South West Edge 12 day small group tour

Day 2   Whales and Anzacs

• In the morning we start the day afresh at 8.30am and travel in the footsteps of people living at the first colonial settlement in Western Australia in late 1826. The settlement was originally a military outpost and part of the Colony of NSW and called Frederick Town (this changed in 1831 when it was formally proclaimed part of the Swan River Colony) and renamed Albany in 1832
• We travel out to the “Natural Bridge,” the “Gap” and Albany’s Historic Whaling Station, where you can step aboard the former Cheynes IV Whalechaser We can enjoy the region’s wildflower garden and the wildlife park. Lunch is planned in Whaler’s Cafe that flanks the picturesque views across the islands to the mainland
• The afternoon activities include a visit to the National Anzac Centre and the Convoy Lookout which offers a truly unique opportunity to absorb the reality of Australia’s and New Zealand’s first contingent of 30,000 troops to WWI who were anchored in a large convoy in King George Sound (October 1914)
• We take a journey around the coast line to Middleton Beach, to view spectacular beaches and coastline, which offers locals and tourists alike, aquatic beauty and tranquillity before enjoying this session – Pilates Mat class suited to all levels followed by a meditation and breathwork session to enhance flexibility, strengthen the core, and promote mental clarity and relaxation – and tour of a sustainable property within a very relaxing and restful country setting overlooking the Kalgan River Valley
• The final night of the stay in Albany is a dinner at Lime 303 restaurant

Day 3   Mountain Country, Birds, Silo Art and Cultural Sites

• Next day with a departure at 8.00am we travel past the artwork on the wheat silo at the Port before driving to Middleton Beach and then stop to view the ocean at Emu Point where guests learn about Oyster Harbour. There is much to discover, the recovery programs for the sea grasses, the commercial farming and re-establishment of local oysters using an artificial reef system. Enjoy the estuarine birdlife as you learn about the history of the Kalgan River, the early French and British navigators, and finally as the meeting place for the Kalgan and King Rivers
• Morning tea is then taken at Emu point Cafe
• We then travel via Lower King and Nanarup Road to view the Indigenous fish traps at Oyster Harbour. The local Indigenous Menang peoples of the Noongar nation trapped different fish species as a major food source. You will see cultural sites over 6,000 years old
• Then as we travel toward and through the Stirling Range we take a trip to the carpark lookout at Bluff Knoll, the highest peak being 1099 metres above sea level. It is known as the ‘place of many eyes’ or Pualaar Miial, by Indigenous Noongar people. We enjoy the panoramic views of the surrounding plains and see if we can spot black cockatoos, birds of prey, purple-crowned lorikeets, scrub wrens and other birds in their natural habitat
• We then take a detour drive heading along the Horsepower Highway to Gnowangerup to view all the old tractors and other artwork that reflects the country regions of WA
• In the meantime lunch is being scheduled at the Yongergnow Malleefowl Centre Ongerup where guests can experience the Malleefowl sanctuary. The sanctuary is part of the National Malleefowl Recovery Program to protect Malleefowl and their habitat. This country is known for the massive deforestation or clearing of vast ecologically rich and diverse Eucalyptus Mallee
• We make a quick visit to the Ongerup Railway Museum and wildflower display before heading to Ravensthorpe via Jerramungup where we arrive late in the afternoon to take some photo shots of the artwork on the wheat silos (part of the FORM Public Silo Art Trail). Contingent upon time allow some free time to shop and enjoy a gourmet ice cream/sweet treat/coffee at a local cafe before heading to Wavecrest Resort in Hopetoun for our two overnight stays

Day 4   Wildflowers and Biospheres

• After an early rise and breakfast we are in good shape at 8.30am for a morning adventure with a local guide who has a Bachelor of Environmental Science: Conservation & and Wildlife Biology. He takes us into the Fitzgerald River National Park, the core of the internationally recognised Fitzgerald Biosphere Reservealong with an internationally recognized Ramsar Wetland,  to observe the stunning array of wildflowers and bushland backing onto wild coastal and marine eco-systems with incredible ocean views
• We then pack up and head back toward Hopetoun for lunch at a local café
• After lunch we drive back into Ravensthorpe on the way viewing some roadside artwork – part of a local Art Exhibition. We also pull up alongside the old Elverdton gold-copper mine shaft and headframe to take some photos
• Once in Ravensthorpe guests are free to tour the Visitor Centre and the Museum and perhaps enjoy afternoon tea with ice cream and coffee! If time permits a quick visit to the Palace Hotel to say hello to the locals!
• A day of entrapment by wildflowers and local experts is followed by a dinner at the Wavecrest Resort

Day 5   Rangelands, Cultural Sites, Artwork and Mine Shafts

• We pack up and depart around 9.00am from Hopetoun and travel just out of Ravensthorpe to pay respects to the local Indigenous Noongar peoples who were massacred in the 1860’s at the Indigenous Memorial Site at Kukenarup just off the South Coast highway followed by a short trip into the Cocanarup TImber Reserve to view the salmon gums and river crossing
• Viewing along this drive you may sight Carnaby’s Black Cockatoos (Spring time), wildflowers, other birdlife, old growth Salmon Gum woodland and Jam Tree mid storey and perhaps Sandalwood trees
• Then we take another nature drive to view the birdlife and wildflowers in the Ravensthorpe Range followed by a quick visit to another old copper-gold mine shaft at Mt Catlin before heading back to town for morning tea at a local cafe before heading to Esperance several hours away for two evenings
• Once we arrive at Esperance we take a break for lunch at a popular cafe
• In the afternoon we drive westward out to the Rotary Lookout and Twilight Cove nestled at the end of a long sweeping coastline, with stunning coastal scenery and sweeping surf beaches and a coastline dotted with many islands
• An evening meal is enjoyed at a nearby restaurant

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Day 6   South Coast – Quaint Bays, Turquoise Blue Waters with Pristine Sandy Beaches 

• Next day with a departure at 8.30am we depart for Frenchmen’s Peak, Cape Le Grande and Lucky Bay with the magnificent coastline dotted with bays and sandy beaches
• We enjoy the morning and then head back to Esperance for lunch at a nice cafe on the foreshore at Lucky Bay Brewery
• In the afternoon we tour out to a farming property to chat to locals and then we return to Esperance where following afternoon tea some free time may be available to enjoy the coastal setting followed by an evening “sundowner” and meal

Day 7   Artwork and Painted Silos

• Next morning we arise and depart back to Ravensthorpe for morning tea and pay a visit to the local Visitor Centre and Museum and chat to the locals before heading to Lake King
• We can view more roadside art works as we travel to the Lake King Tavern for lunch. Following lunch we then proceed to Newdegate where we arrive to take some photo shots of the painted wildlife artwork on the wheat silos (part of the FORM Public Silo Art Trail)
• The final stage is heading toward the old township of Lake Biddy before travelling to Hyden and Wave Rock Resort for 2 nights

Day 8   Waves and Humps

• Breakfast is at 7.30am and then we proceed on a refreshing early morning walk to Wave Rock and ‘Hippo Yawn’ and we head to the Bush Cafe for morning tea
• We depart again for the Humps and Mulka’s Cave, and learn the name’s link to an Aboriginal legend of forbidden love between skin groups and visit a ‘gnamma hole’, which is a man-made cavity that stored rain water for Indigenous peoples
• After lunch at the Wildlife Centre and Museum in Wave Rock we enjoy taking in the Wave before afternoon refreshments. Later we take in and enjoy a sundowner by the lake and then return to the Hyden Hotel for an evening meal

Day 9   Art and Tin Horse Trails and Outback Vineyards

• We pack up ‘leaving only footprints’ (departing at 8.30am) and travel to Kondinin and then Kulin for morning tea at “Acres of Taste” followed by a tour along the famous “Tin Horse Highway” and the nearby site of the “Kulin Bush Races” on our way to Lake Grace.
• We have a quick visit to the conservation area on a nearby lake followed by lunch and wine tastings at ‘Walkers Hill Vineyard’, Australia’s most inland winery, where shiraz and chardonnay grapes have flourished
• After a brief stop at the Lake Grace Visitor Centre and Inland Mission we continue our journey to Pingrup to view the painted wildlife artwork on the wheat silos (again part of the FORM Public Silo Art Trail) to photograph the painted grain silos
• Next stop is Nyabing “Hub” to enjoy afternoon refreshments before a stop at Badgebup to see how the local Indigenous Ranger program is going
• Our final stop is Katanning for two overnight stays. Guests stay at the Premier Mill Hotel. The Premier Mill Hotel is a converted roller flour mill, refurbished into modern accommodation, with an accompanying restaurant and cafe.  End the day by partaking in a traditional Australian pastime, a ‘Sundowner’, at the downstairs Cordial Bar at the Premier Mill Hotel, before tucking into a delicious meal at the nearby Royal Exchange Hotel. This is a tour favourite experience!

Day 10  Pioneers and Prospectors, Kokoda Track and Mosques

• Start the day at 8.30am by finding out about the history of Katanning with a special guest historian who will impart the secrets of this famous town. Learn about the unique personalities that developed the railway line and opened up the hinterland for sheep and cropping
• Then we depart to another famous icon in Western Australia, Broomehill. Famous for the remarkable ingenuity of John Holland and his team, who in April 1893, carried their meagre supplies on horseback through harsh terrain to cut a shorter route for gold seekers to the new gold discoveries in the outback. In Broomehill we can enjoy morning tea at the historic Henry Jones Café and listen to several enthralling stories about Holland and the gold seekers who trekked over 533kms to the newly discovered goldfields in Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie in the 1890’s. Guests walk the town looking at remnants of the early prospectors
• Then following morning tea we meet and chat to local community leader Alep at the “The Daily Grind” where we also enjoy a lunch with Malay cuisine before heading off to finding out about how modern multi-cultural Australia is reflected in the celebration of Islamic culture and the opening of a local Mosque in Katanning along with viewing the painted wildlife artwork and other local features around this incredible town
• After lunch we head off to Kojonup for afternoon tea at Kodja Place along with viewing the old barracks, the spring and the historic water trough and learning more about Brigadier Potts and the Kokoda Track of WW11
• At Kodja Place we view the Indigenous and settler handcrafted tools before enjoying billy tea and damper and chatting to the local Indigenous person “Billy” along with enjoying local wine and cheese tastings and other platters before departing back to Katanning
• Again end the day by partaking in the traditional Australian pastime, a ‘Sundowner’, at the downstairs Cordial Bar, at the Premier Mill Hotel, before tucking into a delicious meal and getting that feeling of being spoilt for choice!

Day 11  Indigenous Art and Cultures, “Bart” the Sheep and Quaint Avon Valley Countryside

• Start the day at 8.30am by departing for Dumbleyung to learn about the “ace” Donald Campbell’s world speed lake exploits, visit Wuddi Tours Indigenous shop and take a short tour if time permits to visit local cultural sites and their bush garden
• Via the wheat and sheep country we make our way to Wagin to visit “Bart” the massive sheep – this land in the Wheatbelt region has seen millions of sheep grazing and crops stretching skyward from the early settlement days of the 1800’s where wool raised on this land fetched record prices in Britain during the Industrial Revolution feeding the growth of the weaving industry and then followed by the “wool boom” in the 1950’s
• We then depart on our way to Narrogin through Pingelly and the famous Nicky Winmar country and travel along the Great Southern Highway along the Avon River Valley commencing in Beverley and heading toward the historical town of York where we take a lunch break before enjoying an afternoon walk around the heritage buildings. There is much to see in this historic country town set either side of the Avon River – famous for its “Avon Descent” Then we depart for a final nights stay in the town of Northam at Farmers Home Hotel – a beautifully restored hotel in the centre of town

Day 12  Country Rivers, Heritage Precincts, Swan Valley Vineyards and the famous “Rose and Crown”  

• Start the day at 8.30am by visiting the Bilya Koort Boodja Centre for Noongar Culture and Environmental Knowledge right on the Avon River before departing for another “river town” called Toodyay for morning tea and a walk along the main street of this town nestled adjacent to the Avon River. This towns was originally called Newcastlebetween 1860 and 1910 and during the 1860s, it was home to local bushranger “Moondyne Joe.”
• Then we proceed through the Darling Range down onto the coastal plain for an appointment with a local well known vineyard for a fine dining experience and tastings of dry climate famous Swan Valley reds and whites and sparkling varieties before a sumptuous lunch
• After the wining and dining experience we drive a short distance to the famous Rose and Crown Hotel in Guildford for and afternoon ‘sundowner’ along with afternoon tea and tour of the convict construction of the underground cellar and tunnel entrance
• Final farewells are made at the Hotel Rendezvous Hotel on the Scarborough beachfront overlooking the Indian Ocean