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Bicycle Tours in South Western Australia:
Bunbury - Margaret River - Augusta - Bunbury
6 days
This is the fourth of a series of retrospective bike stories, of rides taken
before 1987. 1987 was the first ride to be fully documented in the current
format, with distances, speeds, rest stops and so on, moreover written as
soon after the event as possible.
DAY 1, Bunbury - Dunsborough
MONDAY 1 DECEMBER 1980
As in 1979, I decided to take the morning Australind train and start my ride
from Bunbury. My plan required me to arrive in Bunbury at about 1pm, as the
train did in those days, and try to reach Dunsborough before the day got too
late. This was going to be a hard slog of some 77 km into a headwind. This
plan had been made possible by the discovery that Dunsborough now had a
place to stay, which it hadn't before. It used to be just a small village
with a famous bakery. In the 1980's it was starting its rapid expansion.
I don't remember what I wore for this ride. I didn't wear a helmet until
1994, but at some stage during the 80's I started wearing proper cycling
shorts with a crotch-pad, and sensible shoes.
I got the 9:30 am train from Perth. It took about 3 and a half hours to get
to Bunbury in those days and I arrived there at about 1 pm. I had had
'brunch' on the train, sandwiches I had prepared myself.
I got the bike out of the luggage compartment, stowed the bag, donned the
backpack, left the station and rode back up Blair Street to find the
junction with the Bussell Highway.
I stopped at Stratham, then of course at Colroy's at Capel, and again in the
Ludlow forest to have a drink I had bought at Colroy's. There was the usual
fresh south-westerly opposing me all the way and it was a relief to get
close to Busselton and turn up the Causeway so that the wind was a little
behind me. I was quite numb and sore and having to stop and stand up
frequently.
I arrived at the junction of Queen Street with the main road, and stopped at
a service station to have a rest and a drink and consider my options. I was
numb and sore and worn down, and hadn't booked the Dunsborough motel because
I had wanted to keep open the option of giving up and stopping in Busselton,
though that would have spoilt my plan. After walking around for a while and
having a drink and smoke I felt better and decided to do those 24km. There
was still enough daylight. I went to a call-box and booked into the
Dunsborough motel. Then I heaved stiff body over the bike and got on with
it.
I stopped a few more times, at one point stopping at one of those drains and
dipping my feet in water. It was a flat road and the wind wasn't so
in-my-face but because of the day's effort thus far, I found it hard going.
At last, from some distance away, I could see the bright new silver
corrugated-iron roof of the new motel and heard the pips go for 6 pm, on my
radio. The Dunsborough motel, though greatly expanded, still has a highly
visible roof that can be seen well down the track and has served as a beacon
over the years.
I got into the motel. It was only $12, I think, for bed and breakfast, and
there was an ensuite! Those were the days. I attempted a swim at the shallow
muddy beach but it wasn't very nice so I just immersed myself briefly and
got out. I went back to the motel, had a shower and changed my clothes. By
this time the sun had gone down so I 'phoned home to say that I had done 77
km and it had been hard, but I was OK. Then I got something from the bakery
for dinner.
DAY 2, Dunsborough - Margaret River
TUESDAY 2 DECEMBER 1980
I enjoyed a nice breakfast and got going as early as I could. I planned to
visit Meelup Beach first (couldn't go to Dunsborough and not visit Meelup!),
then get to Margaret River by going uphill to Yallingup, then turning south
to find Carters Road, then joining the main highway and proceeding to the
town. This was the reverse of the route taken on that rainy day in 1978, but
on this occasion I was only coming from Dunsborough and didn't visit
Yallingup Beach or the cave.
I had a lovely swim at Meelup, then dried and got the sand off my feet,
dressed and laboured up the steep hill from the beach. That had been a
killer in 1977 but this new bike managed it better. I reached the main road
and rushed downhill, through the town and onto Caves Road. I slowed down of
course as the road started to climb but it wasn't as bad as I had feared.
There are only about 4 km of continuous climbing.
I got a bit weary as the day's journey went on, and Caves Road went up and
down. The ups take energy away and the downs give you nothing but a brief
rest.
Eventually I reached Margaret River. I was used to the climb into the town
from the river by now. I got into the old hotel again and left my bike in
the same place as I had in 1978 and 1979.
As before I went for a swim at Gnarabup Beach, came back, showered and
changed and made some 'phone calls. I forget if I ate in the bar or got food
from somewhere else. My plan for the next day was to visit one or both of
the caves south of Margaret River, then head for Augusta for the first time,
using Caves Road. My up-to-date map showed that the stretch of Caves Road,
from about 3 km south of Lake Cave, all the way to the main road just north
of Augusta, was unsealed. I had almost no experience of country unsealed
roads at that time. I didn't know how up-to-date the map was or what was the
quality of the track, but I thought, how bad can it be, and it's only about
20km.
DAY 3, Margaret River - Augusta
WEDNESDAY 3 DECEMBER 1980
I had breakfast in the old dining room again. Then I got ready and set off,
taking the same route as in 1979 to reach Caves Road. I set off down
Wallcliffe Road, turned left into Station Street, rode past the old train
station and turned left into Clarke Street, then right into Boodjidup Road.
This goes down at an angle until it joins Caves Road. I rode along Caves
Road for about 9 km until I reached Mammoth Cave. I enjoyed the tour again,
seeing more things on my second tour. Then I came up and set off for Lake
Cave. I reached it in plenty of time for the next guided tour.
Lake Cave is entered via a long descent into a hole in the ground, which
itself used to be a cave until the roof collapsed centuries ago. A huge tree
grew out of the hole and plenty of now-weathered stalactites and stalagmites
adorned the sides of the hole as one went down the long damp slippery
stairs. Sad to say, all this was destroyed by fire quite recently.
After enjoying Lake Cave, I emerged and focussed on the task of reaching
Augusta. I asked the guide about the condition of the road. He said that the
sealed road did indeed cut out about 3 km south of Lake Cave, but he didn't
know whether it would be bikeable, not having tried it or travelled that
road much himself. I decided, as I always do, just to get on with it.
I rode easily down the road for a few km and then the gravel started. It
just wasn't rideable. It was loose and piled up in quite deep deposits. I
just had to get off and drag the bike along. I could have taken one of the
short tracks linking Caves Road to the Bussell Highway, and I don't know why
I didn't. Maybe I thought this would get better. Maybe my map didn't show
the link roads. Maybe they weren't all there then. I cannot get into my mind
as it was 26 years ago. I just kept dragging the bike along, getting hot and
weary and irritable, for about 20 to 25 km. At one point a car passed me and
the driver asked if I was OK, I said yes, being determined not to accept any
more lifts on these rides - indeed I didn't until 2002.
After about 20 km of dragging bike and luggage and self through the gravel,
on what had become quite a warm day, I was quite tired and sore and
irritable. Of course I knew that it must end some time, and that I had
enough daylight, but I had been hoping to get into Augusta in time for a
swim and a visit to the Cape and a look at this new, for me, town.
At last the gravel receded and the track hardened. It was still not sealed
road but it was a hard clayey surface and I hopped aboard and rode to the
junction with the main highway.
There is quite a steep climb on the last kilometre into Augusta, which I
didn't need, and I walked up most of it. At the top, there was the
hotel-motel and a downhill run into the main town. I checked in and had time
for the usual ablutions before going into the dining room for dinner. I
enjoyed a nice meal while looking out at the great view of the sea in the
evening sun, the coastline stretching away to the south-east, and the
sea-birds perching and squawking on the rail of the verandah outside. I
reflected on the day's hardships and follies.
During the meal I met the man who had passed me in his car, and we discussed
the journey. He said he had found it tedious even in a car. I invited him to
come to my unit and watch TV and chat for a while after dinner, which he
did. The unit was nice, all necessary facilities.
After he went I had a good night's rest.
DAY 4, Augusta - Margaret River
THURSDAY 4 DECEMBER 1980
After coming all this way and not getting much time in daylight in the area
the previous afternoon, I needed to visit Cape Leeuwin and have a swim at
Flinders Bay, where two oceans meet. I had an early breakfast so that I
could leave most of the stuff in my room and get to the Cape, have a swim,
come back and get ready and check out by 10 am.
I checked the map carefully then set off with a minimum of luggage in the
backpack. I whooshed down into the town, then through it and along the coast
road, passing through woodland and seeing many attractive beaches. In those
days the road was still narrow and rough. It was widened and fixed up later
as part of the Bicentennial funding to celebrate 1988.
After about 8 km I passed a big hill which looked blasted. This was where
the winter cold fronts came ashore and had done for centuries. The
vegetation on the hill was low and tough. Then I rolled down towards the car
park at the Matthew Flinders lookout. I could see the lighthouse but I
didn't go the extra km to reach it, but hung around the lookout reading the
bronze information plaque and enjoying the view and the lovely day.
Before leaving I used a piece of broken glass to scratch my initials and the
date on the bronze plaque. I have done this with each subsequent visit to
Augusta, usually in a leap year. On my last visit, in 2000, I could still
see the 1980 initials and all the subsequent ones.
On the way back I stopped to have a swim at Flinders Bay. This was the first
of many delightful times at that little beach.
I got back to the motel, paid and packed and got going. I had decided not to
go straight back up the highway, but take a diversion back up Caves Road to
visit Jewel Cave, then cut back along Bushby Road to cross the Bussell
Highway and go up Brockman Highway to Alexandra Bridge, then go up through
Warner Glen.
I rode the short climb from the hotel to the crest of the hill, then enjoyed
the downhill rush that had been such a weary climb the previous day. After
another 3 km I turned left into Caves Road and went on for another 5 km
until I reached Jewel Cave. I enjoyed that tour - all the caves are
different in character. Then I headed for the Brockman Highway and rode to
Alexandra Bridge.
At that time the new section of Brockman Highway and the new bridge over the
Blackwood River had not been built, and the old bridge was still used. Both
ends of it were picnic and camping spots and there were some dilapidated
structures, the remains of a store. I rode to the northern end and stopped
for a while. It was a lovely peaceful spot. I had a swim in the brown water,
a bit nervously because I couldn't see how deep the water was or what was
under me. Then I dried off and sat on a swing to have a drink and eat
biscuits. I enjoyed the bird calls and the lovely day. I always remember
feeling particularly good at that moment.
After that I headed north up Warner Glen road. The country looked lovely,
with the green pastures and the cattle, the neat arrays of haystacks and the
rolling hills and clumps of trees. I reached the point where I had to turn
west to get to the Bussell Highway, and passed through taller forest, where
there was burning off and I had to hold my breath as I passed through the
smoke.
I reached Margaret River in plenty of time to have a rest, shop, make 'phone
calls and walk around. I didn't bother to go to Gnarabup Beach this time - I
had done enough for one day.
DAY 5, Margaret River - Busselton
FRIDAY 5 DECEMBER 1980
I had a good breakfast in the dining room and packed up and set off,
straight up the Bussell Highway. The wind was from the south-east and I felt
good and just kept going. I reached Busselton one hour and 55 minutes later,
before noon. This was my second-longest non-stop ride. It was 48 km, so my
average speed was about 26 kph. I don't do that any more. Near the corner of
Queen Street there was a roadside stall so I stopped to buy some home-made
marmalade before proceeding to Marine Terrace and the Esplanade Hotel.
This was becoming a tradition, the last night of the ride in Busselton. I
had plenty of time to rest and launder and swim and walk around the town.
After dinner, which might have been Chinese again, I of course took the long
stroll up the jetty in the dark. I enjoyed it as always.
DAY 6, Busselton - Bunbury
SATURDAY 6 DECEMBER 1980
There is little left to tell. I had a leisurely breakfast in my room, then a
morning swim, before packing up and taking the easy ride up to Bunbury,
where I bought tickets for myself and the bike on the train, then went up to
the ocean beach for a swim. The afternoon train got me back to Perth in time
to ride home. This was during the four years that the Fremantle train was
closed.
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