Magaret
River (2006)
We arrived in Perth's International airport after a 4hr flight from our hometown. The cool breeze outside was refreshing for people like us who came from a warm climate. After clearing the customs, we were transferred to a van which brought us to magaret river where we were supposed to stay for the next 5 days. This is where our adventure begins....
This is where we call our home during our stay in magaret river, Wharncliffe Mill. The environment is pretty nice and peaceful. At least it is a break from the hectic routine for most of us who are working. The climate there is rather dry but cool even when it is 12noon. However, we never expected to be wearing many layers and still freezing in the night.
This is the one of the caves we visited. When we were told that we will be exploring this, some of us were excited but of cause some will be quite worried. We never get to see caves like this in Singapore so its some new for all of us.
My group was brought to this cave on the 2nd day in Magaret river, Calgardup Cave. This is a tourist cave open to the public. As we entered, it looks less scary as there were proper platforms for tourist to walk on. All we needed were torches to lite our way but never did we expect to stop at this area where we were being brief on what to look out for while climb up. Yes, our overalls were not just to keep us warm, we climb and crawl our way through the cramp, dark and damp cave. All of us moved in a single file using any part of our body to cling on to anything we can find along the way just to maneuver our way through. It was a little tough at difficult areas but all was worth while as we will never get such an experience back home.
We did a little bit of kayaking too. It wasn't a very long expedition but we got a taste of Australia's water condition. That experience made me feel that Singapore's waters is actually very clam. We paddled to the island across and disembark to explore a bit. All of us climb to the peak where we got a fantastic view of the ocean behind us. The initial plan was to paddle around the island but was called off as the waves in front were too dangerous for non season kayakers like us. However, we were still brought to the edge of the island to take a peep at the waves which convinced all of us not to go any further.
We camped over night at a beach where we will start our trekking the very next morning. As the sun sets rather late, we got some free time to hang around after our tents were pitched. This is my group of crazy buddies who were with me thoughout the trip. Some of us wanted to go for a swim but decided not to after the kayaking where we found out how icy cold the water is. Sun set was pretty nice but the sky at night was fantastic with the stars shining right above us.
Our next adventure is to embark on our 14km trekking route by the beach. 14km seems quite fine just by looking at the number but when we start to feel the soft sand under our feet, we knew life won't be so easy. We will be trekking on the cape to cape walk track which lies along the coast. The scenery was unbelievable, the group had difficulties moving on as many people just wanted to capture the breath taking view in their cameras. Below are some of the views along the track.
This is the final and most exciting activity for us in Magaret river. We are at the abseil and natural rock wall. This abseil site is a challenge for many of us but an unforgettable experience. When we our way down to the half way mark, a turn of our heads will open us to the blue ocean with waves hitting the rocks right beneath us.
This vertical wall with only a few cracks where we can put our fingers into was almost impossible for any of us to keep our body hanging, not to mention pulling ourselves up there. However, many of us made an attempt to challenge the wall on the right hand side where there was a gap for us to squeeze our way up. :p
Well, a five days adventure in Magaret river was indeed a very memorable experience for all of us. It will be nice if we could get a break like this every year! All good things have to come to an end. As we were making our way back to Perth city, we stop by the chocolate factory where many people bought tons of chocolates. This is my first time seeing my friends paying more then a hundred dollars for chocolates!
We had some time at the winery too. Fans of alcohol enjoyed themselves at the bar tasting a variety of wine.
After all the fun we had, and yes, it is back to reality....
