Day 2 –  Northam, Wave Rock  Kalgoorlie

Cunderdin, Bruce Rock, Hyden – Wave Rock, Southern Cross, Coolgardie, Kalgoorlie

This morning don’t miss your photo opportunity on Australia’s longest pedestrian suspension bridge when you take an early morning work over the Suspension Bridge close by to our accommodation.

Today we head east on the Great Eastern Highway to Cunderdin.

Visit Cunderdin Museum. Arguably the central attraction in the Cunderdin Shire. Historic No.3 Steam Pumping Station for the Mundaring to Kalgoorlie Pipe Line built at the turn of the century. The project was commissioned in 1896 and was completed in 1903.

Bruce Rock has a Centenary Mosaic Pathway. The pathway contains over 300 mosaic slabs which show farms, buildings, churches, sporting groups, shops and families from the early days.

At Hyden visit Wave Rock that was formed before the age of dinosaurs, about 2.7 billion years ago. It is one of the oldest rocks in the world.

Wave Rock is an ancient granite formation that has been exposed to weathering processes for over 60 million years. It is about 15 metres high and about 110 metres long.

Visit Hippo’s Yawn Cave and after lunch, we visit The Humps, as well as visit Mulka’s cave. The name Mulka comes from an Aboriginal legend associated with the cave. Also at The Humps are Gnamma Holes, water holes in the granite rocks that were used by the Aborigines when passing through the area. Indeed, Mulka’s cave is a significant Aboriginal rock art gallery

Continue on to Southern Cross, Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie our overnight stay for the next two nights.

At the end of each day immerse yourself in the simplistic beauty of country gold rush living with all the touches you’d expect of a luxury resort hotel at Rydges Kalgoorlie

BLD

Accommodation Rydges Kalgoorlie

BLD

Day 3 – Menzies, Lake Ballard, Gwalia, Leonora, Kookynie

Menzies, Lake Ballard, Leonora, Gwalia, Kookynie

Early start this morning head north to Snake Hill at Lake Ballard to see sculptures by world renowned artist Antony Gormley.

Lake Ballard In Side Australia Art Instillation is at one of Western Australia’s most unusual and remote cultural attractions – Inside Australia. The artwork is a collection of 50 black steel sculptures standing over 10 square kilometres of the white salt plain of Lake Ballard near the town of Menzies. Each sculpture represents one of the 131 local residents, whose bodies were scanned for casts.

Enjoy coffee at Menzies local café Achievable Outback

Leonora Two hours from Kalgoorlie Leonora is the largest commercial centre north. Discovered and named in 1869 by the great pioneer of Western Australia, John Forrest, it has a picturesque main street and many historic buildings. Surrounding the town are old gold mining centres and cemeteries that are popular with visitors interested in Australian gold rush history and genealogy.

Gwalia  The Gwalia Museum is located in former office of the original Sons of Gwalia goldmine. It is well worth a visit before wandering through the deserted homes in the ghost town of Gwalia. The Gwalia has been well preserved and offers an eerie insight into the lives of the former mining community’s residents.

Visit Hoover House originally built in 1898 as a home for the mine manager now a Band Breakfast. Herbert Hoover who commissioned the house later became 31st President of USA.

Kookynie attracts people for miles around because of its unique character. It is virtually a ghost town.  Australian and overseas tourists just love visiting its famous quintessential outback pub the Kookynie Grand Hotel built in 1902.  Enjoy a refreshing drink before we head back to Kalgoorlie.

Dinner in house at Rydges Kalgoorlie

BLD

Accommodation Rydges Kalgoorlie

Day 4 – Kalgoorlie, Kambalda, Norseman Esperance

Super Pit Tour, RFDS visit, Kambalda, Norseman, Esperance

The Super Pit. This morning we join a tour of the Super Pit. The Super Pit produces up to 850,000 ounces of gold every year and its operation far outweighs any other mining centre in Australia. The Super Pit is the biggest gold open pit mine in the country.

Don high visibility vest and safety glasses and come and experience a tour of Australia’s largest gold producing mine, the Super Pit. You will be visitor inducted to the KCGM Super Pit and view the mining and milling operations through the Fimiston Milling Plant from the safety of the Mine-Spec Bus (Air-conditioned).

Be amazed by the size of the 793 dump trucks as we travel along the haul roads on site with the trucks. The view of the Super Pit from Harvey Hut will take your breath away as you see the old miner’s workings with old shafts and view the modern mining machinery working in the pit.

We tour to Kambalda for lunch, Norseman and on to Esperance our two night stay.

Nickle town Kambalda is unique consisting of two separate towns seven kilometres apart, Kambalda East and Kambalda West.   We visit Red Hill Lookout to view the expansive salt pan 40Km long Lake Leroy

Norseman is situated at the junction of Highways 1 and 94; Norseman is at the crossroads to everywhere and the gateway to the Nullarbor Plains via the Eyre Highway to Eucla on the South Australian boarder

Take a look at the life size Tin Camels that stand in the town as a tribute to the camel trains that carried mail and freight in the early days.

We continue to Esperance and to our accommodation for the next three nights at the Esperance Island View Apartments overlooking Esperance Bay and the Recherché Archipelago.

You will be able to take early morning and evening walks on the beach or on the new walk and cycle paths along the beach, may be go for a refreshing swim in the sparkling waters.

Overnight Esperance Island View Apartments

BLD

Day 5 – Cape Le Grand, Lucky Bay, Condinup, Wharton Beach

Esperance Stonehenge, Cape Le Grand, Lucky Bay, Condinup, Wharton Beach,

We tour to Wharton Bay. Wharton Beach offers magnificent coastal scenery, a superb beach of iridescent white sand and crystal blue waters.

It is a photographer’s delight!

Your tour leader / driver puts it out there and firmly believes this is Australia’s best beach!!!

Enjoy an Aussie country lunch at the Condinup Tavern.

This afternoon we visit Cape Le Grand National Park and Lucky Bay. This beach is famous for its kangaroos which are often seen sunning themselves on the white sandy shoreline.

We also stop at WA’s very own Stonehenge, an exact sized replica of the famous landmark in England.  Step back in time 4,000 years and stand in the middle of this massive construction and feel how awesome it must have been when Stonehenge in UK was built.

BLD

Overnight Esperance Island View Apartments

Day 6 –  Esperance Scenic Flight, Albany

Scenic flight Pink Lake Hillier on Middle Island, Ravensthorpe, Albany

This morning we take a scenic flight over Middle Island to view the dazzling pink Lake Hillier. This is one of the region’s best kept secrets and is rapidly becoming a ‘must do’ experience for nature lovers across the globe.

Lake Hillier is a bright pink lake situated on Middle Island, the largest of the islands that make up the Recherche Archipelago. From above the lake appears solid vivid pink.

Scientists have recently explained that many extremophile microbes, bacteria and organism play a large part in the colour of the astounding lake living in an extremely high salinity environment.

The spectacular scenic flight follows the stunning coast out to Cape Le Grand National Park, Duke of Orleans, and Cape Arid National Park and Esperance town.

Lunch at Ravensthorpe.

In the Ravensthorpe region we tour the Ravensthorpe Range an ecological convergence zone with low ridge of hills that sweep around the northern edge of the town.

The mix of geologies and features from surrounding areas bring together a range of plants making the vegetation communities of the Range among the richest in Australia. The views from the top of the ranges are outstanding

We continue further south to Albany our two night stay.

National Award Winning The Beach House at Bayside Albany

BLD

Day 7 – The Gap & Natural Bridge, Whale World, Anzac Centre  

Albany, The Gap & Natural Bridge, Whale World, Mt Clarence, Anzac Centre

Today we explore the scenic Albany region. Albany a port city is the oldest European settlement in Western Australia has a fascinating rich history which has been preserved with British and French connections.

Visit Torndirrup National Park to see iconic Natural Bridge and The Gap, which have stunning views of the southern coast. The Natural Bridge is a granite formation caused by the gradual wearing away of the rock by the Great Southern Ocean.

Join a tour at Whale World. The Historic Whaling Station is situated on the site of the old Cheynes Beach Whaling Company, located on the picturesque southern coast of King George Sound at Albany. Explore the fascinating whaling history of Albany, whaling ceased operating mid 1970’s

Enjoy lunch at Garrison restaurant on Mt Adelaide offering spectacular views of Princess Royal Harbour.

We visit Mt Clarence to see the Anzac Desert Corp Memorial with views over the Princess Royal Harbour and King George Sound. The impressive Anzac Desert Mounted Corps Memorial is a duplicate of the original statue erected in Suez in the 1930’s

Today Albany is known as the birthplace of the Anzac story and the home of the National Anzac Centre. Visit the remarkable display of the Anzac story. In late 1914 over 41,000 Australians and New Zealanders left Albany, bound for the Great War. This is their story.

These simple yet evocative words inform the content of the National Anzac Centre, a state-of-the-art interpretive museum overlooking King George Sound.

BLD

National Award Winning  The Beach House at Bayside Albany

Day 8 – Tree Top Walk, Pemberton, Margaret River

The Valley of the Giants, Tree Top Walk, Pemberton, Margaret River

This morning experience forests that have connections with another time the Gondwana era.

The Valley of the Giants Tree Top Walk is a stunning walkway through the canopy of the forest. You must experience the Tree Top Walk. Stroll among the upper branches of giant Tingle and Karri Trees for a “birds eye view” of the southern forests. This is a fun and exhilarating thing to do.

Some of the vegetation in this forest has origins that trace back 65 million years to the super continent Gondwana when Australia was joined with what are now Africa, India, Antarctic and South America.

Morning tea at Nornabar Nornalup. We drive through amazing tall old growth Karri forests to Manjimup.

Traditionally known as ‘Wandergarup’ in the Noongar language meaning place of much water, Pemberton, Northcliffe and Windy Harbour are, without a doubt, the green jewels in Australia’s South West. With their towering Karri forests, rich agricultural lands and stunning Southern Ocean.

After lunch drive to the Margaret River region and visit Augusta overlooking the Blackwood River and Flinders Bay on to Cape Leeuwin lighthouse to join a tour of the lighthouse tower and see the convergence of the Indian Ocean and Southern Ocean.

Visit the Boranup Forest a spectacular stand of regrowth Karri Forest 110 years old.  On to our overnight accommodation in Margaret River Prideau’s of Margaret River.

BLD

Prideau’s of Margaret River

Day – 9 Margaret River to Fremantle

Margaret River, Vasse Felix, Cape Naturaliste, Busselton,  Fremantle 

This morning enjoy breakfast at one of the local cafes and browse of the shops before we visit highly acclaimed Surfers Point where international surfing competition are contested.

Visit Vasse Felix the founding wine estate of the Margaret River region. Private Wine Tasting.

Visit Cape Naturaliste and take a walk on the Cape to Cape Trail which highlights spectacular vistas along the coast line and the Indian Ocean. Visit romantic Meelup Beach.

Lunch at Eagle Bay Brewing Company overlooking Bunker Bay and the farmland running out to the coast.

Before heading back to Perth Fremantle visit Busselton Jetty for a walk.

Busselton Jetty is the longest wood pylon jetty in the Southern Hemisphere and juts two kilometres out into Geographe Bay.

Esplanade Hotel Fremantle by Rydges

BL

10 – Fremantle Swan Valley Day Perth

Fremantle, Cottesloe, Kings Park, Swan Valley, Perth

This morning we explore Fremantle visit Maritime Museum and Ship Wreck Museum which features the Dutch ship wreck Batavia and its account of mutiny, murder and greed.

Enjoy coffee at Cottesloe overlooking the Indian Ocean. At Kings Park take in the spectacular views of Perth City, Swan River and hills beyond. The Wildflowers are looking spectacular throughout the bushland and in the Botanical Gardens.

Our finale lunch is at Mandoon Estate in the Swan Valley.

What more convivial way to bid farewell and celebrate the end of your fabulous excursion with your travel companions and Tour Leader Driver than to have lunch at Wild Swan Restaurant  Mandoon Estate in the Swan Valley

Hotel Transfers

L