This weekend we went to Western Australia to celebrate my birthday. We spent a brief moment in Perth, which I thought was surprisingly cosmopolitan given how remote it is, and then drove to the Margaret River and Augusta. I was surprised at how lush, grassy, and green it was out there, and reminded of how serious the drought in Victoria has been. The wildflowers in Augusta were lovely and apparently at their peak during the time of our visit.
Other highlights of the trip included driving throught the Karri forests and seeing wild Calla Lillies growing between the trees, and spotting the occasional kangaroo and several new species of birds; visiting the Mammoth cave (where we saw a new species of bat); and dropping in on a few Margaret River wineries including Cape Mentelle, and Voyager Estate, and Eagle Vale Wines. The wine discovery of the trip was Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc blends, which we didn't know we liked but ended up purchasing two bottles at different vineyards.
Overall it was a lovely trip, and probably my favourite side trip so far in Australia (though Hamilton Island is very tough competition). Hopefully we'll be able to add some pics soon.