Yesterday it rained. Heavily. So today we changed our plans and decided to head for Busselton instead of Augusta which, according to the weather forecast, was about to get a soaking. We’ve had enough of rain. Packing up took about three hours, so we’re getting better at it!
It’s a lovely scenic drive from Denmark to Pemberton; undulating farmland, forests of Karri and giant Tingle trees, and a beautiful coastline of granite and white sand beaches. One of our favourite beaches here is Mandalay Beach, named after the ship that was wrecked on 13 May 1911. The Mandalay was hit by a heavy gale and was being driven close to the shore. Captain Tonnessen realised there was nothing he could do to save the ship, so in an effort to save the crew he deliberately beached the vessel on what was then a remote part of Australia. The crew all survived the wreck and were eventually rescued (the full Mandalay rescue story is well worth a read).
May4th, 2013. Richard at Mandalay Beach, near Pemberton.
We had a quick lunch at Northcliffe in the forest and eventually arrived at the Busselton campsite at about 4PM just in time to setup the trailer before it got dark.