Christmas In Margaret River - Day 6

   A lack of water and thirst for more adventure, coffee and interesting sights spurred us on to an early start to Augusta.  Our hope was to get to the information centre early enough that we might luck into a place to stay for the night.  Luck, it seems, is Rob's middle name…

   After coffee along the main street, I wandered off to explore the hamlet's public toilet offerings leaving Rob to his own devices.  While I was gone he picked up some items we thought we'd need for another night of camping then headed over to the info centre.  It seems the one room in the entire region, from Augusta to Bunbury, came open the minute Rob walked in the door.  I caught up with him just as he was booking us into a lovely little tea house in Cowramup, just 7 km north of Margaret River.

   With accommodations for our last night sorted, we had plenty of time to explore the southwestern-most corner of the state.  I was very excited at the prospect of seeing the confluence of the Southern and Indian Oceans - what a unique experience!  We headed down to the lighthouse and had heaps of fun goofing around with the camera and learning about the

 history of the region.

   

   It may not look like much in the photo, but just under my fingertips is a discernible break in water color and height.  The two oceans are different temperatures and salinities and therefore different densities - wicked cool.  The area around the lighthouse was really interesting to explore - there were three little houses, each with its own laundry shed (complete with wood stove) that originally housed the families of the three lighthouse keepers who shared the responsibility to keep watch every night of the year.  It's quite amazing to think about what life must have been like on that isolated weather-beaten outpost.

           

   This calcified natural spring pump was super cool - it used to transport water from the spring down to the little houses about 1 km down the coast.  I loved the juxtaposition of the super old cratonic gneisses, standing like sentries facing the sea, and the century old limestone that's formed on top.  Above right - Rob for scale.

 

          

   Yes, we are about 12.  And huge dorks…

   We spent the rest of the arvo driving through native forest, lunching on the beach, and laughing at novice surfers.   By the time we checked into our room we were both more than ready for a shower - it had been a very hot day and we were covered in the funk of two days camping and swimming in two different oceans - yum!  After cleaning up we tried in vain to find a place I'd been misinformed about then wandered into an organic winery to find our favorite collection of wines of the whole trip, prompting the purchase of an entire case.

   Luck was on our side again when we managed to wander into a restaurant without a booking and get a seat - going very early was a darn good idea!  We gorged ourselves on the seafood platter for two at The Waves and couldn't even come close to finishing the tower of food, although we gave it our best shot.