As we left Perth towards Augusta and ultimately towards Sydney on Day #33 of #powerTrip360 ,we were about to enter the most beautiful part of Australia. The visual treat you get while riding/driving in this part of the country is unmatched. You get to see some of the most iconic roads/landmarks of Australia here – like Nullarbor, the Great Ocean Road, Great Australian Bight, Gnomesville, etc. So if you are planning to do a longish roadtrip in Australia and don’t have time or inclination to do something as big as #powerTrip360, we’d suggest that ride from Perth to Sydney or vice versa to get the maximum out of your roadtrip.
First to be ticked off from the list is Gnomesville, which is a major tourist attraction near the Wellington Mill locality south of Perth. There are roughly 7000 Gnome statute lying there at Gnomesville literally by the side of a road at an intersection. The whole area looks like an actual Gnomes town with all kinds of Gnomes residing there. There is a Gnomes football team and a detention area for bad Gnomes. Then there are astronomer Gnomes, pilot Gnomes, farmer Gnomes, homeless Gnomes, retired Gnomes, etc.
Nobody is quite sure about who started putting up these Gnomes there and when. But according to the most popular theory, a few local school kids saw an under construction roundabout at an intersection and thought it would be a traffic hazard. So in protest they put up a few Gnomes there to draw the attention of the authorities. And then over a period of time locals and visitors added to the collection. There are many versions of this theory and some other theories as well behind the origin of Gnomesville and it is up to you which one you’d want to believe. But irrespective of the origin, the place should definitely be on your checklist if you are visiting that area. Whether you are a kid or a retired old man, it will surely bring a smile to your face. Even the ride to this place is worth all the effort.
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Check out the above album by motoGrapher for more pics of Gnomesville shot with the Superleggera
Our final destination for the day was the picturesque town of Augusta, which is roughly 363 kms south of Perth, and it also happens to be the most south-westerly point of Australia. It used to be a popular summer holiday town for people of Western Australia until the 1990s when a lot of people started settling here permanently after retirement due to its cooler weather. The tallest lighthouse of inland Australia, Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse is also located here. They say that this lighthouse is the best land-based vantage point for spotting whales from the month of May till October.
Day #34 onwards, we’d leave the west coast and ride along the southern coast of Australia. The destination for the day was the port city of Albany in Western Australia, which also happens to be the oldest colonial settlement in WA. It was initially called Frederick Town in honour of Prince Frederick, Duke of York & Albany and was renamed to Albany in 1831 when the settlement was transferred to the control of Swan River Colony.
When we were leaving Augusta in the morning, we saw a large cloud of smoke rising in the horizon and in just a matter of few minutes, this cloud grew so big that it covered almost the entire sky above us. It was so thick that even the sun had started looking red. Turned out that the smoke was rising from the scheduled bush fire in the nearby area. It was a scary sight to behold, looked like almost the end of the world.
However, the rest of the day was a bit uneventful except for the plenty of photo breaks that we took.