Break Loose Adventure Blog

The scene is set – Augusta on one of those sensational days where the ocean is so blue that its brilliance almost hurts your eyes and the clouds are a mere suggestion in the turquoise sky.

We had come in search of pure unadulterated escapism. No phones, no cars, no newspapers just us, the colossal ocean and the breathtaking coastline surrounding Augusta in the South West.

We planned to walk the Hamelin Bay to Cape Leeuwin stretch of the Cape to Cape walk, which follows the Leeuwin Naturaliste Ridge. This ridge is testament to an age of turmoil, continental drift and relentless pounding by the ocean. The result is one of the most astonishing coastal landscapes that I have ever seen.

We set out early from Hamelin Bay leaving the Twenty-first century behind us and stepping into the timeless landscape of nature. As we walked along the beach just metres away at the water’s edge we spotted eagles rays, no less than twenty, basking near the remains of an old jetty, waiting to be fed a tidbit or some such thing. Further out just beyond the protective reef, a huge splash of white water caught our eyes, it was a magnificent humpback whale breaching maybe as part of a feeding pattern, perhaps to remove barnacles from its 48 tonne body but I like to think it was just for the sheer joy of being alive on such a glorious spring day. It reminded me that just recently whale sharks normally associated with the Exmouth Gulf had been sighted in the protected waters of Hamelin Bay.

This stretch of coast has to be one of the most pristine areas left in the South West as there is little road access to long stretches of the coast . We walked for miles without seeing a soul just enjoying the tapestry of formations both on the shore and in the ocean and the stunning array of wildflowers that punctuated the greenery of the coastal dunes. We came across some blow holes not far from Cosy Corner carved into a limestone shelf overhanging the ocean which were a surprise as we had just commented on the beautiful granite cliffs back around the corner and their potential for rock climbing. This was the magic of the walk, nature at it’s best, where everything is a surprise.

We continued on our way along untouched white sand until the lure of the azure ocean became irresistible. Plunging into crystal clear our bodies and minds were instantly refreshed and with some sustenance which came in the way of a packed lunch we continued on.

In the distance we could see the Leeuwin Lighthouse, proud and tall, marking the point where two oceans meet at the tip of Cape Leeuwin. This was our goal.

Time passed effortlessly in deep reflection and mindless enjoyment of our surroundings until we came around a headland where tuffa pools filled with warm salt water covered our path and there again was the lighthouse which seemed to draw us to it. Signs of civilisation brought us back to reality with a jolt, an old waterwheel encrusted with calcium once used to feed water to the lighthouse cottages. We clambered over granite boulders of monumental size, riddled with rock pools, scampering crabs and sea anemones, to find ourselves at the foot of the Leeuwin Lighthouse, almost the end of our journey. We had one last obstacle to tackle, the lighthouse itself. From the top we could see where we had walked from and had we the energy left, where we could walk to and the awesome winding Blackwood River penetrating and winding inland. An aquatic playground that we were yet to explore with fishing, windsurfing and canoeing being just a few of things to do. Definitely another day.

Article by Chloe Hoyne

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This entry was posted on Friday, July 7th, 2006 at 3:06 pm and is filed under Buskwalking/Hiking. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.