Day 4 of our WA tour saw us heading south from Mandurah where we had stayed at a beachside cottage (which, upon reflection, should really have been a two night minimum stay since one day hardly allows you time to appreciate the area) and on to the Margaret River region (which I would certainly not have given up a single day of just to stay the extra day in Mandurah).
On the way we stopped at Bunbury to see the Dolphin Discovery Centre but the fact that it was a rainy and windy day meant that there were no dolphins to be seen. But if you ever find yourself out that way, do drop in anyway. The feeding tours are remarkably well done with friendly and informative guides telling you about many of the sea creatures that live around the area.
This place, I'm more ambivalent about. Busselton Jetty is a bit further to the south. There are no tourist signs to guide you in. Its claim to fame is that it's "the longest timber-piled jetty in the Southern Hemisphere". Once a commercial wharf, it fell into disrepair and was reopened as a tourist attraction. At the end of the jetty, 1.8km away, is an underwater viewing room that lets you look out into the ocean and the sea life in it... for about 30 bucks per adults. (Adults being 15 years or over.) Though for that they do throw in a train ride out to the end of the wharf which would otherwise cost you $11 each. It also costs you $2.50 each to walk the wharf, which is more reasonable as it would cost a bit to maintain.
The thing is that the wind and rain meant that both the train and the observatory were closed. There were no signs in the car park to indicate this; you only find out when you cross the open ground to the visitors' centre (getting drenched to the skin in the process) and are told that in a none too friendly tone with the suggestion that you call first next time.
Would do, but I don't think that there will be one.
This place has very mixed reviews on Trip Advisor as well. While Poor and Terrible ratings are rare there are more "Average" ones than I've seen for most attractions with a number of people commenting that the observatory, even when open, is overcrowded with insufficient windows and is generally underwhelming.
As for the shot... unfortunately I didn't have a lot to choose from on this day as most of it was driving. The Olympus didn't handle the low light of the Dolphin Discovery Centre all that well and nothing worthwhile came out of that, and the only other shots I have for this day are of our cottage retreat at Margaret River. I was tempted to put one of those up as the PAD because I loved being at that place so much, but photographically speaking the shots of the jetty and its leading lines were far and away the better ones.
That it is, then.
