[VIC] Portland,Warrnambool,Apollo Bay, Colac,Ballarat,Avoca

Portland's tiled shell

Tuesday 5 October we crossed the border into Victoria and stopped at Portland, a pretty harbour-side city where the European settlement history for the colony of Victoria began in 1834. Finding a caravan park right in the heart of town, we took a walk around noting the beautiful old Mac's Hotel which we had stayed in back in the 90s (we can't quite remember which year) - anyway it still looked exactly the same. The city has over 200 historical buildings from the 1800s. We strolled down by the water where there was a large shell and chair made out of tiles. We had mixed weather conditions over our two days in Portland and spent one afternoon hiding inside our van as a severe storm warning was broadcast on the radio, including hail. Luckily the caravan park was not full and so we moved our van to a back corner sheltered against a brick wall and out of the wind. Happy hour started early that day!

"Pip" the sheep dog at Port Fairy

Our next stopover was at Warrnambool, via Yambuk's "The Crags" with fantastic views of Lady Julia Percy Island and then Port Fairy where we noticed a sign advertising some Australian & New Zealand Sheep Dog Trials at the local oval. We stopped at the oval and had our lunch while enjoying the sheep dog trials - very entertaining. There was then an announcement made that the lunch prepared by the local country ladies was ready in the hall  - Paulie and I both looked at each other and knew that would be an awesome lunch, all that yummy homemade country food - shame we'd just had our lunch! We had a couple of nights in Warrnambool, seeing some local touristy stuff but also doing some administrative duties like spending over an hour in the Telstra Shop trying to sort out an incorrect bill - that was fun.

London Bridge, Great Ocean Road

Two of the 12 Apostles, Great Ocean Road

Next day we had a big day driving the Great Ocean Road (which involved lots of stopping to check out 11 spectacular viewing points - Bay of Islands, Bay of Martyrs, The Grotto, London Bridge, The Arch, Razor back, Thunder Cave, Loch Ard Gorge and Cemetery, Mutton Bird Island and of course the 12 Apostles). There were heaps of tourists at each of these stops but the most popular by far was the 12 Apostles. We got caught in the rain a few times as the weather kept changing. The big chunk missing from the London Bridge collapsed into the water in 1990 while people were standing out on the end - they had to be rescued three hours later ... how scary! We then drove on to Apollo Bay for the night where we had a fairly water-logged muddy site from previous heavy rains there. We decided to shout ourselves out to dinner that night, so we rugged up against the cold wind and walked to the local pub for a delicious and hearty meal.

Otway Ranges

Leaving Apollo Bay next morning we took the Otway Ranges road to Colac - a very steep, narrow and somewhat scary road with the most awesome scenery of green rolling hills and valleys - reminded us of Maleny in some parts. When we arrived in Colac, we heard there was a festival on about 20kms away at Birregurra, so we headed for there. This was quite a big annual festival which runs for the weekend with lots of stalls, live music, wood chopping, pig racing, line dancing, snake shows and terrier races! Luckily it was a sunny day so we strolled around the festival enjoying the sunshine with all the locals.

Beeac's restored windmills

Monday 11 October we did our morning walk through the beautiful Colac Botanic Gardens before driving to our next destination - Ballarat. On our way to Ballarat, we stopped at the tiny town of Beeac to see the display of seven old windmills which had originally been built by Beeac windmill makers back in the 1850s and which had been restored to life again by the locals. The windmill park was being completed as part of the town's 150th first settlement celebration in late October. We then drove on to Ballarat and checked into the caravan park and took a walk into the city which was surprisingly big. Next day was an overcast and stormy day with a forecast of hail, which thankfully didn't happen. In between showers the next day we walked to Sovereign Hill and the Gold Museum.

Back home after Avoca Cup race day

Our next stop was to the country town of Avoca where we stayed for a few nights. Avoca is only a small town so it didn't take long to do the town tour - the one thing that did stand out was how many pie shops there were! Recent heavy rainfalls in the area made the caravan park a bit squelchy/muddy underfoot and we had more rain while we were there too. Friday 15 October we walked into town in the rain to get the newspapers and then it continued to rain all day and was freezing cold and very windy, so we basically spent the whole day in the van reading the newspapers, watching movies and cooking our meals inside (which was a first), thankfully we had everything on hand. We hoped the weather would lift in time for the Avoca Cup on Saturday - well it sort of improved - we caught the local booze bus to the races where we experienced the four seasons in one day which Victoria is famous for, but we were dressed in multiple layers in readiness. It was a great day though with a huge turnout of people from all over the state. We had a few small wins, plus I backed the winner of the Caulfield Cup and Paulie backed the second place BUT it was the only bet all day where we forgot to put on a Quinella (which paid $145) DOH! After the races, we joined the crowd of race-goers back to one of the local pubs for a few more drinks and dinner to top off the day.

[SA] Nullabor Roadhouse,Ceduna,Streaky Bay,Coffin Bay,Port Augusta,Clare,Kapunda, Nuriootpa,Tailem Bend,Mt Gambier

Whilst the trip across the Nullarbor(ing) was pretty boring in parts, there were lots of beautiful wild flowers about, many more trees and shrubbery than we expected, collections of clothing, shoes, socks, hats, and stubbies hanging in trees, and heaps of very long road trains which nearly blew us off the road. There were also areas of the road which were marked as landing strips for the Royal Flying Doctors Service - it would have been awesome to see one land on the road!

Great Australian Bight

After leaving Cocklebiddy on Monday 20 September, we drove 470kms to Nullarbor Roadhouse, stopping along the way at various lookout points of the spectacular Great Australian Bight cliff faces. The day was overcast and showery with a cold wind of course but the scenery was breathtaking. The border check from WA to SA is not right at the border, so that night we had to cook up all our vegies before the border check next day at Ceduna.

Whale at Bunda Cliffs

On our way to Ceduna the next morning, we stopped at the Head of the Bight whale viewing platforms and saw a few whales lolling about below the 70m Bunda Cliffs. There were no big tail splashes or anything, they were just taking it easy. We drove on to Ceduna and stayed for one night, enjoying a dinner out at a very nice tavern near the caravan park, and we were joined by a lovely couple whom we'd chatted with at Cocklebiddy.

Next day we drove to Smokey Bay for a quick look on our way to Streaky Bay, a very nice little town with a caravan park along the foreshore. We walked around town for a look and out to the jetty and then had a delicious and cheap $10 soup lunch at a waterfront cafe. The weather was still quite cold, especially at night.

Coffin Bay

Our next stop was at Coffin Bay for a couple of nights, where we braved 91kms of scenic dirt road to see Sceales Bay, Cape Labatt (for the sea lions) and Murphys Haystacks which are actually bolders not hay. We then drove on to Elliston and did 6kms more of dirt road to view the cliff top sculptures which were interesting but not interesting enough for me to get out of the car to take a photo in the arctic cold wind! We headed back into Coffin Bay to settle into the caravan park overlooking the beautiful bay. Coffin Bay is renowned for its oysters, so next morning we did the oyster trail walk around the bay and watched some of the boats come in with their oyster collections. They are big boats and are towed to the ramp by tractors, so it was funny to see all these tractors parked in the carpark. I don't eat oysters, but Paulie loves them, so we tracked down a dozen which he devoured for afternoon nibblies with a chardy. We also bought some beautiful fresh King George whiting fillets for dinner (from the local butcher of all places) - delicious!

Saturday 25 September we drove to Port Augusta (via Arno Bay, Cowell and Whyalla) and stayed at the Big4 caravan park there. We didn't feel like exploring the town much, so just chilled out for the afternoon listening to the AFL grand final (the first one, that is) on the radio.

Sevenhill Cellars

Our next stop was the lovely town of Clare in the Clare Valley wine region which is considered Australia's home of riesling. We drove there via the Main North Road instead of the highway, as it was much more picturesque through the lush green countryside and the gorgeous historic buildings. We checked into the caravan park for two nights and then drove around town and to the lookout. The weather was overcast and very cold and we planned on doing the Riesling Trail on our bikes the next day but it was raining and bitterly cold. Next morning we stopped at the Sevenhill Cellars which is the oldest winery and vineyard in Clare Valley and also unusual as the winery has been owned and operated by Jesuit Priests since 1851. The beautiful Aloysius Church is at the heart of the winery.



Kapunda's historic copper mine site

Kapunda (northern edge of the Barossa) was our next stopover and we visted the information centre in town, where they had a great interactive mining display downstairs telling the story of the town's copper ore mine history - the highest grade ore found anywhere in the world, which began in 1838 but then closed down in 1878 after the rich ore had been worked out. For those "McLeod's Daughters" fans, this was the town known as Fisher in the series. That afternoon we did the walk around the historic mine site past open cut tunnels, the mine chimney and lookouts. Even on an overcast day, the colours in the rocks were amazing. Unfortunately it rained as we were nearing the finish and we had to sprint back to the car in the rain! The town was also once home to Australia's cattle king - Sir Sidney Kidman and is renowned as some of the best farming land in Australia. His horse sales were recognised as the largest in the world, supplying horses to the Light Horse Brigade. Kidman donated his family home "Eringa" to the Education Department which is now the Kapunda High School. A very interesting and beautiful town.



Wolf Blass Winery

 Wednesday 29 September we drove on to Tanunda and then on to Nuriootpa (Aboriginal word meaning "meeting place") where we secured a site at the caravan park. A surprisingly large town with some of the best-known cellar doors. We did the tourist drive to the Mengler's Hill lookout for a picnic lunch, even though it was quite cold and windy. Next we visited the Maggie Beer's Farm Shop filled with lots of her yummy chutneys, pates, sauces and other goodies - Paulie bought some delicious pheasant pate with quince jelly. Next stop was the beautiful Wolf Blass winery and cellar door (one of my favourites) where we read all about it's history, did the wine tasting of course and walked out with a couple of bottles!

Grant Burge Winery

Next morning we did a walk before leaving Nuriootpa and then headed out of town to the Lyndoch Lavender Farm - such peaceful and beautiful countryside. We walked amongst the lavender bushes in some lovely sunshine and then checked out the lavender shop, buying a few goodies there. When leaving the lavender farm we came across Grant Burge winery and cellar door - wow, a magnificent looking winery with the most beautiful gardens - and the wines aren't too bad either! Again walking out with a couple of bottles under our arms after the wine tasting ... oh well, this is the Barossa. We then drove on to Gawler for the night but couldn't get into a caravan park as all booked up - school holidays plus an orienteering weekend had filled the town. So we drove on to the town of Tailem Bend on the Murray River and went straight to the Information Centre where we chose a caravan park from the the two in town. Well, I'm just going to say it ... dodgeyville with some very strange folk ... think movie "Deliverance" and you might get the picture! The caravan park amenities rating was about -1 star, we couldn't even bring ourselves to have a shower there even with our thongs on! Once again we had been fooled by the glossy brochure. One of the permanent tenants came over to chat to us (a little scary but harmless enough), anyway we locked ourselves in the van after dinner and slept through the night with one eye open!

Dust flew up as we hightailed it out of Tailem Bend early next morning without breakfast and drove to Meningie on the Murray for breakfast (an omelette we prepared the evening before in preparation of our early escape from Tailem Bend). Our destination was Mount Gambier, some 400kms away. We drove through Woods Well, Tintinara and Keith and stopped at Padthaway for a very informative winetasting at Padthaway Estate cellar door and magnificent old homestead - tasting their champagnes, whites and reds and again walking out with a few bottles. The wine cellar in the van is well stocked now but then we are drinking some as we go ... as they say, life is short - drink the best!


Mt Gambier's Blue Lake



Cave Gardens


We drove on through the Coonawarra region to Naracoorte and Penola and then settled into the Blue Lake Holiday Park at Mount Gambier. After so much town-hopping lately, we wanted to stay put for a few days and catch up on some washing, shopping, relaxing etc, so we stayed at Mount Gambier for four nights. The park we stayed in was nice and grassy, quiet and lots of space around us, so we chilled out for a few days just doing local sightseeing to the beautiful Blue Lake and Valley Lake within walking distance. Blue Lake is one of three craters of an extinct volcano and each year around November changes colour to a spectacular turquoise blue colour. We also visited the amazing Cave Gardens which is right in the middle of town. At last we had some slightly warmer sunny days to enjoy. 

This was also our last stop in SA before crossing the border into Victoria.

[WA] Bunbury,Margaret River,Augusta, Bridgetown,Pemberton,Denmark,Albany, Ravensthorpe,Esperance,Norseman,Fraser Range Station,Cocklebiddy

It’s been a while since our last blog post, so this is a long one! Monday 30 August we left Fremantle and hit the road for Bunbury (via Rockingham and Mandurah). We checked into Koombana Bay Holiday Park and then wanted to stretch our legs so did a 5km walk on the nearby boardwalk through parks and mangroves. Spent the next day looking around Bunbury town, had a picnic lunch by the water, looked through the art gallery, then climbed 92 steps up the lookout tower for 360 degree views. Over the two days, the weather was cold, windy and showery with a few sunny breaks.

Our next drive was to the long-awaited Margaret River, where we settled ourselves into the very comfortable Quarterdeck Apartment at Gnarabup on the coast about 9km from Margaret River town centre. It was so nice to have a bit (ok, a lot) of room to spread ourselves out and soak up the beautiful ocean views. Over the next five days we did our morning walks around the hilly streets and down to the beach. We visited Grace Town to the site of the recent surfer shark attack. One day we did a wine tour where we visited the home of famous cartoonist Paul Rigby, then onto Leeuwin Estate winery, Watershed winery, Cowaramup Brewery for lunch, a cheese factory, chocolate factory, then Evans & Tate winery, Lenton Brae winery, Olio Bello olive oils and the Venison Farm to finish off the day. On the Saturday we did the Lake Cave tour where we descended 350 steps into a giant doline which was so interesting and beautiful. We then visited the cellar doors of Vasse Felix and Voyagers wineries. Next day we had a lazy Sunday morning reading the newspaper and then went to Voyagers for a magnificent lunch - with wine of course! Whilst we didn’t have the best of weather at Margaret River, it was still a real highlight – the area has so much to offer – beautiful beaches, over 130 wineries, top quality restaurants, caves, beautiful countryside, and so many accommodation options.

Monday 6 September we left Margaret River and drove to Augusta (via a quick look at Hamelin Bay), and went to see the historic Cape Leeuwin water wheel built in 1895 which supplied fresh water to the lighthouse builders and dwellers, then on to see the tallest lighthouse in Australia - 172 winding steps to the top of the Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse, where the Southern Ocean meets the Indian Ocean. We had a personalised tour guide as we were the only ones climbing at that time, and our guide took a photo of us at the top and commented that we were “oceans apart” ha, ha! It was absolutely freezing cold and blowing a gale that day.

Next day we drove to Nannup to see a small tulip farm which was at the end of its season unfortunately. Then on to Bridgetown in heavy rain, stopping at the pub in town for lunch. Checked into a caravan park and then drove out to The Cidery for some cider tastings and came out with a tasty six-pack variety! Had a very cold and wet night at Bridgetown, so no dinner that night – luckily we’d had a hot lunch.

Drove through Manjimup and arrived in Pemberton on Wednesday 8 September, then drove out to Beedelup National Park where we walked in the drizzly rain to see the cascades, the tall Karri trees, the swing bridge and the hole in the tree. We also stopped off at Gloucester National Park to see the Gloucester Tree Lookout – a 60m climb to the top, which is used as a bush fire lookout. Another very cold and wet night. Next day we did the Pemberton Tramway ride out past the timber mill, over several bridges, cascades, through Karri forests and saw a tree which had been hit by lightning and its lower trunk was burnt out but the tree is still alive.

On Friday 10 September we drove to Walpole via Northcliffe, did the amazing Valley of the Giants Tree Top Walk and the Ancient Empire Walk between Walpole and Denmark. Also stopped to look at beautiful Greens Pool and Elephant Rocks. We then drove into Denmark and secured a site at the Denmark Ocean Beach Holiday Park – very nice, modern park with fantastic facilities, including a huge fully enclosed campers kitchen with a big flat screen TV and a heater – yahoo! We had the next day in Denmark as well, just having a look at local surf beaches and around the town shops and catching up on washing, a bit of cooking and relaxation!

22m Pygmy Blue Whale skeleton

On Sunday we drove to Albany and secured our site at Middleton Beach caravan park, a lovely beach location. We then visited Whale World – Albany’s historic whaling station, the last in Australia, which came to an end in 1978. Our visit included a guided tour and over 20 exhibits to explore, including a look over the Cheynes IV Whalechaser boat - all very interesting, even on yet again another freezing cold windy day. The next morning we saw some whales about 100m from the shore as we walked along the beach at the front of the caravan park!

Tuesday 14 September we drove 295kms to the very small town of Ravensthorpe, did the five second tour around town and checked out the local wild flowers display. We have been seeing some beautiful wild flowers all along the roadside as we drive between towns, gorgeous vibrant colours everywhere. We stayed that night in a fairly average caravan park, and it was so cold I asked Paulie to fill up the hot water bottle for me as my feet were like blocks of ice! Following the coastline, our next stop was for a couple of days at Esperance – a lovely beachside town with a very famous seal called Sammy, who hangs around the local jetty. The day we saw him he was laying low in the dry bed of seaweed to keep warm – that will tell you how cold the wind was – it was arctic! By this stage I felt it was time to purchase a pair of long-johns and some wool socks which I have been sleeping in ever since!

We then headed north 203kms to Norseman to start making our way towards the Nullarbor. Not a lot to do in Norseman but we took a drive up to the lookout which gives you a 360 degree view over the town and the local gold mining area – Australia’s longest continuously running gold mining operation. The town of Norseman was named after a prospector’s horse “Hardy Norseman” who pawed up a piece of gold whilst tied to a tree in 1894. Another bitterly cold night, but I was lovin’ the new long-johns! Saturday 18 September our next stop was a cattle and sheep property called Fraser Range Station, and also has one of the golf holes in the 18-hole Nullarbor Golf Challenge. We took a walk over the property up the hill to the water tanks and to the Par 3 golf hole. This property has some beautiful old original stone buildings – homestead and shearers quarters etc - a great country stopover for the night. Oh, and did I mention … it was really cold?!!

Sunday’s 346km drive was to Cocklebiddy Roadhouse, which consisted of the longest straight stretch of road in Australia – 146kms of it. We arrived around lunchtime (gaining 45 mins due to time change), and being the first campers there, we had the pick of the sites. Looking around at the barren landscape, we figured it didn’t really matter where we camped because they are all close to the generator which runs 24/7! Paulie then went over to the roadhouse looking for a Sunday newspaper, only to be informed that it would probably get here in three days time – by which time we will be in another State (SA)! There was another Nullarbor Golf Challenge hole here (a Par 4) so we went for a bit of a walk and checked that out – no, we are not partaking in this golf challenge! Still cold and windy.

[WA] Corrigin,Lake Grace,Hyden, Quairading,York,Perth,Fremantle

With our freshly serviced van, we headed off on Wednesday 18 August into the wheatbelt region of country WA for a few days to avoid the rainy weather about to hit Perth. We drove 240km to a town called Corrigin (via Brookton), stopping to see the famous Dog Cemetery on the way in. Established in 1974, the Dog Cemetery is a tribute to "Man's Best Friend" with over 80 dogs now buried there. We read many of the headstones - some were sad and others were quite comical. The headstones are all made and maintained by a local resident. Corrigin also holds the world record for "The Dog in a Ute Queue" - a convoy of 1,527 utes each with a dog in the back. We stayed the night in the caravan park in town, it was freezing cold but it was nice and quiet with only a few vans around us. Travelling through the wheatbelt we loved seeing all the green paddocks and especially the green and gold of the canola crops along the roadside.

Next day we drove onto Kondinin, then on to the small farming town of Kulin which is famous for their annual bush races event. They have decorated about 20kms of the highway between Kulin and the race course with lots of tin horses - called the Tin Horse Highway! Coxy's favourite was the one of "Rocky"!

My favourite was "Fillypoosis". That night we stayed in the township of Lake Grace at a lovely caravan park, our site had a nice grassy area with a peculiar miniature Hills Hoist clothesline! Again another very cold night.

Coxy bodysurfing Wave Rock

Our next stop was Hyden (via Newdegate, Lake King, Varley, Holt Rock). Hyden is home to the famous Wave Rock which is a granite cliff 15 metres high and 110 metres long. Its rounded shape has been caused by weathering and water erosion which has undercut the base and left a rounded overhang. Crystals from the rock are dated as being 2700 million years old. We did the walk up and over the Wave Rock and also did the walk to Hippos Yawn - a granite rock resembling a yawning hippo - Paulie got inside and tried to tickle the hippo's tonsils.

Hippos Yawn

Saturday 21 August we drove about 16kms north of Hyden and did a morning walk over another giant granite outcrop called The Humps as well as Mulka's Cave. The cave holds one of the most significant Aboriginal rock art sites in WA with over 450 separate hand prints and images. We then drove on through Narembeen and Bruce Rock (getting a little lost somehow) and then arrived in the town of Quairading, a very small quiet town and stayed one night there.

Our next stop was a short drive to the town of York on the Avon River - WOW, much more than we expected. As we drove into the main street Sunday morning it was quite the bustling little town, people milling about everywhere, lots of shops open and sidewalk dining in full swing, plus quite a few motorbike riders gathered outside the Triumph Cafe. The town is filled with beautifully restored heritage Victorian and Federation buildings including the Post Office and the Court House. We checked into the caravan park and then had a very nice lunch at a trendy spot in town.

After a freezing cold night, we slept in a bit because we didn't want to leave our warm doona! We eventually dragged ourselves outside, drove into town for a good look around, visiting the various heritage sites and beautiful old homes, Mt Brown lookout, strolled along the Avon River, across Swing Bridge, and the York Mill Gallery. Next morning was a bit frosty but we did a run/walk twice around the beautiful grassy York Turf Club race course (Australia's oldest provincial race course established in 1843) which backed onto the caravan park. We left York and drove back towards Perth, staying again in Ascot - as it is close to Perth city. We drove into town just to have a look at beautiful Kings Park and then next morning we caught the bus into the city for a look around the shops (similar to Brisbane but nowhere near as busy) and other sites. We strolled down to the Swan River and had lunch at Lucky Shags restaurant whilst enjoying the lovely winter sun by the water ... aaaaaaah!

One of many beautiful beaches on Rottnest Island

Next port of call was Fremantle, staying at Fremantle Village Caravan Park - great setup and lovely new amenities. We had four nights in Fremantle all up, spending the days exploring on our bikes and doing the touristy stuff in town, great markets, beautiful heritage buildings everywhere, awesome day trip over to Rottnest Island on the Rottnest Express boat, and we hired bikes over there and rode around (lots of hills), soaking up the beautiful scenery and sunshine.

[WA] Millstream/Chichester,Onslow, Exmouth,Coral Bay,Carnarvon,Denham, Kalbarri,Geraldton,Jurien Bay,outer Perth

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.

[WA] Derby,Broome,Barn Hill Station,Eighty Mile Beach,Karratha

We left Fitzroy Crossing with the intentions of staying in Derby, but on arrival there accommodation was hard to get and it was stinking hot. We had a look around town and at the jetty and then decided we would move on to Broome. On our way out of town, we stopped at the famous Boab tree site which was used by police as a prison cell for the aboriginal criminals on their way to Derby jail back in the 1890s. The huge hollow tree measures a circumference of over 14 metres and the door is a metre wide and two metres high.

Arrived in Broome on Sunday 4 July and settled into a tight spot at the Cable Beach Caravan Park. It was unbelievably busy there and we were lucky to get into the Caravan Park. We got an unpowered site but luckily located close to the camp kitchen which makes cooking and cleaning up a bit easier. We had a walk around the area and noted a lovely spot for dinner called the Zeebar - a trendy place with a great menu (including lots of gluten free options for Paulie), a great bar and some live music as well - had a great evening there. We experienced a lot of rain and a few beautiful sunny days during our time in Broome. We heard on the radio that the road was closed between Derby and Fitzroy Crossing, so we were lucky to get out of Fitroy Crossing when we did - a lot of travellers were stuck there for a week. The Gibb River Road was also closed a couple of times and the road to Cape Leveque (which we intended to visit by hiring a 4WD) was closed the whole time we were in Broome. Will do that next trip! We noticed that none of the buildings have guttering nor are there any storm water drains, so when it rains, the ground floods really quickly.

We did touristy things in Broome like visiting Jimmy Chi Lane in China Town to read all about the pearling industry history, drove to the Ports for a look and photos, rode our bikes along beautiful wide Cable Beach to the Gantheaume Point lighthouse and saw a cast of the dinosaur footprint (the original can be seen only at very low tide).

On our bike ride back we were so hot we stopped for a swim back at Cable Beach, but just as we were about to put our toes in the water, we were warned not to go in - someone had seen a shark or something nasty in the water! So we headed back to camp for a swim in the pool instead. Another day we did a stock up of grog at the Broome BWS (thanks QAO girls for my gift card which I used there for some wines). We also had to get another crack in the windscreen fixed - that's fix No. 2 now. On Thursday 8 July we did another bike ride along the other end of Cable Beach (it's a pretty long beach) and noticed a lot of nudies strolling down to the water - then realised it is actually called "Nude Beach" and it's totally fine to get your gear off (no, we didn't), but there were plenty of oldies nuding up! This day we finally got to have a swim in the beautiful blue water, very cool water but so refreshing as the day was hot as. We had a new camping neighbour turn up this day also, Debra, who was a barrel of laughs and loved to chat - we all got on famously, and as she was travelling pretty light sleeping in a little tent, we shared our tacos dinner with her which she really appreciated.

Next day it rained on and off all day, so we visited the museum at Roebuck Bay (great shell collection there Daz), and then couldn't resist another evening at the Zeebar for drinks, tapas and fantastic live music again! Saturday morning we went to the markets near the Court House and after strolling around for a while we got separated - I then look up to find Paulie talking to a man - he had been cornered by a Morman who was walking around the markets spreading the word of the Lord. Well as we all know, Paulie can talk his way out of just about any situation, so he just let this bloke go on and on and then told him "we could stand here and debate our beliefs all day, but I've got to go"! Sunday 11 July we went down to the beach for a swim as it was very hot, the beach was packed and the surf was pretty big - I went in the water but freaked out at the size of the waves and hurried back to shore and left it to Paulie as he loves the surf - I prefer the nice calm water. On the morning of 12 July, we had one last morning walk on the beach and took some photos of the camels as they lined up ready for the tourists to ride them - they have the longest eyelashes! Strangely enough, in all the days we had been in Broome we didn't actually do a camel ride, oh well, next time!

We drove just 147kms from Broome to Barn Hill Station, and then 10kms of quite badly corrugated red dirt and muddy road into Barn Hill. Thankfully we were greeted with a spectacular view on arrival at Barn Hill, an awesome place set on the cliffs high above the water with absolutely beautiful beaches. The camp sites are a nice change from caravan parks too, as there is much more space between sites.

We did a walk on the beach straight away and took heaps of photos. We also checked out the very different and interesting amenities - open air toilets and showers, made from corrugated iron and no roof but quite nice with lots of fresh air whistling around you while you go to the loo or shower! Next day we did a very long bare-foot walk along the beach and both ended up with sore feet, then had a nice swim. Took lots more photos as it was just so picturesque. The next day started with a long beach walk and then up over the rocky headland - another very hot day.

We rested up in the afternoon and then went along to the happy hour entertainment, a country singer named Max - we didn't stay long - that might give you an indication of how talented he was! Headed back to camp for dinner and to take some sunset photos.

Thursday 15 July we drove just over 200kms to Eighty Mile Beach, settled into our site, noticing that most of the trees around us had been cut right back to bare, we wondered why. Anyway, we headed down to the beach - it was a very hot day with not a lot of breeze. The beach goes forever and is covered in heaps of white shells. There were a zillion people fishing off the beach but not many seemed to be catching anything. Later we saw a guy carrying back a huge thread-fin salmon.

We experienced a spectacular sunset that evening, which is similar to what is called a staircase to the moon, but was in fact a staircase to the sun!

Next morning we walked along the beach before breakfast and then visited the office/shop where we learned about Cyclone Laurence which flattened the park in December 2009, showing photos of how the trees and buildings were destroyed (this answered our bare trees query). They had 235km winds and everyone was evacuated except the caretakers who bunkered down in a shipping container bolted to the ground, absolutely terrifying. Most of the trees in the park died from the battering but a few survived and have started to sprout new growth. 

Saturday morning we drove to Karratha (stopping at Whim Creek for lunch). On arrival in Karratha, we stopped at the information centre and met our friend Johnsie (a neighbour from Zillmere days) who we stayed with for just over a week. Karratha is primarily known for the surrounding resource industries - Pilbara Iron, Dampier Salt, Woodside Offshore Petroleum and Burrup Fertilisers. Johnsie is living in Karratha til the end of his work contract and goes home every six week to see his wife Peta and the kids in Buderim.

On the Sunday, he took us on a scenic drive to Cleaverville - a popular fishing location at the mouth of Cleaverville Creek, then on to Cossack - where we visited a fantastic art exhibition which is Australia's richest regional art award in prize-money and the world's most remote. Browsed through the old court house and jail and snapped Paulie behind bars - hopefully that's the only time I see him in jail! There was also a fair underway that day with jugglers, kids face painting etc. Next we went to Point Samson, a pretty beachside spot famous for snorkelling and fishing. We had a great week just hanging out at Johnsie's place, exploring Karratha on our bikes and walking, a bit of shopping, cooking and enjoyed being under a roof for little while. Paulie gave the van a good wash as well to get rid of all the red dirt. One day we drove out to Dampier and an oncoming mining truck threw up a bunch of gravel onto us and yep ... windscreen crack No. 3 - that's three cracks in three months and it probably won't be the last unfortunately. We got it fixed that same afternoon before it could spread further.

Saturday 24 July we went to the Roebourne Cup Races (about 38kms out of Karratha) with Johnsie and his friends and work colleagues. We were lucky to be included in a corporate area with free drinks! There were nearly 5,000 people there. The racecourse is red dust and so of course our shoes were covered in red dust in no time. When we would go down close to the track to watch each race, the red dust would fly up as the horses thundered past.

Paulie and I picked first and second places in Race 2, but then they called it a "no race" because there was a false start - just our luck! Our punting luck didn't really improve for the rest of the day, our total winnings were a grande $13 (but that included the $10 we got back from Race 2)! Anyway, we still had a great time and after we got home, showered off all the red dust, had a bite to eat and were just settling in at home for the evening, when Johnsie got a phone call inviting us all out to a party just a couple of blocks away - so off we set on foot and we stumbled home around 11.30 and fell into bed exhausted.