Pics: Leeuwin Lighthouse, Rock Parrot
Well, it was raining when we got up at 7:30, but we had a great day anyway. Mark made delicious banana pancakes which we had with “maple flavour” syrup. We packed and set off at ten. Unfortunately we never got to meet our hosts, Pam and David, who run the boutique winery next-door which would have been interesting…also we might have gotten hold of a few replacement light bulbs!
Off through more lovely Eucalyptus park land for about 120 km to the town of Augusta and the Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse. The lighthouse sits on the southwest most point of WA where the Indian and Southern Oceans meet and here it always blows a gale! It was raining on and off but not cold at all which made it quite tolerable, as long as you held onto your hat. I signed up for a lighthouse tour and the boys went off to bird.
I and the others on the tour climbed the 179 steps to the top with our guide, Bill, warning the men not to hit their heads on various low points - a little irritating as I was a good six inches taller than any other participant! - and stepped out onto a platform and were almost knocked down by the force of the wind. Great views of really fierce waves. The lighthouse was electrified in the 90s and up to that time quantities of kerosene had to be hauled up those steps!
I found Mark and Bob and we walked back to the ticket office/café, but on the way, just peacefully eating seeds in the lawn were two Rock Parrots, a bird we were hoping to see, but not nearly so easily! They are olive green with a turquoise band over their bills and turquoise in their wings. Just lovely! They totally ignored us so we were able to really study them well. We finally got to the café and had a very good lunch of tuna and spicy curried-egg sandwiches and mochas.
We drove north about 20 miles north to the Bussells Bushland Cottages - the boys were worried because this is the cheapest place I booked (3 nights for the price of 2) - but it looks like the best place of the trip. We have a spacious rammed earth cottage and just now as I’m typing a family of ‘roos hopped by looking in the door as they went! Then a Port Lincoln parrot stopped by for some seed! Too cool!
I did a couple of loads of laundry and, when Mark finally came back from emailing and shopping, made pork chops with rice, onions, gr pepper and tomato. TV and bed.
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