Bunbury and Ferguson Valley – Poppy and Tom

< Inspiration / Category: Featured Bloggers / Tags: Follow the Sun Relay Western Australia

Tag along with Follow the Sun Relay participants Poppy and Tom as they explore Bunbury and Ferguson Valley.

Bunbury

Sunday morning, we slowly drove down to Bunbury. The weather was not on our side but we stopped off at Lake Clifton to see the Thrombolites (not so easy to see when it’s blowing a gale and pouring down)! Next stop was Dardanup Heritage Park, recommended to us by Reg from Mandurah Tourist Park. What an incredible and extensive collection of machinery, vehicles, steam engines and more! The original owner Gary Brookes sadly died 2 months before the park was due to open, so never got to see its success and growth. We loved the military shed – especially the torpedoes outside! (Where do they get them!?)

Our accommodation in Bunbury was located a short walk from the city so we set off early to the Bunbury Wildlife Park. We had a great morning feeding the birds and kangaroos; tip – the birds are a bit bitey this time of year as Tom found out the hard way! They have a beautiful resident peacock too called Radar, who hates pigeons and puts on quite a show when they come near!

Ferguson Valley

The next day we headed off to the Ferguson Valley making a short stop at Donnybrook on the way to Collie. Just outside of Collie, 5 minutes down Ferguson Road you can find the jewel of the areas crown – Black Diamond Lake. Wow. The colour of the water was stunning, the perfect spot for a swim and then lunch in our Winnebago.

The best thing about having a huge working fridge onboard – chilled wine and dip! Next stop was Honeymoon Pool, amazing clear water and great facilities, if the water hadn’t been so chilly, we would have spent the afternoon swimming here. Gnomesville was next on the agenda – it was a little bit creepy standing amongst thousands of smiling gnomes, but an interesting story!

Our final stop of the day was Willow Bridge Estate for wine tasting, there are plenty of wineries in the area – just be sure to check the opening hours as most are closed midweek.