All the way to WA - The Giants of Mandurah

 

Day 9 August 1, 2023

If it’s Tuesday, this must be Bunbury.

We left Perth behind this morning; our three designated drivers having travelled out to the airport to collect our hire car and then return to our Airbnb for the luggage and the remaining passengers.

With Tyrone at the helm of our very spacious Hyundai people-mover, we arrived in Mandurah for morning tea and from here, decided to venture off in search of giants, as you do!

The Giants of Mandurah Exhibition and Trail started from the information centre, so we armed ourselves with all the details and a map,  before setting off to find the first of the giant sculptures, constructed by internationally renowned recycle artist, Thomas Dambo.

Each of the giants is placed in a natural area accessed by a short hiking trail. We found one, Santi Ikto, overlooking the surf at Halls Head Beach. The second, Seba’s Song, was a short drive away, down a bayside path, sitting out on the breakwater at Wannanup. We watched a pod of dolphins playing in the water here as well – perhaps Seba’s Song was designed to attract the dolphins.

Our third and final giant for the day, Little Lui, was found in the National Park alongside Lake Clifton, where he sat hugging a huge tree. On the other side of this trail, a short stroll from the carpark, were the amazing Thrombolites, a mass of living, rounded, rock-like organisms which we viewed  from a boardwalk over the lake.

There are more giants to be found, but we only had time for the three today, as we needed to reach Bunbury and check in to our hotel for the night. The Bunbury Hotel is built in old silos – a very interesting building; the rooms are both comfortable and spacious. We regrouped and then went out to find dinner and explore a little of the area. The hotel backs onto Koombana Bay, famous for its daily dolphin visits, so we are hoping to catch a glimpse of them before we up anchor and travel further south tomorrow.

Little Lui
Santi Ikto
Seba's Song
Lake Clifton Thrombolites

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