Perth
On the way to Perth, we passed Emu Downs wind farm, which seemed bigger than the Alinta wind farm south of Geraldton. When we got in, we set up camp, I rang & organized to get the bike serviced. Dropped it off in the morning & caught the train back. Later in the day, we all went into Perth for a look around, it’s just like any other major city, then they dropped me off to pick up the bike. Today, Mark & I went a got all the bits to put in a sink. We went back & got the associated plumbing for the hot water system, sink & shower. Mark & I put the sink in, so now it’s looking more like a complete bus. We needed a few extra bits, so over the next couple of days, we got to know the guys from Camec well. It’s now all hooked up now & I have hot water. We went up to Tony & Sue’s, they’re friends of Mark & Michelle’s for a BBQ. I haven’t done a lot of sightseeing, as I really think I’m over big cities.
Exploring Cervantes
This morning, I went out to explore the Pinnacles. They are limestone formations that number in the thousands, maybe tens of thousands & are up to 5 metres tall. Later in the day, I went out to Lake Thetis, where there is some stromatolites, & also Hansen Bay. Tonight, Mark & I went fishing for a while. Some local crayfishermen came down & had a chat. Seeing the fish were not biting, we decided to give catching herring for bait a go, & caught a few. Set the big rod up & a 1.5 metre stingray took the bait. I fought it for 15-20 minutes before it broke the line. After that, we went back to the buses.
Cervantes
On the way, Mark, Michelle & I made a detour to the Alinta Wind Farm. These generators are 78 metres tall with 41 metre blades, by the way there are 54 of them spread out over a number of farms. We went for a drive around Jurien Bay & the marina, had a bit of lunch then continued on. We got in late afternoon, set up camp, caught up with Mike & Judy, then went exploring this little town. I also had a new wind generator installed on the roof of my bus, it may be a tad tall.
Geraldton
I went for a ride into town, checked out the wharf area & got some fresh fish from the co-op, then went & did some shopping with Mark & Michelle. We went & checked out some shops for some stuff for the bus & the little white car. What has amazed me, at the wharves, is the number of big boats in dry dock, there’s almost as many as in the water.
Today, we went & had a look at the museum, which shows the diversity of the region & the cultural history of Geraldton & the surrounding areas. I went up to the HMAS Sydney 2 Memorial around sunset. What a beautiful sight & a solemn place of rememberance for the 645 Australians lost in the tragedy.
Hutt Lagoon
This Lagoon has a bacteria in the salt crystals that turns the water pink, yes you heard right, pink. It grows an algae that’s harvested & used in food colouring, aquaculture feed & vitamins. According to the blurb, it changes colour through the day from pink to a deep purple. Interesting stuff.
Kalbarri
I went to the information centre to get an idea of what’s to do in & around the area. I did some exploring around town, when I got back, I went for a walk around the headland of Red Bluff &up into Kalbarri National Park, got back some two hours later. The scenery around here is amazing.
Mark, Michelle & I went for coffee, then to the little oceanarium at the back of the surf shop. It’s got the fish from around this area in it, in a few large tanks, then to the Wildflower centre. We went to the Seahorse Sanctuary, which is a commercial breeding centre, mainly for the aquarium trade. I was fascinated, as I have kept seahorses myself, & had a fairly lengthy discussion with the marine biologist owners. I'm going to email them some info about my tanks when I get back to Brissy.
Stromatolites
These are the earliest known forms of life that is around 3.5 billion years old. This colony of micro-organisms is around 3000 years old & is 1of only 2 places in the world where there are living stromatolites. They’re living fossils, that in effect helped to create the oxygen rich atmosphere which let higher life forms evolve. We had a look at the old telegraph station that is in the same area. We left & kept heading south. Arrived at Kalbarri about 4pm & the park we’re staying at will be closing in two weeks, which is a pity as it is in a beautiful area not far from the beach.
Denham
This morning, I made a silly suggestion for all of us to go mini golfing, what a cracking great time we had. Afterwards, I went to the Shark Bay Interpretive Centre, it doesn’t seem much, but when you start looking around you can understand the reasons behind Shark Bay attaining World Heritage listing. You could easily spend a full day just exploring the centre & viewing the audio visual stuff. Got back to the bus & started getting ready to leave in the morning.
Ocean Park
Just out of Denham is Ocean Park. It started out as a commercial fish breeding centre, unsuccessfully. A family bought the business & turned it into what it is today, an aquaculture education centre, they also look after injured marine animals. They run a natural setup, to duplicate nature, so no chemicals or such is used. The centre really is a credit to them & the work they are doing.
Camel Ride
This morning, Mark, Michelle & I went over to Monkey Mia to go for a camel ride. Camels are an amazing animal as they can drink 100 litres of water in ten minutes, any other animal would be dead if they did that. For an animal that weighs up to 500 kg, it hardly makes a sound when it walks & doesn’t leave much of a footprint either. We all totally enjoyed it. We were going to go back there this arvo to go snorkeling, first time for me, but the sky clouded over & it rained.
Sailing Monkey Mia
This morning, Mark, Michelle & I went for a coffee & rang the tour for Aristocat 2, which operates out of Monkey Mia. Booked for the 1.30pm tour. Got there around 1pm & had a look around. Boarded the boat about 1.30 pm, it left at 2pm. I was extremely nervous, as boats & me, not a good mix. I started to enjoy myself & was fairly relaxed after ½ hour. We berthed at the Pearl farm for a tour, to learn first hand how it’s all done, from growing to grading. When we got near the seagrass beds, where dugong are known to feed, they shut down the motor & unfurled the sails & we sailed over the grass beds. We actually saw a few & on the way back, some dolphins escorted us back to the jetty.
Denham
It’s a wonderful seaside town, that’s only 25km from Monkey Mia, on Shark Bay. Mark & Michelle are trying to talk me into going on a boat cruise with them. There’s a number of things that I’d like to see & do around here & Monkey Mia.
Shell Beach
We stopped at a very aptly named place, Shell Beach. Instead of sand , the beach is made up of countless tiny shells. The shells are to a depth of 8-10 metres for a coastline of about 110 km long.
Gladstone
We headed south, to where Mike & Judy are camped. The road out was very badly rutted, so we could only average 10 kmh, but it was only 6 km long. It was worth it, as we were camped right by the beach. Mark & I decided it would be a good time to install the aircon. Cranked up the generator, cut a hole in the roof & riveted on a flat plate. We then lifted the aircon on to the rack on Mike’s Patrol, then onto the bus. It went straight in, hooked up the power, did the trims. Started the genny & tested it out. For a few hours work, I now have cooling & heating. Next day, we went fishing.
Wooramel
We headed off early, to get the rest of the bits to put the aircon in my bus. Mid afternoon we stopped at the roadhouse, which has a caravan park out back. The guy that booked us in was really laid back. It was very quiet, especially with no phone or internet coverage. The best bit, after the cold snap at Carnarvon, we were sitting outside in shorts & tshirts at 9pm.
Quobba
I took a drive out to Point Quobba, where there are these spectacular blowholes. They are actually big cracks in the rocks & with the seas force the water gets forced out & upward through these cracks, which puts on a great display. It was very windy & cold out there.
Carnarvon
We booked in for a few days, I did a bit of exploring, going to One Mile Jetty, boat harbour & a few other places close to town. I rode out to Rocky Pool, about 55km out. What a beautiful spot, nature abounds. I went & checked out the 32m satellite dish, which helped with the Apollo & Gemini space missions, Australia’s first live tv broadcast & tracked Halleys comet.
Coral Bay
We decided to leave early to check out Coral Bay & arrived around lunchtime. We’ve been told it’s an awesome place. I don’t reckon it was, as it mainly caters for backpackers. We decided to stay at Yardie Creek. Mike drove back along the beach track, an amazing 100km trek, that took around 5 hours.
Today is Michelle’s birthday, so Mike & Judy are cooking dinner, I’ll help as much as I can. Mark’s taking Michelle exploring on the BMW. We’re making plans to head south a bit further on Saturday.
Exmouth
Exmouth is a nice little place. It’s touristy but not too much that it ruins the feel of it. As it’s not too far, we’ve been commuting, to the coffee shop, every couple of days. Mark & I went to the hardware & got the bits to put the hatches in my bus.
Yardie Creek
Well, I’ve gone & done it, I have caught up to my friends Mark, Michelle & Larry Dog & Mike, Judy, Jack Russell & Kate Scruffy Dog. They were a lot surprised & very happy for me to finally be there. I booked in for five days. It’s on the edge of Ningaloo Reef, so I reckon some fishing will be the cards. Anyway, first things first, in the morning, I've been told a haircut is to be performed, first time I'm going to have short hair in twenty something years.
Dampier
I drove over to Dampier to scope out what is on offer. It’s a small coastal fishing town with a great feel to it. On the way back towards Karatha, I took the turn off to go have a look at the N.W. Shelf Gas Project. Man, that place is huge, but I suppose with the amount of dollars that would be invested in it, it would have to be. I got back on the main highway, once more, headed south.
Karratha
There’s not a great deal to the place. It has a large shopping centre & the foreshore is great. I only stayed the night, most expensive camping fees, so far. I’d checked out the surrounding towns on the way in. The focus is this town, once again is mainly in mining, although an interesting thing is the hospital. The walls have been partly buried to keep the temperature inside more constant without too much air conditioned help.
Wickham
The main thing is it’s a small mining town. In the town centre it has a dump truck from the mines. They’re a huge machine, how big? Check the photo
Cossack
There’s enough history in this place to lose yourself for a few hours, or even do a spot of fishing. The kiosk is the old customs house & bonds store.
Point Samson
Mainly used as a base for fishing, I had a look around & didn’t see much else.
Roebourne
An interesting little place, as the old jail is the visitor centre. There’s not much more but worth stopping to have a look around.
Port Hedland
Arrived at Port Hedland just after dark & booked into a van park in South Hedland. In the morning I went & looked around town. It really has only two industries, salt & iron ore, but they are on a scale that needs to be seen to be believed. Port Hedland is where it all happens, South Hedland was built for the retail & housing side of it.
Broome
I had bad vibes driving into Broome, it didn’t get much better at the visitor’s centre where I had to wait, while the girls behind the counter finished chatting to each other, while tourists waited for help. Broome is a nice place but didn’t see many smiling faces. I booked in for two nights, right on the beach, did the touristy things then left, feeling unimpressed with the place. I have since found out others have had similar experiences, too
Derby
Arrived at Derby, booked into the Kimberly Caravan Park. In the morning, I went to have a look at low tide at the jetty, which has the highest tidal difference in Australia up to 12 metres and one of the biggest in the world. I went back later in the day to see high tide, it was considered small at 4.5 metres. In between, I went to see the prison boab tree, old jail & a couple of other things. I had lunch at the jetty restaurant, great meal, decent price & the service fantastic. The sunset at the jetty was pretty spectacular too.
Mary Pool to Derby
On the way to Derby, I stopped at Fitzroy Crossing, for fuel, then drove out to Geike Gorge to go on a boat cruise up the river. Unfortunately, the tours run at 6am, 9.30am & 3pm. I arrived around 12pm, so I didn’t stay long. I could have gone for a 8km round trip walk to see the west wall, but didn’t as I know I’d be disappointed with that. I went for a drive around the place & saw the Fitzroy Crossing Inn & the pioneer cemetery. I then continued on my way to Derby.
Mary Pool
Properties have been burning off the undergrowth, one fire passed within inches of the road. Arrived at Mary Pool around 4.30pm & set up camp, then went for a look around. It’s a 24 hour stopover but is nice enough to spend a couple of days there & just relax.
Bungle Bungle Flight
Awoke early to get ready for a 6.30am flight over Lake Argyle, The Bungle Bungles, Argyle Diamond Mine & a few other places. The tour company, Alligator Airways, picked me up at 5.30am. There were a few other flights this morning. The pilots called names for each flight, gave us a briefing on what was to happen, then we were off. Lake Argyle is massive, it’s classed as an inland sea for navigation purposes. We flew over two huge cattle properties as well as the old Ord River mine. The Bungles were an amazing sight, seeing them on TV does no justice to the beauty of actually seeing them. They really are amazing. The flight then took us over the Argyle Diamond Mine, the only place in the world that produces pink diamonds, hen Back to the airport. The flight itself was great, there was a bit of turbulence, but nothing too bad. The tour company then dropped me back at the bus.
Wyndham
Very interesting place. As you drive into Wyndham, there is a giant crocodile statue on the side of the road. Some properties have 6 foot wire fences topped with barbed wire. There’s a lookout that overlooks where the five rivers meet & you can see the town. I drove out to the Port & the croc farm for a look. For you fact finders, of the 800 or so people in the town, half are Indigenous Australians.
The Grotto
This place is around 9km, off the road but not offroad, on the way to Wyndham. To get to the swimming hole, you need to negotiate the 140 steps down to it. The blurbs about it say it has waterfalls in the wet season & can be 75 metres deep, after seeing it, I could believe it. You can walk up the gorge & I got lost in there for an hour or so.
Lake Argyle
The dam was created when the Ord River was dammed. To give you an idea of size, it’s around 70km long & 35km wide & holds at normal level approx 9 times the water Sydney Harbour holds. At extreme flood levels, it can hold as much as 55 times. It’s also home to the Ord River Power Station. It’s a great place to go fishing or boating or even sightseeing.
Kununurra
I unloaded the bike to day trip to Lake Argyle but I discovered a problem with it. I took it to the bike shop & a day later they’d fixed it. Kununurra is all about tourism, they really know how to look after you. I went to Lake Argyle & went to the Durack Homestead that was moved to this site before the dam was flooded. I did a bit of sightseeing around Kununurra & the surrounding areas, especially the Diversion dam.
The Zebra Gallery has this rock, that when polished up, has stripes through it. They have a dam where you can feed the catfish, there’s some bigguns in it.
GNP to Kununurra
After a very peaceful night sleep, I got up & took my time getting going, as my big drive today takes me all the way to Kununurra, about three hours away. On the way, there’s a place called Victoria River Roadhouse. Just down the road is the old river crossing, where I had a walk around & took a lot of photos. At the border to West Australia, you have to stop at quarantine to allow them to inspect your vehicle for any fresh produce or plant material & seeds, as these are not allowed to be taken over the border. Anyway, it’s a fairly quick stop if you’re honest with them & they are nice people & as you go over the border, whoops, there goes another 1 1/2 hours. I got to Kununurra, stopped in at the Visitor Centre, got some stuff & went to the showgrounds & set up camp.
Sullivan’s Campground(Gregory National Park)
Feeling fresh from a good nights sleep, I got going fairly early in the day. On the way through Larrimah, I stopped to get a pie from Frans’ Teahouse, Fran makes it all herself & is definitely worth stopping for a bite to eat if your in that neck of the woods. I had a choice of camel, buffalo or plain, so I got a buffalo pie & a plain one for later & a couple of camel rissoles for dinner. The buffalo pie was okay but the plain pie & rissoles are definately worth writing home about. Got to Katherine & did a bit of shopping. I decided to keep going, as the sun was still high in the sky & arrived at Sullivans’ campground in the Gregory National Park & spent $3.30 for a night stopover.
50km North of Three Ways
Got up early & left to keep heading west. There’s roadworks along the road to Camooweal, not much to report on this section. Over the border into the Northern Territory & lost ½ hour off the clock. It was around 6pm when I stopped at a free rest area 50km north of the Three Ways
Mount Isa
All I really did was drive through to Mount Isa. It was a bit boring but I’d recently done the Brisbane to Darwin leg with my friends Mark & Michelle and I’m getting to Katherine fairly quick, then I’m going to slow down until I catch up with them, wherever that may be. It was good to get to a van park & have someone recognize that I’d only been there recently.
Calliope to Barcaldine
Left in the morning and stopped at Zebra Wreckers to get a new mirror bracket. Left there and 10km down the road a house was being shifted, so it slowed things down a tad. Arrived at Barcaldine later in the day and set up camp.
Departing Brisbane
The bus was all packed and ready to depart Brisbane early, It was a long haul back to Katherine, however I was more than ready to get on my way with this big adventure and see things that previously I had been told about or read in books.
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