Australia's Jewel: Along the Southwest Coast

We are halfway through our tour of the Southwest of Australia. When we sat down to compile a list of keywords for this blog, we were overwhelmed by everything we have experienced in the past few days. How do we summarize all of our experiences into a reasonably condensed text? The next challenge: Which photos do we want to share with you? The Southwest coast is not making it easy for us. We have found a jewel of untouched nature here. We have driven from Cape to Cape, spent most of our time in national parks, and have had the opportunity to admire the flora and fauna.

Let's start with the fauna: During our drive, we saw many wild kangaroos. When we stayed overnight in Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park, a common brushtail possum roamed through the bush. During dinner, yellow-footed antechinus played behind us in the bushes. Once, a flock of gray mantle glasses took over the entire interior of our camper van as if it were their own. They were after the ripe pear that we had accidentally not stored in our cooler box. The funniest encounter was by far with two mice that had wandered into our tent in the evening. However, Martin only noticed them in the middle of the night when they rustled in our trash bag. While trying to get them out of the tent, one crawled up my sweater sleeve and settled on my shoulder to be placed back in their familiar environment outside the tent.

Vroni and Martin climbed up to the 52-meter-high viewing platform in the Gloucester tree in the national park of the same name. A Karri tree with an impressive height of 72 meters and at the same time the world's tallest tree for fire observation. The 'stairs' were iron bars spiraling around the trunk of the tree. I have mostly overcome my fear of heights, but that was a bit too extreme for me. In the Valley of the Giants, we walked on the Tree Top Walk at a height of 40 meters to be at eye level with the treetops of the eucalyptus trees. Bees buzzed among the small flowers of the trees, which can grow up to 70 meters high, while we enjoyed the bird's-eye view from the suspension bridge.

Back on the coast, we found one of the most beautiful bays we have seen so far on our journey: Greens Pool in William Bay National Park. The combination of shallow, turquoise, calm water and dark blue, powerful waves, rocks resisting the waves, the fresh saltwater breeze blowing around the nose, the green coast with its narrow sandy beach strip, the clouds, and the play of sunlight over the bay was incredibly beautiful.

It was a less romantic experience at 'The Gap' in Torndirrup National Park. A rock niche into which the Southern Ocean crashes with all its might. It is unbelievable that the rocks withstand this force. The water rushed so intensely against the stone wall, shattering like powder against it, and retreated to the next wave. Relentlessly. The water was white with foam, and the thunder when a particularly large wave came was shocking.

As beautiful as the landscape is in sunny and mild weather, it can be unpleasant when the wind gets stronger, it gets colder, and the rain not only waters the plants. It is autumn in the southwest - and we have typical April weather. It is almost like playing roulette whether you can fall asleep at night in absolute silence, only with the soothing sound of the waves and chirping, or whether you have to secure the tent at 11°C because the wind wants to take it away. With the tent securely anchored and dressed like Michelin men, we lie in the tent and try to sleep while heavy rain beats against the tent shell right next to our ears and the wind causes the tarpaulins to vibrate. We started our 100th day with rain. Not everyone can crawl out of the rooftop tent like that and then have breakfast under a makeshift tarpaulin while the rain slowly but surely floods the entire seat of the camping chair. For a brief moment, I thought of the dry office chair. After breakfast, I sat on the dry car seat and think that it currently suits me better. Despite the occasional unluxurious circumstances of camping life during a road trip - we are happy and have the priceless luxury of being able to experience all these beautiful things.

The next few days will take us to the Côte d'Azur of Australia and then through the Golden Outback.

Until then,

Vroni, Martin, and Maria