[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.

[NT] Daly Waters,Katherine,Darwin,Timber Creek, [WA] Lake Argyle,Fitzroy Crossing

Friday 18 June we drove to Daly Waters (via Banka Banka, Renner Springs, Elliott, Newcastle Waters, Dunmarra). On arrival, we checked out the very famous and interesting pub with all its hanging bras, undies, thongs, t-shirts, and different currency notes visitors have nailed to the walls.

The camping area was full of vans when we arrived and so we were the first to camp on a spare vacant lot but in no time we had neighbours, as more vans and campers rolled into town - talk about a popular spot! The town of Daly Waters is basically "the pub" so that's where it's all happening. The entertainment for the night was an old guy singing and playing the guitar (with a live large chook sitting on his head), he told a few jokes and stories along the way - he had everyone laughing.

Next day we headed for Katherine and stayed at Takaru Bush Resort, 44 acres of lovely green grass but there's no camping allowed on the nice green stuff, so camped on the crusty dry grass. The local fire brigade were burning off in the area so there was a lot of thick smoke when we went into town for some groceries. We only had the one night there and next day headed for Darwin.

Arrived in very hot Darwin on Sunday 20 June staying at the Free Spirit Caravan Park for eight nights, as we had a few things to sort out for the van and had to hang around waiting for delivery of some items. Paulie received a phone call from ABC Radio to advise that he had won the last "Juke Box" competition he had entered when at Tennant Creek and they would post his prize (three CDs) to home!  During our time in Darwin, we drove into the city for a look around and noticed an improvement since we were there in 2001. We visited Cullen Bay with its beautiful aqua blue water. We took a bus trip to see the popular evening Mindil Beach Markets with all its variety of local entertainers, colourful stalls of jewellery, clothing and all manner of international cuisine. The SkyCity Casino is also close to the markets so we popped in there for a quick look and to feed $20 into the pokies, and we ran into an old work mate of Paulie's - Trevor and his wife Carol - who we then caught up with the next day for a lovely barramundi lunch at the wharf, sharing a great time and lots of laughs. At the back of our caravan park was a very long flat bike/walking track, so we did a couple of 10km bike rides and walks - tough going in the 32 degree heat each day! On Saturday 26 June we decided to go to the Fannie Bay horseraces, so in order for us to both be able to have a drinkie, we endured a rather interesting one hour bus ride to the racecourse in the company of some of the locals. We had a great time at the races but didn't leave there rolling in money - oh and we decided to get a cab home and skip the bus trip!

Monday 28 June we backtracked to Katherine again for one night at the Springvale Homestead caravan park, which is a pet friendly park, and so our camping neighbours included a huge german shepherd. It was very hot in Katherine and a million flies everywhere, which is so much fun when trying to cook dinner! Next day we drove 300kms to Timber Creek (about 170kms from the WA border). They have small fresh water crocodiles in the creek and have a feeding at 5pm each night. That night we cooked up all our fresh vegies in preparation for going through the WA border quarrantine check next day.

Wednesday 30 June we set off, eating the last of our fresh fruit for morning tea and headed towards the WA border. Once into WA, we drove to the beautiful Lake Argyle, again experiencing very warm weather. We drove down to a lovely green grassy picnic area for lunch, where the hydro electric system is and then drove to other lookouts to view the enormous Lake Argyle (the biggest body of fresh water in Australia  covering over 900 square kms) with its spectacular red rocky hills surrounding it. We checked into the caravan park and had a swim in their beautiful new "infinity" pool which overlooks the lake and appears to have no edges - quite breathtaking views. Our next day at Lake Argyle started off warm and lovely but turned overcast and by the afternoon was blowing a gale and showery, so we had to batten down for the night.

Unfortunately travelling in WA at this time of year coincides with school holidays, the grey nomads, local shows and rodeos etc, so most accommodation is booked out along with tours to the most popular tourist sites e.g. the Bungle Bungles which require 4WD vehicles. We are restricted with our current vehicle, so we intend to return in the near future with our own 4WD to visit all these special places including the Gibb River Road ... we are already planning our next trip!

Friday 2 July we drove about 670kms to Fitzroy Crossing camping for two nights at the Fitzroy River Lodge at their grassy camp area. Very warm sunny weather once again. We did a walk along the road towards town on Saturday morning, crossing the Fitzroy River which is mostly dry this time of year. Later we drove into town for some fresh fruit and vegies which we purchased from the supermarket (which was basically a large tin shed - no Woolies or Coles here yet) - not a very big town and not much to see unless you have a 4WD. We will be heading for Broome (via Derby) over the next couple of days.

[NT] Tennant Creek,Alice Springs, Yulara(Uluru),The Olgas,Kings Canyon,Stuart Wells,Alice Springs,Tennant Creek

Tuesday 1 June we arrived at Tennant Creek, NT - settling into the Outback Caravan Park for one night - the very same caravan park we stayed at back in 2001! Had a relaxing afternoon just catching up on emails etc and listening to the ABC radio - there was a "Juke Box Competion" on where listeners ring in to answer three questions relating to the song being played. Paulie couldn't help himself, so phoned in to enter the comp - got the questions correct, went into the weekly draw for a prize of three CDs - but didn't get drawn out for the prize.

Next day we drove 550kms to Alice Springs, arriving late afternoon and staying two nights at the Wintersun Caravan Park. Unfortunately whilst driving to Alice Springs, a passing car threw up a stone and put a small chip in our windscreen, so next morning we got that fixed. Had a walk around Alice Springs shops, paid 50c to use public toilet - yes you have to pay at some toilets! Had a lovely lunch at the Red Ochre Grill sitting in their pretty courtyard in the sunshine, thinking about all you poor suckers at work! Very chilly night outside but we were cosy in our van.

Friday 4 June we headed off for Yulara, 444kms south west of Alice Springs. About 130kms from Yulara, we first sighted a huge red rock formation and we got excited thinking it was Uluru - but then noticed it wasn't quite the right shape (too flat on top) - turned out to be Mt Connor - a  mistake made by many we later found out! Then further on when we did see the real Uluru, it really was a WOW moment - it's quite spectacular. We checked into Yulara Resort/Campground which services visitors to Uluru - it's quite a big resort with various accommodation options - we found a spot for our van, the sites are only small so everyone is pretty close. Our first night there, we walked up the back of the campsite to the lookout for the sunset on the Rock - amazing!

Next morning we drove 22kms to the Rock, obtaining the three day pass on the way - this covers access to Uluru and The Olgas. When we arrived at Uluru, it was closed for climbing due to strong winds at the summit, so we did the 10km base walk, which was beautiful. We got back from the base walk around 2pm and Paulie noticed people climbing up the Rock, so with great haste and adrenalin pumping, he decided to go for it while he had the chance. I didn't climb the Rock but I did surf it!! With my dodgy knees (a gift from my dear mum) and low blood pressure, I decided against the climb as it is incredibly steep and I didn't want to risk an injury which would ruin the rest of our trip. Paulie said you can't appreciate how steep it is until you are standing at the bottom and the climb that is visible from the ground is only about half of what is required to get to the end of the chain, and then after the chain ends you are on your own with just a white dotted line to follow. Paulie caught up with a couple and their daughter and climbed with them (they were from Tassie - up here for the Finke desert race, which is a huge event from Alice Springs). Paulie said it was a tough climb, but the feeling of standing on the top and the view you see, far outweighed the exertion required! Paulie was absolutely buzzing after the climb and couldn't stop talking about it for days.

  

On the Sunday we did a couple of walks at The Olgas - The Valley of the Winds and the Gorge walk. The scenery was different to Uluru but just as spectacular. Next day we drove back to Uluru for one last close up look and visited the cultural centre and arts shop. That evening we got the Resort's free bus to the beautiful Kuniya Restaurant for a five star dinner as a special treat - our meals were delicious and we had a wonderful time. On Tuesday, our last day at Yulara, we caught up on some washing, did a bike ride around the area and watched our final Uluru sunset. We were also lucky enough to be given a beautiful roast lamb dinner by our caravanning neighbours - as they had way too much food for the two of them - how nice was that!

Wednesday 9 June we were up early to drive to Kings Canyon, which means backtracking 136kms to the turnoff to Kings Canyon and then 167kms into the Canyon. The cold weather had started to set in with cold and windy days and chilly nights but at least the days are fine. Fairly quiet day with a short walk to the lookout. Dingoes wandering freely around the campsites at dusk and then howling closeby throughout the night. Next morning we were up at 8am - yes 8am, which is so late for us but we have been sleeping like babies in our cosy van, sleeping for 12 hours some nights!!

We did the 6km Kings Canyon rim walk which took 3 and 1/2 hours - quite a steep section at the start and climbing up and down rocks, cliff edges close by, beautiful scenery including the Garden of Eden with a gorgeous waterhole. Very chilly and windy walk but well worth it. Friday morning we did the Kings Canyon base walk where we could see up the cliffs to the rim where we had walked the previous day. Another cold and windy day, but fine still. We also did the Kathleen Springs walk which had only just reopened after the heavy rains earlier this year. Saturday and Sunday were pretty quiet days catching up on cleaning the van etc, and did a 10km bike ride out the back of Kings Canyon. With our five night stay at Yulara and another five nights at Kings Canyon, Paulie's cider stocks had run dangerously low, and at $40 for a six-pack, we had to call on our emergency rum bottle which got us through!

From Kings Canyon turnoff, we now needed to backtrack through Alice Springs and Tennant Creek (approx 730kms) to be able to head north, so on Monday 14 June we drove to Stuart Wells, staying one night at the Roadhouse, camping out the back on some lovely red dirt - that's what you have to put up with when you are in "Centralia" as it's called by the locals! The owner of the Roadhouse, Jim Cotterill, has a pet dingo called Dinky and that evening Jim told the story of Dinky's piano playing and singing talent. At the end of the talk, Jim called up Paulie from the audience to sit at the piano with Dinky and play. There were strict instructions about no sudden movements or patting Dinky but Dinky was allowed to sniff and lick Paulie's head. Then the show began, as Dinky would walk on the piano keys and howl at the same time and then every time he stopped, Paulie would play a note and Dinky would howl again and stomp on the keys - it was quite a show, very funny. I took some photos and a movie of the performance - very entertaining!

We then had the next night at Alice Springs again, to restock the food pantry and grog supplies. Alice recorded a -1degree temperature next morning so we took off early without breakfast. We were then going to stop at Wauchope the next night (just before Tennant Creek) to listen to or watch the State of Origin but on arrival at Wauchope we discovered no radio, phone or tv reception, so decided to drive on to Tennant Creek. In the afternoon whilst listening to the radio, the "Juke Box Competition" was on again and Paulie phoned in, getting the correct answers to the three questions - so he's in the draw for a prize again! Will keep you posted on the outcome. Later we watched the SofO game on a tiny tv in the communal camp kitchen at the caravan park, together with one other Queensland couple and various other Aussie and overseas travellers. What a great game and a fantastic victory once again for QUEENSLAND!

[QLD] Winton,Boulia,Mt Isa,Camooweal

After leaving Longreach on Thursday 27 May we arrived in Winton for one night. That afternoon we walked around town visiting local sites such as Arno's Wall - a local's 250m fence which has everything cemented into it - even a kitchen sink, plus a gate made out of hub caps - now we know where all the lost hub caps end up! We had a drink in the pub where Banjo Patterson first recited Waltzing Matilda (note: my drink was a disgusting glass of wine which I found out was from a 10 litre cask - it pays to ask "is the wine out of a bottle?")!! Our camping neighbours suggested we take the back road to Boulia (360kms) through the channel country as it was more picturesque than the highway to Cloncurry, and they were right - it was only a single lane road but interesting. Had a rainy night's stay at Boulia Caravan Park.

Next morning we headed off for Mt Isa. As we got closer to Mt Isa we could get radio reception and found out that it was race day there, with the first (of only five races) kicking off at 2.15. We thought that might be fun, so Paulie put his foot down and we hightailed it to the Isa (noting the racecourse location on the way in), checked into the Sunset Caravan Park, had showers and got dressed ready for the races. The caravan park was about 10mins walking distance to the racecourse, so off we set on foot and after 10mins I asked Paulie "are we walking the right way?" - he assured me we were, "it's just at the end of this street". WRONG - we were totally lost and of course running late for the first race, and to top it off it was a stinking hot day. We were in fact walking away from the racecourse and after half an hour of walking we finally asked a local for directions. Once we were heading in the right direction, we could actually see the first race in progress, so 15mins later we found the entrance to the racecourse and headed straight for the bar - for a cold drink of water first up! So that  meant we would only see four races - but we backed three winners and it was a good day after all.

On Monday 31 May we drove to Camooweal - our last Queensland stopover. Not much to do in Camooweal, so we settled into the roadhouse caravan park, had a pretty quiet relaxing arvo and an early night to bed so we could get away early next morning for the 470km drive to Tennant Creek.