We were hanging around the boat ramp as this was where the eagle rays were regularly spotted.
The weather did not look merry with the gloomy clouds and occasional drizzles, so we were donned in long pants and long sleeves, totally not something one would wear for beaches! My beach bum was looking longingly at the waves, wishing he could dip his toes in the cool water.
Just as we were about to give up on eagle-ray-spotting, Hubby spotted a dorsal fin some distance away in the ocean. It appeared to be a dolphin, which we took as a consolation since we still did not see any eagle ray. In fact, they saw 2 dolphins out there, but I was hopeless in spotting the other one.
When the dolphins finally disappeared into the vast ocean, we noticed a lady, knee-deep in the water, a few metres from where we were standing. She had her camera pointing down, and when she saw us watching her, waved to us to tell us that there was action in the water. A wild eagle ray, at last!!!
In our attempt to get a closer look at the ray, Ian and I stepped into the water despite being inappropriately dressed for the occasion. Both of us ended up with wet pants and soggy boots on this cold summer day.
Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse
Next destination on our list was Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse in Augusta, the most south-westernly point in Australia. It was another 35 minutes away from Hamelin Bay, and as we neared the cape, the drive became really pretty along the coast and on rolling hills.
Arrived at last! It was so windy here and the fact that we were in soggy clothes did not help.
First glimpse of the what was awaiting us.... We paid for entrance, collected the headsets for the audio tour, and embarked on a pleasant walk towards the lighthouse at the end of the road.
Belle could not resist doing a star-jump!
We had reached the most south-westernly point of Australia, and the tallest lighthouse in the mainland!!! Perhaps when the children are older, we could do a guided tour up the lighthouse itself.
The point where two oceans meets...
From May-September, you might even be able to spot a whale from here.
The sky cleared up as we made our way back to the carpark. Now this looked much more picturesque with a blue summer sky as the backdrop.
Waterwheel
On the way, we made a quick photo stop at the fossilised waterwheel, that in the olden days pumped up water from a spring to the lighthouse cottages. Originally made from wood, it had been frozen in time by a coating of limestone.
Berry Farm
Our lunch stop was at the Berry Farm, about an hour away from Augusta. It was slightly out of the way but we wanted to try somewhere a little different.
Set amidst a beautiful garden (not sure why I could not find any photos), a sizeable lunch crowd had already gathered. We had to wait for an indoor seating as we did not fancy the flies outside. Just as the Singaporean family whose table we had been waiting for got up to leave, another visitor attempted to sit down. Two thumbs up to the staff who saw it and told the other patron that we had been waiting here for a long time.
As we were not very hungry, we only ordered the famous scone and a plate of pasta, and of course, not forgetting some milkshakes. Everything was delicious! If I had to choose a must-try, it would be the milkshake.
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