Well, yes, I did say I'd talk some more about the caves didnt I? We've been to 3 caves around Margaret River. Lake Cave, Mammoth Cave and Jewel Cave. All of them are pretty amazing, as holes in the ground go. I've even managed some photos this time.
The first cave we visited was Lake Cave, it has a big lake in it, as you might expect. The cave entrance is the remains of another collapsed cave that exposed the cavern to crazy pioneering explorer types who lowered themselves in to have a look. There is a giant Karri tree, a type of Eucalyptus growing at the bottom of the entrance and from this they know the cave is around 500 years old, since thats how long the trees live for.
Once you get into the cave theres a nice long walkway and tastefully arranged lights set up to show off the caves various features, the most impressive of which is a several ton inverted table formation. The cave itself is the smallest of the ones we visited, still very impressive. Theres even some calcified spiders that found their way into the cave and got stuck in one of the stalagmites (the ones that grow up from the floor). They reckon that the drips of water that form the stalactites take around 6 months to filter through the 70 or so meters of rock down to this, the deepest cave of the three.
The cave also has some very beautiful stalactites (the ones that grow out of the ceiling) called straws, which are long and thin and hollow in the middle.
The next cave on the list, Mammoth Cave, is much larger than Lake, and has a much more Gothic feel to it. At the time we visited there was an exhibition of aboriginal art on display in the cave near the entrance. To get into Mammoth cave you walk in through a large Hole in the side of a hill, and you wander through, generally following the course of a small creek that runs through the cave in winter time till you get to another old collapsed cave that provides the exit.
The last cave on our list was the best, bigger again, Jewel Cave has some very spectacular rock formations including some that looked like coral and other stalactites with huge weights suspended on the ends. Its a bit hard to see in that photo though. This is in Jewel cave too, they call it the Karri forest. In the cave there are also some real pieces of Karri Forest, some tree roots that have burrowed down deep looking for water. All in all, looking at things like this and this 50 or so meters underground, can't be all that bad.
Right, well, while I'm at it, I've got a few other photos of my travels, so I might as well point them out to you all. Some of you were complaining that there isnt enough evidence I'm actually away on holiday any where so I present conclusive proof.
Now thats sorted out, I'll show you my stylish wheels. My trusty metal steed that has driven me around on roads like this. A beautiful scenic drive through the Karri forests, made all the more interesting by the absence of tarmac. Its also taken me to various beautiful beaches.
On my travels I've also seen a few wee beasties, like Emus, Koalas and Quokas. And stayed in hostels and at a yoga centre, among others.
All in all travelling makes you realise your not quite as big and important as you might have thought.
Well, theres only so much I can take of a hyperactive 3 year old, so we've moved on from Nannup, and come down to the coast and to wine country. I'm currently staying on a vineyard called Random Valley Organic Wines, helping out the couple that run the place. So, as you can see, life is hard.
The Margaret River area is famous for its wines, and is the place where everyone + dog goes on holiday from Perth. As such it has a whole heap of wineries and assorted galleries and other touristy stuff. It also has lots of beaches which are good for surfing, to the west of the Margaret River coast you have to go pretty much all the way to South Africa, or even South America to hit land again, so the waves can pick up a fair head of steam.
The first day we drove down to Margaret River, we arrived early enough in the morning to go on a BushTucker Wine tour, which involved a lot of wine and a very small amount of bush tucker, including a witchety grub pate, which tasted, well, witchety really. The focus of the tour was wine though, and Naoko and I spent a pleasant 5 hours sampling the fruit of the vine before making our way to our hostel for the evening.
Needless to say we didnt do much else that evening.
We had another day to kill before we were going to stay at another WWOOFer Host, the vineyard, so we decided to move on to Augusta. The Margaret River area is also famous for limestone caves, so on the way, we visited two marvellous subterranean caverns called lake cave and mammoth cave, but more about them another time, I'm talking about wine just now.
In particular I'm talking about vineyards and even more particularly I'm talking about random valley wines. If your interested, their Shiraz is pretty damn fine, I'll let you know about the others once I've tried them.
The couple that run the place are excellent people, we've spent a few days there helping out. We've done foliage, which involves putting up wires to stop the vines falling over and we've done de-budding, which is somewhat nerve wracking because your removing shoots from the vine so the remaining ones grow better.
The property is out in the country on a north facing hill. They have Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon Grapes. They also have organic passion fruit, avocados, Marron(freshwater crayfish) in their dam and organic steers including poor number 50 who is currently filling the freezer.
Its another really beautiful setting, this part of the world seems to be full of them, and I get to learn new things. Which is always good.
Well, I havent written anything for a while and you'll be delighted to hear I've been doing some hard work so it isnt all just drinking and sitting on the beach.
I've finally dragged my way south from perth and am currently staying in the wonderful wee town of Nannup, a local place, for local people.
While I was staying at the yoga centre, a WWOOFer came round to look at the place, to see if she wanted to come and stay there. In the end she found somewhere else but in the course of showing her around I mentioned I was heading down south at some point in my car and that I would have to find some other people to share petrol. I was somewhat surprised when she rang up and asked to come along with me when I went, but then again everyone loves the guy with the car.
Her name is Naoko and shes from Japan. Unfortunately her English is not the best in the world, so its sometimes a bit of a struggle to make conversation. In any case, she is from shikoku, one of the smaller islands that make up japan and shes staying in australia for a few months, but shes going back to perth once weve done some touristy stuff down around margaret river.
The whole south west region is very beautiful, around Nannup there is a beautiful stretch of road, which winds its way through the trees along the course of the blackwood river. Along the way there is a cheese factory, selling some beautiful cheeses including one with carraway seeds in it, a lavender farm with a very impressive and smelly garden, and my personal favourite, a fruit winery selling a range of fruit wines including nectarine, plum, pear, apple and apricot. Lovely, shame I was driving or I would have sampled lots.
Apart from some scenic drives, I've spent most of my time at the farm where Naoko and I are WWOOFing. Its owned by a lady called Bronwyn, and she lives there with her 3 year old son Lee. Its around 12 acres of land and they have organic chickens laying organic eggs, organic pigs and sheep, organic asparagus. The work has been quite varied so far, though I have had my obligatory day of digging today.
The first day of work happened to be the day the sheep shearer came to shear the sheep, so I was roped in to help him by tipping the sheep up onto their backs ready to be sheared. There's a knack to it, you have to twist the sheeps head round and push down on their back. I don't really know the knack. So there was much fun to be had chasing sheep around.
The shearer, also called Lee, was 66 years old, and reckoned he was going to stop shearing soon. He sheared his first sheep when he was 16, so he had been doing it on and off for 50 years. I later discovered from a guy in town that on his 60th birthday he had sheared 200 sheep. So hes a bit of an expert.
The next day we got a day off because the shearing had taken all day and WWOOFers are only supposed to work half days, so that was the day we went on our little scenic drive.
Yesterday was spent collecting up bails of hay from a field, chucking them on a yute, driving them to a rickety old barn and unloading them all. To make matters more interesting the yute has no breaks, at all. I've also had various interludes picking asparagus, feeding animals and collecting eggs. All in the good wholesome countryside. Lovely.
I think the next stop is Margaret River at the weekend, staying on a farm somewhere around there and having a look at whats going on. But dont be too jealous, I have had a few hard days work, so it isnt all fun and games.
Okay, so, what bright spark started using peoples blogs to advertise their latest money making scheme? Its just impolite. I dont really want an advert for viagra on my blog. It wont remind me of my time in Australia. It wont interest my friends. Its just rude. Now, how can I smite mine enemies and stop it happening again?
Well, yoga to be precise. I've found this thing called inner peace and enlightenment, well, thats a slight exageration, I've found a volunteer organisation that sets up backpackers and other social miscreants with places to stay in exchange for half a days work. Its called Willing Workers On Organic Farms and my first experience has been at a yoga centre outside Perth.
The deal is, you buy a book which contains a big list of places all across Australia who are part of the scheme. The cost of the book also goes to cover some very basic insurance while your working at these places. You call up the places see if they have any room and go and stay there for a few days or weeks, whatever you negotiate with the owner. In exchange for half a days work, you get food and a bed to sleep in. The best bit from my point of view, is that it doesnt cost me money, so I can try and repair the hole in my bank balance that my car has made.
So, the place I'm at is the Kookaburra Creek Yoga Centre which runs 17 yoga classes a week. Its run by a very cool and no doubt very flexible man called Robert and he and his partner and various children live on the property which is about 10 acres worth of gum trees. The centre itself is a big hexagonal building with a beautiful wooden floor, a very nice to do yoga, with all the sounds of the forest outside. Theres even a creek, or wee burn, as us Scotlanders might call it and I have seen a Kookaburra, so the centres name is pretty accurate.
I've also seen, a dog called destiny, some hens, some guinea fowl, a camel, two sheep and a cat. I've also seen all manner of insects, and other assorted creepy crawlies including a spider with a red back, opinion is divided over whether it was a red back or not, but it didnt bite me so I'm not too bothered. There are loads of little lizards darting around all over the place and I've seen at least one big blue tongue, which is the portly gentleman of the lizard world, he looks like hes eaten one too many blueberry pies.
The primary reason I decided on this place instead of any of the other places around Perth or in the Southwest of WA is that along with food and a bed for the night you can attend any of the yoga classes you want. Never having done Yoga before it seemed like a good opportunity to see what it was like without spending any money. Like I said the yoga centre itself is a really nice space, very tranquil, which is what you need when stretching your body into various different positions. I've been along to a couple of classes now and I have to say they are pretty good, lots of emphasis on breathing and control and its quite nice for the focus of the whole one and a half hour class to be on stretching unlike Capoeira or most other martial arts and sports where if anything, stretching is only a brief part at the start and end of the class. Its also very good for relaxation, just because your focused on what your doing your mind doesnt have much chance to wander.
Unfortunately I have to work for my keep, so I've been put to work with a strimmer, or whipper-snipper as the aussies know it, clearing grass around the centre. I did that for a couple of days before I was joined by Marleen a German girl. Yesterday we did a good few hours weeding and general gardening, today I spent my morning with a fork digging up weeds and making a bed in Roberts Garden. We were also joined by Daniel, Roberts son, who stays in the little cottage that the WWOOFers inhabit when they live here. Hes 15 and pretty chilled out for a teenager of his tender years. He even cooked dinner last night.
All in all its been a pretty relaxing little break, but I think the time is coming for me to move on south towards margaret river and some wine tasting. So I think on Sunday I will take my leave and give my car a little run down south.
