I camped out in Menang Country (Albany) over the weekend, a little bit of doing nothing. Almost. I find it so hard to just do nothing and yet it’s so often what we need to do the most.
The slowing down, appreciating a hot cuppa and what’s in front of me has become a real pleasure. To just stop and observe.
More and more along the coasts of WA I see visitors turn up, take a few snaps, hop back in the car and leave. Many don’t even get out of the car. Get out of the car 😌 you see so much more! Another travel hack I’ve learnt is the return journey, you pretty much always see something new when you’re backtracking and looking at the same location but from the reverse angle.
All day and night, the sound of the crashing waves. It’s a special kind of thing to go to sleep listening to the ocean. Each morning stepping out onto the beach with a coffee and brekky, it has to be one of my favourite things in this world.
Fresh fish each night, also has to be one of the awesome things about Australia. We can still catch clean, fresh fish right off most beaches.
The coastline in this area is wild, dangerous wild. You need to take extra care and avoid anything risky. The coastal rocks are huge, slippery and rogue waves are very common. Swells surge differently with each wave and you can easily be caught or get washed off so don’t take any risks, especially with kids.
A few days away is a good amount of time I’ve found, to reset and recharge. This time I took a long weekend, but I think four days is probably a better length. Depending on how far you travel, it takes a day to unwind. For me, Menang Country is a five hour road trip away. It’s beautiful on the way so an easy drive.
Menang Country is hilly near the coast, surrounded by huge granite clusters. A bit like Esperance and the rest of the southern coast.
Inland rivers wind down out into the ocean, lined with paperbarks and stained brown by that Australian bush tannin.
If you wait a while near some of the river bends, you’ll likely spot the yoondoordoo or osprey floating across thermals looking for fish. They pair for life, returning to the same nest each year but migrate away separately for part of the year. Their nests are usually close to the river bank in the tallest eucalypt tree you can find.
Yoondoordoo hunt by diving on fish from above, often completely submerging. Their feathers repel the water and after returning to the air, you can see them pause a moment and shake it all off. It’s pretty cute.
The bush is a lot more prickly. Lots of acacia and others that have adapted to the salty wind. Be mindful for when you go hiking. There’s plenty of old balga / grass trees and even the bullanock (kingia australis). It’s August / Djilba and the flowers are starting to show themselves.
I spent some time fishing, hanging out with the local quenda’s and exploring the coastline. What a stun place, we are so fortunate.
Here’s a little of Menang Country through my eyes:
