We are off to the Abundant Life campsite for the March long weekend. There’s two families going, with four adults, and three kids, 7 kayaks, snorkelling gear, boogie boards, and skateboards. What a great mini break!
Having three days off in a row is a good reason to go away. Actually I don’t need a reason … but three days makes it more doable. We booked the Abundant Life Centre camping area a few weeks in advance and The Pipers best friend was invited along. Instead of coming with us his family agreed to join us and suddenly we were 7 people and two campers. Lots to look forward to.
The location is apparently known as the Holy Mile because of the number of faith based organisations that have land along there. It suits the location for another reason though … it is a beautiful location. Geographe Bay is steps from the camping area and offers lots of playing options. Bussleton is 10km North and Dunsborough about the same south. There is only 90km to the foot of WA at Augusta and of course, the wine drinkers Mecca, Margaret River. And all just 2 and half hours from the city of Perth.
We headed off after school on Friday along with thousands of others and sat in a lot of traffic for a long time, finally arriving at about 8pm. Fortunately, as you know, my setup is quick and easy so we were settled within the hour. Our fellow campers kindly had dinner ready for us and we enjoyed some relaxing before a wander to the beach to gaze at the millions of stars that can’t be seen from the city. The water was warm and calm, good signs for a lovely weekend. After a good night’s sleep (I always sleep well in my camper) we were up early to head back to Perth for The Pipers baseball game. With that over we relaxed again through Saturday afternoon with a game of cricket. A bit of sledging, a few wild hits and some running around in front of a small crowd of children and we were all laughing and thoroughly enjoying ourselves. Before we knew it the day was over and we were BBQing and enjoying a lovely evening.
The facilities at the camp site are perfect and include a camp kitchen with BBQs, hot plates, refrigerators and sinks. There are 5 picnic tables and lots of room. Other facilities include an amenities block, a playground, a basketball and netball ring, an open grass area and you can get coffee and ice-creams at the office. The managers are very helpful and kindly collocated us so we were camping alongside our friends. The sites are roomy and we had a slab which always helps by making the stay slightly more comfortable. Having said all of that, don’t expect anything to be new or modern. Most of the amenities having probably been there for over 30 years. But its all functional and in working order.
Sunday was another lovely day that we sent in and on the water. In the morning we took the kayaks out into the bay and paddled out around a couple of luxury yachts, looking for marine animals. Nothing to be seen but the paddle was lovely and relaxing and a great way to start the day. After lunch (and we did a lot of eating that day) we headed to Meelup Bay. This beach is stunning and we had a swim. Actually, I went in 3 times. The lure of the water is strong and I love the freshness of the ocean. The bay was still to the point of being like a pond and crystal clear. The beach was busy but not overcrowded and the sun was shining on the stunning blue water. This beach features as one of the 100 best beaches in Australia. Apparently there are 11761 beaches (no typo) so to make the top 100 is amazing. And a worthy place in that list.
The highlight for the boys was the fishing and making their “hobo camp” under the road bridge. They fished for ages into the canal and caught a small herring (?) and some tiny shrimp. While they weren’t going to feed the masses they had a wonderful time having some independence and freedom in a safe environment. Sunday evening was upon us far too fast and the day was over with our dinner around the campsites before another great nights sleep. The boys finally got the tent up and slept for a few short hours excited about getting up in time to meet their new (girl) friends in the morning. My youngest is growing up far too fast.
Even long weekends are short. Monday morning always comes around so fast and in the case of this weekend it was faster than ever. But given the traffic we faced on the way down, I was determined we would avoid that so despite leaving the campsite at 11ish, we didn’t get home until 8pm. No traffic though. Well not once we actually got out of the campsite and past the first roundabout where everyone was turning off to head for Perth. We headed for the jetty and the 1.8k walk to the end. A delightful way to get my steps for the day! Followed by fish and chips in the park. We then headed for Pepper Grove Beach where The Piper made a mate (a cute dog) while we marvelled at how quiet the beach was. Still no marine creatures but apparently everything can be seen there on the right day. Next we headed for Bunbury and had a walk out on the break wall in search of dolphins (still no luck) before finally making our way to the ice cream shop. Feeling full of life and ice cream we finally left Bunbury at 6pm and made our way home (no traffic!!), arriving to offload the trailer about 8pm. We really are lucky to be able to live such an abundant life.
The Solo Avocado 