Last Days

I swam with the Red Rockers until the end. The morning drive from Yallingup to Gracetown was so lovely. I took photos to capture the vibe. Always quiet except for the podcast playing in the background. The drive would alternate between big trees, lots of eucalyptus, farms and rolling vineyards. My soul was full before I ever stepped in the water.

Photo below is Cowaramup Bay, Gracetown. It’s where the Red Rockers swim every morning. Some mornings I would go early to get in some extra mileage; swimming or paddling. One morning I was paddling in the outer reaches of the bay and I saw two fins poking out of the water, going in the opposite direction. Sharks. I lost my mind. Heart rate went zonkers. Amygdala was hijacked and flight mode was dialed to 11. I was so anxious that I might fall in that I almost fell in. I hauled ass in the opposite direction wondering if they would chase me down and eat me. Kept looking over my shoulder to make sure I wasn’t going to die. Paddled to shore as fast as I could. As the panic subsided I started to wonder: wait a sec, sharks or dolphins? No one talks about dolphins around here, but they sure were rolling up and down a bit … like dolphins. Well … they were dolphins. Thank goodness. I thought I might never swim in the ocean again. So yeah, I went paddling with dolphins in Western Australia.

One night after dinner in Yallingup we went for a star walk. We all laid on the ground and just stared at the universe, Milky Way and more. Soul food.

A biking friend gave Justin some sourdough starter that is said to have been in circulation since the 1980’s. I love the hype. This was our first loaf.

Life in Yallingup: many walks to the general store and the ocean.

I took the kids to the ‘aquarium’ which was a cool spot on the shoreline where rocks have created some protected pools where fish like to frolick. It was so beautiful. Less than ten minutes from Yallingup.

Photos below are Smiths Beach which is about 5 minutes from Yallingup. Next beach south. I’m just so amazed at how protected this coastline has remained. These little towns (Gracetown, Yallingup) haven’t expanded since they were established 30+ years ago. Kudos to those who have made it so. The area is dotted with National Parks. Some development creeps in here and there but not much. There is always resistance and it often wins. OK let’s be clear, this is all my cheery outsider perspective. I’m just passing through this glorious corner of the planet. I never lived any of it. Bill the potter, and fellow swimmer, led the conservation movement around here for decades. He’s deservedly more jaded. I could see the wear and tear and exhaustion in his heart when he told me “Heather, we fight the same fights again, and again, and again. We win once, and then years pass, and it’s another developer, it’s different politicians, and we start all over, fighting for the same land, the same coast”.

We had a taste of Western Australia winter and it lasted three hours. Wind, rain and frothy ocean. Exactly during this window Will decided to got a training swim in the ocean. Hazel and I snuck down so I could take photos of this badassery!!

Believe it or not, there is staggering beauty underground in these parts!! Caves!! There was an extraordinary cave a ten minute walk from our place in Yallingup. A remarkable tiny boardwalk zig zagged its way up and down and around this cave. Felt very adventurous!!