28th - 29th January

Leaving Mandurah, again, we head south along the Old Coast Road, no hurry and no fixed destination, only a general direction . About an hour south lies Bunbury, hometown of Doug and Annette Matlejan, a town we have not yet visited and though the Matlejan's are still in Perth (recovering from our lunch?) we decide to visit, have a walk around town and a coffee at least. This is a waterfront township sitting on a peninsula with a harbour and river entrance on the protected north shore. At one time there was a major grain port right in town, today a couple of the old use silos have been converted to apartments and the old Harbourside redeveloped into a boardwalk with pubs, restaurants and retail along the foreshore, and a yacht harbour in front. A conical hill situated center of the peninsula has a tall lookout tower constructed upon it and provides a 360° view of the coastline and Indian Ocean. A tall black and white checked lighthouse adorns the south/west shore like an artwork, quite stunning. Like many WA towns, the main shopping and business district is a long Main Street, pleasantly landscaped and bordered by colourful buildings old and new.

From Bunbury our route is via the South Western H'way which actually heads south and east, but that's WA for you! Every kilometre from Bunbury and the populated coastal fringe we have less and less traffic to bother with. Less than an hours drive later we stop in Donnybrook to buy the Weekend Australian and have a short walk. At the Info Centre an old gal sings the praises of the Truffle & Wine Co situated about a dozen kilometres from town, and as we have no plans this becomes a destination . We fell in love with Truffles in Croatia a few years back and are interested to see how the humble Australian truffle compares. This place sits in the Great Southern Wine Area, which actually has more vineyards than the Margret River, and Truffle & Wine has its own label of wines produced locally.

After a look around and a wine tasting of selected white wines we have decided (surprise, surprise) to stay for lunch and a Truffle Estate Chardonnay. The restaurant and wine tasting area is really comfortable with a relaxed ambience found in the rustic and country setting....the menu is far from rustic and boasts an underlying sophistication and complexity. We immediately order a Tasting Plate to accompany the Chardy which gives us time to read and re-read the menu, this takes time, discussion and debate, but we settle on ordering 3 entrees and a salad to share and it all works beautifully. The Chardy along with multiple courses all infused with Truffles provides a marriage of tastes and textures that left us full but wanting more! Time to move on!

The road becomes even more quiet as we now meander and roll over the hilly countryside passing through a multitude of "up" towns ~ Kirup, Mallayup, Balingup, Boyanup to name a few . "Up" means "meeting place" or "place of", and there's plenty of them. Cop this one for a mouthful - Wagebadenup

There is a council provided free-campsite on the south side of Greenbushes at the local sports grounds of which we have heard and read good things, so an hour or so after our longish lunch we pull into the shaded ring road around the cricket field where we choose a site for a day, then another. There are about 8 other vans & RV's spread out in a loose community along the road and we have soon set camp and met the neighbours, a friendly lot. A long lunch, fine wine, a drive, now it's time for an afternoon siesta before happy hour.

Happy Hour and everyone gathers nearby for drinks and to share the day. Some have been encamped here for a few weeks and have much local knowledge to share about the town and nearby Bridgetown.

An early morning walk into town extends to visiting the nearby lookout over a Lithium mine on the northern outskirts of town, then a detour via the local swimming hole, then via gravel roads through the forest back to the sports fields ....6.5klm that leaves us hot, thirsty and hanging for bacon, eggs and coffee. Roscoe gets the generator out and crank it up for the Nespresso machine, BBQ the bacon while Evi does the eggs and toast. Does a day start any better?

We drive into Bridgetown late morning just for a walk around what is WA's only Heritage Listed township. The town nestles on a hillside along a river gully with the rear of the shops on the river side of Main Street backing onto the narrow river flat. Between these shops the slope of the opposing hillside forms a backdrop and gives the impression that the town is "contained" by the countryside. The buildings along the strip take you back in history with boardwalks, wide overhanging verandahs shading ceiling to knee high windows that reveal modern wares reflecting the still country origins of the town. Hospitality abounds here in the form of wonderful old pubs, eclectic cafés and a few well appointed restaurants. We felt the friendly nature of the place just walking down the street . A rustic set café caught the eye, the Rusty Cow and we stopped for a coffee and watch the busy little town wander by.

Bridgetown, as most towns in the region do, has a community market garden just off the main road that is open on a Saturday morning, of course we stopped by for some fresh fruit and veg paid by donation. After a long morning walk, and by 1:30pm, we felt the need for some fulfilling hospitality so we headed to the The Cidery located on the township outskirts. This region is well known for apple orchards, and especially for the birthplace of Pink Lady varieties, so it is no surprise to find a Cidery and with a restaurant to boot! Turns out that it is also a brewery so after a tasting of several ciders and beers Evi takes a pint of Sweet Rosie cider and Roscoe a pint of Rauchbier (an Austrian style Smokey beer). Retreating to the garden settings we order a tasting plate of olives, chorizo, dips and fresh baked bread, enough for a hungry pair.

Whilst awaiting lunch we struck a conversation with a fellow traveller who asked if we had been to Leewin Estate? Not this trip was our answer, but it turns out he is Dennis Horgan, the owner of this famous winery. Roscoe then remembered and explained that we had met 15 years ago when we visited the vineyard in the company of Gough and Margret Whitlam and Sir Jim Killen when we were on a food industry junket, an event he remembered well. Small world eh!