The Great Southern - WA.

We are luvin The Great Southern!

The talk with the locals worked well in helping to find us somewhere to stay, but still no dead marron. We are off to Peaceful Bay, a few kilometres east of Walpole, on the southern coast of WA. This region is known as The Great Southern, and we are looking forward to the great forests, the great food and the great scenery of The Great Southern. We have only had to travel about 170kms to get here, driving through the great forests and great rolling hills. We arrive at the township of Walpole, expecting it to be a great size, but in fact it was a bit of a blink and you'd miss it! We had a walk around town, and 10 minutes later we were on the road again to Peaceful Bay.

Peaceful Bay Caravan Park
from the Lookout.

Under the Peppermint Trees at
Peaceful Bay.

We found the sign to Peaceful Bay and headed out to the coast. It is a lot like Windy Harbour, but without the shacks! It has a caravan park instead. There is a shop that sells a little bit of everything, and also manages the caravan park, so we check in, and I might add with a degree of trepidation, as my discussion over the phone has gone along the lines of "we're pretty full mate, but don't worry we'll get you in!" The caravan park wanders through the sand dunes and peppermint trees, and is really

The blue wren is the emblem
of the Denmark Shire.

Long walks on deserted
beaches.

lovely. There are caravans and tents hidden everywhere, and there doesn't look like there is a level bit of ground in the entire park! We are surprised at just how many people are already in the caravan park, and it is obvious that many of them have been here for quite some time. A young guy on a quad bike guides us over to our site and says, " I'll leave you with it." It took a bit of maneuvering and a lot of levelling, but we got it done, positioned perfectly so the satellite dish got a look through a small gap in the trees. TV is critical!!!  As I connected up the water, I tried the water pressure. Guys I have to tell you that if you'd shown this flow in one of those men's tests to check your water works, you'd be rushed into surgery!! If they checked the water quality, you'd be pronounced dead!! Carolyn made us a cuppa, and the water had lots of colour before we put the Tea Bag in! Even boiled, it tasted horrible! Looks like we'll be heading into town for a bulk supply of drinking water! Apart from the water, all is good. Within ten minutes the first ducks arrive. Carolyn must be fitted with a duck GPS tracking device!! There are lots of other birds as well, including heaps of little wrens. The blue wren is the local Denmark Shire emblem.

The beach at Peaceful Bay.

The Southern Ocean swells.

We headed out across the road to check out the beach. It is lovely and so clean. There is a small protected bay for launching boats and swimming, then a huge arc of bay that stretches miles away to the east, and you can drive all the way along it, though at high tide there isn't much beach left! It will be the perfect spot for our morning walks. On the Friday of the long weekend, the crowds started to arrive, and by Saturday morning the caravan park was bursting at the seams. Saturday and Sunday were hot and sunny. The beach was packed, and there were so many 4WD's driving that beach, you were at greater risk of a hit and run than a shark attack! John braved it for a swim, but the waters of the Southern Ocean are not for Carolyn. The water was a brisk 19 degrees, a long way from the 28 degrees of Broome!

My "10" on Peaceful Beach.

My soon to be "11" at Bibbulmun Cafe.

The main town in the Great Southern is Denmark. It is only 50kms from Peaceful Bay. We pottered into town, and after securing a supply of fresh water, headed for the Visitor's Centre to find out what to see.Turns out, there is lots to see. The town of Denmark is lovely. Quite a surprise. Nice shops and lots of cafes. The brochures say it is gourmet central and it looks that way. Our first stop was at the Bibbulmun Cafe, where we had a great coffee and shared a beetroot and caramel slice!! It was yummy. There were lots of other choices, and as

Mrs. Jones Cafe, Denmark WA.

French Toast to die for at Mrs. Jones!

 you probably know, we enjoy a Sunday breakfast out, and with Sunday looming large, we found a wonderful cafe called Mrs. Jones. What a lovely place for breakfast, or lunch. So now, as Billy Paul so famously sang......... "me and Mrs. Jones, we've got a thing going on!!" Sunday morning arrived and it seems that Mrs. Jones has a thing going on with a lot of people. The place is packed, and we got the last table available (thank you God), and even though we waited quite a while for the food to come, it is because they cook everything fresh, and it shows. The coffee was also great. When we were back at home Carolyn & Robyn used to seek out the best places for French Toast. Sorry Rob, but Carolyn's found a new contender and it's a hell of a drive!!

A world class attraction.

Walking among the tree tops.

There is so much to see around this region. The Valley of the Giants is a world class attraction with its Treetop Walk and ground level Ancient Empire Walk. We spent an afternoon at the centre, no not because it took me that long to get enough courage to get that high off the ground, but because there was so much to see.  I don't know how these enormous gantries among the tree tops stay up there, but thankfully they do, and it is amazing walking in the tree canopy. The trees 

Carolyn in a Tingle Tree.

Look like anyone you know?

here are giant Tingle Trees, characterised by their hollowed out trunks. On the Ancient Empire Walk, it is like walking through the forests of Lord of the Rings, with the gnarly old trunks and cavernous openings in the tree trunks. Up in the tree canopy there are no March flies to annoy you. Seems they are scared of heights! But boy do they make up for it at ground level! Never done so much thwacking! We rushed back to the Gift Shop, thwacking all the way, where I asked the lady behind the counter if she had a cure for the march flies. She replied " a bloody thong works good, or you can be like my workmate over there, who drenches herself in eucalyptus oil, smells like a musty old Koala Bear, but swears she never gets bitten!" We just kept chuckling all the way to the carpark!

Walking down to Green's Pool.

Crystal clear waters of Green's Pool.

Denmark is situated a little in from the coast on the banks of the Denmark River, which in turn runs into Wilson Inlet, the largest inlet on the southern coastline. It is very picturesque. Some of the nearby coastal spots are as beautiful as anything we've seen. The William Bay National Park is one such place, especially at Green's Pool and Elephant Rocks. The first time we saw Green's Pool, it really took our breath away. The beach is protected from the huge

Nothing like this in Germany!

My own private beach.

waves and winds of the Southern Ocean. The giant granite boulders protect hundreds of rock pools, and people are 'hidden" all through the area at private little beaches. Words just can't do it justice, and on a wonderful sunny day, surely there is no more beautiful place to be. We walked around the rocks, discovering new hideaways. There was hardly anyone to be found, other than a German backpacker who must have found one of the best places ever to sun bake ever! Around the point is Madfish Bay. You may know a wine label called Madfish, which is a lovely drop and from the Denmark Region. Madfish Bay is so named, because of its position behind an island, where the waters of the Southern Ocean come into the bay from both sides. Apparently, at high tide the confused fish come from both sides and bump into each other causing them to jump and go "mad". Sounds like someone had their head in the vat too long if you ask me!

The Lake House.

Singlefile Winery.

Another treat is the drive along the food and wine trail called Scottsdale Road. Even without all the stops, it is a lovely drive. Add some stops and it's quite exceptional. March is the start of the food and wine festival season, and the Labour Day weekend kicks it all off. The locals talk about the crowds, but to us,  it is a bit like Tuesday in the Hunter Valley!! There is excellent cool climate wine in this region. We called in at The Lake House, but having had that thing going on with Mrs. Jones over breakfast, were unable to eat. The setting was gorgeous, and the food looked great, with the tables spilling out onto a veranda and deck looking out over the lake. The stop we

Too much cider!

particularly enjoyed was Duckets Mill Vineyard. They have joined up with a cheese and produce maker, and offer a wide range of both. Some of the pates and terrines were delicious. The wines are good, young, easy drinking styles, very well priced. We stocked up with some wine, terrine and cheese. Another wonderful setting was a winery called Singlefile. We found the wines excellent, especially the Pinot Noir, but a bit rich at $35.00 a bottle! Other food things we tried were Elephant Rock Cidery & Toffee where we tried all the ciders, and a good selection of the toffees and some other jams and pickles. We also went for the "Biggest Ice Cream Cone in Denmark". Cider is not for me. I found this lot a bit like mouthwash. The toffee and other goodies were great though, and the ice cream was a killer!

Driving along Peaceful Bay Beach.

Parked on the beach at Peaceful Bay.

At Peaceful Bay, the word was out among the ducks. Day one we had 4, by Monday we had 12, and when the masses left after the long weekend, we were up to 30 and still growing! We feed them wild bird seed which they seem to love. It is quite hilarious, as we come home from a day out, and find them all sitting around the camp site. However, I have had to put my foot down, after I noticed my morning muesli now had corn in it! Can we put the duck food somewhere else please!!!! We extended our stay for an extra day, so Carolyn could sit all day and watch everything to do with the Academy Awards. She absolutely loves her movies, and had a wonderful day of indulgence. Me, I took my fishing rods across to the bay, and fed the fish for a few hours. I had a lovely time, catching some little whiting, but nothing worth a feed. Peaceful Bay has lived up to its name. Even after the long weekend, there are a lot of people staying in the park. They are mostly fishing folk, regulars, and for what I could see, know what they are doing, with lots of whiting and salmon being cleaned. 

Wilson Inlet meets the Southern Ocean.

Peaceful Bay probably wouldn't have been on our original agenda, but it was a bit of a hidden gem, except for that drinking water. The area around Denmark should be on everyone's list of places to see in WA.We thought we packed in a lot, but there was so much more we could have done. Next time we'd stay in Denmark itself, most likely at the Rivermouth Caravan Park, which looked really nice, and was pretty close to town. Today we are off to Albany, looking forward to a good hot shower in clean, clear water, and you guessed it, one last visit to see Mrs. Jones on the way! Oh, and by the way, we hear that Albany has dead marron!

No doubt about it. The Great Southern has been GREAT!!!