Rottnest Island to Margaret River

After a lovely night spent in the industrial area of Fremantle, we packed up things and headed for the wharf to catch the overly expensive ferry to Rottnest Island. Well the traffic and the return of the Shepherd's Curse (every red light) we managed to get there just in time to see the 10.15am ferry leaving. So after purchasing our tickets for the 11.45am ferry we decided to do a little walking tour through Fremantle, lively little place. Also gave us a chance to do a spot of shopping from Coles.

Well with our lunch freshly made we boarded the ferry for the Island. What a place, you can see why they call it Perth's playground, lots of big flash boats. Obviously the mining tax is not hitting everyone too hard.
Due to the lack of time (missing first ferry) we skipped the bike option and took the hop on hop off bus instead. After circumnavigating the island we settled back in the main town, stopping to look at a few of the attraction.......actually we did 2 and then checked out the pub until our ferry went at 4.30. Even though we were only there for a short time it is definitely somewhere we will look to visit again.

Getting back in to Fremantle at about 5 we headed south towards Mandurah/Dawesville for the night. As usual we got there late and set up just as the sun was setting......surprisingly the wind got up again, as it has for the last few weeks.....must be the Fremantle Doctor or some relative. Was a nice place to stay and the camp was full of people spending a little time fishing ( & crabbing) before the holidays finish. One of the guys had been out that day and had caught 15 crabs, nice of them to share one with us......beautiful and sweet.

In the morning we did a little trip around town and then went to visit an old school friend, I hadn't seen Narelle since she left school at IGGS. Good to catch up and get a little goss on who is doing what. She has now been over here for 20 years and things seem to be agreeing with her, hasn't changed too much at all.

After stopping to pick up a few sand crabs and fresh local squid we head for Bunbury with the plan to stay the night at Bussleton. Bunbury was another popular holiday destination for the Perth crowd and beaches look great. Cindy did a little shopping........and Coles as usual.
Leaving the sights of Bunbury behind we head for our destination for the night, Bussleton.

Staying at the local tourist park, we set up the tent and then headed off to town to see the sites. The major attraction is The Jetty. This has been closed for the last few years and has just had a massive face lift. The Bussleton Festival is on at the moment and the offical opening of the Jetty on the 5th Feb, sadly we will be in Melbourne. Managed to get a few pics and then headed back to cook up a banquet of seafood, actually sandcrab pasta, was pretty good for a campground feed.

Leaving Bussleton behind we continued on towards Dunsborough, stopping at Meelup Beach and Eagle Bay. The water was crystal clear and that blue we have come to associate with the west coast.

From here, Margaret River and wine, wine, wine.........
The drive down Caves Road was very spectacular, driving through forest and bare farm land then coming across lines and lines of bright green vines. I was a good drive down and not too long we arrived at Margaret River and our campsite for the next two nights.
Did a little exploring of town before heading off to the famous surf break to see if we can catch a good sunset. Was not too bad and the scenery was different once again. We set up on the headland and waited, little cheese and sundowners to soak up the time. managed to get some nice shots but the sunset was not as pleasing as we hoped. Back to the campsite as we have a big day in the morning.

Awaking to a great sunny WA day, we indulged in a hearty cooked breakkie...need to line the stomach in preparation for the days adventures. We had booked a tour for the day, visiting 4 wineries, deer farm, chocolate factory, cheese factory and finally a brewery. The first winery Adnifern was owned by a sheep farmer who had had enough of sheep.....made some good wines and managed to get a couple to go. From here we went to another small boutique winery (Edwards), another good selection of wines and if we didn't have to drive all the way home would have purchased a couple of their premium reds, they were very good and not too badly priced. Still got a couple of easy drinking ones and hopefully they will make it home. Next was tasting Bambi at the Venison farm, an interesting selection and very tasty, they had stuff for everyone you could even buy dried deer pissle. Loaded up with everything but the pissile we headed to the next winery for lunch, wine was not too bad and the lunch was nice. Dessert was at our next stop, the chocolate factory where there was a free for all on the sampling station...also got a couple of treats for later. With the day coming to a close we had a couple of late stops, the cheese factory because that is was you need after a day of wine, lunch, chocolate etc etc. and then finished of at one if the breweries in the region.
We were then delivered back to the campsite, well fed and wined, was the best $64 spent and was great not to have had to drive for a day.....think Trev liked the rest as well.

In Summary, Margaret River is somewhere that must be visited again and again and again until all is sampled.

Shark Bay World Heritage and Marine Park to Fremantle

Having inserting a new radiator in Carnavon, Trev was now running like a dream. We headed off for the tranquil waters of Shark Bay.

First stop was Shell Beach, a lovely white beach made up of tiny cockle shells, from a distance it looks like pure white sand. This beach seemed to go for ever and made for great pics.

From here we headed off towards the windy town of Denham, the most westerly town in Australia. We had good intentions of staying but due to the strong wind warning we poked on to Monkey Mia (on the other side on the Peron Peninsula), land of the great Grey Japanese Tunas commonly called dolphins.
We have recently changed the set up with Trev and now seem to be using the tent far more. It is cooler and a lot easier to set up things. We pitched the tent on a nice grassy area and headed off to have a look at things.
It is an interesting place with families and backpackers everywhere. Early night as Dolphin feeding was at 7.30 or so they said at reception.....well up at the crack of dawn and cameras in hand we headed down to the beach........7.30 my bum......was more like 8.30 but the dolphins did come in and was great to stand in the water right next to them.....few pics and was unlucky not to be picked to feed one of them, this went to a rather large American lady and as a result our view was blanketed but her bending over in front of us, dolphin feeding will never be the same.

With the strong wind warning still forecast for the whole coast we decided to press on. A quick detour in to Francois Peron NP and stopped to look at the old homestead and Big Lagoon.

From here we headed to Eagle Bluff lookout, a boardwalk along the cliff tops looking down at the clear waters below. Now we know why its called Shark Bay, you could see them cruising through one after another, we would have seen 20 sharks in about half an hour. Can only imagine how many we could have seen if the weather was a little calmer.

On the road again heading south to Kalbarri and the stopping at a view of the viewing platforms in Kalbarri NP overlooking the Murchison River which was in flood. As Kalbarri township is on this river the picturesque location was somewhat brown and murky. A real shame but we stopped at the mouth to watch a few fishermen catch a couple of small jew.

With the sun dropping quickly we proceeded south along the ruggered red clifftops, driving down the Indian Ocean Rd. This seems to be WA answer to the Great Ocean Rd in Vic.

As the sun set we drove towards Geraldton through the northern wheat belt, the countryside was somewhat bare as what little wheat they grew had been harvested. Was not a great season for them and many of the paddocks were empty. As most of this was on the coast it was interesting to see sand dunes and sheep in the same paddock. This area was one of the early rural settlements in WA and many of the old building are restored and used today.

Managed to find a nice little caravan park down near the port for the night.

The next morning we did a little drive around Geraldton, stopping in at the WA Museum where there is a large exhibit of shipwrecks from this coast as well as a section on HMAS Sydney. Was interesting to read all about the tragedy.

Heading further along the coast we dropped in to Dongara/Port Denison, major crayfish boat port. The coastline was just one small fishing port after another, all well worth a look at and very popular in school holidays for Perthsiders.

Next stop was the Nambung NP, home of the famous Pinnacles. This was an amazing place to visit, shifting sand dunes that reveal limestone pillars that look like termite nests in the desert. We drove through the middle of the park stopping for photos as we went.

Leaving here we made a B line for Perth and Fremantle, still with no fixed accommodation plans we thought that this should not be an issue. After Cindy spending an hour on the phone we ended up at a caravan park in the back of Fremantle. Was not all bad as we had a little time to drive around Fremantle, the place was packed and all the accom was full. Found out that it is like this all summer so those travelling this way, book first.

Ningaloo Reef Marine Park

Leaving the hustle and bustle of Tom Price we headed towards the coast and the blue waters of Ningaloo Reef. After having a few issues with Trev overheating a little and the fact that we had 650kms to travel we proceeded with caution.....not too fast and without A/C.

A few hours in an all seemed to be running well so the decision was made to add the Air Con in to the mix, it was only 43 degrees out side a howling hot wind was coming from the centre (of the earth). Good plan but again things struggled and the A/C belt was slipping. We soldiered on with the thought of cool ocean breezes to keep us going.
There were a few minor incidents with grasshoppers flying in the window, something that Cindy took exception to and the road atlas will never be the same again.
After arriving in Exmouth, only to find that it was hotter here than it was at Tom Price......work that out. We headed straight for the Information Centre, amazing this one was open, have tried about half a dozen since Christmas and this is the first that was open. Based on the great weather and the fact that we had spent 7 hours in the car at 40+ degree heat we booked a hotel for the night.......with air con. After securing a 12 noon check out there seemed to be just enough time in the morning to fit in a half day fishing charter......while Cindy slept in the cool. Booked a charter with Ningaloo Pearls Fishing Charters for 6.30am.

The weather in the morning was a little rougher than the previous day but not too bad all the same. There were only 5 on the charter, myself and 4 others from Grafton of all places. Anyway things got a little rough a few hours in and soon a couple had circum to the conditions. The fish were still biting so we kept at it, in total 28 keepers were landed and a good mixed bag of Spangled Emperor, Black Snapper, Chinaman Cod and a couple of whopping Coral Trout. Tom managed to catch more than his share, 6 Spangled Emperor, 5 Black Snapper, 7 Chinamen Cod and about half a dozen smaller ones.....no Coral Trout which was a shame. Anyway great day was had and managed to get a few feeds of fish, gave the rest away...must really get a bigger freezer.

Returning back to the motel, where it was found that Cindy had made the executive decision that we should stay another night in the cool......good move as it was still too hot to do too much. Later that evening we headed up to the lighthouse to watch the sunset and have a couple of quiet ones and some cheese.

The next morning (not too early, about 11.30) we headed off to see the National Park that borders Ningaloo Reef Marine Park, was very spectacular, stopping in at a couple of the turtle nesting beaches as well as Turquoise Bay.

A very popular snorkeling spot were you can drift over the coral with the current, as we did not have any gear and couldn't be bothered driving back to the Visitor Centre we opted for a swim instead.....This is where Cindy managed to conquer one of her fears of fish, seems she is happy to eat them but not keen to be in the water with them.

Anyway, whilst we were swimming around they just come from everywhere, mainly queenfish but then a massive school of mullet and whiting.....shame you can't fish there, it could have been fun. Slightly refreshed we jumped back in Trev and headed for our next destination, Coral Bay, about 150kms from Exmouth but still on the reef.
What a fantastic place, water is crystal clear and scenery breathtaking....the reef is only just a short distance from the shore. After booking in to the caravan park and securing a nice grassy site, we made camp and even put up the newly acquired shade tarp (Thanks M & D).

Although the weather was not as hot as it had been in Exmouth we headed off to the beach for a quick swim before heading to the lookout ( for the sunset) and pub for a beer. The water was slightly cooler than the weather and extremely salty but nice all the same. Not long in to our swim Cindy's recently conquered fear of fish was back, she claims it bit her but there was no blood.....we actually were surrounded but heaps of rather large emperor (of some sort), needless to say swim was quickly abandoned and we headed for the lookout followed by the pub where we managed to see the Australian cricket team lose again....
From Coral Bay, the journey continued south next stop Monkey Mia.
Based on the recent issues with Trev we decided that a quick checkup with the local radiator guy could be worth while, anyway we are now staying the night in Carnavon and Trev gets a new radiator in the morning.
As we were not proceeding any further the rest of the arvo was spent exploring the sights of Carnavon, out to the 1 Mile Jetty, port and local watering hole.....not too much to report but we have had a chance to get some supplies as well as get the local Auto Electrician to rewire the fan for the A/C, runs like a dream now.

All should be back on track soon

The Pilbara

After another quick check up for Trev we headed south for the Pilbara. Just south of Broome we entered a massive open floodplain covered with lush green feed and a huge number of cattle dotted the plains. Amazing what a little rain can do to bare country.
About an hour in to the trip we stopped by the local cops from Bidyadanga Aboringinal Community doing RBT on the main highway, think that they were just missing the interaction....passed with full colours and then kept heading south.
Without a concrete plan on where we were going to spend the night we dropped in to 80 Mile Beach, a popular place in the season but little too quiet for what we were looking for. It is renown turtle breeding beach but we had missed the hatching for the season.

Next spot Cape Keraudren, council run nature reserve right in the coast, popular with the tourists and fishermen alike. A great location and we spent the next few hours exploring. Down by the creek we spotted a large bull sitting in the mud. Initial thoughts were that he was stuck in the mud....

On further inspection he was not stuck, may be the mud was just cool and helping with the swelling.....you be the judge.

After managing to get Trev dry bogged momentarily we decided not to stay the night  but not before having a little fish in the creek, no success but based on the number of sandflies it was probably a good call not to stay.

Heading straight for Port Headland and the caravan park at Cook Point, whilst initially the bloke there was not happy at the lateness but was soon put back in his place by the wife. Had a good night and met some of the locals that work on the tugs in the port. Sounds like a good gig.....

In the morning we had a good look around the port, shame the tide was out, would have been interesting to see them bring in those big vessels in to the small port. Was interesting to travel around town and have a look at all the loading facilities etc and everything was a great shade of brown. What was interesting was the cost of real estate, basic houses were selling for up to $2 mil and standard 3 bedroom houses were renting for $2000/week, should have bought here instead.

After a good look around we headed towards Karratha and Dampier with a plan to stay in or around the area. On the way we stopped of at Whim Creek Hotel and the site of an old copper mine. This pub was flattened by a cyclone in 1999. Karratha and Dampier was the same as Port Headland, the gas plant and mines are going nuts, and seem to be the place to own a big boat....must be work and fishing...sounds like a good place except its in the middle of nowhere.
Salt mine in Karratha

From here we decided that we should push on to Tom Price for the night with the plan to visit Karijini NP the next day. The drive was a little longer than we though as the initial route required a permit and we didn't have one so we had to head the long way around. Was an interesting drive and the scenery was different from anywhere else, arid but green. Red rocky hills covered in green clumps of spinnafix. Drive was a little slow as Trev decided that he would have some temp issues and as a result A/C off and speed down, arriving in Tom Price about 8pm.

After a good nights rest and amazing that it was the coolest night we had had since been back on the road we headed off to Karijini National Park, this was fascinating. Sparse areas of semi arid areas with a collection of very deep and bright red gorges opening up in the middle of nowhere. it is like the earth has just cracked and the water has opened these cracks up. We visited a number of these gorges but as usual we were travelling to these places in the middle of the day (40+ again), you would have thought that we would have learnt. anyway we got a good look at most and then walked down in to Fortescue Falls for a look and quick swim. Managed to get a few shots but limited with the number of people around.

Spent another night at Tom Price with the plan to do a mine tour the next day, once again out of season....shame would have been good to see...next time.

Next stop Exmouth and the coast, hope its cooler there....