Bunbury to Cape Leeuwin 1992

Bunbury to Cape Leeuwin, 8 day tour 1992. Cumulative distance 561 km.

Charles A. Pierce

Other Days on this Tour:

Daily Locations for this Tour:

Bunbury to Dunsborough, day 1, Monday 26 October 1992. The bike had been taken down separately by Niteroad and left at Malatesta’s depot in Bunbury. I had taken the evening train and stayed at a Bunbury motel overnight on the 25th.

After packing up, walking 2km to the depot, reassembling the bike and stowing the luggage I set off down Brittain street towards Bussell Highway at 9.18, 24678. It was a fine cool sunny morning with a light headwind. The idea was to start this leg of the ride early rather than after midday as I would have had to if I had caught that morning’s train to Bunbury. Thus I hoped to avoid the fresher wind that always develops in the afternoon, and have more time.  ... Read more

Dunsborough to Margaret River, day 2, Tuesday 27 October 1992. The morning was cold and grey, with rain pouring down. It looked as though I would miss Meelup Beach this year as well. I lay in bed eating breakfast and reading.

At 7.45 I looked up, the rain had stopped and there was a patch of blue. I jumped up, put on my bathers and set off for Meelup after all. The stats for the trip (for future reference): Left motel 7.50, 24751. Arr Meelup 8.10, 24758. Dep Meelup 8.42, arr. back at motel 9.03, 24764.

It was worth the effort as always. The water was perfectly clear and calm and felt good. The scenery was as I remembered it, and it hasn’t been spoilt by too many amenities.  ... Read more

Margaret River to Cape Leeuwin, day 3, Wednesday 28 October 1992. Fine, light SW. I left the motel at 7.56 and rode up through the town (24812), taking the turnoff to get to Boodjidup Road, thence to Caves Road. I was aiming to be at Lake Cave in plenty of time for the 9.30 tour advertised in the local tourist paper in the motel unit. I passed the Mammoth Cave turnoff 15 km from Margaret River and reached Lake Cave, 24830, at 9.04.

The tour time had been changed to 10 am so I had time for a drink and a walk on the trail to look for wildflowers. I was rewarded by a donkey orchid, hundreds of pink fairy orchids and one pure white ‘albino’ one, and a large blue flower which I was to see several times at other places, which I believe was also an orchid.  ... Read more

Augusta to Nannup, Day 4, Thursday 29 October 1992. This was to be the big challenge of the trip, the ride to Nannup along the Brockman Highway. I had worked out a short cut through Kudardup, instead of taking the main highway through Karridale. It only saved 3km but that’s a long way if one has an attack of cramp. The journey would be 87km.

FLASHBACK to 1981.

This was the last ride on which I had done this stretch, only that year I did it in the other direction, Nannup to Augusta. I had started at Bunbury, stopped at Donnybrook, then ridden to Nannup via Balingup. On Day 3 I set out, not being aware that a cold front was coming in, because I didn’t see any TV news or hear a forecast and didn’t bother as I should have about such things in those days.

  ... Read more

Nannup to Donnybrook, day 5, Friday 30 October 1992. I decided to go ahead with the plan that I had changed in 1991 – to go from Nannup to Donnybrook the short way, via Cundinup, White, Claymore and Upper Capel roads, a distance which I estimated at 50km., rather than the long way by road via Balingup, Kirup etcetera, about 76km.

I left Nannup at 9.14, having slept in a bit because I thought it would be a short day’s work. Winds were SSE, not the E that had been threatened. I started up the Vasse Highway towards Busselton, but 3km out I turned right to get onto the Old Cundinup Road, a rough gravel track. I knew it would be and I have ridden gravel before, but this was mostly unridable because it contained a lot of sand and the weather had been dry.  … Read more

Donnybrook to Harvey, day 6, Saturday 31 October 1992. This was the start of a spell of strong easterly winds which was to last into the following week. They had been forecast to start on the Friday but fortunately fresh southerlies persisted that long at least. I was heading back north towards Perth and was frustrated not to have the fresh S-SW winds which normally prevail and which had impeded my progress SW from Bunbury. But that’s the way it goes. I decided to bypass Bunbury and go straight to Harvey via Waterloo, by the same route, though in the reverse direction, as Day 3 of the 1991 ride.

I had made no hotel booking the night before. I had decided to make this a free day, just to see how far I felt like going, depending on winds and fitness.  ... Read more

Harvey to Lake Clifton, day 7, Sunday 1 November 1992. The winds had ben very strong ENE during the night, so that my washing had got blown away into the carpark. It was just as well I checked it before going to bed. I decided to use the wind to head for the coast, where the winds might be more SE or I might pick up a sea breeze. I decided to leave the South Western Highway for good at the Yarloop turnoff, since my map showed sealed roads going from there right through to the Old Coast Road.

I started at 9.16 on a cool sunny morning and as I went on I noticed that the wind had become quite light and seemed more SE.  ... Read more

Lake Clifton to Cottesloe, day 8, Monday 2 November 1992. I left Lake Clifton at 8.47. There was a fresh SE wind that was to last all day. The speedo read 25136 as I turned onto the Old Coast Road. I passed the Parkridge Hotel, formerly the Lazy Crab resort, at 25150. This might have been a better place to stay in terms of evening out the distances for days 7 and 8, but it was more expensive and lacked peacocks, besides which I had forgotten it was there and didn’t think to look it up. I rested at 25152.

The SE wind was opposing me quite strongly as I approached Mandurah, because the road turns more E. I reached Mandurah at 10.31, 25168.  ... Read more