Tuesday – March 25, 2025
Busselton, Australia
The claim to fame of Busselton is their wood pier jetty – the longest in the Southern Hemisphere. It is 1.14 miles long and contains underwater observatories and a train (among other things). We tendered at Busselton and got off the tender near the shore end of the jetty.
Our guide today was Brian and Diane was our driver. Brian was from Perth and has lived in Busselton for 20 years. Our plan today is to visit a historic lighthouse, a special winery and an area where rocks meet the Indian Ocean.
The Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse is located on the extreme Southwest tip of Australia. In the parking area there was a strange sound – turned out to be a magpie (on video in today’s media). The first thing we noticed as we walked from the parking toward the lighthouose was the number of flies. They didn’t land on you but were very annoying around the face. We had heard that we might need some type of insect repellent for our trip coming up in a couple days. Brian said that one of the most reliable repellents is called “Local” and can be found at most grocery stores. We made note of that and pushed through the flies to get to the lighthouse.
The area near Busselton – Margaret River region – supports a large number of vineyards (200) and wineries. We were headed to one Brian likes named Cape Naturaliste Vineyard. Upon arrival we were greeted by one of the owners (the wife) and given a short course in the wines they produce. Then we sampled 10 different varieties. Jan and I liked a couple that were based on muscat grapes. We bought a couple bottles of the Muscato and one bottle of Monty’s Fine Old Muscat 10 Years (to us it tastes like Tuaca).
After sampling all that wine we were a bit “buzzed” so the ride in the bus was pleasant. We drove to an area named Canal Rocks where boys were diving into the water surrounded by rather large rocks. There was some protection where they were diving from the pounding of the waves from the Indian Ocean. You can see some of the waves crash in the still photos. After 30 minutes or so we boarded the bus to head back to the jetty and our tender.
Nice weather – a little warm to start but pleasant by the time we arrived back at the jetty. Brian was a great guide and anxious to share his knowledge of the area with us. Next stop will be Fremantle/Perth and our departure from the ship for over a week.
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