markusandginnie

Exmouth is a great little town with that watered, mown, tidied and loved look. We stocked up for our venture into wilder territory up the road in the Cape Range National Park. A young Dutch couple were hawking in the car park at the tourist info centre for tickets on a Whale Shark tour. There are several tour operators in town but this mob (Ocean Wise) are actually Marine Biologists doing research on the sharks and significantly funding it with tourist passengers on the charter vessel they use. A great price was negotiated and we found a great place to stay at Yardie Ck Homestead just outside the gates to the Cape Range NP.

Dutch couple Karl & Cindy selling tickets. They came on our tour. Hope they visit us in Melbourne someday.

Ginnie was so excited she didn’t sleep as soundly as usual! The mini bus picked us up at 7.45am for the short trip to the jetty for transfer to the charter boat. These trips are expensive because apart from the marine charter costs there are spotter planes that pin point the location of the Whale Sharks and transmit this info to the tour boats. They start their spotting routes at 10am and at 10.01am we were told we were nearest to the first sighted whale sharks! There was an instant buzz of excitement as it often takes some time to get near the slow moving creatures. We quickly grabbed our goggles, snorkels & flippers ready for the signal to enter the water. They have a clever routine of getting ahead of the Whale Shark, dropping two staff as spotters into the water who then raise their arms when the gentle giants are sighted… then its the first group of 10 into the water as quickly as possible.

It’s hard to explain swimming out to where the Whale Shark approaches and watching an 8 metre dark spotted form suddenly loom out of the distance coming straight towards you. Aussie law requires a 3 metre distance between you and them, so as that big mouth approaches you swim quickly to either side. They move at a lazy pace so swimming beside them is no problem. Around and under them, dozens of other fish are feeding and hitchhiking. These are the biggest fish in the ocean and we encountered only juvenile males as these are the only ones who come this close to the reef at such shallow depths.

These creatures are quite illusive and the research continues to try to understand where they breed and migrate to in their travels as well as other aspects of health and behaviour. Sadly thousands are harvested on the asian continents for the prestigious shark fin soup, medicines and also products like fish oil tablets… do know know the source of the tablets you have? …they usually don’t tell you that. Because they are a fish they do not need to surface, so the shallow swimming behaviour at Ningaloo Reef is a rare opportunity to get close to these creatures. If spooked they just disappear deep below the surface and are gone from view indefinitely.

Here is Ginnie’s group in the water. She is in the middle of the group waving at you!

Our day was a spectacular treat as sometimes only one sighting occurs. We encountered at least 5 sharks and enjoyed multiple sessions viewing them which meant about 2 hours was spent swimming with these beautiful creatures. After hours of swimming, diving and grabbing photos we anchored inside the reef for one of the best buffet spreads you could imagine. Refreshed by the food we then had an hour or so of snorkelling the reefs under the boat where fantastic coral formations, a dazzling array of reef fish, a blue spotted lagoon sting ray and even a white tip reef shark were spotted by both of us. As the boat moved towards home two large turtles raced under the front of the boat. They may be clumsy on land but are amazingly quick in the water!

It was fabulous day and all the more enjoyable because of the passion of the staff many of whom are engaged in Masters or PhD level study on Whale Sharks. It was great to know our tourist dollar was also contributing to future understanding and preservation of these amazing animals.

Another exhausting day at the office 🙂

The next morning we headed for our booked camp sight in the Cape Range NP. There are several sights to camp on the water but the recent flooding has meant many roads and camp sights were damaged so there was considerable pressure on the available camp sights. People were lining up at the gates at 6am for 2 or 3 hours only to be turned away. Fortunately we managed to make an online booking and secure a great sight for the two days that suited our itinerary. As we entered, the park the ranger told us there had been an early morning punch up at her booth with frustrated tourists competing for the few available spots – beware the grumpy Grey Nomad!

Anchored on Ningaloo Reef

A great day of snorkelling at Kurrajong, Turquoise Bay & Oyster Stacks which are some of the best spots in Australia. The treat for the day was getting to swim with two turtles who seemed quite relaxed about our presence. As we returned to our camp sight  we had an amazing encounter with a pair of Dingos on the roadside who also appeared to ignore us (even me advancing with my camera) but took off as soon as a second vehicle slowed to observe them. We had great yarns to share with fellow campers gathered on the highest sand dunes for traditional “drinks at sunset”.

On our last day in the park we drove to the southern most site: Yardie Creek Gorge.

Yardie Ck Gorge is the only permanent water in the Cape Range NP

We stopped for lunch on our way way back to Exmouth at the Lighthouse at Vlamingh Head where we were enthralled by the sight of an emu kneeling down to drink at the base of nearby water tank. I have never seen an Emu drink and it is a sight to behold. Their knees fold backwards then they scoop water into their mouths and raise their head to swallow each mouthful!

Big bird and small bird eyeing one another off for access to the water!

The lighthouse hill affords fabulous 360º views of the reef and surrounding coastline including a huge array of antennas installed during the cold war years (1967) as a Naval Communication Station for a vast area of previously unmonitored ocean. This is the world’s largest very low frequency (VLF) transmitter and the second tallest structure in the southern hemisphere.

View from the lighthouse. When the Humpback Whales migrate you can see them breaching from here.

After grabbing water & essentials in Exmouth we headed back down to the turn off which would lead us inland to Tom Price and the fabulous gorge country of Karijini NP. Our quiet campsite in a paddock “somewhere”, treated us not only to a glorious sunset (and sunrise) but also one the clearest solar displays we have yet seen as there was no moon and no artificial ground lights (cars, towns, etc). Karijini here we come.

The Milky Way at our campsite.

After our windswept night at Bush Bay it was only about 30 kms into Carnarvon which held the promise of the fabulous Saturday morning Farmer’s Markets in front of the Tourist Centre in the heart of town. An ominous quiet in the main street and visitors centre cast a doubt on Ginnie’s expectations. The lass in the Visitor’s Centre was not that enthusiastic about Carnarvon and its attractions and not too sure about what was happening really… the perfect person for a tourist info centre!?!?! Oh well, we found the water supply and filled the tanks, found the shops and filled the fridge and pantry and managed to find a few farm gate stalls where in season fruit and veggies were obtained. You know how sometimes a town has a ‘feel’ and you either can’t wait to go back or would not return? Yeah, Carnarvon was a place like that… might cruise past next time around.

The Wedge Tailed Eagle is often seen feeding on road kill but they fly away if you slow to photograph them. Took me weeks to get a decent shot.

The next 2 nights were spent at a wonderful spot on the coast called 14 Mile Beach at the Warroora Station. This amazing spot is right on the beach and spread out well so you can camp with the crowd (if that is your thing) or find a quiet spot (which is our preference).

Warroora Station and the country towards Exmouth is scattered with these termite mounds.

Our camp site behind the dunes. The sun rose over the hills in the background & set over the Ningaloo Reef.

Tucked just in behind the first row of sand dunes for shelter from the onshore breeze we experienced our first taste of truly tropical weather. It was hot!

Lunchtime at our tropical camp – shade is essential in the midday hours.

The thing we are noticing over here is that sun just feels hotter. If it is 25º and the sun goes behind a cloud you are almostreaching for a jumper if there is a breeze. Sun comes out and you are looking for sunscreen and a hat! I am not sure what it is like here in summer time but the sun shining directly on us this morning as we packed up the camper was hotter than any morning in May I have experienced. We are taking care to keep the sunscreen applied. The water temperature is fabulous, cool on entry but comfortable for extended swimming.

Just over the dunes behind our camp was a huge stretch of beautiful coast that is the southern part of the Ningaloo Reef. The reef runs for miles not far off the coast and this means that the beaches are very protected from the Indian Ocean swells. The reef is obvious by the waves breaking some way off shore and roar the surf constantly in the distance. There is an abundance of fish and coral and associated activities of snorkelling and catching some of Australia’s best seafood.

Our little boat on the edge of the water at our campsite. The dark areas are coral and weed and full of reef fish.

Snorkelling into the late afternoon was fantastic and the sunset was just the usual glorious display of lights in a 360º radius around our beach camp. We launched our little boat the next morning for some more adventurous snorkelling a little further out and some fishing in the late afternoon. A great catch of mixed species: cod, golden trevally and some reef fish. As Markus reeled the bait in slowly watching a school of fish follow a big grey shape raced underneath us and through the fish. Some kind of shark but only about 4 feet long. We moved to a couple of other spots and our friendly shark visited again. Decided not to snorkel for a little while after that. The last rays of the sun over the ocean saw us cleaning and scaling our catch ready for dinner (and some for the freezer).

The next morning we headed up to the famous Coral Bay where the crystal clear bay and beach are a popular spot with many tourists. The place was packed and buzzing with summertime scenes – blue sky, brown bodies and bright colours everywhere. We walked into the shallows, out to the reef and did the drift snorkel with the current for a few hundred metres. The coral here is not colourful but still very beautiful in shades of green, grey & yellow with formations that look like brains, cabbage leaves, shelves and tiny buds in massive clusters. Often clumped on rocks with ledges underneath, diving deeper can reveal the reef fish that are not obvious from the surface. The water was delightfully warm – about 24º [LATE NEWS: a humpback whale carcass washed up into Coral Bay and thousands of sharks have come to feast on it. A few less snorkellers in the water I suspect?]

Coral Bay

As our preference is a quieter camp site rather than mixing with the masses and paying the higher van park fees, we drove an hour or so north to another old station with coastal wilderness camping. Like Worra station, you must have a chemical toilet system to stay as there are no facilities and the dreaded toilet paper litter that ruins so many bush camps is avoided. This location was Bruboodjoo Point and like other bush camps only $15 for the two of us. The place is mostly populated by Perth and WA locals who have been coming here for years for the fishing. A lovely protected bay saw the boat swiftly launched packed with fishing gear and cold drinks and while Ginnie called her mum Markus caught the first of the fish.

Bruboodjoo Point – our camp site was in front of the row of trees on the left in the background!

Having been told that the shark we saw was a common thing as they try and take your fish before you can land them, we were on the lookout for any more large underwater visitors. We didn’t have to wait long. A large fish that looked like a Groper quickly attacked the small fish Markus had caught. Deciding to use his catch as bait for the bigger fish he left it in the water. Fish, hook, sinker all gone in a flash. Next little catch the same strategy but this time Markus managed to jag the big sucker and started to haul him into the boat. When the huge head of this thing came out of the water he bared massive teeth more like a weasel or ferret than any fish we have seen. The thing snorted and snapped and looked like an oversize toad fish which are toxic to touch or eat. We decided not to welcome him onboard our little inflatable boat and cut him free instead.

Northwest Blow Fish – nasty, ugly, mean & poisonous!

It turns out this was a wise decision. A call to Ginnie’s brother Scott helped to identify this as the Northwest Blowfish (nicknamed the bolt cutter by the locals) which is very poisonous and a nasty piece of work. Ours was about 60-80 cms long but apparently they can grow to over a metre! With him gone the setting sun saw us both hauling in dozens of Cod many of which we returned to the water keeping enough for a good size dinner. The second sunset in a row provided enough light at the waters edge for the fish cleaning (which Markus always seems to end up doing by himself!). A chicken & veggies roasted in the camp oven was a delicious variation to our fish dinners on this beautiful evening. Tomorrow we are off to Exmouth, Cape Range NP and more of the world famous Ningaloo Reef and World Heritage Marine Park.

The coast at Exmouth

Our first visit as we headed for Kalbarri NP – Pink Lake near Port Gregory.

The much anticipated Kalbarri National Park begins along the coast on the southern edge with several amazing coastal features and then extends about 60 kilometres or so to the west after the town of Kalbarri.

Island Rock, Kalbarri NP.

It is in the upper section of the park that the famous Murchison River Gorges are located. Deep ravines with amazing red rock strata.

Our arrival in the late afternoon offered the perfect lighting to gaze and photograph these stunning formations.

The famous “Nature’s Window”

Like other parks we have visited there have been extensive upgrades to roads and facilities in the last year or so.

Leaving the park we witnessed not only a stunning sunset, but also a very decent full moon rising.

After a quiet night in a roadside lay-by a few kilometres before the main road we headed north for the famous Shark Bay World Heritage Area which includes the Francois Peron NP & Monkey Mia Dolphin Resort.

Black cockatoos at our lunch stop. Love the red tail feathers!

Shell beach. Look again, there is no sand… it is all small shells (detail pic below). In the distance is a quarry where shell blocks are cut for constructions like the old church (now restaurant below) in Denham.

Island at Eagle Bluff which is bald from years of mining guano (bird poo) for the fertiliser industry. Look closely and you can see hundreds of sea birds around the edge of this little island.

After checking into the seaside caravan park we headed north up the sandy tracks of Francois Peron NP for sunset at Big Lagoon.

Big Lagoon in the Francois Peron NP. Next time I reckon we might camp here!

Up bright and early the next morning as Virginia was very keen to get to the first feeding of the Dolphins at Monkey Mia at 7.45am.

She was not disappointed – the first feeding was great and then a second one (at the Dolphin’s timing) was only 30 minutes later and took everyone by surprise resulting in a small crowd, more dolphins than usual, and Ginnie’s chance to get up close and personal with a female Dolphin named “Surprise”.

The second show gave Markus the opportunity to shoot some photos from the jetty where he got a great view not only of Ginnie’s joyful encounter, but a visiting turtle, tiny birds & playful Dolphins in deeper water.

It had been a great morning and we headed up to a beach camp just south of Carnarvon.

Quite a nice spot to get bogged. We camped overnight here at Bush Bay (Indian Ocean) and it blew a gale all night!

We left Cervantes and continued up the recently refurbished Ocean Drive. Along the way we called on the pretty little ports of Jurien Bay, Green Head & Leeman with a lunch stop beside the Indian Ocean on a small cliff top. The sea can be merciless in its force and recent high tides and strong swells have left a trail of weed deposits and high water marks in various place we have been.

Boat Harbour at Jurien Bay. We are always amazed at the beautiful, clear, sparkling, clean water on the west coast.

Port Denison and Dongara are twin towns that are like a little return to coastal paradise after the long stretches of coast line with farmlands and tiny fishing towns. Markus got chatting to a German gentleman who was driving a Unimog which he had fitted out as a camper himself. Markus is in love……..a future project perhaps?

The trees around Greenough are a vision of resilience; living with the reality of harsh southerly winds.

We pulled into Geraldton late in the day and set up camp at Coronation Beach with enough time to enjoy another spectacular sunset. Ginnie is trying to figure out how to introduce a mandatory stop at the end of every day back in city life, to pause and drink in the sunset, enjoy a moments quietness and be thankful for the blessings of the day. Markus thinks the answer is to spend every day “on the road”!

We have found cycling around the various towns and cities a great way to explore (and get some exercise). We enjoyed cycling around Geraldton, enjoying the sites (check the video on Markus’ Facebook page).

We loved the War Memorial to HMAS Sydney II commemorating the 645 sailors who were lost in battle in 1941.

The highlight of our time in Geraldton was a flight to the Abrolhos Islands thanks to friend and fellow explorer Peter Langston’s recommendation to do this. We set off bright and early with our pilot Wendy and two other passengers who were heading out to stay on the Islands for fishing and diving. These stunning coral islands are 60 km off the shore and are the scene of the Batavia shipwreck with its tragic story of mutiny and now themporary home to seasonal fishermen, divers and nature lovers. We spent the day at Turtle Bay on Wallabi East Island, snorkelling, walking and marvelling at the remoteness and beauty of this unique and isolated location.

Fish & coral reef where we spent hours snorkelling. Poor quality image is lifted from Markus’ underwater video.

We saw a large Osprey nest and were lucky to see this one soaring above and feeding on a mouse. Markus says that the following pictures are all of stunning birds he saw on the island.

Turtle Bay, our home for the day. You can see the reef where we snorkelled to the right.

View from the plane on our flights home. You could spend weeks exploring these islands.

Another great chapter in our journey 🙂

Friday arrived and it was time for Markus to leave his “Bachelor Pad” beside the Murray River and pick up Ginnie from the Perth Airport. She was sad to leave her mum in Sydney but very happy to be reunited with hubby and back on the road. After a cuppa and catch up with friends Paul & Helen Molyneux and family we were on the road again. It was a fairly late exit from the city on a Friday afternoon so 100kms later we pulled up at Gingin for the night. Saturday saw a slightly wet start & spectacular drive with sun & showers alternating.

Sun above and showers ahead. Stunning!

Lots of these in the outback. Hate to be paying for those tyres!

Roadside wonders – the Saw Tooth Banksia and attentive Bee 🙂 These flowers range from black through brown, green, yellow, pink & orange on the one bush!

When we arrived in Cervantes it was sunny & very warm – just in time for lunch… and what does one have for lunch in Cervantes?

The Indian Ocean Lobster Factory is in Cervantes. The pics below show a lobster boat unloading & the crates of lobsters ready for export. A cold water spray puts them into a dormant state for their journey to foreign shores.

 After a delicious lunch we headed for the natural wonders around Cervantes: the Stromatolites at Lake Thetis and The Pinnacles Desert.

These strange limestone pillars can reach up to 5 metres tall and are scattered over several acres in the Nambung NP. How they were formed remains a mystery and they have been buried and re-exposed over the centuries!

Yellow sand in the foreground with pinnacles everywhere… huge white sand dunes behind and then the turquoise ocean and endless sky… what a scene!

A relaxing end to a great day of discovery around a camp fire at Tuart Reserve… ahh the serenity!

We only had about 45kms till we were in Mandurah when young lady overtaking us slowed beside our car and waved her arms frantically  pointing this way and that and making circles in the air. It was all very confusing and could have meant anything from “Great looking truck… or, hey mate, all your wheels are spinning… or, hello handsome are you travelling alone?… or, excuse me but your trailer appears to be on fire!”

Unfortunately, on this occasion, it was the last of these options. We pulled over to check things out to be greated with clouds of smoke billowing from under the passenger side of the camper trailer. Thoughts rushed through our minds like “did I turn off the stove after lunch” (Ginnie) and “don’t tell me the batteries have had a melt down” (Markus).

It usually takes us about 3 or 4 minutes to get the camper open… boat swings off the top, the spare tyre swings off the back… undo all the clips that hold things closed and swing the top of the trailer over onto the ground. Not this time! Within 30 seconds it was all open, I had the bed lifted and felt everything to see what was hot with Ginnie beside me fire extinguisher at the ready (I wonder if she actually knows how to use one of those? I must ask her what she would have down if there was flames!). When it was clear nothing inside the camper was on fire we stepped out and discovered all the smoke was coming from the back of one of the trailer wheels. I knew what this meant… we had a wheel bearing meltdown and things were now cooking and disintegrating within the hub. Had we not stopped I would have had the opportunity to see our trailer wheel part company with the trailer and head off into the bush at high speed as the whole camper then dropped onto the roadway and threatened to bring us all undone! I know how this looks from experience many years ago with a hired camper trailer miles out from Tipaburra, 10 hours north of Broken Hill.

This is why a good tool kit & supply of spare parts is handy… had it all sorted enough to limp into town in under an hour 🙂

Long story short… thank you Pedders Suspension for over tightening the wheel bearing (apparently they are in the habit of doing this) I am composing a letter to Mr Pedder and enclosing the bill for $640 to see if they stand by their “No Bull” catch cry?

Sunset beside the estuary behind Mandurah a short time later and our troubles seems a world away…

This is Harvey Estuary. Together with Peel Inlet, and the Murray & Serpentine Rivers they provide an amazing series of waterways behind Mandurah just an hour south of Perth.

Sadly I had to put Virginia on the plane to Sydney on Friday in Perth. She is spending a week helping her mum settle back into home after a recent fall and stint in hospital. We were keen to find me a nice quiet place for me to stay, on the water so I could fish and go boating and with a good internet signal so I could mark assignment papers for Harvest BC. A search of the local caravan parks was pretty discouraging. The closer you get to the big cities the harder it is to find bush camping spots and caravan parks get really pricey with no discount for one person – you pay for the site. With options limited I started to think outside the box and drove around the foreshore and river front area looking for some creative solution… and there it was… the last house in a quiet street that finished on the Murray River… a small holiday cottage, somewhat run down and uninhabited and FOR SALE! No I didn’t buy it… but I did ring the agent and ask how the owner might feel about letting me camp in the back lawn (next to the river) in return for some rent or some maintenance on the house? He put me in contact with the owner who generously said he was happy help us out and granted me permission to stop here for as long as I needed, FREE! I think you will agree that someone was looking after us. I like it so much here I almost don’t want to leave…

Home away from home for Markus while Ginnie is in Sydney. It’s almost as beautiful as Ferntree Gully!!!                      The pictures below show the Murray river flowing just a few metres from my set up and living area 🙂

 After dropping Ginnie at the airport I had a visit to Perth CBD before heading back to Mandurah for sunset on the waterfront…

My idea of the perfect dinner to watch the sunset at Mandurah… the prawn lovers special 🙂

Turns out sunrise around these parts is also pretty good. These shots are near my campsite…

This delightful stretch of coast starts to the south in Augusta and runs straight up the rugged coastline to Eagle Bay & Dunsborough. Multiple national parks, numerous caves and, of course, the Margaret River food and wine district are the highlights of this little journey which is quite achievable in a day – depending on how much wine tasting you plan to indulge in!

We arrived at Augusta & Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse late in the day. This where the Southern & Indian Oceans meet.

This old waterwheel was built to transport water along a wooden channel from a spring to the lighthouse builders. The wheel is so salt encrusted now it looks like stone.

Our first glimpse of the Indian Ocean… not too bad!

We managed to find a most unlikely bush camp almost in the heart of Augusta near the airport and had our first taste of Marron (a large fresh water crayfish) we had purchased in Pemberton. Despite the overnight rains we packed up in the sunshine and headed north. First stop was the Jewel Cave just as the first tour was about to leave. Only 4 of us to enjoy the natural beauty of this amazing cave discovered in 1959 when a curious local went down the small open shaft that provided a cool breeze from the earth’s depths. To our amazement there is the tap root of a Karri tree penetrating the roof of this cave and imbedded in the floor, 15 to 20m below the surface!

We then meandered through an amazing mix of National Parks and farmland to the legendary Margaret River. This area has received the full gourmet food and wine makeover that makes it such a popular holiday destination. We followed the recommendation of locals we had met at a roadhouse on the Nullarbor and called at Brown Hill which has great wine without the resort makeover that some of the larger wineries have.

Master taster at work – all these bottles yet to sample. Can’t really remember much of the day after that!

I reckon you pay more for the wine at this place… pretty fancy mate!

The tasting was fun and a carton of their produce is on it’s way to our home in Melbourne as I type this. Lunch in the gardens at the nearby Berry Factory was delicious and a final stop at Yahava coffee roasters to top up our supply of beans.

Yes there is a “Maragaret River” and here she is flowing peacefully through the township.

On the way out of town we called at a Deer Farm which supplied all sorts of exotic game meats. Venison steaks and chorizo in the fridge for coming meals but Virginia would not entertain the crocodile sausages or goat, duck, rabbit, etc… Having done our little bit to bolster the local tourism trade (we really blew our budget this week) we drove through countless picture perfect vineyards with the sun low across the autumn vine leaves to arrive at days end at the northern lighthouse at Cape Naturaliste. A sunset walk around the lighthouse and headland was the perfect end to a day of stunning scenery, natural beauty and amazing tourist attractions.

Where do you camp at the end of a perfect day… try one of these amazingly cheap church-owned waterfront campsites just out of Busselton.        Ah the serenity!

We continued to explore the Southern Forest Region over the next few days. The weather was showering which served to enhance the misty, green magic of these ancient forests. We checked into a motel in Pemberton for one night as the ground was SO wet and muddy. It absolutely poured that night so it was a good decision!

Driving through a karri forest. These majestic trees can grow as high as 90m

Ginnie had a go at climbing a little way up the Dave Evans Bicentennial Tree in Warren National Park. This is one of 3 fire lookout trees open to the public in the Pemberton area. It is 68m high with 130 pegs. Unfortunately it was a wet and windy day so unsafe to climb to the top. If it wasn’t for the bad weather, I’m sure we would have made it!? (Markus was not at all keen.)

How could we drive past this without stopping for a tasting?

Some snaps of the forest within the forest:

Suspension bridge crossing the Beedelup Falls. It is amazing how much movement one can get on these bridges when ones’ husband is bouncing up and down in the middle! Thanks Markus  🙂

A grove of trees on the Donnelly River

A late arrival in Albany saw us book into a quiet little caravan park at the edge of town. The next morning we parked at Middleton Beach (the main town beach) and unloaded the folding bikes for a day of discovery. The headland boardwalk/bike trail affords great views of the harbour and ports before dropping you into the town centre. The memorial to Ataturk (below) and occasional old gun mounts reminded the visitor of Albany’s military history. Our Gallipoli troops and horses all departed from here!

The place was buzzing with pre-ANZAC Day preparations – including trying to extinguish the fire on Mount Clarence which threatened to cancel the celebrations after the town spent over $5M on upgrading the ANZAC Memorial & facilities on the hilltop and the adjacent historic Princess Royal Fortress. The whole day saw arial water bombing and the site was closed to visitors. Apart form the amazing history of Albany, it is a popular and trendy tourist destination with great parks and shops.

Apparently no visit to Albany is complete without seeing “Dog Rock” near town centre!  Wonder how it got its name?

We bravely cycled several kilometres up steep hills to the Old Fort and rewarded ourselves with a devonshire tea before witnessing the firing of an original (1874) muzzle load, 9 pound cannon. It was quite a ceremony with retired military chaps in WW1 gear & pith helmets loading black powder charges with ram rods before lighting the fuse and thrilling the crowd with an enormous blast & cloud of smoke.

We arrived back at our car and headed west for adventures unknown.

Although the day was late we managed to call into an amazing bush food factory run by a French family where we bought some goodies and then also stumbled upon a superb “Wood Works” gallery where a great cheese/bread platter was purchased and squirrelled into our packed car. A quick detour into the state forest for a campsite where the silence was so complete it was almost unsettling.

We arrived in Denmark just before the  mid-morning ANZAC services. Denmark has very trendy coffee shops and a great visitors centre with amenities. After grabbing (good) coffee & local knowledge we visited the famous Green Pool & Elephant rocks in Williams Bay.

Then it was into the Valley of the Giants Tree Top Walk which climbs to 45 metres along steel spans that bring you almost level with the canopy of a 400 year old Tingle Forest (unique to the Walpole area). It takes a while to get used to how much the steel spans sway and move up and down due to the foot traffic! This was one of Ginnie’s highlights so far.

The spans are VERY high and sway A LOT… it was a great experience!

Last stop was at Conspicuous Cliffs where we noticed from the lookout that people on the beach were hauling big salmon out of the surf. Without delay Markus was headed to the beach with rod in hand. Thanks to the help of a bloke on the beach the right tackle set up was soon in place and the first Salmon of the holiday was wrestled onto the beach after a great fight between man and beast! Somewhere between 3 & 4 kgs – this was one of Markus’ highlight so far! A late stop in the edge of Walpole National Park saw us enjoying fresh Salmon steaks for dinner… awesome!

The next morning we drove a little deeper into the park to the Hilltop Giant Tingle Tree. After a quick top up of fuel and supplies in Walpole and we were off to explore the D’Entrecasteaux National Park which covers the south west corner of WA. A visit to the beautiful Mandalay Beach (named after the ship that was wrecked there in 1911) and then 3 kms of very sandy track to Banksia Camp Site a hundred metres from rocky outcrops and a dazzling private beach. We didn’t catch any fish here but did get a great sunset.

The road leaves the coast after the stunning run of beaches west of Esperance and we tracked through open scrub and farmlands calling in at Stokes National Park. We then grabbed some fuel and local knowledge at Ravensthorpe before turning south towards the coast again and the famous Fitzgerald River NP. The slightly overcast days we experienced over Easter have given way to very warm sunny days and clear, cold nights!

Controlled burns at sunset on farmland near Fitgerald River NP

Half way down this road we camped at a charming roadside area that was once the site of the small village of Kundip. Founded at the beginning of the 1900’s (when some roo shooters found gold in the scratchings of a Mallee Fowl Nest!) nothing remains now but levelled areas and stumps where houses once stood and business thrived beside the Ravensthorpe-Hopetoun Railway line (now converted to a Heritage Trail Walk).

Tranquility, sunset and spit roasted lamb over the fire… need I say more? A really nice evening.

After a leisurely pack up we rumbled into Hopetoun. We didn’t expect much of this isolated seaside town and so we were blown away by its charm, beauty and character. The goodies from the bakery (gotta love a complimentary chocolate eclair with your coffee!) only trumped by the breakwater, jetty and clear turquoise bays.

The Main Beach at Hopetoun.

It was so inviting we launched our little boat to try for some fresh fish for dinner.

Hopetoun Bay looking west to Fitzgerald River NP – I reckon our dinner is swimming in that water!

And it was! A Wrass and a Red Snapper… from sea to skillet in a few hours 🙂

No disappointments there – and a nice catch of Wrass, Snapper & Herring. Ginnie almost landed the big ones – unfortunately they kept taking her hook, line and sinker 😦

Boat packed & fish cleaned we headed into Fitzgerald River National Park for the afternoon. This park is one of our countries largest and is considered the most significant botanically. 75 plant species here are found nowhere else in the world and is now gazetted as a UNESCO world Biosphere Reserve. The two bottom pics are the unique Royal Hakea described as A tall, hard prickly plant with green, yellow & red scallop-shaped leaves. 

Another surprising & delightful discovery we made is that the Ravensthorpe & Hopetoun communities have taken to “farm gate art”. Here & there, just when when you least expect it, there is another colourful & ingenious sculpture of a local feature made with tin, a chimney brush, corrugated iron, whatever is at hand… brilliant! Enjoy these samples…

Giant tea set made by local farmer/sculptor

Even the Ravensworth Police Station has work of art (the Royal Hakea)

As we drove out Markus spotted a strange dark hill off the road. Holes in the fence afforded this curious couple a closer look at some strange long-closed mine (copper a local told me). Whatever it was, the tailings, molten residue and drill cores were incredible. Our country is only young but it seems there is incredible history every where you look for it.