Karijini National Park

Wednesday, April 20th

Circular Pool, Karijini NP

It was easy on the way down!

On the way to Kermit's Pool

The 90km drive to Karijini NP took us further into this red-soiled landscape and we realised that there would be no escaping the dust. After exploring the beautifully designed information centre and paying for 3 nights camping, we went on to the Dales Gorge site where we set up in the Dingo area, which even had warning signs about dingos around the BBQ area. The sites here are quite well spread out, so there won’t be over-shadowing caravans here. As with Cape Range, we needed to be completely self-sufficient in food and water, so washing in a cupful of water would continue, although the swimming water in the gorges was fresh, so no lingering stickiness of salt-encrusted skin hereJ and the red dirt would soon cover every exposed surface anyway.

We headed straight down to Circular Pool, a beautiful swimming hole at one end of the gorge. The track down was steep but worth the effort. The water in the pool was very crisp, but the water flowing out of the rocks was warm, so a refreshing swim followed by a warm shower was the repeated action. Graeme supervised from a shady seat on the rocks.

The climb back up didn’t seem as long, although I needed to catch my breath a couple of times, then we spent the rest of the afternoon reading until I set off to explore the other walking tracks and the view down to Fortescue Falls.

We sat out and enjoyed the evening but during the night we were cold for the first time in months and needed a blanket on the bed.

Thursday, April 21^st

As the unmade road conditions seemed reasonable, having been recently graded for the Easter visitors, we decided to explore the western gorges before the crowds arrived. While the dirt road from the Visitors’ Centre across to the Weano area was generally fine, the drivers on it were not, and we were covered in dust as they sped past. One large tour bus passed us at such speed that we lost visibility for a few moments after it had disappeared behind us! However, the views of the Hamersley Range and the flat plains were superb.

Having decided to tackle the harder walk before the heat of the afternoon, we set off down into Hancock Gorge with the aim of swimming in Kermit’s Pool. The walk was steep and involved climbing down a ladder but the gorge was beautiful. Access to Kermit’s Pool involved climbing steep and narrow ledges or walking through the water. We opted to do the latter, so with wet shoes and clothes we arrived at a point where I decided that swimming through the gorge was the best option. GVS once again sat out on the rocks in the shade while I swam, slid over small waterfalls, climbed through narrow crevices and eventually swam in the small pool with its towering walls and beautifully cool water. It was a wonderful experience, as was the return trip where ‘spider-walking’ up the narrow crevice over the waterfall was great fun and a challenge. Four French girls walked in without getting wet and we saw them a number of times over the day as they hiked in each area, revelling in the more difficult terrain.

The return climb was hard work in the heat and it was Graeme’s turn to call for rest breaks along the way (he had the pack to carry) and we stopped at the car park area for a leisurely lunch before heading off to walk the Weano Gorge track and swim in the small pool there. The afternoon sun lit up one side of the gorge while the other was in shade, so I enjoyed the swimming and exploring further up the gorge, while Graeme read in the shade and watched the myriad of insect life – purple butterflies and a range of dragon flies, including spectacular blue ones and vivid red ones. The small pools were alive with insects and the only sounds were cascading water and the insect noises.

As we were unlikely to return to this part of Karijini during the rest of our stay, we decided to visit other gorges on the way back ..... a decision that we came to dearly regret.

The Joffre Falls were not interesting enough from the viewpoint to entice us to climb down and explore, after the earlier adventures, so we drove on to the Kalamina Gorge area, where some travellers pointed out our FLAT TYRE. Oh dear! The rough, rocky road into this gorge had taken its toll and poor GVS spent the next hour pulling apart the van in order to access the spare wheel, lying in the red dirt under the car and trying to keep his cool in the afternoon heat.

We were aware that we would need to return to Tom Price to have the tyre repaired but it was too late in the day to do so now, so we hoped that a garage or tyre centre would be open on Easter Saturday, as the long weekend was looming with Good Friday, Easter Monday and the ANZAC Day holiday on the Tuesday, it could be some time before we were able to continue our travels. We arrived at the Visitors Centre to seek help, just as the 2 women were locking up, but one gave us the number for directory assistance so we headed to the public phone .... only to discover that it was a phone-card only machine! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. However, after a quick look through my spare cards and I located one that I’d had for years and still had $4.50 credit. Bad luck, good luck! Tyre Power Tom Price would be open from 7am – 12 noon on Saturday, hooray, however they did not stock spares to fit our van so we must keep our fingers crossed that this tyre can be repaired. The alternative would be to head off to Port Headland, a trip of over 300km, without a spare tyre. Not a good thought. The Easter weekend was also a problem as all services were closed until Wednesday.

Friday, April 21^st

Another cool night and chilly early morning followed by a hot and sunny day in which the accumulated red dust, in and on the van was readily visible. Our campground filled up last evening but it was still a very peaceful place in which to stay. We spent the morning reading and writing before heading down to Fortescue Falls and Fern Pool for a swim. Such a beautiful oasis in the red-soil plains. I then walked along the Dales Gorge, a beautiful and varied environment with a wonderful forest of paper barks, small fish in the pools, butterflies and dragonflies everywhere, to Circular Pool where once again the cold water was refreshing and the warm water coming from the rocks was a treat. Graeme, meanwhile went back to camp to pull everything apart and remove the tyre (from under the chassis) so that we would be ready to head off early into Tom Price.

Once again we had a beautiful starry night to enjoy.

Coral Bay to Cape Range then on to Karijini NP

Coral Bay to Yardie Creek Gorge in Cape Range NP

Sat. 16^th – Tues. 19^th

Another glorious cloud-free blue sky! A fine morning to travel to the next adventure after our few days of being in the coastal tourist strip and the 150km drive brought us into termite mound country and locusts before we hit the coast. We passed the defence installations, communications and airstrip before reaching Exmouth, which seemed to be a collection of motels and tourist facilities.

The road from the top of Cape Range to Yardie Creek, where we had booked a few nights camping, followed the coast with the range on one side and the ocean and camping grounds on the other. At the entrance to the NP, we caused some chaos when we couldn’t produce a booking slip and we later discovered that this was the first day of booked entry into the camping areas. WA’s NP camp areas have all been on a first-come-first-served basis and this is a trial of an online booking system. Bound to be some teething problems J

On the way down to Yardie Creek we called in at some of the other camping areas and discovered that they were all very exposed, small and mostly treeless. At Pilgramunna, our site for Monday evening, our booked site was facing the dry creek and the sea but there was no shelter at all. It turned out that our random booking of site 3 at Yardie, ‘some shade’ listed in the description, was most fortuitous, as it was the most shaded of sites and a very pretty spot.

It expired that we had 3 nights at Yardie Creek and none at Pilgramunna, as the Easter king tides flooded a number of camp sites and the campers were evacuated to day-park or over-flow areas. This also meant that we were unable to extend our stay longer than the 3 nights booked, as the whole of the camping area was completely full and would remain so until after Easter and the school holidays were over.

Our days at Yardie Creek were great, with snorkelling The Drift at Turquiose Bay, fishing and walking and kayaking up the gorge. The weather was hot and sunny and the nights were balmy. The Yardie Creek Gorge was not big but it was the first of the red-walled, rocky gorges of the north and a beautiful spot for kayaking, particularly in the late afternoon when the sun was setting over the ocean and the rays highlighting the reds in the cliff faces. Black-footed rock wallabies bounded over the steep rocks and euros (wallabies) were unafraid of humans.

We were the only campers on the first night, enjoyed ‘happy hour’ with our camp hosts Hazel & Bill and a young Sydney couple, Andy and Hayley on the second and were overshadowed by a large caravan on the 3^rd! It was also here that we met Alan and May, his Thai girlfriend, and rediscovered that 6 degrees of separation is not much at all, as Alan had close ties with Gerry from Mornington FC and spent a lot of time with him in Pataya where they live in Thailand. Alan also knew Trevor Dick, an ex-Penbank parent who went to live in Thailand some years ago.

Yardie Creek to Exmouth and on to the Pilbara

Tues. April 19th

The usual slow start to the day, the usual packing-up tensions, farewells to Hazel and Bill then on to Exmouth to re-fuel, stock the fridge and have a quick drive around the new marina area which will be wonderful in a few years time .... until the next cyclone!

Although we were sad that we could not extend our time at Cape Range, particularly as GVS had some success with his fishing and I loved the kayaking, we set off after lunch and travelled over 400km, exceeding our target in order to make the following day easier. Our late departure turned out to be a wonderful thing as once we turned eastwards, after the Nanutarra Roadhouse, the scenery was spectacular and the rays of the setting sun lit up the ranges in all their glory.

I lack the ability to adequately describe the beauty of this section of road at this particular time of day. The rocky topped small hills glowed in colours that ranged from rich red to chocolate brown and the spinafex mounds in shades of green and grey gave an illusionary softness to the scenery. As the wet season had only ended in late March, there was water along the roadsides, lush grasses growing beside the road and the white-trunked trees were yet to be covered in red dust. As we drove closer to the ranges, the scenery changed again and the rocky-topped hills gave way to rolling ranges that, despite their angular outlines, gave the impression of gentle green hills and valleys.

Our campsite for the night was beside the Beasley River, which was now a series of pools and home to hundreds of cockatoos, ducks, kookaburras and the prolific butcher birds. It also had a variety of dragon flies, flies and mosquitoes!

Beasley River to Dales Campground at Karijini NP

Wed. April 20^th

Happy Birthday Peter Thompson!

The kookaburras woke us before first light so we walked down to the river to enjoy the early light on the white-trunked gums, then set off around 7:30am – almost a record for us! The morning light ws harsher than the evening light therefore the ranges did not glow with the same intensity, but the mounds of spinafex and seemingly random short trees on the ranges, combined with water courses full of tall white eucalypts, provided spectacular scenery. Again we marvelled at the green-ness of the landscape and wholly recommend this time of year for travelling here, as later in the year the grasses would have died and it would be more like Mackellar’s ‘sunburnt country’ (and May begins the tourist season).

We avoided the wandering cattle and the occasional kangaroo and drove into Paraburdoo, to discover a township of many houses, 2-storey motel type fly-in fly-out accommodation for the mine workers, a shopping area and green grass everywhere in public spaces! No shortage of water for lawns here, although it may be recycled mine water. It is very different from the Paraburdoo of Ian’s experience in the early ‘70s, when there was a mine but no township.

Another 90km later and we were in Tom Price, again the lush green lawns of the parks belied the harsh environment.  The caged-off shopping precinct indicated social problems, perhaps similar to  towns like Roebourne, Karratha and Dampier. However, Tom Price was a pleasant place in which to have lunch and make brief contact with the outside world as phone and internet reception were excellent.

The town was named after an American who worked for US steel company in the 1960s and convinced mining companies and the government that ore stocks were great and the export potential huge. As BHP has just announced a $45billion development project in the Pilbara and Port Hedland is to be expanded to cater for the huge increase in exports, I am surprised that there aren’t statues of Tom everywhere.

Shark Bay to Exmouth

Shark Bay to Carnarvon & Point Quobba

Sunday, April 10^th

The view was just as beautiful in the morning light but there weren’t any sharks or fish visible in the shallows this morning, so we were truly lucky yesterday.

As this was to be a day of 350km travel, we headed off to Shell Beach early. The informative signs were excellent and gave an overview of the present-day use of shell grit and the cutting of shell blocks to maintain the public buildings in Denham. It is a beautiful building material, with great insulation qualities, but the mining is not sustainable in a large scale.

The rest of the morning was spent on the road and our occasional stops saw us limit our time outside in the heat with the flies.

As soon as we opened the door at Carnarvon we were aware of the tropics. Gone was the dry heat, here was the humidity of the north-west coast. The banana plantations and rich red/brown soil of the vegetable farms and the water laying on the roadside indicated why this area produces 1/3 of WA’s winter fruit and vegies. The locusts in the air also indicated that the crops were there for the taking!

 We ventured out to look at the 1-mile jetty, saw the catamarans racing on the inlet and the boats at the Yacht Club, then had lunch on the nicely established estuary in the company of 3 lovely French girls who were travelling around the country at a great rate of knots and having a ball. We swapped travel destination ideas and they told us that the snorkelling at Point Quobba was better than at Coral bay as the reef was only a few steps off shore. As Doug Simpson had recommended Point Quobba as a fishing spot, it seemed that we had all things covered for a few days.

The road to the point was undergoing major remaking as the recent cyclone had certainly done some major damage. There was plenty of water along the roadside .... and the storm clouds were building ahead of us.

What more can I say about WA fishermen’s shacks? Decrepit, rusty, an accumulation of the old and decaying, they line the point in their numbered disorder.

There were plenty of people about, snorkelling the reef which is just a step off shore, or waiting for the change in tide to go fishing. A number of large caravans also lined the road/camping area.

I quickly put on the gear and headed into the warm water. It was beautiful! There were white brain corals, branch corals and others in vivid purple, blue and green; clams that closed over when they detected movement above them; , amazing reef fish of all sizes, particularly the vivid blue ones about 3cm long, that knew that they didn’t have any predators in this marine park, swam around me. There was a lot of dead coral as well but the whole area was superb.

Later in the afternoon Graeme went fishing along the beach with lots of hopeful fisher-people and within the first 10 mins had landed a beautiful trevally. Others along the shore were catching small ones as they were closer to the reef. GVS was going to stop then as we could not store or eat any more but he kept the line in for another 15mins without another fish anyway.

The storm clouds were all around us but it didn’t rain until the middle of the night, when the heavy tropical clouds opened up and GVS had to close the door and move the shoes, chairs etc that we’d left outside.

Point Quobba

Mon. April 11^th

Happy Birthday, Glenda. Enjoy that new camper trailer.

We woke to a sultry, cloudy day and the flies were busy even at first light. We could hear the swell breaking on the outer reef and watched as the spectacular waves hit the rock ledges and cliffs, sending giant sprays of water up over the reef. There was little wind and the skies all around were threatening but overhead it seemed fine. Many of the weekend campers had gone, leaving only the relatively few caravans.

We walked up to The Blowholes to see and hear and see the water rush up through holes in the ledges with each large wave that came in. It was spectacular and the colours changed dramatically when the sun came out momentarily.

We decided that we wanted to stay for a few days and not rush up to Coral Bay, although our time frame is governed by the Easter crowds that will invade Exmouth and force us to move on towards the end of next week.

Snorkelling, fishing, reading, watching the terns and sea eagles on the off-shore  and relaxing were the order of the day and when the sun came out after lunch we took shelter under one of the beach shade structures and spent the day in and out of the water. The fishing was not successful but rather than wait and return to try again at dusk, we settled for baked trevally. The good life!

Tues. April 12^th

A strong wind shook the van all night, so there were many opportunities to look at the beautiful stars as sleep was fitful. The sky was a mass of luminous dots, the Milky Way was clearly visible and in the pre-dawn time one of the planets glowed brightly in the east. By morning the wind had eased to a strong coastal breeze and the clouds had been blown away so another beautiful day began.

 I snorkelled along the reef again but the wind had stirred up the sand and it was only clear over the shallow parts. However, the range of coral, clams and fish was amazing and I saw more of the larger fish this time. My favourite though was swimming among the iridescent blue small fish that swam in large schools around the sandy parts of this bay.

By lunch time the heat was strong and the wind was up again, so we decided to pull up camp and head up towards Coral Bay, going via Carnarvon to restock and check everything. In the end we set off from Carnarvon after 3:30 and although I was not keen, we pushed on to Wannaroo Station, which meant that we had a 20+km trip on dirt roads after 5pm, the last 6km heading westwards into the setting sun. Not a good idea as the ‘good gravel road’ was a corrugated track, not much better than the ‘sandy track’ noted in our Camps 5 book.

We set up camp on the cliff above the beach and looked out at the reef and the rocks of the inner reef below. A nice place to spend the night.

Wannaroo to Coral Bay

Wed. April 13^th

Another glorious morning and I went for a walk to find the caretaker and pay our camp fees. A long walk along the 4wd track led back to the beach where I discovered that the caretaker was not there and would check our campsite later. We decided that this was not a good 2wd camp and should head off, so I walked back towards the caretaker’s van, stopping to talk to some people nearby who had been there for a few days but not enjoyed the experience. Our discussion led to a conversation about the Canning Stock Route and it transpired that they had volunteered to work on the water holes and fuel drops along the track and were most interested to hear about James Canning and his trip there in 2010 as part of the centenary celebrations.

Coral Bay was established as a village in the 1980s as the Americans had set up a naval base at Exmouth and some roads were graded but it still exists only for tourists. The arid and harsh climate restricted any  form of settlement until the influx of marines, surfers etc prompted the sinking of a bore some 3000+ metres down to supply  hot (65 degrees) and saline water for a small tourist industry. The cooling plant, sewage works, wind farm etc are all situated out of sight from the main area, behind a small rise.  The one main road runs between the foreshore and most of the limited accommodation. We had not seen so many tourists in one place for a long while and it was not what we expected, however we booked in for 3 nights as it gave us a chance to snorkel the Ningaloo Reef and consider an outer reef tour. Great decision for me and GVS was happy with strong internet and phone connection.

Thurs. 14^th & Fri. 15^th

Coral Bay was a great place to see fish, coral and just chill out! Each day was hot and sunny and perfect for the beach or pool. I snorkelled along the inner reef, which was much further out than the Point Quobba reef and not as diverse in its coral or fish; we went to the daily fish feeding where large snapper that could tell the time arrived just before 3:30 each day and waited for their fish oil pellets; we walked along the beach and up through the dunes to the boat harbour and dozed in the afternoons when it was too hot to be in the sun.

Our trip out to see green turtles and snorkel on the outer reef was wonderful, made more so with the sighting of dugongs, swimming with turtles and reef sharks and the myriad of fish species out there.

The couple volunteering at the information kiosk were interesting to talk to and from them we learned about the road from Tom Price up to Karratha, via the Millstream NP, and we decided to change our plans and go through Karrijini but then up to Pt. Headland. Some considerable time was spent trying to establish the likelihood of hiring a 4wd camper in Broome and again in Kununurra to see Cape Levique and the Bungle Bungles, both essential things to do according to many recommendations, and the Easter break was causing some logistics issues, so tensions were mounting again until we agreed to see if we could change our options and stay on in the Cape Range NP over most of the Easter break and then head out to Karijini. So much time spent on the computer, planning, calling etc. but our time line for Darwin has put us back on a schedule.  And the cost of vehicle hire in Broome is outrageous!

After a large caravan park, albeit with all facilities, we are anticipating a quiet time again in the NP, as each of our booked sites had limited places – 8 or 9 at each camp ground – and the lack of any facilities and water would keep many of the travellers away. Turquoise Bay is calling J

kalbarri to Monkey Mia

Kalbarri

Thursday, April 7^th

We woke to find a few drops of rain on the windscreen and a strong wind blowing. This was not going to be a good beach day! A visit to the Tourist Info Centre confirmed this as the swell was high, therefore snorkelling and reef fishing not recommended. Ah, there’s always ‘plan B’.

Although the coastline around Kalbarri was explored by Europeans in the early seventeenth century the actual town of Kalbarri did not come into existence until 1951 and seemingly it exists today just as a tourist destination. The history of the area is one of shipwrecks – the coast is treacherous and entry to the Murchison River involves navigation around the reef. In 1712 a Dutch ship named the Zuytdorp was wrecked on a reef north of Kalbarri. It is claimed that the ship sunk with a bullion of 100 000 guilders and pieces of eight aboard. By the eighteenth century it had become commonplace for Dutch ships to round the Cape of Good Hope, sail west along the Roaring Forties, and then sail north along the West Australian coast towards the Dutch East Indies with many ending up wrecked along the reefs in this area.

In 1839 Lieutenant George Grey, while attempting to explore North West Cape, was shipwrecked near the mouth of the Murchison. He was forced to walk back to Perth and thus became the first white explorer to travel along the coastal strip of the Central West.

The Kalbarri NP with its spectacular scenery and red rock gorges cut from the landscape by the Murchison River became our new focus for the day. I bought a fly veil which Graeme quickly commandeered and we were grateful for our hats and shirts as when the sun came through the clouds it was very hot. Not something to try when the temperature is much above 30 as in the gorges it can be up to 10 degrees hotter. The scenery made the 30+km trip on corrugated roads worthwhile. The green river contrasted with the sandy beaches and the red rocks. Beautiful!

Back in town after lunch, Graeme fished without luck at Chinaman’s Point while I swam at the main river beach. It was lovely to have a relaxing afternoon of reading, cooking (for GVS) and doing very little. Our caravan park was situated opposite the river and the view was lovely, the breeze strong and the pool water cool.

Instead of going into town for dinner – Graeme has been desperate to have crayfish – we opted for joining the caravan park owners and fellow travellers for a BBQ. We thought that it would be good to have company after a few days on our own, however we probably should have gone out to eat!

Kalbarri to Monkey Mia

Friday, April 8^th

Happy Birthday, Stuart.

A trip to Monkey Mia was not the plan, it just worked out that way!

After a pleasant walk along the Kalbarri walk/cycle track to Blue Holes beach where some surfers were enjoying the swell and the off-shore wind, we packed up and drove south along the NP, stopping to visit a number of the scenic views. At the Natural Bridge lookout we saw 2 large pods of dolphins – about 15-20 dolphins in each – and a large sealion swimming along the cliff edge. The scenery was pretty but not as spectacular as the gorges, so we headed out along the gorges road and called in at another 2 sites, where once again the views were wonderful and each different to the other.

We had planned on stopping just a few km up the main highway but decided that we would be prepared to drive on .... and on....and on, as each of the selected camp sites was unsuitable. Eventually we phoned  Tourist Info in Denham and booked a free camp site but when we arrived at Fowlers Camp around 5pm we discovered that we couldn’t take our 2WD up the sandy hill, so we continued on and eventually paid $30 to stay at the car park at Monkey Mia! They called it an ‘unpowered site’ but that’s romanticising it!!!

Monkey Mia, Denham and Goudrey Bluff

Sat. April 9^th

We were up early to see the dolphins. As we stood at the beach waiting, we saw some in the water and knew that we were lucky as on the previous day none had come in near the shore. Eventually about 12 came in, including the 5 adult females that are fed a small amount of their daily diet here each morning. It took a long time for them to come right in to feed and although we saw them up to 5 metres away, the event did not fulfil the tourism brochures’ expectations. The process was very well explained and quite entertaining, however we could not recommend the 130+ each way drive just to see this, when there are dolphins in Western Port and Port Philip Bays.

A 2.5 walk along the red ridge and then the beach was well-signed and interesting, although it was too late in the morning to see many birds at the water hole. A swim in the refreshing sea was a perfect way to end the morning, especially as we had access to the showers at the ‘resort’.

At Denham we visited the Shark Bay World Heritage Discovery Centre which was very interesting and well arranged in a new building. The history of Shark Bay, its importance as a marine habitat, the dolphins, dugongs, stromatalites, shells, oyster farming, shipwrecks, Dirk Hartog Island, Aboriginal history – past and present – were all covered.

A late lunch in the shade on the water’s edge was followed by a short drive down the coast. We stopped at Eagle Bluff along the way and walked out on the boardwalk where we saw many lemon sharks, up to 1.5m long, cruising close to the rocks below. The binoculars were put to good use!

From there it was on to Goudrey Bluff, our free camp for the evening. This was spectacular!! The tide was out and the sand bars were actually made up of millions of little, perfect shells. There were small sharks that looked like yellowish rays with long tails and many fish in the shallow inlet and bigger sharks along the shoreline. The scenery was beautiful, swimming refreshing and the whole experience amazing as we were the only ones there .... until just before sunset when other travellers came for the night. We watched the sun set over the Indian Ocean, the tide creep up and quietly engulf the pools and trees, and counted our many blessings.

Dongara to Kalbarri via Geraldton

Wed., April 6^th

The short drive from Dongara to Geraldton was once again through the massive wheat belt. Geraldton is a city of over 37,000 people so the supermarket, petrol station and service beckoned.

I walked in the hot sun up to the impressive HMAS Sydney memorial, set on a hill top with a view of the port and town. Graeme and I went to the Regional Art Gallery where we saw some marvellous works that had been entered in the recent and new art competition. The gallery space, in the refurbished Town Hall, was wonderful and the city is lucky to have such a prominent building to use for art.

A drive around the well-developed and attractive foreshore, beaches etc. confirmed for us the need to move on to less populated regions, so off we set towards Kalbarri, and although we probably will regret the lost opportunity to visit the museum with its Batavia exhibition, the heat and need to be settled early in the day prevailed.

We drove to picturesque Northampton, and recorded history of this area dates back to 1629 with the wrecked Dutch ship Batavia and two men being marooned at the mouth of the Murchison River. Copper was first discovered in WA at Wannernooka in 1842, with lead then being discovered in 1848. Many lovely and interesting buildings line the main road, including two great hotels.

Back on the road, we saw a convict hiring station near Port Gregory that was established and used around 1853-1856, a reminder that WA was also built using convicts, despite the early desire not to do so. A little further on was the Pink Lake, a series of salt ponds from which beta carotene is extracted.

A brief stop at Wagoe Chalets indicated a very loose use of the term ‘chalet’ and proved to be an unsuitable overnight stop for us, so we drove the extra 20km to Kalbarri, where we stayed in a caravan park and enjoyed the facilities, including a swimming pool!!

Kalbarri

Thursday, April 7^th

We woke to find a few drops of rain on the windscreen and a strong wind blowing. This was not going to be a good beach day! A visit to the Tourist Info Centre confirmed this as the swell was high and therefore snorkelling and reef fishing not recommended. Ah, there’s always ‘plan B’.

 Although the coastline around Kalbarri was explored by Europeans in the early seventeenth century the actual town of Kalbarri did not come into existence until 1951 and it exists today just as a tourist destination. The history of the area is one of shipwrecks – the coast is treacherous and entry to the Murchison River involves navigation around the reef. In 1712 a Dutch ship named the Zuytdorp was wrecked on a reef north of Kalbarri. It is claimed that the ship sunk with a bullion of 100 000 guilders and pieces of eight aboard. This was not an isolated event. By the eighteenth century it had become commonplace for Dutch ships to round the Cape of Good Hope, sail west along the Roaring Forties, and then sail north along the West Australian coast towards the Dutch East Indies.

In 1839 Lieutenant George Grey, while attempting to explore North West Cape, was shipwrecked near the mouth of the Murchison. He was forced to walk back to Perth and thus became the first white explorer to travel along the coastal strip of the Central West.

The Kalbarri NP with its spectacular scenery and red rock gorges cut from the landscape by the Murchison River became our new focus for the day. I bought a fly veil which Graeme quickly commandeered and we were grateful for our hats and shirts as when the sun came through the clouds it was very hot.

Not something to try when the temperature is much above 30 as in the gorges it can be up to 10 degrees hotter. The scenery made the 30+km trip on corrugated roads worthwhile. The green river contrasted with the sandy beaches and the red rocks. Beautiful!

Back in town after lunch, Graeme fished without luck at Chinaman’s Point while I swam at the main river beach. It was lovely to have a relaxing afternoon of reading, cooking (for GVS) and doing very little. Our caravan park was situated opposite the river and the view was lovely, the breeze strong and the pool water cool.

Instead of going into town for dinner – Graeme has been desperate to have crayfish – we opted for joining the caravan park owners and fellow travellers for a BBQ. It was good to have company after a few days on our own.

Perth to Geraldton

Perth to New Norcia

Sunday, April 3rd

After a leisurely start, we set our new Navman and then spent time debating whether Gloria was taking the easiest or quickest route after all! We well remembered Stu’s trip from Brisbane to Gladstone where he ended up opening farm gates etc as his guide led him astray!! Eventually, we ended up at our first destination, York, a well-preserved successful mill town about 100km east of Perth. The country side was parched, further evidence of the drought that has gripped this part of the state.

At York, we delighted in being able to buy fresh vegetables at the Mill Market then walked around the town, enjoying the atmosphere and the relaxed feeling (a WA town on Sunday is always relaxed!) Unfortunately ‘Yorkies’ was closed, so we could not enjoy a coffee and conversation with Jenny, as recommended by Annette, so we ate lunch by the shallow Avon River then headed off again.

The journey took us through Toodyay, where they also have many well-preserved old building of some grandeur and are encouraging the tourists to come on a day trip from Perth. Our final destination, New Norcia, was reached around 4pm so we paid $7 to camp on a strip of red dirt beside the Great Northern Highway, enjoyed an Abbey Ale at the hotel then, thanks to Lizzie’s recommendation, a glass of cabernet merlot made at the monastery. Delicious.

New Norcia and back to the coast

Monday, April 4^th

New Norcia is the only monastic town in Australia. It was established by Benedictine monks from Spain in the 1840s with the aim of evangelizing and educating Aboriginal people. It is an amazing collection of grand buildings of European design, with cool cloisters, shady gardens and a number of large carob trees in which thousands of bees were collecting nectar.

We saw the collection of religious art, read about the 1886 theft of over 20 of these works and then visited the museum with its collection of objects and memorabilia about the lives of the Aboriginal girls who were educated there over a 100 year period. The thought of Aboriginal girls being taught English by Spanish nuns astounds me!

We took a tour of the town, learned that the property is now 20,000 acres and had once been 400,000. There are only 8 monks residing there now but a staff of 70 keeps New Norcia’s business enterprises going. Wine, nutcake, bread, sheep and wheat provide some of the income but the new industry is school camps, particularly for Catholic school students.



Boys' College

With so many buildings to renovate and maintain and grants few and far between, the need for a strong income source is great. Tourism provides some of the money but not enough.




This is a highly recommended tour, as to explore without a guide would not give the character and history of the place, although the information about the lives and reality for Aboriginal children was still given a gentle perspective.




New Norcia Hotel



From New Norcia we headed across country to the coast at Lancelin then up the recently completed Indian Ocean Road, which put Gloria into a real tail spin and she could say nothing except “perform a u-turn when possible.” I already think that ‘two’s company, three’s a crowd!’

The coastal scenery was glorious and we couldn’t take our eyes off the pure white sand dunes as we approached the Pinnacles area.

 It was after 4pm when we visited the Pinnacles, an amazing landscape consisting of thousands of limestone pillars which have been exposed by fire and wind erosion. This was a truly spectacular sight.

We called in at the fishing town of Cervantes, where we had expected to stay the night, but the unusually warm summer and the cyclones that brought warm waters to the south meant that the beaches were full of smelly, rotting seaweed and this was not pleasant, so we broke our deadline and it was a grumpy twosome who finally reached Sandy Cape, having driven the last 6km on corrugated road looking straight into the sun. Never again! we declared once againJ The brilliant orange sunset over the Indian Ocean and a bay with 4 large cruising and cray fishing boats in the bay certainly helped ease the tension. With the ocean in front and pure white dunes behind us, we couldn’t help but relax and enjoy the rest of the evening.

Sandy Cape to Dongara

Tuesday, April  5^th

We estimated that by 9am the temperature was around 30 degrees, so an early start and finish were essential for today. I walked along the bay and then over the cape to the other bay, only a 30 min. walk but I was hot and thirsty when I returned. We left the sand and lime mining area behind and headed up the highway to the Grigson Lookout, from which we viewed the sand dunes and the coast as well as the inland plains. We learned that the dunes here move up to 20 metres in  a year, which gave us a true indication of the wind velocity here!

We turned into Greenhead, a pretty holiday village, and enjoyed the views, filled the water tanks then headed on to Lake Indoon, about 12km inland, as the camping there had been recommended. We discovered a dry lake, magnificent trees and banksias in flower, and more bush flies than ever before encountered. Lunch under the shelter was to be endured, not enjoyed, and there was no smiling for the camera as the flies quickly entered any open mouth. In another season, this would be a delightful spotJ

Dongara/Port Denison was set as our destination and when we arrived we discovered a pretty town and an interesting fishing port. The afternoon was spent exploring the estuary, swimming, driving to the various caravan parks and finally sitting in the shade reading and relaxing. I tried to contact Kerrie in Geraldton but Graeme took a call and sadly she and Tom have a son with terminal cancer so they are in Darwin with him and won’t be back in time for us to see them.

Perth - Melbourne - Perth

Perth – and the endless summer

Sat, March 19^th – Tues, March 22^nd

After a morning walk on the ‘dog beach’ with Murphy, Bear and hundreds of other 4-legged creatures, most of whom were off leads and followed by cheerful owners, we said our farewells to the Ciszeks and headed south to Attadale and Barb.

The next few days were spent enjoying the glorious Perth weather, walking along the river, enjoying lunch at Eat Greek near the East Fremantle Yacht Club, watching movies on SBS and chilling out with Barb.

We loved Perth with its magnificent river, the many mostly large cruisers berthed at the multitude of yacht clubs and the incredible mix of tall, modern buildings with some lovely 19^th century architecture. The weather helps just a little too!!!

Shopping for a new outfit for Phlip’s wedding took up most of Monday and then on Tuesday it was back to Melbourne.

Melbourne

March 22 – 30^th

We spent a wonderful and very busy week catching up with family and friends and enjoying Phlip & Al’s wedding and the celebrations.

Everything went very well and they both looked gorgeous and happy.
Catching up with the Canberra mob again as well as the Longworth clan was wonderful, particularly seeing Sal & Ben’s babies who are growing up so quickly! We also appreciated having some time to talk to our new extended family who were so kind to Phlip while Al was away and who will be great ‘in-laws’ for her and friends for us.

A bonus was to have time to enjoy lunch with Ted and Noreen, as it had been over 18 months since we saw them last. At 82 years old, Ted is just as mentally active as ever and also looked in good physical condition. Noreen kept us up to date with family events and we also saw some of their photos from David’s wedding in Sth Africa – a stunning bride and groom with an elephant in the background!

Perth

March 31 – April 3

Back to glorious Perth weather! We spent a few days stocking up the van, exploring a little more of the city and ‘burbs’, and enjoying walks and bike-rides along the Swan River in the mornings. Breakfast at Pt. Walter, with wave boarders and kite surfers speeding across the water near the sandbar, was great.

We enjoyed meeting Barb’s friends Eunice and Martin and having dinner at Fremantle with Jen & David. Freo is a wonderfully exciting place to be, with people on the streets at all hours of the day and night, music, art and sporting events featuring heavily on the calendar. Like the whole of Perth, it is full of young, trim people enjoying the climate that allows them to still sit outside at night in April!