All chilled out

So after our last Ningaloo sunset

we packed up house and headed north east toward Broome.  The decision was: do we go inland to Karijini National Park or stick with the coast and travel via Karratha.  We visited Karijini last time and beautiful and interesting though it is, we decided to go via Karratha.  A family that we met in Coral Bay actually live in Karratha working for the mines and they told us that the only reason anyone would go there was to live while working, you wouldn't bother going for any other reason!!!   We disagree - while it certainly wouldn't top any 'Top ten holiday destinations' it does give an insight into how other people in Australia live and some of what makes this country tick.  Existing solely for the purposes of processing the gas from the off-shore gas fields (North west shelf project) and port facilities for the various mines, it has some quite modern facilities.  The rich red landscape is typical of the Pilbara and Kimberley regions and all vehicles passing through will be forever tinted with the earthy tones (as will the clothes, every nook and cranny…) but there is something almost romantic about the harshness of the country that imbues your soul with a sense of 'home'.
Surrounding Karratha are the townships of Dampier which provides the large Port facilities for the shipping of Iron ore and the gas treatment plants; Roebourne which we only drove through on the way out and Cossack which was the original home of Pearling in the north west and these days I suspect is visited more for it's restored heritage buildings.  We did visit both Dampier and Cossack and the buildings in Cossack were really well restored  and definitely worth the drive

Dampier of course is also home to 'Red Dog'

                                          The colours of Dampier

From Ningaloo to Broome is approx 1200 km and the driving can be quite tiring - there many, many road trains and road works to concentrate on so the journey is best broken into lesser distances daily. After Karratha we had an overnight sop at 80 Mile Beach and the next day drove to Broome.
Bruce and Kathy were still here when we arrived and so we spent a couple of days together before they headed off which was lovely.  The weather in Broome had been very hot and humid and Kathy had been telling us that people arriving in Broome - having travelled the Gibb River Rd were all truly exhausted and completely 'washed out'.  Bruce and Kathy had been delaying leaving Broome for this very reason. At least here there's beautiful beach and pool but once you leave Broome and have to head inland there's little relief from these conditions.  Our first few days continued in the same weather pattern but early June bought some mild relief and the humidity disappeared.  We were left with days of about 30 deg, sunshine and light winds.
Cable Beach (so-named after the communication cable that linked Broome with Indonesia) is just a delight.  With amazing tidal differences of up to10 metres, somedays the 'surfs up' and other times its amazingly calm.  No matter what the tide's doing though it's always guaranteed to be crystal turquoise blue and beautifully warm (about 26 deg).  We did have to 'clear the water' one afternoon though because apparently a crocodile had decided he might like to make visit to the area!!
We did a short drive along the Cape Leveque Rd

                                          Just love these sandy tracks
Most of the time though has been spent relaxing, enjoying the sunsets that Broome is so famous for:

and of course the odd visit to Matso's Brewery:

             Undertaking a Quality Control Check of their fine brew!!
Anyway….heading off tomorrow in an easterly direction………..next stop……….Fitzroy Crossing.

10,000+ kms

Well you can't help but wind down in Coral Bay.  Retail therapy consists of a bakery, a supermarket come everything type shop, one dress/trinket souvenir shop, a newsagent and a couple of tour organising shops.  Then there's a couple of eateries and a hotel within a small resort and the beach!!! No TV so no news - wouldn't have a clue what's going on in the outside world.
After 9 nights there it was time to pack up stumps and head to Exmouth. The rain had stopped and all roads open.  We had 3 nights booked in Exmouth which really was too many.  For anyone planning a trip there I don't know where to advise that you stay but definitely don't stay at Lighthouse Caravan Park - can't think of a good word to say so I'll say nothing (that says it all!!).
The drive to Exmouth did involve some 'Slow Down' moments as the road certainly had some flood damage and there was still quite a bit of water across the roads.
The highlight of our stay was a day out on a beautiful boat swimming with Whalesharks.  AMAZING!! lucky enough to have 4 of these massive, docile animals come to visit us, the largest being 9 metres and the others 5-6 metres. I'm really not a strong swimmer and an even worse snorkeler but the crew on the boat are so good that I had no fear in being in the water, very encouraging and definitely an experience I can recommend to everyone.  It was a full day and wee came home exhausted but very happy.  I'm sure all tour groups offer a comparable service but I can only speak of 'KINGS' as that's who we went with and I can't recommend them highly enough.

These photos don't give a true indication of the mammoth size of these creatures.  You get in the water ahead of it, as it swims toward you, once it's head has past, giving it a space of 3 mts at the side - you snorkel like crazy to keep up with it then your turn is up and the next group takes a turn. I think we were in and out of the water about 10 times by the time we'd finished - exhausting.  When you get in the water ahead of the whaleshark it seems to swim directly at you and you move like crazy to keep out of it's way. As the girls working on the boat said 'when you're that big you get used to everything else in the water moving out of the way to make room' - no argument here.

From Exmouth we headed to Cape Range Nat Pk for 5 nights.  No power, no water, take everything you need with you.  The camp sites are new (replacement for the original one we were booked into that washed away) so we were the first to stay in our site.  We did take a drive to look at the devastation caused by the flooding to Pilgramunna and it was very sad to see such a lovely spot with so many fond memories so destroyed

Only those brave enough to drag the cars and boats over rock and rubble are using this spot for launching.
Anyways, our new neighbours in the new camp spot were a lovely young family with the two most delightful little girls and David had found himself a very keen fishing partner with A BOAT!!
Salad and sausages were out and fresh Spanish Mackerel was IN

Another was caught the following day but as they reeled it in, a bronze whaler shark bit off half of it - the half they bought in still weighed 7 kg though so it was a biggy :-)

Our camp site looked a little like a garage sale site but we certainly made ourselves at home and very enjoyable it was too.

 Each evening we spent on the ridge of the beach at the designated cocktail table with fellow campers discussing our day and adventures while watching the sun set

There are lots of lovely spots to go swim but personally i think the highlight would be Turquoise Bay and the photo below doesn't do justice. Called Turquoise for good reason the water is about 27 degrees and it's a sanctuary where no fishing is allowed so the Spangled Emperors are out there swimming with you - gorgeous.

So till next time….

Scarey I know, eye candy we're not, but……... life's too short to take yourself too seriously :-)

As far west as you can get

A little over 2 hours from Perth is Jurien Bay.  A beachside holiday destination for many (as the Mornington Peninsula is for many in Melb).  It is permanent home to only a small community though by the looks (unlike MP).  We passed through last time on a sunny day and decided this time to stay a few days.  Best known for it's fishing and boating activities and provides a base for the cray industry.  David is very jealous of facilities provided for the locals for boating and fishing.  The launch and retrieval ramps are amazing and the parking space provided at NO cost is phenomenal and this throughout WA not just here in Jurien Bay.  You have to wonder what happens to all the money collected in fees in Melbourne, they certainly don't go back into providing facilities.

 Here there is 1 launching ramp, 1 retrieval ramp and 2 for both launching and retrieval with a small walkway between and many small towns have similar setups!
Blessed with warm sunny weather we used the place as a base to visit surrounding areas.  One of the most unusual is located just south near Cervantes and is called the Pinnacles.  These amazing rock formations.  You can walk around them and there's a track that you can drive around too.  It took me straight back to the old TV show 'Lost in Space' I expected to see Dr Smith and Will jump out from behind the rocks

 There are a few other small little hamlets around the area that I imagine area full of campers in the holidays and the area is a haven for swimming, snorkelling, fishing and just exploring

Continuing further north we made our way a short distance to Dongara/Port Denison and ditto to the above re fishing etc.  This however is home to the Lobster industry.  As we walked along the jetty, there was a Lobster boat arriving having been out to collect their pots in the morning.  With very wide grins on their faces we were told that their 'catch' for the day was very good as they unloaded the crates on to the conveyer belt to be kept alive until they were shipped.  Apparenlty at the moment the market is China and they pay very big money.  The lobster industry is on a quota system and it seems that they will be resting for much of the season as the catches to date have been so good that they have nearly filled their quotas.

Unsure where our next stop would be we left Dongara heading north.  Things were about to change, especially in the weather dept.  Grey stormy skies were on the horizon and news was filtering through that up at Exmouth massive rain and storms had wiped out some of the area at the National Park and roads were closed due to flooding.  Skies were ominous and so we decided to bunker down in Kalbarri and wait to see what was happening.  And rain it did!! but as we were only on the fringe the downpour was short lived - a day and a night and it was over.  It did cause some temporary road closures and closures within the Kalbarri National Park.  We did the scenic coastal cliff drive in Kalbarri twice; the first time in the rain and we finally gave up and the next day in sunshine.

 No matter the weather the view is always spectacular and Mother Nature just gives us reminders of who really is in charge!!

Next day and sunshine.  From one of the carparks/viewing areas a board walk has been built to the next viewing spot about 1 km away

David actually got a swim in here, the first since Esperance.
We were still in touch with Bruce and Kathy who were now in Coral Bay and 'stuck' there due to road closures from flooding and we wanted to get into Coral Bay but probably wouldn't because of road closures.  This would be the longest time Kathy's ever stayed in one spot - a true grey nomad.  The storms in the Exmouth area have been devastating, the Cape Range Nat Pk has been decimated.  The NP provides many camping areas with designated camp sites along the coast - many are in the dry river beds. On one side is the reef/ocean and on the other the mountain range, during the storms, with so much rain washing down the mountains the river beds flooded while the campers were still there. There were stories of camps being washed away and damage from washouts and tree limbs etc.  The camp site we were booked into has been destroyed and will never reopen and this is probably the case with about 3 other sites.  We will be camping in there though next week, instead of staying at Pilgramunna we've been offered a site at Kurrajong Nth - a new camp site only recently created and on higher ground so we'll go (we were considering not going) and see how it is.  Talking to a Park Ranger the other day he told us that professional fishermen (those that fish out beyond the reef) are still reporting finding animal carcasses - kangaroos etc that were washed out to sea in the storms.  We're interested to see how the place looks having such great memories from our last visit!!
We did manage to get into Coral bay even though the road was closed because we did a 200km detour - we were concerned if we didn't take the opportunity to drive in, we may not get there for a while as more heavy rain was forecast with further road closures threatened.  It did rain but not to the degree that was forecast.  After a month of travelling by ourselves through the southwest of WA we were again in the company of Bruce and Kathy for a few days which was lovely.  As the weather fined up and the roads opened they packed up and headed off to Karijini in the Pilbara.  We probably won't get the opportunity to catch up again on this trip but it is always good to have company for a while.  We are in Coral Bay until friday then to Exmouth and then Cape Range.  A very popular place for visitors and overseas backpackers alike - if you have to be 'stuck' anywhere, can't think of anywhere better than Coral Bay.  Mainly warm and sunny, stunning beaches and reef to snorkel. At the moment the population in the caravan park is going up and down like a yoyo with the passing parade of caravans, tents, motor homes (some like palaces) and all sorts of means of travel.

Obviously the area offers swimming with Whale Sharks, snorkelling, diving, Manta Ray viewing and QUAD bikes!!  So Bruce and David took a 2 hour quad bike tour which they claim to be the best money they've spent.  They went through the many tracks and sand dunes that are behind the town here.  So the net day we took the cars over the same areas - great fun

 Anyway that's all the news for now.  Will catch up soon…

From Perth

So with school holidays looming on the horizon, we were now booked into various campsites.  We left Bremer Bay for Albany.  Probably a bigger town than I had expected and I really quite like it.  We stayed some 11kms out of town on the King River,  the kayak actually making it into the water for a pleasant paddle downstream on a warm afternoon.
We visited some very lovely beaches that are favourites with holiday makers like Emu Point and Middleton Beach.  Then there was Oyster Beach - would be a lovely place to live

                              The lovely Oyster Bay
As we followed the road along the scenic coastal drive we noticed a Navy supply ship heading out of the bay (probably to the missing Malaysian flight search area)

                     Navy Supply ship heading out

           More picturesque beaches around the Albany area - a very busy Port and fishing area

After 3 or 4 nights in Albany we headed West to Walpole, with a few drops of rain but still warm.  We stayed here 3 nights prior to the influx of holiday makers.  A well equipped park but no power - thank goodness for solar panels.

Walpole is home to the Giant Tingle Trees - really amazing how massive these trees are and how they remain standing after their inner base/trunk is burnt out

                             The Giant TINGLE Tree
We spent a day in Denmark some 50 ams away and somewhat like being in the Dandenongs but close to the beach.  It was busy, busy and is obviously a popular holiday spot.  We stopped to watch fisherman fishing off the rocks and they were catching some massive salmon.
Also in the area is a tree-top walk where the suspended sky walk is some 40 metres above ground level. The walk way sways quite a bit in the breeze - a little unnerving!!

                       The tree-top walk
Our last day in Walpole was a little damp so we drove in to the Frankland NP to a very out of the way cafe/herb farm, thinking we'd be the only one's in this 'off the beaten track' place, we were very wrong - it was busy and a tasty lunch is the reason for that.  On the way home we called in at Mandalay Beach and watched the storm clouds gather.

                    The lovely Mandalay Beach
We left Warpole heading to Margaret Rive but we had a night to fill in somewhere so headed to a state forest in Manjimup.  Found a great camp site among the trees where we actually had a campfire and cooked a camp oven (gotta love a camp oven dinner).  'Twas a magical little place and in the hot weather would be fantastic with a great swimming hole.

 Camp area at Manjimup and the firewood was actually chopped and provided by the Rangers - doesn't get better than that!!  We also had a very friendly possum keep coming to visit while we cooked and ate dinner - he kept climbing up on our table but it was too dark for a photo opp.
We left our little camp in the am heading to Margaret River where we stayed on a sheep station.  We were free to camp pretty much anywhere in an open paddock (as we don't need power) and placed ourselves along a small creek - very peaceful.

We had a mixture of weather, warm and sunny and some cloudy and cool.  The South west of WA is largely geologically limestone based.  Over the millions of years many sink holes have appeared and have left some amazing caves which are open to the public.  We toured 3 caves, each very different but quite beautiful - sadly the photos just don't do them justice (my photos anyway).  Of course you can't spend time in MR and not visit a winery or two. We called in to a distillery/cidery (never heard of a cidery before) - I think everyone in the area was there but it was lovely and on the Sunday - the best weather day we called at Cheeky Monkery Brewery for lunch (I think I may have been conned as there was a large TV screen that just happened to be playing AFL).
Eventually we had to leave MR and headed to Fremantle.  We had been there ten years ago; this time it was much busier (guess school hold have something to do with it).  Didn't enjoy the Caravan Park at all but we did drive to Mandurah to see the Harbour - that place has really grown.  Visited the Little Creatures Brewery - maybe you shouldn't revisit places, as on this occasion, there's often disappointment!!  When here ten years ago we tried to go to Rottnest Island but the Ferry pilots were on strike so never got there.  This time we made it and took the bike option so rode around the island (my glutes are still recovering).  Weather is overcast and a little cool so we didn't swim.  Having now visited I can mark it off the 'must do' list.
As I write this we are now in Gwelup, a northern suburb of Perth.  Today we went in to the city wanting to see Kings Park and it was truly lovely.  The weather has now changed and since yesterday we have had quite a lot of heavy showers and strong winds, though at this point in time it's dry and peaceful.  I have to say that the public transport system has been an absolute pleasure to use, easy, everything works, it's user-friendly, on time and no graffiti - Melbourne could certainly learn a lot!!
Heading North on Wednesday - and hopeful the weather there has improved.

Beautiful Bremer Bay

So Esperance managed to turn on lovely weather for our 1 night stop and to date the  mild weather is continuing (different to Melbourne I hear).  Still travelling with Kathy and Bruce we made our way to Munglinup!!  5 star accommodation was found at a small campsite a little off the beaten track………

5 STAR!!!???  Hmmmm….

Minimal water, a drop loo (long drop!!) and of course no power,  mainly used for fishing though they weren't biting.  Walking on the beach the next morning one of the fisherman asked if we'd seen the school of sharks that were feeding just off the shore the day before - on a plentiful supply of salmon.  We hadn't, but he told us one would have been 5 metres long - err maybe!

With our travelling companions we had been discussing our potential problems with accommodation with the looming school holidays and Easter.  Bruce and Kathy were eager to head North sooner rather than later but one of our main objectives of this trip was to see the South West region of WA.  So we bade farewell to B & K and continue the trip by ourselves (along with thousands of other caravanners, tenters etc).  

We headed for Bremer Bay - on the western side of the Fitzgerald National Park. A friend had recommended it as a very picturesque place to visit and she sure was on the money (thanks Trish).

A very quiet little spot, a baker, a general store and a hardware store pretty much constitutes the commercial side of things.  The town hosts 2 caravan parks both of which look absolutely delightful and pre the school hols it's pretty quiet.  The park has given everyone camp sites with good space between neighbours and the facilities are very well maintained.  

                                        Green grass - way better than red dust!!

We decided to stay an extra night to give ourselves chance to organise what we were going to do about accommodation over the Easter/school hols.  Several phone calls later we are happily organised to get us through until after the holidays when demand on camp sites will drastically drop off.  By early afternoon  the sun was being very obliging again and we decided to further investigate the many roads and tracks around Bremer Bay.  This place has an abundance of picturesque shoreline with bays, coves and inlets to explore

A great beach just down the road from the caravan park

                            Called 'Little Boat Harbour' this was down one of the many tracks and provided a                 safe little swimming beach.

Not all of the beaches are safe, quiet little coves though; many are treacherous surf beaches with amazing rips and strong currents

Anyway, all up….as you can see…….

….it was a tough day at the office - but someone had to do it :-)

To Cape Le Grand and back

Yet again I write this from Esperance but we haven't been here the whole time.  On wednesday we left the caravan park in Esperance under slightly grey skies and headed some 65 or so kms to Cape Le Grand National Park.  There's a choice of 2 camping areas, Lucky Bay and Le Grand camp area.  Lucky Bay is a beautiful bay as the name suggests with white silica sand that forms a hard base to drive on and enticing turquoise waters (sunshine permitting!!).  We did a return visit yesterday when the sun was presenting it's very best side and there were quite a few people in swimming (too cold for us though).  The beach was busy with people swimming, cars driving along and three small kangaroos that were being inquisitive and friendly and a coffee cart!!!  The camping area provides probably 20 or so caravan sites, all fairly close together.

                             The kangaroo seemed quite happy to be patted by beachgoers

                               The beach was great to drive along
There are an amazing number of bays and coves to explore in the NP and walking tracks that connect them.  Views along the tracks are truly amazing and unfortunately my photos just don't do it justice but here goes

We however stayed at the Le Grand camping area (shown in this photo taken from high up on the boulders)  Each camp area is sheltered and individual with probably 10-20 metres of bush between and just behind the sand dunes.  Camp kitchen was good and warm showers via solar hot water when available.  We shared a 'double' camp site with Bruce and Kathy

A very short trot over the sand dune provided us with a great view of the water and in the evening a lovely sunset.  Last night much to our surprise there were 2 brumbys enjoying a forage amongst the scrub

they seemed completely unperturbed by our presence.

As we were so close, we took a drive out to Cape Arid NP, where you can also camp.  The camp area is what I would refer to as more basic, less protected and probably 120 ams east of Cape Le Grand.  If total isolation is what you're after this is probably the place to be but definitely not as picturesque overall.

The boys did try some fishing off the rocks and David only managed to land a small snook which he threw back.
Tomorrow we head off again in a Westerly direction after restocking in the morning (no 7 day/week shopping here).  Our aim is to call in and hopefully camp at as many areas as possible along the coast but with school holidays looming in another week here we may have to rethink that plan.
Will update next time we have internet.