Busselton Jetty consists of the longest jetty around at 1,850 m long. Jojo and I walked about halfway out into the wind, at which point Jojo requested we turn back to avoid walking over some older, less stable timbers.
With over 100 wineries in the region, they seemed to be around every turn and every couple kilometers along every stretch of road we drove.
Sandalford Winery
Jojo and me sampling. I drank a really great Element Shiraz at Sandalford. Only $12 a bottle. Check it out if you see it.
Vasse Felix vineyard
Picking grapes at Vasse Felix
Vasse Felix is known for their Theatre Red and Theatre White cheaper wines. I didn't particularly like them.
Voyager Estate had the most perfectly manicured gardens including a rose garden. Jojo purchased lots of fancy jewelery in their shop. I also purchased a pair of earrings. Some go to buy wine... not us, we go for the jewels.
Leeuwin Estate hosts a big music festival on their lawns each year in the Feb/March timeframe. We walked by the amphitheatre on our way into the tasting room.
Xanadu was our final stop in the tour 'de wineries. They actually locked the door just as we were approaching, then opened it for us to be able to sample the wine. We felt a little guilty when we left without making a purchase.
This is me at surfer's point, where huge surfing competitions are held each year with over 200 competitors. We saw at least a dozen surfers in the waves. Upon return, one guy complained there were too many blokes out there and not enough girls.
A surfer about to enter Surfer's Point
Although beautiful, the 100 km detour to Augusta seemed less than worthwhile.
Yallingup was described to us as irresistable. While pretty, it did not seem remarkably distinct from all the other beautiful beaches we'd seen earlier that day. I do have to admit that the beaches tend to look most magnificent in full sunlight and we were there just before dusk.
We caught the sunset at Bunbury.
Jojo and I left the B&B at 6:30AM Thursday to make the 3.5 hour drive down to Margaret River, the premiere wine region of Australia. There was plenty of sightseeing and wine tasting to more than fill our limited time, so we wanted to make the most of it. It didn't take long for Jojo and I to learn that we were complete opposites in many areas - the types of wine we prefer (her super sweet, me super dry), music we enjoy listening to (her mainstream R&B, me alternative, folk, singer/songwriter type), our mode of travel (her complete relaxation, me see and do as much as possible), etc.
Our first stop was at Busselton Jetty, followed by stops at three wineries: Sandalford, Moss Brothers, and Vasse Felix. The driver (me) required a break from the wine tasting, so we swung by Surfers Point where we stopped for lunch. We continued down to Augusta in the southern tip of Western Australia. We barely snuck in three more wineries before they all closed for the day: Voyager Estate, Leeuwin Estate, and Xanadu. We swung through the town of Margaret River on our way back up the coast. We got rather lost in the maze of gravel roads leading past the wineries and back to the highway. We were stopped quite literally in the middle of nowhere when a winery van tour "Wine for Dudes" turned past us, honking, waving and laughing. I gave them the thumbs up sign and smiled back. They must have been happy and relieved to be on a guided tour. Ha! We stopped in Yallingup for the view and Bunbury for the sunset on our way back to Perth. Bunbury is actually a great spot for swimming with the dolphins but time did not allow this trip. We returned to our B&B around 11PM that evening, having had a great day of exploration in Margaret River.
