We are making the most of our time in WA while waiting on the next camping show. This show is in Mandurah, only 153kms from the last show in Busselton. We had 3 weeks to tackle that 153kms and what a great way to start – a 2 night stay at a winery.
We were welcomed by Pam and Terry at the Thomson Brook Winery. A lovely older couple who established the winery in 1993 as their retirement plan and just because they wanted a winery. They operate the winery all by themselves; they don’t outsource any part of the process. They also generously allow the likes of us to free camp on their property, no strings attached. We were invited to a wine tasting in the late afternoon with no expectation to purchase. Naturally, I bought some, it was the right and honourable thing to do. 😉 Don’t worry, I looked after Fred as well by getting him some fancy ports. What a lovely spot; glorious surrounding green hills, sheep, rosebushes and ducklings – ah the serenity.
The weather was beautiful so we took advantage and got the bikes out. Fred hit the bitumen, not literally, taking his road bike for a little spin of 77kms, climbing 980mtrs. He loved it, riding in the country with the wonderful views and very little traffic. I headed the other direction into the small town of Donnybrook, the centre of the apple growing region. I hit up the two op shops, and supported the local bakery and butcher. Lucky I put both pannier bags on, they were full on the ride back.
It was time to move on, and again we had only 40kms to reach our next destination. We decided to take the scenic route, as usual, and retraced Fred’s ride from yesterday. Wow, I was jealous that I missed that ride, well not the hills, but the lovely scenery and serenity that would have come with the quiet ride under the shade of the massive trees. Pam had mentioned “Gnomesville” and Fred said we would be passing it on he drive. Well it was not at all what I expected, I assumed a very small town with a few gnomes scattered around various house yards. No no no, it was an accumulation of thousands of gnomes sprinkled along the side of the road beside the roundabout. The history being that the locals lobbied for a roundabout to be installed due to the safety of the school bus drop-off and when it was being constructed there was a very large tree stump left on the side of the road that had a hollow in the bottom. A local decided to place 1 gnome in the hollow to amuse the school kids and the rest is history. People decided to follow suit and over the years it has grown to thousands and thus became a spot on the map as a scenic must.
We arrived in Bunbury to howling winds and random but continuous scuds of rain coming in off the sea. Yep we had booked a free camp on Ocean Road right on the coast line. Not a lot of serenity here 😜 I ventured out to take a walk on the beach and was greeted with howling winds and a sand blasting on my legs – no need to shave the legs now 😂. We sat and listened to those howling winds and other noises coming from the roof of the truck. I was convinced that I would wake up in the morning to find the solar panels ripped off and smashed against the nearest barrier. Neither of us slept and at 2am we couldn’t bear it anymore so decided to hit the road, then and there. We headed to the highway and pulled up at the first rest stop. We were disappointed to miss Bunbury, we had plans for the next day to explore and I was tonguing for a potato scallop, or if you are Victorian, a potato cake and unfortunately it wasn’t meant to be his time.
Leaving early allowed a two night stop in Pinjarra at a rest stop. We were camped alongside a cattle property with a view of the hills behind. Pinjarra is on the Murray River but not the big one you are thinking about. I took the opportunity to ride back to town and ride along the river as well as check out the town. It is one of the early settlement towns, unfortunately known for a historical massacre. It boasts a heritage rose garden with the oldest rose dating back to 3000BC. I didn’t get to check it out so will have to take their word for it. A lovely little diversion before finishing our week in Jarrahdale.
Stay tuned………….