My route north was taing me past Hyden and a chance to see Wave Rock. Wave Rock is a peculiar formation on a granite monolith caused by some pretty unique erosion. The Wave Rock is over 100m in length and 15m tall. It looks really like a giant wave just about to crash hence the name. There are lots of other places that have similar erosion on the rock face but none that looks quite so spectacularly huge.
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I headed north from Albany along Chesters Pass Road. The name of the road had my hopes up that there would be a hill or two to tackle. The reality was that the road barely rose above an almost flat gradient even passing right at the foot of the tallest peak in Western Australia. When I actually got to the foot of Bluff Knoll a big bank of clouds appeared ruining my planned hike to the top.
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So next day, Albany being only 80km away I toodled along at my leisure. I’d already decided to take a day off there so I was in no rush. I went to a few beaches, and took the scenic coastal route which meant a few U-turns due to roads ending abruptly at cliffs. I really should have gotten a better map of the area.
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The last hurrah to the Southern Forests is the Valley of the Giants near Denmark on the south coast. Here a platform has been built thats rises up as the valley floor drops away so that at the highest point you are 40m above the ground. The Valley of the Giants is mainly Red Tingle trees with a few Marri to be spotted here and there. It’s incredible just how big they get.
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If you haven’t been down this area of W.A. before then it’s kind of hard to describe just how amazingly beautiful it is. The landscape is green, not quite like home but green nevertheless and the trees beggar belief. The Marri, Karri, Jarrah and Tingle trees that live only in this small area of south west W.A. are incredible. Some of them are over 80m tall!
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I had thought about getting work in the Margaret River region but I was just a few weeks too early for vine work. There is plenty other work but I want to extend the visa so until I get harvest work I’ll just keep riding. So after a morning of futile phone calls I hit the road down to Margaret River town itself. Yep you guessed it, I got a bed at a backpacker hostel again.
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I got to Dunsborough and checked into a hostel again. Am I getting soft or what, thats about 10 days out of the last 11 in beds instead of camping which would be cheaper but anyway. I was finally in the home town of my support crew of the past few weeks, The Pepsi-Max Family! They’ve been supplying me with a steady stream of cold drinks everytime we meet since just after Katherine and this should be the last time I see them on this trip.
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Next morning out of Mandurah I got soaked again in a heavy downpour so feeling lazy decided to stop off early in Bunbury and call it a day. I went to the backpackers, got a bed and positioned myself in the kitchen, strategically beside the kettle so I’d have to move as little as possible and still be able to have copious amounts of tea. I reckon I was on 20 mugs before I hit the sack.
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So after a week off the saddle in Perth and with my bank account hemorrhaging cash I needed to get moving again. I’m heading down the Margaret River direction, maybe try to find some work whilst I’m down there to keep things looking rosy but I’m still in no real trouble thankfully. I reckon I’ve enough to get me to the end and splash out on a return ticket home too.
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I spent the next six dys in Perth and Freemantle just relaxing, enjoying some time without even thinking bout cycling. Everywhere I went was on foot, the bike staying firmly locked up to a pole at the back of the backpackers. I did eventually take it to a bike store for a much needed sevicing.
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