Western Australia - Day 4 (Pt 3): Voyager Estate

The last item on our list for the day was the beautiful Voyager Estate.  Even if you are not into wineries, this place is worth a visit just to see gorgeous Cape Dutch rose gardens.  The restaurant was renowned too, but we did not have the luxury of time to sit down for a long lunch, and our young children would probably not appreciate it.

Western Australia - Day 4 (Pt 2): Hamelin Bay | Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse | Berry Farm

Right after the morning farm activities at Sunflowers Animal Farm, we set off to Hamelin Bay which was a 35 minutes drive away.  The best timings for spotting the eagle rays at the beach were early in the morning and late afternoon when the fishing boats returned.  We were running a little late, but nevertheless, we decided to try our luck.

Western Australia - Day 4 (Pt 1): Sunflowers Animal Farm

Although it was already summer, the night in Margaret River still felt a tad too cold for us.  (According to a friend who was local in WA, at this time it was unusually cold.)   I was so glad that I had chosen a room with a reverse air-conditioner and it proved very useful.  It was a restful night, and I woke up before the rest of the family to catch a glimpse of the morning sun.

The scenery right outside our room was a real treat!  Watching the sheep grazing was kind of therapeutic in its own way, and time seemed to pass very quickly.

Western Australia - Day 3 (Pt 3): Margaret River | Sunflowers Farmstay

From the Busselton Jetty, we continued to drive southwards towards our accommodation for the next 2 nights - Sunflowers Farmstay.  We made a couple of stops along the way for some retail therapy.

#1 - Vasse Virgin
I loved the beautiful tree-lined driveway that would lead you to their store and small soap factory.

Western Australia - Day 3 (Pt 2): Busselton Jetty

Our first touristy stop of the day was Busselton Jetty, which extended 1.8km over the protected waters of Geographe Bay and was the longest timber piled jetty in the Southern Hemisphere.  We arrived at about 11am, and the first thing to do was to purchase our combo tickets (Jetty Train + Underwater Observatory) for the next time slot at noon.  That meant we had an hour of free time... and the children could not wait to hit the beach.

Western Australia - Day 3 (Pt 1): Perth to Margaret River

Woke up to this fabulous view again!!!

Perth at sunrise...5am maybe?

As we had plans to savour the award-winning pies from Miami Bakehouse along the way to Margaret River, there was no breakfast to prepare and so I had some time to enjoy the views on the balcony.

Western Australia - Day 2 (Pt 3): Strawberry Picking in Bullsbrook | Fremantle Fishing Boat Harbour - Kailis

Strawberry picking was another highly anticipated activity in our itinerary, so on our return leg to Perth, how could we miss a trip to one of the pick-your-own strawberry farms in Bullsbrook (roughly 45 minutes from Perth)?

Our trusty Google map brought us to the address of Ti Strawberry Farm, but we did not find any sign except for a "PICK your OWN STRAWBERRIES HERE".  

Western Australia - Day 2 (Pt 2): Lancelin

Right after the awesome visit to the limestone formations at the Pinnacles Desert, we drove southwards towards Lancelin for the sand dunes.  We had spotted many white sand dunes along the way, and hence, the kids were filled with anticipation at the prospects of playing on one of these.

Again, we saw the amazing wind farm in the distance before reaching Lancelin.

Western Australia - Day 2 (Pt 1): Pinnacles Desert

Woke up to this fabulous view from the balcony of our apartment.  I stood at the balcony for some time to absorb the views, then started the preparations for the 200km long journey ahead to the mysterious Pinnacles Desert.

Western Australia - Day 1: Perth

We made our maiden trip to Western Australia in late November 2015 during Ian's school holidays.  We had been delaying a visit to this part of Australia simply because of a wrong impression that it was a boring place.  On the contrary, while doing my research on places to visit after booking our air tickets, I had discovered so many interesting and beautiful places that we would not be able to cover within our 11-day, self-drive journey.  So here goes... DAY 1.