Rain and gales.

The weather men here are usually right! And they certainly were this time.
Last night we had serious rain and wind all night, and today there is a gale blowing, with intermittent heavy rain in the whole area. We went down the beach to see the waves and it was impossible to get down there, the sand was blowing so much it was painful. Every time I scratch my head it is like scratching sandpaper- I have more sand on my head than hair!.





We made our way down to Augusta and Cape Leuwin, the extreme south west corner of the continent, on the one side of the cape is the Indian Ocean, which was boiling, and the other was almost flat calm, the Southern Ocean. There is a tall lighthouse at the cape, built as a result of the many shipwrecks that occurred here in the 19th century as European sailing ships attempted to round the cape on their way to Adelaide and Melbourne.

These are dangerous waters, and the WA government was originally reluctant to construct lighthouses for ships going to other states, however they were persuaded to do so when the Kalgoorlie gold fields began producing in the early part of the 1900s and they need access to the south coast.
From there we had decided to move inland to visit some of the small towns which lie along the Blackwood river. One such is Nannup, some 120 kms inland, which has a lovely garden open to the public.We were lucky that we had a window between the showers to walk around it, although it is nearing the end of the flowering season there were some nice displays, particularly of roses.

As we left Nannup on the way to our destination for the day in Bridgetown we came across a large branch across the road, brought down a few moments earlier by the high winds and heavy rain we were travelling through. It was necessary for us to go off road to get round it, it was too big for me to move on my own, and looking up there was another just waiting to fall. Unfortunately Anne failed to get a picture, so you'll have to take my word for that!
Tonight we are staying in a luxury apartment (sic) overlooking a lovely garden and the river. We are surrounded by many colourful birds tempted here by the feeding trays placed by the owner- a nice touch.

The only downside is that it is pouring down again, and a gale is blowing, sometimes a loud bang on the roof. Hopefully it will stay on until the morning, when the weathermen tell us it should have abated somewhat.