8GreatEscapes - 1. Escape to Ningaloo - Pe... - Day 1: Swan Valley (Perth/G... : DriveWA

Day 1: Swan Valley (Perth/Guildford) to Cervantes

So here goes. .."..There was the sweet smell of freedom in my nostrils as I made my initial escape and drove up the Freeway to Duncraig to pick Steve Correia up at his home - without getting lost because he sent me an email with an embedded google maps file to show me where to go. Love it - great technology!

I always start my journeys from one of my favourite places the multi award winning Midland Ice Creamery but because we were running early (a bit of a shock when I am involved) we had some time to kill until opening time of 9am so we went back to the Swan Valley Tourist Information Centre which is in a group of delightful old buildings at Guildford at the entrance to the Swan Valley.

We returned to the Midland Ice Creamery via the majestic old Guildford Grammar School church (my son is a Guildford student and Steve – who loves churches although not a Christian - was enormously taken by the grandeure of the building and could not drive past without stopping to shoot it).

At the Ice Creamery I explained the critical importance of ice cream at 9.30 in the morning to the group - the need to get your sugar levels up - to provide energy for the trip.

This enthusiastic embracing of unusual activities on behalf of our presenters and camera crew categorised the trip and nothing was ever too much trouble for them to try. I think Steve and I opened their eyes a bit to the world of self drive touring the DriveWA way – which eventually found its way into this slogan for the trip

“don’t drive fast, don’t drive past – come in and have a look round.”

So the intrepid DriveWA/Loco TV team drove off into the distance to start the DriveWA drive trail #1 – Perth/Exmouth - in earnest at the Sandalford Winery.

Steve had made these arrangements because he had dealt with them before although my family knew the Prendivilles – because he had done some other work with them and I was delighted to find the Sandalford Executives and staff very welcoming and enormously professional.

It was a great experience - Jimmy and some excellent staff who could not do too much for us – they lit the fire in the restaurant because it was cool and chef ……..had made up some wonderful platters for us to show their wares.

Before eating lunch we all did a wine tasting in the excellent cellar door sales facility which is adjacent to the restaurant and Taryn chose a sticky for brunch which was adventurous for a young lady but we all tried a small amount of it and loved it…

See Day 1 on DriveWA's webisode below...

source: LocoTV

The team departed Sandalford a little reluctantly at twelve thirty and at about 1.30am we stopped at Regans Ford where there is a really nice little stop around the river/creek and you get on the track on the Perth side and off at the other side after going over the little low bridge (ford) and off again to a track that takes you onto the entrance road to the little Gull roadhouse where they have fuel, good food and even some emus in a fenced off compound which is popular with tourists from outside Australia. Taryn went to the loo there and they bought some snacks.

After a short filming break we drove to Cervantes (stopping to shoot the wind farm which is next to the road) and went directly to the Indian Ocean Rock Lobster business where we met the owners David and Sue (the latter was preparing pickled ocky (octopus)).

One could not go to Cervantes without tasting the local crays and visiting the Pinnacles – so we had organised a quick tour of the Indian Ocean Rock Lobster facility and purchased 3 crays and some pickled ocky.

We consumed them eagerly at the Pinnacles lookout.

The tour at the rock lobster business went really well and Dave Thompson showed himself to be a real trooper and did a great job while I chatted to Sue about the difficulties of running businesses in the tourism industry and getting staff to do the Saturdays and Sundays etc.

The team drove off to shoot a piece on the brand new Pinnacles Discovery Centre while I went into town to check in and get the keys to our accommodation.

We just made it and while Brett scurried around the pinnacles shooting stills and video we working on the viewing platform with the stars.

The three crays and the pickled occy (which was much better than I expected as I am not normally a fan of such things) were great and disappeared very quickly whilst we stood on the raised viewing platform and looked over the Pinnacles Desert to the mighty Indian Ocean and watched the sunset.

We made it back into town and found the house and got an excellent meal each at the Cervantes Ronsard Bay Tavern. I had the fish of the day which was the local pink snapper which was fabulous and a bottle of Aussie wine in Annies Lane Cabernet Sauvignon which at mid thirty dollars was good value.

We would normally have stayed with my old friends at the Cervantes Pinnacles Motel but they had a huge booking that night and were full - which I was very pleased about for them but it shows the merits of booking ahead even where you have friends in high places. So we rented a house for the night from the Cervantes Visitors Centre which worked very well for us as it gave us the room to spread out all our stuff and watch the rushes and repack the cars etc which was great.

So from the Tavern we went back to our accommodation and watched the rushes and stills and hit the sack ready for another big day “tomorra”..." © Chris Pye 2009

>> Go to Day 2 Cervantes to Geraldton!

Cervantes

A small coastal town of 900, its location is popular for crayfishing, fishing and windsurfing and other water based activities. Cervantes is located 245km north of Perth making it an easy days drive. more

Pinnacles Desert Discovery Centre

Visitors can now enjoy interpretive displays and multi-media presentations of the Pinnacles and the surrounding Nambung National Park.A retail gallery located within the Pinnacles Desert Discovery also provides visitors with an opportunity to purchase artwork and mementoes inspired by the Pinnacles. more

Nambung National Park (Pinnacles)

Travel 230 kilometres north of Perth and you will find the fascinating Pinnacles Desert, located in the Nambung National Park. The scenery is impressive and peculiar in its moon-like landscape. The Pinnacles are essentially limestone formations; ranging from a few centimetres tall to a few metres high. more

Indian Ocean Rock Lobster

The Indian Ocean Rock Lobster Company was formed by the Thompson family of Cervantes and is a must on any travellers attractions list whilst in Cervantes more

Best Western Hospitality Inn Geraldton

The Best Western Hospitality Inn Geraldton offers 52 well appointed and extremely comfortable rooms as well as deluxe self contained apartments. The rooms boast a host of facilities such as air conditioning, internet facilities, free in-house movies and FOXTEL. The Inn also offers spacious grounds and an outdoor pool along with a guest BBQ area. more

Ningaloo Reef offers brilliant snorkelling opportunities

Ningaloo Reef Retreat

Ningaloo Reef Retreat is your portal to the award winning eco camp on the reef in Cape Range National Park. So join the expert guides at the Ningaloo Reef Retreat and discover more than you ever imagined. more

The Mackerel Islands, Thevenard Island

The Mackerel Islands - the ideal place to relax and fish on your own special island The pristine coral reefs are home to a myriad of colourful reef fish and stunning coral formations. The islands are a diver’s paradise. Fishermen will also be astonished by the Mackerel’s; offering many five start species off the beach and out to see. more