Western Australia Day 2 - Rockingham Seal Island Cruise, Mandurah Town, Lake Clifton and Bunbury Light House

Night life in semi-rural city in Western Australia are pretty scarce, so we had an early sleep and wake up pretty early in the next morning as well. Breakfast was done at Airbnb host as she allowed us to have access to her kitchen. Then we headed straight to Rockingham jetty for a 60 minutes seal island cruise which was booked earlier via Internet. 

Sighting of penguins is depending entirely on your luck and we were lucky to spotted a couple of penguins swimming near the shorelines. 

Some sightings we encountered during our visit. All were zoomed in using a zoom lense in fact. 

The cruise was not a bumpy right and we were free to roam around in the cruise. There was a tour guide on board guiding us where to spot for the penguins and dolphins. She was kind enough to offer us a help to take a picture after seeing us struggle to take a selfie.

The lunch was settled at Pengo's Cafe with an online booking of Fish N Chips for AUD 13.50 (it is cheaper to book online than ordering it on the spot). Besides, we were lucky to redeem a voucher via Pengo's Cafe Facebook page for a buy 1 free 1 coffee promotion. 

Fish N Chips here is slightly different compared to the one we had in Malaysia. Overall, we felt it was more like a finger food instead of mains but it was sufficient to fill our stomach. 

Again, we took our time to stroll across the street nearby Pengo's Cafe and take some shots. The chilling breeze was comfortable and we were somehow reluctant to move back to car.

As we headed south en route to Lake Clifton, we spotted some wild kangaroos by the roadside. They were afraid of human and immediately dispersed to jungle the moment when we stepped down to the car. 

We arrived at Lake Clifton when the sun is about to set and able to catch some sunset view. This area is special in a sense that it hosted one of the oldest living relic in our world - Thrombolites, with a life spanning across 3.5 billion years?

Thrombolites do not move but they photosynthesize, as they are a group of microbial communities. When we googled about thrombolites then we realized not many places in the world has it.

Lake Clifton is largely inaccessible but there is a place where a wooden bridge is being built to allow visitors to walk on it and have a closer view of the thrombolites. The view of the thrombolites was not clear though as the water was deep during our visit there, and it is hearsay summer or autumn would offer a better view when the water is shallow.

Facilities here are great. There is a car park so you can safely park your car and a toilet nearby. Serves as a great stop when you are driving South. 

When I was having fun photography the surrounding, I suddenly hear a plopping sound. Anxiety struck my nerves immediately, as I thought my car keys dropped to the river. Shit!

My instinct made me groped both my pockets. Eh, keys and wallets are still intact in my pockets. Then I looked deep into the lake, and realized it was my ND filter that dropped to the river! I made a blunder and did not screw it properly to my lense, and there goes my filter, resting in peace forever in Lake Clifton.

There goes my RM 400 as well!

With a broken heart, we proceed further south to Bunbury and stopped by the seaside for a walk. The sound of waves from South Indian Ocean hitting the shoreline was strident that it sounded like explosions. As time goes by, we felt the sound was somehow soothing and therapeutic in fact.

The Bunbury Light House with a zebra colour painting is an iconic building at the seaside.

Before we checked into Airbnb, we stopped by Coles for some groceries shopping. 

Upon walked into the Coles at Bunbury, we spotted there is a specific area offering various Macadamia! Oh my god, this is a must buy at Australia! 

We grabbed some of Macadamia Salated as it was recommended by our friends, along with some canned spaghetti for dinner. 2 bottles of microwave Heinz Spag Meatball and Sausage Spaghetti for AUD 3, which is a real bargain but the taste was....... try them yourselves.

Luckily we got ourselves 6 Ultimate Chocolate Chips Cookies for 2.5 AUD.

This Airbnb in Bunbury was lovely. We were offered the entire upper floor, which included a snooker table, dart board, kitchen, balcony and a private room of course. We spent some time enjoying the amenities in our room before getting a rest and preparing for the next day.