After leaving Karratha on the morning of 26 July, we drove 160kms (48kms of that was rough corrugated red dirt road) out to Millstream/Chichester National Park, arriving there around 2.30pm. We were very lucky to get the last available site out of only 20 sites at Miliyanha campground, we had lots of space around us and it was nice and quiet compared to the caravan parks we stay at mostly. We did a short stroll around the campground and visited the old homestead.
The next morning we did the 6.8km two hour return walk on the Murlamunyjunha Trail crossing the beautiful Fortescue River (not at its full potential being the dry season). We were quite hot when we got back, so we dipped our feet in the cool stream and took photos of the Chinderwariner Pool with its beautiful water lillies. That evening we got a little freaked out by some bush fires very close to the campground. We were both concerned by how close the fires were, so Paulie spoke to the onsite caretakers who advised us that the Rangers were doing a controlled burn off around the area - it would have been nice to be warned rather than wondering if we were about to be BBQ'd!
When we left the next morning, Paulie made the fateful decision to attack the corrugated red dirt road with gusto - which seemed ok at first - until the van starting filling up with red dust inside. Unfortunately, absolutely every nook and cranny in the van (and both of us) was coated in red dust - obviously the van is not airtight! We continued on the 380kms to Onslow and checked into the Ocean View Caravan Park for two nights and spent most of that day and the next cleaning inside and outside the van. The caravan park was right on the beach front, so we did a stroll along the waterfront. Next day (29 July) was our 21st wedding anniversary, so we treated ourselves to dinner out and luckily the little town of Onslow is home to one of the best restaurants around - Nikki's. Our table was out on the deck overlooking the water and our meals were absolutely delicious - we had a wonderful anniversary in such a special little place.
On Friday 30 July we headed off for Exmouth, 365kms away and the start of the Ningaloo Reef. Exmouth is the support town for the Harold Holt US Naval Communications Station, the main source of local employment and home to the Cape Range National Park. We checked into Cape Holiday Park and noted the best camp kitchen we had ever seen - very big and modern (it even had two ovens)! Next day we drove 140kms return around the coastline of the peninsula stopping at several beach sites inside the national park. We also stopped at Yardie Creek (where the creek meets the sea) and we did the gorge walk overlooking Yardie Creek and its vertical red rock walls. There is usually a Yardie Creek boat cruise available, but the boat had broken down and was under repair.
Next day we moved on to Coral Bay where we checked into the Ningaloo Reef Resort for a few nights break from the campervan - but oh what a disappointment the so-called "resort" was for the price we paid. Unfortunately most places look a whole lot better on the internet than they do in real life! Anyway, we made the most of it and at least we had great weather and enjoyed the beautiful bay and the gorgeous blue water. Ningaloo Reef stretches 260kms up the WA coast from Coral Bay to Exmouth. Small sections of the reef start about 10metres from the beach and is home to many species of coral and fish. We swam out over the reef (in freezing cold water) and had some huge spangled emperor swim very close to us - close enough to grab - except that they are protected of course!
Wednesday 4 August we headed to Carnarvon, stopping at the Quobba Blowhole on the way. The power of the waves rushing in and up through the blowhole was quite spectacular. While we were there, a huge freak wave came in and almost caught us off-guard - just showing how easily people have been swept off the rock ledges. We started running away, so didn't get a photo of that particular one! It was pretty busy in Carnarvon town and we were lucky to get a site as there were many grey nomads and fruit/vegie pickers about - we only stayed one night.
Next day was a beautiful sunny day and while driving we listened to 666AM radio who played lots of classics from the 60s and 70s which we sang along to, bringing back lots of memories - we had our own little competition going trying to guess the artist! We set off for the town of Denham on the Peron Peninsula, the main settlement of Shark Bay. On the road into Denham we noticed the most road kill we've seen so far, like every 50m - mainly roos, sheep, cattle and emus. There were a lot of goats, emus and wedge tail eagles (eating road kill) roaming close to the road edges looking for food. We stopped at Hamlin Pools to view the stromatolites, a mushroom shaped rocky dome - these are the world's oldest organisms and are the result of life forms that first existed 3.5 billion years ago. The stromatolites we saw are around 5,000 years old. They exist because of the low tidal flow in the Shark Bay area which has created a level of salt twice that of normal sea water. A viewing boardwalk has been built out over the stromatolites to protect them. Next we stopped at Shell Beach which is made up of billions of tiny coquina shells, in some places seven metres deep and they are brilliant white against the blue water, a very pretty beach. These shells have created a big local industry which makes various shell products e.g. building blocks. We settled into a caravan park in Denham for a few days, our site having absolute waterfront views - nice! However not so nice when the strong winds came in over the next few days.
On advice from fellow campers to not rush out to Monkey Mia early next morning for the dolphin feedings, we arrived there around 11am only to find the dolphins had been in three times for feeds and had left. Luckily the park pass was for two days, so we got up early next morning to be out there by 7.45am. It was absolutely freezing waiting for the dolphins, but they finally came into shore - the feedings are very controlled now and you have to move out of the water and not approach the dolphins. This is probably a good thing as it would get out of control as it is very popular - there would have been over one hundred people there that morning. It was hard to get a good photo as they were constantly moving but we got some good video. A few people are picked out of the crowd to feed the dolphins a fish. We also did the bird watching nature walk through the surrounding area - we saw a mother emu with her cute chicks.
Tuesday 10 August we were on the road early for the 400km drive to Kalbarri, stopping at the Kalbarri National Park to see parts of the gorge and the Murchison River but other sections required 4WD. We checked into the caravan park and then took off on our bikes for a 10km ride along the shoreline bike track, stopping at several lookouts to admire the spectacular coastline. Next morning we walked along the waterfront to see the pelican feeding which usually happens each morning but there was a no show by the pelicans that day - probably due to breeding season and the weather changes that came through, as it was looking a bit stormy and ended up being a very windy day with a gale wind warning.
On Thursday we drove 150kms to Geraldton for two days, it was very windy and cool with bouts of rain. We did our early voting and then visited some tourist spots around town. The old gaol was interesting as each gaol cell is now used for individual craft shops - what a great idea. We visited the HMAS Sydney II war memorial (in the rain) which honours the 645 Australian sailors lost at sea off the WA coast in 1941. We also visited the Geraldton museum which was really interesting and well presented and then later we drove around to see the ports area.
Our next stop was 240kms south to Jurien Bay (via Lake Indoon, Leeman and Green Head). We stayed at a great caravan park right on the beach and we had a really nice site with a ground sheet already provided - a nice little treat! There were great bike tracks leading in either direction along the waterfront, which we made good use of. We both really loved Jurien Bay and could have stayed much longer, it had such a lovely feel to it and we both said we could live there - no, we are not selling up just yet!
Monday 16 August we had a morning walk at Jurien Bay and then headed for Queens Park near Perth but stopped at the Pinnacles on the way. Wow, the Pinnacles were pretty spectacular. These ancient limestone rock formations rise eerily out of the sand. You can drive or walk through the Pinnacles (we did both) and look out over the Nambung National Park. We arrived in Queens Park that afternoon and had one night at a dodgy caravan park, it was very run down and we were surrounded by weeds, planes flew overhead throughout the night and we were on a main road! We only stayed there because we had our van booked in nearby for a 50,000km service. The next day we hung out at a big Westfield shopping centre while the car was being serviced and stayed that night at Ascot caravan park. We are next heading for the wheatbelt area as Perth has forecast rains for several days, so we will return to see Perth city after the wheatbelt and country areas tour.
Our next stop was 240kms south to Jurien Bay (via Lake Indoon, Leeman and Green Head). We stayed at a great caravan park right on the beach and we had a really nice site with a ground sheet already provided - a nice little treat! There were great bike tracks leading in either direction along the waterfront, which we made good use of. We both really loved Jurien Bay and could have stayed much longer, it had such a lovely feel to it and we both said we could live there - no, we are not selling up just yet!