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 Head
south from Margaret River and you'll come to Augusta; the pot
of gold at the end of the rainbow.
Considering the number of tourists who visit Augusta every year,
it is an unspoilt town that boasts a strong community heart and
its own unique attractions.
It doesn't have the cosmopolitan make-up of Margarets, nor the
hustle and bustle of Dunsborough.
And while it boasts some superb waves, it certainly can't lay
claim to the surfing community of Yallingup.
But Augusta has been attracting the same people for years.
Every year they make the trek down the Cape to the only town
in Western Australia which can say it sits at the point where
the Indian and Southern Oceans meet.
 And at that meeting point
is the single biggest attraction in Augusta; the Cape Leeuwin
Lighthouse, the steps of which are climbed by thousands annually.
It's not just the lighthouse that attracts them though.
Augusta boasts a vibrant fishing community, and amateurs as well
as professionals fish its shores and seas for fish that range
to the bread and butter whiting and herring in the river to dhufish,
tuna and shark in the sea.
And they come so they can sail down the Blackwood River; for
romance or relaxation, it's the perfect way to spend a day.
They come also for solitude; the peace, the warmth of a town
that hosts only a few hundred permanent residents. Novice surfers
come here for Jay's Beach, which on its day produces lines of
waves that no serious surfer can resist.
As you drive into the Augusta townsite you are greeted by
the one of the South-West's best sights.
 The town's main street
looks down on the Blackwood River, which sweeps away and meets
the Southern Ocean.
Whether it's a summer day and the scene is bathed in sunlight,
or if it's a blustery winter's afternoon, the scene is no less
impressive.
But perhaps the most incredible sights you may see in Augusta
when you visit are the whales, which come so close to shore that
you can
hear them.
Standing at Flat Rock and watching Southern Right Whales going
through mating rituals is a scene you have to witness to truly
experience; no words, photos or videos can express the delight
and wonder of watching these kings of the ocean at work.
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