The sign at Cape Leeuwin that kindly points out the meeting of the oceans
My first port of call after Pemberton was Augusta, right on the southwest coast of the continent. I drove to Cape Leeuwin lighthouse, the most southwesterly point of Oz, and the only place where you can see the Indian Ocean to your right, and the Southern Ocean to your left. After climbing the lighthouse, I headed north to Jewel Cave, and went on an hour tour of this most amazing sight. There are about 150 caves in the southwest tip, four of which are open to the public, and they are stunning, much better than the ones I saw in Naracoorte (South Australia). I would have liked to do them all, but the prices they charge are not exactly cheap, so I went for the most picturesque. The other highly recommended one, Lake Cave, has a huge underground lake, but I'm far too scared of dark water for that... that's one phobia I still have to conquer.
I then realised that not only was there not a lot between me and Perth except road and boring holiday resorts, but it was also Good Friday, and every man and his wallaby was heading south for the weekend. The logical solution? Go to town for some peace and quiet, and it worked. I arrived at Fremantle (a suburb of Perth, effectively, though the locals count themselves as a separate town) on Friday night, and found it totally dead, completely empty, and with plenty of vacancies in the camping ground. I since found out that the only two days in the year that Aussie pubs close are Good Friday and Christmas Day, which might have had something to do with it.
It's now Easter Saturday, and I've had my first taste of Perth, in the form of Fremantle on a Saturday. The sun is out, the market is swinging, and the atmosphere is cosmopolitan, chic and quite beautiful. I'm going to get a beer in one of the wonderful pubs (or 'taverns' as they call then in WA), and I'm going to pamper myself. I think I could fall in love with Perth... I might get a job here for a couple of weeks, but I still have to move on before too long if I'm to see northern Western Australia. But that's a whole new adventure, and I've got me some city dwellin' to do first.
Isn't this fun!
