BUNBURY, COLLIE, KATANNING
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
COVID ADVENTURES 2020
We have been embracing the WA Government initiative to Wander Out Yonder during COVID-19, so this weekend we took the opportunity to visit the Southwest towns of Bunbury, Collie and Katanning.
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| Pinjarra Bakery |
First stop was the Pinjara Bakery where we met our friends, had a pie for breakfast and sampled their milkshakes. Forever on the hunt for WA's best milkshake, the vanilla one was pretty good. It had the right thickness, flavour and bubble, however the chocolate one was too milky and not worth the calories.
Fuelled up for the morning we headed to Lane Pool Reserve in Dwellingup. A fantastic place for camping, bushwalking, canoeing and bird spotting, we forget that WA has these little gems within 100km of Perth.
We walked the Island Pool trail, a 6km or 1 hour loop walk amongst the jarrah forest before heading to Hackersley Estate in the Ferguson Valley for lunch. Open from Thursday to Sunday, Hackersley offers a set-menu lunch overlooking the dam and fields of cattle and occasional kangaroo. The food was excellent, as was the bottle of sparkling.
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| Hackersley Estate |
For afternoon tea we headed to the Ferguson Falls Wines & Cafe. Another stunning rural setting serving delicious coffee, cakes and ice-cream from Two Fat Cows.
We stayed in Bunbury for the night at the Quest Apartments. From there we walked into Bunbury and watched the moon rise over Koombana Bay whilst enjoying a drink at Mash Brewing.
On the road by 8.30am we headed east to Collie. Collie is predominantly a coal mining town and the once "dirty mining town" is now one of Australia's tidiest towns. The Coalfields Museum and Historical Centre is on the right as you enter the town and well worth a visit. The volunteers who run the centre have endless stories to tell about the people and families who lived and still live in Collie.
From Collie we drove to Broomehill via Towerinning Lake. We have often driven past the signs to the lake, however this was the first time we saw it. Who would have thought that local farmers would have such a fabulous facility for water sports and camping. The privately owned campground offers beach access, powered sites and wood fires. It is also a dog friendly campground.
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| Lake Towerinning |
Lunch was booked at Henry Jones' Winery & Cafe in Broomehill. There isn't much else in Broomehill apart from this eclectic hotel and resident owners. With shelves full of memorabilia and a unique homely touch, the steak sandwich was one of the best I've had in a long time. A fabulous place to stop for a glass of wine, chat and feed.
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| Henry Jones' Winery & Cafe |
Katanning is located in the heart of Great Southern and has recently been featured on the SBS program "Where are you really from". In 1891 the Piesse brothers opened the Premier Roller Flour Mill which subsequently supplied flour to the whole of the Albany district. In 2018 it was opened as the newly renovated Premier Mill Hotel.
The hotel has 22 rooms with a very comfortable bed and well-appointed ensuite. The Cordial Bar is open from 3.00pm and shared plates can be ordered from the Dome cafe upstairs.
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| The Premier Mill |
We said goodbye to our fellow travellers at the Williams Woolshed. I love the merino wool jumpers on sale here and always buy something when I visit. Besides the wool, they also make great pies and one of WA's best milkshakes. They are the perfect size, flavour and consistency and definitely in our top five favourite milkshakes.
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| Williams Woolshed |
We drove back to Perth via Quindanning, Boddington, and back through Dwellingup where we stopped for a walk and visit to the providore at 63 McLarty Street where we picked up some homemade chutney, jam and had a chat with Basil the sulphur-crested cockatoo.
A fabulous weekend Wander Out Yonder and great winter escape.
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