Penguin Island, Western Australia

Having not even attempted to stay up and celebrate the coming of 2015, we decided to spend the first day of the new year exploring a little bit of Western Australian wilderness. Situated a very manageable hour away from us, we made the way to Rockingham marine reserve, along with the other hoards of celebrators looking to sunbathe their way into 2015. 

Although it is possible to walk via the sandbar to the island during low tide, it's really not recommended as currents and changes in depth are unpredictable and very dangerous. we opted to grab the glass bottom boat tour across, island hopping between seal lions warming themselves against hot sands, pods of dolphins hunting and penguin Island. 

The cool wind lashed across our faces as Lilly squealed in joy to see real live dolphins, waving "hello!" excitedly from the boat and after 45minutes of exploring the crystal clear waters, we docked on Penguin Island. The beaches were warm, sheltered and filled to the brim with underwater sea life, perfect for little toddlers to run around to their hearts content. Strict policies on littering and where you can walk keeps the island as pristine as possible, with nesting penguins found in abundance if you look hard enough. The island is a favourite for nesting sea birds of all sorts, and you will be pressed to find a better reserve so close to the city. 

There's no cafés on the island, so bringing a picnic is recommended! We spent the whole day swimming, snorkelling, walking and exploring the island, although a few hours is probably more then sufficient! If you're looking for a sun drenched, wilderness exploring day out, I can't recommend Penguin Island enough

Margaret River, Western Australia

Last October we travelled down to Margaret River as part of 2 week trip for work and to test out the bus. It was spring and the weather was stormy, seemingly unaware of the season change. Margaret River had been on our list for months now, but a few days before leaving Perth we all caught a truly awful flu and spent the majority of our trip feeling miserable and lying in bed, albeit parked by some of the most beautiful beaches I've ever seen. I didn't photograph much, and to be honest we really didn't take advantage of our gorgeous surroundings until our last few days where we started to slowly perk back up. It was probably one of worst road trips, with lots of frustrating things happening (like running out of water, solar electricity etc) but in amongst that we had some wonderfully lovely moments, filled with light. 

Camped:
Chapman Pool (Warner Glen)- A little further out of Margaret River and quite busy while we were there but has toilets, picnic tables, BBQ's
Canebreak Pool- Another cute little spot, accessed best from the Margaret River side. Apparently it's also a great place to swim. 

To do:
There's sooooo much fantastic food in Margaret River! Seriously foodie central, a favourite of ours was the chocolate factory. Lot's of beautiful beaches to explore, especially during low tide for rock pools.