Yallingup

Dunsborough to Margaret River, day 2, Tuesday 27 November 1984. I enjoyed a breakfast of things from the bakery and got going as early as I could. I planned to leave Meelup Beach for another ride and go straight to Margaret River by going uphill to Yallingup, then turning south to find Carters Road, turning left to join the main highway and proceeding to the town.

I got a bit weary as the day’s journey went on, and Caves Road went up and down. The ups take energy away and the downs give you nothing but a brief rest.

Eventually I reached Margaret River. I was used to the climb into the town from the river by now. I got into the old hotel again but this time got into one of the new ensuite units out the back.  ... Read more

Yallingup is a town in the South West region of Western Australia, 266 kilometres (165 mi) south of Perth. Yallingup is a popular tourist destination because of its beaches and limestone caves, and proximity to Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park. Yallingup is named after an Australian Aboriginal word that means “Place of Love”. After its caves were discovered by European settlers in 1899, Yallingup became popular with tourists.

Perth To Yallingup via Nannup, 6 day bicycle tour, 1983. This is the sixth 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.

Up to 1983 these rides had not got further south than Balingup, along the SW highway. In 1983 I had recently bought a new light alloy racing bike, had made a record (for me) time on it in the Cycle Touring Association’s 40 km time trial, and was determined to push the limits of my riding southward and eastward.

This was the first ride since my accident in January 1982, referred to in the 1981 ride story, Perth to Augusta Tour via Nannup 1981, (being a retrospective story, I could refer to events that hadn’t happened yet in 1981).  ... Read more

Busselton to Yallingup, day 4, Thursday 24 November 1983. I decided not to stay at Dunsborough but to try a new place, new to me anyway, Caves House at Yallingup. At that time it was still the old traditional caves house with some new units built at the back. It hadn’t been revamped into the modern expensive resort. I booked one of the units.

I set off up the Bussell Highway. 7 kilometres out was the Vasse store. At that time it was isolated at the junction of Bussell Highway and Caves Road. Now it is lost amidst the continuous building that has spread along the shore between Busselton and Dunsborough.

I bought a drink at the store and continued to Dunsborough.  ... Read more

Yallingup to Busselton, day 5, Friday 25 November 1983. I had already paid for my room the night before, so I packed up and got away with the intention of having breakfast at Dunsborough, then going for the essential trip to Meelup Beach. There was no big hurry. When staying at Busselton on the Wednesday I had booked the room for Friday too, anticipating that the rest of the ride would include another night in Busselton.

I got a pleasant leisurely breakfast at Dunsborough then set off up the hill to find Meelup Beach Road. On this occasion I couldn’t find it and went a bit out of my way, finally coming back to Meelup Beach via Eagle Bay Road and Eagle Bay.  ... Read more

Dunsborough to Margaret River, day 2, Tuesday 2 December 1980. I enjoyed a nice breakfast and got going as early as I could. I planned to visit Meelup Beach first (couldn’t go to Dunsborough and not visit Meelup!), then get to Margaret River by going uphill to Yallingup, then turning south to find Carters Road, then joining the main highway and proceeding to the town. This was the reverse of the route taken on that rainy day in 1978, but on this occasion I was only coming from Dunsborough and didn’t visit Yallingup Beach or the cave.

I had a lovely swim at Meelup, then dried and got the sand off my feet, dressed and laboured up the steep hill from the beach.  ... Read more

Margaret River to Busselton, Day 3, Wednesday 29 November 1979. I had breakfast in the old dining room again. Then I got ready and set off. This was to be a long day but I had the new bike and felt able to do more. I was intending to go back to Busselton but had decided to explore a bit further south and get off the main road when heading north again, using minor roads to see a bit more of the country.

I set off down Wallcliffe Road, turned left into Station Street, rode past the old train station and turned left into Clarke Street, then right into Boodjidup Road. This goes down at an angle until it joins Caves Road.  … Read more

Margaret River to Busselton, day 5, Friday 1 December 1978.   The day was cloudy and windy with westerly winds and showers. I felt a bit depressed – I didn’t see any spooks or anything, but that old hotel had a bad feeling about it, or so it seemed at the time. I had a full breakfast in the old dining room, got packed up and paid. I queried the cost of breakfast, for which they charged you for each bite, almost. The hotel was run by the Auto Motels chain in those days.

I got going at mid-morning. I was intending to go back to Busselton eventually but in the blithe unworried way I still had in those days I thought it would be fun to take a detour through Yallingup and see the Yallingup cave (now called the Ngilgi cave), perhaps swim at the famous beach.  ... Read more

Cottesloe to Dunsborough 2005 – 11 days, cumulative distance 670 km.

Charles A. Pierce

Other days on this Tour:

Daily Locations for this Tour:

Dunsborough to Yallingup, day 7, Sunday 16 October 2005. This was the first of two ‘rest days’ by which I mean riding less than 40km.

There was a fresh south-easterly wind. I left the motel at 767 at mid-morning and climbed the hill towards the Yallingup cave. I reached the cave turn-off at 775. The road curves and goes steeply downhill to find the hole in the ground, the entrance to the cave, now called Ngilgi cave. There are more structures there now and some rangers and it costs $15. When I first went down in 1978 it cost $1 and there was just one man and a small booth.

There were quite a few people there. It was a semi-guided tour, you go down the stairs then stand and listen to a short lecture before wandering around at your own pace.  ... Read more