The drive was through coastal heath , only about a metre in height , but very thick growth . The wild flowers here have been blown away with all the wind , there were some , but most had finished .
We arrived at the carpark , and walked down to Island Rock Lookout , the views of the coast were outstanding , with the wind down to a gentle breeze today .
The cliffs here are the only ones between here & Perth , that the limestone has been eroded away and exposed the sandstone beneath . You can see all the banding in the rocks layers , going back trillions of years !!
Natures Bridge was next , so we wandered down the track to the south to view it .
We came across this little fella on the path , it didn't mind posing for a few photos .
There is a walking track that links these 2 sites , it's made from recycled PET plastic & timber , then it goes to a gravel track that follows the cliff lines for 8 klms , linking to several other lookouts , we declined the offer to walk that far and then back again !!
Back in the ute , and up the road a bit to the next spot - Shell House and Grandstand . Apparently from the ocean , part of the cliff looks like a giant shell house - hence the name ! it didn't seem to resemble much to us , but we were on land looking at it . The Grandstand however , looked like one, with tiered seating .
The coastline is deeply scarred , with many different layers of siltstone and sandstone , capped by remnants of dolomite limestone .
We saw many whales & calves moving to the south , some performed , others just swam on by . Some were a fair distance away , yet others were within 80m of the shore .
Continuing on , we went to Eagle Gorge , then Pot Alley . Eagle Gorge stretched back from the waves several hundred metres , and must have been a softer area that eroded quicker than the surrounding rock . Pot Alley is named due to the amount of lobster pots that fishermen have lost over the years . Pot Alley is also where we saw the mother & calf in the photo above . We sat and watched the whales while we ate our lunch sitting on the cliff edge . After lunch , we walked down to the beach at Pot Alley - this is where we stepped back in time , through trillions of years of rock layers building up and being eroded away .
We got back to the ute and headed up the road to Red Bluff . It's a high point in the cliffs at 100m high . There are 3 lookout spots where you can sit and watch , and plenty of other spots to gaze out from - you are perched up on the top of the ridge . Sitting and watching the whales again , we also spotted a pod of dolphins - about 20 of them , they surfed the waves and chased fish and kept the crowds amused .
Apart from the wildlife , there were also views of Red Bluff Beach and further north toward town , south along the cliff lines , and west as far as you can see over the Indian Ocean , there were also wild flowers between the ridge and and the main road south .
Back to the RV , time to check photos and prepare the blog , Lyn went for a swim while I did that . Time for some salsa & a beer , and to reflect on a great day . We only travelled 40 klms today , but saw so much and really enjoyed it .
Todays map :-https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=z1G8gwwxwyYo.kq8vH0MWRUdU&usp=sharing
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