Surfers,boogie-boarders and bodysurfers duck nimbly out of each other's paths as we all scramble for the best wave in the set.
Afternoons are spent at the dazzling rock pools dotted along William Bay,15 minutes'drive west of Denmark. Greens Pool is so perfectly proportioned,it looks like the creation of an overexcited resort developer. Shaped like a three-cornered flag,this natural sea pool is bordered by the beach on one side,a huge stone slab on another and a string of jagged rocks at the top,protecting swimmers from the crashing waves.
There's a fissure at the top left-hand corner of the triangle,where a current of water called the shute pours through a rock-lined passageway and into the pool. Donning snorkels and goggles,we jump in and watch fish and stingrays dart out of our way as we hurtle towards the calm oasis of turquoise seawater.
Just east of Greens Pool is Elephant Rocks,where,with a little imagination,you can believe you've stumbled upon a herd of grey giants snoozing in the shallow water.
Around the gentle curve of the next point we find Madfish Bay,a rectangular version of Greens Pool - perfect for swimming laps. The eponymous fish don't make an appearance but a few mad fishermen stand on the ocean edge of the rock wall,ducking the spray.
Our final day is spent on the vast body of water encircling the historic port city of Albany. The plan is to sail a small yacht from Princess Royal Yacht Club through King George Sound and around the corner into Oyster Harbour. Our captain is a retired family doctor with a deep tan and the cabin walls are covered in miniature triangles - winner's pendants from his yacht-racing triumphs. Today,though,the pace is leisurely as he guides us around the harbour,pointing out the ruins of the Old Forts Lighthouse keeper's house on rocky Kings Point.
Leaving Denmark and heading west,our next destination is only 50 kilometres away in Nornalup National Park. Turning north off the South Coast Highway at Bow Bridge,we head deep into the shady eucalypt forest,following the signs to the Valley of the Giants Tree Top Walk.
The valley is home to a stand of 400-year-old red tingle trees,up to 70 metres high. These relics of the super-continent,Gondwana,grow only in a region of about 1000 hectares and,in spite of their sturdy appearance,they're vulnerable to people tramping on their root systems. So in the mid-1990s,a series of six bridge spans was constructed above 40-metre pylons,creating a fractured hexagonal walkway that zigzags for 600 metres through the treetops.
Wandering among the swaying tips of those giant tingles,I experience the same out-of-body exhilaration as when I first snorkelled above a coral reef;the realisation that there is another world here and it's not one designed for humans. The bridges are built to sway slightly,too,so I'm glad to reach the corners where two spans meet on small platforms above the pylons.
As dusk falls we cruise westwards and spend the night at the Pemberton Hotel. Once a logging town,Pemberton is now enjoying a steady flow of travellers keen to explore the nearby karri forests. Just behind the town,in Gloucester National Park,is the highest fire lookout tree in the world. At more than 60 metres,the Gloucester Tree is a daunting prospect for vertiginous visitors,even with wire netting partially enclosing the spiral ladder. Imagine the courage required from the original fire scouts who began climbing those 153 metal spikes in the 1940s without protection and in all weather.
By the time we drive to Augusta,a whipping wind has overtaken us and it's spitting with rain. The weather is a reminder of how exposed this corner of the state is to the immense,colliding forces of nature. We drive slowly past the grey waters of Hardy Inlet towards Cape Leeuwin,the south-western-most tip of the continent.
If on the map this corner of the state resembles an overfed hammerhead shark,then the Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse is its left eye,swivelling east and west and blinking as it overlooks the Southern and Indian oceans. Standing at the foot of the stippled stone tower,I gaze at the roiling water,hoping for some visual marker of the subaquatic corner where the two oceans connect.
But any sailor knows there are no right angles once you leave land. Instead I conjure an image of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current swirling eastwards,cooling the Southern Ocean like a dash of chilled spirits in a cocktail,countering the tropical warmth of the Indian Ocean as the two vast bodies of water mingle below the white caps.
I think back to that wonky wooden deck in Denmark,shaping itself to the curve of the warm boulder. The 3D messiness of nature will always be more satisfying than any two-dimensional lines we might draw on a map.
FAST FACTS
Getting there
Qantas flies to Perth from Melbourne for about $228 (4hr) and from Sydney for about $260 (5hr 15 min). Virgin Blue,Jetstar and Tiger Airways (Melbourne only) also fly to Perth. Skywest Airlines flies from Perth to Albany for about $160 (75 min). Fares are one way including tax.
Touring there
Valley of the Giants Tree Top Walk,on the South Coast Highway between Walpole and Denmark,is open daily 9am-5pm. Adults $10,children $6,families $25. Seewww.valleyofthegiants.com.au.
The Gloucester Tree is a 10-minute drive from Pemberton. Day pass for a car is $10. Seewww.australiannationalparks.com/westernaustralia/Gloucester.
Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse is a 10-minute drive from Augusta. Adults $5,children $3. Guided tours,including entry fee,cost adults $15,children $7. Seewww.margaretriver.com/pages/cape-leeuwin-lighthouse.
Staying and eating there
The Pemberton Hotel,at 66 Brockman Street,Pemberton,has family rooms from $170 a night. Seewww.pembertonhotel.com.au.
Sweet tooths should visit Dark Side Chocolates,10 Hollings Road,Denmark,for hand-crafted treats made by winemaker-turned-chocolatier John Wade.
Pick your own punnets of strawberries,raspberries,loganberries,boysenberries and marionberries in December and January at Denmark Berry Farm,61 Lantkze Road,Denmark. Seewww.denmarkwa.asn.au/operators/BerryFarm.htm.