10 Jun 10 – Carnarvon

By Lou: We intended to stay one night in Carnarvon at a caravan park as we were keen to get to a more low-key spot further north and enjoy the weather and Ningaloo reef. However, before we knew it 4 nights had flown by. Carnarvon is full of fruit and vegetable plantations, a $50m industry, which supplies a majority of WA’s fruit and veg market and it was very exciting to buy inexpensive and good quality fruit and veg.

Craig had been quietly concerned for a few weeks about the angle one of the trailer tyres had taken on and wanted to check out the axle. Between crawling under the trailer and heading out to mechanics/wreckers for parts and advice that took up most of 2 days. One morning whilst I dutifully stood by passing tools in and out to Craig, Sam took himself off to ‘craft morning’, complete with mug of Milo and plate of biscuits to share with the old dears doing their knitting and crocheting.
In that same social spirit we joined in on a Mystery Dinner night in the park. We rocked up with our BYO chairs, crockery and cutlery and joined a table of 5 gents. In between courses of pea and ham soup and vanilla slice we had three rounds of trivia quiz and out of 8 teams we emerged the winners. It was a good laugh and great way to socialise and win bags of chocolate.

Craig got an offer to go fishing in one fella’s boat, and found some drinking partners to boot! The only downside to this socialising is that it takes a good hour to actually leave after you do the rounds of goodbyes.

Carnarvon was the place where I decided to take stock of the toll the ever regular drinks and nibbles routine was taking on my waistline and energy levels. I am on Day 2 of a new resolve to get up and walk each morning. I had let my old habit lapse since I didn’t have a dog to walk and was not keen to wander off for an hour on my own in a strange town. Nothing to do with the luxury of sleeping in of course. I had envisaged we’d be out and about each day doing things to incorporate informal exercise but there’s a lot more sitting around chatting going on than that. So new rules: Don’t drive to the shops to buy the drinks and nibbles…walk!

By Sam: It was a friendly caravan park and had kids. Dad got my box of toys down so I played with them.

By Craig: Driving through Carnarvon WA I really didn’t have a feel for one caravan park or another but as it turns out the one we picked was great.
A trivia night put on by the caravan park managers was a great way to meet and socialise. Our trivia team won the night and Red, one of the team players, invited me out for an afternoon fishing in his boat. Not a bad effort either as I caught my first Mackerel off a lure, what a fight & it tasted just that little bit better for the effort.
I was also able to get out for a fish off the beach, even Louise was willing to take up a rod & Sam just loved playing in the sand. Although we were unlucky the first afternoon the next day I was invited to join Darren the park manager for another attempt and luck was with us as we pulled in a couple of Tailor. Well in general having an opportunity to fish and chat with others over a few drinks made the trailer maintenance bearable (bloody axle).

6 Jun 10 – Hamelin Station

By Craig: Hamelin Station is recognition of what an alternative business idea for remote stations can look like, a delightful place to rest even if it was only one night. A lot of thought and effort was put in to this project, modern facilities with an outward appearance of yesteryear.
Would I recommend it to others, yes and hopefully we will return again possibly on our next tour.
While we were in the area we visited Hamelin Pool and the Stromatolytes. Apparently these small living rocks are our long lost relatives, we were delighted to find this out and started picking out possible ancestors.






By Lou: At 100km this overnight stop was probably the shortest distance between camps we’ve ever travelled but we had been so impressed by an earlier inspection that we wanted to give it a go. The station was lovely and peaceful and a lovely atmosphere created in the renovated shearer’s shed and communal kitchen.

Hamelin appears to comprise the old Hamelin Pool Telegraph Station (closed due to lack of staff), tearooms, a caravan park and the stomatolite pools. Peculiarly, the tearooms sold quite an eclectic array of dresses and swimwear which seemed more suited to a high street somewhere.

The 1km walk to the Pools was through a quarry which in days goneby provided compacted shell blocks for building homesteads and other buildings. The stromatolites were curious looking things. Slow growing apparently, and you can still see the lines made by the carts hauled out by camels to awaiting ships







Sprung bad, Tag Dag.

5 Jun 10 – Monkey Mia

By Craig: Although I was overall disappointed with Monkey Mia and the over the top control laid out by the parks personnel, I was certainly looking forward to seeing dolphins up close.
I wasn’t impressed by the attitude of some people who thought the best way to get a view was to push their way in front and when it came to be selected to feed the dolphins the ‘Pick me’ attitude was fierce.
It didn’t bother me personally as I was interested in photos but I did feel sorry for Sam who diligently stood on the control line but was overshadowed by the surrounding adults and missed getting the chance to hold a smelly fish and feed Flipper.

Sam got a chance to get a photo with a local celebrity and I snapped off a shot of his mates coming in to check out the fuss.
It was cold and had started raining so Lou decided to get coffees while I set up the computer and we all sat in the car and watched an episode of Dr Who.






By Lou: We had heard from a few people that they were disappointed with Monkey Mia, renowned for handfeeding of dolphins at the shoreline, but felt we had to see it and make our own judgement. The park ranger had told us the best time to see the dolphins at the moment was 8am so we left camp at 6:30am in the dark. I have mixed feelings about the experience. I did enjoy seeing them up close and the rangers know them so well they can identify individuals and know exactly how old they are (because the mums bring the calves in immediately after they’re born). However it was the behaviour of the crowd which most intrigued me. Initially we all had to stand away from the shoreline until we got the green light from the rangers to approach.
Although a pelican got away with jumping the gun, there were several individuals who strayed. One such woman dobbed in the next one under the guise "I was just doing the right thing". As I have found on many occasions where groups gather for a particular spectacle, many leave their brains and manners in the car. Ironically this is why rules are made, because it seems sense in't that common after all.

We have enjoyed several sightings of dolphins in our travels along the coast, even at close-ish range, and found it far more spectacular watching them in their wild and natural state.

4 June 10 - Ocean Park

By Lou: One drizzly day I thought, why don't we go for a drive somewhere warm and fork out lots of money for the privilege? So we headed off to Ocean Park, an aquarium just out of Denham. Unfortunately it wasn't entirely an indoors aquarium but it turned out to be really interesting and informative. We were taken on a guided tour of about 6 pools, starting from a nursery through to the shark pool. Learnt about lots of beasties like sea snakes, stonefish and tiger fish. Although the shark was half hearted about eating the bait, given they're fed every tour, it was close enough to turn me off surfing.







Talk about nasties...

I quite enjoyed watching and learning a little about clown fish (Nemos). In one tank we watched a little clown fish race over to the over side of the tank when a blob of food was dropped in, grabbing it in the face of much bigger fish, and then taking it back to its anenome. Gutsy little thing. They have a symbiotic relationship and in return for a large healthy home the clown fish makes sure his anenome is fed well.

By Craig: Lou had me interested just mentioning 'Sharks' & given half a chance I think Sam would swim with them! Wondering why a piece of weedy rock was sitting alone in a tank had me for a second until it moved and I realised it was a Stone Fish. Bloody scary to think we could walk past or on these things in the water.

3 Jun 10 – Francois Peron National Park

By Craig: Our travels found us at Denham WA, yet another seaside town giving us an opportunity to stock up with supplies, fuel and of course grog. Fully stocked we headed off for Francois Peron National Park and hopefully a campsite at Big Lagoon. ‘It’s a long road in Lou’ and ‘It’s starting to get dark’ ‘Not again’
We arrived at the Big Lagoon camp ground just as the last rays of light disappeared,
‘Bugger’! Not much in the way of a camp site. A quick scout around for the owner of a single vehicle parked in a camp site and thankfully their good will allowed us a better position.
As we started to back in, the Cruiser wheels began to spin in the very soft sand, so down to 12psi, we had already reduced tyre pressure to 20psi. Good enough we were in and time to set up!
We woke to a view of the lake and although the weather was not at its best there were moments where the beauty of the area shone through.

I had realised the night before that the journey in through some reasonably rough territory had caused one of my new crab pots to come loose and was most likely back on the track.
An early morning 2 or so kilometre walk failed to find the missing pot so I returned to camp for a coffee. To my delight the attending ranger who was conducting his daily road maintenance by dragging some very large tractor tyres behind his 4wd, had found my crab pot. I think he was a little disappointed that he found the owner but with an offer of a coffee he stopped for a chat. The ranger was a young aboriginal chap very knowledgeable in the history of the region and entertained us with a quip or 2 before heading off to finish grading the track.
Bad weather looming and poor fishing gave reason to leave but only after we had a chance to explore the local sheep station at Peron Homestead.


By Lou: We scored a lovely campspot right on the shores of Big Lagoon in Francois Peron National Park but the weather was wet and cold and dreary. We took the trouble of taking the tinny off the roof before setting up but in the 3 days we were there we didn’t bother putting it on the water. Our neighbours were a couple who were one week into their 12 month odyssey so were happy to chill and wind down from the stresses of preparing. They weren’t so depressed by the rain and I waved my finger at them and predicted “wait till you’ve had rain follow you for 4 months and then see how chirpy you are!” Even the Ranger wasn’t sure where this patch of rain came from. It’s us. We are cursed.

We also enjoyed the company of a family living in Perth for a year, who hail from Galapagos Islands. Nine year old Claudio only learnt to speak English 6 months ago and is now fluent. He and Sam spent hours playing in or near the water in the cold, playing armies and singing songs, happy as Larry.

2 Jun 10 – Kalbarri

By Craig: Kalbarri, I liked it so much I bought a shirt that said just that. The area included Kalbarri National Park which had a lot to offer but for starters the mouth of the Murchison River at Kalbarri is wicked.
We sat and watched a fishing boat enter through the mouth and as it manoeuvred through the S bend waves were crashing over it from three sides.








I enjoyed our walk to see Natures Window the loop and Z Bend all of which are gorges within the national park.












The coast line was as rugged as the Great Australian Bight and you were able to enjoy sites such as the Natural Arch as you meandered along the cliff top boardwalk.
We also sighted whales in the distance as they breached but they were to far away for a photo however from the lookout along the boardwalk we could see Dolphins playing in the surf below.














By Lou: Kalbarri was a pleasant surprise. Mind you, I had no idea what to expect but it was bigger than I had imagined and just had a nice feel about it. The Murchison River meets the Indican Ocean in a pretty awesome display. Right next door to the caravan park was a fish and chip shop. After we'd set up I though I'd nick next door and get a piece of fish each for Craig and I while Sam was off riding his bike. It cost $22 for 2 pieces of battered fish! I couldn't believe it when there were fishing trawlers coming in by the dozen. When pressed, the owner claims he can guarantee the fish is caught locally or north of Kalbarri, but he purchases it from Perth at city prices. Crazy.

If we were impressed with the town we were in for a pleasant surprise when we toured the nearby national park.





Was stoked to run into Harry Butler at The Loop and Sam I delighted in 'ruining' a nature photo by posing in front of Nature's Window.

31 May 10 – Geraldton

By Lou: Our stay in Cervantes was a short one. We checked into a caravan park after our sunset tour of the nearby Pinnacles and did a quick flick of the tent. We made dinner in the camp kitchen and enjoyed the company of a lovely Danish couple who were on their honeymoon. Both had travelled around Australia before, which is how they met, and they would love to love here permanently but it is extremely difficult for them to do so. A consolation was that they loved Our Mary and thought she did both Denmark and Australia proud.

Next day we set off for Geraldton and made lots of stops along the coast on the way. I think we passed through about 5 different shires along the way. One stretch of road would have 'No Camping' signs at every road off the highway, and then once you crossed into the next shire they were conspicuously absent. Wasn't impressed with Jurien Bay - getting a bit too developed for my liking. I did however like Green Head and Dongara. They're the types of town where you think, this cute and quite little town could take off, you know. And then you go to the real estate window and realise, judging by the hefty pricetag on a rundown old shack, that it already has taken off!

I was amazed at how big Geraldton was. The sprawl starts kilometres before the heart of town, in a narrow strip between the coast and sand dunes. We checked for mail, gave the car and trailer a wash, picked up some groceries, and held up traffic at a petrol station while we chatted to another family doing the 12 month trip. The mother was a teacher and said, give me 30 kids belonging to someone else and teaching's a delight; home schooling my own two is a nightmare! That made me feel so much better I only ate one packet of chips that day.

The HMAS Sydney memorial was lovely although Sam thought it sucked because I wouldn’t let him climb on the walls. For those who don’t know the story, a German ship, HSK Kormoran, bombed HMAS Sydney in 1941 off the coast of WA and by the time the smoke cleared the whole ship and its crew of 645 men had sunk. The exact site of the watery grave was not known until 67 years later when it was eventually located about 8 nautical miles from the scene of the principal battle site and at a depth of 2470 metres.


The Dome comprises 645 seagulls representing each of the 645 lost sailors. The waiting woman represents the anxious mothers and relatives looking for the return of their sons serving on the HMAS Sydney.
If you discount a rowdy, bored senseless 7 year old kid running around, it was a really poignant tribute.








By Craig: We passed through Dongara mid afternoon and decided to stop in this quiet seaside town. The bay was protected by large rock walls and as we sat having a late lunch we watched local fishing boats returning to the harbour.
















Geraldton held an interest for both Louise and I as it has a memorial to the HMAS Sydney. We had read an article recently about its discovery and I had read a piece on the ship when we were in Whyalla SA visiting another historic ship.


Just beyond Geraldton we found an overnight stop at Coronation Beach, a beaut spot with stacks of campsites and a great boardwalk up the hill to a lookout. In the distance you were able to see a beautiful coastline with big surf.