Day 92 Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse

Today we drove along the Boranup Forest Drive through the the tall timber forests. This is the furthest west that the tall pale-barked karri trees grow. Karris can reach 60 metres or more in height and cover the hilly slopes and valleys of the forest.





Our first stop was Hamelin Bay which has numerous tiny islands, reefs and beautiful clear waters. It is well known for the stingrays that patrol the shallows right up to the shores edge. Unfortunately we didn't see any of them today. Hamelin Bay's historic timber wharf—known locally as the Hamelin Bay Jetty—was originally built in the 1880s by timber tycoon Maurice Coleman Davies to load jarrah and karri timber onto ships. Today, only the weathered wooden pylons remain in the water and on the sand.








We made a quick stop at the Margaret River Sculpture Park which features giant sculptures carved from recycled wood, stone and more, formed amidst a landscape of coastal heath that changes continually with the colours of each season. Based on the Japanese aesthetic of "Wabi Sabi", which embraces the beauty of the natural form and the concepts of imperfection, incompleteness, modesty and simplicity.






Augusta boat harbour was a very striking contrast with the blue ocean and the beautiful grey coloured rock break wall to protect the small harbour.




Hillview Lookout gave us wonderful views across to the cape and the lighthouse and also the river.





Skippy Rock - Great views to the lighthouse from the other direction and along the coastline.







Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse a working historic lighthouse, with views of the where the oceans meet Indian Ocean to the west, and the Southern Ocean to the south and east. Cape Leeuwin was named by Flinders in 1801 after the Dutch exploration ship the Leeuwin (meaning ‘lioness’), that visited the area in 1622. Twenty two ships were wrecked around Cape Leeuwin before the lighthouse was officially opened in 1896 and only one shipwreck has occurred since.

Built by timber tycoon Maurice Coleman Davies and John Wishart, with a clockwork apparatus and a kerosene lantern designed by Chance Brothers, the 39m tall light operated in original condition until 1982, when it was converted to hydraulics and electricity.









The waterwheel was built to power a hydraulic ram, which would pump water to supply the lighthouse and keepers' cottages. It quickly became encrusted with a coating of limestone and is now frozen in rock. Water from the spring still flows through the sluiceway, with the high calcium content protecting this historic feature from the ravages of time.







On our way home we drove along the road to Nannup and over the Blackwood River which is the longest continually flowing river in the South West region of Western Australia, stretching roughly 270 to 300 kilometres. Absolutely beautiful vivid green countryside with green pastures of sheep and cows.