We spent 4 nights in the Perth Metropolitan area but were again disappointed with both Perth and Freemantle. So we moved on south to head towards the Margaret River region.

Based on the fact that the main reason we are in south west Western Australia is to play in the Veterans National Golf Championships, we thought we had better start playing some games. Over the last month or so we have played some really lovely country golf courses, including, Geraldton, The Vines (very disappointing condition), Hammersley Park (Perth), Busselton (one of the championship courses), Margaret River, Dunsborough Lakes and Manjimup. Based on our results, we need to play a lot more before next month !!

The Pinnacles are limestone formations contained within Nambung National Park, near the town of Cervantes on the Turquoise Coast. The raw material for the limestone of the Pinnacles came from seashells in an earlier era that was rich in marine life. These shells were broken down into lime-rich sands that were blown inland to form high mobile dunes. However, the manner in which such raw materials formed the Pinnacles is the subject of debate with no confirmed proven theory. They are pretty amazing to see up close.

Getting ever closer to Perth now and the last leg is the road down The Turquoise Coast. Towns include Dongara, Leeman, Green Head, Jurien Bay, Cervantes, Lancelin, Yanchep and Joondalup. We mainly free camp close to the ocean. We had a minor incident with a flat tyre on the caravan but that was soon remedied and we were on our way again.

Wubin is one of the small towns we drove through on the Wildflower Way. At the old railway station is a museum showing some of the history of the wheat farming in the area. There is also a collection of old vehicles all once owned by an old local wheat farmer.

Three Springs is located 315 Kms north of Perth on The inland Midland Way. Its claim to fame is the local talc mine. Owned and operated by the Luzenac Group, a French-based subsidiary of the mining giant Rio Tinto, the mine is the oldest and most productive talc mine in the southern hemisphere, and the second-most productive talc mine in the world, with recent annual production of 240,000 tonnes.

Just a small example of the wildlife we have bumped into over the last couple of weeks.

The Wildflower Way is not only about wild flowers. There is an extremely well signed and documented history of the whole area that is easy to follow and fascinating. There are also some very good bush camp sites along the way. These sites are maintained by the local communities of the area and are often in better condition than official caravan parks. The local communities are keen to encourage travelers to visit their country areas. The drive begins at Geraldton and heads east inland to Mullewa, then south-east through Canna, Morawa, Latham and ending at Dalwallinu, a total of 350 Kms.

This is a route which stretches some 390 Kms, starting out of Geraldton. Firstly east for some 80 Kms and then south. The trip highlights the amazing natural wild flowers of the area. Unfortunately, this year was not apparently one of the best and we were just a little late to catch the wild flowers at their most impressive. Even so, the pictures tell their own story.

Geraldton – the second largest city in WA and a pleasant place to stay for a few days to rest up from the constant travelling. We also played both the local golf courses – time to get into the swing for the Championships in Margaret River in November.