Dunsborough to Margaret River 1997


Dunsborough to Margaret River day 2, Thursday 23 October 1997. The morning was fine with light SE – SW winds. I was starting the hilly portion of the ride, when wind velocity is of secondary importance unless it be extreme. The first 4 km out of Dunsborough up Caves Road is all uphill, but I knew this and it didn’t bother me. I remember bowling down that hill in 1978 with a westerly gale behind me, rain pouring down and the then newly made road being slick with sand, loose bluemetal and water. I nearly ran off the edge a couple of times.

Margaret River

Margaret River

I decided to look at Yallingup Cave. I first saw this in 1978, never having seen a limestone cave before. Since then I have seen all the caves more than once and the impact isn’t as great but the experience is still worth while. I reached the turnoff at 3900. The cave has been renamed the Ngilgi Cave and has a big cafe and other structures and it costs $8 to get in. It is a self-guided tour where you walk around at your own pace.

I had a drink and got back to Caves Road at 11 am, 3902 and went up and down hills through pretty woodland and pasture and vineyards until my final drink stop at Willyabrup Road, 3921. I reached Carter’s Road, turned left and pulled up outside the Margaret River Hotel at 1:25, 3942. The Margaret River hotel charges $75 a night for a very ordinary unit. The same unit, same standard, cost $20 in 1984 and $50 in 1988, so the rate of price inflation has at least slowed down. Late in the day I checked at the Captain Freycinet motel and they had nice units for $58, but I couldn’t book one for my return on Saturday because there were no vacancies. I will stay there next time.

I shopped, booked the Augusta Motel for the next night, had lunch and rested before setting off for Gnarabup Beach, the closest decent beach to Margaret River. The odometer read 3943 when I left, 3954 when I arrived at the beach and 3965 when I got back to Margaret River. On the hilly return journey I left the beach at 5:11 and reached the motel at 5:47. I had a lovely swim at this very pleasant beach but the water was rather brown and turbid due to the proximity of the mouth of the river. The first time I visited this beach it was later in the year and the river was not flowing so strongly.

A bedraggled dog ran up and down the beach and in and out of the water barking frantically the whole time I was there. Maybe it had been abandoned at the beach or maybe its owner had gone into the water and never come out. Who knows? Who cares?

I showered and changed and went to Mama’s Oriental Diner to get satay chicken and sweet and sour fish. It was very nice and the serves were generous, crammed into the plastic container with no obligation to take any noodles or rice. I ate it, then did some sewing, watching ‘Michael Collins’ the in-house video for the evening. There is often sewing to be done on these rides – the clothes, the bags, the saddle-cover.

Reading at Margaret River: 3965. Day: 73m. Cumulative 165km, 82.5km/day. Speed Yallingup to Margaret River 16.6 kph.

Charles A. Pierce

Other Days on this Tour:

  1. Cottesloe to Cape Leeuwin Tour 1997
  2. Cottesloe to Bunbury 1997
  3. Bunbury to Dunsborough 1997
  4. Dunsborough to Margaret River 1997 (This post)
  5. Margaret River to Cape Leeuwin 1997
  6. Augusta to Margaret River 1997
  7. Margaret River to Busselton 1997
  8. Busselton to Bunbury 1997
  9. Bunbury to Mandurah 1997
  10. Mandurah to Cottesloe 1997

Places Mentioned in this Post:

Related posts:

  1. Dunsborough to Margaret River 1988
  2. Dunsborough to Margaret River 1980
  3. Dunsborough to Margaret River 1984
  4. Dunsborough to Margaret River 1992
  5. Augusta to Margaret River 1997


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