Believe In Yourself
  • Be Yourself
  • Blog
  • Be Creative
    • Beverages
    • Breakfasts
    • Mains
    • Salads
    • Sides & Soups
    • Desserts
    • Bars, Cookies & Breads
    • Cheeses & Dips
    • Dressings & Sauces
  • Be Healthy
  • Be Free
  • Be Inspired
  • Be Bendy

Weekend Getaway - Geographe Bay, WA

19/10/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture
Western Australia is blessed with some of the most beautiful coastlines in the country - in fact, I think we have some of the best beaches in the world.

Geographe Bay is no exception. A 2-3hr car ride south of Perth, this region offers a wide array of attractions and activities from calm waters and white sandy beaches, to limestone cliffs and surf breaks, skydiving and whale watching, to a rich diversity of art, culture and history. It is famous for wine production, fresh regional produce, gourmet foods and is the perfect getaway to recharge and relax. It's perfect for couples, friends, families and the best part is that it's so close to Perth!


If you've never been before then the best thing to do is pick up a copy of the Geographe Bay Travel Guide . This gives you a detailed insight to all the fantastic things on offer in the area. Over the last few years I have made several trips down south and with the recent visit of a friend from Dallas on his first visit to Australia, I thought it was the perfect time to get away for the weekend.

We only had 2 and a half days so I stuck to Busselton, Dunsborough and Yallingyup. There was more than enough to do and see, and most of this area is pet friendly which meant I could bring Caileag along. I wanted some dog bonding time since I am leaving for the US for a month and dogs deserve holidays too!

The accommodation we stayed at was the Dunsborough Rail Carriages, which is pet friendly. This is a quaint quiet place just off the town center few minutes up from Simmo's Ice Creamery. They offer several old railway carriages that have been converted into long studio rooms with bed, kitchen and bathroom as well as cottages for larger groups. I really enjoyed staying here - you have plenty of space and each cottage is spread out enough so that you wake up feeling you're by yourself in the middle of the bush listening to birds and seeing all the lush greenery around you, and it's close enough to everything so easily accessible.

Picture
Two minutes down the road is Simmo's Ice Creamery, an iconic must visit place in Dunsborough. With over 30 flavours, including the good old classics and then some rather unconventional ones like cinnamon ginger, coconut choc fudge, burnt caramel with salty caramel swirl and many more.

For those who are lactose intolerant, there's a selection of sorbets from lime, to blood orange, green apple and a few others.
Picture
Here's me and dog sharing a raspberry one, and yes, she is actually gentle enough to take it from me without licking my face in the process!


As for the beach scenery... well I've traveled to several amazing beach locations around the world and I still believe the West Coast has some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. The water is clean and clear, the sands soft and of course the sun... Heaven on earth.

There's a few that are a must see in this area. Below are some of the best photos from my trip.

1. Busselton Jetty - this iconic jetty spans over 1.8km in length with an underground water observatory at the end. You can either walk the length or take a small train, be sure one night to watch the sunset from the rocks, it's an amazing view, some of the best photos I got was where it looks like the sky is lit up by flames over the water

2. Smith Beach and Canal Rocks - Smith's Beach in Yallingyup is more of a surfer's beach, however the views are spectacular, especially if you're chasing after a sunset. The canal rocks are an unusual rock formation with a small water canal running between 2 sheet of rock. There's a small boardwalk you can take to stroll over the waters to reach the other side of the canal

3. Injidup Point and Wyadup Rocks - Southwest of Dunsborough, Injidup Point and  Wyadup Rocks offers fanastic views of the beach as well as being a photographer's dream as there's amazing rock formations from all different angles with waves crashing down and trickling in between the cracks. Popular especially during sunrise and sunset, this part of the coast is not to be missed.

4. Meelup Beach and Eagle Bay - Eagle Bay and Meelup Beach border each other and it's the perfect calm still waters with white sandy beaches. It's perfect for families as the waters are shallows and crystal clear. There are large picnic areas with benches and grass behind the beach and you can spend all day out here relaxing, tanning and soaking up the sea breeze. Further down Meelup Beach are these beautiful dusty orange coloured rocks and whoever is feeling adventurous can spend an afternoon climbing over them following the bay.
Picture
From September through to December, humpback whales can be seen up and down the coast of Busselton. There are several charter companies which offer daily tours out, we went on a sunset one with All Sea Charters.

These creatures are magnificent and seeing them come up out of the water, everyone was like woah! We were lucky enough to see two of these creatures breaching, and it is amazing seeing that much mass leap out of the water so gracefully. The tour roughly takes around 2 hrs so you get some nice sunning time as well as a nice wind-in-your-hair boat ride around.


One of the must stop by places to eat at in that region is Samudra. This raw organic eco friendly cafe is surrounded by lush greens and small gardens, and has an clothing store as well as a wellness center all in one.

The food here is absolutely fantastic, here's a sample of their new Spring menu. It really is vegetarian food at its best, made with care and thoughtfulness. They offer breakfast, lunches, smoothies, an array of desserts as well as their own Elixir chocolate and other delicious healthy snacks.

My friends who normally eat meat rave about this place as well, it is definitely one of the highlights about heading down south, as well as unwinding and relaxing, you are also in for a treat while being good to your body from the inside out. Head into the center for a yoga class and massage to alleviate stress, and make sure you keep an eye out for their many retreats and workshops on offer throughout the year.

Picture
If you're feeling adventurous then find these guys - Southern Skydivers, located just off Busselton at the airport. Tandem skydiving over spectacular scenery of the coastline, with views as far as Margaret River up to Bunbury. You land right onto the beach next to the jetty and have a choice of 10, 14, and 15,000ft jumps.

I have never even considered skydiving, always categorizing it as something people do for an adrenaline kick but Anthony had gone before in Dallas and was keen and I was not going to be sitting on the beach waiting around. So the day before I decided I would go to. He chose 14,000ft which gave roughly 60 seconds of free fall, while I chose the 10,000ft, which meant I had about 30 seconds. I think it was better I didn't plan on doing it because I had no time to get nervous about it, instead, we turned up, got suited in, watched a video and off we went, enjoying a 20min flight over the Busselton and Margaret River region.

Then it was ready, set, go! It was an amazing rush and what I loved about tandem skydiving was that I didn't have to do a single thing other than enjoy the view. 30 seconds of whizzing around in the air taking in the blue greens of the ocean and the widespread lushness of the region, then we pulled the parachute and another 5 mins of quiet bliss seeing the world from a totally different perspective. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and the pictures were amazing.


So there you have it; 2 days packed full of action and excitement as well as moments of blissfulness and relaxation. Never a dull moment and plenty to see and do. If you are visiting Perth or even if you live in Perth, take the plunge, spend a weekend exploring the beauty and wonders of the South Coast!

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Picture
    "I am not what happened to me,
    I am what I choose to become"
    Carl Gustave Jung

    I'm Binny, a full time Bikram Yoga teacher and studio owner that lives in Perth, Australia.

    I started this blog to share the things I love the best in the world: being healthy and happy, food (especially raw), yoga, traveling and most importantly, learning how to love and be true to myself.

    I suffered from severe digestive problems when I was younger, being gluten and lactose intolerant, and developed compartment syndrome and fibromyalgia in my teens. I have lived with constant pain for over 16 years now.

    Over the past 10 years, I've shifted to a mainly plant based diet and realised that being well and healthy is a way of life. I have been teaching Bikram yoga since 2011, in the US and Australia. Due to my health issues I've also had a lot of bodywork done as well as explored alternative therapies.

    I've become much more aware of myself as a result of all this - physically, mentally, spiritually and emotionally. Right now I love my life. In my career I love what I do and I do what I love. I have traveled to some amazing places around the world and made lifelong friends. In between working and traveling, I cook up a storm in the kitchen, especially raw  desserts, spend time with the people I love the best, which now includes a yoga husband, a mini yogini Estell, and our dog! I try to listen to my body the best I can.

    I truly believe that we all have the power and the capabilities to heal our own bodies, to nourish the spirit and seek our own happiness and life's purpose. This my journey...

    Archives

    August 2019
    March 2019
    November 2018
    January 2018
    December 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013

    Categories

    All
    Body Health
    Detox
    Food Health
    Gluten Free
    Inspiration
    Markets & Restaurants
    Raw
    Recipes
    Travel
    Vegan
    Vegetarian
    Workshops
    Yoga

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.