Every Day I'm Busselton
A couple weeks ago we flew over to Perth on the western coast of Australia for the Busselton Ironman Triathlon. After the four hour flight we picked up our camper van and drove 2.5 hours south to Busselton, located on beautiful Geographe Bay.
Busselton has the distinction of having the longest timber-piled jetty in the Southern Hemisphere. I don't really know why they had to specify timber-piled, it makes me wonder what other kind of longest piled jetty is in this hemisphere, but around here you have to claim whatever you can. It's not like there are that many people in the Southern Hemisphere to actually fact check. But regardless, the Busselton Jetty is 1.9 km long, the perfect distance to feature the 3.8 km swim portion of the triathlon.
Phil checked in for the race and got his race number and gear bags, and after checking in at the caravan park we joint hundreds of crazy triathletes for a pre-race briefing and dinner.
Saturday morning Phil reassembled his bike and checked it and his bike bag and street gear bag in for the race. Once the athletes finish the swim they run through a shower and into a change tent where people assist them in removing their wetsuits and hand them their bike bag, including a helmet, gels, and whatever else they'll need for the 180 km ride. When they finish the ride they hand off their bikes and are given their street gear bags containing whatever they require to run the marathon. It has to be a very organised set up to keep everyone moving from one discipline to the next in about 3 minutes.
All set for the race the following day, we drove out to Cape Naturaliste. We hiked a path to the lighthouse, and the views were nice but there were millions of flies everywhere, making it difficult to enjoy. From there we explored Sugarloaf Rock, and took advantage of the camper van to take an impromptu afternoon nap by the beach. Then we headed to Meelup Beach on Eagle Bay, a really pretty spot with gorgeous turquoise water. We had an early dinner and pre-race beer at a place called the Pour House before heading to bed early in preparation for the 5:45 am start time the following morning.
Busselton has the distinction of having the longest timber-piled jetty in the Southern Hemisphere. I don't really know why they had to specify timber-piled, it makes me wonder what other kind of longest piled jetty is in this hemisphere, but around here you have to claim whatever you can. It's not like there are that many people in the Southern Hemisphere to actually fact check. But regardless, the Busselton Jetty is 1.9 km long, the perfect distance to feature the 3.8 km swim portion of the triathlon.
Phil checked in for the race and got his race number and gear bags, and after checking in at the caravan park we joint hundreds of crazy triathletes for a pre-race briefing and dinner.
Saturday morning Phil reassembled his bike and checked it and his bike bag and street gear bag in for the race. Once the athletes finish the swim they run through a shower and into a change tent where people assist them in removing their wetsuits and hand them their bike bag, including a helmet, gels, and whatever else they'll need for the 180 km ride. When they finish the ride they hand off their bikes and are given their street gear bags containing whatever they require to run the marathon. It has to be a very organised set up to keep everyone moving from one discipline to the next in about 3 minutes.
All set for the race the following day, we drove out to Cape Naturaliste. We hiked a path to the lighthouse, and the views were nice but there were millions of flies everywhere, making it difficult to enjoy. From there we explored Sugarloaf Rock, and took advantage of the camper van to take an impromptu afternoon nap by the beach. Then we headed to Meelup Beach on Eagle Bay, a really pretty spot with gorgeous turquoise water. We had an early dinner and pre-race beer at a place called the Pour House before heading to bed early in preparation for the 5:45 am start time the following morning.
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| The longest timber-piled jetty in the Southern Hemusphere. |
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| The Busselton Jetty |
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| Cape Naturaliste |
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| Invasion of the flies |
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| The world's most southerly nesting site for this silly bird. |
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| Sugarloaf Rock |
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| Eagle Bay |
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| Meelup Beach in Eagle Bay |
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| the happy travellers on the jetty |
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