SouthWest Caravan Trip

 As anxious as we are to see our family in the east, we decided not to rush over there now that our state border is open, as there are still too many restrictions which involve too many uncertainties regarding interstate travel and so, for the time being we will stay in W.A.

MARGARET RIVER 

Friday, 13th - Sunday, 15th November, 2020.

This (Sunday) is our third night at the Olive Hill Farm in Bramley, a few kilometres north of Margaret River - as the name suggests it is an olive farm, run by Helen and Benji from the Scottish Borders, who have provided hard stand sites among the olive trees for about 16 caravans.  It is very peaceful and has sheep wandering about munching on the grass and/or the lower olive tree leaves, now and then stopping to gaze in wonder at the humans, probably wondering why we aren't munching along with them!

                         

We arrived here on Friday afternoon after an uneventful drive from home, stopping at the services on the Forrest Highway for a pastie and a sausage roll from the Miami Bakehouse.  The pastie was pronounced delicious, the sausage roll was very average.  There was much traffic along the freeway but everyone behaved well and there were no holdups.  Between Bunbury and Busselton there was a light shower and some drizzle further on but by the time we'd settled in at our chosen site, the sun was shining and the sky was blue.  We visited the nearby brewery for a beer and a cider before returning to cook hamburgers on the bbq.  At about 9pm the rain came down.

On Saturday morning we drove into Margaret River to visit the farmers' markets and on recommendation from Helen, bought a couple of cheeses from Sonya who has a goat farm in the area.  Due to roadworks in the town, the main street was closed to traffic when we were here in February and is still closed to traffic nine months later!  Understandably, the locals are not particularly happy and businesses have suffered - I don't know when it will be reopened.   We had coffee in town, stopped at the supermarket for a few things and went back to the farm for an hour or so, then drove to nearby Berry Farm to meet Steph and Paul, down here for the weekend, and had lunch with them at the cottage cafe.                                                                    

On the way back to the farm, we stopped at Darnells General Store in Rosa Brook  

                

and bought a jar of pumpkin chutney which we have yet to try.  The countryside around here, east of Bussell Highway, is quite lovely, some vineyards 

           

but more general farming than in the area between Bussell Highway and Caves Road. 

 

It rained heavily through the night and was very cool this morning when we followed the sometimes boggy walk trail to the river at the back of the property.

then Mike cooked breakfast on the bbq 

after which we drove along back roads to Cowaramup

treated ourselves to coffee and cake, wandered in and out of most of the little shops in town, stopped at Miller's IceCreamery for excellent ice creams, visited Ellensbrook Beach,

called in briefly to Margaret River but as almost everything was closed, came back to the farm.  It has been a very relaxing, enjoyable couple of days.

JARRAHDENE CAMPGROUND

Monday, 16th November, 2020.

On Monday and Friday mornings before she leaves for school, 11 year old Emma, daughter of Helen and Benji, bakes a batch of scones which her mother then offers to campers, served with jam and cream and for a gold coin donation.  Emma wants a trumpet and all the money she makes on the sale of the scones goes towards the purchase of the trumpet.  We were  happy to contribute, especially as the scones were lovely, light and some of the best we've eaten.  We drove into Cowaramup to the post office but they did not have what we needed.... the trip wasn't completely wasted though as it was a very pleasant drive.  Back at the farm, we hitched up, filled the water tank and left, stopping shortly after in Witchcliffe where we wandered into the second hand shop for a rummage around, would have done the same at the Red Cross Op Shop but it was closed, bought pies and coffee at the pie and coffee shop and drove on to Jarrahdene Campground which is in the Leeuwin Naturaliste National Park.  We'd selected our site when we booked and are very happy with it....there's plenty of room, just two other campers in our 'loop', we've been for a walk through the bush to check out the history of the timber industry which thrived here in the late 1800s and early 1900s and been delighted with the flowers we've found here.  We're here for two nights and look forward to a quiet time.