Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Day 175–176 15th to 16th September; Carnarvon
Today we are moving on and thus beginning our journey back to Melbourne. We have allowed ourselves 17 days to get back, but first of all we are going to travel 230 km to Carnarvon keeping a close check on the radiator, which is showing signs that it is not going to last the trip back home to Melbourne, a distance of some 4500 km! Carnarvon looks like our best chance of getting it seen to before having to cover large distances down the West Australian coast, with great gaps between towns. Then of course there is the Nullarbor!!!
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Day 169–176 8th - 15th Sept; Coral Bay
Had a leisurely pack up today as there is only a short 145 km drive from Exmouth to Coral Bay. We were ready to leave by 9.30 a.m., so once again we idled out of the caravan park and down into town for a few last minute grocery items and the regulation coffees for the trip. I was still conscious of the Millennium Pajero’s radiator, so we took it pretty easy on the way. This being the case the temp gauge still kept creeping up the dial at times. Anyway we made it to Coral Bay intact and secured a spot at the Bayview C.P. for 5 nights. Coral Bay is a very relaxing place, with one pub, two caravan parks, directly opposite the beach, a set of shops within a “plaza” type set up which contains a newsagent, bakery / café, small supermarket, gift shop and some tour booking shops. There are also a couple of eatery / restaurants attached to each of the caravan parks and a petrol station.
The place is set up so that if you wish to take a tour on to the reef, you can do so. If you want to take an organized fishing trip this is also possible. Quad bike tours were available as well. You could also access parts of the beach in your vehicle if you wished. The other option was simply to sit back and relax on the beach in the bay, that is opposite the caravan park, where you could also step off the beach and snorkel over the coral for which this area of W.A. is famous!!! What a choice! I was suffering, at this stage from “choice stress”. I didn’t know whether to relax a “little bit”, or relax “a whole lot”!!!!! We ended up choosing to relax a whole lot. In fact we enjoyed relaxing so much that we decided to extend our stay for another 2 nights just to round out our visit to a full week. We also figured that by the time we had finished at Coral Bay, it would be time to “seriously” push on for home. This would give us approximately 17 days to do this and so we decided to make the most of our “last hurrah” in the sunshine before crossing back down over the Tropic Of Capricorn and in to the cooler weather of the south. Our visit to Coral Bay also represented the last “item” that we had on our “to do” list for this trip and so after its completion we had no real plans. Any places we got to see after this were a bonus for all of us We all had snorkeling gear to use whilst at Coral Bay and every one enjoyed the opportunity to do so. Jasmine took to the snorkeling caper very well and was very adept at it, especially in the shallows, where she would use her hands in the sand to pull herself along through the water. Daisy was a bit more spooked by what she saw under the water and also found the goggles a little unsettling and uncomfortable. Liv and Rube were also keen, although they were both a bit “scaredy” when they didn’t have their “Daddy” with them in the water. Both of them seemed to have a phobia about stingrays and thought that they would become the victims of another Steve Irwin type attack!!! Ahhhh girls!!!! Andy, well she was just completely happy to sit on the beach, soak up the sun, read her book and make the most of her last few weeks of not having to face the realities of “normal home life”, if there is such a thing. We both could not think of a better place in which to attempt to do it.
The place is set up so that if you wish to take a tour on to the reef, you can do so. If you want to take an organized fishing trip this is also possible. Quad bike tours were available as well. You could also access parts of the beach in your vehicle if you wished. The other option was simply to sit back and relax on the beach in the bay, that is opposite the caravan park, where you could also step off the beach and snorkel over the coral for which this area of W.A. is famous!!! What a choice! I was suffering, at this stage from “choice stress”. I didn’t know whether to relax a “little bit”, or relax “a whole lot”!!!!! We ended up choosing to relax a whole lot. In fact we enjoyed relaxing so much that we decided to extend our stay for another 2 nights just to round out our visit to a full week. We also figured that by the time we had finished at Coral Bay, it would be time to “seriously” push on for home. This would give us approximately 17 days to do this and so we decided to make the most of our “last hurrah” in the sunshine before crossing back down over the Tropic Of Capricorn and in to the cooler weather of the south. Our visit to Coral Bay also represented the last “item” that we had on our “to do” list for this trip and so after its completion we had no real plans. Any places we got to see after this were a bonus for all of us We all had snorkeling gear to use whilst at Coral Bay and every one enjoyed the opportunity to do so. Jasmine took to the snorkeling caper very well and was very adept at it, especially in the shallows, where she would use her hands in the sand to pull herself along through the water. Daisy was a bit more spooked by what she saw under the water and also found the goggles a little unsettling and uncomfortable. Liv and Rube were also keen, although they were both a bit “scaredy” when they didn’t have their “Daddy” with them in the water. Both of them seemed to have a phobia about stingrays and thought that they would become the victims of another Steve Irwin type attack!!! Ahhhh girls!!!! Andy, well she was just completely happy to sit on the beach, soak up the sun, read her book and make the most of her last few weeks of not having to face the realities of “normal home life”, if there is such a thing. We both could not think of a better place in which to attempt to do it.
Day 166 – 169 5th - 8th Sept. Exmouth.
Today we had decided that we would attempt our longest one day drive of the trip, from Karijini to Exmouth, which we had calculated to be over 700 km. The day was overcast, surprisingly and looked as though it may rain. We were packed and on the road by 8.30 am and headed for Tom Price, which we reached by 9.30. Here I needed to access the internet to do some banking whilst Andy did some quick grocery shopping. We were on the road again by 10.20 and heading westward to Paraburdoo a further 70 km. Here we had a fuel stop and then pushed on through the Pilbara towards the Coast highway. It was travelling along this road that we encountered our first rain since Longreach in QLD, on the 1st June. This continued on and off for quite a few hours as we travelled closer to the coast.
The landscape varied between rugged mountains with rocky outcrops to flat plains with saltbush and saltpans. There was however one constant though, that is the red dirt!!! Always red dirt!! Onward we pushed. Lunch once again consisted of a road side stop at one of the free camping areas with salad sandwiches thrown together out of the back of the camper. Simple, cheap and effective. We joined the coast road again at Nanutarra Roadhouse and continued on down towards Carnarvon for 120 km before turning off towards Exmouth, still with 180 km to go. We finally, as the sun was setting over the Cape Range National Park, made it into Exmouth at 6.15 p.m. Interestingly after almost 5 and a half months of travelling, Exmouth represents the furthest point on the Australian continent from Melbourne, as the crow flies.
We booked in at the Caravan Park in town, which was very well appointed. They had had quite a deal of rain during the day, which is unusual, so it was a little wet under foot, but we managed to settle in once again with the minimum of fuss. Everyone was really looking forward to a good hot shower after 4 days without one. Ruby and Liv have developed into such responsible young women. They both are fantastic at taking the younger girls to the showers with them and making sure that they bath properly, which is a fantastic help to both Andy and myself. Ruby is also especially good at getting dinner underway when we are late getting into a camp site, while Olivia is sensational at setting the camper up and organizing all the bedding etc. They have both really excelled in these areas as the trip has progressed. Andy and I are really proud of them both!!!!
Exmouth is a sleepy little town that was originally founded to service the Naval Communication centre that was set up on the cape in the 60’s. Nowadays the place is really geared towards fishing, tourism and diving activities as a result of its proximity to the Cape Range National Park and the Ningaloo Marine National Park. We used the few days that we had there to check out the town and some of the beaches as well as stocking up before we headed to Coral Bay which is at the southern end of Ningaloo Reef system. Even though it is over 1200 km from Perth, you can see that it is still a holiday destination for people from down south, as there are plenty of holiday houses as well as a new large marina that is being developed with residential blocks and waterfront views. We decided that we would not make the trip to camp in at Cape Range N.P. , as we had heard that you could not be guaranteed a spot at a camp site and that the whole N.P. was rather exposed weather wise. We therefore decided that we would head for Coral Bay instead, as it offered virtually the same types of experiences as Ningaloo.
After 3 nights at Exmouth we were ready to move on.
The landscape varied between rugged mountains with rocky outcrops to flat plains with saltbush and saltpans. There was however one constant though, that is the red dirt!!! Always red dirt!! Onward we pushed. Lunch once again consisted of a road side stop at one of the free camping areas with salad sandwiches thrown together out of the back of the camper. Simple, cheap and effective. We joined the coast road again at Nanutarra Roadhouse and continued on down towards Carnarvon for 120 km before turning off towards Exmouth, still with 180 km to go. We finally, as the sun was setting over the Cape Range National Park, made it into Exmouth at 6.15 p.m. Interestingly after almost 5 and a half months of travelling, Exmouth represents the furthest point on the Australian continent from Melbourne, as the crow flies.
We booked in at the Caravan Park in town, which was very well appointed. They had had quite a deal of rain during the day, which is unusual, so it was a little wet under foot, but we managed to settle in once again with the minimum of fuss. Everyone was really looking forward to a good hot shower after 4 days without one. Ruby and Liv have developed into such responsible young women. They both are fantastic at taking the younger girls to the showers with them and making sure that they bath properly, which is a fantastic help to both Andy and myself. Ruby is also especially good at getting dinner underway when we are late getting into a camp site, while Olivia is sensational at setting the camper up and organizing all the bedding etc. They have both really excelled in these areas as the trip has progressed. Andy and I are really proud of them both!!!!
Exmouth is a sleepy little town that was originally founded to service the Naval Communication centre that was set up on the cape in the 60’s. Nowadays the place is really geared towards fishing, tourism and diving activities as a result of its proximity to the Cape Range National Park and the Ningaloo Marine National Park. We used the few days that we had there to check out the town and some of the beaches as well as stocking up before we headed to Coral Bay which is at the southern end of Ningaloo Reef system. Even though it is over 1200 km from Perth, you can see that it is still a holiday destination for people from down south, as there are plenty of holiday houses as well as a new large marina that is being developed with residential blocks and waterfront views. We decided that we would not make the trip to camp in at Cape Range N.P. , as we had heard that you could not be guaranteed a spot at a camp site and that the whole N.P. was rather exposed weather wise. We therefore decided that we would head for Coral Bay instead, as it offered virtually the same types of experiences as Ningaloo.
After 3 nights at Exmouth we were ready to move on.
Day 163–166 2nd to 5th Sept. Karijini National Park
Port Hedland is the hub for all the iron ore that is mined from Newman. However we were keen to get to Karijini and so did not worry about spending time doing the port tour or any of the mining related stuff. This being the case, we used it as a jump off point to get to Karijini N.P. which was some 300 km to the south in the Pilbara. We left Pt. Hedland at around 11.30 and made it to Karijni by mid afternoon. Coming out of town for the first 100 k’s or so landscape was pretty plain and flat, but as we drove further south the landscape began to change gradually as mountain ranges became more common. The mountains in The Pilbara take on an almost purple hue as the sun strikes them and are really quite beautiful and stark, especially as this colour contrasts so vividly with the rich red coloured rock that dominates the landscape. These national park itself is situated right next to the mining town of Tom Price, which has 2 of the highest peaks in W.A., right next to it. We were gradually gaining altitude the more we travelled. We were headed to the Dales Gorge Campground, which is the main camping area in the National Park and being bitumen all the way is very popular with all types of campers. We were allocated a pretty campsite and the camping area had drop toilets and some gas b.b.q‘s, but there was no water available, so no showers and bring your own drinks! Wednesday morning dawned and it was Daisy’s 4th birthday. We had a beautiful morning with her and she was so excited about the whole thing. We had decided that we would explore the gorges around Dales Campsite on this day. I was quite surprised when I found out that we were actually camped within about 400 metres of them. From where we were camped it just looked like we were surrounded by savannah type grasslands with no hint that there were these fantastic gorges any where nearby. We thought that we would allow a couple of hours to explore them, thinking that this would be enough for the younger kids, but ended up spending about 6 hours doing so. We visited Circular Pool, which was fed by water from underground springs, where I had a swim and then walked along the gorge through which the small stream flowed. The gorge was lined with lush grass, reeds and paperbark and river red gums. We continued our walk until we reached Fortesque Falls which had a lovely plunge pool. We had a short rest and then headed on a further 200 metres to Fern Pool. This gorgeous pool about 50 m by 40 m, was filled with light blue coloured, pristine water that flowed over a 4-5 metre waterfall. It had a board edging and ladder at one end, so that entering and exiting the water was a breeze. All of us enjoyed a swim at this pool. It was difficult to comprehend where the water to fill these pools was coming from because above the gorges there was no indication that there was any water nearby, or had been any water nearby for a very long time. That evening we celebrated Daisy’s birthday with a dinner of Burritos and white chocolate mud cake, accompanied by party hats and whistles. Thursday we headed off for 50 km’s along the dirt road to the other gorge section of the park known as Weano Gorge. This gorge section is quite different from the Dales area. The gorges are a lot narrower and more diverse and in many ways more spectacular, but not necessarily better! They are also more complex and more difficult to enter, so we were mindful of how much we might be able to negotiate before Jassy and Daisy found it too difficult. Most sections of the gorge walks required feet getting wet and a few required total immersion in order to reach your destination. The little ones however, once again rose to the occasion and were able to complete most of the walks and enjoyed them as well. Both Jas and Daisy have become remarkably sure-footed and dexterous when it comes to negotiating rocks and steep, slippery inclines and as for Liv & Ruby, they just love the challenge and the experience. We didn’t manage to complete all the walks in this section of the park, but we were very happy with what we managed to do n the time that we had. It would however be easy to spend 4 or 5 nights in this beautiful place, even without showers!!!
The next morning we were heading for Exmouth, a distance of some 750 km, which we had decided to attempt in one day.
The next morning we were heading for Exmouth, a distance of some 750 km, which we had decided to attempt in one day.
Day 161–163 31st Aug– 2nd Sept; Cape Leveque to Pt. Hedland
Our aim for today was to leave Cape Leveque by 8.30 am and make our way back to Broome where we needed to do some quick shopping to stock up supplies for Daisy’s birthday, which we were going to celebrate whilst at Karijini, fill up with fuel, get some Maccas for lunch as a treat and try to make it to 80 Mile Beach Caravan Park. We were a little delayed leaving and so didn’t drive out of Kooljamon until about 9.15. We made good time down the track, however my fuel gauge was showing that we were getting dangerously low on fuel. I had miscalculated the amount of driving that we would do at Cape Leveque. Andrea talked me into turning off at Beagle Bay to get a top up there. No luck. It was Sunday and the fuel depot and store was closed. I was still pretty confident that we could make the distance, however the 8 kms that we traveled into Beagle Bay for no result would have used up valuable fuel and there was no more fuel until Broome. We pushed on and pretty soon the sealed section of road gave way to the unsealed section which was pretty rough and corrugated and not good for smooth driving and petrol consumption. We finally made it back onto the bitumen some 20 km from Broome and then onto the main h.way in to town. We had 9 km to go and my orange fuel warning light had been on for at least 40 km. I can usually get about 60 km before it empties completely. We reached the main turnoff about 3 k’s from the centre of town. I say to Andy I think we might be alright. Just as I say it the car splutters….Oh no. The car rolls to a standstill.. Only one thing for it, I grab an empty jerry can and begin to hitch into town. I was lucky to get a lift from the 2nd car that passed me. It was an Aboriginal couple driving a pajero, with 2 young kids in it. The youngest was a baby 6 weeks old. They graciously gave me a lift to the servo, while I sat in the back nursing a 20 litre jerry can and feeding a 6 week old baby its bottle. Quite bizarre!! Got the petrol and a lift back within 30 mins and we were away again. We left Broome at 2.15 and subsequently our chances of making 80 mile beach were nil. We drove until about 4.30 until we reached the Stanley Rest Area, a road side rest area where we decided to free camp for the night. This was fine! These rest areas are specifically set up for travelers and are especially prevalent in W.A. where there are such great distances between towns. For example we were travelling from Broome to Pt. Hedland which is a distance of approx 730 km and there was not one town between these 2 places. The rest areas usually have level areas on which to set up, toilets, sometimes water, picnic type tables and chairs and are usually well back from the road. We were set up fed and in bed by 8.30 and up next morning and on the road again by 7.40 am. We decided to push on to Pt. Hedland. By 9.30 we had reached the 80 Mile Beach Caravan Park turnoff, so we decided to travel the 10 k’s to the coast to have a quick look at this and get a coffee and some pastries for morning tea, which we had heard were available and yummy. They were right!! Had a quick look at the beach and back out on to the hiway. Topped up at Pardoo Roadhouse about 170 k’s fro m Pt. Hedland and then continued on arriving there at about 1.00 pm. We once again managed to secure the last available spot at the Cooke Point Caravan Park for an overnight stay. Since leaving Cape Leveque yesterday we have travelled 950 km’s and only passed through one town!!!! Radiator holding. Phew!
Day 158–161 28th – 31st August Cape Leveque
By 10.00 a.m. we were away from Broome and heading up the Cape Leveque Road. This was a distance of 210 km from Broome the first 90 or so of which was a fairly rough unsealed section. After 90 km’s the road becomes sealed for the rest of the trip to Cape Leveque. As the road slices its way north it passes quite few turn offs to isolated Aboriginal Communities, many of which are gradually awakening to the power of the tourist dollar. After about 10 km travelling along the sealed section of the road we turned off to visit the community of Beagle Bay, which was originally a mission set up by the Dominican Fathers, early last century, but has a beautiful white washed brick church in the style of the gothic Lutheran churches. It is quite a beautiful church and is adjacent to a P -12 Catholic School that has roughly 120 students, mainly Aboriginal, on its books. The altar of the church and its surrounds is inlaid with mother of pearl shell and these and the rest of the decorations in the place were all collected and made by the aboriginal members of the community. We spent about 45 minutes or so here and had a chat to the local priest before departing for our destination. We arrived at Kooljamon some 45 minutes later. One of the first things we saw as we were setting up was whales about a km off shore splashing and breaching. This was to be a common occurrence for the remainder of our stay. We had a beautiful campsite on a low cliff top facing westward overlooking the sea. In a short while the Ellks came and checked out where we were and as there was vehicle access to the beaches, we drove down onto the beach for a swim. This place is fishing, snorkeling and swimming heaven. It was decided that drinks on the beach at sunset was the order of the day, something we were to do for the next 2 nights as well. A great way to end the day!! The next morning (Friday), we made the trip with Jon and Megan, to Lombadina, which is another Aboriginal Community about 12 km south of Cape Leveque. They have a bakery where they bake and sell their own bread within the community and if you are quick enough you can snaffle a few loaves. We planned to do just that and head down to the beach at this place and spend the rest of the day there. We managed to purchase the last loaf and the last 4 bread rolls that were available. Once again access to the beach was by 4wd, so this we did and drove a few km’s down it until we found a suitable spot in which to set ourselves up. Lomdadina has to be one of the most beautiful beaches that I’ve seen. We were the only ones on it. We all enjoyed eating the still warm bread with heaps of butter and jam whilst sitting on the beach. The day was glorious with not a cloud in the sky and the most inviting looking water in which to swim. The tide was still high when we arrived, but as it retreated (remember this area has 6-8 metre tides) it revealed shells and rock pools which the children enjoyed exploring. Drinks on the beach at sunset once again. Saturday morning Jon, Megan and their brood dropped by to say their farewells as they were heading back to Broome for a few weeks before beginning their journey back down south. We had really enjoyed our couple of days with them in this paradise. We had the rest of the day to ourselves and as the weather was beautiful and the water temp. about 25 degrees, we headed for the beach once again This time we drove on to the fishing beach where there were a few people set up for the day. It wasn’t difficult to find a spot however where there was no-one else around. There is something extremely satisfying about being able to drive on to a remote beach and choose a place to set up for the day and then just relax and enjoy the surroundings! We had a fantastic day enjoying the warmth, the blue skies and the pristine waters of the bay here. It really is a divine area that is pretty well untouched, although one wonders how long this situation will last, especially as the rumours are that within the next few years the road will be sealed the whole way to the cape! That evening we enjoyed drinks and nibbles once again as the sun set over the Timor Sea and the whales played offshore in the distance. The next morning we were hoping to be away early so that we could cover as much distance as possible to get to Port Hedland some 900 km distant. After that Karijini N.P. beckoned.
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