From Manjimup to Walpole, the great southern forest region of Western Australia is home to the gigantic Karri and Tingle forests. The coastline features picturesque inlets and beautiful granite beaches. We also enjoyed touring the vineyards around Denmark.

Karri Forests near Manjimup

Diamond Tree at 51m high is the third tallest that visitors to the area can climb. View from top (below)

Walpole

Twenty eight parrot

Newdegate Island at Nornalup Inlet

Chorizema plants common in the forests

Local kookaburra

Valley of the Giants treetop walk

Tingle trees

Denmark Ocean beach above and mouth of Wilson Inlet below

Green’s Pool, William Bay National Park below

The south west coast of Western Australia is full of wonderful coastal parks and attractions.

These thrombolites live at Lake Clifton, Yalgorup National Park, south of Mandurah.  Formed by microorganisms, these ancient rock formations only exist in a few places in the world.

This little, colourful Jewel Spider was one of a clutter living between branches of the Tuart forest.

Beautiful Bunbury city view above and beach, below.

Busselton Jetty above and its famous train below, for those who don’t want to walk 1.8km to the end of the jetty. Some of the old jetty is still standing and supports a colourful underwater reef.

The underwater observatory attracted a curious bat fish, below.

The wonderful Ngili Caves near Yallingup with their amazing stalactite, stalagmite and shawl formations.

Coastal views along the Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park

Cape Leeuwin, the most south-westerly corner of Australia and home of the tallest lighthouse on the Mainland.

Aside from it’s pirate cow (?), the Cape is also famous as being the point of land that joins two oceans:  the Southern and Indian Oceans.

Kings Park in spring provides a magnificent display of colour and form overlooking Perth and the Swan River.

Took our bikes on the ferry to Rottnest Island, where we had a wonderful time cycling from the main settlement at Thomson Bay to Cape Vlamingh (west end). The local quokka’s were everywhere and not at all shy.

Osprey nest

Cape Vlamingh

Between Esperance and Albany, Bremer Bay is a beautiful seaside retreat by the Wellstead Estuary and Fitzgerald River National Park.

Estuary in the evening

Bremer Bay jetty with Eagle Ray visible as shadow to right of jetty

Colourful marine flora and fauna

Blue Groper in shallows

View of the bay from Tooleburrup Hill

Spectacular white beaches, granite rock and spring flora. Cape Le Grand National Park is on the traditional land of the Nyungar people.

Le Grand beach

Climbing Mount Le Grand

Beautiful flowers everywhere

Thistle Cove

Lucky Bay

One of the longest stretches of our trip took us to the western end of the goldfield regions, WA.

The remains of the Eucla telegraph station that was part of the Albany to Adelaide line est. 1877

The shags on the jetty ruins at Eucla beach were lovely to look at, but not so great down wind.

This pretty silvereye lived near the Madura roadhouse

Cocklebiddy at dusk

Nuytsland Nature Reserve

Caiguna – Hub of the universe (according to the sign) and start of one of the longest, straight stretches of road in the world – 146.6km

Balladonia roadhouse displays Skylab debris that fell nearby in 1979