm in Bass Strait in 1845. It was really cramped under the deck and I had to walk bent over all the time.

The officers’ area was lots nicer than the crew’s area. The cook had nearly no space to cook meals for everyone. I like the cannon and steering the ship’s wheel.

The Cat O Nine Tails used to punish the crew if they did the wrong thing

The Western Australian Museum in Albany was very interesting. I watched old films about the whaling days and life in Albany. I saw an Aboriginal coat made of kangaroo skin and weapons.