We woke to the sound of rain hitting our tent so not only was it soaked on the outside but the inside was coated in condensation which is a daily occurrence now. Some days are worse than others and any movement inside the tent causes the water to drip down on us. We managed to quickly wipe down the tent and pack it away before the next shower came along. We were a little sceptical about driving to Two Peoples Bay as it’s ’just another beach’ and the weather wasn’t looking great but we decided to just give it a go. As luck would have it the weather just got better and better and we arrived to blue skies! The main beach was very anticlimactic with water so high that we had no sand to walk along but the main highlight for this area seemed to be Little Beach, a small curved bay around the headland.

It wasn’t just any beach, it was extra pretty with incredible clear turquoise water and beautiful terracotta coloured boulders. We even spotted some whale blows in the distance as we walked around the headland to the next little beach. It was only when we got back to Little Beach that a lady fishing from the shore said to us “did you see the whale?!” Turns out that while our backs were turned there was a humpback breaching right behind us! Then we saw a pod of dolphins swimming through the bay too so it was full of life.

We decided the weather was so nice we had to take advantage of it and brave a swim. Much to my surprise the temperature was perfect. Apparently the Leeuwin current brings warm water from the north down to the south of Australia and it was delightful. Finally we could spend some time in the water and not be in a huge rush to get back out and warm up.

That afternoon we made it to Albany, a good spot for a well needed hot shower and to stock up on some food. Below Albany was Torndirrup National Park where I had plans of doing a few nice hikes but most of them seemed to be closed for trail maintenance. The Gap was still open so we headed there to check out the viewpoint positioned high above a narrow section where the sea gushes through and slams into the steep walls. The sea was swirling and sloshing below us and turned into a pool of white froth after the big waves. In the end we opted for a short walk along a couple of very pretty beaches on Vancouver Peninsular. The water was lovely and calm without any waves as they were in the protected Frenchman’s Bay. There were a few whales swimming in the bay too but they weren’t as close or abundant as at Cheynes.

A short drive west led us to our home for the evening known as Cozy Corner which is a little paid campsite by a long stretch of beach. It was a quiet campground with just 3 other campers and a designated tent-only zone which was much closer to the beach and we were the only people there. A little mound nearby offered a great vantage point of the beach and also the sunset which was incredible. The sky was filled with little bubble clouds which absorbed the suns rays and turned from orange to fluorescent pink.

We set up our tent rather late so it was dark when we were pitching and Craig suddenly thought he saw a rat. It was scurrying through the leaves and foliage around our tent and on closer inspection it looked different to a rat because it was much bigger and had a cute long face. I had a look online and we think it’s called a bandicoot. We continued erecting the tent when my head-torch caught the eyes of a possum shining back at me from tree above us. There ended up being 3 possums scurrying along the tree branches above us and the little bandicoot so it was a lovely campsite for wildlife but a tad creepy at the same time.

The next morning we caught the sunrise from the beach, the possums were still awake and chasing each other along the branches, launching themselves into bushes – their last bit of play time until night falls again. We packed up and headed to the little village of Denmark. On the way we stopped to do the short hike up monkey rock which was a couple of huge boulders rising out the bushland. There were a lot of warning signs for venomous snakes along the trail so we kept our eyes peeled but didn’t spot any. We seemed to take the challenging route up, using a rope to help us climb up the first steep boulder. From the top there was a nice view of the forest and coastline and we’ve really noticed the landscapes turn green and lush as we’ve travelled further west.

The weather wasn’t ideal today with cloud and the odd light shower so the sea colours weren’t popping but we headed into Williams Bay National Park to check out the main sights like Green Pool which is usually a crystal clear area protected by the reef so it’s lovely and calm. Just around the corner was Elephant Cove which was a tiny beach with gigantic boulders jammed into the sand and the sea around it. The wind was high and the swell caused huge waves in the open sea which were mesmerising to watch as they barrel-rolled and crashed back down.

For tonight’s campsite we headed to Parry Beach. It was a paid site with lots of spacious pitches nestled between bushland. It had a nice rustic vibe with an old fashioned bathroom block, kind of resembling a campsite from the 80s but it was all well maintained and even had solar showers. There was a tent only section so we managed to pick a lovely quiet corner all to ourselves where we couldn’t hear anyone, just the kookaburras yapping away. A short stroll through the campsite led us to the long beach where we took our shoes off and walked along the sand, spotting some dolphins along the way and an eagle too.

After cooking dinner I bird flew close to my head and landed on a tree just above our tent. When I shone my torch up I saw it was an owl! It ended up staying there for awhile so I managed to take some photos before it flew off through the trees where it seemed to meet a second owl. We haven’t seen many owls on our travels so it’s always exciting when it happens.