South West of Perth

I now find myself 8km south of Bunbury, which is 2hours driving south of Perth, in a place called Dalyellup. This is some 350km south of Perth. The drive down was flat and rural with many gum trees and Pig melons. Pig melons are a wild melon found normally on the side of the road or on rough farmland. On the whole they are a bit bigger than a grapefruit and a yellowish green in colour. They have limited use as even farm animals are not keen to eat them. Paddy melons are another wild melon which sheep will eat if they are young and succulent. They were first introduced as a salad leaf, but no longer used. They grow to the size of a golf ball and can be very bitter. These wild melons begin to grow after the first rainfall at the end of the summer (January).
Bunbury has a population of about 40,000. It has a cathedral and a population of more than 30,000 and so can be classed as a city. It has a large shopping centre and some out of town shops.
The surrounding countryside is very pretty and two minutes walk from the place I am staying are Peppermint Woods. Walking through first thing in the morning is very peaceful. It is full of peppermint eucalyptus trees, squash the leaves and they smell, not very much of peppermint, but they have a strong smell. The woods lead down to a manufactured lake which has a track round for cyling, walking or running, there are children's playgrounds, areas for BBQ's,, toilets and lots of grassy banks. It is really a nice environment and along with the cooler air and guaranteed weather it makes a fantastic place to live.
If you walk further on from the lake you reach the most beautiful sandy beach. Yellow sand edged with dunes covered in dune plants able to withstand the salty atmosphere and blown by the cool sea breezes. We sat for some time on the beach as the sun set, shoes and socks off, sat on a sand ledge, feet dangling into the sea - lovely! I have to say, I came back to this beach a couple more times as it was so lovely and with the weather to go with it. The second time I went the waves were crashing and there were a lot of fisherman and families fishing along the sea edge. There must have been a few fish around as I also saw 4 dolphins swimming about 150 metres out. What a treat and I was so excited by that.
Our trip further south took us to Busselton and its jetty. This is the longest wooden jetty in the southern hemisphere. it was once a kilometre long and was built in the 1930's for unloading boats. It is slightly shorter now due to a fire and it has an underwater viewing station at the end. We followed the coast road to Dunsborough and Yallingup surf beach. Located at the northern end of the region Yallingup has bred many of the region's and world's greatest surfers. Home to a relaxed local community, Yallingup, an aboriginal word meaning "Place of Love", is a small town nestled in amongst the trees along the coast. The town itself is relatively untouched by the mass tourism visiting the region and one can still enjoy the coastline and local beaches without the crowds characteristic of the city beaches.
We then moved into wine country, everywhere there are vinyards all of which are open and plying for trade, offering meals, goods and play areas for the families on holiday in this area. It has been 40 years since the first vines were planted in the Margaret River region and already the area is recognised as one of the world's great fine wine producers. There are some 200 vineyards in the region. The first type of wine to win acclaim in the region was Cabernet Sauvignon. Today Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Shiraz and Semillon are also of consistently high quality and win many awards.
Along with the vines are olive farms, also making a living by offering facilities for the discerning holiday maker. Our furthest most point was Margaret River, an area for artisans and full of people on holiday. This was a bustling market town with a very cosmopolitan lifestyle, full of restaurants, gift shops and stylish shopping happily living aongside one another.
Then it was on to Cowaramup. Cowaramup is one of the northern towns of the region located 5 minutes drive north of Margaret River. Home of the Margaret River Wine Festival. Cowaramup is in the centre of the wine region, located close to the region's most prestigious wineries. There is also a beach close by called Gracetown, a beautiful secluded little bay, home to a small community of locals. Fantastic fishing, diving, surfing, snorkeling and swimming are also on hand within the protected bay with its reefs, limestone cliff faces and surf.
One last thing to mention Cowparade 2010 is well on its way. Brightly coloured fibreglass cows have been painted by local artists and are out and about in the whole of the Margaret River area. They are a spectacle and a real tourist attraction. At the end of the event the cows will be auctioned for charity - very mooving.