Marlston Hill Lookout – step work to kick start the day.

The view to Bunbury Port

The striking Bunbury Lighthouse. We read up on its history – it has a checkered past.

Natural channel through volcanic basalt on the Bunbury coastline.

Big Swamp Wetlands at Bunbury

As soon as we made our way down the path, Common bronzewing pigeon welcomed us to the wetlands

A Swamphen became agitated as we neared on the walking trail into the wetlands.

A Swamphen chick ran from the bushes onto the track…

…quickly following by the watchful parent.

Musk ducks are usually quite stealth-like in their behaviour….until breeding season.

Male musk duck territorial behaviour – they can rapidly “run” across the lake looking like the cartoon roadrunner.

Another dam mural! Think big – dam wall art at Wellington Dam near Collie. For artists who think silos are just not big enough. It’s a shame I can’t drive over it, I would be Adam Driver.

Wellington National Park protects a large tract of Western Australia’s unique jarrah, marri and yarri (blackbutt) forests. The central feature of the park is the beautiful Collie River Valley. Quokkas also live here but are severely threatened by feral animals on the mainland.

Honeymoon Pool – the brides who come here suddenly realise they didn’t get the best man.

Fabaceae – pea wildflower

Busselton Jetty and Underwater Observatory. The Busselton Jetty is 1.841km long. It is pierless among all jetties.

Our Underwater Observatory tour starts with a ride on the solar-powered electric train which is part of the deal if you visit the Underwater Observatory near the end of the jetty. (We walked back on the return later).

Access to the Underwater Observatory is via a 60 step spiral staircase.

Views on the way down..

The jetty piles create habitat for corals, sponges, fish and invertebrates. Each year during autumn and winter, the Leeuwin Current brings a narrow band of warm water down the Western Australian coastline introducing a range of tropical and sub-tropical species into Geographe Bay, resulting in coral growth at a latitude of 33 degrees south (Africa and South America have no coral growth below 5 degrees south).

The Underwater observatory is 8 metres below the surface. Deep down we are nice people.

The resident diver was a stern young man who took his job very seriously. I just can’t fathom the idea of diving deep in the ocean.

Fish at Busselton Jetty

As the sign says, we are out to sea 1.841km on the longest timber piled jetty in the Southern Hemisphere.

Little pied cormorant

Jetty from Busselton beach

The full length of the jetty – this was the best image. I jettisoned the rest.

Esplanade Hotel – our dinner venue

Supermoon rising…