Bright
Thurs 12th -Mon 16th march 2020
SIC weekend of cycling in and around Bright
To improve our fitness we decided to join our cycling group for a few days in Bright Victoria as we love the area so much. This would then be the jump off point for our trip around Australia. We loaded our flat bar bikes on the caravan and after two days set up camp at the big 4 in Bright. This would be our base for 5 days. It was very peaceful. While most of our friends were out climbing the big mountains on their bikes, ET and I rode the rail trails and did shortish trips in the country to visit pubs, coffee shops and just enjoy the area in general. There are a few pics of these days in the photo gallery. What a fantastic distraction and stimulation travelling and exploring is.
Mon 16th March 2020
Bright to Rochester-Victoria
Packed up and headed to Wangaratta as a first stop. Wondered around town for a while and then found a coffee shop for a quick coffee and croissant. Enjoyed it so much I had another. What can I say? Turned out that the coffee shop owners were young South Africans so we had a quick chat before heading off to do the Silo Art Trail. En-route we stopped in Benalla, unloaded the bikes and spent an hour riding around the town to admire all of the wall art. Then on to a silo at Goorambat which was great. The next silo stop was at Rochester where we spent the night free camping close to the silo’s. They were awesome, all lit up at night.
Our free camp turned out to be close to the rail line and luckily we only had one freight train at night and a passenger train in the morning. The next morning we actually found a good coffee in town. As we are spoiled by our local coffee shop, you could probably call us coffee snobs. We were delighted with our find.
Tues 17th March 2020
Rochester to Lake Lascelles
A long day of following the Silo Art which included some backtracking to visit sites we had missed. We were sorely disappointed when the Murtoa Stick Shed was closed. They call it a shed but it is absolutely enormous. A very old warehouse the size of 3 olympic pools. Built in 1941, the entire roof is heald up by ash poles straight from the bush. The only building of its kind. We did however enjoy all of the silo art and had a very pleasant evening on the banks of Lake Lascelles. Free camping once more. A copper coin donation for the hot showers provided. How good is that. Had a great barbie with an awesome sunset across the lake. Pictures will be loaded into photo’s.
Wed 18th – Fri 20th March 2020
Lake Lascelles to Mildura
Trip to Patchewollock for some more silo art and then on to Mildura where we have stayed before. We were swapping one water front camp site for another. And guess what, its free. Doesn’t get better than that. This time we were on the banks of the mighty Murray River which wends it’s way across this vast barren country side. Luckily there is plenty of water, thanks to the cyclones in the north some months ago. We watched the paddle steamers going up and down doing their tourist thing while we drank coffee and caught up with our trip planning. This area is amazing. It is basically a desert that has been irrigated to supply most of the dried fruit for Australia and believe it or not, it has many wineries as well.
We visited Lock 11 which is a huge river lock system and part of a water storage system that was built after the very bad droughts in the early 1900’s, to ensure that the irrigators would never run short again. It also ensure that the paddle steamers could travel up and down the river.
Fri 20th – Sat 21st March 2020
Mildura toBurra in SA
Drove from Mildura across the border into SA and on to Morgan for lunch on the river side. Continued on to Burra and stayed at the Showgrounds which is a good cheap spot to stay. Fine for one night.
Sat 21st March 2020
Burra
ET at the Oils House
We packed up and headed into town for a coffee at a great little spot that we have frequented before. We then moved into the riverside camp ground and set up the van. ET did the washing, we filled the water tanks and unloaded our bikes. We then did a great ride out to the Midnight Oil House as it is known locally. The house that features on their Diesel and Dust album.Stopped at Bon Accord Hotel for a Beer as it was very hot. Then visited the station which is now abandoned as trains no longer run into many SA regional areas. On our final leg back to the camp site we rode up the steep hill to view the old open cut mining sites.A good tourist day with some exercise thrown in.
Ramblings
Our trip has been turned upside down thanks to Covid-19 and friends. All because some folks in China enjoy the exotic, eg-eating of bat soup or parts there of. Thanks to them the world gets to shut down business, leisure, border crossing and even shopping. Well in a way the panic has caused a shortage of toilet paper-go figure. There are also shortages of pasta, flour and god knows what else. Luckily we are able to run on Wine, woman and song……err that is meant to read, wine, cheese and biscuits…..We have home made Lentil Soup and not much else in the home made department as we left it all at home in the deepfreeze along with a bunch of other stuff. Luckily my sister is there to take care of the forgotten not forbidden fruits.I digress. We crossed the Nullarbor in a hurry. Not the way we had planned as we wanted to really enjoy the eastern end and all the bays and beaches of South Australia. When we heard that the border crossings from one state to another would soon include a two week quarantine period and the only way we could avoid this is to cross the border before it is shut. So we made a dash for the WA border as that is where we want to spend most of our time. Well that turned into a four day dash. Day one to try and get across the border. Day two three and four to get from the border through Norseman as we heard they were going to quarantine everyone in Norseman. Of course we were still tourists and took diversions off the road to see things like the famous Cocklebiddy caves, “www.cavedivers.com.au/cocklebiddy” , once the longest underground dive site in the world consisting of 6.24km long cave dive. These diversions with the caravan in tow were up to 20 km’s of really bad dirt roads. Still, we have as yet not broken a wine glass or a bottle of wine thanks to Elaine’s expert attention to the packing of the wine. Very happy with the van as it handles really well on the dirt. Sorry Huw and Sheila, we could not cross the Nullarbor in two days as recommended by yourselves.
Burra to Kimba
Sun 22nd March 2020
Day one of what is to be our Nullarbor dash Packed up Burra and drove to Stone Hut bakery and had a famous pie and coffee. It was very chilly.Stopped at Wirrabara to see the stunning Red Robin Silo. We then headed for Port Augusta. At this point we started hearing all sorts of rumours about restrictions on travel so we were feeling the urgency to head towards the Nullarbor. After a stock up at Woolies we headed off and mad it to Kimba where we spent the night. The silo art at Kimba is pretty awesome and one of ET’s favourites. It is also lit up at night , but only for a few hours. Kimba is also home to the big Galah. See pics.- We recommend this place as a lay over. Also worth a weekday in town. Everything shut on the weekend.We watched the news and realised that they were going to close the border on Tuesday at mid day. Ended up eating loads of veggies again as it looks like we’ll be going over to WA far sooner than planned. Would have liked to see more of Kimba but all closed. Lions Recreation Area free camp very basic but clean and also near to a good walk . Hot showers and clean toilets.Kimba is half way across Australia.
Mon 23rd March 2020
Day two of the Nullarbor dash
We dashed from Kimba to Border Town in WA to ensure that we were not quarantined. Passed through all the places where we had planned to spend at least 10 days which is why we stocked up with fresh Veggies. We pulled up before the border and it had been pouring down all day leaving huge puddles of water all across the gravel car park. ET made awesome beetroot burgers and we absolutely smothered them in lettuce and tomatoes as we could not take it across the border. The rest we had to throw away and at $5.00 per lettuce that really burned my arse. For any saffas out there that is around R55.00 After dumping all fresh produce we crossed the border with a full search but no fines to pay this time.About 12 km’s after the border we hooked a left and headed towards the coast to camp at the Old Telegraph Station. A good spot if the weather is good but it had been raining for two days and it was an absolute mud bath. The young french tourists who kept crossing our path, were out in the pouring rain setting up tents. If it wasn’t for Covid-19 we would have offered them a coffee but could not take a chance. We were really comfy in our Legend and slept like babies after a big day. No TV or radio reception down there, real 1st world problems!
Tues 24th March 2020
Day three of the Nullarbor dash- Eucla to Caiguna
The next morning we found ourselves absolutely surrounded by vehicles which had arrived in the night. After brekkie we had a lovely walk to the old Telegraph Station ruins and then on to the beach which on a warmer day would have been spectacular. We took some pics and then headed back to resume our trip. It was a good 20 minute walk back to the van. We hauled ourselves out of the mud and back up to Eucla to try and find a dump point for the toilet but no such luck. At this stage there was a huge queue for fuel which I could not understand. As we had already filled up at border village we headed on to the Eyre highway and set the cruise control for 82kph to try and economise. We headed for Caiguna which was going to be our next overnight stop. En-route we visited the Cocklebiddy Caves. 20k’s of bad dirt. The cave had a very ordinary entrance which was closed off, however the information on the cave was amazing. It is in fact a famous underwater dive site with the cave stretching more than 6km underwater.After a big drive we stopped at Caiguna which was an awesome big area for camping and could house many vans without ever seeing one another. We had a fire and sat out drinking wine and of course cooked on the fire, albeit a Fray Bentos Pie. A big headache was the result of too much red wine. Far out, just can’t do it anymore. That is until tomorrow.
Wed 25th March 2020
Day four of the Nullarbor dash- Caiguna to as far as possible via Norseman
We headed out and visited the Caiguna blow hole which is in fact a huge cave with a narrow entrance which breathes as the air pressure changes. This air pressure has been known to reach 72km’s per hour.-see picOur biggest concern at this point was the quarantine of everyone at the Norseman junction. Rumour had us all in a panic so the only stopping we did was to fill up the car and keep heading West. So we covered the 90 mile straight and all the other boring bits of the Nullarbor as quickly as the van would let us without burning a hellish 30 l/100km. For those that give a toss, our average is 26l/100km.We arrived in Esperance at 4pm and celebrated with a bottle of bubbles and some snacks followed by lekker lentil soup and soldiers. What a lekker end to a worrying journey. Hopefully we can now relax a little more on this trip as we wander around this enormous state of WA. So far we have covered a distance of 3608 km’s. Heaps more to go.
Thursday 26th March to 11th April 2020
Esperance and surrounds
Well we woke up to this on our first morning. The shoreline, as in most Australian beach fronts, is lined with a massive row of Norfolk Pines as are most beach front areas. We were resident in the RAC Caravan Holiday Park, right on the edge of the town of Esperance. Within our first 3 days, we came to realise that there would be no wondering around the State of WA as the Corona isolation was setting in fast and the guidlines were being updated every few hours. The next announcment by the Premier of WA was that everyone travelling was to return to their homes asap.
That would have meant driving home and doing a further huge mileage without any sight seeing along the way.
As we have people staying in our house that wasn’t an option for us along with many others who have sold or rented their houses in order to travel for a few years. We find ourselves with other nomads being a group of people with no fixed address. In other words, homeless.
We had to sign a decleration stating that we were not able to go home and that way we could stay on in the van park with about 20 other families.
The people who run the park have been absolutely fantastic and have accommodated all of us very well. We actually moved from the back of the park to the front so that we could see the ocean.
Our neighbours have been great and we are slowly getting to know everyone here.
A lot of days have been spent on the beach as well as driving along the beaches and fishing at every opportunity. There are just so many fabulous beaches around us that we often can’t decide which way to go. The sands are like talcum powder and as white as we have ever seen. Like everyone all over the country we are also catching up on home and vehicle maintenance. Caravan being our home.
The children in the park are still having a ball, riding their bikes in little gangs, playing games, making hats for easter and just doing what kids without technology do. Absolutely fantastic to see.
We had a few days of overcast cold weather and thought that winter had arrived and then suddenly its back up to 31- 35deg. over 4 days. I think we will definately see the weather change a lot while we are here.
It would be fantastic to see the town of Esperance with it’s doors open, live music scenes pumping and restaurants a buzz. Unfortunately that just seems so far away.
We are truely lucky to be in this part of the world with not a single case of Corona being recorded in Esperance and surrounds so far.
I am sure we will ramble some more but I promise to make it musch shorter ramblings when our travel becomes more varied.
Easter- Sat 11th and Sun 12th April 2020
Esperance Caravan Park
Had a lovelly evening in the park last night. All the kids spent the last few days doing craft work and making easter hats for the Easter Parade, which took place at 5.30pm. Music was provided by one of the mums and she had them all marching up and around while the adults stood beside them applauding and laughing as the little ones provided much entertainment. This was followed by a frantic pre- easter egg hunt.
We then had a lovelly barbie and people popped in and out throughout the evening for a chat around the fire.
This morning I was up at 5.30. I bought a coffee from the coffee truck outside the camp site as I didn’t want to wake Elaine. The weather is absolutely perfect. Not a breath of wind which only happens occasionally. Elaine soon got up and proceeded to hide eggs for the official Easter Egg Hunt that starts at 8.30 from the park office.
Job done we are now relaxing and waiting for 8.30.
Monday 13th April 2020
Same place new day
ET cooked up a great Silverside for dinner last night with mash, veg and gravy. We sat by the fire and enjoyed a chat with people as they came and went.
While we have been in Esperance we have visited so many great beaches and done some fun fishing, not catching. We have however become very aware of the number of shark sitings and are fairly nervous about swiming any more than waist deep from the shore. We were however assured by the locals that there haven’t been any people taken since February this year.
So our regime of not venturing into any deep water continues. At least once a week someone spots either a Bronze Whaler or a White Shark swimming close to the beaches and the shark alarm is set off. They have also posted video’s of their sightings.
So our daily routines consist of either rising early or not, riding our bikes or walking along the beach for exercise, going for a swim, weather dependent, doing maintenance on car/van, doing washing, eating, drinking and chatting. The people are all very friendly and come from all walks of life. There are young families and us slightly older travellers, but we hold our own. This is an indetermined length of stay and we simply can’t make any forward plans other than to stay put and wait for the virus outbreak to run it’s course. Hope you are all out there doing the same and finding some solace in the things you are doing.
ET and DT
Sunday 3rd May 2020
Same place five and a half weeks later.
Some time has passed now and we have been in the RAC Caravan Park for more than five weeks. In that time we have celebrated Anzac Day, had many gatherings around camp fires, consumed large amounts of wine, beer,gin, Aperol, whiskey and enjoyed many great meals put together by my personal chef who I am also sleeping with.
Not much has changed as we have settled into a routine of exercising, shopping fishing and exploring. Some people are packing up their swags and heading into the national parks for one or two night stays away from their vans. The kids in the park have been fantastic and really bonded well. They spend all their time cycling, kicking balls and playing on the park. Actually that is not totally true as all of them spend a few hours each day being home schooled. They had already organised this with their schools before they left their various home towns and states ,so when Covid came along, nothing changed for them. Home schooling was already in place.
Monday 11th May 2020 – Mothers Day
Same place-a special day
Took a drive to Stokes Inlet which is around 80 km from Esperance. There were not many cars on the road and when we arrived, we were pretty much the only people there.Felt and looked like the end of tghe world. Everything dead quiet and the twisted trees on the edge of the warter really gave it an eerie feeling. I fished for a while and Elaine did some sun baking. After having some lunch we headed back to Esperance and spent the rest of the day on the beach, fishing. Still no catching….
Tuesday 12th May 2020
Same starting Place
We headed off to visit Mount Ridley, which is quite spectacular. We had Allan, Lynn and Chef Ramsey, (Geoff) for company which made for a lovely day out. It was amazing walking up the enormous Monolith of Granite and the views were great. Allan was looking under every single rock for a glint of gold. He is now totally obsessed with finding some gold.After some lunch and a bit of Gold detecting we headed off to find the local Wave Rock. It was a hell of a lot more impressive than we expected and we took heaps of photo’s. This might save us a long journey to the big wave rock which would certainly be well out of our way.
Wednesday 13th May 2020
Same place almost eight weeks later
We have now pretty much reached our limit of travelling within this reagion and are starting to feel the effects of fewer distractions. Most people have now left and we can feel the isolation more and our emotions becoming more acute.
We have had a great time with everyone and watching all the kids grow in leaps and bounds has been a real tonic. Lets hope we can move on very soon. last minute decision-we are going to Lucky Bay for a few nights, leaving tomorrow.
Thursday 14th-Sunday 17th May 2020
Lucky Bay
We packed up and headed off to Lucky Bay for a few nights. Some of our friends had already set up there and it was nice to catch up again. We chose a spot low down to try and escape some of the strong winds which often blow. Unfortunately this reduces the view, however we were happy with our choice. We did plenty of fishing, swimming beach driving, bush walks and gathered together for barbies in the evening. We had a lot of fun which certainly lightened our mood. We saw a huge pod of Dolphins who were having a ball surfing the waves and swimming back and forth in the bay. I also got seriously bogged on the beach with the car. The tide was high and the sand was like snow. The track collapsed under the weight of my car and I slewed sideways towards the incoming tide. After rapidly reducing my tyre pressures and digging away the obvious sand causing the issue, we backed out of there post haste. The day we were leaving Lucky Bay we received news that our application for travel had been approved so we headed directly back to Esperance and prepared our car and van to head off on our journey.
Made a fire and people dropped in for a chat and a drink while we cooked on the barbie. Had a lovely last evening thanks to everyones friendship.
Monday 18th May 2020
On the road again
Dropped the van off really early for a quick repair to the water system. Drove back to the camp site and said goodbye to those that were left. As soon as the van was ready we hooked up and headed off.
We planned to drive as far as we could before dark set in and camp along the road.
We arrived at Ravensthorpe and filled up at the local servo. Bumped into another ex South African who lives in the area. As we were leaving we came across our first police road block. It was manned by about 10 police with cars and a caravan. Our paperwork checked out and we were soon on our way. Et spotted a few silo’s close to the road and we stopped for a few pics.
The sun sets really early now and it is dark by 5.30 so at 4.30 we started checking our camps guide to find the closest rest site or cheap camp site. We were very close to Wellstead and there just happened to be a homestead with camping available. We pulled in and we were the only people there. The caretaker was amazed and welcomed us with open arms. They hadn’t seen any new travellers for 8 weeks. The site cost us $15.00 for the night and they had great bathrooms with hot showers etc.
Tuesday 19th May 2020
Wellstead to Albany
It was very cold over night with a strong southerly buster hammering the area. We left at about 9am the next morning and went into the one horse town of Wellstead to get a coffe, but once we saw the coffee machine we settled for a cold milk drink from the fridge.
En-route, ET listed all the caravan parks in Albany and as we approached we checked them out and settled for one reasonably close to town which had a great daily rate.
After setting up we headed into town and wondered all around taking in the architecture and history. We also had our first sit down lunch and coffee in more than two months. What a treat that was.
The next thing on the spreadsheet was the war memorial. We drove up the hill close to town and found our way up to the Anzac Memorial. It was really special as it overlooks the bay where all the troop ships gathered before heading overseas to participate in WW1. The hill is also the site for the very first Anzac Day Rememberance. Aftere that we made our way to number three on the spreadsheet which was the drive through tree carvings. see photo’s for more info.
Wednesday 20th May 2020
Albany-Porongurup Range
Today would have been Nicole’s 25th Birthday. We desperately miss our Nicole and cry so much. These milestones are especially very very sad.
The beaches and the sound of the sea are our happy place so we try to spend as much time as we can around the coast or doing things that fill our minds with temporary distractions.
So as the weather is overcast and the beach is rather cold, Elaine managed to entice me up the biggest mountain in the area to risk my life on a platform built on the side of a huge granite boulder.
It was a 4.5 km return walk up the mountain with very steep sections. The boulders were absolutely spectacular and you will simply have to view the photo’s to appreciate them.
By the time we got back down I could hardly walk and ET had to drive from there on.
She did however take me to a lovely bakery where we had scrumptious pies and a second sit down coffee. We both hate take away coffee’s and the cups that they come in. Did a bit more driving around before retiring to the camp site.
Thursday 21st May 2020
Albany-The Gap and Natural Bridge
I took my car in for a much needed service early in the morning and got a lift back to camp. We then headed off on our bicycles and cycled all over town and out to some of the fantastic beaches on the east side called Middleton Beach and Emu Point. Both of these form part of the King George Sound. The water was increadibly clear and the sun was shining for a change. We had coffee and a snack on the beach which was very pleasant. By the time we had cycled to the furthest point I got a phone call telling me that my car was ready. It was 1pm so we rushed back as best as our legs would let us, loaded our bikes into the car and headed back to camp for a shower. We then did some more exploring and visited the Gap and Natural Bridge. Well that was fairly awesome. There is a platform hanging over The Gap and the sea way below was really thumping into the rocks. The Natural Bridge was also really worth seeing. Won’t be there forever as the sea is slowly working its way through the rocks. After that we headed to The Blow Holes but it was now starting to get cold and blustery. I stayed back at the car while Elaine did a fast walk down the many steps to view the blow holes. While in the car park I spotted a few Whales in the bay. I also recognised the Land Rover in the car park as Ben’s car so I waited until they came back and we had a chat. They were staying in the town of Denmark.
Friday 22nd May 2020
Albany to Pemberton
Tried to leave camp early but DT decided to fuel up with Petrol and Hash Browns before hitching up the van. Finally got under way and took a wrong turn at one of those double laned round abouts, that allow everyone to go anywhere from inside or outside lanes. I am sure that these were invented for the amusement of the city council.
Finally found our way out of town and headed for Denmark, good coffee, crap Almond Croissant. Saffa family with lekker accents sitting close by. Drove around the waterfront, beautiful little town and worth a few days. Unfortunately there is a cyclone coming and we want to be bedded down in Margaret River before the event.
Stopped at the Valley of the Giants Tree Top Walk. That was so awesome and fairly scary as the whole thing moves while walking on it.
We also bumped into 3 different families that were in lock down with us, back in Esperance.
Next we headed for Pemberton. Roads were very uneven and Narrow making passing a bit hairy as the van and car lurched from left to right unexpectedly. The forests however were spectacular. The trees are all enormous.
Arrived at Pemberton as the sun was starting to set and booked into a local camp site. It got cold very quickly and the entire area felt damp. We did a quick bit of exploring and discovered that the area is littered with bush walks and mountain bike trails.
Saturday 23rd May 2020
Pemberton to Margaret River
We left after having a lovelly coffee and beans on toast in town. First stop was the local lookout tree, called the Gloucester Tree. It is extremely tall with a lookout platform at the top and spikes going around the tree in a spiral all the way to the top. Being the brave souls that we are we decided to climb the tree. ET got to 6m and I only got to 4m before turning back. Both of us were in self preservation mode. We just could not push ourselves to the next level. Amazing! We then continued on towards Margaret River. The rolling hills which make up the farms were very beautiful as were all the very tall trees. Devonshire Tea in a lovelly town called Nannup. Arrived and settled in to a camp site in Margaret River. We then drove to Leeuwin National Park and climbed up the most South West Light House which is also the tallest light house on mainland Australia. It is also the place where the Indian Ocean meets the Southern Ocean. The lookout was just fantastic. Hundreds of islands off the coast create very dangerous shipping lanes. We then drove to Hamelin Bay and had a beer while the sun set through cloudy skies. The storm was coming.
Sunday 24th May 2020
Happy Birthday ET-Margaret River
Drove into town for Benny Brekkie. Then headed down Caves Road which has 110 caves that they know of, 6 which are well known and developed tourist caves. We did a tour of Lakes ave which was very cool. Would love to do a few more next time. It is now blowing very hard and the way the trees are moving is a little scary. We tried to find a winery for lunch but they were either closed for Covid or were taking limited bokings and full. Sorry ET, no Margaret River birthday lunch. We popped into Voyges wines to take a pick of the Cape Dutch Buildings. That was special.
We then Went back to the camp site and waited for the results of the cyclone up North to hit. Needless to say, it was an interesting night.
Tuesday 26th May 2020
Margaret River to Freemantle.
A big day in the saddle. We left fairly early and headed to Busselton and went for a walk on the enormously long jetty. Took some pics with the drone and after a nice break we headed off to Bunbury for a quick visit. A lovely looking town and worth a visit on a nice day. Nice art works, Dolphin Experience, Marina’s etc.Might be back one day.Then it was off to Mandurah, pronounced(Mandra) to visit some friends, Lynne and Graeme Dunnet who we haven’t seen for a few years. On the way we stopped in at Lake Clifton to see the Thrombolites which are living rock structures created by micro organisms which are a very early life form. It was lovely catching up Graeme and Lynne after all this time. They have a lovely house in a Marina.Next stop was a Caravan Park in a suburb close to Freemantle called Coogee. It was late so we set up, had a quick walk to the beach, dinner and then crashed.
Saturday 27th May
Freemantle and Perth
A day of exploring the area. Love the architecture of Freemantle and can only imagine what the vibe is like during normal times. Covid making it abnormal. Found lovely deli’s and heaps of interesting things. A little Newtownish but on a large scale. Drove into Perth and had a lovely walk around. Felt like a ghost town. Walked around the gardens and then headed back to Freemantle for dinner.Couldn’t find any reasonable restaurants open so we ended up having fish and chips for dinner at the bathers beach tables which were surrounded by storm surge from the previous storm. Sand levels were up to the bottom of the tables in many instances.
Sunday 28th May 2020
Perth to Green Head.
After half a day of driving we pulled in at the Pinnacles and spent a lot of time wandering around and taking heaps of pictures. We also ended up going through a road block just before Green Head and luckily our good to go passes were all up to date. At around 3pm we decided to call it a day and headed to Milligan Island for a beach camp. Weather still very stormy and unsettled.
Friday 29th May 2020
Green Head to Gerldton
We left reasonably early after a night of torrential rain and strong winds. Heading North and towards the sun and the warmth is very enticing. There was a strong wind still buffeting the van as we pulled it along the highway. Unfortunately it was mostly coming head on and the car was absolutely drinking fuel. We were up to around 30 litres per hundred so our range had gone right out the window. This meant that we had to drop in to all the small towns along the way. Not a bad thing by any means as some of them are delightful. We dropped into Dongara and had a lovelly coffee and Salted Caramel Cronut at a tiny little coffee shop called Poppies. We also refueled at a premium price.
It was then on to Geraldton where we arrived around lunch time. We booked into the same camp site as four other families that had spent two months in lock down with us at the Esperance Caravan Park.It was like coming home to family.
As we were setting up we were approached by a reporter with a camera and he filmed us setting up. This gave us 3 seconds of fame on Channel Seven News, who did a segment on the opening of the borders and the great rush North.
It was nice and warm for about an hour and then a huge wind came up and brought in some heavy weather. It soon started raining and it felt like the cyclone had come back. A bit like the very strong Cape Town South Easter.
Spent the afternoon/evening sorting out some bookings on line.
Saturday 30th May 2020
Geraldton
Washing day-bedding and clothing-done.Into town for a day of touristing. Firstly we kicked off with a lovely lunch of Chicken Cesar and Greek Lamb salads with accompanying wine and beer. Felt great to be able to sit in a restaurant once more. We then walked up and down the Esplanade and all around town which is nice but no historic buildings. They were situated just out of town. We drove up to the memorial for HMS Sydney which in battle with a German Raider sank with all souls lost. The German Raider also sank so they were also all lost at sea. After that we went to the light house and then on to the giant glass sphere. A quick re-stock of some essentials and then back to the glass sphere for some sunset pics and a beer.Back to camp for dinner and a catch up over a few wines. Tomorrow we head off for Kalbarri.
Sunday 31st May 2020
Geraldton to Lucky Bay
We left around 10am with Allan to keep us company. We drove past the pink lakes of Gregory and took some Pics. Here we split up with Al who carried on to Kalbarri while we stopped a bit further up the road at Lucky Bay for a nice feet in the sand camp. Had a lovely sunset on the dunes and a fire to see the night out.
Monday 1st June 2020
Lucky Bay to Kalbarri
We left early and drove to Kalbarri via the coast al road dropping in at Natural Bridge and Red Bluff before checking in to the caravan park across the road from the beach. A cute little town which would be very nice in season with everything open and buzzing. After setting up we headed out to Kalbarri National Park to see Natures window and various other fantastic natural landscapes.Back to town to catch up with friends Lynne, Jeff and Allan. We arrange to have sundowners at the beach and had an awesome evening watching the fish jumping out of the water, walkers, fishermen and of course the sunset.
Tuesday 2nd June 2020
Kalbarri
We attended the informal Pelican feeding by an old local lady who was a volunteer and about 75 in the shade. It was lovely and she had the kids and everyone else feeding fish to the Pelican. Unfortunately only one Pelican showed up as this has not been happening for some time due to Covid. We then went Snorkeling up the coast…………….
Wednesday 3rd June 2020
Kalbarri to Shark Bay Area(Whalebone Bay)
Packed up and headed through Kalbarri National Park, making a few stops along the way, to the West Coast Highway. We headed North stopping at the Billabong Road House, overland Road House and then on to Francois Peron National Park and set up camp at Whalebone bay. Parked overlooking the ocean and set up our table and chairs on the beach for sunset. Quite a few annoying flies around so had to use nets until the sun set and they disappeared as they do late evening. A lovely night with the dead calm ocean at our door step.Early the next morning the ranger arrived to make sure we had booked and paid. He then proceeded to stay and chat while our pancakes went cold. MMMM
Thursday 4th June 2020
Whalebone to Eagle Bluff
Headed off to Eagle Bluff and dropped in at Fowlers Camp on the way. Went for a walk but the storms have changed the frontage so we didn’t stay. Drove up Eagle Bluff to the lookout and then headed back to Eagle Bluff lagoon and pulled up right beside the lagoon inlet which was flowing quite strongly. Was a great spot. Et lay in the sun while I fished off the beach. Water is very shallow and rocky so did not have much luck. Reputation still in tact(no fish caught)
Friday 5th June 2020
Eagle Bluff to Monkey Mia
Left our lovely waterside spot at Eagle Bluff and headed to Monkey Mia. On the way we stopped in at Denham. We stopped and had a wonder up and down the water front and discovered Shark Bay Cafe where we had lovely poached eggs and very nice coffee. Spend more than $20 and get a free coffee. Thank you. Town has a lovely waterfront and worth a visit in season.We continued on to Monkey Mia and set up our van right at the beach. What a spot. Have never seen waters so calm. We wandered around the resort and then spent a lot of time on the beach. Saw Dolphins swimming up and down very close to the shore line. Lovely sunset again.
Saturday 6th June 2020
Monkey Mia
We wanted to do the Dolphin Experience so it was a very early start. It’s first in best dressed and up to that point they were only taking 20 people at a time due to Covid. We arrived 15 minutes early and were second in line. Yay we are in. And then a bunch of people arrived and started queueing on the other end of the building. Far out, are we in the wrong place. I quickly counted them to make sure there were less than 20 and there were.They opened the door at their end first and then let us in. So from second to 15th in a flash. At least we were in. Then the announcement was made. Folks, today we are going back up to 100 per session. All the worry for nothing.We stretched out along the beach, cameras at the ready and waited. The young girl doing the presentation was very good and kept us interested while we waited for the Dolphins. As these are wild Dolphins they are only fead a certain amount in order to ensure that their hunting instincts continue. I think it was 20% of their daily intake. The Dolphins that participate in this ritual have been doing it for 40+ years and belong to a certain family of Dolphins who are continually studied.Finally one of them swam up and was introduced to us. At this point we are out of the water and only the presenter is standing in the water. The dolphins swims up and down the beach looking at us and then to the presenter. Each Dolphin is easily recognised by their dorsal fin or scars they might bear.
Some of them have young babies and they are kept away from this feeding ritual while they are taught to hunt and play and also protected by their mums and aunts etc. The volunteer feeders then came down and entered the water with buckets of fish. They chose a few people to come forward and feed the Dolphin a fish. It was such a great interaction and so well controlled. Nobody was allowed to touch a Dolphin at all for various reasons.
When it was all done we were invited to stay for the second feeding in 30 minutes. A quick coffee and toasted Banana Bread later and ET and I were back on the beach waiting. A different Dolphin came this time and the whole experience continued. There were only about eight of us the second time. Needless to say, we stayed for the third one as well. What an awesome start to the day.
Went back to camp and spent the day on the beach with the Emu’s wandering around all over the place.In the afternoon I went and did a bit of fishing. Only caught one small fish and threw it back. Was good fun though. Saw the family group of Dolphins swimming past a number of times.
At seven pm we finally got to celebrate ET’s Birthday in a restaurant at the resort. Had a lovely meal and a very nice Rose. Last to leave and headed back to our little home on wheels for coffee.
Sunday 7th June 2020
Monkey Mia to Wooramel Station.
Stopped in Denham once more for a further wander around and had another coffee at Shark bay Cafe. Checked out the buildings and sculptures made from bricks cut out of compressed shells at Shell Beach. Compressed by nature over very many years.We then actually drove to shell beach and had a play in the shells and took some pics. Then on to Hamelin Pools to see the ancient Stromatolites which are another very ancient form of microbial life. Just as we arrived there, three families that we know from Esperance arrived and we all had a good catch up while perusing the Stromatolites.Then on to Wooramel Station Where we spent two nights. It was great to relax in the hot Artesian fed tubs which are rich in Magnesium. Back for a steak barbie and mushroom sauce. Yum….
Monday 8th June 2020
Wooramel Station
After a lazy start we went for a walk around the station. Checked out the junk yard(cars from years back) and other stuff. Back to camp to laze around in general. That evening we joined a few other couples around the communal camp fire and chatted. Met a South African couple that have lived in WA for 40 years. Picked their brains on places to go and see. After that we bumped into them on a few occasions on the road.Then went for a lovely session in the hot tubs again and not to break tradition, had a lovely fire and another barbie but with sausages this time.
Tuesday 9th June 2020
Wooramel Station to Quobba Station
Took some early morning photo’s of a nesting Wedge Tail Eagle. Had a Quick brekkie and headed for Quobba Station. Now Wooramel and Quobba Stations are owned by sisters, each running one of the stations. Quobba as apposed to Wooramel is right on the coast and takes in a few hundred km of the coast line. So our aim was to spend some time at Quobba Station as well as one of their other sites called Red Bluff. We stopped in at Carnarvon for a quick look around town and to refuel on petrol as well as coffee. We also queued at the public drinking water source to fill our van. There were about three ahead of us. After that we amazingly found a coffee shop right next to one mile jetty that made good coffee. Then it was off to Quobba. A good solid drive in some hectic head winds. Not so great on the fuel.
En-route we stopped in at the Blow Holes which were absolutely roaring. We arrived late, set up camp and caught up with Lynne and Geoff who had been there for a few days. We all went down to the beach to watch the sun set and then back to theirs for a camp fire, snacks and a few drinks. Earlier we had also once more bumped into the South African couple from Wooramel Station.
Wednesday 10th June 2020
Quobba to Red Bluff
After breakfast Lynne and Geoff left for Coral Bay and we went for a wander around the station after which we hit the dirt road. I had let a lot of air out of the van and car tyres but boy the corrugations were just so bad in places. Reminder to self to let them down even more before we return.We found a great spot at Red Bluff, right on the beach but when we got out of the car, it filled up with flies. Oh my God they were absolutely thick and pesty. At red Bluff the red dirt and rock s come right down to the sea with a thin strip of white sand dividing the two. There is also the most amazing surf break off the reef at the point which produces endless barrels.We spent the day on the beach. And watched the surfers going back and forth to the point. I Later went and did a bit of fishing in the late afternoon and caught nothing but small fish.We then made a camp fire and watched the sun going down over a few drinks. Oh my goodness, we sound like real alcoholics.
Thursday 11th June 2020
Red Bluff to Coral Bay
On the way out of the station we had to once more pass Quobba and headed to The Blow Holes Beach for a snorkel. By the time we got there we just could not be hassled so we sat on the beach for a while and then decided to hit the road. Looking at how much fuel we had used, we decided that we would not make Coral Bay, even with the Jerry Cans on board so we drove all the way back to Carnarvon to fill up on fuel and water once more. About a 60 km detour. Yay, off to Coral Bay. On the way we crossed the Tropic of Capricorn, another mile stone to a warmer climate. Finally we arrived at Coral Bay and booked into the Bayview Caravan Park. Luckily we were pre warned and had filled our water tanks. The water supply for Coral Bay comes from 800 feet underground, is hot and full of minerals. So can’t hook the van up to that. It is fine for showering but not for drinking. Filtered drinking water is supplied by single taps at points around the camp site, like in the kitchens and one for filling the odd 10L can. Any large amounts of water need to be paid for. After setting up we once again caught up with Geoff and Lynne and then head off for a walk on the beach and on the way back we dropped into Bills Bar. What a treat to order a drink with other people around and some noise happening. It didn’t stop there. We then went out for a great Pizza at a restaurant right on the edge of the camp site. Short walk home. Footy was on so quite a lot was happening.
Friday 12th June 2020
Coral bay
After a Brekkie down at Fins, we headed down to FiveFingers with Geoff and Lynne. Did a little bit of four wheel driving on a very sandy track which Geoff and Lynne found lots of fun. Great spot for snorkelling. Unfortunately is was very over cast and the vis not that great so we kept it very short. Sat around on the beach , had a beer and a long chat, then back to town for showers etc. Headed off to the Coral Bay Resort for drinks on the lawn and watched the sun set
Saturday 13th June 2020
Coral Bay to Osprey Bay
Packed up refuelled and water tanks full, we went for a coffee at Fins and relaxed for a while. As we were leaving we caught up with Geoff and Lynne to say our goodbyes and set off to Osprey which is in the national park which in turn is in a world heritage area. We got there in about an hour and set up camp. The spots are great as they have very big and well separated. Only facilities are long drop toilets which are very good and well looked after. We had to stretch our water and caravan toilet usage to 4 days as there was nowhere to refill or empty anything.Got our snorkelling gear together and went snorkelling. Oh my goodness it is paradise. The water is fairly warm and the visibility is fairly good. Lots of tropical fish and different corals. Did lots of filming only to find that there was an error as the card was not formatted to the camera. Bugger…….Awesome sunset of course.
Sunday 14th June 2020
Osprey Bay
Wow what a night. The wind was blowing like crazy. Still blowing very hard this morning. So very leisurely start. Drove to Yardie Creek to check it out and ET and I did the walk along the creek. Saw the small rock wallabies which are very rare. Flew the drone up and down the creek. Entrance is closed and the creek is no longer flowing into the sea so we can now get our van across to the southern road. We headed back to Osprey and by now the wind had died down some what. So back into the water for a further snorkel followed by some fishing, drinks on the dunes and of course a best sunset. The thinking is, if it’s there then don’t miss it. Smiley emoji inserted here…..
Monday 15th June 2020
Osprey to Kurrajong
Packed up and moved up the road about ten k’s to Kurrajong. Stopped and had a long chat to the camp hosts Kathy and Dennis who advised us on the good spots to snorkel as well as info on the bays further North.The wind had again picked up last night but was slowly dropping off. On with the snorkelling gear and in we went. Wow, even better than Osprey. Just can’t go wrong. While we are snorkelling on the corals on the inner bay, huge waves are crashing on the outer reef creating a constant roar which can be heard all night.-Sunset
Tuesday 16th June 2020
Kurrajong
Woke up late and drove to Turquoise Bay and did a great drift snorkel on the strong currents. Fish absolutely everywhere from the minute we went in. Water is just that, Turquoise.After recovering on the beautiful beach we jumped back into the car and headed to Oyster stacks for a snorkel around coral bommies. That was pretty awesome and different. This time we went off the rocks as apposed to the beach. Unfortunately the water was getting too shallow and so we had to leave the water. We headed back home for a late lunch and then went snorkelling at Kurrajong again. So damn special. Can not get enough of it, however my old body just says enough is enough.
Wednesday 17th June 2020
Kurrajong to Exmouth
Packed up again and left for Exmouth. On the way we dropped into the Milyering Discovery Centre to do a future booking for Karijini National Park. Then on to Vlamingh Head Lighthouse. Wasn’t quite sure we would get up there with the caravan, but we did. First thing we spotted was a coffee caravan. Yay…… Two coffees and a Toastie later. We did the tourist thing as this area has significant WWII significance. Then on to the Ningaloo Caravan and Holiday Park to top up everything. We booked in here for three nights and also booked our Whale Shark Swimming experience with Ocean Eco Adventure. After a bit of shopping for groceries and a couple of 20L water containers we headed back to camp and had sundowners with our neighbours who are from St Ives. Had a great chat and hit the sack as we had a big day coming
Thursday 18th June 2020
Exmouth – Ningaloo Whale Shark Experience
We had an early start. Met the small bus that took 20 of us out to Tantabiddi where the boats leave from for our Whale Shark Experience. A small tender took us out to the boat which is a converted crayfish boat with enormous engines and is very powerful as well as comfy enough. We started with brekkie, then a snorkel inside the fringe reef followed by morning tea. The boat then made it’s way through a gap in the reef and we went into very deep water. Overhead we had our own microlight doing the Whale Shark spotting. As soon as he saw one he guided the boat into the Whale Shark’s path and 10 of us descended into the water and waited for it to swim by. As it passed we were allowed to swim alongside but no closer than 3m. After we spent 15 minutes with the shark the second group of 10 were also waiting in it’s path and they swam with the shark while we hopped back on the boat and got dropped further up the line and so it went on until the shark dived and then we all came out of the water and on to the boat. It is amazing how hard it is to keep up with the shark. This continued on for some time and then we were served a lovely lunch. Spotter then came up with new spotting and in we went again. We saw a total of three different Whale sharks and did a total of 7 swims of which 5 were very successful. We also saw a Tiger Shark and heaps of turtles. Back to a snorkelling spot within the fringe reef and afternoon tea and Beer/Bubbles. I would happily recommend this outfit every time.A fantastic day was had by all.After getting back we showered and headed out to Whalebone Brewery for a beer and pizza. There was some live music and a camp fire. Perfect end to a perfect day.
Friday 19th June 2020
Exmouth- Charles Knife Gorge and areas close by
Sorted out some early morning shopping for hardware etc. Filled up the car and headed out to Charles Knife. The road up to the top of the gorge was very steep and then also turned to gravel. Looking down into the gorges and seeing the amazing rock formations and caves was a real treat. Could not really get very good pictures as the light flattened everything. It is definitely an early morning or late afternoon photo opportunity.We headed back and stopped in at Pebble Beach which is exactly that. Drove on to Town Beach which was also a little disappointing as it is fairly ordinary. Exmouth is definitely all about the western side of the peninsula. There is however an awesome scuba dive site off the Navy Jetty which is one of the top dive sites around.In the evening we went to The BBQ Father Smoke House for Ribs. Bugger, no ribs left so ended up having smokey Brisket. ET had a Caprese salad with a huge lump of Mozzarella Cheese.
Saturday 20th June 2020Exmouth to Ningaloo Station(Winderabandi)Took us a while to pack up as I had to fill the water tanks as well as a few extra containers that we had purchased. Elaine then tried desperately to download our dive pictures using the caravan park internet but it is so incredibly slow here. Would have taken 13 hours. So we canned that idea and after filling up we headed to the shops and bought salad goods and sat in a local coffee shop and used their internet which was much quicker. It was done by the time we had our coffee and cake.mmmm Somehow we also managed to purchase two short wetsuits while sitting in the restaurant waiting for some Netflix episodes to download.
Finally on the road and a little nervous about the road after Yardie Creek which could be deep sand and we could end up spending the day trying to get across. Stopped before crossing Yardie Creek and let the air out of the car and Van tryres. Everything down to 20 pounds except rear tyres of the car which were 25 as they are carrying extra weight. There was a big dip entering into Yardie Creek which was dry at the crossing. Entered the sand slowly to allow the van to clear the dip before pushing it hard to ensure we didn’t get bogged. The exit was very rocky and slow going. After that the road was very tight and the van was touching the shrubs on both sides much of the time. The corrugations came and went but the really bad ones were spread out every few k’s which wasn’t too bad. Just made the going slow.
When we finally got there we were greeted by amazing bays and a campsite on the sand. A real low range drag to get the van set up without getting bogged.Went fishing in the afternoon and caught a Garfish and not much else. Another perfect sunset and a wine or two. Also had a barbie and sat out around the fire which was great.
Sunday 21st June 2020
Winderabandi
Woke up to a windy day. Had lots of coffee’s using our pod machine and milk frother. Had a chat with a couple on the beach and turns out they are from South Africa and have been here since 95.Went fishing for most of the day. Caught a Golden Travelli which I eventually released as it wasn’t really going to give us a big enough feed. Saw heaps of Stingrays swimming past in the shallows as well as a few Manta Rays and Turtles. Flew the drone but the water was starting to get a bit choppy and the video wasn’t that great.After sunset we canned our barbie and ate inside. Wind is now quite cool and strong.
Monday 22nd June 2020
Winderabandi
Woke up to even stronger wind today. Hope this dies off soon. Will do a little fishing before we head off to explore other areas. ET went off beach walking but because he tide was so high she had to turn around and head in the other direction. After a while I caught a nice size Golden Trevally which put up a great fight. I cleaned it and also cleaned it which was a major hassle as you need to skin them. After filleting the fish , ET put it in the fridge and we headed out. We drove to South Lefroy which is a stunning beach. We tried snorkeling on the inner reef but the coral is very patchy and the visibility was also poor. So we settled for a sleep in the sun on the beach.It was an 8km drive back to our camp site and the road was really poor and slow going.I made a camp fire and ET fried the fish in thin strips after spicing them. It was meant to be an entry while we watched the sunset, however there was so much that we ended up having the fish for dinner. Another lekker day.
Tuesday 23rd June 2020
Winderabandi to Exmouth and on to Bullara Station
We were going to spend another night but we woke up to very overcast weather. Did a really slow pack up and hit the very bad road back to Yardie Creek. When we eventually got to the creek it had risen quite a bit. Must have got some rain up stream. Crossing was ok and we got through the thick sand without any problems. Pumped the tyres back up and pumping up 8 tyres from 25 to 50 lbs is real slow going. All good now and we are back on the black top. Exmouth first stop for supplies.As we pulled in for water at the information centre we bumped into Lynne and Geoff filling their van tanks. They were heading towards Karijini and planning to drive as far as they could before stopping for the night. We Decided that we would stop at Bulara Station which was a few hours drive. We eventually got there around 4.30pm and checked in. We joined everyone at the camp fire just after 5pm to enjoy a glass of wine and some home made Damper. We were entertained by the local kangaroo and her joey. After everyone had left we grabbed our lamb chops and used the camp fire to cook our dinner which was great.
Wednesday 24th June 2020
Bullara Station to Cheela Plains Station
Woke up early and ET went for a walk on the beer bottle walk while I did some packing up and reorganising. After we were set to go, we walked up to the farm house which is also the cafe and reception area. Chatted to the owner and found out a little about their business. Their property is a smaller one at 250 thousand acres. They have sent most of their cattle to market as the drought has set in. Their water comes from a bore 20km’s away etc. She then brought us our coffee and scones, butter, jam and cream. YummmmmmWe also purchased some fresh meat and then hit the road to Cheela.
We stopped and had lunch at Nanutarra Roadhouse to fill up and have some lunch under the trees. Arrived at Cheela Plains Station at around 3.30pm. We set up camp on the edge of a grassy spot and again joined everyone at the campfire. Elaine then walked to the top of the hill behind the farm house to watch the sun set. We then had burgers made by the farm hosts and owner while being entertained by Aiden with his guitar. Turns out that Aiden was playing at the Brewery when we were in Exmouth the first time so we got to chatting. They are travelling around Australia in a bus and towing a small Toyota 4wheel drive. They are originally from NZ and are going to be going back after their trip. Their face book page is One big back yard.
Thursday 25th June 2020
Cheela Plains Station to Tom Price
After a slow start and some brekkie, we headed off to Tom Price. Arrived around 12pm. Set up camp in the local caravan park, had lunch and then went shopping. Tom Price is the highest town in WA.In the late afternoon, after washing the car we went for a drive up Mount Nameless which is the highest point in WA that you can drive to. A seriously steep four wheel drive track which resulted in great views all around. Could see the huge open cut iron ore mine from the mountain. We sat up there, had a beer and watched the sun set. Driving down the rough track was a lot easier in the dark as I could hardly see how bad the track was. A bad time to drive because of animal strike. Passed Doug and Deon going in the opposite direction.
Friday 26th June 2020
Tom Price to Karijini National Park
Packed up at our leisure and while we were busy Doug and Dion pulled up to have a chat. They were headed to the ECO Lodge in Karijini. Left around 9.30 am and drove into town to visit the bakery for a coffee, bread and a pastry before heading off to Dale’s Campground in Karijini Nat Park. Arrived around lunch time and set up our van. Had a late lunch and headed down the many steps to Fortescue falls and Fern Pool for an ice cold swim. As we were heading down and taking heaps of pictures, Lynne Cole caught up with us as she was heading down for her evening bath to wash off the PilbaraTan. Because the dirt is so full of Iron, it is bright red and sticks to everything, so your feet and exposed limbs are constantly coated in a red tinge. We had a lovely swim even though we were a bit weary swimming in those dark cold pools almost on our own. We came back refreshed, dressed a little warmer as the temperature at night tends to drop significantly due to the altitude. Lynne and Geoff came around for sundowners and we chatted into the night. So awesome to catch up with friends here there and everywhere. They took off and we cooked up our fresh steaks purchased from one of the cattle stations 2 days earlier. Yummmmmm
Saturday 27th June 2020
Explore more of Karijini
We joined Geoff and Lynne and headed off to Kalamina Gorge. We walked through the Gorge, out and back for about 2 Hours. We were all blown away by the rock formations, the colours and the water course. Just can’t capture it on film.Back into the cars and off to Joffre Falls lookout. Decided not to that one as the climb down looked very dangerous. Back in to the cars and next stop was Weano Gorge where we had lunch before descending into the gorge to attempt the track, crevasse, to Handrail Pool.Now that was an awesome experience. I took heaps of video and promptly accidentally deleted it all. Ahrrrr…We then walked a little way up Hancock Gorge but decided it was time to start heading back.Back to the Oxer Lookout which is at the junction of four gorges. Wow.
The light is starting to get low so back in the cars, quick trip around the Eco Resort to check it out. Saw Doug and Dion on the lodge veranda drinking beers. Waved but couldn’t stay as we were heading home on 39 k’s of dirt road for sundowners with the Cole’s. Had another lovely evening chatting and drinking too much red wine. Ouch…. Took the night time pain out of the limbs from all the clambering. Consumption of Paracetamol and Mobic going up.
Sunday28th June 2020
Dale’s Camp Ground
Slow start today. Geoff and Lynne drove past to say goodbye as they head north towards Port Headland. We hung out at camp and after a delicious Avo and scrambled egg brekkie we worked on photo’s and trip planning, fuel stops or lack there of . We spotted a Dingo having a scratch next door as the people are out for the day. The Dingo’s in this area look really healthy. They generally just walk past and give us a dirty look. We have had lunch now and will be heading out for a walk and a swim shortly. At about 2.30 we walked down the 249 steps to the Fortescue Falls pool and had a swim and read for a while. Then back to camp for Sundowners.
Monday 29th June 2020
Dale’s Camp Ground
Had to move sites today as our one was booked and we wanted to stay an extra day. Did the rim and Gorge walk today. Absolutely stunning. A geologists dream of rock formations or malformations created through enormous pressures millions of years ago. Spent some time in the pools again and then headed home for dinner and sundowners. Heard the Dingo’s howling in the night which was really nice.
Tuesday 30th June 2020
Karijini National Park to Chichester National Park
Drove up the east side of the park until we reached the Auski Roadhouse. Have never seen so many 4 trailer road trains and extra wide loads in such a short space of time. They were just non stop. So much mining going on.Filled up the car and all the Jerry Cans for a very long drive on the dirt. Bumped into friends from the Esperance lock down in the roadhouse and had a good catch up over coffee and hot chips…..Ray and Sue, Steve and Vicky.
We then hit the dirt and the dust was just horrendous. We had the odd road train come at us which blinds you for about 3 minutes which basically forces you too stop. The road was so bad that I stopped and reduced the pressure in the tyres on the van and the car even further to compensate for the corrugations. We drove around the top of the National Park and entered into Hamersley Gorge to visit the tourist site. To get through the narrow gorge I had to radio ahead using the trucking channel to ensure that the gorge was vehicle free. I got confirmation as someone was waiting on the other side until I had cleared the gorge. We had a lovely swim in the ice cold pools of Hamersley Gorge and soaked in the incredible rock formations once more. A quick lunch in the van only to discover that we had left the rear roof vent open and that dust had happily filtered in and landed on most surfaces. Closed that and then back on the road heading North.
Again I had to radio ahead to make sure the gorge was clear and again I got a response as someone waited for me. Back onto the dirt for a very hard and long drive to Millstream in the Chichester National Park. We drove in on the Tambrey road which is in very bad condition. Wash outs in many of the dips which if hit at speed would easily rip the axles out of the vehicles. The fastest I could drive was 60kph but mostly 40-50kph. Dropped down to almost nothing for the washouts. The sun set on us and we still had about 70k’s to go. Far out that is hard going.We eventually arrived around 7.20pm and found a spot to pull the van in. I was really looking forward to a good shower as I had red dust in every orifice.The camp hosts saw us arrive and wandered over. We paid them directly for the night and had a quick chat. They were moving to online booking the next day so could not give us an answer as to whether we could stay for two nights in the same spot. So left the car hitched up and ET jumped into dinner making like a champion. That was after she had cleaned up most of the red dust that had penetrated the van via the roof hatch.I in turn go ready to shower and stepped into the cubicle and the water ran out. I checked the tank levels and they were all empty. We had lost all of our water. I got back into my red clothing and climbed under the van with a torch. One of the drain taps had been ripped right off by a flying stone and both water tanks had slowly emptied themselves through the hole. I attempted a repair with Silicon, had to have a handbasin wash with some water from the very basic camp kitchen.Luckily there is bore water on site which comes from a very large aquifer and is clear but very full of minerals. Need to boil it before drinking, however we still had about 10l of drinking water.
Passed out big time after dinner and woke up just before 8am.
Wednesday 1st July 2020
Millstream Campground.
Sat outside and enjoyed a coffee in the morning sun. Temperature is set to hit 30deg today. Heard someone from a distant camp site call out to me. There was a bloke I had met in Esperance and he had the same brand of caravan as we do. So we had a chat and decided to catch up later for a drink. His wife is originally from Cape Town. When I told him what happened to me he said that he had a part that would get us going. So I disconnected the damaged tank from the system and added the tap he gave me to the existing good tank so that I could seal it off and fill it with water. I then filled 4x20L drums from the local bore water tap and filled the one water tank. Yay we can shower again.Elaine again made me a lovely brekkie. Boy this girl is a keeper. She knows that when I am down she can step in and get me settled with some food and a drink to take the edge off. I do tend to get a little tense when things go sideways, especially if I can’t fix them immediately.
We then headed off to do some touristing and headed to the lookout and then on to Deep Reach Pool for a fantastic swim and relax. On the way back to camp we stopped in at the old Cattle Station Homestead for a sticky beak.We are meant to have a walk this evening but ET is lights out. Will go for drinkies at our neighbours in a short while.
Went for a walk at 4.30pm after ET woke up and then headed over to our neighbours. We took over some cheese on a board and bikkies as well as a few drinks, however Fatima put on such a spread and they had just finished eating dinner. She kept popping in and out of their van to produce more. She also managed to produce a bottle of Klipdrift Brandy from South Africa and we all participated until it was done. There were six of us but only four drinking. There was Hans and Fatima, Karl Hans and Petra, Karl Hans and Caroline, ET and myself.After lots of chatting and drinking we chatted even more. Lots of laughs and then someone produced the home made schnapps and then the Kraken dark rum came out and goodnight Josephine.
Thursday 2nd July 2020
Chichester National Park to Karratha
Woke up a little dusty. Bit of a sleepless night for both of us as we regretted in part our over participation in the previous nights delights.After brekkie we said our goodbyes and hit the dirt once more. This time it wasn’t as bad and most of the road was graded or in the process of being upgraded. After about 40k’s we hit the bitumen. Stopped and pumped up all the tyres and watched as incredibly long trains rolled passed. Some of the trains are over 2.2km long and take for ever at a rail crossing. As you drive along you see them queued all over the place waiting to start their journey from the mines to the ports. The mines are also in the process of laying more railway lines to get even more iron ore to the ports.The drive to Karratha goes through the most magnificent country side, so unique to this area. Stopped in at the Bakery and had coffee and a cake. Booked into a van park so that we could wash all our clothes and sheets etc.Phoned Mum for her birthday, 89 today. Big one next year.
Friday 3rd July 2020
Karratha
Early start as I took the car into the mechanics to see why my left rear wheel is heating up so much. Stripped and checked the bearing, no problem found. Will have to monitor it.Car needs a new exhaust as everything inside is clogging up the outlet. Will do at soonest opportunity.
Got a call from ET informing me that the washing machine had flooded the van. She spent hours drying floors and the inside of cupboards. Based on what has happened previously and what Elaine told me I assumed that the outlet pipe was blocked or had backed up. I removed the washing machine, dried everything checked the pipes and replaced everything.Next load on and 5 min later the same thing. Inches of water everywhere. Far out!!!I obviously got it wrong. ET had lost it by now and had to start the whole cleaning process again. I removed the washing machine from the van and placed it outside upside down and found that a pipe had come off at the pump from all the rough roads we had done. Did the repairs and ran the washing machine outside. All good. Once everything was mostly dry, I refitted the washing machine and all the panels. And then we left the van to dry out and drove to Dampier to check out the red dog site and and the beach. That was after we had gone to McDonalds for two soft serves with flakes to cheer us up.Dampier has a nice beach front with a sailing club where we went to watch the sun set over the hills and sea. A nice relaxing evening.Came home to our van and had a barbie. Had some fillet steak and the most amazing burgers which we bought fresh from Bullara Cattle Station.
Saturday 4th July 2020
Karratha to Port Headland.
Not a very long drive but it just seemed to take a very long time and it was also very hot. I was feeling a little tired so I pulled over so that Elaine could drive for a while. As we were walking around ET remarked that something in the engine was making a noise. I popped the hood open and the coolant was boiling. Quickly started the car again and it all returned to normal. All my tiredness was now gone and I drove once more. Everything seemed ok until we stopped at a servo and I turned the car off and it showed that it was very hot for an instant and then back to normal. Something is not right.We arrived in Port Hedland and stayed at the Turf Club Grounds. This is free camping for 72 hours and then you have to move on. We set up and went exploring. Car seems fine. All garages closed so nothing to do but wait for Monday.
Sunday 5th July 2020
Port Hedland
Went tourist info and got all the info on town. Not a real lot going on.Hoped to do the Seafarers tour but it wasn’t running. Went for brekkie and coffee at the Silver Star train carriage. Found a gem there. Did the tourist walk around town and went to the museum where an old bloke who has spent 50 years of his life in Port Hedland kept the museum open for us to have a wander around. We then went to the jetty and watched the busiest bulk ore port in the world in action. Quite amazing the way they turn those massive boats around to point out to sea. When they are fully loaded, some of them only clear the sand banks by as little as 25cm. The boats of which there can be up to forty waiting at anchorage for a berth, are constantly aware that they might have to dash south if there is a cyclone warning. Luckily it is not cyclone season at the moment.After wandering around town we went to Pretty Pools and lay on the beach for a while. Nice little spot when the tide is out as it retains a deep stream of water which is good for a swim. On our return we found Jamie, Pippa and family had moved into the turf club grounds as well. We had a chat and then made plans to have a drink in town as they were going in for a counter meal.
Monday 6th July 2020
Port Hedland
Got up early so that I could get to Nissan when they opened. Arrived there at 7.50 and found the service department and was greeted by Rudolph. A South African from Pretoria. His mate at the desk next to him was from Benoni in South Africa. They must have been migrants that accepted jobs in a rural town so that they could get in. Booked the car in for later that day. Drove back to camp and moved the caravan to the local caravan park as we would be without the car for an undetermined time. Saw Hof and Katie who were also in the camp site. Dropped the car at the garage and Jamie brought me back to camp after a quick visit to ARB to see if there was anything new that he hasn’t got yet.
I went fishing and caught 2 Whiting, one Finger Print Brim and two grunters(Golden Trevally ) . Unfortunately none of them worth keeping but still a lot of fun.After fishing just hung out at the camp site. Went to see the rising of the super moon across the mud flats also known as the staircase to the moon. That was a very small bottle of Prosecco.
Tuesday 7th July 2020
Port Hedland
Said goodbye to the Whites as they were leaving today. Planned to go on the Seafarers Tour at 9am according to the website. Jumped on our bikes at 8am and rode to town. Went in only to find that they were only starting at 11am. Back to the Silver Star for coffee and a snack.The tour was run by the Mission to Seafarers and was very informative as well as very interesting. Would recommend it to anyone. It included a boat tour around the bulk ore carriers and the berthing areas and who they belong to.We then hopped back on our bikes and headed home to our van. Had a great arvo nap.We had another go at the stairway to the moon but got the timing very wrong.
Wednesday 8th-Friday10th July 2020
Port Hedland
Hung out around camp, cycled to town, did shopping on bikes, walked out on the flats when the tide was out etc etc. Thursday night we had fish and chips from a food truck(Red Emperor) my absolute favourite eating fish. We also had Aiden entertain us again which is how he covers his families accommodation. He is next playing at the Discovery Park in Broome. They have been on the road for two years now in their big bus towing a small Rav4.Hope to have the car back tomorrow as there is no room in the van park for us anymore. They are fully booked.
Saturday 11th July 2020
Port Hedland to Pardoo Cattle Station
Got up early and finished as much of the packing up as possible. Neighbour gave me a lift into South Hedland which is where most of the town lives as well as all the retail and some light industry is housed. Arrived at Nissan/Toyota at 8.30 and checked on my car. They had stripped it the night before and had just started the assembly. I paced a lot and eventually went for a walk to and around the local shopping centre. In the interim, Elaine was back at camp finishing off the packing which entails securing everything that can move around and be broken. At this point it was nearing our check out time of 10am so I phoned the camp site and extended it to 12pm.Back at Nissan and still not ready. Stress levels off the chart. Amazing what stresses me these days in comparison to what stressed me out in the past.Finally the car had been test driven at 11.40 and I had paid the bill. The report stated that they would in addition like to replace the viscous fan as it still heats up when pushed hard. So I told them that it was a job for another day and raced out of there.We were hitching up the van when the people arrived to take our spot.We were out of there. Yay…..
After two hours we arrived at Pardoo. A lovely spot but they were full. What now? We discussed the options and they said we could pitch a tent on one of their tent sites. We checked it out and suggested two them that we park our van on that site and move it to a van site in the morning. They were cool with that, thank goodness. We joined the oldies at the camp fire for a chat. Met Al Tads mate Ron.
Sunday 12th July 2020
Pardoo
Moved the van onto the van site and connected all the power and water. ET collected the freshly baked Croissants and we enjoyed those with butter and jam….Took a drive out to and along the beach. We stopped and took a walk out towards the ocean which at low tide is about 1km out exposing enormous mud flats with bits of coral and sponges etc. Lay on the beach in the sun and ET had a dip in a pond. Can’t swim in the sea as we are approaching crock country and could also be stingers around.Drove back to camp and had a laze around the pool and a swim in the cold waters. Daytime temps are around 30 but nights are quite cool so deep water pools are very cold.At 4.30 we headed back out on to the mud flats to do some fishing. The tide was still heading out and the mud was very soft in places. The mud itself formed some amazing shapes where the water had receded. No luck with the fishing but a great sunset viewed across the ocean and through the mangroves.Drove back to camp and after a brief session at the camp fire we relaxed on the lawn and watched a chap play some music. Dave Twissel, considers himself a comedian as well.
Monday 13th July 2020
Pardoo to Eighty Mile Beach
Slow pack up and on the road just after 10am. People that were taking our spot arrived early at 9.50 and waited while we packed up. No pressure he said…..10am is the official leaving time.Drove to Pardoo Road House and refuelled. Car is using a lot of fuel. Hopefully when we fit the new exhaust in Broome it will use a little less. Arrived at Eighty Mile Beach Caravan Park and were pleasantly surprised at the awesome little oasis along the beach. They have access to the amazing aquifer which supplies underground water under pressure, so pumps are not needed.Settled in and then went down to the beach and did some fishing. No luck.Came back and picked up the car for a drive along the beach. Did some more fishing but still hopeless. ET went for a walk while I was fishing and disappeared into the distant mist. Thought I had lost her for a moment, however she found her way back.Watched the sun go down while enjoying some pate and bikkies with a lovely Rose wine. Doesn’t get much better than this…..Dinner and cracked the Vin De Constance….. Yum
Tuesday 14th July 2020
Eighty Mile Beach
Slow start to the day. Eggs Benny for breakfast. Heading out to the beach shortly.Drove the full-length of the beach in the southerly direction. Found big rocks absolutely covered in live oysters waiting for the tide to come back. Made our wayback along the beach to ensure we were not trapped by the incoming tide. Spent a few hours on the beach and then I drove back to the camp site and washed some of the salt and dust off the car. Elaine walked back along the beach and met me back at the van. Had drinks with our neighbours Dick and Jackie which was very nice. They are spending three months at Eighty Mile Beach. Dick is a Vietnam Vet and participates in the Long Tan remembrance day each year which is held at Eighty mile. They have also built a war memorial there.
Wednesday 15th July 2020
Eighty Mile to Barn Hill Station.
Left our site around 10am and headed North. Stopped in at Sandfire Roadhouse for fuel and a coffee. Onward to Barn Hill Cattle Station where we booked an unpowered site. Still had water supply which was great. Caught up with Allan Taddich and again bumped into Aiden and Rachel. Aiden advised us that he was performing that night which is awesome. We also bumped into the young one’s from Esperance days. Emily and Adam. Spent a bit of time the beach and then watched the sunset. Went to the lawned area and watched Aiden play. One of the girls(Italian) that works at the station was singing along with Aiden whenever she was able to. We sat with Rachel and chatted away the evening.
Thursday 16th -Sunday 19th July 2020
Barn Hill Station
Barn Hill has the most amazing red cliffs and sand stone formations along the edge of the beach. Managed to fly the drone and get some pics at sunset. Did lots of fishing and we also frequented the coffee shop on a regular basis as it was a very social thing to do. Did plenty of swimming and laying around in the sun.On the Saturday the band called Third Wheel entertained us for a few hours. We were joined by Allan as well as Emily and Adam for the entertainment and the Burrito dinner. Lovely evening but it got extremely damp as a mist moved in.On Sunday we packed up, moved the van to the car park and then met Al for a coffee while Elaine strolled around the Sunday morning market. We really liked Barn Hill.
Sunday 19th July2020
Barn Hill Station to Broome
It was only a short trip to Broome but the headwinds kept the vehicle working hard. Had to keep watching the temperature as the car was still running with a faulty viscous fan. Could not get into the RAC van park so we booked into the Cable Beach Holiday Park. Site was tight but nice and shady. So first stop was Matso’s Broome Brewery for a tasting paddle of beers. Sat in the garden and enjoyed a bit more down time. Did a quick bit of grocery shopping in Broome and then headed to Sunset Cafe overlooking Cable beach for a cocktail and Chips. Watched a Pearl Lugger crossing the sun as well as the camels walking along the beach. Awesome and impressive evening.
Monday 20th July2020-Saturday 8TH August 2020
BroomeBroome really grows on you. The temps every day are so similar and the water temperature is just great. Cable beach with its massive tidal water movement is fun to walk on with it’s silky sand which feels like a sponge under foot. It also comes with a warning that there could be a croc or a shark anywhere at any time. In fact no crocs seen for a very long time, however we saw sharks eating something really close to shore and they did clear the beach one day while we were there because of shark sitings. It is also a long beach to drive on in a Northerly direction.They have maintained many of the old buildings of Broome and renovated them with more modern tin and other materials. It’s a small town with lots of trees and cycle paths. Town Beach is a lovely area for kids to play and fishing is possible off the stone jetty at high tide. Lots of Pearl shopping and when open and in full swing is probably really vibrant. Because of the lack of interstate tourists it is still fairly quiet. Another interesting observation is that the seagulls have been replaced by Wedgetail Eagles and Sea Eagles. They are everywhere including the lamp posts.
We have had many coffee’s and get togethers with travelling friends from Esperance like Lynne and Jeff Cole who are totally in love with Broome. Allan Taddich who is thinking of remaining in WA and finding somewhere to live. We also bumped into the young ones, Adam and Emily as well as Dean and Michaela. We caught up with Jamie and Pippa as well as some folks who we met in Port Hedland.We also introduced ourselves to Simonne’s brother, Joshua who works at Matso’s and has just qualified for his permanent residence after four years of working in Broome. He loves it here.Broome is the kind of place you could easily spend a Month just doing things, relaxing on the beach, taking in the dinosaur footprints, flying in and doing the horizontal falls and of course venturing up Cape Leveque which we did.Horizontal FallsI guess it conjures up all sorts of images of water falling horizontally which goes against all the laws of physics. So how??Well one morning early we boarded a Cessna Caravan and flew for about an hour and a half to Cockatoo island and landed on this tiny strip across a raised section of the island. That in itself was quite awesome to see. We then took a 4wheel drive bus down the bumpy road to the ocean side or docking area. This island used to be an Iron ore mine which has since flooded and was bought by Allan Bond and turned into a resort. Didn’t really work out and is now fairly ruined.We boarded a Sealegs Rubber Duckie and entered the water for transport to our very powerful boat which was taking us to the falls. We each had a seat and off we went. The boat really powered up and we went flying along to Iron Island which is the next island to Cockatoo. There is an extremely pure seam of iron ore running below all of these islands and Iron Island is also a mine. The mining is done below sea level with big retaining walls build from the island itself as well as man made structures. The dam unfortunately gave way and flooded the mining area so the mine was put into moth balls. It is also very difficult to get ships in to remove the ore because of the huge tides and this was another reason for the shut down. However they are in the process of renewing things and those mines will soon kick off again.We got off the boat and onto a beach where we wandered around. The rocks surrounding this beach have such a high iron content that they can be welded together. Just amazing.The ore from the islands is so pure that it can go directly into the blast furnaces without prior processing.
We had morning tea on the boat and then took off once more at a rate of knots passing hundreds of small islands and Mangrove areas. We arrived at the falls and pulled up to view them. The horizontal falls is two massive areas of water separated by a narrow gap in tall cliffs. As the tide movement is so rapid the water can not travel between the cliffs quick enough and you get a drop in water levels between the two masses of water and a huge surge of foaming frothing swirling water traveling from one to the other. These are the Horizontal Falls. With three enormous outboard motors roaring we shot through this mass of water and the boat was thrown towards the cliffs but very quickly controlled by our skipper. We did this a number of times up and down and laughed with joy along with everyone else. We were like kids.We then had lunch in the calm waters before doing the run for a final time. There was a secondary fall as well but you could se the angry rocks pointing upward through the swirling water.We then headed home and because the tide had come in so much we were able to drift along silently through a Mangrove Channel which on our outward journey had been dry land. We drifted with the current, engines off and listened to nature as we passed by. What an awesome day and awesome experience.On our flight back we passed over Cable Beach and saw the Camels on their way to work and hundreds of people sitting on the beach enjoying the sunset..
Cape Leveque
We did a trip up Cape Leveque on very dusty red dirt road as they are in the process of sealing a big section of the actual road.We stayed at Quondong beach on the first night. The road in was extremely rough. We set up our tent at a beach access point so that we had a view of the sea from bed. Prior to that we bumped into Doug and Dione who had their van parked at one of the camp sites. Met them in a number of places along the way. We had a lovely fire and braai. The next morning we packed up and headed north to Kooljaman where we booked in for three nights. Allan arrived within minutes of us arriving. We set up camp once more overlooking the ocean. Us in our pop up tent and Al in his Swag.We really enjoyed the Western beach with its red cliffs and stunning walks. The Eastern Beach was fantastic for swimming and the water was the warmest we have experienced on this trip. The Eastern beach has grass shelters for pitching tents which overlook the beach. Next time….On our second day at Kooljaman we drove to Cygnet Bay early in the morning to do a trip to the Waterfall Reef. Again this is made possible by the very big tidal movements and sheer volume of water moving through narrow channels etc.We had booked the week before. These tours are usually booked out 6 months in advance but thanks to our mate no.19, things are very different.Cygnet bay is basically one of the early areas developed for the pearling industry and is still very much so today. They do tours of the site and of course have a lovely showroom selling all their wares. They also have a lovely restaurant and a freezing swimming pool. Yes we partook after our tour.Back to the tour. We boarded a sealegs boat again,(amphibious rubber duck), and it trundled off the shore and into the water. It was one hell of a rough ride of about 2km to where the more powerful and comfortable Cyclone was moored. In the cyclone, very big semi inflatable, we sat in rows with hand grips in front of us for hanging on. It was like a funfair ride that seemed to last forever. The sea was fairly rough so we were all issued with slickers and yes we got lots of spray.We got to see amazing whirlpools thrown up by the moving water and turtles and fish and eagles and of course the water pouring over the reef out to sea as the tide dropped off on the one side and this island like reef emerged.Was glad to back on terra firms and spent the day in the resort before returning to Kooljaman. An awesome day.The next day we packed up our tent and Al packed up his swag and we headed back towards Broome. We took a turn off to a campground called Gnylmarung which is owned by and Aboriginal board. The road was very narrow amongst the trees and also very sandy with plenty of corrugations which weren’t the worst. We eventually arrived at the coat and found a really basic camping area with water supply dotted all over. We went to the old farm house and chatted to the manager and his wife. An aboriginal couple who have lived there for many years. We had a chat and then he took us to a spot and told us all about the area. I had to go hunting for cash in the glove box and under the seat etc as they had no credit card facility. I found some and took it back to him and at that exact moment his wife had taken bread out of the oven. She broke off six chunks and gave it back to me. It was hot and we all had it with butter and Apricot Jam. Yum.We settled in and went for a long walk on the beach. The tide was miles out and we walked along followed by one of the local dogs who immediately went into the water and started hunting. He was fun to watch. He eventually got bored with us and headed home. We collected some awesome shells. In the evening Al and I went fishing. No bloody luck. Got to get a tinny.We had a Braai (Barbie) in the half drum that the manager had brought
The next day we had a slowish start and headed back to Broome. We picked up our van in the Discovery Park where we had stored it and moved it to a big site within the park where we had a view directly down a short road and out to sea. Settled in and went for a coffee at Town Beach.
Our touring of Broome continued on our bikes as the car finally went in for it’s viscous fan replacement one day and the exhaust replacement the next. Now we are really broke.
We did so much in the following days that it is almost impossible to say exactly what. We attended markets, ladies night as well as stairway to the moon.Broome is awesome and three weeks goes quickly.
Saturday 8th August 2020
Broome to Derby
We left around 9 and drove to Derby. Took a walk on the jetty to see the tide movement and then headed into town which was essentially closed as there was a Rodeo just out of town. After refilling the car and the four Jerry Cans we headed ro Birdwood Downs on the Gibb River Road and set up camp. We booked in for two nights. Birdwood is essentially a horse riding area with camp ground and facilities. With Covid there is nothing going on and the place is actually up for sale. Et had fun with frogs in the showers. One plopped on her when she bent the shower head to a different angle. We met an ex Zimbabwe family who had moved to Port Hedland for ten years in order to save enough money and retire. Their daughter is a vet called scruffy and their names were Marilyn and ………..They are moving to Tin Can Bay on the Sunshine Coast and into retirement. En-route they are travelling across the top of the country. We had a barbie on both nights with special permission from Hans.
Sunday 9th August 2020
Derby-Birdwood
Drove back into Derby to see if any life had come back into the town. Nope not a thing going on. Checked out the Jetty and tides once more, did a spin around the streets and then headed back to Birdwood and there we met the Coffee Man with the Boab coffee and Boab root slices.
Monday10th August 2020
Birdwood Downs to Windjana Gorge NP
After about 30k’s on the Gibb we hit the dirt. I stopped and dropped the tyre pressures to handle the corrugations. The road changes continuously from reasonable to bad to rocks to good to reasonable. So slow going it is. Arrived at Windjana around 11am and found a spot in the quiet camp area to avoid the noise of any generators. Decided we needed to just relax and read our books. ……..Tunnel CreekAfter lunch we drove to Tunnel Creek via the old Police Station where we bumped into Shorty and had a chat. Had to borrow head lamps from them as we had left ours back at Windjana.Arrived at Tunnel Creek, put on a big boy pants and headed for the 750 m tunnel which runs through the mountain. Water has carved it’s way through the lime stone creating this long tunnel which is filled with up to a metre of water in places. During the wet season it would be completely filled.The rocks on either end of the tunnel are polished smooth by the water and feel almost like soap stone. They are pink in colour with veins of white running through them.In the afternoon heat of around 32deg we could feel the rush of cold air coming from the tunnel as we approached. Entering it carefully we had our eyes peeled for crocks. Not one in site. We entered the dark cave and slowly walked into the water. At that point we could make out the glowing eyes of the freshies but they dropped down below the surface so we had no idea where they had gone. We waded through to the closest beach then through the next deep section and again exited to the closest beach and so on until we came out the other side. It was certainly a mental challenge, which didn’t end there as we had to retrace our steps. We took some time and enjoyed the aboriginal art and the afternoon heat before once more plunging into the darkness and the very cold water. It was a beautiful experience seeing the myriad of bats hanging from the roof in our torch lite, the croc eyes and the Stalagmites etc Certainly one to remember.
Back to camp for a beer and a quick catch up with Shorty before starting the evening fire for our dinner.
Tuesday 11th August 2020
Windjana Gorge
Set out after breakfast before it got too hot and did the walk through Windjana Gorge. We entered through a crack in the rocks and on to the banks of the river. About eighty metres in we came across a heap of Crocs floating around in the river which was more of a billabong at this stage. On the walk we bumped into the Zimbo family from time to time as they were doing the same thing. About three quarters of the way through the walk we turned around as it was very hot and the going was getting tough. The scenery was also not changing that much so we headed back.Lovely cliffs everywhere that are weathered into what looks like the chiros snack.
Back to camp for lunch and to hide away from the heat as best we can. Decided to go back into the Gorge at about 3.30pm to see if the light was better for pics but no luck. At this point most of the crocs were on the beaches and I almost walked right into one but spotted it at the last minute. They are very well camouflaged.Had a barbie for dinner once more and had the Zimbo family over for a chat around the fire.
Wednesday 12th August 2020
Bell Gorge and Imintji
Back up to the Gibb River Road and East towards Imintji. It is a very picturesque drive with ranges of hills popping out everywhere. Stopped at a lookout and chawed to a couple going the other way. They had done three tyres on their car in the first section of the Gibb. Continued on past the turn off to Mount Hart which is where friends spent a few days. Continued on for some time and as we were passing through one of the ranges we slowed and took some pics out of the window and a car and van came up behind us fairly quickly so I stood on the gas and checked my mirrors. It was our friends Jamie and Pippa. So we pulled over and had a chat. Then they were off to Bell Gorge and we let them get ahead and waited for the dust to settle before taking off ourselves. As Imintji store sells fuel we decided to go there first. As we arrived we saw the signs, Diesel fuel only. Far out that is going to make things a little tight.After entering the store we met the new owner who had only had the place for three weeks. He recognised our accents and called his wife out who turned out to be an Afrikaans lady from Springbok in South Africa. They were Colin and Mitsie. Colin also owns Mount Hart as well as a number of tour operations. He has bought Imintji to build a resort out the back. He is also one of the very big suppliers of four wheel drive supplies in South Africa and owns 4×4 Mega stores.Had a nice long chat over a Coffee and a Steak pie which was awesome.
Off to Bell Gorge
Bell Gorge is 8km west of Imintji so we were soon back at the turn off and on the road leading to a nice swim. Pulled up in the car park, chucked on the swimmers only to find it quite a walk to the first of the small pools and also the top of the waterfalls. It was a big clamber across and down the rocks before we managed to plunge into the fantastically refreshing waters. The surrounding rocks are amazingly smooth and carved and coloured fantastically by the forces of nature and the wet season. As we were going in, Jamie Pippa and the kids were just leaving for the next part of their journey.We had lunch on the rocks and a few swims before heading back to the car. By the time we got back we were more than ready for another swim. Had to settle for cold drinks out of the fridge.The journey back on the Gibb seemed to take forever as we were trying to conserve fuel.We stopped to take sunset shots along the way. Not happy about driving just before sunset and also just after as the Roos are on the move and a strike is almost inevitable. Slowing right down and using all the lights I had we managed to avoid a few small roos and got back safely.Another big but great day of exploring and friendship.
Thursday 13th August 2020
Windjana to Fitzroy Crossing
Now we are going to have fun. Fuel calculated and approximated to get us to the next fuel stop of Fitzroy Crossing. We headed out a little later after a slow start. Seemed to take forever to pack up.On the road south once more. We were making our way to the Northern Highway. The dirt road went from smooth to corrugated to stones and rocks and the floodways went from smooth 60kph dips to 40kph double dips to crawling Rock crossing without any more warning than a sign saying floodway. On a few occasions I had the brakes on and fingers crossed that we would slow enough not to tear the suspension off the bottom of the car or the van. We never travelled more than 80 but stuck mostly to 60kph to conserve fuel.En-route we used our last two Jerry Cans of fuel and by my calculations we should make it with some to spare.We finally hit the highway and pumped all 8 tyres back up to a reasonable pressure and headed East once more. The reserve fuel light came on as we approached Fitzroy Crossing. Now the reviews on Fitzroy Crossing are not great as it is an Aboriginal Town with a history of bad behaviour. The reviews on the Fitzroy River Lodge van park were also not great. We took a chance and booked in for one night. We found a lovely grassy shaded spot close to the amenities and close to the few other vans that were in the park. We were finally able to recharge our batteries to 100% as we were really concerned that we might do permanent damage with them being as low as 29%.After relaxing for a bit we drove to town and filled the car. We did the necessary food shopping at the local IGA and headed back to camp. Et did a few loads of washing and we sorted out the things we could now that we had some phone signal.
Friday14th August 2020
Geiki Gorge
Got going reasonably early and headed off to Geiki Gorge. Arrived at the car park and chatted to the ranger. Geiki Gorge is 300km from the ocean and still sports Bull sharks who migrate to and from the ocean in the big wet seasons. The flood heights here are amazing. From dry to wet season the water levels in flood can increase by 7 m.Geiki Gorge also has sword fish and rays that have adapted to fresh water living. Quite amazing how nature adapts. We head off on our walk and decided to walk along the river bank to enjoy the cliff views. This proved to be an incredibly difficult task as the sand was soft and grainy giving our feet very little purchase. Will feel the weariness for a few days to come.A very interesting walk on the way out but a bit of a trudge in the heat on the way back. Should have started at 7am.There is also a boat tour which is probably the better option, however it is expensive and also very limited during covid.On the way back to camp we stopped in at the clothing store or actually a very general outfitters of every kind. We marvelled at the horsey wares available and boots and spurs etc. ET bought a cowgirl shirt. We then headed back to the Lodge and had a beer and a burger at the bar. The noisy locals were now starting to filter in for the afternoon.ET and I took our togs and headed for the swimming pool. It turned out to be an absolute oasis. It was surrounded by the lodge rooms and fully private. It had a nice ring of grass around it, shaded areas, chairs and crystal clear cold water. What an absolute treat in this heat. We spent a few hours there and were joined by one or two people at any one time but they came and went and we were left on our own to enjoy it. Wish we had done this on the first day.
Saturday 15th August 2020
Fitzroy Crossing to Mimbi Caves
Had a slow pack up once more and only left camp any 10.30. Drove into town and Filled two Jerry Cans with fuel and pumped the tyres to the correct pressures for the drive along the sealed road.Went to the only coffee shop in town and it turned out to be quite a treat. Good coffee and what looks like great food. After relaxing for a bit we hit the road and arrived at Mimbi Caves at lunch time. Set up camp and ET made some lunch. Relaxed in the shade of the van and filled in five days of this diary. Going for a walk shortly. Local Aboriginal Guide and Caves Guide popped in for a chat. Unfortunately no tours on Sundays so we will miss out on the caves. Would have to stay another two days if we wanted to do the tour. Gave him a nice magnum ice cream.-Well I am sure I have missed out lots on past days but I am sure it will make no difference as we simply can’t put all of our experiences and feeling on paper as they are too many and too varied.
Sunday 16th August 2020
Mimbi Caves to Halls Creek and Wolf Creek
Drove from Mimbi Caves to Halls Creek with the intention of leaving the van in Halls Creek and driving out to Wolf Creek Creator. After driving around and visiting some of the local sites, (China Walls etc) we decided that we were not comfortable leaving the van behind and took it with us to Wolf Creek. Oh dear me! The road was in terrible condition and the dust was very thick. It was also over 36deg hot which didn’t help at all. We got there late in the afternoon and found a spot to set up. There were two other vehicles there for the night so it was v very quiet and very dark. We were sitting there watching the shooting stars and counting the satellites passing over head when we heard a pipe on the van burst and the pump start running. I immediately knew what had happened and made a dive for the pump switch before we pumped out all our precious water.The roads had done some damage. Screws falling out of our bathroom door support, water pipe joints broken and a few other minor things. I spent the next 20 minutes under the van in the dust and mud trying to fix it so that we could shower. No such luck. Lappie wash it is.
Monday 17th August 2020
Wolf Creek to The Bungle Bungles.
The next day I removed the Joint that had failed and glued everything together. I left it in the sun to cure and we headed off and did the walk up Wolf Creek Creator and around the entire rim. What an amazing site it is. See the pics.Returned to the van, did the necessary repairs and hit the road back to Halls Creek. Cringed most of the way. Tyre pressures really low now.Hit the highway and pumped up all eight tyres. Headed into Halls Creek for supplies and fuel and bumped into Jamie, Pippa and kids. Onward to Purnululu and the Bungle Bungles. We stayed at Mabel Downs station which was quite nice. Met Jamie and Pip at the camp fire and had a beer.
Tuesday 18th August 2020
Bungle Bungles
The next morning we put the van into storage and headed into the park. The road was corrugated at first but eventually turned into a windy four wheel drive track which I really enjoyed.We did The Domes and Cathedral Gorge in about 38deg. It was terribly hot but boy they are impressive. We also took some pics of Elephant Rock. We had a booking for the southern camp site but instead made our way up to the Northern camping area and set up our tent for the night. Walked up to one of the lookouts and watched the sun set. Back at camp we found that we were the only people in a very large site. We were also surrounded by more mosquitoes than I have ever seen before. I think we were in bed the second we had finished dinner.
Wednesday 19th August 2020
Bungle Bungles
We had brekkie and packed up early to avoid the milling mozzies. Drove further north in the park to Echidna Gorge which is a very narrow crack through the mountains which went on forever. Very impressive. See picsAfter some lunch we headed back to Mable Downs station and the comfort of our van and of course our air-conditioning. Bumped into Chris and Danielle at the evening camp fire and chatted about our trip into the park.
Thursday 20th August 2020
Bungles to Kununurra
Packed up by 10am and headed North to Kununurra. Booked into the Discovery Park and after setting up we hit the pool. In fact we had a site right next to the Whites. Caught up with them when they came home after a day out. That evening we went and visited the local camp site croc who comes up for a feed every evening.
Friday 21st – 25th August 2020
Kununurra
Spent plenty of time at the pool. Did the Ivenhoe Crossing, crashed the drone, visited the Hoochery (Rum Distillery) as well as the Sandlewood company. Saw fields of Cotton, Sunflowers, Sandlewood and massive orchards of Mangoes. Also went to outdoor drive in movies.
Tuesday 25th August 2020
Kununurra to Lake Argyle
Lake Argyle is only a short drive from Kununurra, however the heat was intense with a head wind to match. We found a spot between two trees and close to where Lynne and Jeff had their van parked. As soon as we were set up we went for a swim in the infinity pool. What a spot. The pool looks out over the hills and a large section of Lake Argyle. Wow…….We then booked ourselves on to the sunset cruise and swim on Lake Argyle. So after lunch we joined the others in the cafe and waited for our transport to the boat. Piled on to the bus and headed out across the dam wall. The dam wall is actually quite short and is built from clay and rocks. It holds back an enormous amount of water. It also houses a hydroelectric system that powers Kununurra. Looking out from the dam wall we saw quite a few Crocs around the outlet of the hydro system and on the banks all around. Freshies, however there were a few big males around. We boarded the boat and headed out for our cruise. Snacks were supplied as we were travelling. Seeing how many valleys had been swallowed by the water and hills surrounded creating many islands was just fantastic. We stopped for a swim which was very enjoyable. Noodles were passed out and we floated around enjoying a few beers and wines. Watching the sun set as we started our return was great and we were soon back at the landing point and back to camp on the bus. We decided to have fish and chips at the resort restaurant. Fish was Silver Cobbler (cat fish) and was very good. A good day with good friends.
Wednesday 26th August 2020
Lake Argyle
A slow day with time spent at the pool as well as in and around the resort and van.
Thursday 27th August 2020
Lake Argyle to Katherine.
We had a slow pack up and a last swim before heading back out on to the road. Again the heat was intense and there was a stiff wind blowing. The road out is fairly narrow and when two vans are passing each other at speed it is really tricky. Staying on the road takes a lot of concentration.Coming into a bend I was faced by a big van and Lancruiser taking up three quarters of the road. He was on the horn and I thought, mate you best get on your side of the road or we are going to head into the bush, van and all. Big joke, turned out to be Big Al going towards Lake Argyle. We just skimmed past each other before he got on the radio for a chat. You scared me big Al. We drove for most of the day and stopped at a 24 hour rest stop for the night. Watched the sun go down over the bush before retiring to the van. Unfortunately up here it is very hard to escape the mosquitoes. The only way is to dress fully and with this heat I just can”t do it. So I bare the bumps all over for exposing my body to the elements.
Friday 28th August 2020
Rest stop to Katherine and beyond
Got on the road fairly early as we hadn’t unhitched the van. After a few hours of driving I realised that I had driven off the van levelling blocks and left them behind. Bugger…..Arrived in gathering and called Jeff and Lynne to arrange to meet for a coffee. We went to the post office in town and I mailed my Drone back to Sydney for repairs. That will take about 7 days the way the post office is operating under covid conditions. Had a great coffee at the pop up coffee shop close to the hot springs.Said our goodbyes and headed to Darwin. Booked into Lea Point Resort and Caravan Park
Saturday 29th August – Saturday 5th September 2020
Darwin and surrounds
Darwin was bigger than expected. We set up the van at LeaPoint Caravan Park which was fairly quiet, in fact there were very few kids there at all. It was close to the beaches as well. It was however 14km out of Darwin Central. Did markets on many days.On one of the days we did the wharf tour Bombing of Darwin and Royal Flying Doctor Service which was really awesome with plenty of Virtual Reality displays and interactions. Fish and chips afterwards was cheap and awesome. After lunch I watched a bloke hook up a huge Hammer Head Shark. After fighting it for a while it cut through the line with it’s tail and swam away.On other days we did a city tour, walked ourselves into a coma. Lots of street art.Visited the under ground fuel tanks, built to survive the bombing of Darwin and now is also used as an art gallery.We spent a day at the luxury poolside of the Casino. Walked on the beach. Dinner at the waterfront. Spent time at the museum which was very good.Repairs to car and caravan. Sunsets at the sailing club as well as the ski club. Awesome times with our friends Jeff and Lynne.We also did a day trip out to Berry Springs with Lynne and Jeff which absolutely beautiful.
Saturday 5th September 2020
Darwin to Litchfield National Park
Stayed at the Litchfield resort just outside the park. Nice and shady. Headed out to Buley Holes and swam in the upper and lower holes. Had a great day.
Sunday 6th September 2020
Litchfield National Park
Fathers dayDrove to the cascades and got ready to do the walk. Just as we set off a young girl came up and asked if we could help her Get her bogged ute out of the sand hole. Had to haul her out with the Patrol. Then set off again on the walk to the cascades. Very green and beautiful but we decided not to swim as it looked a little scary, croc wise.Then we headed off to Wangi falls. It was a huge swimming hole with picnic areas and a cafe. Spent some time there.
Headed back to the car and made our way to Florence Falls with heaps of stairs, but still worth it. Swam some more.
Monday 7th September 2020
Litchfield to Darwin
Headed back to Darwin and Set up at Lea Point once more. Easy day swimming and shopping.
Tuesday 8th September
Darwin
Took car into Nissan early for a service. Got a lift into town and visited Parliament House which has a great cafe and and library which has some amazing displays. Swam and lazed on the loungers around the town beach(man made and secure from Crocs and Stingers). Caught a bus back to Nissan and it cost me $1 and ET$2
Wednesday 9th September 2020
Darwin to Kakadu National Park
Drove to Kakadu and set up camp at Jabiru resort. Relaxed at the pool for the day.
Thursday10th September 2020
Kakadu
Headed out to Morlangie Rocks to see the Aboriginal Rock Art. Then off to Manguluwir art site. Very very hot. After that we headed to Cahill Crossing to see the crocs feeding on fish as the tide reaches full.
Then off to Ubirr art site which was very good. ET walked to the top and the lookout across the plains while I headed back to the car. Had sunset on the side of the road looking out over the wetlands.
Friday 11th September 2020
Jabiru to Cooinda.
Had a lovely relaxing day
Saturday 12th September 2020
Cooinda
We did the sunrise cruise on the Old Lady with Dennis with two n’s He was very funny and entertaining. Great cruise with lots of wild life. Plenty of pool time and beers with friends.
Sunday 13th September 2020
Cooinda to Pine Creek
Birthday checked out and drove to Pine Creek via Maguir pools. Left the van at a camp site and drove back to Maguir pools which were stunning. Left the van behind as the road was very corrugated. Left the pools when the backpackers (english and Irish) arrived. They are awful.
Birthday dinner and a good bottle of wine in the Lazy Lizard restaurant. So full.
Monday 14th September 2020
Pine Creek to Katherine
After a coffee and refueling, we checked out of Pine creek and headed to Katherine. Booked into River view tourist park which is a very short walk to the hot springs. Spent ages swimming in the springs.
Tuesday 15th September 2020
Nitmaluk National Park and Edith falls.
ET went for a walk and I met her at the Pop Up Cafe for coffee and a shared Bacon and egg roll. Headed back to camp and started packing for the day out. Did a quick mod to the duel battery system.
As we were about to leave I noticed a big oil leak inside the front wheel guard. I checked the entire engine and drive train for possible leaks but could not see anything. Seemed to be coming from inside the guard. Took the car to a local repairer who immediately helped us out. They had the car for more than an hour but only charged us for 40 minutes. They found that the breather pipes for the transmission and drive system end inside the guard and the transfer case pipe was spewing out oil. This was due to overfilling when the car was serviced. They opened the filling bung and let the excess oil drain out. Washed the area and hasn’t leaked since.
Finally now after 12pm and we headed off to Edith Falls. A 60 km drive to a lovely lawned picnic area which has an enormous swimming hole. It is checked for crocs every day and has a large gate across the river as well as some fencing to keep them out. It also has a cafe and camping.
We then did a walk in the boiling sun to the upper swimming holes. Had a lovely swim with good views across the Savannah Plains.
Returned to Katherine for a nap, early dinner and whiskey at sunset.
Coffee shop just above the hot springs
Wednesday 16th September 2020.
Katherine
A day of swimming, coffee, shopping, visiting museum and general out and about town. Drove to the low level crossing which is used by four wheel drivers as a playground.
Thursday 17th September 2020
Katherine to Mataranka(Capital of the Never Never)
Started the day with a coffee and a muffin at the pop up cafe. Then a short drive to Mataranka. We booked into the Homestead. It was as hot as hell. Parked the van under a tree and after lunch we took our noodles and headed for the springs. As we were walking along ET kept saying that she could smell curry. Along the board walk we discovered that there were millions of massive fruit bats. They were shitting all over the place and because they have been teasing on the local Mango crops it has a smell similar to curry. From that moment ET could not stand it.
Apparently they flock in at different times and are not always present. We arrived at the springs and had a lovely swim. What a relief on a 37deg day.
Back at camp we went to Malukas Bar for a beer and then relaxed back at the van. We had small Roos around and lots of Peacocks.
As evening fell the bats took off by the thousands and we had to make sure that we were not pooped on.
Friday 18th September 2020
Bitter Springs
Checked out the old homestead building in the morning. These building were used in the movie, We of the Never Never.
We then headed off to Bitter Springs. These were actually better than Mataranka Springs. Could also drift along with the water under the spiders and their webs across the creek. We did that a couple of times and then headed back to camp.
After a beer at the bar we went for one more swim at the local spring avoiding the branches holding the bats in fear of a poop shower.
In the evening we had a barbie for dinner and then we were entertained by Nathan Griggs with a skilful show of whip handling. He apparently has two records in the Guinness Book of Records. One for cracking the longest whip and the second for the most whip cracks in one minute. Great show.
Saturday 19th September 2020
Mataranka to Daly Waters
half a day on the road to Daly Waters. Daly Waters is primarily a bush pub. An awesome bush pub with lots going on including live music, good meals, a lovely pool and of course the bar. Other than that the rest of the tiny town consists of memorabilia.
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Sorry but our trip notes end here. Trip continued through to December2020