Day 38: Thu 25 Apr 24 - Augusta (ANZAC DAY)

Thu 25 Apr 24 - Augusta (ANZAC DAY)

12 Deg overnight, reaching 21 Deg throughout the day, a mostly clear and sunny day. The wind was quite strong early, reaching 46km/h and dropping to be much more respectable in the late afternoon. 


There was no Dawn Service at Augusta today, which I normally prefer, but there was an 11:00am commemorative service which we attended. To start the day, we drove out to the Cape Leeuwin Light House, 7.5km away, for an early tour at 0930. For someone who hates steps and walking up hills, Noel easily managed her third major climbing effort in 3 days - 176 steps to the top of the Cape Leeuwin Light House. Situated at the most south-westerly point of Australia, where the Indian and Southern Oceans meet, Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse is the tallest lighthouse on mainland Australia. This was a very interesting tour and very informative. Not only were we treated to stunning views at the top, although the wind was a bit strong on the windward side, we got a great insight into how the Light House was built and operates, as well as the life and times of a light keeper. Read more about Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse History here.


Cape Leeuwin Light House

After the guided tour and making our way back to the carpark, we stopped briefly at the nearby historical waterwheel, then continued to the Augusta RSL Memorial Park for the11:00am ANZAC Day commemorative service.  It was very well attended, and I loved the informality of the occasion, compared to the precision and formality of Service held at the National War Memorial in Canberra. While at the service I recognised an old ship mate in uniform taking part in the ceremony. His name is WO Marcus Bent, and I last served with him (or even saw him) on HMAS Westralia around 1995/1996. After the ceremony I went up to him and we embraced and chatted, before we were both joined by another ex-HMAS Westralia ship mate CPO John McInnes whom neither of us had seen since the mid 90's. It was a remarkable coincidence that two of us should have such a chance meeting after all these years, but three of meeting like this is just extraordinary. After the service, Noel and I returned to the van for lunch, then we drove into Augusta so I could catch up with Marcus and John at the hotel for a bit more of a chat while Noel went for a wander around and a coffee. 


After about 30 minutes, we all continued our seperate ways, and after meeting back up with Noel and walking back to our car through the car park, we crossed paths again with Colin and Carol (from Cambewarra, whom we last saw at Bridgetown). This was the 5th time we had crossed paths since meeting at Borden. We expect to see them again in Bunbury as they have booked the other Free Camp in Bunbury for the same two nights as us. (There are two Free Camps in Bunbury within a very short distance that must be booked through the Visitor Information Centre). We eventually parted ways again, and returned to the van, feeling a bit weary, so we had a rest while watching the ANZAC Day AFL match. I didn't quite see the end of the match (which ended up a draw),  before I decided to take the car back into town to refuel and empty the toilet cassette on the way.  


On return, we were invited over to join our Red Centre - Kimberley neighbours, Paul and Viv from nearby Busselton who are a lovely couple. After a couple of hours chatting, it was almost after 7:00pm before we decided to go home for dinner, and get some warm cloths on because the temperature dropped so much. It was a wonderful day full of surprises, and most relaxing. Despite the strong winds, we've enjoyed our visit. Even after extending our stay to four nights, we still didn't get to see and do everything on our list. Tomorrow is another day, and we'll move on to Busselton for four nights.


I refueled today, and an update on the total numbers so far for this trip read: 

Towed: 4,623km 

Driven: 5,709km 

Avg Fuel: 15.5l/100km 

Fuel: 876lt 

Fuel Cost: $1,874.


Cape Leeuwin Light House - Noel charging up the stairs

Cape Leeuwin Light House

Cape Leeuwin Light House - The old caretakers cottage and workshops

Cape Leeuwin Light House - Stunning views

Cape Leeuwin Light House - Stunning views towards Antarctica - a tad over 3,000km away

Cape Leeuwin Light House - Stunning views towards South Africa - a tad over 7,000km away

Cape Leeuwin Light House - Stunning views

Cape Leeuwin Light House - Stunning views

Cape Leeuwin Light House 

Cape Leeuwin Light House

Cape Leeuwin Light House - The HMAS Nizam memorial for 10 sailors who lost their lives after being washed overboard by a freak wave

Cape Leeuwin Light House - On the night of February 11 1945, the destroyer HMAS Nizam was struck by a freak wave. Tragically, 10 ratings were swept overboard and lost at sea
LEST WE FORGET

Cape Leeuwin Light House

Cape Leeuwin Light House

Cape Leeuwin Light House

Cape Leeuwin Light House

Cape Leeuwin Light House - Historical Water Wheel

Cape Leeuwin Light House - Historical Water Wheel

Augusta - ANZAC Day Service

Augusta - ANZAC Day Service


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