On New Years Eve i was in bed by 11pm as i was getting up at an ungodly hour to head down south for a couple of days with my two aunts. The temperature had hit the high 30s so an extra early start meant the car wouldn't be too hot for travelling in. Our destination was Margarets River, a wine producing region, but also a region strewn with many caves. Lake cave and Jewel cave as their names suggest are impressive underground systems that have very artistic and jewel like structures and they didn't disappoint. Further north in the town of Bunbury there is a dolphin interactive centre. Each morning, the dolphins come into shore to visit the scores of curious tourists standing at the waters edge. We had dolphins swimming only a couple of metres from us.
After our trip down south, I joined a group and headed on a 4day trip to discover the many wonders on the north coast. Our first stop was the pinnacles- thousands of limestone pillars in a desert of yellow sand. It is still unknown how these features were created. But these pillars, some up to 4m high, give a very unique and eerie atmosphere to this desert area. Equally impressive was Nature's window- a unique rock arch, situated on an edge cliff in the middle of Kalabarri National Park. It provides a spectacular view to photograph the surrounding scenery. The west coast is full of such amazing things; a little further north we came across the shell beach- as it's name suggests, a beach made up entirely of shells- billions of tiny white coquina bivalve shells are washed up onto the shore to create this amazing coastline.
Throughout the trip, the temperature was excessive- at one point the mercury hit 44C in the shade! It was definitely the hottest temperature i have ever been in. Because of the heat we didn't see much wildlife in its natural habitats but managed to get up close to some of the locals on a visit to a wildlife reserve.
After our trip down south, I joined a group and headed on a 4day trip to discover the many wonders on the north coast. Our first stop was the pinnacles- thousands of limestone pillars in a desert of yellow sand. It is still unknown how these features were created. But these pillars, some up to 4m high, give a very unique and eerie atmosphere to this desert area. Equally impressive was Nature's window- a unique rock arch, situated on an edge cliff in the middle of Kalabarri National Park. It provides a spectacular view to photograph the surrounding scenery. The west coast is full of such amazing things; a little further north we came across the shell beach- as it's name suggests, a beach made up entirely of shells- billions of tiny white coquina bivalve shells are washed up onto the shore to create this amazing coastline.
Throughout the trip, the temperature was excessive- at one point the mercury hit 44C in the shade! It was definitely the hottest temperature i have ever been in. Because of the heat we didn't see much wildlife in its natural habitats but managed to get up close to some of the locals on a visit to a wildlife reserve.
The highlight of the trip was meeting Royalty- Prince Leonard and his Princess, Shirley, of Hutt River Province- a principality within Australia. This micronation came about in the 1970s when the government threatened to introduce quotas for the country's wheat farmers. Leonard Casley was opposed to these quotas and went about to create his own sovereign state out of his wheat farm. It hasn't been fully recognised by the Australian government but the principality contains its own government offices, post office and chapel (complete with thrones for the Prince and Princess). This principality even has its own cabinet, made up of the prince and princess, their children and several others. In the souvenir shop there are pictures of the many principality representatives that reside abroad. The prince even has a bust of himself at the entrance to the property. We all got our passports stamped with an entry and exit visa after visiting this unusual yet fantastic sovereign state.
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