After saying goodbye to Sigrid and Philip, we picked up groceries for the next few days at the supermarket and found a cheap coffee at the petrol station, but had no enthusiasm to hit the road😉. A headwind and the usual rough road surface did their fair share.

Aktiviere Karte Deaktiviere Karte

It was a good thing that we hadn’t set ourselves any ambitious goals and were able to take a leisurely spring ride into the green countryside. We rolled along small country roads through huge fields of grain and well-tended, sleepy villages. Many welcomed the few tourists with a sign stating which year they had applied for the title of Tidy Town. So it came to no surprise that the lawn in the village park was perfectly trimmed and the spotless public toilet was waiting for the rare visitor with a bouquet of fresh flowers😊.

However, we made our detour inland not because of the villages, but to see the wildflowers in Coalseam Conservation Park, Lesueur National Park and along the Coorow-Green Head Road. Thanks to a wet winter, they were in bloom everywhere, sometimes as a dense yellow carpet, sometimes scattered in the bush or along the roadside. We stopped again and again to take a closer look at the flowers with or without a camera.

In Jurien Bay we reached the coast again and followed Indian Ocean Drive, mostly without a view of the sea. In Cervantes there were stromatholites to see, a type of living fossil and the oldest life form on earth! And just a few kilometers further on, the climb up to the photogenic rock formations (pinnacles) in the sand of Nambung National Park was well worth it. We enjoyed the ride through the beautifully landscaped scenic drive so much that it took us several hours to cover the small distance.

The further south we rode, the more we realized that Australia is not always hot and sunny. For the chilly nights and mornings when it was only 3°C, we had to dig a few jackets and long johns out of our bags. It’s odd that we escaped the heat in the north and have now arrived in the spring-like southwest. Here, the days are getting longer in October, the meadows are in bloom and there are fresh asparagus🙃.
On the recommendation of our travel guide, we took a detour before Perth via Gingin and the Chittering Shire. The idyll of the region was almost frightening. Cows grazing on green meadows, the first vineyards on rolling hills, in between huge properties with probably one or two people hidden inside😃.

From the rural tranquility, a flat cycle path with a smooth surface led along the highway directly into the big city of Perth. Two out of every three inhabitants of Western Australia live in this metropolis, which, with the exception of the city center, consists only of detached houses. Once again, we were lucky enough to stay with wonderful hosts… an acquaintance from the Gibb River Road. Nanette, Brian, Matthew, Luke and Rapha welcomed us into their home in an uncomplicated, warm and loving manner and we were allowed to sit at the family table as if we had always been part of the family. Thank you so much for your open doors!

David’s new camera was already waiting in the guest room, which he happily received. His old unit could only be switched on with good encouragement, correct shaking and in a precise tilted orientation. The tropical climate and bumpy roads are not ideal conditions for electronic devices.

Unfortunately, the weather during our stay in Perth was cool and wet (for the first time in three months!). We left the bikes behind, used the almost empty metro and were therefore very pleased with the timing of the rain front😊. We searched in vain for lively activity in Perth city center. Only the busier Fremantle had a bit of a city atmosphere. Apart from the tourist program, we had some shopping to do and long overdue visits to the hairdresser. And a trip to Granny Shila, whom we had met in Darwin, was not to be missed either. The days in the city flew by and it was soon time to say goodbye to our wonderful hosts.

Although we could have escaped the traffic between Perth and Albany and followed the famous Munda Biddi mountain bike trail, we decided against this option. Cycling on cycle paths and tarmac roads was easier and less strenuous😊. We were happy to plan our own route to the garden gnome town of Gnomesville (population approx. 5000), through the lovely countryside around Donnybrook and to the longest wooden pier in the southern hemisphere in Busselton.

There was so much to see in the southwest of Australia that we only managed short daily stages. At Cape Naturalist and in Yallingup, we were able to watch the passing whales from the shore, the atmospheric ride through high karri forests was a highlight, in Margaret River we didn’t miss out on a wine tasting and the view of the lighthouse at Cape Leeuwin was fantastic. Only the stingrays at Hamelin Bay didn’t want to show themselves. They probably found it too windy and the water too cold… just like us😉.

From Augusta onwards, the road led up and down inland non-stop. That’s right, we remembered, climbing meters is exhausting! In any case, we defined the happy hour at the Hotel Northcliffe as well deserved😉. On the onward journey through endless forest, a 65-metre-high fire lookout tree in Warren National Park was particularly impressive. We were allowed to climb this via an adventurous ladder to the first platform.

As we reached the sea again at Walpole, the route to Denmark included many beautiful views of bays with crystal-clear water and white sandy beaches. Full of wonderful impressions, we reached the charming village of Denmark. Here we were allowed to unlock Andrea and David’s charming house with instructions via WhatsApp, which they left to us despite their absence. How incredibly trusting and generous of them, as we had never seen each other before! We are really looking forward to meeting our unknown hosts in person tomorrow.