The next part of journey we explored from Rockingham to Busselton
Our first stop was Rockingham,a vibrant coastal city about 45 minutes south of Perth, known for its beautiful beaches and home to the nearby HMAS Stirling, Australia’s largest naval base.
It’s also a gateway to the Shoalwater Islands, Marine Park, with dolphins, penguins and sea lions just offshore.We visited the rugged Cape Peron
Mandurah, is just 30 minutes south of Rockingham.Its a coastal city famous for its beautiful waterways, relaxed beaches and abundant marine life. The vast Peel-Harvey Estuary is a highlight, with dolphins, pelicans and colourful sunsets adding to Mandurah’s laid-back holiday atmosphere.
After visiting the Mandurah’s Eastern Foreshore, we went on an Adventure to find the Giants of Mandurah
The Giants of Mandurah are a magical collection of enormous wooden sculptures hidden among the bushland and waterways around Mandurah. The Giants are created by Danish recycle artist Thomas Dambo from recycled timber, with some standing up to 7 metres tall.
We found the first Mandurah Giant, Little Lui in the swamplands of Marlee Reserve.Recent flooding made the access a bit soggy to reach, but a rewarding reveal. The Marlee Reserve walking loop takes about 30 minutes
The second Giant, Yaburgurt, was laying down after eating too many crab and was located on the picturesque banks of Peel Inlet and only a short stroll from the road.
The third Mandurah Giant Santi Ikto and is 7m high and is sitting cross legged on a high point and is overlooking the indian ocean and calling for the clouds to bring rain.
The Fourth Mandurah Giant Seba was located, sitting on a rocky gronye on the edge of Dawesville channel that connects the Peel Inlet to the Indian Ocean. She’s looking out to sea and artist designed it, so her face can only be viewed from the water.
After almost 1hr walk along the banks of the Clifton lakes and bushlands, we found our final secret Mandurah Giant, hidden amongst the trees. Jyttes Hytte is sitting in a bush setting with legs and arms hugging a tree.
The Clifton Lakes are also home to Trombolites, which ancient oxygen producing formations that can be viewed from a boardwalk that extends onto the lake.
Pinjarra is charming country town in murray river region east of Mandurah.Heritage buildings and street art line the main street.There’s also an army built suspension bridge across the Murray river.
175km south of Perth is the coastal city of Bunbury.Our first stop was the Koombana Lookout which gave a 360 degree view of Bunbury and the sandy beaches of Koombana bay.The Dolphin Discovery Centre was also in view and our next point of interest to visit.
Dolphin Discovery Centre has a dolphin interaction zone on the beach immediately in front of the centre. The free dophin interactions and feedings, take place in the morning and is run by friendly local volunteers.We were privileged to meet a couple of the local dolphins up close.
Dolphin Discovery Centre is a beautifully curated display of the Bunbury regions, dolphins and sealife
There lots of interative exhibits and learning zones. I could have immersed myself in the virtual reality glasses for hours.
The city features a mix of heritage buildings, modern cafes, boutique wine bars, and art murals hidden in its laneways.
The City of Bunbury has so many scenic spots and tourist attractions to enjoy. We thank Bunbury for the free beachside accommodation for couple nights
On the way to Busselton we detoured inland to visit Gnomesville in the Ferguson Valley, The ever increasing collection of Gnomes is a magical home to over 5000 Gnomes who have migrated here from all over Australia and around the world
But don’t be tempted to take home a souvenir….. Gnomish legend has it, that bad luck will surely follow!
52km south of Bunbury we arrived at the coastal city of Busselton.With its proximity to Perth and the Margaret River Region, Busselton has become a very popular tourist and holiday destination.
Busselton is best known for the Busselton Jetty and boast that it’s the longest wooden jetty in the south hemisphere.
We purshased our tickets at the jetty huts and boarded the train. that took us to the underwater observatory, near the end of the Busselton Jetty.
Our informative guides, lead the group down each level, stopping at the viewing windows to speak about the jetty pilons and the reef system that has grown around them.
The Busselton foresore has glowing white sandy beaches, sea themed childerns playscapes and sea facing restaurants and cafes.
Shelter Brewery also has a prominently position on the Busselton foreshore overlooking the Jetty.
Shelter Brewery offer brewery tours followed by tastings, that we enjoyed immensely.
Join us on the next episode as we continue our adventures around the Margaret River Region
source
