Cape Bridgewater :: Day 02A :: Cape Brigewater Petrified Forest and Blowholes

Thomas and I woke up before the others and we stole away for a walk towards Seal Bay via the back of the property. Through the vegetation we ducked as we followed the path. It opened out of a gate and the Seal Walk path. The sunrise overlooking Shelly Beach was beautiful. The sun rays filtered through the colander-like clouds. 

We stumbled on the Kennedy Family Private Cemetery which faced the bay of Shelly Beach. What an enlightening final resting place. 

The path was undulating and there were steps and timber stairs. The beaten and shaped smooth boulders on the beach were of black volcanic rock. If the seals were basking here, they would be safely camouflaged. 

We reached the jetty and were reading the sign “Wild Seals Resting. Keep your distance.” when my mobile phone rang. That made us both jump out of our skins. It was Kim beckoning our return for breakfast. We didn’t spot any seals. But one thing we were aware of was how swiftly the sea changed. The jetty was cleared of water for most of the time we were there and without any warning, it was suddenly drowned by a couple of unexpectedly large waves.

After breakfast, we drove to the Petrified Forest and Blowholes, about 5 minutes away from our campground.  As we approached the car park, the wind farm was monumental. The naked landscape with its vivid blue sky, red earth, blue sea and white crashing waves was perfect. We were in awe of how marvelous this place was. Although the landscape appeared barren from its harsh environment, we saw how dainty yet robust the plants were.

The Petrified Forest is assemblage of columnar and branching calcrete structures of over 1 metre high called rhizo-concretions. These are hollow tubes of limestone, eroded as a result of millions of years of rainfall. Their ultimate presence is a circle on the red earth before vanishing forever from the unforgiving and harsh environment.

We were blown away by the sheer size and power of the sea. We were tricked by seaweed (again) and thought they were seals playing in the waves.

We walked towards the blowholes and were amazed here as well. We could easily set up our deckchairs and watch these magnificent waves. The wind though was not overly inviting as it was driving ice cold pins through our clothes. 

We walked part of the Great South Western Walk. The path was easy and each step we took offered us picture perfect views. It made me feel I wanted to explore further but our stomachs eagerly awaited to be filled.

CapeBridgewater Café was bustling; our lunch took forever to arrive. Luckily the kids were distracted by a labrador at the next table. Its owners were feeding it tomatoes and chips. We sat outside on the non-beach side as it was so windy on the beach side.