Team Stack Down South Road Trip

So after the buzz of Christmas, Engagement, Birthday and New Year it was time for a 'relaxing' long weekend away! We headed down South to the Cape to Cape area in the SW corner of Oz. The region stretches from Cape Naturaliste near Dunsburough to Cape Leeuwin near Augusta. We stayed just south of Margaret River - A well known wine growing region.

Margaret River - Around 4hours South of Perth.

 

So after loading up Sheila (the car for those who haven't read the previous blogs) with all our worldly possessions - bikes, snorkels, running kit, GoPro II and all other kit for a relaxing weekend we headed down south escaping the city for the 4 hour drive to Margaret River. Being very disorganised, I spent the journey researching places to stay, as well as having a few sneaky naps! Luckily I came up trumps though as we found an amazing little campsite in the Leeuwin Naturaliste National Park around 20km south of Margaret River. Chris was quite excited to try out his birthday pressie from me.... the awesome new tent!

Conto Campground

 

We were a little tired after driving down on the Friday so after putting up the tent we had a lazy day looking around Margs and collected some goodies for a picnic at the beach.

Margs (what us locals call Margaret River) is quite a small town but very busy during the summer months. It is the perfect holiday destination as there is so much to do! And we tried to do it all in 4 days!!

After browsing the shops on the high street we headed north to a tiny town called Cowamarup. The name is from the Aboriginal language and means something like 'near water.' However the locals have really embraced the name and now the whole town is full of cows! After an obligatory photo with the cows, we set off back to the beach to enjoy our picnic.

Moooooooooooo

 

View From Picnic Spot No. 1

Naomi the Cashed Up Bogan!

The next day we got up early an planned to kayak the Margaret River. However it was looking a little overcast and felt a bit chilly so we decided instead to drive down to Augusta, the most south-westerly part of Australia and the point at which the Indian Ocean meets the Southern Ocean. We found some beautiful look out spots and visited the tallest lighthouse in Australia. We also found a great swimming beach so pulled on our snorkels and went for a dip in the Southern Ocean. I can now say I have swum in all 7 of the seven seas!

Flinders Bay Near Augusta

We drove back through the small town of Augusta and bought a coffee to warm us up. Augusta is a typical WA town where WA really does stand for 'Wait Awhile!'

We also stopped of at 'Mammouth Cave,' one of the many caves in the region. We had a short tour and took some photos but it was pretty cold underground so we didn't linger too long!

Mammouth Cave

 

Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse

Later that evening we treated ourselves to dinner at 'Swings and Roundabouts.' This is one of the many wineries in Margs. The food was incredible! Especially the salted caramel tart for dessert! We made the excuse that we were researching wedding food so that we could order extra food guilt free on "Official Wedding Business!"

The next morning we were treated to another blue sky day! We set off early for a mountain bike ride around Margaret River Pines. We only did a short 15km but by then the temperature was reaching 30 degrees so we headed to the river mouth to do some kayaking and swimming! We kayaked about 5 km up and down the river, it was so peaceful! The views were spectacular! WA really is one of the most stunning places I have ever been! Amazingly Chris managed to paddle for 2 hours without falling in! We felt we had earned ourselves an ice-cream at this point!

Chris looking super cool!

 

Naomi showing off as usual!

View over the Margaret River Mouth and up the valley where we paddled

 

Top ice cream spot!

After kayaking we grabbed some more picnic tea and found a fantastic spot up on the cliff tops to watch the sunset! I'll let the photos speak for themselves!

Picnic Spot No. 2

View over Conto Beach

 

Watching the sunset over the Indian Ocean

On our final day we just wanted to relax on the beach. Gnarabup beach is the closest beach to Margs and is about as close to perfect as you can get! We hired some stand-up paddle boards and had a great time watching each other fall off! We even saw a huge stingray! The people who hire out the boards showed us a trick to try on the boards. You had to stand at the front of the board to lift the fins out of the water then use the paddle to do a 360 degree turn. Here are some videos of our attempts for your enjoyment!

Chris directly over the stingray - a little wobbly scared to get stabbed if he fell in!

Naomi looking professional - this was before she was stood on her board the wrong way round!!!

The Ray!

Naomi's Attempt

 

 

Chris' Attempts - Struggled to get to the front of the board!!

After more lazing on the beach, we had one final treat planned before driving home. We visited the  Vasse Felix winery where my favourite wine is made (it also happens to be the wine we drunk on our engagement night!). We sampled a few different wines...on Official Wedding Business of course! We then had a delicious lunch over-looking the vines. Perfect!

Picking the grapes

Sampling the wine (Official Wedding Business)

The Vasse Felix Restaurant

After 4 amazing days we headed home, taking with us most of the beach judging by the amount of sand now in our house and car! We would definitely recommend a trip to Australia's South West!