Pay (To Go) Up Mate!-Day 118

We slept so soundly, both Ray and I commenting about it in the morning. We assumed that it must have been the natural environment that we were camped in and that it had nothing to do with the Margaret River wine that we consumed in copious amounts the previous night. Caleb, Ray and I took a walk through the National Park while Az was in the shower. No showers in this park so we each have to use the van’s shower. We walked to the edge of the cliff which is the edge of Australia. The views were absolutely beautiful. On our walk back, Ray had his knife ready as we had been told of sightings of 5 metre long snakes in the area. As we rambled along listening to Ray and Caleb’s banter, it occurred to me that I could play a bit of a trick on them.

At the next available bush I slipped in behind it and waited. Their voices became more faint as I hid. After a moment or two of silence I heard them calling me. I stayed where I was, giggling behind my hand. I heard Caleb say, “No Dad, you go first” and realised two things; that they were returning along the track and that Caleb was worried. When they were close enough, I jumped out from behind the bush yelling, “Tricked you!” Caleb was not impressed. He returned my shout with a dirty look and turned and walked away. I caught up with him but he didn’t want to know me. I think he was really quite concerned for my safety! 
We decided to explore a bit of the region further South today. Augusta wasn’t too far away and as we had made a late start, we decided we would head there. It’s a quiet town for the moment but it has some serious harbour development happening. We ate our picnic lunch on the foreshore, watching the people swimming and snorkeling. It was a mild day and the water must have been freezing. There were lots of really white skinned bodies so we figured they must have been English people who were already used to the mildness of Summer. Too cold for us though!
We went to the Cape Leewin lighthouse but to get through the fence (via the souvenir shop and the cafe) you had to pay $5 per person, then another $17 a person to go up the lighthouse. This is the first lighthouse that we have come across where there has been a charge. We decided that it wouldn’t cost the governments (State or Federal) more than $200k a year to fund its upkeep as a place of interest. Fair enough, a cafe and souvenir shop raises revenue but why should tourists pay these entrance fees EVERYWHERE they go? Covering costs is one thing but overcharging is another. We enjoyed the view from the fence and decided to give this one a miss. 
Back at camp Caleb got stuck into some school work (Grade 4 this year) and we had a stunning Australian kangaroo visitor at the water tap which proved a convenient distraction. (We noted that this was a real Aussie attraction that was FREE!) Ray started reading a self help book on giving up smoking, the same one that cured me 6 years ago. Yahoo! We may just see some healthier people/person around camp soon!

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