HAPPY HOMECOMINGS

Hello, hello, hello – sorry to have been gone so long! I know, it’s been a welcome relief not to be getting Steph’s Bloody Blog Reminders every other day but guess what, here I am again. The good news is that once I have ‘blogged this blog’ you won’t be getting the frequent notifications you were before. Now that we have completed (albeit prematurely) the first leg of our odyssey, I will just be blogging the more mundane day to day life events and the photos will probably be more family orientated. I will however have DD (Douglas Darling) take some nice shots of Perth and surrounds as our movements dictate so that all you poor souls who live on the East Coast can see what you are missing out on. Once we are back on track I will recommence the notifications.

If you are interested in our doings, just log on from time to time to see if there are any interesting developments. In the meantime, I felt it would be appropriate to do a little summary of the now completed first leg.


If you have not been with us from the start, we left Perth late January this year stopping overnight in Kojonup and then on to Albany. The travelogue went something like this, Kojonup, Albany, Bremer Bay, Esperance, Duke of Orleans, Fraser Range, Madura, Fowlers Bay, Smoky Bay, Elliston, Coffin Bay, Arno Bay, Whyalla, Woomera, Coober Pedy, Yulara, Kings Canyon, Alice Springs, Wauchope Wells, Daly Rivers, Mataranka, Katherine, Bachelor, Litchfield, Darwin, Jabiru, Pine Creek, Katherine, Adelaide River, Timber Creek, Lake Argyle, Kununurra, Halls Creek, Fitzroy Crossing, Derby, Broome, Eighty Mille Beach, Exmouth, Coral Bay, Carnarvon, Kalbarri, Green Head, Home (apologies for spelling errors and/or omissions). We moved in a leisurely fashion and took roughly 10 months to cover this ground.


If we had to choose a favourite spot (as we have been asked so often to do) we have decided it would be impossible as so many factors go into the enjoyment of any location. Health, prevailing weather conditions, stage of the ....moon, my mood, DD’s mood, neighbours, news from home, caravan site, you get the picture. All of that aside, I think Mataranka would be one of the favourites for both of us. The park itself was pretty different (dusty, shocking ablutions) but provided good restaurant and entertainment qualities and the wild-life was spectacular. The thermal springs where we soaked ourselves for a couple of hours each day were also a major attraction of course. Other than that, DD just loved the Eyre Peninsula and I fell in love with Kununurra. All in all, we had no bad experiences and there was nowhere we disliked. We found all the caravan parks acceptable, some more so than others. Being fairly positive folk, even when one thing was wrong with a park, we always found other positives.


The scenery up through the middle was breathtaking, but I think my favourite for sheer beauty and colour must have been the stunningly beautiful and striking Adelaide River- the morning palette there was outstanding.


We met and made some wonderful friends and people on our travels. It seems ironic that we had to leave home to meet up with 3 sets of existing mates some of whom we would rarely connect with at home. New mates were everywhere and I consider myself to be very blessed indeed to have made some friends who I know will now always be part of my life. No names, no pack drill as they say in the classics. What classics, oh well bugger me, I don’t know, that IS what they say tho’, isn’t it??


We were extremely fortunate and suffered no major set-backs with either the Land Cruiser or the van. Both held up very well. The only real problem we encountered was losing the sky-light and having to fork out something around $600+ to replace same. I have to tell you we NEVER leave the hatches fully up anymore. Ironically, we had only been back 1 week when we picked up a bolt in one of the Cruiser’s tyres and DD had a lovely time (not) getting that remedied. It turns out that when we had the beast serviced in Alice, some nice apprentice did the wrong thing with the studs on one of the wheels and they had been cross- threaded - not an easy fix apparently as the fellow at Good Year did not have the wherewithal to fix the problem and DD had to resort to Shanks Pony to traipse around Midland trying to source the studs. It has just occurred to me that we had perhaps better check them all, just in case!!! It would have been a real drama had we flattened a tyre ‘out there’ somewhere.


Health-wise all was good, as long as you don’t count a couple of colds and stumbles. In retrospect, I should have had my knee ‘done’ before we left. I was fairly well restricted in what I could do and that in turn inclined me to avoid climbing up and down the caravan steps (quite high), and that in turn exacerbated the already bad weight condition. Of course none of that stopped me from noshing on during sundowners etc. and the weight did indeed go on, and on, and on!!! I have to say I was not alone in this dilemma; the extra couple of beers each night at those same sundowners have promulgated the further development of the very shady veranda DD now shelters his manly bits under. For some odd reason, DD who always had a long brisk walk every morning at home, gave up this habit completely while we were away, hasn’t touched a golf club, and like yours truly, has not subjected his bod to much physical exercise at all. Needless to say, when we met up with a good friend on our arrival home, we were greeted with “Well, you both look very well nourished!” – hmm, I don’t think it was intended as a compliment. Now that we are back and firmly enmeshed in family affairs, our feet rarely touch the ground and the excess weight will start to melt away somewhat. Of course, the good knee has now gone out in sympathy with the crook knee so my once elegant gait is now something akin to a duck waddle – oh well................! Nothing wrong with a good duck! On the subject of crook knees and such, for those of you similarly afflicted or simply suffering the inequities of having acquired a few years under the belt, before I left home I purchased a good walking stick (not one of the old lady types, but a young trendy type) and it proved to be invaluable. Any uneven surface which would normally pose a real problem was easily overcome by the wielding of the trusty stick – highly recommended.


For those of you considering taking the plunge and undertaking your own odyssey, the best thing I can say to you is that it is horses for courses. Not everyone likes the same things, but girls, I have yet to meet a woman who would turn her nose up at having her own shower and loo. From my perspective it is a must. DD doesn’t care about such things and has never used our shower and only resorts to the loo during the odd middle of the night foray. Moi, who needs about a million or so visits to the loo during the dark of the night, just love not having to stumble my way thru’ a dark caravan park. I also love not getting wet strides whilst trying to balance on one leg in wet and well bleached ablution blocks whilst wondering what the person in the shower next to me is putting in the communal drain that so often runs along the back of the shower recess. Believe me when the ankle biters are about, anything can turn up in those drains! We only have a standard loo, (not one of those up-market vacuum jobs) so we only use the loo for tinkles and still have to make the trek for anything more involved.


We managed to do all of those ks without once stopping at a ‘free-park’ – this was not a planned thing, in fact, we always intended to do some free-parking, it just never quite happened. As we travel with a pretty full freezer DD was a bit concerned about food defrosting and such. Our nice quiet little generator was only started four times and then only to make sure it was OK! We took much too much stuff with us as predicted by all and sundry, however as the original plan was to be out there for a couple of years, there is still not a lot we would have left behind. Perhaps the most notable item to remain with us, untouched, for the entire trip, was the bag of wood The Bloke insisted on carting with us everywhere (oh, and the chain saw with which to obtain more of same very important wood!).


We discovered several hitherto unknown things about ourselves. DD is much more sociable than me – he stops to talk to everyone whereas I sometimes have been guilty of skulking around to avoid talking to someone. I really value time alone, DD seems to be able to manage quite well without that commodity. We have had a couple of rather frosty times in the van when we have worn each other’s nerves a little thin, but by and large considering the confined space 24/7 we did OK. DD has become a bit of a fisherman, which bit remains to be seen! Sorry, he is quite a good fisherman, but thankfully, not obsessive as some we have seen. I have finally discovered my absolute love of writing and hope now that I have started not to quit until I have a couple of books under the belt. I have started with a Children’s’ Book which I now have to do something about (publishing that is) and plan to do a couple of grown-up ones next. Our love affair with birds has intensified and although we are by no means real ‘Twitchers’ we do sometimes do a rather good facsimile of those rare creatures.


I have just asked DD what he has learned during our journey and it appears that he is now a fisherman of legendary quality, can tow anything on wheels, park it anywhere, can set anything alight, can forage for wood in dangerous and snake infested forests, swim raging rivers, leap tall buildings and oh, why did I ask?


One thing which we really do recommend is travelling with a laptop with a Telstra modem and of course having a ‘free-hour’ on your mobile phone plan. These things have been invaluable for keeping in touch with family and friends and also of course for plotting the market etc. It seems that everyone has a horror story relating to Telstra customer service, but there is no denying they are the only ones with the coverage that counts once you are out of the metro areas.


We have met lots of lovely dogs on our travels, but have to say that if you are planning on travelling with the faithful hound do be aware that many caravan parks do not allow dogs and that you will not be able to take them into National Parks thus limiting where you can go. Having said that, we prefer to stay in dog friendly parks, so that we can indulge our canine fancy and enjoy OPs.


Now just to bring you up to date on what brought us back to Perth – my son Brett and his lovely madcap wife Naomi are now the proud parents of new baby Jack, brother to almost 4yo Daniel. For anyone who hasn’t heard, we very nearly lost Naomi in the process as she had major probs with her immune system and her platelet count dropped way down – this situation was further complicated by severe gestational diabetes and general ill-health. All of this culminated in early hospitalisation and then a very close thing indeed on the operating table. Nom continues to improve now almost 2 weeks after the birth of Jack having had a couple of sever set- backs in the meantime. Jack was born at 36 weeks and weighed just over 6lb in the old weight and I think it was 3.2 ks in the ‘new’ language. He also gave us a fright when he had a regurgitation problem and turned a lovely blue colour much to the consternation of all concerned. He appears to have weathered that storm well and although still a little under his birth weight, is now doing quite nicely. Nom is still in hospital and poor old Brett is doing it pretty tough looking after Daniel (the ferocious almost 4yo) and traipsing in and out to the hospital which is a bit of a drive from their home. We have of course been involved in helping with the minding of Daniel, but in truth, probably not nearly enough to make a real difference. Sorry to say we have no photos of Jack as yet as each time we have been to the hospital it has been a problem of some sort and we just haven’t thought to take a camera with us. For those of you who love those baby photos I promise I will get some soon.


The other over-riding reason we came back to Perth early was the seeming decline of my mother’s health. It ‘s very hard to tell from phone calls just how bad someone really is, but certainly from the tone of the calls we made to mum, it did seem that she was on a downward spiral. Once we arrived home and advised her that we would only be travelling to Tasmania and then returning she was overwhelmed with relief. Since then we have had to revise even the trip to Tassie and now will wait to see just how she is before we move on.


Mother in her own inimitable style has informed me that this will be her last Christmas and that if we were to go to Tassie, we would need to be back before May 26th (her birthday) as she “will be dead by then”! This certainty has been fed by a year of very ordinary health and then by the disembodied voice of her Aunt Mary telling her that “they are waiting for her”! Hmmm, when she told me, all the hairs on the back of my neck stood to attention. I am not one to scoff at this type of thing and am more inclined to believe that than her own self diagnosed health probs.


It’s a tough call folks – mum and I have had our differences over the years, as have most mothers and daughters but I do cherish and love her very much and am not about to allow her to spend the last part of her life alone and frightened. Oh, my mother would never admit to fear of any kind, but realistically there must be fear of dying alone, even for mum. Anyway, all of that aside, I just simply won’t let her do it alone. So for the immediate duration at least, we are back in Perth. The very loose plan right now is to stay here in this park until the end of Jan/Feb and then to look for a rental still closer to mum’s. That way we can get our stuff out of storage (never should have put it there in the first place) and sort thru’ it discarding anything that we cannot put to good use.


So, as much as we yearn for the open roads and wide vistas, we are going to have to wait awhile for the next episode. We are making the best of it I have now tossed enough tinsel around the van to make it look like Christmas, even to the extreme of having DD hang some coloured lights around the van and slowly but surely we are catching up with friends and family. As the world has pretty much revolved around Nom and little Jack for the last few weeks (feels like so much longer) we are now looking around us in mild wonder that the world has continued to spin on its axis. We have managed to see my other son Troy, his wife Shelly and the two kids once since we arrived back and yesterday finally caught up with Trent (DD’s son) and his wife Dani. As Trent and Dani are less than 1 k from the van it really has taken us an inordinately long time to do this.


Oh just before I leave you all to your respective celebrations, I have a confession to make – I am really embarrassed at the quality of WA caravan parks. When we returned to Perth, we stayed initially at the Banksia CP in Hazelmere – they were charging roughly $40 per night for a powered site (and not much less for a tent site!) and really the park simply was not that good. It was looking very sad indeed maintenance wise and the ablutions were really very sad. The sites were very good, but very difficult to access as the roadways were narrow and cluttered with permanent park homes. In fact, it really was more retirement village than Caravan Park. The only real upsides were that it was dog friendly and the birdlife there was quite exceptional. From there we moved over here to the Big 4 Vineyards CP in Caversham. The park is more our style being open with plenty of grass. Once again a high proportion of chalets and park-homes, all interspersed amongst the caravan sites. We find that by doing this they manage to destroy to a large degree the lovely social aspect that permeates good caravan parks. This park is fine and the ablutions are really quite good, but they have a power problem. That is to say, when you want to boil the kettle or run the microwave, you have to turn off the aircon otherwise risk blowing the switches which can then only be reset by park management. Remember this is in the Perth metro area and to our way of thinking really inexcusable. Obviously the capital expenditure to remedy the matter has not been undertaken for whatever reason. As we are going to be here during Perth’s hottest months it should prove interesting. Other than that it seems fine here and we are close to most of the family and on the fringe of my beloved Swan Valley. The vineyards next door bring back some wonderful childhood memories.


SO................deep breath.....................................WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS, WE WISH Y...................................................... Please have a wonderful Christmas and a safe healthy happy and prosperous New Year. Lots and lots of Love, Steph & Doug.

GUSTY GREEN HEAD

Sea Grass Beds in the Bay

Retirement/Holiday Homes Hug the Bay

Pretty Little Swimming Beach

Cray Fishing Boats and Dingys at the Je

Green Head is a tiny fishing hamlet some 300 ks north of Perth (around half way between Perth and Geraldton). The town is one of several along this stretch of coast almost entirely dedicated to Cray-fishing. There is a growing population of retirees, but sadly the exorbitant price of real estate here puts it out of the range of many.


The surrounding countryside is low growing heath-lands set on mildly undulating ground. I imagine during the wild-flower season it could be very pretty, but most of the time the scenery is rather uninspiring. Even the coastline is not particularly picturesque, BUT............ and it is a big BUT, this stretch of coast is a fishing paradise. At this time of the year, the winds do make fishing any distance from shore dangerous, but the bays still offer the intrepid dingy sailor plenty of action. Most folk living here take out a Cray-fish license along with all the other mandatory fishing licenses and during the summer and autumn months enjoy feasting on this much desired shell fish. Aside from the Crays, there are plenty of other fish to be caught. Off-shore there are Snapper, Spanish Mackerel, Groper, the legendary WA Dhufish and just about any other deep sea fish you might wish to catch, closer in there are Herring (Tommy Ruffs), Pike, Mullet and many more. Fishing is both the main work and leisure pastime here.


We are here to catch up with some old friends who have built themselves a delightful holiday/retirement home here. Steve is an avid fisherman and has taken TBBITW out every day since we arrived. As we were here for the first day of the Cray-fishing season, they went out and dropped pots and have ‘pulled’ them each morning since. Sadly, they have only been rewarded with one Cray! Oh well, never mind. Mind you, we are told they are starting at $50 per kilo this season so anyone who can get one or two for themselves will be doing well. The lads have done very well however with Pike, Herring and Squid – they have had good catches of each in the bay (just from the dingy). The winds have really prohibited a great deal of off-shore fishing.


The other draw- cards here are the Sea Lion colonies that abound on the small islands off the mainland. Whilst we haven’t been out to look this time, last time we visited, Steve very kindly took us out to visit these beautiful creatures. It is a special treat to see these playful animals that come out to the boats to have a gander at us! Many people get out and swim with the sea lions and it really is wonderful to see a child and a pup interacting. They are incurably curious and will ‘play’ with people for quite some time. If you ever have the good fortune to experience swimming with the sea lions just be aware of the bulls – they are particularly protective and aggressive, especially if it is breeding season.


One of the reasons for the very healthy marine life here are the abundant sea-grass fields that thrive along this coast. Looking out to sea you can see the intricate reef systems along with the marine grasses that flourish here. Of course, the downside to this is the somewhat overwhelming odour that does waft thru’ the hamlets when the weed accumulates on shore and the heat and prevailing winds combine.


The recently completed ‘coast’ road from the Northern Suburbs of Perth runs alongside all these hamlets and makes them just so much more accessible from town. There are three of these seaside towns all within 50 ks of each other, Leeman, Green Head and Jurien and each of them has a caravan park. The park here is a bit stark, but the amenities are fine and it is quite close to the boat ramps. From a family perspective, there is a nice little beach where children can safely swim and I spotted quite a good playground when I was driving around this morning. There is a small general store here and also at Leeman, whilst Jurien (28ks south from GH) has quite good grocery shopping along with a couple of cafes.


This has been a delightful last stop before reaching the metro area and we are grateful to Steve and Sylvia for their hospitality and unfailing generosity. We have been spoilt rotten with stunning meals each evening along with a few hands of poker and plenty of good company.


If you sense that this ‘blog’ is not quite up to my usual sunny standards, you are right. Without going into too much detail, suffice to say my daughter in law (Nom) has been admitted to hospital pending the birth of her next child. The birth has been scheduled for Dec 3rd and we are now keeping our fingers crossed that all will be well and mum and bub will be fine. All prayers, kind thoughts and love will be gratefully accepted as we move thru ‘ this difficult stage. We leave here tomorrow to re-join our family.


Love each other like there is no tomorrow – Steph.

POSTSCRIPT TO KALBARRI

Well, our visit to Kalbarri has only confirmed my belief that it has to be my favourite place. I don’t know what it is exactly, but I am very much at home and at peace here. Needless to say, there are a couple of items in the Kalbarri blog which I need to re-address – serves me right for writing the blog too soon – oh well!

Firstly, there is only one IGA here. The second grocery shop is simply the Kalbarri Supermarket. Whilst it is much smaller than the IGA, the fresh produce is excellent and the service there is friendly – more than I can say for the opposition. I also forgot to mention there is a very good bakery here –if you are like me, this is probably information you would be better without!
The winds, since the first couple of days, have been mild – in fact the early mornings have been crystal clear and breathtakingly still – absolutely perfect for the early morning cuppas overlooking the river.
The booming waves crashing against the rocks – well, they have simply vanished – we have not seen a decent wave since we arrived some 13 days ago – I am told however, they were enormous the week prior to our arrival.
Special events? On one of our early morning drives out along the coastal gorges we were treated to a heart-warming display by a mother hump-back and her calf. It appeared mum was teaching the youngster how to ‘breach’. As we gazed in awe, she would lift her huge body from the water joyously crashing back down with an almighty splash – as soon as mum had shown the little one how it was done, sure enough, the baby would throw himself skywards – at first, not quite as successfully as mum, but after a little while and a bit of practice, he was in sync with mum and performing perfect little leaps. After a while, mum tired of the activity, but in true childlike manner the baby continued leaping and splashing until we finally also tired off the activity and went in search of a cuppa and morning paper. Yesterday as we were perusing the deep blue of the ocean for perhaps another sighting, we were treated to the spectacle of a pod of around 30 bottle-nose dolphins cavorting and hunting in the waters below Eagle Gorge – there seemed to be a meeting of two distinctly different groups and then an animated celebration of the reunion – once again a real treat.
We have also had a veritable feast of birds this time around. I have been re-united with my beautiful friends the magpies. We hadn’t seen a maggie since Alice – it seems they don’t like the Territory or the North West. A family has adopted the park here however and in true magpie style have been hanging around looking for a hand-out. In a small paper-bark right next to the van, we have a resident Tawny Frogmouth. Initially there were two of these nightbirds, but since the first day we have only had the one – each evening he leaves his perch in the old tree to hunt returning early each morning to daze away the day from his grey perch. The only time I have seen him remotely animated was when a ‘Ta Ta lizard’ came to drink at our water-bowl – the normally invisible eyes became giant amber orbs as he contemplated this desirable morsel. Fortunately for the Ta Ta our movement startled him and motivated his rapid escape to beneath the neighbours van. Aside from the magies and the Frogmouth there have been an abundance of birds of all sizes – we are woken every morning by the cheerful chatter (perhaps shrieking) of a largish flock of galahs that resides in the area – fortunately for us, they are not roosting immediately above our van and car. The antics of our neighbours who do have that dubious honour are hilarious. They (the neighbours) are bird lovers, but the bloke is also one of those men who are fanatical about his car and van. Since our arrival he has detailed the car twice and the van once. Yesterday afternoon he was out there with ‘rocket balloons’ trying to convince the galahs and their offspring to roost elsewhere. Needless to say, all he succeeded in doing was scaring the proverbial out of them (out of them and onto the van) whilst they flew noisily into the air and then back down again to the same tree.
We have extended our stay here until Saturday (the rate includes one free day if you book for a week) – I really don’t want to leave my little paradise but life calls!


Until next time – use your time wisely but leave time to dream – Steph.

My Morning Cuppa Tranquility

The Township of Kalbarri Nestled into the Mouth of the Murchison



Our Frogmouth Friend



CHARISMATIC KALBARRI

Rugged Coastal Cliffs

Nature's Sculptures

PREFACE – just a little note to warn you that this is, even for me, a particularly long entry. Kalbarri is a favourite spot of ours and I have lots to tell you about this place. In addition to that, we have an abundance of really good photos taken over the past couple of years and I have taken the opportunity to include a fair number of these with this blog. To make it a little easier to read, I will break it into several sections, so perhaps it would be easier to just read one section at a time, coming back later to read the others.

Across the Coastal Plain Towards The Coast

Across The Coastal Plains Towards the Ocean

PART ONE


I have always loved the wind! Perhaps that’s due to being West Australian born and bred. Of course I do know that it can sometimes be frightening, when you are not in a safe place or a major storm is brewing. The wind seems to blow away all the discontent and breathe fresh life into all it touches. Certainly here in Kalbarri, the wind is a dominant feature. Mind you, this is the worst time of the year for the winds – I have been here in May, July, August and September and it has not been quite like it is at the moment. Personally I am enjoying the freshness and I suppose I am just plain happy to be back in one of my favourite places.


As you will have gathered, this is not our first visit. This is the fourth year in a row when we have one way or another, made our way to this beautiful little seaside town. We generally stay much longer but this time we will only be here for around 10 days – sadly the end of the first leg of our journey is all too close and this will most likely be the penultimate stop before we arrive back in Perth. We plan on making the most of it!!


Kalbarri is a tiny little place located at the mouth of the Murchison River. I was amazed to read in one of the tourist brochures that the population here is 2,000 – most of those people must be living in far-flung farming properties in the region – certainly there is nothing like that number of people in town. I suppose the tourists do expand the numbers during the winter months. Tourists do visit Kalbarri all year round of course, the weather here being less extreme than further north. We are officially south of the North West of WA and I guess this would be accurately described as being the northern most reaches of the mid-west coast. A good number of Perth folk spend their winters here, even tho’ it doesn’t get anywhere as warm and toasty as ‘further up’. The winter temps here range from the low to mid 20s. My idea of paradise I think! I have never been one for the extreme hot and this trip has confirmed my love of slightly cooler climes. Rain-fall here is quite poor, as displayed by the fairly barren sandy coastal flats that surround the town. I know I will never do justice to the beauty here, but I will try to tell you about this picturesque place.


Kalbarri is a complete surprise package – the approach road winds through flat low lying coastal plains which are covered with stunted grey-green spiky foliage and which during the spring months comes alive with an abundance of brilliantly hued wild-flowers of all types and structures. Even now tall creamy spikes wave to the passer-byes as they speed down that windy road and brilliant pink patches of the Kalbarri Wax peek out from below stunted blue green trees. The foliage exudes a slightly other –worldly feel as it all tends to point away from the prevailing winds, and although not as exaggerated as further south, one certainly get the impression that some very strong winds ply their way thru’ this bushland. The generally flat outlook takes on a more undulating aspect as you get closer to the town and intriguing signs pertaining to River Gorges start to appear along the way. You will wonder at these signs as the country-side seems far too flat to accommodate anything remotely resembling a gorge! A little further on as the bush grows almost imperceptibly greener, the great Murchison River can be seen snaking its way to the ocean. Dazzling the eye as you crest a hill, you are quite suddenly confronted by the great expanses of the deep blue Indian Ocean. Glimpsed between stunted trees and sandy hills are great white combing boomers crashing onto the rocks fringing the coast-line.


When you arrive at your destination, you will find yourself in a tiny little seaside town which nestles along the banks of the sparkling Murchison River. An abundance of accommodation awaits the weary traveller, from luxury units right down to basic camping sites. There are three caravan parks in town, one right at the back towards the bush, one facing the mouth of the river and our favourite, the old Anchorage which sits atop the banks of the Murchison.

Spectacular Views of the Coastline

What Master Hand Built This?

PART TWO

The town provides almost everything you could wish for in this environment. The only less than wonderful aspect is possibly the lack of good quality fresh produce and the price of tucker. Talking to our caravan friends from the east coast we have been reminded just how much more we spend to live over here in the west. From groceries, to dining out and right up to real estate, WA is a pricey place to live. Anyway, I digress, it is a good idea to stock up on fresh food at either Geraldton on the way up or Carnarvon on the way down, particularly if you plan on spending any real time here. There are two IGAs here, but experience has taught me that their fresh produce is both expensive and poor quality. Perhaps when I go shopping this time, I will be pleasantly surprised. I shall certainly let you know if this is the case. The town also has a butcher, chemist, several restaurants, cafes, fish & chippers, antique shop, post office, hair dressers and a couple of quite good gift shops. For the thirsty ones amongst you, you will be pleased to know there are a couple of pubs and a liquor store as well.

Sea Caves

Amazing Cliffs





Apart from the local scenery which I will get to in a moment, there is a very good wild-flower garden to amble through. Obviously it will depend on the time of year as to whether you feel the admittance fee is worth spending. One place we always visit is the Rainbow Jungle, an Australian Parrot Breeding Centre. This costs a few dollars to visit, but is well worth the effort. Well presented and interesting, particularly for a bird-lover like myself this place is a delight. They have a gift shop there and also sell coffee and cakes which you can enjoy in this very birdie atmosphere. I have always abhorred seeing birds in cages, but as this is for the survival of several species, I can see the necessity. They do have a few exotics there too, including some beautiful Macaws. Last time we were there they were selling a young bird (macaw) and I was very enthusiastically envisioning turning my back yard into a tropical wonderland with a tree high enclosure for my new and colourful mate. Fortunately for all concerned, he was sold before I could realise my little pipe-dream.

Would Have made a Wonderful Additionto my Back Yard

The Rainbow Jungle is out along the southern road heading out of Kalbarri town-site. This scenic drive takes you down to all the coastal gorges and some outstanding coastline. Massive multicoloured and layered sandstone and limestone cliffs tower over the sparkling turquoise ocean and enormous waves hurl themselves against the forbidding cliffs and rocks. Amongst all the gorges are some wonderful surfing beaches and whilst we no longer get out there and ‘boogie’, we do love to watch those intrepid souls who do risk their lives in these very uncertain waters. We have to our delight, seen small pods of dolphins surfing with the boys and girls, dropping out the back of the crystal clear waves before they break and then diving back into the next wall of water. It was spellbinding to watch this spectacle. This is also a good place for whale-spotting and we are looking forward to this activity again this time round. It is our habit while we are here, to drive out each morning to have a look at each of the coastal gorges and scenic spots – it is always different and you just never know what you might see. The other ‘must-do’ is to sit and watch the boats attempt the break from the river into the ocean. This is a spectacularly dangerous place and we are told that many fishermen have lost their lives here. The often massive waves roar in over sharp rocks obscured by the waves and froth, there are only moments between waves when the boats can skip laterally across the break and out into safer waters. We are proud to say we have ‘done the break’ ourselves. An enterprising young man has started a jet-boat tour business. He runs two distinctly different types of tours, the first is for the thrill-seekers and takes you on an insanely speedy and wet run out thru’ the break and down and around some of the safer bays. A great deal of shrieking and whipping around of the boat can be heard and seen from the shore. Needless to say, that is not what we did – instead we took a very sedate trip down the coast viewing the coastal cliffs and gorges from the ocean – it was brilliant, but I have to admit to having a few collywobbles before heading out thru’ that break. There are a couple of cafes situated conveniently where you can sit and sip a cappuccino whilst watching the boats. Soft? You bet!


Another ‘must do’ while you are here is to visit Finlay’s Fish BBQ – this place is famous for being rude and ready – no service, no ‘fightin’ utensils, no serviettes, quite a bit of rude commentary, no booze, and yet people flock there, including us. The place is an old fishery shed and is full of intriguing antique odds and sods, the food is excellent and well priced – the fish platter is enormous – the general idea is to arrive early with your own drinks, glasses and nibbles, sit and enjoy the atmosphere, listen to any passing musos, then order your food, be insulted by mine host, have a good laugh and enjoy some good tucker. The ‘place’ is a host to The Order of Old Bastards and will give any half-way decent muso a freebie if they agree to entertain the guests. If you do decide to go, be prepared for outdoors as the place is open air with only limited over-head cover and it is hard to find. You will need to go around to the industrial sector in order to find Finlay’s. Just ask around, someone will sort you out.

Every morning at somewhere around the 9am mark, volunteers feed the local pelicans. This is a lot of fun and also super interesting. We will go again this time, and once again I will learn all the fascinating facts about these beautiful birds, and no doubt, once again forget it all until our next visit.



Fishing is a big attraction here and they say that there is good fishing to be had both on and off shore. I would investigate thoroughly tho’ the fees and rules applying to any charter you might be thinking of taking – the relatively new regulations these businesses now have to comply with often make the trip unviable. There is a small fishing fleet here and most of the skippers will sell you fresh fish straight from the boats at a good price. During the cray-fishing season (Nov – April I think) you can also buy fresh crays this way. Last time we were here we managed to buy a good size Dhufish from the boat. For those of you from the east, if you have never tried this local fish, do try as it is one of the best eating fish you are ever likely to find.


The inland gorges are also not to be missed and they are truly spectacular. You will find your senses reeling when you discover the enormous gorges the ancient river has gouged thru’ the countryside. As usual, there are levels of difficulty – you can just go and peer over the side, or you can trek down into the belly of these beautiful chasms if you are up to the challenge. A canoe trip up the river is also a great way to go. Be prepared for the flies tho’, this is one place where one of those wonderful fly -nets is a must. The time we went, we could have sold ours for hundreds of dollars. As with the ocean gorges, nature’s sculptures are at their very best here, this is where you will see the much photographed ‘window’ looking out from the very edge of one of the gorges. I hope you will forgive me for cheating a little here, as we have so many photos taken over the past few years, some of the ones I will use here are a couple of years old, they are too good to waste.

Nature's Window





A Long Way Down

   

Fishing Boats at Dawn




Sunset Over the Park




PART THREE



I mentioned we stay at the Anchorage. This is the first CP sign-post you will see coming into town. The CP is quite high at the back and we always try to get a spot up high looking out over the river. I actually prefer these views to the more spectacular ones to be found at the other main park, the Murchison C P. The views from the Anchorage are softer, taking in the broader expanses of the river as it gently winds its way out to the countryside and the gorges for which it is famous. Below us the river waters sparkle drenched in diamond dust. Seagulls wheel overhead and stately pelicans float majestically up and down the river searching for their dinner. A red gravel road winds alongside the river inviting exploration. Walking along the river grants rewards of sightings of some of the multitude of small birds that make this place their home. Bright blue flashes of Splendid Wrens and the Red plumage of the little Crimson Chat catch your eye as you wander along the shore of the languid river. Smooth rocks, just right for sitting and pondering life’s blessings lay along the way. Colourful wild-flowers beckon for inspection and the lazy plopping of the fish intrigue the eye and ear. Overhead you are likely to see the resident Sea Eagle hunting on flashing wing. An early morning wander along the river is incredibly rewarding, and if you are early enough to see the sunrise that will be nectar for the senses.


Afternoons here draw one outdoors to sit and gaze at the river in its ever changing moods, and sundowners are consumed watching the birds circling overhead and the boats bobbing at their anchors. Some of the most spectacular sunsets we have ever encountered have been from the caravan park here and it is reluctantly that you head indoors for tea. After dinner, if you are so inclined, a light refreshment under the incredibly bright stars is not to be missed – the night skies here are amazing.


Do you begin to see why I love coming here and why I hope to return here again and again to continue this love affair? I’m always sad when people tell me they visited Kalbarri and thought it a nice little spot, having only spent one or two days here. This is a place where you need to stay and absorb a little of the local atmosphere.


The Anchorage CP is dog friendly and for those of you who have been here before, there is now a beautiful big and new ablution block. The roads leave a little to be desired and it can be dusty or muddy depending on the weather, but all in all we find it to be excellent for our tastes. There is a sausage sizzle held on Thursday nights. I think its $3 for a hamburger or sausage in a bun, plus there is usually very good homemade soup. The park has a good sized swimming pool too. The Murchison CP is in the middle of town, opposite the river mouth, is more upmarket and is right next door to a good cafe, but we find the bays to be a little squeezy. There is also a the Tudor CP (a family park) at the back of town and right away from the water.


Love your life and laugh out loud – Steph.

CALMING CARNARVON



Wild Surf Along a Rugged Coasline



We Just Loved His Body Language (With Attutude)



A Timely Warrning


Well folks, here we are in downtown Carnarvon. Well, I use the term downtown loosely as we are in fact a few ks out of town staying at the Wintersun Caravan Park. We arrived here on Monday and were intending to leave for Kalbarri today but strong prevailing winds have convinced us to wait until tomorrow when the weather promises to be a little more amenable.

This is not our first visit to this part of the world so forgive us if we haven’t done a great deal of exploring. Carnarvon is an unusual place, situated in an extremely barren environment and yet yielding just sooo much fresh produce. The arid countryside parts to display a veritable oasis of plantations of Banana, Mango, Avocado, Grapes, Strawberries, Tomatoes, etc, etc. The secret to the success here is largely the subterranean waters of the Gascoyne River. The river, like the Todd in Alice generally flows underground, and only appears on the surface in times of flood. Growers are able to access this underground water to cultivate their crops. The plantations extend for 16ks along the river bank. Last time we were here, picking up a crate of beautiful pink grapefruit for a friend, the growers told us that things are a little uncertain for them here because of the new and huge growing district in Kununurra – having been there recently we can certainly see the risk for this area. Nevertheless, the plantations here are generally looking pretty good. Sadly for TBBITW (a lover of mangoes from way back) the mangos are not ripe yet in this area – I was obliged to buy him a couple of lesser specimens from the local Woolworths to ‘scratch’ his mango itch. Personally, I cannot handle the smell of mangoes and the riper they are the worse I feel about them – I know, I know, I’m weird, but there you go! Many of the plantations here sell their produce direct to the public and a meandering drive thru’ the growing area usually yields up some wonderful gems. This time however, we seem to be out of luck – we suspect as the main tourist flood has dwindled for this season, most locals have stopped this lucrative little sideline. We took a lengthy drive around yesterday and were only rewarded by a few rather dubious and tired looking specimens. It is an interesting reflection on human nature, that once you have entered the realm of somebody’s ‘shop’ on their private property, you more or less feel obliged to purchase something, especially when large, well intentioned blokes are treating the lady of the house as if they are their long lost mother! I was absolutely amazed at seeing and hearing my precious fella buying stuff I would never have considered buying, and possibly will not use – incredibly this bloke who never prepares any food whatsoever, not even a lowly sanger, suddenly sprung to life chatting about beans, avocados and all sorts of other stuff that normally he wouldn’t cast a glance at. This I might add is the same fella who is always warning me not to buy too much ‘stuff’ as we might not fit it in the van! The lovely elderly Slav lady we were buying from was almost in stitches at his antics and the no doubt dismayed and exasperated expression on my dial. By the time we left, she and I had bonded considerably in mutual sympathy for the foibles of menfolk.

The other mainstays of this town are wool, solar salt extraction and prawn and scallop processing. There is a solid fishing fleet operating out of the town and the local prawns and crabs are excellent. Predictably, we went crab hunting at the local distribution point and once again, TBBITW became super animated, and we came away with considerable supplies of prawns, crabs, scallops and the most enormous oysters I have ever seen (from NZ). In my bloke’s defence however, I must say that he is the chief peeler and preparer of seafood and for that I am eternally grateful. Yes ladies, he does peel most of my prawns for me and I just love that about him! I am one of those painful females who love to eat the little creatures, but don’t wish to be confronted with the entire beast and am not enthralled when I have to decapitate the poor little things and divest them of their legs and other bits. Of course, when necessity comes begging, I will rise to the occasion and manage quite well. In fact, I have to say on some level I approve of having to put in that little bit of effort in order to eat your food and there is a certain honesty in having to confront the creature first before devouring it. You will no doubt be relieved to hear we didn’t visit the salt plant, otherwise there is a strong possibility we would be lugging a huge bag of salt around with us now as well! I have to say shopping yesterday was a little more restrained than usual as most of my limited freezer space had by then been utilised.



Thar She Blows

We took a drive out to the Blow-holes on Tuesday and what a rewarding experience that was. So many times we have trudged across sand-hills, rocky preci-pusses and the like only to find a lack-lustre event awaiting us. Not so here, as promised in all the brochures, we were rewarded by great spouts of salt-water and spray shooting skywards to a height of around 20 feet. The surrounding coastline was deliciously rugged and the large swell provided a wonderful spectacle of brilliant blue ocean, pounding waves, wind-blown froth and spume all set against an incredibly arid and rocky backdrop and deep blue skies. The trip to the blow-holes is around 50k from town and well worth the effort. You can take your van in to this spot and camp some 100 meters from the actual blow-holes. There is also a permanent camp of what appear to be squatters/shacks just down the track. These remind us of the shacks that appear south of Jurien Bay further south. In our experience there is some type of legality concerning the ‘ownership’ of these holiday shacks, albeit rather tenuous. For anyone considering this trip, the road is gravel most of the way, but very good indeed. While there we drove up to have a look at the fantastic and vast views from the local lighthouse. You could see forever!


Oportunistic Birds Nesting Up High



Solar Salt Extraction- Dampier Salt




Looking Down the Coast from the Lighthouse



From the blow-holes we drove up to have a sticky-beak at Quobba Station. This is a fully operational station where caravanners are welcome to stay. It is very much a bring everything place, providing only limited power and no water. Once again, it seems that he and me are sadly lacking the adventure gene, as although many of our friends have raved about Quobba, we just didn’t ‘get it’. It looked dry and dusty and there were no ocean views from the campsites. I suppose that during the winter months the weather is more pleasant and perhaps that adds to the whole attraction. We are told that the fishing is very good there and of course, there are some lovely beaches in the area. Cream-puffs to the last tho’, we shuddered at the thought of being out there in the dust, heat and flies without air-conditioning or shade. We did have an unexpected encounter with 3 horses along the track on the way to Quobba - doubtless station horses - I was alarmed to see a tourist feeding them a loaf of bread (slice by slice) - somewhere in the deep recesses of my mind I seem to remember bread is not good for horses - I hope I'm wrong.


Station Horses Along the Roadside

From Quobba we continued up the coast intending to have a look at Red Bluff some 60ks further north, but when the track went inland and away from the sea-views, we decided to call it quits and headed for home. Once again, we are told this is a great spot, particularly if you are into surfing.

There is a great deal more to see and do here than we have covered in this trip, the NASSA Tracking Station, Shearing Hall of Fame, Coffee Pot Train and Jetty Tour and so much more. Much of this we have covered on a past trip so won’t be doing again this time around.


We are both feeling much better since arriving here and hopefully by the time we hit Kalbarri we will back in top form (just in time to enjoy our annual flutter on The Cup!). Whatever that bug was, it really hung in there!


We have been staying at the Wintersun Caravan Park (dog friendly) and are quite impressed with the CP. The amenities are good and clean and the park is huge. We have been put right down the back and our site sadly is exposed and in an unattractive part of the park, but we did have the option of choosing a different site. Sometimes blokes get a mind-set tho’ and won’t be budged – I’m sure you ladies get that picture, so we are sitting here in the sun and wind, but despite that, enjoying the experience. They have ground-covers on the part of the site the annex covers and for that we are super grateful – so wonderful after all the sand we had in the van at Coral Bay. At least half the park has been closed due to lack of custom and for general maintenance – the bulk of the winter-tourists have all headed back down south. In the peak season it is difficult to find a spot anywhere in Carnarvon, and especially at this park. The park boasts its own Bowling Green and that is a huge attraction for many of the Grey Nomads. The other big attraction here is the climate – according to the books it is moderate all year around with temps generally in the mid to high 20s. The wind blows during the months of Oct, Nov and Dec and the rainfall here is minimal – all in all, a delightful climate for relaxing and doing very little. Although this is a seaside town, there are no caravan parks actually on the water here. We are of the opinion that whilst there are some good parks within the town itself, the best idea is to stay in one of the outermost parks. It certainly is peaceful here!


Until next time, listen to each other with love and respect – Steph.

CRYSTAL CLEAR CORAL BAY

The beach at Coral Bay







As we waded thru' the clear waters - these fellows swam in front of us.






From the glass bottom boat





Under-water sculptures



From the Van

  

I have been told that we didn’t give Exmouth a fair go – that is probably true considering our state of health at the time. There is another over-riding issue here tho’ and it will apply to everywhere we stop as we make our way to Perth. We are out of season. Generally the good weather has departed and the weather now is very changeable and super windy. I have to admit to having had doubts about weather really being of particular importance as you travel, but have had to re-think that issue after our last couple of stops. The good news is that the heat has let up somewhat here in Coral Bay but the wind has been consistent and has really prevented us from doing the things that make Coral Bay what it is. Don’t get me wrong here, I am a sand-groper born and bred and the wind is in my blood (and occasionally other parts too), and I actually enjoy the lovely blustery conditions we have on the West Australian coast – but sometimes, enough is enough!

Neither of us is particularly well at the moment, whatever the bug was that had Doug in its grip at Exmouth, has had its wicked way with me ever since we arrived here. On top of that, we both just feel ‘yuck’ – seedy is the best way I can describe it and we are really wondering just what it is. Perhaps it is just the prospect of being back in the everyday world and returning to the realms of responsibility and worry that has us in this sorry state. We celebrated (or tried to celebrate) our eighth year together last Thursday and I couldn’t even bring myself to open a bottle of champers to drink with our traditional seafood feast. Those that know me will understand that I really must be crook! SO......please bear all of this in mind as I tell you all about Coral Bay.


What an amazing little spot this is! This is the first ‘town’ we have encountered that exists wholly and solely for the tourist. Tiny is one way to describe the place. There are two caravan parks, a hotel/resort, several shops and a scattering of beach shacks – that is it – the whole place covers an area of not more than half a kilometre (excluding the tip).


The entire ‘township’ nestles around the crystal clear waters of the bay which is lagoon like in its structure and ideal for swimming and snorkelling. In the distance you can see the froth and foam caused by huge waves crashing on the reef. Although there are a couple of spots designated for beach fishing, in general terms this is a sanctuary and most forms of fishing are prohibited. We went for a wade in the shallow waters on our first day here and were amazed to see large fish swimming contentedly amongst the swimmers. We are told that most of the fish we saw out there that day were Spangled Emperors and they hang around the beach because they are fed there each afternoon. As with most of the WA coast, the sand here is sparkling white and the seas are the most glorious blues and aqua’s – very ‘post-card’ indeed. The People’s Caravan Park where we are staying has a good number of palms and verdant green grass and the whole effect is very tropical.


We have not been to the Visitor Centre since we arrived but it looks very good and we are told that if you take a cruise on the semi-submersible coral viewing boat you will be provided with snorkel and flippers free of charge (on loan of course) in order to better explore the reef. We did take the cruise and found it to be very good value. The charge was $33 for one hour and as we were the only people on board, the service was brilliant. The boat was skippered by one young lady and another, Vickie, was our guide. Vickie seemed to have a very good grip on her subject and we left the boat more knowledgeable than when we boarded.


I have not experienced the reefs off the East Coast so have no real comparison, however we were told that the corals off the West Coast are hard and skeletal as opposed to the softer styles of coral found on the Great Barrier Reef. What we were confronted with as we gazed hopefully thru’ the thick glass panels of the boat were the myriad of natural sculptures that comprise our local corals. We learnt that coral is an animal, not a plant and that being touched by people and boats etc has a very detrimental effect on the coral and can even kill it. The coral here forms a calcified skeleton and does not have the colours displayed in the softer styles. The only real colour displayed on the coral was the electric blue tips of the stag-horn corals. The reef is enormous and provides a haven for a multitude of our fishy friends. We certainly saw plenty of these as we cruised the calm waters of the bay – it appears that the larger fish actually sleep in the domed cavity in the middle of the boat and come out towards the end of the trip to be fed by the crew. Quite a spectacle! One interesting little piece of trivia, one of the most common fish on the reef is the colourful Parrot Fish – this character is equipped to actually bite off pieces of the coral to eat. The fish is especially designed to digest this tough food and the resultant excreta actually contributes to the white sparkling sands of our coast! There you go, next time you are wriggling your toes ecstatically in our beautiful beach sand, just remember what it is partially made of. After learning about how much damage we can do simply by touching the coral we are a bit bemused by the lack of suitable warnings and explanations displayed here. It would appear that the tourist dollar is considered more important than the survival of this enormously important natural resource.


There don’t appear to be any large creatures in the bay itself, any dolphins, rays or sharks. We are told tho’ there is a shark breeding ground just around the corner from the bay. That knowledge did nothing to encourage us to embark on a swimming expedition. I am a bit embarrassed to admit that while here we have not and will not be taking to the crystal clear waters - in our defence, the weather apart from the first afternoon when we arrived, has been too cool for swimming for our taste, especially considering we are not feeling quite ‘the thing’.


From an information perspective, there are a couple of small ‘supermarkets’ here which seem to stock all the emergency produce etc. that you might need while staying here. The bakery is excellent with some of the best pastry we have ever experienced. There are a considerable number of tour operators and a couple of places hire out quad bikes and kayaks for the more adventurous. For the ladies, there is a beautician who advertises all the usual bits. A newsagency provides the daily papers after around 11am and you can purchase alcohol at the pub/resort. We had breakfast at Fin’s cafe and found the food to be quite good and certainly the menu looked to be quite adventurous (albeit not cheap). Following some very good advice we are staying at The People’s Park Caravan Park and have found it to be excellent – not dog friendly tho’ folks. The park is lovely and shady and the sound of the wind sighing thru' the She-Oaks is relaxing in the extreme. The biggest problem in Coral Bay seems to be water. Neither park provides fresh water to the vans, the on-site water is salty bore water. The amenities block here does provide fresh water for the showers and tank water for drinking. Certainly it is advisable to have your tanks full of good fresh water before coming to Coral Bay. This caravan park is pretty much on the water-front and you can pay a little extra to obtain a site with ocean views. The only problem there is that during the season it is almost impossible to get in here – it is usually booked solid from one season to the next! Talking to the manager we were told it seems to him he pays a telephonist $30,000pa to turn people away! Now that’s the sort of business we would all like to own.


Well, we leave here tomorrow heading into Carnarvon and it seems to us we are just about home. Only a couple more weeks and its back to reality – what a bummer! Of course, we are looking forward to seeing our families again having missed them over the past ten or so months, but we are not looking forward to being responsible grown-up people again! Until next time, love your responsibilities and enjoy life whatever it presents. Stephanie.