Thursday 9/11/2017 Hamelin Bay – Cape Leeuwin
Margaret River Region, WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Participants: Stephen Davies (Photos, Report), Sue Davies
Today saw us walking another small section of the Cape to Cape Track – from Hamelin Bay along Foul Bay Beach to the inland Knobby Head Lighthouse and return. In the afternoon we visited the south-western corner of Australia to explore the area around Cape Leeuwin.
Max elevation: 78 m
Total climbing: 655 m
Total descent: -664 m
Average speed: 5.50 km/h
Total time: 04:12:44
Note on todays track: I really should pause my GPS recording when I go for a swim, as I certainly didn’t dive to beyond 200m or swim at over 200km/h as recorded by my watch!
Another fine very warm day. From our Hamelin Bay cabin we walked out onto Cliff Point before heading south along Foul Bay Beach. A beautiful sandy beach with aquamarine water and a tangle of various interesting shaped limestone formations coming down to the waters edge south of Salmon Holes.
Beach along Foul Bay south of White Cliff Point, Hamelin Bay
At Salmon Holes we leave the beach heading east inland along a bush track, shortly thereafter meeting a junction at which we headed south towards “Knobby Head” Lighthouse in the distance. Past the lighthouse we walked along Cosy Corner Road and down onto the beach just to the north of Knobby Head. Our return journey kept us at the waters edge and walking across the tops of some very delicate sections of limestone cliff. Through this section the limestone is very weathered leaving it very rough, jagged and many sharp edges. This return section along the beach was very scenic.
Back at White Cliff Point, Hamelin Bay, we found a nice limestone arch on Foul Bay Beach with a variety of resident birdlife.
Thursday 9/11/2017 Cape Leeuwin
After our walk we drove down to Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse, taking a guided tour past the original lighthouse keeper residences and climbing to the top of the lighthouse itself. From here we could see both the Southern and Indian Oceans. With many small offshore islands and rock outcrops just below sea level we could only wonder at the lethal perils faced by all the early shipping who passed this point. The first sight of Australia for many who were transported or migrated from Europe starting with Australia’s first European settlers.
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