TripRoundUnder

As we made our way further West along the south coast of WA, the scrub and flat bushland started to thicken and more trees started to appear as we were driving. We were both fans of this, because as much as the Australian outback is beautiful in its own way, it gets pretty boring when you have miles and miles of it stretched out.

We were making our way to our next major stop, the town of Denmark and most importantly, the first wine region we had seen in a while! Driving into town, we knew almost instantly that we were going to like this place and getting way too ahead of ourselves, even talked about if we would ever consider moving here. Maybe a little premature as it had only been 10 minutes…

One thing we did see, was the impact that recent bushfires had had on the area. Some houses on the outskirts of town were completely surrounded by blackened ground and dead, burnt trees. I think more than a few people were thankful to the CFS that there properties were still standing!

We immediately drove to our campground for the next little while, Parry Beach , which was perfect for what we needed. Right next to the beach, not too far from town, large campsites and under the cover of trees, it suited all our needs. We did have a moment of panic when the campground host asked us how long we would like to stay, as we had not really thought about that yet, but Steve quickly looked at the weather forecast and it looked like 5 days until bad weather, so 5 nights it was. Textbook planning ahead I say.

Before the bad weather arrived, we headed out to William Bay National Park, home of the famous Greens Pool and Elephant Rock. This coastline really did live up to its reputation and we spent a lovely afternoon relaxing on the beach and snorkeling in the protected bay. It was nice to be in the water and not thinking about sharks given all we had been hearing about the South Coast.

The water visibility was again absolutely perfect and we loved seeing how plentiful the fish and general marine life was in the area. We do however question the imagination of the person who named Elephant Rock. Like if you really look hard, I guess you can make out an elephant shape… but, it’s a little bit of a stretch.

The only negative about this day was the slithery “friend” that decided to say hello on a side path on our walk back to the car. I think Lauren enjoyed Steve’s stress at this encounter, but he was very keen to run up to the carpark and leave as soon as possible!

The next day the bad weather really took a hold and we took advantage of this by having a much needed wine tour day! Much similar to Tassie, this was a very different climate to what we are used to back home in South Australia and definitely produces very different wines. Our first stop was Singlefile Wines and its cosy cellar door was a much needed hideaway from the miserable rain outside. Although the wines were not our favourite, the experience made the visit worth it. If any cellar doors are reading this, fireplaces are always awesome when its cold and rainy.

We then ventured down to road to Ducketts Mill Wines and Denmark Farmhouse Cheese, mainly for a cheese platter, but it would be rude not to have a glass of wine to partner it! In saying that, with all due respect, I’m not sure Ducketts Mill Wines are going to win any wine awards anytime soon, but the cheese platter and toastie definitely hit the spot!

Moving on to the next day, Lauren was off to a much deserved spa treatment day in the hills surrounding Denmark and came back relaxed and revitalized. In the meantime, Steve had been doing research and speaking to half the shop owners in town, utilising his country boy accent to try and fit in and get some much needed fishing tips!

Back at the campsite, we again met up with our friends from It’s Only a Year (check them out on Instagram) and had an awesome night around the campfire, cooking up a storm over the fire and generally talking rubbish and reminiscing about our trips so far.

After spending another day based at the campsite being locked down due to the weather, we had a think about our plans for the next few days and decided to leave Parry Beach a day early and continue our journey West. After doing some research and looking on google maps, we made plans to check out a few of the sites on the way while the sun was shining. Our first stop was Peaceful Bay and again, we found a hidden gem with a protected bay and beach living up to its name. We spent lovely day relaxing on the beach and swimming in the clear water, preparing ourselves for the long drive to Margaret River.

Stay tuned for more cellar door action coming soon!