| January 2005 |
Saturday - Monday January 1st - 3rd [more pictures 1] [more pictures 2] Partied with Brett and Paula from Hawthorne and an older, fit Canadian cyclist; too many beers and smokes but good New Years Eve. Change in the weather, cooler and a little rain; so Chris is continuing to get through the epic novel "Fatal Shore" discussing, in length, Australia's early white history associated with the penal colonies and its convicts. New Years Day was very quiet day, had the great prawns for lunch and finished on a few snags and salad again with our next door neighbors. Sunday toured around the largest fishing fleet in Australia at the Port Lincoln Marina, including the big houses on the water. We have not been impressed with Australian coastal architecture, but did like the houses overlooking green grass onto a yellow sandy beach. Had a pub lunch with a couple of beers and bottle of Taylor's Clare Valley Cabernet Sauvignon at the Boston Bay Hotel outdoor beer garden. Christine started her 7-day detox program Monday, based on her doctor's suggestion. Visited the rugged Port Lincoln NP and particularly enjoyed the remote camping (and lunch spot) of Memory Cove, where 8 of Captain Flinders crew died without trace while exploring the SA coast in the Investigator. The weather and strong winds were very wild from the north east and required us to cook inside. Started on Christine's detox diet of fish, vegetables and rice or pasta. Recharged the secondary battery on a powered site on the last night. Tuesday January 4th [more pictures 1] [more pictures 2] Spent all morning in Port Lincoln exchanging secondhand books, collecting e-mail at the library for free (verses $3.50/15 minutes at the tourist i), grocery, fresh fish (at the fish market @ 20% discount) and vegetable shopping and completely filling up with diesel and water. Proceeded to Coffin Bay NP, past the wonderful secluded hamlet of Coffin Bay and 55 kilometers of 4WDriving to Point Sir Isaac and a great camping spot overlooking Coffin Bay and the opposite coastline and hills. The weather is pleasant and less windy, not hot and the brief rain showers come in and leave very fast. Beautiful spot, although quite a popular campsite. Enjoyed the small but excellent fresh garfish. Wednesday January 5th [more pictures 1] [more pictures 2] Enjoyed the secluded campsite till 2 p.m., walking along the beach, reading etc., before heading back to the protected Coffin Bay, famous for their oysters. The difficult 4WD trip including 7 miles of beach and deep, bumpy tracks in the big sand dunes, restored our confident after our troubles in Currang NP. Adding the stiffer, higher rear springs prevents us from continuously bottoming out. In addition, tire pressures are paramount and 16 psi all round (front and rear) worked well. We were able to negotiate in tight spots, backing back or going off track to allow oncoming traffic through. This was the toughest 4WD track we have negotiated to this point. It was a very positive experience and we enjoyed the trip in and out of the NP. Discovered we had left our valuable tow hitch/step and recovery point behind which was a downer, but fortunately making a step with an upside down, red milk crate allows us both to get in/out of the rear of the Troopy okay. Chris made a chiropractic appointment for Friday afternoon and so we can relax. Christine made great spicy, vegetarian pasta for dinner to continue her detox program. Christine really enjoys the quite NPs and did not rest well at the busy Coffin Bay caravan park full of kids (and their parents) on school vacation. Side note: one week later the lower Eyre Peninsula was consumed by bushfires, the worst natural disaster since Ash Wednesday fires decades ago. Over 8 people lost their lives, 110 people injured, 20 vehicles, numerous homes, property and livestock destroyed and 250,000 hectares (625,000 acres) burnt. Amazing we were not there but can understand the extent of the devastation due to the dry, summer conditions, fanned by the prevailing strong winds. Thursday January 6th [more pictures 1] [more pictures 2] Went back to Port Lincoln for Chris to attend a great chiropractor (based on a cancellation) and Christine did some small grocery shopping and we picked up the last of our forwarded Christmas mail. Christine also found the best heath food shop to date in Australia. Headed up the center of Eyre Peninsula via the rural wheat farming towns of Cummins, Loch and Kyancutta. Despite the bitumen road there were very few travelers in either direction. Turned off at Wundinna, and with the help of a farm lady, finally found Ryans Road to Gawler Ranges NP, a new (formed in December 2004), wilderness NP. The picturesque, weathered ranges are 1,500 - 1,700 million years old and home to a few gray kangaroos, galahs and a very big (1.5" or 4 cm) red and black ant that nearly did Chris some injury. Camped at Kolay Hut. Weather warmed up from the light showers and cool south westerly of the coast. Friday January 7th [more pictures 1] [more pictures 2] Checked out Kolay Mirica Falls to see the rhyolite rock formations, and via LP and Conical Hill Tracks stopped at Pondana Outstation along with a lone sheep. This NP is very isolated and only saw the Park Ranger vehicle plus one other vehicle on the road heading to Iron Knob in the 24 hours we were there. Headed south west via Minnipa, Port Kenny and Calca to Baird Bay, with a very narrow entrance to the sea and strong tidal flow and seaweed 'streaks' in the water. Went out to Point Labatt Conservation Park to peer over the 50 meter cliffs to view the only surviving mainland sea lion colony, protected by the cliffs. Stayed at Streaky Bay caravan park overnight, catching up again with Brett and Paula. Also enjoyed the company of Mario and family from Ingham, Queensland as he provided valuable insight into the nearby beaches and Fox Mountain to avoid the heat. Saturday January 8th [more pictures 1] [more pictures 2] Headed north west up the Flinders highway to Ceduna and shopped for diesel, fish, few groceries and beer (as Christine is still on detox). On the Eyre Highway headed west to Penong and took a detour south towards Point Sinclair, lunching at a great campsite at Port LeHunte (small beach and swimming platform protected by a substantial white shark net) at Point Bell Conservation Reserve with an incredibly protected (from the surf and wind) jetty. Checked out the two (left and right) breaks at Caves Beach, incredible large sand dunes and the red algae in the gypsum lakes. Got a $16 permit at Yalata Roadhouse to cross Yalata Aboriginal Land and headed north, 142 kilometers via Ifould Lake to the Trans Australian Railway line at Ooldea. The first west-east train made the journey on 25/10/1917. Yalata community house and school are very dilapidated. We past 20+ car wrecks on the roadside. 
Headed west 135 kilometers along a 'track' next to the railway line. There is nothing at Ooldea, Watson and Fisher except radio towers and telecommunication cable boosters, all on solar power. Had a serious puncture about 25 kilometers out of Ooldea, so decided to press on in the coolness of dark (sunset at 9 p.m.) traveling at about 35 kilometers/hour.
During the evening the treeless Nullarbor Regional Reserve with salt and blue bush and no trees comes alive with rabbits, wrens and some other brown bird. Disturbed a wedge tail eagle feeding on carrion on the railroad and it looked huge in the headlights with it's wingspan of over 2 meters (this was a trip highlight). Must have spotted Cook's lights 30 kilometer away, which was a welcome sight as we crawled into 'town' at 11 p.m.
The railroad closed its town in 1998. The resident population is now 4 with Broomie and Ron (train driver) plus Jan and Ivor who maintain the place 24/7 for the freight train crews who rest up for 8 hours. The biweekly (Monday and Friday) passenger trains do not stop at Cook but there are 70 freight trains/week. We camped behind the vacant houses had a couple of beers for 'dinner' and enjoyed the 'closeness' of the bright stars in the Milky Way overhead.
Chris was thankful to be closer to civilization with no spare tire due to the puncture. Broomie, who was on night shift, came over to check that we were alright and invited us over for a shower and a cup of tea at her house next morning, which we. accepted. This was our fullest and longest day yet. Side note: Yatala Roadhouse also sells permits to beach fish at excellent spots such as Hilton, Bob's Kitchen through to the Granites along the Coombra Dune Track.
Check out the web sight at www.yalata.org or call 08-86256986. Campsite bookings into 2007 are already taken as the snapper and dew fish catches are impressive.
Sunday January 9th [more pictures 1] [more pictures 2] Fantastic, rural country hospitality, but could she talk. Broomie spent 5 years in Cook when it was a town and is hopping to extend her 4 month contact with the railways for an additional 12 months. They are from Wilmington near Port Augusta. Finally got away at 10.30 a.m. to make the 105 kilometer trip back to the Eyre Highway. Made satellite telephone calls to Broomie at Cook and the Yalata Roadhouse to let them all know we had made it safely. 
These are greatly appreciated by all parties. Checked out the incredible 100 meter high Bunda Cliffs and Southern Ocean of the Great Australian Bight Marine Park. Continued west through the Nullarbor NP onto the SA/WA border where they confiscate all fruit, root vegetables (potatoes, onions, carrot tops), salad, salad sprouts and beans, honey and some other stuff. Fortunately, we were aware of the fruit and had eaten it all.
The time changes along the Eyre Highway is in two parts; Border Village to Caiguna is 1¾ hour behind and Caiguna west and addition ¾ hour behind, totaling 2 ½ hours behind SA or 3 hours behind east coast states of NSW, Vic and TAS. Side note: WA and Qld do not change over to summer time. Tas. changes over to summertime about one month before the rest - all very confusing.
Cheapest diesel on the Nullarbor is at Munddabilla Roadhouse @ $1.19/liter, Ceduna Coles/Shell @ $1.06/liter and in the town of Norseman @ $1.10/liter. Camped at Madura Pass.
Monday January 10th [more pictures 1] [more pictures 2] Quite interesting chatting to Ken Jones a Perth nurse moving to Sydney with his dog Bella. Very gay and traveling with too much stuff so gave us a bottle of scotch whiskey. Could not fix the radial, tubeless tire with plugs, as after inflating the puncture was quite extensive, so drove 500 kilometers to Norseman where I had the tire taken of the rim, exposing a 1.5 centimeter tear, only fixable with an internal patch and leaving the tire useable as a spare; ($25 to have the tire on/off the vehicle, off the rim, internal patch and external epoxy then rebalanced). Fortunately our spare tire is new, although not the same brand. Edward John Eyre, at the age of 25, crossed the Nullarbor in 1840 from Streaky Bay to King George Sound taking 7 months. In 1877 the east-west telegraph link was completed. Francis Birtles first crossed by car in 1912, a 'road' was completed during WW2 and in 1976 it was sealed. We then headed south another 200 kilometers to Esperance, the longest distance traveled in one day, 700 kilometers. At the Foreshore van park, camped next to Wendell (Swiss chef) and Lisle (South African). He lives in Mangurah and they both work on the Carnival Cruse Line out of Miami under contract. Few drinks and a good night. Tuesday January 11th [more pictures 1] [more pictures 2] Did the most comprehensive clean-up of the Troopy, both inside and out. Very dirty after the circuit trip to Cook. The park had a high pressure hose vehicle washing facility so Chris washed the engine bay and underneath and scrubbed the exterior with car detergent. Christine cleaned the interior rear and Chris the interior front (usual routine). Also clothes washed and did some minor vehicle repairs. Chris's bad back from all the driving was much improved by all the activity. Caught up with Enoch Bergman, friend of Anthony O'Brian's, who I met at the Colorado Grain and Feed bar in Forth Collins. Thoroughly enjoyed the local, Dalyup Shiraz Cabernet wine from a cattle ranch west of Esperance. Enoch graduated as a vet from Colorado State University and moved to Esperance about 14 months ago. He has pregnancy (preg) tested over 60,000 cows and says "that he has had his arm up the ass of every cow we will see in the area". Really loves his job, the practice, got on immediately with all the farmers and is enjoying the area and all it has to offer - sailing, surfing, camping, Mal etc. Believe the future for eco-farming is cattle, and like bison have less impact on the natural grass and feed compared to sheep and crop farming - interesting insight. Had a nice dinner and local wine on the Tearooms verandah overlooking the marina. Enough paid; the first time this has every happened to us, as it's usually us who pay first. Wednesday January 12th [more pictures 1] [more pictures 2] Toyota did a 65,000 kilometer Troopy service (bit overdue at 66,200 kilometers) plus severe drive check up and added a new aerial that finally broke after snagging it in the Coorong NP and it blowing off south of Norseman. Mailed out Australian tax forms back to Raymond in Sydney. Picked up groceries and diesel and headed out to the amazing Cape La Grand NP which has some of the best beaches, coves and bays we have ever seen. Drove along the beaches, saw kangaroos eating seaweed on the beach; all excellent stuff. Camped (@ cost of $12.50) at Lucky Cove where Bruce, the nice camp host, put us in the bus area, away from the crowed, noisy campers and electricity generators. Christine has finished her detox program. Had drinks and a great chat with Constanze and Kay from Leipzig. Thursday January 13th [more pictures 1] [more pictures 2] Toured all the bays, coves and beaches of the NP and picked up a $51 annual WA national park's pass. The Ranger discounted the pass $9, the daily admission fee we paid the previous day. Camped at Orleans Bay van park for a shower, having checked out Table and Nares Island and the outstanding beaches of Little Wharton and Big Wharton, both 4WDrivable. Noisy night till 9 p.m. due to a family with teenage girls and the van park reminded of the fishing camps in the 'top end'. Friday January 14th [more pictures 1] [more pictures 2] The Ranger at Cape Arid NP was quite amenable to us showing up at his house (unusually friendly, based on past experiences) and getting road conditions and information; very valuable due to the poor signage, conditions of the 'roads' or tracks, remoteness and huge size of the NP (which is over 280,000 hectares or 700,000 acres). Stopped at Dolphin Cove and Little Tagon Beach to watch the unusually high, 4 meter seas pound the coast. Made sure a lone Dutch female hiker, patiently waiting at Little Tagon, caught up with her husband by finding him on the Big Tagon Beach road (see later). Via some reconnoitering, found the Telegraph track (2 tire marks in the bush) and headed slowly, 46 kilometers, through tea trees and low bush towards Malcolm Point. Very few (two) signs of the telegraph poles due to bushfires, but found the old, incredibly isolated telegraph station (this originally formed part of the link of WA to the north/south telegraph line linking Adelaide to London). Finally got to Israelite Bay (sometime known as Port Dempster) still in Cape Arid NP or Nuytsland Nature Reserve. The jetty is in disrepair and the beach covered in seaweed (and therefore very soft and four wheel, un-drivable), but spent a quite night under the stars with only one other couple in the vicinity, John and Marilyn from Glen Osmond in Adelaide, SA. Christine made a great chicken dish which we enjoyed with some box Banrock Station shiraz cabernet purchased from the tavern at Condingup on the way into the NP. Saturday January 15th [more pictures 1] [more pictures 2] Checked out the old homestead formed in the 1850's and fishermen's shack and bumped into both the Adelaide and Dutch couple. Spent 2½ hours coming back along the track passed Mount Ragged in the distance and The Diamonds Hill, mainly in 4WD, with tire pressures down to 20 psi due to the soft sand. Once on Fisheries Road, passed the beef and sheep stations, made good time and camped at Thomas River on Tagon Bay in the shire campsite @ $2/head, honor system. Met up with three guys and their sons on a men's camping weekend and enjoyed their company, joining them for a chat and a drink. Went over to the lagoon to see the carpet snake, fat and happy from a kill and saw mice in the trees. Sunday January 16th [more pictures 1] [more pictures 2] Took a stroll along the deserted beach at Tagon, before heading back to Esperance via Merivale Road. Washed the underside of the Troopy to rid it of all the sea sand and salt. Did small clothes wash and clean-up after 3 days with no showers - wonderful. Met Andrew and Natasha from Port Phillip Island Vic, a young couple who sold their home and are traveling around Australia for a year. Also chatted to Ken, a retired Western Australia postal worker concerned about the direction of the Federal Government. Enjoyed an excellent feed of rainbow trout and salad. Monday January 17th [more pictures 1] [more pictures 2] Shopped for groceries, chemist and diesel. Picked up our surface mail at the post office, forwarded by Christine's mum. Replaced the tow bar tongue so we can enter and exit the Troopy easier. Headed west along the coast and the beaches just west of Esperance require a special mention; crystal clear, pristine deep blue and turquoise water and white surf and beach sand. Very popular for swimming and surfacing, as the winds were too strong for surf casting and fishing. Stopped at Lake Monjingup Reserve for lunch; a nice nature spot with WA Christmas Trees in flower and Handsome or Showy Banksias in abundance. Headed into Stokes NP and checked out Stokes Inlet before finding an isolated and empty campsite off Springvale Road at Skippy Rocks. This is only the second time we have had a campsite to ourselves in 8½ months. Passed a huge flock of black (with white breast and under tail) parrots. Had empty beaches to stroll along again, except of a single sea gull on the surf beach and a small school of bottle nose dolphins on the protected beach side of Skippy Rocks. Enjoyed excellent sea fish (purchased in Esperance) with salad.Sidenote: Met Dennis and Jud from Bunbury at Flinders Bay van park, two weeks later. Dennis grew up and had a 2,000 acres sheep farm within 5 minutes drive of Skippy Rocks and where we camped. In the early1980's he was loosing $20K/year and stuck it out for 6 years before selling the farm to a nearby cattle grazier. He related a story of catching 3 skippy's (fish) per 3 hooks on a line by simply adding a small amount of sardine can oil to the water. Because of the protected reef and perhaps 12' of clear water you could see then schooling around the boat. Tuesday January 18th [more pictures 1] [more pictures 2] Headed west in a few rain showers, with some difficulty due to unsigned roads, passed the free campsites of Starvation Boat Barbour ( a real beauty) and Masons Beach. Picked up some Coolabah Shiraz cask wine in Hopetoun and headed into the Fitzgerald River NP, famous for the variety (1/3rd of all the WA species) and uniqueness (75 Species) of it flora. Incredible hills and beach landscapes. Again, poorly signposted, headed out to Whalebone Beach but too exposed for camping on the beach with the strong south westerly winds. Decided to head back to Hamersley River Inlet to find a sheltered spot amongst the brush and salmon gums. Christine is playing some fine cribbage and all our games are down to the order of pegging; she is now often beating me two games to one. Wednesday January 19th [more pictures 1] [more pictures 2] Headed north to Hyden, past rural wheat and sheep country and many salt lakes to the amazing granite outcrop known as the The Wave Rock. The granite formations are over 1,300 million years old and this region is some of the oldest in the world. The top is bricked to collect town drinking water. First time we have seen Japanese day trippers (from Perth) for a while. Again the bush fauna is of many colors and the salmon gums are quite special. Glimpsed the Rabbit Proof Fence - there were 2-3 of these in WA, running north-south, to stop the rabbit infestation from the east. These are in contrast to the Dog Proof Fence running east-west. These fences became more recognized after the movie 'Lost Generations' when three aboriginal girls followed the fence and walked 1,600 kilometers back to their home and mothers. Camped at Lake Grace van park for a shower. It's amazing to us that the NPs want $10/couple for a bush camp and bush (non flush) toilet (plus $9/day parks pass) yet an off the beaten track van park with shade, grass and showers is the same price. I believe that most campers do not pay this fee and it is only collected if there is a camp host in residence or in the unlikely event a park ranger shows up. Christine prepared an outstanding Lebanese meal with falafels, hummos, toboulie and tzaziki. We then joined Val and John from Eaton near Bunbury for a drink and a chat. Thursday - Sunday January 20th - 23rd [more pictures 1] [more pictures 2] Headed south to, and through the impressive Sterling Range NP, rugged peaks and unique bush land with over 65 endemic species of fauna. Enjoyed a wine tasting at Plantagenet Winery. We had met the owner, Tony Smith at the Fort Collins Holliday Inn during a wine tasting (cosponsored by Phil Pringle) to raise money for the Colorado Disabled Society (of which Christine was a Director). Excellent varieties of wines from the Great Southern region and the winery have 3 levels based on their own vines (Plantagenet label), local vines (Omrah label) and regional vines (Hazard Hill label). Stayed near Albany, quite large regional town and holiday spot on the coast. Stayed at a Top Tourist van park at Emu Bay, just out of town; expensive at $25/night less our 10% discount. Made use of facilities, so washed clothes and used the camp kitchen. Checked out the internet of an hour each @ $6/hour and shopped for groceries and cheaper diesel. Christine cooked up excellent pasta, complemented by Plantagenet Hazard Hill Cabernet Grenache and snapper with Semillon Sauvignon Blanc on successive nights. Had a few drinks with Steve and Adrian traveling on vacation from Eildon Weir region of Victoria. 
Completed an excellent Friday day trip out to the beachside town and bay of Cheynes Beach (amazing spot, protected and you can launch your boat from the beach with no boat ramp). This was followed up by two equally impressive spots, Waychinicup Inlet in Waychinicup NP and Little Beach at Two Peoples Bay Nature Reserve. The inlet was much protected, beautiful rounded rock and boulders down to the sea and fresh water running into the end of the inlet from the so-named river. Little Beach is pristine aquamarine water, green to turquoise to deep blue as the water gets deep, crystal clear to 10+ meters, secluded bay with boulders and rocks, pure white sand - we do not know why and Australian would want to visit a beach overseas.
Saturday we headed around to Frenchman's Bay and stayed in a cheaper van park @ $17/night for 2 nights, traveling through the Torndirrup NP. Walked the beach. Sunday was our wedding anniversary and the van park puts on a $12/head roast beef and Yorkshire pudding lunch which we enjoyed with a bottle of Plantagenet Omrah Shiraz, overlooking Frenchman's Bay. Met a young Perth couple Terry and Angela, who had a horror experience in getting their 4WD and camper trailer off the soft beach off the South Bornholm Track in West Cape Howe NP. The State Emergency Service (SES) and Conservation and Land Management (CALM) rangers will provide no assistance unless there is an injury.
They were stuck on the beach for 2 nights, and finally a farmer with a tractor used to take down fishing boats provided assistance for $100. The track is okay if you are not towing a trailer. In a permanent van site we also met Trevor who toured around Australia and New Zealand for 11 years. He had negative things to say about CALM and valuable insight on setting up a Troopy including use of reflective paint; car verses deep recyclable batteries etc.
Monday January 24th [more pictures 1] [more pictures 2] Nine months on the road and 38,000 kilometers driven to date. Most importantly we are enjoying it immensely. Toured the amazing coastline of Torndirrup NP with inlets, blowholes and arches, followed by West Cape Howe NP and Shelly Beach where the camp host did not even acknowledge us. Purchased some red wine in Denmark and then onto the Green Beach, unfortunately a heavily used family swimming spot in William Bay NP. Found a very relaxed non powered campsite at Parry Beach, recommended by Andrew and Natasha we originally met in Esperance, who spotted us on the coast having lunch in West Cape Howe NP. Only $7/night for a hot solar shower and flush toilets. Tuesday January 25th [more pictures 1] [more pictures 2] 
Headed west to Walpole-Nornalup NP and the Valley of the Giants Drive. Area mainly made up of tall, ancient Red and Yellow Tingle trees up to 60 meters high and 400 years old. The walk through the 'ancients' was excellent but Chris did not deal with the sway and height of the span walk at all, and cut the day short by stopping early at Coalminers Beach van park where we met Chris, Diana and well mannered twins. They offered us their BBQ plate and shared a bottle of Margaret River red - great night. Rang Steph for her birthday.
Wednesday January 26th [more pictures 1] [more pictures 2] Australia Day. Picked up nice bread loaf and rolls from the baker in Walpole. Headed inland to Mount Franklin NP and hiked around Fernhook Falls and Rowell Pool. Headed out into D'Entrecasteau NP to the amazing, westerly facing Salmon Beach (with salmon cliffs, huge sand hills and immensely wide beach, picturesque rocks and a big rolling surf) and stayed at a wind protected spot at Windy Harbor van park. Over a fire, had too many drinks with Bill, retired (emigrated from Scotland) and a younger Swiss traveler. Christine was a little ill, but came up great next morning. This could be the end of any Scotch drinking after dinner. Thursday January 27th [more pictures 1] [more pictures 2] Hiked along Cape D'Entrecasteau with no wind - incredible spot with CDMA coverage and so called Les for his birthday the previous day. Headed into Shannon NP and the Giants Loop Drive (consisting of over 50,000 trees) including Karri, Marri, Jarrah and Tingles for lunch. The stands of trees are dependent on the soil types and subsequently can change very quickly. The campsite at Lake Yeargerup was closed and the sand dune monstrous so found a great spot at Drafty's Camp amongst the tall trees on the Warren river at Warren NP. In addition it had new facilities and according to the volunteer camp host was free (if you had a parks pass). The bandicoot must have been a big one as it made a lot of noise in the evening and early morning. Two facts:
Friday January 28th [more pictures 1] [more pictures 2] Great start to the day with a message that the comprehensive insurance covered not only our accommodation in Mildura but the complete cost of the repairs to the Troppy's electricals. This was over $3,900. Assume our 60% non-claim bonus will disappear and the cost to rise dramatically this year. This was a good result just 2 months after the event, as it took me 3 weeks before I submitted the paperwork. After a walk along the Warren River, spotted a yellow bellied, black snake. Toured the Karri Forest Explorer route including Warren, Gloucester and Beedelup NPs. Interesting commentary on 100 FM radio. Picked up some bread rolls in the small, quaint town of Pemberton. Found a small, inexpensive van park (2/3rd the cost of popular spots) just west of the timber town of Manjimup. Fonty's Pool is 18 million liters covering an acre and is cleansed at the rate of 44,000 liters/hour of fresh spring water. We washed clothes, did a small interior clean up due to all the dusty roads and lit a fire for dinner, cooking fish in aluminum foil with butter and lemon, supplemented by a salad. Bird scaring cannons stopped at dusk and the kookaburras began laughing. There were no flies or mosquitoes. Saturday - Sunday January 29th - 30th [more pictures 1] [more pictures 2] Wonderful sunny morning with no wind so dallied around Fonty's Pool till 10 a.m. and then headed to Bridgetown in a beautiful part of the country surrounded by forests, mixed rural beef, orchards and wineries and dissected by Blackwood River. Picked up some cheaper diesel @ $1.09/liter. Had a healthy lunch in the small hamlet of Nunnup and headed west to the coast, dropping off the Darling Range to Augusta and the large Blackwood River inlet, stopping a few kilometers south at Flinders Bay van park, a very protected spot, to relax for a couple of days. Sharks had been sighted in the ocean. Cleaned up the last of our frozen chicken and defrosted the fridge overnight. Had a great chat to Dennis and Judy from Bunbury. Checked out Cape Leeuwin, the lighthouse and the plaque commemorating the sailors that lost their life to a freak wave in 1945. This included family friend, Keith Milich's brother. Sapphire seas, sparkling crystal in the clear sunlight. Did not see a color change between the Southern and Indian Oceans from Cape Leeuwin that we experienced 18 years ago. Had a Sunday pub lunch in Augusta overlooking the inlet and Flinders Bay. This is an exciting time in Australian and international sport with the test and one-day cricket, Australian Open tennis, golf and then the Grand Prix in March. Listened to Lathen Hewitt, the first Aussie in the grand final of the tennis beaten by the big Russian on Sunday night ABC radio. Monday January 31st [more pictures 1] [more pictures 2] Checked out the internet. Christine had a haircut and facial hair removal and Chris had a haircut and beard trim. Quite expensive at $75. Shopped for chicken, fruit and vegetables for 3 days use. Headed north, along the coast through Cape Leeuwin-Naturaliste NP checking out Hamelin Bay and later via 4WD, a beach where a 20 year old Northern Irish lad lost his life in a rip tide in 1996 and bush camped at Point Camp. Met the only other campers in the area, Nicole and Dave, a young couple from Adelaide and Melbourne who are traveling around Australia and worked at an isolated Tanami Station cattle station in WA for 3 months. They looked into work via the backpacker places but registered at Elders and also at Dalgety and got jobs within hours. Swapped camping spots. Had a fry up with chicken sausages, eggs and fried bread. Lots of bees and possums. |