To Augusta

It rained today, the first rain that  I’ve encountered since Tasmania and that was before Christmas, so I’ve been very lucky. It started as very fine mist but turned to a full on chuck it down as I rode south, so out came the waterproofs.  

However, it got misty again, I think because it was quite warm and that made it quite hard to see where I was riding. But luckily, a cave loomed at the side of the road, and off I went to explore it.

I say’ loomed’ but not in a hole in the road sort of way, but a side of the road geographical phenomenon now turned paying tourist attraction. But the cave was dry so in I went, and it was only $16.00 ( as opposed to over $20.00 in all of the other local caves.)

And I’m glad that I did. it was a self guided tour for a start - helmet, hand torch and headlight included in the price - and information boards dotted along the way. And I was the only one down there.

The whole of the edge of this peninsula is limestone, and unlike the Nullarbor where there is very little rain and so the limestone takes ages to erode, the landscape here has been substantially got at by both rain and vegetation. Caves result from erosion along subterranean strata, and additional rock collapse, and this one is quite impressive as it's a fair size. 

But added to that, the surface is heavily wooded, so soil borne acids seep down through the calcites, erode the rocks and also create stalactites and stalcmites, and shrouds - sort of curtain like stalactites. 

So I got very excited and took nerdy pictures with the aid of the torch because it was too dark for the camera to focus with just the flash.

And flowstone; as water dissolves through calcites, minerals deposit and as the soils contain different minerals, they create different colours in the rocks.

It's a bit like one of those candles in a bottle where wax has run down the sides, but on a giant scale. Its actually very beautiful in a weirdo way, something which has quietly built up over two million years yet only been known for about 80. A hidden world that was there all the time but which nobody knew about. It makes you wonder what else lurks just out of sight, waiting to be discovered.

There was no light down there either. None at all, not even a little crack through the rocks. I turned my torch off and it was like being wrapped in a black cloak. The only noise was the dripping of water, falling from the roof to the floor.

There were also roots hanging down from the ceiling. They had grown through the cracks but were now sealed around where minerals had accumulated in the same crevasses and solidified.

I guess I was down there for about an hour just wandering about, looking at the little rock creations and looking for pale koonacs ( crayfish things). I had assumed it was the lack of light which denoted their colour, but apparently not; its the  minerals in their diet. But I didn’t see one, although I did see a couple of amphipods darting about - little shrimp like things. It was too dark to take pictures though.

And guess what? When I went back up to ground level, it was still raining! So I wandered through the gardens a bit, looking at raindrops on the plants and spider webs.

The place had been burnt in the past few years, and some of the native species had reappeared, having failed to germinate before hand because their seeds needed fire to open, but until the fire, they didn’t get it.

The grass trees were still quite black and showing seeds. They release oils which help the fire and also I didn’t realise, although its obvious when yu think about it - the dried fronds under the top bit help the flames burn the plant and trigger the seed releasing pocessing.

The road to Augusta passed through giants gums, really tall ones. But they were in isolated patches, although not purposely planted. Apparently they are Karri gums.

I pulled into Augusta just as the rain stopped, and immediately found a park called Belinda Park. As I took a photo, a three legged dog came along, squatted under it and did a massive shit. He could have gone anywhere else in the park, but no, he had to do it right under the sign!

I found the YHA - run by a bloke from Leeds - dumped my gear, and then went for a ride. Cape Leeuwin is about 8 kms from Augusta, the most south westerly point in Australia and the place where the Southern and Indian oceans meet. It is also the site of the tallest lighthouse in Australia 39 m above ground level, 56m above sea level, and with the power of a million candles, shining 48 kms out to sea.  Imagine trying to light that lot! I headed down there to try and see the sun set but the lighthouse complex was shut and there was no access around it.

But out there somewhere, is that missing Malaysian airliner,  hidden somewhere under miles and miles of empty innocent looking water.

However, as usual, the sunset was pretty special, and Gerty looked good in the fading golden light.

Then I spotted a dirt track curling up over the hill and through the bush, so tried my luck up there for a view. It was pretty slidey thanks to the rain and I very nearly turned back. However, I kept going and after about 4 kms, I popped out of the trees and laid out before me was the lighthouse and the point where the two oceans meet. I got there just before the light faded so I was pretty lucky. And I didn’t fall off either.

Augusta is the site of one of Australia’s oldest settlements - 1830 I think. The landing place is marked and is rather unimaginatively called ‘ Landing Place’. But I guess they were just grateful to have arrived in one piece to argue about what to call their new address.

But on the way back, I noticed that the town still has its Christmas decorations up - and working! Only four months have passed since the twelfth day of Christmas. No wonder Western Australia doesn't do daylight saving; they couldn't cope with the time pressure.