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| Red Bluff in the morning light |
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| A perfect moment in Time |
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| Early morning on the Murchison |
Well, hi there! We are back in lovely Caversham in the beautiful Swan Valley. Since we last spoke we have been to Green Head where we caught up with good friends Steve & Sylvia and then onwards and upwards to Kalbarri. I know it’s not that long since we visited Kalbarri, but during the Perth winter (and we really did have one this year), Kalbarri is a good spot to be. Close enough to town for the trip up to be done easily and yet far enough away to give us a breather!
Surprisingly the weather in Kalbarri this winter was also just a tad on the wintery side with daytime max in the low to mid 20s and night temps plummeting to somewhere around the 8 degree mark. On top of that it rained and then it rained some more and yet more! Not surprising you may think, BUT Kalbarri generally has a very low winter rainfall, but not this year. Did any of this bother us? Not one little bit! As usual we loved our stay there. I won’t bore you with any descriptions of the place as I’m sure I did enough of that last year as we passed thru’ the place.
One small thrill for us was the Tawny Frogmouths. When we pulled in there last October the tree next to the van was occupied by a pair of Tawny Frogmouths. For the duration of our stay they spent their days roosting in a sad little paperbark tree with very little foliage or protection. They became quite special to us. Lo and behold when we pulled into the same spot again this year the same pair was still happily ensconced in the little tree. They remained there once again for the first 5 weeks of our stay and then one of them failed to return leaving the other to keep solitary vigil for the remainder of our 6 week stay. We very much hope that the missing bird has gone nesting and that no harm has come her way. During the day they barely moved except to ‘stump’ if they perceived any danger and at nightfall each evening they would steal away on silent wings. DD has managed to get an abundance of shots of the pair, some of them quite good. Their camouflage is exceptional as you will see from the photos.
As usual our stay in Kalbarri was very social, made all the more so by a chance meeting with fellow members of the Supreme Owners Group, John and Margaret. They were travelling with a couple of old mates and we became sort of swept up into the ever expanding group of people who gathered each afternoon for sundowners. Disastrous for my ever expanding middle! I don’t know what it is about munchies, but I just don’t seem to be able to ignore them if they are sitting in front of me. Quite embarrassing really! After a while I tried to abstain by simply not attending drinkies. I dare say I was considered rude but sadly I have come to terms with my own limitations.
We made some great new friends and also caught up with some from previous years. We have been to Kalbarri now for 5 years running, all at different times of the year and one thing we notice is that the place has a loyal following of annual visitors.
The park has a bum-fight each Thursday evening with $3s a pop for either home -made soup, a burger or a sausage in a roll (with the trimmings). More often than not there will be someone talented there who will entertain the troops so to speak. This time we had a fellow with a piano accordion as well as a country and western duo. The fires are lit for the occasion and a good time is had by all. This custom also brings campers together.
We spent our time happily checking out the coast, searching for wild-flowers, painting, reading and in DD’s case, playing the market. Steve and Sylvia took time away from their beloved Green Head and came to stay for a day or so and many a game of cards was played and a couple of dollars changed hands. Sadly I think I lost most of my ‘washing machine money’ in the process. Although we travel with our own little washing machine, I do occasionally use the bigger camp machines if I have a larger load than usual.
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| Yellow Orchids |
Due to the very wet season the wild-flowers in and around the township were coming into bloom in considerable abundance. We probably left just before they peaked but they were wonderful nevertheless.
Kalbarri had a couple of very large swells whilst we were there also and this made for some spectacular surf and good photo opportunities. I even managed to get up at dawn one day and shoot the Bluff in the early morning light. All of this gave me the perfect excuse for a couple of very Kalbarri-esque paintings. Once I remember to have DD photograph them I will post them for your entertainment.
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| Big waves crashing in on the cliffs |
As seems to have become the norm, we extended our initial stay of 5 weeks to 6 and then reluctantly said good-bye once again to this little paradise. This time however, instead of heading straight home or home via the coast, we took an inland route in order to better experience the wild-flower season. We are told that due to the perfect weather conditions experienced this year it is the best season for some 50 years!
From Kalbarri we travelled to Mullewa, a small wheat town with an appalling name for racial unrest. It seems that a fairly serious brawl had been fought a couple of weeks prior to our visit pursuant to a local footy match. I have to say that the town, despite some effort to the contrary was not particularly appealing with mesh and bars across most of the windows and doors. Broken glass littered the sidewalks and most of the commercial buildings seemed to be closed and boarded up. Dogs of every size and description mournfully wandered the streets and sitting in the car waiting for DD outside the local servo I felt just a tad un-nerved and vulnerable as a few likely types
sauntered past taking what seemed an inordinate interest in the Cruiser. I dare say I was uncharacteristically over-reacting.
The Caravan Park there is run by the Shire and would have to be the easiest park we have seen so far to stay in without paying. Don’t get me wrong, incurably honest types that we are we certainly payed, but how on earth they keep tabs on it was beyond us. The park itself was quite good and the amenities block was surprisingly immaculate and well maintained. I suspect that the local church ladies keep it under control as they seemed to have a fair number of ads and pamphlets posted on the walls there. A good system it would seem. Whilst the park was fully serviced we ended up with a site without water due to the sheer number of vans there. The wild-flower season combined with the Country Show/Field Day season saw a huge number of vans on the country roads and in the parks.
The first day rained non -stop so we turned a 2 night stop-over into a 3 night stop-over and spent the first day there gloriously luxuriating in doing absolutely nothing. I know it sounds weird after relaxing so much at Kalbarri, but frankly the social whirl there leaves you just a little jaded and some quiet time with books was really welcome.
The second day was beautiful without a cloud in the sky and so off we went to see the famous Wreath Flowers. We did finally find them and were duly amazed. They really do look like Christmas Wreaths, circular with cream and red flowers. Quite special! More special tho’ were the carpets of everlastings and such. I had heard about these wonderful displays but had never fully understood just how amazing they are.
From Mullewa we moved on down to Perenjori and still with wonderful weather once again went hunting for blossom. We took a gravel road out to John Forest Lookout and found there the most amazing display of floral splendour you could ever imagine. Acres upon acres of pink, white and yellow interspersed with glowing purples and blues. We have some good photos so instead of boring you with my dialogue I will post some photos instead. You will see that the deep red of the soil, the dead branches of trees and the brilliance of the flowers is an absolute feast for the eyes.
The crops this year are also amazing so we were blessed with acres of deep green wheat fields mixed with the brilliant yellow of the canola fields. Occasionally we would spot a field where the farmer for whatever reason had departed. Sadly not a few farmers have walked off their farms, particularly in those marginal areas where we were travelling. Years of drought combined with all manner of disasters often culminates in the direst of consequences. The untilled fields were sometimes gold with dandelions whilst others were silver under the sun with the stubble of the previous year.
From Mullewa we moved down to Perenjori, another tiny wheat-belt town. Perenjori was delightful, a clean and neat little town with a great deal of local pride on display. We thoroughly enjoyed the local caravan park which sported facilities for open fires. DD was in his element, getting a sparkling fire going late each afternoon and then cheerily inviting fellow campers to join him for sundowners in front of the fire. We met some lovely folk this way along with their 4 legged friends who also came along to enjoy the warmth of the fire.
The CP was run by the local shire and we found it to be a well maintained and cheerful spot to stay. On the other hand good friends of ours have since stayed there on our recommendation and have found the amenities block to be somewhat lacking. As I shower in the van perhaps I was less than observant about the showers but they did seem OK to me. I guess it depends on what you are looking for. We love the aspect of a bush camp, especially when all mod-cons are offered. It seems to be the best of both worlds to us.
We spent 3 nights in Perenjori and then drove straight back to Caversham from there, passing through Carnamah and Moora on the way. We delighted in the Midlands Road which was also coming alive with wild-flowers. The drive down through Bindoon was just stunning with all the green fields, canola crops and undulating hills set off to advantage under the scudding clouds of a blustery day.
Rather than blather on more I will attempt to post sufficient photos to convince you of beauty of our wonderful home state.
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| Carpets of blossoms along the roadside |
