Return to Wireless Hill

Back home, I wanted to make another trip to WH to search for orchids. It’s getting to the end of the season, so I wasn’t all that optimistic. However, things turned out better than expected. I went round the circuit twice and noted where other people had stopped to take photographs. Here are the results:

Carousel spider orchid

The kangaroo paws were prolific; the cats paws not so much. Most surprising was the number of invasive weeds (Watsonia from S.Africa). These look pretty but soon take over areas if they are not controlled.

Kangaroo Paws

Cats Paws

Watsonia

Cowslip orchids

Donkey orchids

We had morning tea by the car and I couldn’t help admiring my socks, knitted in Gallipoli colours:

A blue tongue lizard crossed my path.

Collographs and olive oil

Another bright sunny day with not a cloud in the sky: I certainly picked the right time to visit MR. I finally got to visit the Open Studio of Emily Jackson, whose work had impressed me in the brochure. She lives close to the centre of MR, but in a back street verging onto woodland. I asked her lots of questions which she was happy to answer. Originally from Lincoln in the UK, she trained in graphic design in Kent before coming out to Australia. Much of her work is in collographs; she collects material from the wild (such as seaweed or seeds) and glues it onto hardboard which is then used in printing.

Entry via a back lane

Table runner; printing press behind

On the wall of the studio

A design made up of bottle brush seeds,
varnished and ready for printing from

This is what I bought:

http://www.emilyjacksonart.com.au/portfolio-items/hidden-gnarabup/

Printing board

Work in progress

Veggie patch

There's an octopus in the shower

Later, I drove north to visit Olio Bello, an olive farm. I was inspired to do this having watched a TV documentary about food fraud. Minced beef used in fast food can contain horse meat and “extra virgin”olive oil can be adulterated with canola or worse! If I went to the farm I could be sure of the genuine article; but I had to be willing to pay triple the price. Olio Bello has a bewildering number of olive oils to try, plus lots of other goodies like tapenade and onion jam. They have also branched out from olive production to set up a gourmet restaurant and some glamping tents down by the lake. No dogs allowed, though.

Part of the olive groves

Olive oil tasting: spoilt for choice!

Restaurant area

The way down to the glamping tents

Surfpoint

I’m staying for 3 nights at Surfpoint Resort (formerly Surfpoint Lodge), my favourite budget accommodation in the Margaret River area. It’s on the coast at Prevelly and next door to Margaret’s Beach Resort. The new owner has hit upon a brilliant idea. This is more or less the centre of the Cape to Cape Track, so he organises walking holidays and drives the groups out every day to the start and finish of their walk. There are 2 groups here at the moment, mostly ladies. They have breakfast at 7.00 am and depart in a rush at 7.30, when silence descends on the place once more. They arrive back about 5.00 pm when they claim the showers and later break open the bottles of red from a quick winery visit. Later they take over the kitchen and prepare their dinner. All their food comes in black bags:

Everyone has their own locker. My own breakfast supplies are bottom left. Everything else is in an industrial sized fridge.

It is a clever concept. Accommodation is basic but spotless. Hikers can stay in a tent in the garden (very cold at the moment), or in one of two rows of units:

My room is down to the right of the picture, near to the ablution block. Yesterday I talked to L, who drives the minibus and keeps the kitchen clean, as well as other things I don’t know about. She is from NZ and travels around in a campervan, picking up work where she can. She is very thin and weatherbeaten, but says this is the life for her.

The walkers do about 20 kms a day. This is not easy as some of it is on sand tracks or on the beach, or up and down on coastal paths. I speak from experience. I couldn’t do it now! 

Margaret River

I came to MR to see the Open Studios Event, but the two artists I planned to visit were closed today. Try again tomorrow! However, there are lots of things to do down here; in fact you are spoilt for choice: hiking, wildflowers, wineries, to name only three. The Visitors Centre was sending people to walk beside the River itself, a short or a long walk from Rotary Park near the town centre. This was my first stop.

Beautiful trees on the short walk

Hardenbergia

Always some indigenous stories

I decided to drive further afield and proceeded south to Conto Road for the sea views and to check out the campground there.

Clematis pubescent

View from Conto Road

Another view

I ate my picnic in a shady spot in the campground but my peace was disturbed by the arrival of 3 bus loads of teenagers on a school camping trip. After that a man from a mobile home wanted to engage me in conversation (he was on a prolonged road trip around Australia for the next 5 years, he said). The most important thing he did was to point out a small bulge in the wall of my tyre. I immediately packed up and googled the nearest tyre shop to get the problem fixed. I didn’t want to risk a blow-out whilst travelling home at speed. $120 later, I drove to the Mouth of the River and purchased an ice-cream in some relief. This was all an unexpected expense, but better safe than sorry!

Connoisseur make the BEST ice cream

Collecting seaweed at the river mouth

The river is flowing very fast today,
but I saw one man cross at the second attempt.

If walking the Cape to Cape Track (which I did more than 20 years ago), you really need to cross at this point.  (I later discovered that people on guided treks get across by canoe at this time of year).

Busselton Jetty

On my way down to Margaret River, I stopped for a couple of hours in Busselton.  I hadn’t walked the jetty for some time. Today was the day: bright sunshine but with a cold wind from the east. I was glad of my coat. The jetty is 1.8 kms long, the longest wooden jetty in the Southern Hemisphere.

There is a little red train for those who don’t want to walk. It is apparently solar powered. There are encouraging signs on the ground for walkers:

JETTY BUSSELTON JETTY

At the end of the jetty is an underwater observatory.

There are various pieces of artwork to add interest during the long walk.

Pieces of the original jetty which was destroyed in a cyclone have been retained alongside.

I walked 8000 steps today.

At the end of the jet 

The Busselton Jetty is 1.841km long. It is the longest timber piled jetty in the southern hemisphere 

The Busselton Jetty is 1.841km long. It is the longest timber piled jetty in the southern hemisphere 

Hounds Day Out

Greyhound owners from all over Perth brought their pets to Burswood this morning for Hounds Day Out. We never knew there were so many hounds and so many colours! The idea was to raise money and awareness in the campaign against greyhound racing.

We still think that Rocky is the most handsome:

There were lots of stalls offering dog treats and dog accessories:

"Slobberlicious" dog treats in many flavours

Personalised containers

Rocky received too many free samples of treats and followed the donors around wanting seconds. After a short dog walk along the river (when there was competition from runners and cyclists on the path), we returned to base so that C could take part in a yoga session. I babysat Rocky while this was happening, but he didn’t like being separated from his mistress.

We couldn’t resist buying some merchandise for ourselves:

Free the Hounds!