23RD APRIL 2013 – SHANNON NATIONAL PARK,   SOUTH WESTERN AUSTRALIA

The morning dawned nice & sunny as we set off once again, this time heading for the Shannon National Park about two hours away. We were ready for a restock of some basics & luckily there was a small town called Walpole about half way. It reminded me of Paparoa, just a small village with several cafes, a service station, butcher, IGA store, & bakery & a small park which most places have here, as usual catering for nomads by providing good parking for vans etc. Shopping done we continued on, the drive very pleasant as the highway was like an avenue of trees most of the way.

On arrival, Shannon National Park proved to be a really lovely spot, very peaceful, partly due to the fact that of the 28 caravan sites only four were taken (including us). We had purchased a N.P Pass which gives us free entry into all of WA’s N.P’s & also got the pensioners concession, so it only cost $24 per night, with beautiful free hot showers & clean ablutions blocks. Although there a lots of trees as you would expect, most sites get some sun & we had plenty to select from. Once the setting up routine was done & we had partaken lunch, we took one of the short walks through the park, about 1.5hrs, then settled back to sit in the sun & read (yes, even Stu). As in most of the NP’s they provide lovely fire places at each site which we normally don’t use because we don’t have wood. However in this instance they had a woodpile from which we could help ourselves, so I decided that for a change we would cook dinner outside. They are marvellous fireplaces, round concrete rings with a cast iron hot plate which swings over the fire when required – if it gets too hot it is quite simple to push it away from the fire for awhile & it keeps cooking by it’s own heat. Quite ingenious & of course took Stu’s fancy. It was lovely to sit & have predinner drinks while watching dinner cook, & not nearly as many dishes! Then afterwards have coffee in the dark by the fire serenaded by some neighbours with a ukelele & very good voices – blissful.

2nd day & more walking first thing in the morning, armed with our morning tea. This time it was 8 kms, very pleasant & interesting with the lovely giant Karri trees (a type of Eucalyptus), Karri Oaks (a different tree, )& others. It led to a lovely dam with wonderful reflections. Information boards along the walk provided us with information about the area in earlier days. This park was actually a milltown from 1949 – 1968 when the houses were all shifted away as holiday homes & the mill dismantled. The area still has some Karri trees of 300 -400 years old, the tallest being 85m high. They are a little like our Kauri in that they too drop their branches leaving no knots & form a canopy at the very top. Their bark also drops off displaying beautiful shades of yellows & oranges. Thankfully the whole area has regenerated to be a wonderful forest which in spring would have lots of lovely flowering native bushes. In the afternoon we took a drive of 48 kms on what they call ‘The Great Forest Drive’. The really neat thing about it was that along the route at different points you tuned your car radio into a local station & got a commentary about what life was like in the days of the milltown. There were funny stories from oldtimers who had lived & worked in the little town of Shannon in the days when the mill was operating.

350 year old 85m Karri Tree


 

21st APRIL 2013 – PARRY’S BEACH, SOUTH WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Ocean Beach Denmark

Weather changeable, misty drizzle intermittent with some sunshine which we soaked up at our outdoor table at breakfast in case we didn’t get any more today. Filled in an hour or two doing Sudokus(Stu) & crosswords (me) till morning tea, then decided to go exploring again, including a cycle along the Nornalup – Denmark rail trail. We drove back 20 kms to Denmark where it begins, a little delayed due to Stu getting involved as a good samaritan helping to fix a childs bike for a couple of good looking young mums. The trail proved to be very good, sealed some of the way along the river, then a wide dirt track through pretty native bush. A few other walkers & cyclists here & there but certainly not busy. We managed to cycle 7kms before turning back as the weather looked as if was about to worsen. Just as we got back to a lovely little inlet with a nice park to eat lunch, the rain increased, so we sat at a picnic table under a tree with our ‘hoodies’ on in an attempt to stay dry. It was quite interesting watching families in canoes & inflateables, & the odd small ‘fizzy boat’, watched by feeding pelicans & seagulls, all oblivious to the rain & having fun. Luckily it didn’t last too long before some blue sky came out again, so we managed to get back to Denmark reasonably dry. On the way home we deviated to explore some more beaches we hadn’t seen along the coast. You would expect to be tired of them, but the coast here is so spectacular, & each beach or headland though a little different still displays that wonderful colour in the water. Today the sea was much rougher & I tried with the camera to capture the spray of the waves as they broke & were caught by the wind in the opposing direction. Truly fascinating to watch. This area seems to have just about everything, surf, inlets, bush, hills, wildflowers, & a reasonably good climate. Think I could live here. One even tends to forget about the snakes – almost! Have only seen a dead one on the side of the road thus far.

Parry Beach

Parry Beach

Parry Beach

 

 

Heavy rain overnight so we managed to collect some nice rainwater for drinking by putting out a 30ltr bucket. Only 13deg so getting cooler, & we thought we were in for a miserable day. However the rain became a drizzle so we thought we would attempt a walk, part of the Bibbulmun Track (quite a mouthfull). This track actually goes from Albany to Perth, a distance of 1000 kms, but of course it is possible to do parts of it only. Shortly after we set off we had to don our coats, mine actually a plastic poncho with a big NZ & silver fern on the back. Luckily it didn’t last long & the sun came out so the rest of the walk was very pleasant. There was no-one else on the track which took us through bush on a narrow sandy track on which we found a nice rocky bit for morning tea. We had no idea what we would see or if it would lead to anywhere interesting, but it is well signposted. Well along we saw a large hill ahead with what looked like a post on top, so decided to head for that in the hopes that there would be a good view. The signs for that part of the track were hidden and when we found them they were well covered by shrubbery which we had to push through & found the track again. Stu is surprised at how I have become quite blase about walking here now. Anyway it proved to be a lovely lookout with a seat, so was well worth while with views right out over the bays & sea one way, & green pastures & farms the other. On the way back we did meet a lady walking alone so were able to tell her not to miss the lookout. Back in time for lunch, & the ‘Chief Organiser’ decided we hadn’t had enough exercise for the day, so we set off for an investigation round the rocks. The sea today has a large swell & the waves are crashing into the beach in a very noisy fashion. Usually there are commercial fisherman at the other end of the bay, but nothing is out there today. Wise decision I would think. Unbeknown to us, a man of about 40 was surfing yesterday & had a heart attack & was drowned. We were away for the day & didn’t hear about it till this morning. I’m not sure if he was staying in the camp or not but what a shock for his family. Getting back to our rock hopping, there were only about 3 fishermen casting their rods from the rocks, as it was so rough. Sensibly they were on a fairly safe spot. We just kept walking round to the next beach, then over the headland because it was such a great site watching the sea unleash itself. There were massive waves forming from quite a distance out, & lots of cross currents. We were careful to keep well back as you just couldn’t be sure how far up the beach or the rocks they would come. Once up high it was just amazing. The force of the waves was so exciting but also quite scary, hitting the cliffs & rocks with such a force & with such noise. How mighty is the power of the sea! We found a great vantage point & just sat there mesmerized for about 30 minutes, it was truly beautiful because it wasn’t dark & stormy or even windy, & the water colour was still those beautiful colours I have mentioned before, coupled with so much white foam like eggwhites beaten up for a pavlova. We both found it a great experience, even though Stu has seen so much of the sea in his day. It was a great ending to our stay at Parry’s Beach as we move on tomorrow.

 

Braving the bush

 

 

Elephant Rocks


 

13TH APRIL 2013 – ALBANY, SOUTH WESTERN AUSTRALIA
 

 Whaler  Cheynes VI

White Tailed Black cockatoo

Bremer Bay misty with rain when we left at 7.30am, temperature 17deg. A very quiet drive on the highway passing through beautiful green ‘golf link’ paddocks. Luckily the rain stopped about 30km before Albany & we headed for their Saturday Farmers Market to stock up on nice fresh vegies, homemade marmalade for MM who can’t survive without it, & lovely fresh baked bread to go with it. That done we headed for a caravan park – had done our research on them all looking for the cheapest & had even phoned the chosen one to ask if they had an unpowered site. On arrival though we discovered I had omitted to say we had a caravan& they only had unpowered sites for tents. Most other sites were powered with ensuites. Must say the receptionist was very helpful & offered us an ensuite site for $36 instead of $45 – BUT no keys for the ensuite!!! We had to accept it as the other 5 parks in the area were even more expensive. Settled in, we spent the afternoon driving out to the coastal attractions like ‘the gap’ & the ‘natural bridge’, amazing rock formations on the edge of the sea. Quite a lot of walking over the wonderful granite rocks, miles & miles of them coupled with again the wonderful aqua waves foaming over the rocks. There was also ‘blowhole’, not the usual type with waves blowing up into the air. This one was a large fissure in the rocks, & underneath I think was a cave. Some people sat on the fissure waiting for the wave to come in at which point it made a very loud ‘boom’ & blow of air. Sort of scary at first.

The Gap

Natural Bridge

Down further along the coast was the old Whaling Station which Stu was interested in. The old whaling ship is still there & they have guided tours with videos etc, with the factory still complete as it was. It was the last whaling station in Australia & closed for operations in 1978 after 26 years. Over a century of whaling in this country had come to an end, only killing 11 whales in the last 6 years. Stu found it all most interesting but not my thing hearing about & seeing the slaughtering of whales, so I indulged in coffee & cake & wandered around the beach & rocks - very relaxing & peaceful. All in all a nice day & the weather once again good to us.

Next morning being Sunday we headed for another market down by the marina, which advertised as having fresh fish; would be a lovely change we thought. Turned out to be mostly arts & crafts but one fish stall, unfortunately all whole fish except for fillets of ‘gummy shark’ which we didn’t fancy. In the afternoon we decided we needed some exercise & followed a bike trail from the township to Emu Point which Stu said was 6kms each way & thought it followed the coast. And so it did, high up above it! Lots of ups & down, but a lovely sealed track, very popular with walkers & cyclists being Sunday. Towards the end it went through a bit of residential area & we got a bit lost & did about an extra 3 kms, so by the time we reached Emu Point (our destination), we were ready for a break. Sat near the beach & had our afternoon tea, then had to face the trip back again. Had to dismount a couple of times for hills, but surprised myself all in all. Final total 21 kms.

Bike ride at Albany

Janice onboard brig "Amity"

Next morning we aimed for a little freebie near a beach called ‘Cosy Corner’. We were very lucky to time it just right as a caravan had just left. Lots of vans came in after us & couldn’t fit, but must admit some others left here later in the morning & others filled the spaces. All a matter of timing. It’s a very popular little camping spot as we can stay for up to 7 days. There are lots of trees which make it a little awkward for larger vans & there are tents & backpackers in cars squeezed in wherever, but it is sheltered from the beach by shrubbery & more trees so quite good. We couldn’t stay for 7 days as there isn’t enough to do. First day we walked the whole length of the beach (quite a long way) & really good exercise as the sand is quite loose. Became quite breezy overnight & light drizzly rain thus I have time to catch up on this blog.

Lazy morning sitting outside, me reading, doing crosswords , Stu sudoku, & talking to our neighbours as it’s too windy on the beach. After morning tea left camp for a drive to West Cape Howe National Park which has 23km of coastline dominated by headlands of Black Granite. It occupies the most southerly section of the West Australian coastline – next stop Antarctica. The landscape consists of small sandy beaches surrounded by limestone cliffs & rocky granite headlands jutting into the Southern Ocean. Luckily the weather improved though not brilliantly sunny. The entry to the park was a lovely drive through Karri forests which have regrown since the logging in the 1800’s, with lower growth of Jarrah & Sheoaks, peppermint trees & Banksia. Over 500 species of flowering plants can be found here including 56 species of orchids. Fauna includes the red eared firetail finch which is quite rare, & the Western ringtail possum which needs Peppermint trees to survive. Wasn’t lucky enough to spot either. At Shelly Beach there are a few campers but unsuitable for caravans. Fishermen (& women) are busy on the beach, some up to their knees in water, casting for salmon. One group of 3 or 4 had apparently caught about a dozen 10lb sea salmon. Apparently they are different to our NZ freshwater salmon, more like kawhai & need to be bled straight away. The rural area we drive through is so green & lush & we saw a very large herd of friesan dairy cows, the first on our travels. The farms & lifestyle blocks are beautiful & I feel as if I could easily live here. There is a distinct Scandinavian influence here with road names & property names, and the nearest small town is called Denmark.

West Cape Howe National Park

Karri Forest West Cape Howe National Park

Returning to camp & lunching we sat outside in the light sunshine & relaxed again & talked some more to our neighbours who we have met several times now, both ex pat kiwis who have been here about 28 years. Lovely people who I hope we may keep contact with as they live in Queensland (Burleigh Heads on the Gold Coast).

12TH APRIL 2013 – BREMER BAY, SOUTH WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Not much to tell about yesterday, as we left Esperance with absolutely no idea how far we would go & where we would end up. There were lots of trucks on this stretch of the South Coast Highway, lovely rolling country & very, very large green farms. Stu actually had to change down a gear for some hills, something we haven’t had since we left the Adelaide Hills. We have had enough of driving all day so settled for a large freebie at about 2.30pm with only one other van who appeared later – all very quiet. Spent the evening to-ing & fro-ing about where we would stay for the next few days. We were hoping to stay in National Parks & rest up for a while, but it seems that none of them are suitable for caravans (long dirt roads which usually turn out to be real bone shakers). All the caravan parks are very expensive now, but we just have to bite the bullet & accept it. Much harder than it was on our last trip. Final decision made, we headed for Bremer Bay which had been recommended. We were there by morning tea time. Found a caravan park with lovely grassed areas (yes I did say grass), & large sites. We would have had a non powered site but they are ALL powered at $34 per night. Not at all busy which is good from our point of view. We are not far from the beach but unfortunately it is a rather dingy overcast day – only 18deg first thing this morning. Personally I am not complaining because we have had such lovely weather & its nice to have a little respite from the heat – it just doesn’t entice us to go swimming in the same way. There was plenty to explore, firstly by walking, then in the afternoon by car from which we found some lovely views from several lookouts. It is a lovely area covered in native bush, little WA wattles just beginning to flower, plus a few other plants like banksias with huge flowers & a few red flowered bushes which I don’t recognise. We discovered another very large caravan park some way from the beaches, with lovely shady trees so much needed here in the summer.


T

Bremer  Bay Rest Area

 

Bremer Bay

 

Banksia Flowers

 

he little village has obviously been here a long time plus some of the houses, most of which I think are seasonal residences. In very recent times there have been huge changes with lots of new housing, right in the village plus hiding in all the bush areas. Obviously some developer has attempted to make a lot of money & been stymied by the change in the economy as there are many plots of land for sale. All the development has been done very well, with footpaths & landscaping etc, all totally unexpected in an area such as this. It seems remote to us (about 180 kms from Albany which is the nearest large town ), but I guess to Aussies that is no distance at all. There are so many beaches as the area has a number of peninsulas – there would never be a problem finding one out of the wind. Commercial fishing takes place in a small way from their own marina here as well as being a very popular recreational fishing spot.

  9TH APRIL 2013 - ESPERANCE, WESTERN AUSTRALIA

 

 

Made sure we got an early start today & at 8.30am the temperature is 27 deg. Along the route to Esperance we follow the railway line & spotted two trains which would have been two kms long. They both had two engines in the front, but two in the middle as well. Not sure just what it was carrying but probably something from the mines. Quite mind boggling after the pitiful little trains we see in NZ. Also along this highway are many little salt lakes sparkling in the morning sun. And then surprise, surprise – some green fields at last, & the greenest since we left QLD. Funnily enough the area is called ‘Grass Patch’ – there is a lot of grain storage again as we are passing through the wheat belt. Signs tell us of many historic school sites along the way so it must have been quite well populated once upon a time. No evidence of this now though, no towns at all, just areas with names about 25km apart. A lot of the names seem to end in ‘up’ which in the local aboriginal language means ‘meeting of the waters’. Funny names for the day – ‘Speedingup’ & ‘ Doodoodropin’.

Arriving in Esperance, the only large town along this magnificent coastline of many National Parks, we head for the Info centre to find out all the local attractions. As the Le Grande National Park has been highly recommended by everyone, that is where we intended to stay. Bad news – there are no sites left for caravans. It is a huge National Park & lots of areas for tenting but very few suitable for caravans. It is suggested that we go out very early next morning & take a chance that there are vans leaving, but we decide to book into a caravan park in Esperance itself for a couple of nights & do a day trip out there (60kms). Financially a dearer option but it did enable me to catch up on laundry etc as the NP has no power. In the afternoon we took a drive around the town & surrounding beaches. It was 36deg & we didn’t have our swimming gear with us & the water here is so amazing in it’s colour & so, so enticing. And of course it was another ‘CLOUDLESS BLUE SKY’. I think it would probably be a wonderful place to live with it’s wonderful climate, azure blue seas & white sandy beaches, not to forget the National Parks on it’s doorstep all along the coast. The town has obviously doubled or tripled it’s size in recent years, evidenced by hundreds of new homes, though the town centre itself was quite disorganised & hard to find things. The population is currently 14,500. It’s such a change to see nicely tended lawns & gardens after all the dry areas we have been through. I would imagine there are lots of retired people here, & it’s biggest disadvantage I see is the distance away from everywhere else.

Lucky Bay Cape Le Grande National Park 

Roos on the beach

 

8.15am next morning we set off before the day’s heat for Cape Le Grande National Park, so named by the French who discovered the area in the late 1700’s.

En route we pass through lovely lifestyle blocks & farms. The Esperance plains have long been a place of heartbreak & struggle on backward farms but is now one of Australia’s most efficient areas for the production of beef, wool, fat lambs, oats & other crops. It was all made possible by the perseverance of the farmers & the patience of the scientists who eventually hit on the vital answer that the land was deficient in elements. It was certainly evident on our drive through to the NP. The stock we saw were quite different than any others we had seen so far, all really healthy & clean. There were also an abundance of ‘tree farms’ – couldn’t identify the variety though. As we got closer to the NP there were huge rock formations, one called Frenchman’s Peak which we climbed later in the morning,& though not a stroll in the park, we made it to the top to witness fabulous views of the whole coastline & a huge cave with it’s own ‘window’ out to the view. It must have been a great home for the local indigenous tribe. Travelling on further we came to ‘Lucky Beach’ the most popular for camping though very small sites for vans. Again huge rock formations both on land & in the water. A walk along the beach gave us a chance to meet a couple of locals, a mother roo & her youngster relaxing in the shade on the sand. Apparently it’s not uncommon to see them playing in the surf but we were not so lucky. There are bay after bay stretching along the whole coastline, not all accessible by vehicle, & some by 4WD only. They are allowed to drive along the beaches & at Lucky Bay in particular the sand was packed down hard like a road because of all the traffic of fishermen etc. Thistle Bay was truly beautiful as well. After our climb up the peak we headed for ‘Hellfire Bay’ which we thought was the best of all with a lovely picnic area & marvellous swimming beach. By then we were badly in need of cooling off so we took the plunge literally. One has to remember that this water comes in from the Southern Ocean so it was quite ‘refreshing’! By then the temperature was 36deg so once in it was great, with families having great fun with their boogie boards etc. It was so relaxing to sit & eat our picnic lunch & watch those aquamarine waves washing ashore over huge rocks at the ends of the beach. My camera was clicking furiously for the whole day.

 

Hell Fire Bay

Cattle cooling down
 

 





 

 

 

 

 

View from top of Frenchmen Peak

7TH APRIL 2013 - NULLARBOR, WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Due to the change of clocks we do not hurry to set off today, but I have been up early to try & catch the sunrise over the water & cliffs. Not as good as I hoped but a lovely time to be up with another ardent photographer joining me on the lookout, both wrapped for the coolish morning. A wind came up overnight which has mostly abated, but I did hear it sighing through all the caravans in the dark of night, or who knows, perhaps it was the singing of some of the ancient indigenous people who lived here long, long ago.

Only a 70km drive to the border this morning & yes they were thorough. As we pulled into the inspection bay, I jumped out of the car to get the odd bits I had left to hand over. The woman inspector was not pleased & I had to stand by her & Stu while she searched the car, & the locker of the van. The reason being that a ‘when I see a woman so keen to get into her van she is usually trying to hide something’. I assured her I was trying to do the opposite & she was OK after that still searched the van thoroughly & sadly took my frozen lemon slices as they still had some seeds in them. B.....!

The scenery has now changed a bit as we actually drive up a hill & through a small pass of the Hampton Tablelands which now follow us on one side & the ocean (now unseen) on the other. Now & again the road widens right out as it is an emergency landing strip for the Royal Flying Doctor Service.

I spotted a large wedgetailed eagle on the side of the road sitting protectively on it’s prey. There are a number of dead roos evident again which we haven’t seen for a few days. The road is so flat here that it gives a mirage impression of water at the end of it. It’s 35deg but quite comfortable as it is such a dry heat. We actually saw a police car today, waiting patiently to catch someone speeding but we haven’t seen anyone in all our travels. We are lucky with the wind direction again which is a blessing for fuel conservation – now up to $1.92. There are loads of groups of motorbikes on the road coming toward us – what a distance to ride one of those. It must be so hot in all that gear. These roads are so beautifully made, not a pothole anywhere, no crumbling edges & plenty of rest areas again. We actually saw some pretty grasses roadside too, & in one part some lovely little purple wildflowers. In the afternoon the road is really quite busy & Stu has to pull over for 4 roadtrains. The difficulty on these long, straight roads is that it’s almost impossible  to see the traffic behind us but the roadtrains have no difficulty passing, it's just nice for Stu to know they are there & then he can pull over. 

AT Caiguna we have to fuel up again at $1.98. All these places have names but they are only roadhouses, some with motels & a restaurant & caravan park. Some have showers for a $1 coin in the slot which is great if your water is getting too low to use the van shower.

The longest straight road in Australia
 

From Caiguna to Belladonia is the longest straight stretch of road in Australia – 145.6 kms, actually just like one big long motorway.    It would be so easy to fall asleep. I do sometimes but then I am not the driver. There have been an assortment of vehicles, from cyclists (only a few ), to motorcycles & a tricycle with trailer.  It hs been our longest day of driving today – 491 kms & really pleased to stop for the day at quite a large rest area with lots of space to be on our own , well back from the road & noise of trucks at night. There is a nice cool breeze which we are glad of as there aren’t many trees & it is still very hot.

Up early again - must say it is really nice to be about before it gets too hot.  We have now driven about 6,000 kms already in one month but a long way to go yet.  The road is no longer so flat, in fact it is quite 'dippy' (undulating).   Today we hope to get within 150kms of Esperance, stopping first at Norseman, yet another little dying town.  It has once been prosperous due to the gold mining in the 1880's but has had it's ups & downs since.  Though there is still one small goldmine working, it is obvious it is not enough to keep the area going.  The story of how they first found gold here is quite an amusing one, in that the first gold nugget was found in the hoof of a horse who happened to be called 'Norseman'.  There is now a beautiful bronze statue of him in the town.   We drive up a lookout point here & there is a good view of quite large salt lakes which surround the area.

Tailings from Gold Mine
 

Norseman the golden hoofed horse
 

  It is here that the Nullabor ends - Yay!!!  Even though I say that the journey has been a surprise - not the same all the way & this latter part quite nice , especially as we pass through the Fraser Range which had the first sheep station settled on the Nullabor.  It is surrounded by the worlld's largest Eucalypt hardwood forest.  There were some lovely trees in this latter section with gorgeous sienna coloured trunks, shiny in the sun.  Apparently they are called Gimlet trees.  So despite Nullabor meaning 'treeless plain ' it isn't totally treeless at all. 

  Looking forward to Esperance but one more overnight stop & it proves to be a lovely one in a very large freebie called Bromus Dam.  This would be the largest freebie we have encountered & very pretty.   It was built by the Railway Company to provide water for the steam trains in the early days.  Surprisingly there are few vans here so we are all spread out with plenty of room & privacy.  However we soon discover that it's not entirely paradise  due to the proliferation of flies, -  tiny ones who like to just sit on your back or your face as you walk, slightly bigger ones who like to give you a nip, & then there is  'Darth Vader' the large black March Flies who really know how to get your attention. Really quite painful.  Stu tried stamping his feet as we sat outside to discourage them but all he achieved was to disturb many, many ants instead, who then found their way up the legs of our chairs.  Last straw, we heade into the van.  During a walk we came across a couple pulling a small net out of the water, & it turns out they are fishing for yabbies (little freshwater crayfish).  His method is to put the net in & check it every half hour or so, take out the catch & repeat this until he gets the quantity he wants for a feed - 'entrees' for dinnertime.  They are the  size of a large king prawn.

Bromus Dam freebie camp site
 

 

Aussie Yabbies

 

6TH APRIL 2013 – NULLABOR, SOUTH AUSTRALIA.

Another day on the road, & can’t do it without fuel. Nunroo Roadhouse fuel $1.55 & we have to make sure we keep the tanks full,, firstly while it is

reasonably priced, & secondly you can’t be sure how far to the next fuelstop.

This morning we sited the ‘dog fence’ which is one of the longest continuous fences in the world built to keep wild dingoes out of the pastoral lands; all 5,614 kms of it. It begins in Queensland & extends to the Great Australian Bight in South Australia. Between Nundroo & Yalata on the Eyre Highway there is a grid across the road which is also part of the fence. On our last trip to Australia 2 years ago we sighted them in Coober Pedy.

This part of the Nullarbor is Aboriginal Reserve owned by the Yalata tribe & has a lot more trees & shrubs. Lots of roadtrains on the highway this morning – you sure know when they pass you – one actually moved Stu’s outside mirror out of place with the wind it created. By morning tea break it is 25deg & very pleasant. We are now onto the real plains at the eastern end with a huge flat horizon, cloudless blue sky & a long ............ flat road Did you know that Nullarbor means ‘treeless plain’? On arrival at the Nullabor Roadhouse it is like peak hour rush with cars, caravans & road trains all queueing for fuel ($2.06).

Lucky we got ours earlier today so just stop for our morning cuppa & move on. There seem to be a number of roadtrains who arrive minus trailers & swap with one who has come from the opposite direction. I think some also swap full loads. Seems a good system to cut down on driving those great distances.

Before we know it we are at the ‘Head of the Bight’ (Great Australian Bight) which is reknowned for being one of the perfect spots for seeing the annual migration of the Southern Right Whales. Unfortunately we are too early as the normal time is May-October, calving time for these very special whales who travel from the Southern Ocean to warmer climes for that purpose. Sometimes as many as 50 whales can be seen with their calves. Must be a magnificent sight & one which we hope we will be lucky to see somewhere further up the coast. I did hear that one or two have been already been sighted somewhere so we are hoping it will be an early season just for us. Anyway whales or no whales this is a stunning spot with ultramarine ocean on the horizon turning to acquarine nearer the coast contrasted by the frothy whiteness of the breaking waves on the rocks. Nature finishes the picture with the stunning red ‘Bundar Cliffs’ which extend for over 900kms along the Bight. Fortunately there is a wonderful fenced boardwalk & several viewing platforms from which to take those ever important pics.

Bunda Cliffs

Our rest area for the night is further along the coast also on the cliff tops. It has no facilities & is swarming with those pesky little flies so no fun sitting outside. No time for that for poor Stu anyway, as we have been having problems with our fridge which has not been operating on power for some time, but has now decided not to operate on gas – quite a problem when there are no towns to get someone to look at it. Stu being the quintessential handyman decides to look at it himself & with the help of a couple of other male vanners who have experienced the same problem, eventually gets it working again. Turns out to be dirt on the igniter from the dirt tracks we have been on. Obviously it will be maintained a little better for the rest of the trip. We have just discovered that daylight saving ends tonight for S.A. so we have change our clocks back by an hour. Just to confuse the matter, because we cross into WA tomorrow, we also have to change to WA time, so in all it is 2.5hrs difference. Don’t worry if you’re confused course we sure are. Thank heavens for the phone & the GPS who both do it all automatically – we can’t even remember what day of the week it is! Because WA have a strict Quarantine & having experienced the SA one, I have had to organise things better & make sure I have no fruit or vegies to lose. In order to do that it’s a big stirfry of all the vegies tonight, plus I freeze some broccoli & my lemon & lime slices (not hard to guess what they are for)??? The potatoes are cooked ready to fry up afterwards. The onions (2) I gave up on.

Sunset from free camp area

Bunda Cliffs at Sunrise

 

 

5TH APRIL 2013 – FOWLERS BAY, SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Today we turn off the main highway towards the coast for about 20kms, the first 14 being sealed, the remainder dirt which is very corrugated in places. Stu drives at a sedate pace which doesn’t seem to help much, so needless to say at our destination there is a certain amount of disarray in the van but nothing of consequence luckily. There is a caravan park which is small & tightly packed at the end of each day, however the owners are a very friendly youngish couple (by comparison) who have only been here 6/12’s & are obviously making great efforts to upgrade it. There is a ‘camp dog’ called Brutus who all the children adore & who attaches himself to anyone he takes a liking to & will follow them for miles down the beach if he takes the fancy. It turns out he doesn’t even belong at the camp but belongs to a neighbour. The camp fees are $28 which is more than we normally pay, but they have to generate their own power & have a bore for water. At first glance we are not too impressed by the beachfront, the quintessential long jetty for fishing & a long, long beach. Unfortunately the latter is covered by the same seaweed we have witnessed all the way up the coast which is not normal but has appeared in recent months. They will all be glad when they have a good sea to take it out again. It makes walking along the sand almost impossible due to it’s depth although it is dry & like garden mulch, (would be very good on MY garden). The area itself is very historic & has some buildings still remaining. Other than that most of the buildings seem to be deserted so we presume they are holiday homes.

Leave nothing but footprints

There is a huge headland at the end of the bay which we set out to explore next morning & get some photos, but the ‘piece de resistance’ are the amazing large sand dunes right behind the village.

Stu lost in the dunes
 

Blowin in the wind

Blowin in the wind
 

These wonderful white sandunes extend for quite some kilometres, certainly the largest we have seen though probably not the highest. We spent several hours walking among them, up & down, taking photos from every angle. Really great fun & some superb views out to sea etc. It’s easy to imagine getting disorientated. As if that wasn’t enough exercise we also walked to a large flat topped headland which also gave some awesome views. Almost everybody seems to be into fishing so we feel a bit the odd ones out. Next morning we set off for an exploration by car to another bay further along the coast. It’s all offroad & bumpy to say the least but that is what the Landcruiser is built for so without the caravan on the back it’s not a problem. It is obvious that there have been many vehicles here before with tracks through the dunes in all directions. This bay is a little more sheltered so not as much seaweed evident. On the way back to camp we realised there are a couple of small shallow lakes we had not noticed & the sun was shining on them in just the right direction. To our amazement they were pink! From one direction they were even pink & blue, so pretty & unusual. There was some sort of spongy algae on the edges so we presume they were the culprit which caused this phenomena. At sundown we were hoping to be presented with an outstanding sunset but it was not to be this time, though I must say the skies seem so much larger here & the stars are magnificent & seem so close. No colourful sunrise next morning either but can’t win them all! As it doesn’t rise till about 8am it’s not much effort to be in time.

Landcruiser in dunes
 

 

Pink Lake
 

Fowlers Bay from dunes

 

4TH APRIL 2013 – CEDUNA, SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Another lovely morning to be on the ‘grey nomad’ trail with beautiful blue skies & large landscapes. We are still following the coast though unfortunately we can’t see it a it a lot of time. There are lots of little beach places to call into if we want to go down lots of dirt tracks & don’t mind travelling really slowly. It’s gently rolling country present & for a change we see some lovely black faced sheep though only a small group. We do finally see some larger mobs of sheep rather 10 or 20 & they seem to be cleaner here.

Ceduna waterfront

 

Ceduna is where the Flinders & Eyre Highways meet. It is a reasonable modern little town, very clean & well laid out with a nice waterfront esplanade with gardens & large Norfolk Pines, a very pleasant spot to have morning tea. The water is tranquil & there are a group of kayaks making the most of it (lucky things). We have to make a trip to the supermarket here to stock up to cross the Nullarbor & find they appear to be making a film in the main street. Who knows, we may be an extra in an Aussie film? There is a large population of aboriginals here (the first we have seen since Wilcannia en route to Broken Hill), but they all seem well dressed & well behaved. There are several policemen in evidence around town who look immaculate in their ‘aussie beige’ uniforms & sunhats. Fuel is $1.52 here.

While here in Ceduna Stuart wants to visit the port of Thevenard as he used to call here on ships when he was in the Merchant Navy many years ago. They take gypsum, grain, salt etc from here. There are also some small islands just off Thevenard which are reputed to be those in the book ‘Gulliver’s Travels’ & the land of the giants. Apparently they are the only known islands in the world which match the description.

Port Thevenard

 

Back on the highway we sight a large stock truck with sheep 4 tiers high with barely an inch to move, poor things. As we travel there is a definite blush of green to some of the paddocks, due to recent rain they had here. There will be no more towns now until we cross into W.A.

One thing I have omitted to mention is that since Port Lincoln we have been following the Great Australian Bight which we will see more of in the following days.

2ND APRIL 2013 - COFFIN BAY, EYRE PENINSULA,  SOUTH AUSTRALIA

No, this isn't a large cemetery - It was named after an Admiral Coffin, a close friend of Matthew Flinders who discovered this area.  Pretty little fishing village which reminds us of Pahi (only larger) & also farms  oysters.    Lots & lots of boats, I think everyone who lives here must own one.  We are heading for the National Park 20kms from the town for the cost of $8 per night + entry fee $8,  toilets onl provided.  Great sealed road all the way to our campsite, though there a lots of offroad campsites too. After settling in we do our usual exploration of the area, a large bay,  by taking one of the tracks over the hill to a lookout & then beyond to another Bay.  It actually wasn't all that interesting but we did see a couple of stingrays playing round in the water,  No other wildlife to be seen, very few birds.  In the afternoon we sat & recuperated then drove 20 minutes to Avoid Bay on the other side of the park.  What a beautiful spot, looking out to Golden Island (so called for the colour of the cliffs I guess).  Wonderful white sand & gentle surf (today) not unlike Northland.  The interesting thing was the cross currents caused by the island with waves coming in two different directions, & lovely white sand dunes.  There are several other beaches along this bay too but there is no camping for caravans anywhere on this side of the Peninsula - OK for surfies with tents though none were visible today.

Roos by Van

Golden Island (note opposing currents)

Back in camp we find a family of  4 kangaroos on our doorstep - two adults & a 2 young ones, obviously know there are people there to feed them at the end of the day.  It's tempting to do so but not the correct thing to do, though a little girl did come over with some lettuce which they ate.  Also a few little fairy wrens - they are so small & active & gorgeous.

An little overnight rain makes everything look refreshed & the sun is shining as we set off again next morning.  En route we actually see a blush of green on the paddocks but as it's fairly close to a large mountain I guess that may make a difference to what rain they get.?  There don't seem to be any rest areas to stop at for morning tea along this highway, so as the wind is behind us  (saving fuel again), we continue on, passing some large lakes called Hamilton.  There are also no roadside camping areas & the only stock we see are a few sheep, so dirty they could be mistaken for rocks in the paddock.   There are no towns either so it's a pretty boring  morning.   Although we are on the coast road there are large sand dunes preventing any view of the sea.  Artesian bores & windmills seem to be more evident here - it's a very, very dry area. The town of Elliston is reached for lunch beside the water, & I take the chance to catch up with some emails while I have the opportunity.  Elliston like nearly every place near the water here, has a very long historic jetty.
Caravans are more visible in numbers now, all with the same idea of a break from the boring drive.  We are conscious that it may be a good idea to find our overnight spot earlier today due & luckily we do find one by about 2.30pm (Eyre's Waterhole), a misnomer as there is no sign of water.  Although it  is quite roomy it is just as well as we are soon accompanied by about 6 others, all big rigs.   Peaceful night even though we are quite close to the road.

Sunrise from Van
 

Campsite from Lookout

White sandunes