Robe
On the road early, we went and said farewell to Mike and Judy, then get a few miles and some sightseeing done along the way. There were a couple of nice spots that we checked out. We stopped at Kingston to find a van park that took dogs but couldn’t find one so we kept going another 45 kms and pulled up for the night at Robe. We went for a walk to the beach to stretch the legs and get some photos. Afterwards, I went for a ride around the area, got back about 8.30pm and cooked dinner. The sun set around 9pm tonight.
Goolwa
Arrived around 3pm and caught up with Mark and Michelle. We headed over to see Mike and Judy, ended up having dinner. As it was still light enough to see, I went for a ride around town, what an awesome place it is. I reckon one day in the not too distant future, I will be back.
Exploring Adelaide
I got up and went into Adelaide and spent a couple of hours just looking around before heading to Glenelg via a few of the beautiful beaches along the coast. I spent another few hours just checking the area out. No wonder Adelaide is called the city of churches, as there seems to be one on every corner and some of the churches are massive. It’s a beautiful city but a city nonetheless. I really am over big cities and much prefer the quieter small towns.
Adelaide
On the way to Adelaide, we bid farewell to Wayne and Lesley, they’re on a different journey. Mark and Michelle organized a caravan park for me, as they have been to Adelaide before. They continued on southwards, to catch up with Mike and Judy, and I to Adelaide. I set up, then went to have a look around. I rode around Port Adelaide and a few other areas before I got back to the bus about 8pm.
Port Pirie
We left the ants behind as we headed to port Augusta for lunch, before deciding to keep going to Port Pirie. We booked into a van park, which was not real good and it was that hot the air conditioner couldn’t cool the bus. We went out and found a shop that had air conditioning, so an hour or so was spent in there.
Whyalla
It’s a nice place. The only problem we came across was the ants, which made a change from the flies.
Port Lincoln
We visited a few places along the way to the Port, found a caravan park around 10 kms out and decided to stay for a couple of days to check this town out.
Streaky Bay
Heading east again, we did the sightseeing thing on the way. We passed through the quarantine inspection site, at Ceduna. We stopped at a few places along the way & eventually decided on this beautiful spot. We arrived early enough, so we got the shopping done & then I went sightseeing.
Penong
Another day and a few miles down the road. We did a bit of sightseeing along the way. The Great Australian Bight was amazing, seeing cliffs to 100 metres high stretching as far as the eye can see, it’s a sight not to be missed if you’re in this part of the country. We crossed the Nullarbor Plain, talk about hot, it was very hot, so we slowed down to try & keep the motors cool. We arrived at our destination & set up camp. Later in the night, there was a massive wind storm that made it impossible to see outside & shook the bus like it was a toy. The owners came down to see how everyone faired in the big blow & he commented that he’d not seen it that bad in a number of years.
Najada Rockhole
We got an early morning underway and passed a few places along the way. We stopped at Mundrabilla to fuel up & Madura lookout, that overlook the plains below, to get some photos. We drove around 360 kilometres & decided to stay at a free rest area about 45 kilometres from the border. Another campfire was started as it was getting cool. It was another beautiful night under the stars.
Baxter
Mark, Michelle, Wayne, Lesley and I left Norseman and headed east. At Balldonia, we began a trip on the longest straight stretch of road in Australia to Caiguna. The road isn’t level but it is straight, 146.6 kilometres long, or for the metrically challenged 90 miles. We decided on the Baxter Rest Area for the night. A very peaceful spot, even though it’s just off the highway. A campfire was lit and spuds, for dinner, were cooked in it. It felt good to be camped out under the stars again.
Norseman
I spent most of the day poking around the museums and sights of Kalgoorlie, before heading to Norseman. I got set up and went exploring for a while before heading to the local pub for a karaoke night that Wayne and Lesley, friends of Mark and Michelle’s, are putting on. It was a great night. In the morning, I’ll have to prepare to head across the Nullabor.
Super Pit
It was open this morning. There’s not a lot I can say about it apart from the fact that it is mining on a massive scale
Kalgoorlie
We arrived in town this afternoon, I went for a ride to check out the super pit but found it was closed due to an electrical storm, so I went and did some necessary shopping. I then went for a ride to check out the rest of this town and its twin town, Boulder, which is only a couple of kilometres away. I found some good dirt roads to play around on for a couple of hours and took many photos, but of all the photos I took, this one is the most amazing one. Can you see the face?
Salmon Gums
We arrived here just on dark and we set up camp. It’s got the basics water, power, toilets, showers and washing machine, the last three in a small tin shed. It’s a community run caravan park, beside the train line, that operates on the honesty box system. We were the only guests and it was a peaceful spot.
Esperance
We arrived in Esperance mid afternoon, so I decided to do the touristy things and check out the sights of this town. The jetty is known to have sea-lions come around looking for a free feed. Salmon beach is also the site of the first wind farm in Australia, which we have seen a few along the coast, at least they are taking advantage of it. This morning, as we were leaving, we drove the 38 kilometre tourist drive around the bays, beaches and lake. It took most of the day to explore this part of the amazing coastline. We then continued our journey northwards.
Hopetoun
I drove back in to Ravensthorpe, filled the bus with fuel & a bit of food then headed out to Hopetoun. There’s not a great deal to the place, at first glance, but it is a very relaxing area to be at. The mining industry is starting to go ahead in the surrounding area, so the park we’re staying at, is full of permanent residents until more houses can be built. I had a bit of a rest. Later I went for a walk around town & along the beach back to the bus.
Wave Rock
It’s only a spot on the map but it attracts tourists from all over the world. The wave is only a couple of kms out of town. We went & had a look at Yawning Hippo, another rock formation, then walked around the base, on the trail which needs better signposting, back to the front face. The Wave itself is some of mother nature’s finest work, taking millions of years to create. It was getting late, so we checked into the caravan park next door.
Jerramungup
We passed through a few small towns on the way out to Bremer Bay, about 60 kms off the highway. It is a very beautiful area, I took quite a few photos then we headed back & found this quiet little place just off the highway. There was half a dozen permanent resident vans & our two buses. I went for a walk around town, not much there but I suspect it caters for a large farming community & Albany is only 160 or so kms away. On the whole a nice quiet place to stop.
Albany
I did some exploring & photographing of this wonderful coastline & other areas on the way here & after I’d arrived. It was overcast but started to rain an hour or so later. It turned cold & I was wet but I persevered to get some photos. It will probably be another day of exploration tomorrow but I’ll wait & see what it brings. I definitely prefer the warmer weather we were used to up North but can’t complain as I haven’t seen too much unsettled weather. I'm looking forward to moving further East, just not too quickly, again I'll wait & see.
Around Denmark
After having a coffee at the local café, Mark, Michelle & I went out to the Tree Tops Walk at Nornalup. They’ve built this suspended walkway through these massive eucalypts, up to 20 metres around the base & some of the biggest trees in Australia. At the highest point, it is 40 metres above the ground. Stopped at a couple of places on the way back to town, one place in particular, Green’s Pool, was so calm & nice that I went back with my snorkeling gear. I spent about an hour just swimming around.
Denmark
Did some sightseeing on the way East. We stopped for lunch at Big Brook Dam, not far from Pemberton, then continued on our way. We arrived at our destination late. The sites all have ensuites, so it’s almost like a bathroom in a house. Today, I went out & had a look around the surrounding beaches & other places. There’s just so much ruggedly beautiful coastline in this part of the country. I just generally got lost for a few hours. At one point literally, because I turned myself around photographing in the bush & beach, & had to find where I’d parked the bike, which took a while.
Augusta
Arrived at Augusta, set up shop & went touring the town. We went out & had a look at Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse. It’s on the point where the Indian & Southern Oceans meet. There was some fantastic viewing as the waves crashed onto the rocks surrounding the lighthouse & surrounding seas. We had a coffee at the cafe, then came back & had a look around the outskirts of town. Went out to the lighthouse for a coffee & photos, as the wind was howling, it made the photos better than yesterday. We’ve enjoyed our time here but we’ll head off tomorrow.
Margaret River
Well, we had a big day driving, around 100 km. On the way to the next port of call, we stopped at a number of places to have a look around. One place in particular, Yallingup, had a couple of properties for sale around the 2.5 million, which is incredible as there is nothing there but it does overlook the ocean. Margaret River is a beautiful town & the butcher had preservative free ground steak sausages, which is a great treat, as I don’t eat much moo these days. We had a drive around town to look the place over. The sandwich place has a big range of gluten free stuff for sale.
Busselton
After an easy morning, a bit of driving, about 100 kms down the way, shopping, food & photos, we arrived at Busselton around 1pm. The caravan park we are staying at is split into three sections, the bit we’re in has only three buses in all. Set up camp & went exploring this town. At first, it seems like a small place but after a couple of hours, it definitely is not. The jetty is the longest wooden one in the southern hemisphere at 1800metres long, yet silly me, I went for a walk out to the end.
Binningup
On the way south, out of the big smoke to a small place a couple of hours down the road. We arrived early afternoon & spent it exploring the surrounding area & walking the hairy kid. Nice & quiet, just how I’m preferring the pace of my life now.
