Today we feel rather spoilt. We are leaving the caravan behind in the caravan park for the night while we go off and investigate the Margaret River region. We head west once more!!! Michelle's mum Olga, with whom we have spent the last 2 weeks, lives on Molloy Island, a small island that is just off the mainland from Augusta in the far southwest. We are going to to spend the evening with her and her grandson Jack. Molloy has 200 houses on it, 100 local residents and the rest are holiday houses. But before we get there we plan to do the inland drive through Margaret River.
On our drive through to the region we were preparing ourselves for the impact of the recent bushfires on the forests, but we were not prepared to see the impact this early on in our drive. 
We had become interested in these fires as one of our friends from Coral Bay had a family member affected. She had been very lucky as the fire made it up to her back fence but her house and everyone survived. 
Our journey is to start at the Augusta end and travel inland as far up as we can go. We are hoping that we will get all the way to Yallingup. 
There is a strong temptation to skip through Margaret River and head straight to Augusta and then Molloy Island, as at this stage we have to admit the hustle bustle of a busy town does not appeal as much as a small island with only a few hundred inhabitants. But we realise that we may always wonder why everyone always speak so glowingly about the area.
E.C.S entering Margaret River.
Our first stop, Margaret River Cheese Tasting. Mmmmm. We were so impressed with not just how yummy they all were but that Timna actually tried all of them, from the brie all the way to the smoked cheese. She has now decided that she absolutely adores feta, who would have thought!! Nevertheless it cost us a bit all under the premise that we were buying them for Olga......hoping quietly we could share them with her!!!! Of course there were many many wineries we drove past, but we displayed large amounts of will power and did not stop. Secretly, we were saving our pennies as we had fallen very much in love with the very drinkable pinot noir of Pemberton. Our next bit of research will be how much to deliver a case home!!!!
Next stop Busselton and the famous Jetty. The kids are so excited, not with any of its history, but because this was where Jae from Masterchef won one of his immunity challenges!!!The modern jetty stretches 1.8klms across Geographe Bay. It reopened in Feb 2011 after receiving a massive refurbishment. There is the famous coffee pot train and a new underwater observatory which takes you into the depths of the water under the jetty.
After a very yummy lunch on the foreshore, we try to burn it off. We did enquire about the train and the observatory, but all this was fully booked out all day. This is the reality of us sharing our holidays with the rest of Australia. Probably a good thing as the cost was a little outrageous.....more money towards our cases of pinot noir, just don't tell the kids that!!!
The walk on the jetty was well worth it, if not just for the view but also the opportunity for us parents to have some 1 on 1 chats with the kids. Benj in particular has been having some issues since farewelling the Goddens. As a result we sometimes forget that these experiences are completely new for the kids. For Benj, having just gotten over leaving his special friends in Coral Bay, he now has to go through these emotions once more! 
The Coffee Pot Train.
This had us all fascinated for a while. These plaques are all in commemoration of someone's dearly departed. Their cause of death did not necessarily have anything to do with the pier, except for the fact that they possibly spent the best times of their lives fishing off the jetty.
On the way through Margaret River you travel through many quaint towns. We did not stop here for anything.....wish we did! We were pleased we travelled through the Margaret River Region, as we would have always wondered what we might have missed, but we are learning that we all feel so much more comfortable and relaxed away from the hustle of big towns. We decide the pull to Augusta is too strong, so we decide to leave Yallingup for tomorrow.
Even on just arriving into the town of Augusta, we all instantly have a feeling of familiarity and comfort, and perhaps a little excitement in seeing Molloy Island. So we leave the touring of Augusta for tomorrow and head straight for Molloy.
Here we go, we nearly missed the sign post.
The way across to the island is via a small 4 car ferry. A little excitement for us land lubbers.
Outside Olga's place. She and her husband built this place and he made almost every piece of furniture inside it. Thanks to Olga's hospitality, she instantly made us feel like we belonged rather than like strangers. How are we going to leave here????
Dessert time. We provided the selection of Margaret River chocolates and Olga spoilt the kids with jelly and icecream. This was after she spoilt us all with a roast dinner and chicken soup. She had so wonderfully remembered how much the kids had enjoyed her soup back in Perth. She received the best compliment from the kids after they devoured multiple bowls and told her how much she reminded them of their grandmere and aunty!!
We stayed up chatting with Olga while the kids all settled to bed in a new but oddly familiar place. It really shows it is not so much the place but the people, who make you feel at home. Our intentions for tomorrow are to continue our sprint tour through the Margaret River Region. Hey, we have just realised this was the first time in over 4 months that we have showered without having to wear thongs and slept in a bed that was surrounded by solid walls!!!! Good night.........
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