Our Trip WA - South 10-Busselton & Augusta
| 10-Busselton & Augusta |
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5th June 2008. The wind was blowing and the temperature was down around 12 degrees so we rugged up well for the walk which takes about 25 minutes each way, but it was well worth it. Apparantly the fishing is very good from the jetty, but there weren't too many fishermen out there due to the weather. At the very end of the jetty, there is an underwater Observatory which makes the walk worth while. It was constructed on land then towed to the jetty and opened to the public in 2003. Descending 8 metres below sea level, you can see the coral and fish life through eleven viewing windows. Unfortunately due to the bad weather and rough seas, we didn't see too many fish but the coral and underwater plant life is amazing. It's quite expensive @ $20.00 per person, but I imagine it must be fantastic when the seas are calm and the fish are around. The money does go to a good cause though. It helps with all the never ending maintenance and restoration of the jetty. 7th June - Augusta:Heard on the news that some whales have been spotted in the bay at Augusta so guess what, packed up the caravan and off we went all the way back to Augusta. What's the first stop we have to make as we pull into town? You guessed it, gotta stop at Marlene's favourite bakery so that she can get her daily fix and a peper steak pie for me :). She's even getting me addicted. The first Whale Watching trip of the season went out yesterday and they had seen whales and so we booked the trip with great anticipation. Another freezing and windy day with storms predicted but what the heck, as long as we see the whales. We spotted some whales within an hour and WOW, seeing them up close and personal slapping the sea with their tails, breaching and jumping is an experience we'll never forget. Suddenly remembered I'm supposed to be filming all this. Marlene's at the back with the camera and I'm at the front with the video. It was only then that I realised how rough the sea was and it was almost impossible to try and balance without holding on to something, which made filming almost impossible. I did get some footage, but nothing like what I was expecting. No worries, Marlene will have had the camera clicking away, so I went back to see how she'd done. She wasn't looking to good, a bit green around the gills if you know what I mean. She was feeling so sea sick she hadn't even taken the lens cap off. I grabbed the camera just as the whales where leaving and this is all I got in the way of stills. The captain then told us we were going in early as the storms were closing in and it was getting too rough to stay out, so that was it as far as the whales were concerned. As we came back into the estuary, a dolphin put on a show for us and a pelican posed for the camera. Not the most successful filming day, but an awesome visual experience I'll never forget. Off to Bunbury in the morning. Life On The Road:Once again, Marlene excelled and did the jetty walk in 30 minutes each way with only a few rest stops. Anyone out there with bad arthritis in the back and thinks their days of walking and doing things are over, think again. She's proof that just getting out there with a new attitude and pushing a bit more each day can really ease the pain, improve fitness and so far, she's walked everywhere I've been. I was told at the start of our trip that I'd have to do the walks by myself coz her back and walking was too painfull. Her walking stick was nicked at the beginning of the trip and she's survived without it so far. This huge improvement is certainly making the trip a lot more enjoyable for both of us and she's becomming a new person :) |
