Western Australia

Margaret River and south to where the oceans collide
Time to get back on the road again - this time to the far south-western corner of Australia. We are lured by the promise of dazzling white-sand beaches and blue and emerald seas, which bottle-nose dolphins and massive stingrays call home.
Surfers are also attracted to the area by big wave action on the challenging and dangerous reefs offshore, while inland it is lush and green. There are great swathes of forests where some of the world's tallest trees branch out towards the heavens, while wineries - some of the best in Australia - are almost two a penny in the region.
Today we are travelling towards the little coastal village of Dunsborough, which we will call home for three nights. We will use it to explore the Cape Naturaliste peninsula, which boasts some magnificent beaches and stunning scenery.
From there to Margaret River - home to some of Australia's best wines - and then on to the south-western tip where two mighty oceans - the Indian and the Southern - collide.

Bunbury, Busselton and Dunsborough
Pick up rental car from Fremantle and probably set some sort of unwanted record. Not 10 minutes have passed when we stop outside our apartment to load up car with luggage. Nip in to collect bags and off to go. A couple of minutes down the road we notice some paper stuck underneath our winscreen wiper. Probably some flyer.
If only ..... no such luck. Instead a nasty surprise - a 50 dollar (£30) parking fine. Our fault. Guess we should have checked to see if there were parking restrictions. Still really peeved (can't say what we really felt, family blog and all that) because we had left car for such a short period of time.
After letting off steam (and John a few choice expletives) we move on, reflecting that one parking ticket isn't too bad considering all the miles we have got under our belts, not only in Oz, but in the States and New Zealand also.
On the way to Dunsborough stop off at Bunbury, which lies some 180 miles south of Perth. Once an industrial port, it is now becoming a major tourist attraction - the No. 1 drawcard being the pods of dolphins that regularly feed in the inner harbour, particularly between November and April.
Take a drive along the harbour and then out to breakwater which spilts the bay beyond. Walking along it we can't believe our luck when we spot half-a-dozen dolphins frolicking in the ocean some 20 feet away. Awesome sight. There is hardly anybody about, so we feel we have this free wild aquatic show to ourselves.
In all the excitement Chris trips on the rocky breakwater and takes a nasty tumble. No real harm done, but there will be some big bruises tomorrow - all part of the dolphin-watching experience.
We like it here in Bunbury and plan to return to see if we can spot more dophins before making our way back to Freemantle in about 12 days time.
Next stop Bussleton, a popular holiday destination on the shores of Geographe Bay. It's claim to fame is a 2km timber jetty - the longest one of its kind in the southern hemisphere. There is a small museum at the shore end and an underwater observatory at the other. You can either walk the entire length of it - or catch a minature train - there and back.
Being mid-afternoon and sweltering we do neither - just cool off with a coconut and choc chip ice cream each. Yummy. Chris is also feeling the effects of that tumble (her backside is feeling somewhat sore). Ouch.
Push on instead to Dunsborough and check into motel for three nights. Take a late evening stroll through the village along the waterfront. It's a sleepy little place, with a nice atmosphere. Cafes, bakeries, restaurants and fashion stores line the main streets, while galleries and craft shops cater for the art lover.

Cape Naturaliste
Chris is sporting a corker of a bruise on her posterior - her Bunbury (should be Bumbury) war wound.
No worries. No other damage - other than to her pride perhaps. Going to spend the next few days chilling out around the Cape and enjoying three of its magical beaches - Meelup, Eagle Bay and Bunker Bay.
Time to kick off those thongs (it's what the Aussies call sandals, honest) and get some sand in our toes. There are some great coastal walks and lookouts around here, one of which is the Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse.
Meelup is glorious and Eagle Bay simply stunning. Walking along the latter's deserted white sand, lapped by a turquoise sea, feels like being on desert island.
But our favourite is secluded Bunker Bay - and we are back here every day for three days. It's perfect. Hidden in the bush just behind it is an upmarket beach cafe which does great flat white coffee and the best choc chip and berry muffins on the planet. Can't resist them.
The views from the cafe are nothing short of sublime. It sits out overlooking the Indian Ocean, with a gentle breeze blowing in from the sea. Paradise very definitely found.
Around the bay lies a little cove - normally home to a seal colony, but we don't spot any today.
We decide to take a stroll around the lighthouse (to walk off that coffee and cake) and then back to Bunker Bay for some swimming before watching a spectaculasr sunset over the nearby Sugerloaf Rock.
It's more of the same over the next two days. John takes a walk along the shore on day two and sees a black shadow just feet away in the ocean. It's a massive stingray - some four feet in diameter - and a spellbinding sight. Watching it swim slowly and gracefully just underneath the surface and so close makes for an unforgettable experience, John watching its every move until camouflaged it disappears into the reef beyond.
Next day (our third and last in the area) no stingray, just a simple and lovely wedding ceremony on the beach instead. The cafe (our cafe as we are no calling it) is closing a little earlier today. The reception is being held there. What an idyllic spot. Watch bride and groom taking their vows on a stunning day with a natural background second to none. For wow factor rating read 10 out of 10.

Margaret River
Top surfing and top wineries make Margrat River a huge attraction. If you're not riding on a crest of a wave off Smiths Beach near stunning Yallingupo, the chances are you will be sampling some of WA's finest whites and reds.
After a lovely drive along Caves Road - there are wineries flanking us both to the left and right and down virtually every dirt track road along the way - we check into a cosy riverside cabin for a couple of nights just outisde the village. Head for the coast and Surfers Point to watch the local dudes in action. The surf is up and there are some hot riders out there enjoying some of the best breaks in the world.
Explore Margaret River itself in the evening and enjoy a couple of sundowners at The Settlers Tavern - a lively pub with a large outdoor deck to watch the world go by.
The village is popular with tourists like ourselves - and not cheap. This is fine wine and top-quality dining country. We are happy instead to grab some food and a bottle of white from the local supermarket and head back to our cabin. We sit on the verandah watching dusk turn to night and the stars in the southern sky putting on a dazzling show for us in our riverside setting.
Next day we decide to visit one winery and have a picnic in its grounds. Head for the highly recommended independent Leeuwin Estate.
It's set in fabulous grounds with a beautiful lawned area. The estate is getting ready for the famous Leeuwin Open Air Concert and this year's star attraction is Roxy Music - the event having sold out months in advance.
John has volunteered to be 'skipper' for the day (meaning he is doing the driving and Chris the wine tasting. Makes a change!) After Chris samples a number of different labels (you are supposed to deposit some of into a spitoon after tasting, but can't see a lot of that going on) we decide on buying a couple of bottles - a shiraz and sav blanc labelled 'Siblings' It's a reminder of our girls, Hannah and Emma, back home and we will raise a glass to them tonight.
Afterwards enjoy a lovely picnic in the Leeuwin grounds looking out towards the stage where Bryan Ferry and his Roxy mates will strut their stuff in a week's time.
Head back via beach - John enjoys some body surfing here - and then give young couple lift back to Margaret River. Their 4x4 won't start, so we take them to their farm where the guy will pick up jump leads and sort from there. They are very grateful - and so are we, because they tip us off about a nice beach cafe near Surfers.

Augusta
Next day check out recommended cafe - another super setting - before driving south to quaint sleepy seaside village of Augusta. Main point of our visit is to see the Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse, which looks out at the point where the Southern and Indian Oceans meet.
The cape is the most south-westerly point in Australia and we decide to take a tour of the lighthouse and climb to the top. Find tour highly informative, and there are great views out to sea south, west and east. Due south the next land mass is Antarctica, while somewhere out there east of us lies another huge continet - Africa.
Luckily, it's a calm day as we edge our way around the outside of the narrow summit of the historic lighthouse - the tallest on mainland Australia. This must be one wild place when the winds rip in from both oceans (and they do on a regular basis).
Had thought about driving on south-east to Denmark, but warned it is a long haul, so head inland to Pemberton, once a rough and tumble timber town that today sees money growing from the 'tourism tree' instead.

Southern Forests & Tree Top walk
This region of Western Australia boasts some of the tallest trees on the continent - towering gums and karris. The forests stretch for hundreds of kilometres, with lovely little towns like Bridgetown and Nannup dotted along the way.
Pemberton lies deep in one of these immense karri forests. Check into motel. Restaurant packed with Valentine Day diners.
At 60 dollars a head for dinner, don't fancy joining them (they probably don't fancy us joining them, either), so opt for simple meal of fish 'n' chips on balcony of room and toast our girls and family back home with one of the bottles of Siblings wine we bought from the Leeuwin estate back in Margaret River. (Hope Mr Ferry gets to taste and enjoy some when he visits, otherwise he might be a Jealous Guy).
Up early next day and drive the well-marked Karri Forest Explorer trails. One popular attraction is the Gloucester Tree laddered with a metal spiral stairway around it with a 60m climb to the top. It has been - and is still today - used as a fire-watch.
Chris, in fairness, makes a good job of a partial ascent. But it's hot and coming down that stairway backwards is a daunting task. John sits it out - citing not a fear of heights, but the heat as too exhausting. Lame excuse.
With Chris back on terra firma we tackle a circular walk in forest instead, and are joined by several colourful and extremely tame king parrots along the way.
This is we decide a 'tree day'. Check out another giant called the Bicentennial Tree which is eight metres higher than the Gloucester and this too can be climbed. Thanks, but no thanks.
Continue our drive south-east and pull into lay-by in deep forest for picnic lunch. A lone cyclist pulling a trailer has beaten us to it and is resting up. He is an American from Indiana who has lived in Oz for years. He tells us he has sold his house and is 'living his dream'
He turns out to be a real cool cat, with his bike and bandana. Supply him with bottle of water (he gets through gallons on his rides), which he is extremely grateful for. On reflection, perhaps we should have offered him some of our sarnies too. Oh well, next time. He is ready to get on his way. Pass hime some 20 minuts later. He is going well. Give him a toot and he responds with friendly wave. Good luck and keep living your dream. You seem to be doing a good job of it.
Now heading next for Walpole area - home of majestic forests of giant red tingle trees (they are massive towering gum trees whose top branches 'tingle' in high winds) and the famous Tree Top Walk.
Here at the Valley of the Giants a 600m long ramp rises from the forest floor allowing visitors like us access high into the canopy of the forest where you are at eye level with the very tops of the trees.
At its highest point the ramp (a series of bridges linked between viewing platforms) is 40 metres above the ground offering stunning bird's-eye views of the forest below.. The ramp itself also sways in the breeze as you walk along it. It's a tad disconcerting and Chris admits to feeling a little queasy afterwards - a sort of sea-sickness motion - but happy she completed the circuit.
Back on the forest floor it's time to tackle the Ancient Empire boardwalk which paves around the giant red tingles. You can see why the place is named Valley of the Giants. Very apt. These ancient forest dwellers are huge and majestic.
Push on to Denmark and receive lovely welome from b & b owner Maria - she is from Sicily originaly - her husband Trevor and their friendly pooch Mina.

Denmark
Laid-back Denmark sits on the Wilson Inlet with the wild Southern Ocean beyond. After a lovely cooked breakafast courtesy of Maria - our first bacon and eggs in an age - we set about exlporing the coastline.
Lonely Planet rated this region of the top 10 in the world in 2010 and we can see why. This is a region where the sea pounds against dramatic cliffs and rocks, interspered by long and remote stretches of sandy beaches and little coves.
First stop is raw and rugged Ocean Beach. It's a great place to blow any cobwebs away and walk off Maria's sumptuous brekkie. It's a wild and windy coast here - great for whale-watching in the winter - with squeakly white sand under your feet.
Elephant Rocks and Greens Pool are two local attractions nearby. The Rocks are enormous formations that indeed look like elephants nestling in a group alongside a lovely little sandy cove, while Greens Pool is aptly named.
The sea is a stunning transparent green here. The bay is in a sheltered lagoon, with the ocean beyond a deep blue. The crystal-clear water makes it a snorkeller's paradise, though it's some degrees cooler than on the west coast. John tests it out. Fresh is the verdict.
After swimming and subathing on the smooth rocks head back to Denmark via scenic Scottsdale Road - home to wineries, cheese farms, quirky and quaint cafes and art and craft galleries.
Bid fond farewell to Maria (a lovely lady and real character) after another fab (cooked) brekkie.
Heading back to Fremantle via Bunbury next, but must drop into Albany on the way.

Albany
Beats Perth to it as oldest European settlement in WA, but his port city lacks the capital's high-rise sophistication. However, it oozes character with some lovely old historic buildings, particularly down near the foreshore.
This was once a rugged whaling town, and there is a rather faded air to the place. It's top attractions lie in its natural surroundings just outside.
Close by sits the Tordirrup National Park with dramatic features like Natural Bridge - a rock formation sculpted into a bridge shape by wind and high seas -and the fearsome Gap - a 24-metre sheer drop where the ocean rushes into a large cavern in the rocks.
The Blowholes makle for an impressive sight too when the wind and waves relentlessly pound in, while beautiful and lonely Misery Beach belies its name and the white-powder sand of lovely Frenchman's Bay just cries out to be seen.

Bunbury
We promised ourselves we'd take time out here on our way back to Fremantle - and are we glad we did.
Three days dolphin spotting - and a result each time. The Dolphin Discovery Centre is a gem. Run entirely by volunteers, this is the place to see those friendlyFlippers in their own natural environment.
This is no slick Disney dolphin extravaganza. Quite the opposite. Three pods of around 100 bottlenose dolphins regularly feed, mate and give birth in the inner harbour - their playground.
As we are line up waist deep in the water each day, they come in nearly within touching of distance of us. the inter-action with people is fantastic to watch . And all this for 10 dollars over three days (the money going to the upkeep of the centre and its research into dolphin behaviour). Money well spent.
These gentle and delightful creatures also regularymake for the breakwater where we enjoyed swimming off and we would ooften catch glimpses of them heading out to open water after paying us humans on the shore a playful visit.
The DDC is a magical place to visit (thanks Sean and co for all your wonderful insight into dolphin behaviour) and well deserving of anyone's support. Hope it goes from strength to strength. It treats dolphins as they should be - as wild mammals and long may it, and the creatures it supports so passionately, continue.
Getting up close to the dolphins in their natural habitat like this was a mahor highlight of of our WA experience.

Fremantle revisited
Back to Freo for a couple of nights before flying out to Perth for Singapore on next stage of our tour - and so glad we did as we managed to catch up with Ed and Tranda and enjoy time with them again over dinner. Top nosh and top company, with Tranda giving us some great tips on how best to enjoy Singapore.

Goodbye Australia
Time to say farewell to Australia then. Three months have flown by. In that time we have watched floods ravage Queensland, Cyclone Yasi do its utmost to cause even more misery and bush fires rage in the hills outside Perth.
This is a harsh and unforgiving continent in many ways - and it takes a tough breed to live here. It is also one of the most extraordinary, elemental and beautiful places on Planet Earth, and we have met and made many new friends along the way.
We leave this immense land much the richer for having travelled through it.