Chasing the Southern Cross Pt 2.

In the morning we woke up and had a look at the river mouth surf break which looked promising once a lower tide moved in. Addie and I found a place to rent surf boards and later in the day got boards and ended up surfing for about 3 hours. The wave was a real fun wave, it broke in a cove and went both ways meaning you could take off and go left or right. The left was a steep barrel and you basically had to hold on to your rail tuck up and let the lip of the wave curl over you then get slammed when it shut down (broke). The right was a real fun line that held it’s shape and you could actually do some maneuvers on it before it shut down. Best part was it was not very crowded. After we were surfed out we ate lunch in the car park (parking lot) then showered up and decided to go to one of the wineries and or breweries  nearby. Neither of us being big on wine we decided on a brewery, I may have been a little bit insistent upon it, but it was a great time, practically had it all to ourselves sitting out on the lawn watching the sunset drinking great beer made on the spot. You really couldn’t end a great day any other way.
                                
The next morning we woke to building surf conditions, the main point break at M.R was breaking at what looked to be a good 10-12 feet. We decided that the river mouth wasn’t holding the increased conditions very well so we went to another spot called Redgate and it too had about a 6 foot wave break in to the bay there but it was holding up reasonably well at either end of the small bay. You had to take off nearly on the rocks to get a good right hand wave or vise versa on the other end of the bay, I managed to get into a couple fun waves, After a short 1.5 hour surf we had to return the boards. We found out the surf was building and the next day should be pretty big and impressive at the point (Surfer’s Point as it is called). It was this day that we set off to a national forest about 1.5 hours away, and hiked through some nice short trails to a waterfall and a beautiful lake that was so still it was practically a mirror. We also found a hard packed dirt road that led us through the majestic Karri forests, Karri trees can grow up to 250 feet. By the time we got back from the forest we were too tired to make a meal via camp stove so we went to the pub in M.R and had true Australian Pub night. It was a Saturday evening and apparently on a Saturday night everyone meets at the Pub children grandma and all. A pub here in Australia is not like going to a pub in the states where you would go to drink, here they act a social network where you can eat and drink watch Footie (Australian rules Football, not soccer), forget Face Book, here it’s Pub Presents that you catch up with your mates on. We spent nearly 3 hours in Pub and that is about standard it seems.

We awoke the next morning to expectations of gnarly surf and we not disappointed in the least. We got showered and packed up the tent and all the gear and then drove the 2 minutes to the point look out. The parking loot was jam packed, apparently you don’t need to go the movies on a Sunday in M.R when the surf is raging, you just go and watch the surfers. We found a spot to park and made our way to the look out and were afforded a magnificent sight, !0-12 foot surf with light offshore winds blowing mist off the breaking waves like a lace veil being swept back over the face of the waves. There were probably 15-20 surfers out with an estimated 50-70 people watching from the cliff. We sat for a couple of hours watching the surf in awe of the power and grace the Mother Ocean can summon up, and surfers who’s prowess can meld seamlessly with the her. After lunch we sauntered our way on back to Perth stopping in a sea side town called Busselton, where they have a 1.6 meter pier. The pier was very impressive although unfinished, when finished it will have a train or tram system (something with tracks) to take you to the end if you don’t feel like walking. We had a sea side snack then finished up the drive.

This was also the weekend that led up to my 27th birthday and I can tell you it will be a birthday I will never forget. If you ever find yourself in Western Australia do yourself a favor and find your way to the Margaret River area, you won’t be let down no matter how you envision it in your head. I plan many more trips down there to surf, also the grapes vines had not sprung into their full potential beauty but rest assured that when they so I will be down there to photograph them. If your curious as to the title of this series, the Southern cross is one of the most prominent star features in the Southern Hemisphere, also it is on the Australian flag. The Cross was very noticeable down south while we were camping and I felt it was a good title, it also represents an ideal, a state of mind I find myself in here in Australia. Once again I thank everyone who has taken the time to read my blog, and look at the photographs I have taken. Were it not for you guys I wouldn’t be inspired to share my experiences. Cheers - Brough

Chasing the Southern Cross Pt 1.

Driving in wine country last weekend, bathed in splintered sunlight, passing huge estates with grape vines sprawling from the side of the road down rolling hillsides as far as the eye could see. I couldn’t keep from pinching my self. I had to reassure myself that I was indeed in Australia, Western Australia, in the Margaret River area to be exact and not just having an incredibly vivid and picturesque dream. The south west part of  Western Australia was everything I had hoped it would be. Honestly I tend to have high expectations for places I have only heard of. Most of the time, like any time one fantasizes too long about a place, you over romanticize it in your mind and it often than not doesn’t hold up to what you hoped it would be. The Margaret River area was everything I hoped it would be and more.

My visiting friend Addie and I left Perth with a beautiful 3 hour drive down south, through farm country past rolling hills covered in yellow wild flowers shining in the sun. Every now and again passing all types of cows grazing lazily, sheep and goats milling about in the mid afternoon sun. We reached the town of Margaret River (M.R) had a nice stroll down the main street and popped in to some surf shops to scope things out (the main surf break is about 15 minutes from town.) M.R  has a very artsy small town feel, many boutique shops, camping type stores and surf shops, seems an odd mix but there you have it. Australia. We then proceeded about another 30 minutes to Augusta which sits on Cape Leeuwin (pronounced Lewin), there they have a stunning white lighthouse which placed against the backdrop of the deep blues of the ocean makes for amazing photographs. Cape Leeuwin is the point where the Indian Ocean rounds Australia and meets the Southern Ocean (Antarctic). I of course had to slip off my sandals and have a bit of a walk in the Southern Ocean, I can now say that of the 5 major Oceans of the world I have had my feet in 4 of them. After roaming the lighthouse grounds we found a place to camp, a nice little “caravan park” which had tent campsites right on the other side of the dune from the Southern Ocean. We photographed the sunset made food and lit a camp fire (the most stubborn camp fire I have ever started in my life, took about 1.5 hours to get and stay lit.)

The nest morning we got a 10am start on the day, which encompassed packing up the gear and driving 30 minutes north with a quick stop off in M.R for food and a brekkie (Breakfast). We were on a mission to explore one of the many caves that over time have been eroded in to the limestone coastal  landscape.We went to the Nigili Cave, where while waiting for a guide to lead use in to the cave I discovered while sitting on a bench that a 3.5 to 4” spider had placed him self on my chest, just about where you would place you hand for the national anthem (American). See photo. I quickly jumped up and flung him from my person and then as any good photographer would do, I photographed him or her. Come to find out that of all the poisonous insect in Australia this was not one of them. Wildlife seemed to be the theme of the day, after the cave exploration we were driving along the coastal road to the other tip of the cape where another lighthouse stands when we noticed that the under growth of the forest and randomly sprouting in fields were clusters of Calla Lilies, thousands of them, everywhere, We decided to drive down one of the roads that leads to a look out over the ocean to take pictures of the lilies. After we grabbed a few shots we proceeded to the lookout where we saw in the ocean below a pod of 8-12 dolphins, eating and playing in the waves right below us. After about 40 minutes of watching and photographing the dolphins we moseyed on to the Naturaliste Lighthouse on Cape Naturaliste. At this lighthouse we went up to the top with a guide who had a pair of binoculars and told us if we looked out over the cape we might see whales, well we did and when it was my turn to look at the whales I saw one breach out of the water slap it’s tail and then surface while splashing it’s fins in a waving motion. I am not kidding. After trying to get some whale shots we left and found our way to the main surfing area, we camped at another park to wake up and try and surf the next day.

to be continued......

check out  the flickr photos up to the left.