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
 

31ST MARCH 2013 – MIKKIRA STATION, EYRE PENISULA, SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Raining & miserable this morning for several hours, so we delayed packing up until it eased. Our Tassie ‘neighbours’ left before us as they have a long drive to Broken Hill today, leaving only the big 5th wheeler (2 kiwis) who will stay until after Easter. We are heading back to Port Lincoln to an historic sheep station which ‘supposedly’ has many koalas, birdlife etc. The weather improved & was quite good by the time we arrived . A dear little elderly lady with walking stick owns the property, & is obviously on her own now. It no longer runs as a working station ‘I can’t chase sheep around anymore’ she said. In order to have some income the decision was made to open up part of the property for camping & day trips to view the wildlife. Its $20 p.n. but only has a couple of toilets & a shower – don’t know how they cope when it is busy as it is a very large area for camping. There is no water or power so again it’s not cheap for what we get.

The property is very historic, has been owned by one family since 1842. The first owner was a scotsman & it’s easy to see what attracted him to this area, though he later left for NZ from whence he never returned.  In later years one of his sons returned to carry on.   It is covered by limestone rocks embedded into ground, & with a little imagination would be easy to think you were in Scotland. There a lots of rock walls where the shearers hut chimney still stands, accompanied by a working windmill. We are warned to stay away from the walls as they are full of scorpions & snakes – we didn’t need much persuading to obey, though Stu did see a couple of scorpions without going too close. The original little limestone homestead with thatched roof still stands complete with furniture & bits & pieces from the old days, though the thatched roof is now corrugated iron covered with thatch made from nearby bush.

The main attraction for us was the koalas. In 1969 4 females & 2 males were introduced to this property from Kangaroo Island because of the plentiful Manna gum trees which koala love. There are now over 100 koalas. The Manna gums here have fertilised & cross pollinated other species & have now become quite unique. There are marvellous old specimens with most interesting shapes, especially the large trunks & because of the poor, shallow soils they do not grow to the height of those in most other areas . The leaves actually contain poisonous chemicals but koalas have a special detoxification system in their liver to deal with it. It does however take a lot of energy for them to achieve it which explains why they are so lazy, sleeping all day & grazing at night.

 

Anyway, once we set up camp & eaten lunch it was R & R, then exploring. We firstly examined the trees right next to our van (good place to start), but didn’t see anything, nor did we see anything in trees further along. I was preparing for disappointment but we ventured along a walking trail close to camp & behold! I was quite excited to spot my first one & once we got accustomed to it found lots of others, in fact 14 in all.  They each have a tree to themselves being solitary animals. Some were asleep but one or two were quite aware of us & gave us good pics. On the way back we got a terrible fright as there was a sudden very loud, scary noise & as we couldn’t see anything we started to back away the way we had come. Was it an emu? Stu thought it sounded like a wild pig? Just as we backed off ready to run I realised it was two koalas, one each side of us. I think they were playing an April Fools day joke ready for tomorrow.

On our return to camp we had to laugh as the nearest tree to the van did have a koala, we had just missed it. We fully expected to be woken in the night but nothing occurred. A very peaceful night indeed as there are only about 6 camping sites taken over a huge area.

After the November fire
 

Already regenerating

 

Next morning we explored another trail which was through a big area of bush razed by a bushfire last November. It still smells of fire but there is already some regeneration, especially by the gums & the Blackboy trees (Yakkas).  The casuarinas do not seem to be so lucky. We did see a small group of roos, one large daddy one & a few emus yesterday. It will be very quiet indeed today as there are now only 3 campsites taken while the others with young families have obviously gone back for school & work.

Janice beside giant Yakkas