Busselton is a little town in the South West of Western Australia about 3 hours south of Perth. I love this part of the world. Busselton is close to Dunsborough, Margaret River and the Leewuin – Naturaliste Nation Park.

I have been coming to this area for vacations all my life, but for the last 15 years I’ve been coming the the Busselton Beach Resort time share. Usually we go in February in the middle of summer, but this time we swapped it for a winter getaway.

It was cold, yes, but the area is beautiful and green.

We drove down on Saturday morning and arrived at the resort after lunch (MacDonalds in Bunbury) where we just bummed around the resort until dinner. We ordered pizza from Cena – which is a bit of a tradition. The pizzas are always great and we were looking forward to it on a cold rainy night. But it was a disappointment. The bases of both pizzas were under cooked.

Sunday was great day. We decided to drive down to Hamelin Bay through Cowaramup and Marget River having lunch at a winery on the way. We had lunch at Brookwood Estate. I lovely little winery near Cowaramup. Of course we sampled their wines. Jane loved their “Mellow Rouge” blend, while I chose the Cabernet Shiraz. Lunch was very nice. Bianca and I had the Lamb Rump, Jane had the Seafood Chowder, Bettina had the Beef Cheeks and Nanay had the fish of the day (Blue Eyed Trevalla). No complaints by anyone! (this is not a food blog).

After we filled our bellies, we continued our drive down to Hamelin Bay. I’d seen photos of big sting rays that come right to the shore line looking for food. But i guess the ocean was too cold and rough for them on that day. The beach was clean and fresh though.

On the way home we drove through the Boronup Karri Forest. Driving through the big beautiful Karri trees was lovely, but the girls were looking at their phones in the back seat most of the time – probably googling pictures of forests.

We stopped at Fonti Farm on the way back to Busselton to pick up some locally made cheeses. We tasted all of the cheeses and bought the Vintage Cheddar, Smoked Cheddar and Camembert. Back at our Busselton villa we had the cheese and wine – ah the south west life!

The next morning we woke late and went out for fish and chips lunch at the famous Busselton Jetty. Another tradition. There we met Alex and Mary and their baby Marcus who were staying with us Monday night.

After lunch we decided to visit Sugarloaf Rock for some sightseeing and photography. Like myself, Alex is a keen photographer.

 

On the way back home we stopped in town for dinner at the Busselton Chinese Restaurant. The food was great and the waitress, although run off her feet was friendly and did her best.

Tuesday was our last day. We had lunch at the Equinox cafe, which was great. They had $20 “Winter Warmers” specials. I had the rump steak, with chips and salad. Very nice for the price. Others had the Lamb Shanks which they enjoyed.

It was a great weekend. Any visitors to Perth should check out this region. There’s lots to do and see, even in winter. (Zelle and Dave – I’m looking at you!)