Cape Leeuwin

Perth To Cape Leeuwin, 6 day bicycle tour, 1984. This is the seventh of a series of retrospective bike stories, of rides taken before 1987. 1987 was the first ride to be fully documented in the current format, with distances, speeds, rest stops and so on, moreover written as soon after the event as possible.

In 1984 I had only visited Augusta twice, and on both occasions, in 1980 and 1981, I had had a hard time getting there. For 1984 I wanted to get there in good time without more than average effort.

Charles A. Pierce

Other Days on this Tour:

Daily Locations for this Tour:

Margaret River to Augusta, day 3, Wednesday 28 November 1984. I had food bought at local shops for breakfast in bed. Then I got ready and set off, taking the direct route to Augusta because I had had two tours of Mammoth and Lake caves and wanted to get to Augusta in time to get around to Cape Leeuwin and the Flinders Bay beach on that same day.

There are only 43 km from Margaret river to Augusta. I can’t remember what the weather was like, but I don’t remember any difficulty. The new bike would have made it an easy run of not much more than two hours.

I arrived at Augusta in the middle of the day but there was no problem about checking in early.  ... Read more

Augusta to Cape Leeuwin and Margaret River, day 4, Thursday 26 November 1981. As in 1980, I needed to visit Cape Leeuwin and have a swim at Flinders Bay, where two oceans meet.

I had an early breakfast so that I could leave most of the stuff in my room and get to the Cape, have a swim, come back and get ready and check out by 10 am. It was a nice sunny morning with a south-westerly which would help me up the Bussell Highway later. I assumed that the previous day could be put behind me and that things would go well from now on. I think I had some food in the room with me and ate it in bed before getting up.  … Read more

Augusta to Cape Leeuwin and Margaret River, day 4, Thursday 4 December 1980. After coming all this way and not getting much time in daylight in the area the previous afternoon, I needed to visit Cape Leeuwin and have a swim at Flinders Bay, where two oceans meet. I had an early breakfast so that I could leave most of the stuff in my room and get to the Cape, have a swim, come back and get ready and check out by 10 am.

I checked the map carefully then set off with a minimum of luggage in the backpack. I whooshed down into the town, then through it and along the coast road, passing through woodland and seeing many attractive beaches.  … Read more

The Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse is a lighthouse located on the headland of Cape Leeuwin, the most south-westerly point on the mainland of the Australian Continent. Opened with great ceremony by John Forrest in 1895, the lighthouse has since been automated. The lighthouse, besides being a navigational aid, serves as an important automatic weather station.

Cape Leeuwin is the most south-westerly mainland point of the Australian Continent. In Australia, the Cape is considered the point where the Indian Ocean meets the Southern Ocean. Located on headland of the cape is the Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse and the buildings that were used by the lighthouse keepers. The nearest settlement, north of the cape, is Augusta. A few small islands and rocks, the St Alouarn Islands, extend further to the south. South-east of Cape Leeuwin, the coast of Western Australia goes a lot further south.

Margaret River to Augusta and Cape Leeuwin, day 5, Friday 31 October 2008. I left the hotel at 9:40 am on a cool sunny morning, with fresh SW-SE winds, a headwind again. I rode through the big roundabout some 700m south of the town that allows turn-offs into Boodjidup Road, which seems now to lead to an industrial area.

I rested at 501, south of Warner Glen Road, leaning the bike against a sign that said Margaret River 14, Augusta 29. I passed through the small trendy town of Witchcliffe, which looked a bit tatty compared with eight years ago – some of the businesses had closed and signs and paintwork were fading away. I rested again at 516, just south of the Brockman Highway turn-off at Karridale.  ... Read more

Augusta to Margaret River, day 5, Friday 22 September 2000. I didn’t look at any of the caves on this trip – I have seen them all several times, there aren’t any new ones and they will still be there next time, and I wanted to do other things and not get too tired.

I left the motel at about 7 am on a cool sunny morning, arrived at the Flinders Memorial at about 7:30 and made the usual record of my visit. I can still see ‘CAP 4/12/80′ from my first visit 20 years ago. It was a beautiful morning and I enjoyed Cape Leeuwin, this blasted hillside where all the cold fronts come ashore. A fisherman far below on the rocks prepared for an pleasurable day.  ... Read more

Perth to Cape Leeuwin Tour 1997 – 8 days, 588 km cumulative distance.

The aim of this trip was to return to the places frequented on the early rides, 1977 – 1981, only this time to do it better, faster, with less hardship and fewer mishaps, drawing on the experience gained over the years. I have usually visited Augusta each leap-year since 1980, but in 1996 I had the opportunity to undertake the big Rocky Gully ride, so put off Augusta for 1997.

Charles A. Pierce

Other Days on this Tour:

Daily Locations for this Tour:

Margaret River to Cape Leeuwin, day 3, Friday 24 October 1997.

THE SMALL MIRACLE OF MAMMOTH CAVE

The morning was cool with a light SE wind. I left the motel at 7:48 but wasted time and distance by missing the obvious road, Forrest Road (because I thought it was Wallcliffe Road, but that doesn’t become its name until further down) that I wanted and having to go back. I turned into Forrest Road, then left into Station Road, thence into Clarke Road and Boojidup Road which joins Caves Road. Actually it would have been quicker to go straight down the Bussell Highway and turn right into Boojidup Road, but that option didn’t exist when I first used the Boojidup Road to get to the caves.  ... Read more