So many shades of blue

(42 KMs)

Wednesday 23rd October

Augusta

Another overcast morning and a leisurely start with our hostess’s home made bread and farm laid eggs.  There were glimpses of blue sky as we headed off around 10am with a loose plan to head to the Leeuwin lighthouse for the 12noon tour.  It was pleasant riding towards Augusta and we detoured onto the back roads to climb towards the coast.  Except there were many path options and all were equally unsuitable.  Our supposed route included a 1.5km push a bike effort with super steep gradients.  So we made our way back towards the airport and found a nicely graded track that took us back to the main road. 

We could see the lighthouse in the distance as we stopped at some of the lookouts with views over the Southern Ocean.  Our little detour meant that we arrived too late for the midday tour and the next available was at 1pm.  That gave us time for a coffee and light lunch at the onsite cafe, which offered surprisingly good homemade pies and sausage rolls.  We made our way up towards the lighthouse, checking out the various viewing spots and chatting to a couple from Colorado after we offered to take their photo in front of the sign showing the meeting place of the Southern and Indian oceans. 

The tour was led by a dynamic young guide who was the seventh generation of her family who was well established in the local area.  There was no doubt that being a lighthouse keeper was an isolated and physically challenging job.  The views from the balcony were magnificent as you would expect from the tallest lighthouse on mainland Australia and we could clearly see Passage Rock, supposedly the meeting place of the two oceans. 

We stopped in at the Interpretive Centre, located in one of the original lighthouse keeper’s cottages for more insights into the challenging life of the men and women who raised their large families in this once remote location.

We took the scenic route back into Augusta, winding our way past glorious beaches and inlets, with a constantly changing backdrop of different shades of blue.  It was a truly stunning ride. 

Once in town we stopped at the IGA for provisions and then enjoyed a beer at the pub, with its magnificent views over the estuary.  It was tempting to stay for a second but time to head the final 10kms back to our accommodation.