On my second trip outside of Perth I’ve headed down to the southwest with ten travel mates from my school. We explored the wilderness and untouched nature with a reliable and comfy 12 seater Toyota HiAce. Being old also has its advantages: You don’t need to pay extra if you’re over 25 and usually you may have the D1 category in your driving licence which enables you to drive buses up to 15 passengers. Yaaay, I’m feeling much younger now 
Our journey started at Wednesday afternoon, which lasted three and a half days, till Sunday evening. Hence, as you might assume, we had to bunk off school for two days 
Anyway, after we sweat the alcohol from last night out of our bodies, we were ready to start.
Day 1
A 430 km drive to Albany. I’m still very amazed that you can drive on a straight road without oncoming traffic for hours. You can only hope that your car will not break down. Finally we arrived in Albany. Established in 1826, shortly before Perth, it is the oldest European settlement in WA and has a population of 25’000.
We checked-in at the Backpackers, cooked a huge amount of spaghetti and went out to a nearby pub. Although its rather small size, I think it can hold up to 50 persons, it had two security guards. No wonder is the alcohol so expensive here if almost every pub needs to employ security staff.
We started telling jokes after we had been drinking a couple of beers. It was a memorable night, very amusing and I didn’t laugh that much since a long time. Just to mention phrases like “Nei, das isch super” or “Kaffi-Creme”.
Day 2
The next day started early in the morning. Our schedule was very tight. We drove to the Torndirrup National Park, which lies 15 km further south of Albany, to see The Gap and The Natural Bridge. These spectacular rock formations, which also provide a beautiful view to the windswept rugged coastline, has been created by the massive power of the Southern Ocean.
We continued to the William Bay National Park, 80 km further west of Torndirrup. This place is known for its picturesque beaches, untouched coastlines and the Elephant Rocks & Elephant Caves. The intense colors and lack of tourists amplified the breathtaking atmosphere. I really got sentimental because I really wanted to share this beautiful moment with my girlfriend, who I hadn’t already seen for six weeks. As the name suggests, Elephant Rocks look like a herd of elephants in the midst of shallow water.
Time was our biggest enemy but we managed it somehow to visit the Valley of the Giants in the Walpole Wilderness Area, which is 40 km further west of William Bay. A highlight in there is the Tree Top Walk, on which you can walk literally between the tree crowns of 400-year-old giants in a height up to 40 meters. If you experience fear of heights you will either get rid of your phobia or crap your pants.
After finishing our walk we headed towards Augusta. Twilight was approaching fast and we had to drive very carefully as animals moving unexpectedly on roads. Particularly in twilight or during the night kangaroos ave very active and are crossing the roads more frequently. After driving further 240 km we finally arrived in Augusta around 9:30 pm. Having checked-in at our lovely YHA, we looked for somewhere to have dinner. Augusta’s population is about 1300, therefore we had no much choice. We found a big restaurant, which was close to where we stayed, but unfortunately the kitchen had already closed.
