Lazy Sunday Drive

Homeward Bound

2011-10-09T16:32:00.000-07:00

Day 36: Katherine

After leaving the station it was time to start heading south east! What better way to kick off the last leg of our trip, than to catch up with family and friends on the beginning of theirs!

So we only had a couple of hours to drive from the station when we met up with Uncle Joe and Aunty Di; Aunty Beth and Uncle Eric; and a host of others from home who were all on their way to Broome via the Gibb River Road. We were supremely jealous of course that they had all of their trip ahead of them and we were to go back to work in a week, but it was great to see them all and swap travel stories.

Nick had another go fishing for the allusive Barra and finally had a win - it was a small, but at least he can say he caught one in the Northern Territory. We spoke to a few locals who had said it was a bad time for catching big Barra so that made him feel a little better. Anyway, here a few pics ...

Crossing the Daly River on the way back from Elizabeth Downs

Weird rock formations - right next to Litchfield National Park

Fishing under the bridge at Katherine

Big barra!!

It was massive!!

The Wrap Up:

Glad we had: Lures (for Nick to catch the Barra!)

Wish we had: A campervan (we were starting to get sick of getting all the gear out and setting up the tent just for one night at a time!)

Outback Adventure!

2011-10-08T23:42:00.000-07:00

Day 35: Elizabeth Downs Station

Nick knows a contact musterer and one of the members of his team so we were lucky enough to go visit them at a million acre cattle station they were working on "Lizzy Downs".

The team was pretty busy but they were kind enough to let us watch them work and set up our tent for the night. I'll let the photos speak for themselves but to give you an idea of numbers, there were 4000 head of cattle yarded up that they were drafting and branding. We stunk, and had bull dust all over us, but it was definitely worth the trip. Thanks Tai and Charlie for having us.

FYI: we had permission!

The shed was HUGE!!

Drafting, branding, spraying and tagging at the crush.

The steers we shared space with! They were mostly pretty quiet, had to watch a few wild cows though - they were worse than some of the bulls!

Our mate Charlie on his horse!

The horses and quad bikes were showing the cattle where to go, they stir up the dust on purpose to create the illusion of a wall.

This one was a little too clever and got through though!

Too cute!!

The Wrap Up:

Glad we had: A shower to get all that bull dust off!

Wish we had: Hmmm...not much, it was a pretty great day!

Love this place!

2011-10-08T23:12:00.000-07:00

Days 32-35: Darwin

Three days of laid back luxury! So, although I admit we had stayed in a few more motels than expected, we'd always planned on staying in Darwin city so it was such a shame that we had to book into The Holiday Inn! We LOVED Darwin. Didn't get a whole heap of photos (you feel like a real git carrying a big SLR around town) but we did have fun.

A few highlights:
1 - Hiring a boat at Corroboree Billabong near Kakadu (even if we did almost collide with a bobcat and a grader on the way there - no signs, no traffic controllers - they really do make up their own rules in the NT!)
2 - Mindil Beach Sunset Markets - and a catch up with some more friends - thanks for the moments guys!
3 - Nick went on another fishing charter
4 - Waterfront eats and shops!

Rigging Up!

The water lily flowers were stunning!

Jabiru!

Salt Water Croc!! There were HEAPS! This one was certainly not the biggest, but probably the best photo! Needless to say I was pretty freaked out when we got close!

The beach!! We got some better photos, but I'm having trouble uploading them for some reason.

The Wrap Up:

Glad we had: Good advice from Linden (otherwise we would have missed Corroboree!)

Wish we had: Caught a barra for Nick :(

Goodbye WA :(

2011-10-08T22:39:00.000-07:00

Day 31: Adelaide River

Sadly it was time to leave WA - man we loved that place! Anyway, we crossed the border to Northern "we make up our own rules" Territory! More on that later, but despite the sadness of leaving WA, the Northern Territory didn't disappoint!

They don't have the open speed limit any more, still we don't see this sign in Queensland!

On the road between WA and Katherine, is the stunning Victoria River. We'd love to get back here too - it was awesome! We stopped for a quick fish of course. It was stinking hot and the water looked super inviting for a swim - crocodile warning signs everywhere though so I wasn't going to tempt fate.

No fish, but fun all the same!

The cliff faces were amazing (even if my photography isn't!)

We left Victoria River and headed towards Katherine. We had grand plans of hopping on a cruise at Katherine Gorge, but we'd heard mixed reports about how good it was and had just missed a cruise meaning we'd have to spend a lot of time hanging out in the information centre waiting for the next one. We weighed things up and decided to push on without seeing it. Perhaps it's a decision we'll regret but we figure it's close enough to Darwin if we ever want to go back. So, we kept on the road and headed to Adelaide River.

We spotted a few 'little' termite mounds on the way!

And finally we were in Adelaide River! A cute little town with a great pub (AKA "The Adelaide River Inn)

The Wrap Up:

Glad we had: Pub meal and a bed (no swags!)

Wish we had: Not bothered to drive into Katherine Gorge! (given that we didn't end up going on the cruise)

Well worth the visit

2011-10-08T21:55:00.000-07:00

Day 30: Lake Argyle

So, we knew about this place before we left, but we still weren't convinced that we'd definitely go there. It was on the itinerary but it was probably a 'negotiable' destination as we figured we might be tight for time in the 5th week of our travels. We had, however, done more k's the day before so we thought it was worth the detour off the main track - and well, it was well worth the visit.

But before we got to Lake Argyle, we stopped in Kunanurra....

And hello Icebreak!!!!! Oh how we'd missed you!! The first one in a LONG time - we hadn't spotted any others in WA!!

The amount of water flowing through the causeway was incredible! Should have been a sign of things to come but I still don't think we were prepared for how big this man made dam really is! We went for a sunset cruise later in the day - if you're ever in the region it's a must do!

The dam wall, pretty small really in comparison to other dams and how big this one really is. I wish I had an aerial shot - but this place is massive! They dammed off part of the Ord River - if you know where the Argyle Diamond mine is you can see it from the dam. The thing is so huge though that in the middle of it, you can't see the other end - the horizon gets in the way!

We ducked into Crocodile Cove for a quick look - Freshies, so they're harmless!

Nick was as little jealous of the GPS on board the boat - big flat screen TV that folded down from the roof!

Beautiful sunset!

We camped the night at the Lake Argyle Caravan Park. Well worth it. Pretty amazing pool too right on the edge of a cliff!

The Wrap Up:
Glad we had: The fore site to book a spot on the cruise early in the day. We were lucky to get a spot apparently!
Wish we had: Booked even earlier, then we could have hopped on a sea plane and had a look at the Bungle Bungle Ranges. Never mind, next time!

On the road again

2011-10-08T19:24:00.000-07:00

Day 29: Somewhere South of Kunanurra

We hit the road again - not locked into any particular destination, but we needed to log a few k's to stay on track with our time schedule.

So, a leisurely drive ensued...

Random first stop - Minnie Bridge!! There was no real reason for choosing this particular location except that Nick needed a pee, and felt like a fish! So, we jumped out of the car and headed to the river bed.

There were plenty of cat fish, but no barra. There was some other wildlife that we hadn't banked on too...

No. 1: Brahman Bull. We didn't see him straight away, only noticed him after the first 10 minutes. He was about 50meters away and was very interested in us. Luckily, he decided that we weren't worth bothering and he soon left us alone - we were left feeling slightly uneasy though!

No. 2: Croc. Well, we can't be absolutely certain - as you can see we don't have the photo evidence to prove it - but, there was a massive splash on the other side of the river and subsequent ripples coming to our side ... time to pack up and leave!

We hit the road again after Minnie Bridge and headed on in the direction of Kunanurra. The boab trees were a definite highlight.

Not sure exactly where this is, but there was some pretty cool scenery on the way.

We fueled up in Halls Creek, and stopped in a few other towns. Eventually we set up camp in a free camp just south of Kunanurra. A good day!

The Wrap Up:
Glad we had: Baby wipes
Wish we had: A shower!!

Happy Days!

2011-10-08T18:47:00.000-07:00

Days 27 + 28: Broome

Wolf Creek experience aside, we were happy that we'd driven so far the day before as we managed to get to Broome pretty early in the day. There were lots of highlights.

1. Cable Beach Caravan Park: No photos sorry, but it was awesome. Massive, and a little pricey but really nice! Lots of shady trees, cute permanent sites and a fantastic pool! (My first swim of the trip!)

Looking back onto Cable Beach from the Southern Headland

2. Town itself: Nice vibe, good places for eats and drinks and nice little shops to look at. Couldn't afford any pearls but it was good to soak in the atmosphere. In particular, we had a great meal at Noodlefish - Hamersley Street Broome, and delicious oysters at the port restaurant.

3. Open air cinema: Seen in the film "Bran Nu Dae", a must do if you're in Broome. We were actually there for the opening night of the latest Harry Potter film and LOVED it!! Slung canvas seats, stars overhead, and made even more cool by the planes that come in for landing right on top of you. It all just adds to a super unique, great movie experience!

So the photos aren't great (taken from my iPhone) but you get the picture. These were taken prior to the movie commencing, I tried to get a shot of the planes landing but kept on missing them - they fly in over the right side of the screen.

4. James Price Point: North of Broome on the way to Cape Levique. We didn't have quite enough time to head all the way to the cape, but we had a great time exploring James Price anyway.

Nick trying to decide whether to dive or fish from the shore - the water looks clear but was actually a little murky close to shore - not quite enough vision to see any unwanted visitors!! (sharks are common and apparently there's the odd croc sighting too!)

Obviously, line fishing was the choice of the day!

Potato Cod ... I think :~)

My, what big teeth you have!

The red sand contrasting against the blue ocean was just amazing!!

The Wrap Up:

Glad we had: A shovel

Wish we had: Realised how soft the sand was (Just before getting to James Price Point we pulled in at another beach and didn't think before we drove onto it and stopped for a look - luckily there were some awesome fellas that helped push us out!)

Wolf Creek Moment ....

2011-10-08T17:50:00.000-07:00

Day 26: Somewhere North of Port Hedland

We were on the road again, not so sure of our destination but heading North-East to get as close to Broome as we could. The Pilbara region was beautiful, unfortunately I was pretty tired that day so I missed a lot of photo opportunities of the wild flowers - so you'll just have to take my word for it that they were stunning.

The day was rather uneventful although we were slowed down a little by needing to stop to get a new car battery.

Anyway, because we had lost some time with the battery we decided to press on with the driving. We had dinner in Port Hedland and kept going. By the time we were becoming weary of being on the road, we couldn't spot any free camps so we decided to pull into a truck stop.... what an interesting experience.

It was midnight and we were camped literally on a driveway, in the middle of nowhere, 20m from the highway. We slept in what we wore that day and only unpacked our swags from the car. I don't think I slept a wink for the first hour - jumping at every sound, convinced that somehow we were going to be attacked by an an attacker hiding in the bushes - Wolf Creek Style (not that I've actually seen the film, just imagining it that way!). I was just starting to doze off at about 1am when we were rudely intruded by a 5 carriage road train less than 5 meters from our tent. The sound of the air brakes was ridiculous - it sounded as though the thing was practically on top of us. Anyway, after the brakes finally grew quiet, and there was no sound of the truckie getting out of his cab, I was quite relaxed, happy even that someone else was there so if my Wolf Creek moment was to occur, at least there was someone else to give us a hand ... I fell asleep! Nick on the otherhand was wired! He was wondering what sort of guy drives a truck in the middle of nowhere and where he had been relatively at ease prior to the arrival of said truck, now he was on high alert wondering when the axe murderer was going to come out!

Needless to say, we survived the night! The truck left after an hour or so (at least that's what Nick tells me, I was that out to it that I didn't even hear him start up and leave!); the sun rose the next morning; and everything was ok! We hit the road early in search of some food and keen to get to Broome!

Right where Nick's butt is, is where the tent door was. The truck pulled up and parked right next to the other side of the car - a little too close for comfort!

The Wrap Up:

Glad we had: No axe murderers nearby!

Wish we had: A gun (just in case!)

Friends!!!!!!!!!

2011-10-08T01:26:00.000-07:00

Days 23-25: Exmouth

Not far up the road from Coral Bay is Exmouth! We had been looking forward to this part of our trip for a few reasons. Firstly, we were catching up with our beautiful friends, but Nick was looking forward to an off shore fishing charter (finally!) and we were hoping to see a Whale Shark or two. And while the Whale Shark mission didn't quite pull off (ridiculously expensive at $400 per person for a 15 minute swim with them - no thanks!), the catch up with our friends didn't disappoint. Nick enjoyed his fishing trip too, even if he didn't quite get the reds that he was after.

Exmouth is a bigger town than Coral Bay, but probably doesn't quite have the same charm. Nevertheless, Liesl and I had a great time catching up over a few coffees and wines whilst the kids and Nick went fishing. Ohh, I had a few cuddles with the beautiful Ava too.

Marley with one of his many fish - his new fishing rod proved to be a winner!

The beautiful Ava and Liesl

Ahzida, her fish, and her wild hair!!

The Wrap Up:

Glad we had: Friends!!

Wish we had: More time!

School Holidays!!!

2011-10-07T21:32:00.000-07:00

Days 20 - 22: Coral Bay

Well, it's been a while, but I'm going to see how I go remembering our trip so far down the track ....

So, after we left beautiful Denham and Monkey Mia, we made our way North up the Western Coast to the gorgeous Coral Bay. We loved this place and certainly plan on heading back there one day. It was also the first time in our trip, that it hit home that we weren't the only young ones travelling around the country. Western Australian winter school holidays were on and didn't we know it - people were EVERYWHERE and very few camp sites left. In fact, we even had to stay in a motel one night because there weren't any camp sites left - such a shame!!

Anyway, we had a great time exploring the coast. Unfortunately I was too much of a wimp to hop in the water (it was still the middle of winter!) but Nick had a great time snorkelling Ningaloo Reef and doing some spear fishing at a little spot called 'Five Fingers'.

Here are a few photos:

This is the day I should have gone in for a dip - stunning!

Nick spearing at Five Fingers with a whole heap of reef sharks circling him!!

He was pretty stoked about this one - and now I can't remember what it was called :( The other one is a parrot fish of course!

After bringing in the fish, being chased by the sharks, Nick thought he'd have a go at catching on of the sharks ...

Burling them up

Watching them come in ...

The bait ...

Rigging the line

Casting out

Patiently waiting ...

He's on!!!

Ohh, it got away :(

The Wrap Up:

Glad we had: Fine weather, a 4WD and spear fishing gear!

Wish we had: Flake for dinner!

We're Back!!

2011-08-03T01:50:00.000-07:00

Home at last

Well, it's been an awesome six weeks but all good things have to come to an end, and so too our trip. We got back home to the sunny coast on Sunday, somewhat tired from our travels and very much looking forward sleeping in our own bed! Nick was back at work yesterday, and it was my turn today so we've had a few reality checks, but all is good. Quite obviously I didn't get to do as many blogs as I would have liked, but I will go and back date them for anyone who could be bothered to read them - I figure it's a good record of our trip for our own sakes anyway.... now just to see how long it takes me to finish them all!

The wrap up:
Wish we had: More time!!!!!! (you really should take 12 months do this trip properly)
Glad we had: Comfy bed at home ... and icebreaks of course!

Sunny Days!

2011-07-24T01:57:00.000-07:00

Days 18 + 19: Denham / Monkey Mia

Finally we struck gold!! Sure, it hasn't been raining every day of our trip, but certainly every destination that we've stopped so far has had its fair share of cold and wet weather – but not Denham!

Denham is approximately 833km North of Perth on the Peron Penninsula – some may know the area as Shark Bay or Monkey Mia.

The drive from the coastal highway towards the penninsula is world heritage listed. I have to say when we first saw these signs we thought it was a little overrated as there wasn't a whole lot to look at. As soon as we got a glimpse of the stunning water though, we knew we were in for a little treat.

Denham is hub of the penninsula and we reckon the best place to stay. We stayed at a caravan park really close to the water and were in close proximity to the shops, food and information centre. Sadly Nick once again missed out on going on a charter boat (not enough people booked) but the area was great all the same.

There were a number of highlights from this part of the trip including attending the dolphin feeding at Monkey Mia (approximately25 km out of Denham). The sun was out, but the wind was freezing so stepping out into the water was a little bit chilly but certainly worth it.

After visiting the dolphins I dragged Nick out to the Ocean Park Aquarium for some shark feeding! It wasn't the fanciest of aquariums around, but we both agreed that it was definitely interesting and worth the trip. It wasn't just all sharks, they had fish and some invertebrates as well. The tanks weren't fancy (ponds in a tin shed) but the guide was great and made the whole tour very informative and enjoyable. Unfortunately they didn't have any tiger sharks in the shark pool at the time, but the others were definitely worth a look.

I don't know how we missed getting photos of the sharks, but this little guy was in one of their other tanks, he's missing a flipper so he'll probably see out his days in the aquarium.

There's some great national parks and 4wd tracks around the penninsula. We were a little hesitant to venture out on some of these 4wd tracks on our own after our Cape Arid experience, but we're very keen to return at a later stage with a second vehicle to get to some of the more remote sections.

The Wrap Up:

Glad we had: Somewhere to watch the 3^rd State of Origin match – Go Maroons!!

Wish we had: Friends!! (To drive out on the 4wd tracks with us and boost the numbers for the fishing charter – and to keep us company of course!!)

Lobster!!!!!!!!!!

2011-07-24T01:43:00.000-07:00

Day 17: Jurien Bay

Well, it was time to leave Perth. Of course, as it has been for us for a lot of this trip, the weather fined up just as we were leaving Perth! Unfortunately to keep on schedule we couldn't afford the time to stay in the region and head to Rottnest or for Nick to get on a charter, so we hit the road again and ended up in Jurien Bay.

On the way we stopped at the Pinnacles - basically a whole heap of rocks coming up and out of the desert sand. It was pretty cool, and there's a good information centre on site explaining the history of the area and the theories behind the rock formations. I don't know that I'd make a special trip to see them, but if you're in the area it's definitely worth a look. Apparently they look even better on sunset.

The pinnacles

More of the same (there's thousands of them!)

This one is just to give you an idea of what it's like. There's a 4km track that weaves in between the rocks (2WD access). It's a bit hard to see in this photo, but if you squint you can see the ocean in the background - pretty amazing.

Not far from the Pinnacles is a little town of Cervantes - famous for it's lobsers!!

We've met some really interesting characters on our trip, none more so than the bloke who took this picture. He was an orphan who had been abused by the Christian Brothers. You've possibly heard of the guy as he is one of the 9 who have made sure the world knows of all the atrocities that went on with the orphans whilst under their care. It was terrible to hear about what went on and hard to know how to react except to thank him for sharing his story and to tell him how sorry we were to hear what happened to him. Interesting times...

After Cervantes we headed up to Jurien Bay to set up camp for the night. Possibly the coldest we've been so far, but a nice time all the same.

The sun setting over the water as Nick fished off the Jetty. He caught heaps of Pike but nothing too substantial.

The Wrap Up:

Glad we had: Fine weather!!

Wish we had: Warm bed!!

Feels like home to me

2011-07-20T02:03:00.000-07:00

Days 14 to 16: Perth

Home cooked dinners by Trude and Marcus (my gorgeous cousin and her fabulous husband); sleep ins; hanging out in PJs a little later than normal; a glass of wine or two and some lovely chats - theses were definitely the highlights of Perth! Yep, we were lucky enough to stay with these guys and had a wonderful time - they couldn't have made us feel more welcome. The weather continued to be pretty foul but we did manage to take a look around all the same.

The Aquarium near Hillarys Boat Harbour was really good, although we still think that the Sunny Coast's Underwater World is top-notch - we certainly are spoilt having this so close to home.

We also enjoyed exploring Subiaco and Perth on foot - including a trip to Kings Park where we stopped for a quick drink at the cafe and were served by Rachael from Masterchef! I thought it was a little rude to sneak a photo of her, and too embarassed to have her pose for one with me so you'll just have to trust me that it was her!

The view from Kings Park backdown to Perth (pics from the iPhone)

War memorial at Kings Park

We also filled our time with going out for eats, a little shopping, catching up with the lovely Richard and Heather, drives up and down the coast, and taking in the sunset over the ocean.

The Wrap Up:
Glad we had: Warm bed, and a place to call 'home' (if only for 3 days!)
Wish we had: Kept an eye on the street signs so we wouldn't have gotten a parking fine in Subiaco on game day :(

Rainy Days

2011-07-20T01:21:00.000-07:00

Day 12 + 13: Fremantle

Well we left the lovely Margaret River Region in the hope of finding some finer weather in order to explore the portside of Fremantle. Unfortunately, as seems to be the theme of this trip, the weather didn't improve so we were a little cold and wet, however we still managed to have fun all the same!

Some of the highlights:
- Little creatures brewery
- The Monk Bar (I'm starting to sound like a regular alcoholic!)
- The Fremantle Markets
- Exploring the cool streets with old style buildings - I've never been to the UK but it felt like it could have been a bit English)
- Walks along the jetty spotting fish, squid and crabs

We would have loved to have headed over to Rottnest Island as EVERYONE suggests that this is a 'must do' whilst you're in the area. We could have gone, but the weather was foul and the snorkelling would have been no good - we are definitely hitting these shores in summer next time!

Sadly we have no photos of Freo as were on foot most most of the time (yes, even though it was raining!) so we decided to leave the bulky camera at home.

The only photos I do have are pretty boring - a view from our hotel room in North Fremantle.

The Wrap Up:
Glad we had: Haircuts!! (we were both well overdue plus we needed to get out of the weather!)
Wish we had: Remembered the name and pre-booked the Quest apartments right on the waterfront in the heart of Freo - it was booked out. Also wish we had better weather for Nick to be able to go out on the charter boat.

It's been a while!!

2011-07-20T00:41:00.000-07:00

Catching up on blogging:

Wow, who would have thought time would travel so fast. We're now in week 5 of our little adventure with just over a week and a half to go. Sadly it's been sometime since I've had internet access so I'm going to attempt to group a few things together and post as many as I can whilst time permits. (I'm writing this from a Hotel room in Darwin whilst Nick takes in a spot of fishing!)

A little luxury!

2011-06-28T04:12:00.000-07:00

Day 10 and 11: Margaret River Region

Well, whilst we are on a 'camping' trip around the country, it was always our intention to have the flexibility to stay in some resort style accommodation as we made our way around. Bad weather has probably necessitated this on more than a couple of occassion, but we had always planned to live it up a little in the beautiful Margaret River Region. Turns out it's been a good decision too - there's been some ridiculously wild weather (the News just reported 130km/hour winds) so I'm pretty stoked that we aren't in our tent!

To give you an idea of the weather, today we pulled up at the mouth of Margaret River to have a look at the ocean - the rain was horizontal and despite us have the engine stopped, the car still moving from side to side! There's always a silver lining though - we had a 'double rainbow' moment! Ace!!

Truth be told, the weather has interupted us pretty minimally. The last couple of days have been spent seeing some local sites, tasting a wine or too and munching on the local produce.

Here are some photos:

Lighthouse at Cape Naturaliste

"Voyager" winery - beautiful

Port Lincoln Parrot

Need go without saying, there's a deer farm around here!

Jewel Cave - south of Margaret River. Absolutely stunning!

A close up of the Port Lincoln for Papa Pete!

A Touristy Day

2011-06-28T03:23:00.000-07:00

Day 9: Albany to Bunbury

Well, we still must be operating on Queensland time because it was another early start for us. We ended up making the decision to pack up camp to give us some flexibility in deciding where we were going to spend the evening. The general thought was to do some touristy things, head west and see where the road took us. So, after we packed up camp, we hit the streets of Albany. Being a Sunday, a lot of the local shops were shut (a little disappointing for me as I was kind of looking forward to some retail therapy) however this proved to be a non-issue as there was plenty of interesting stuff to see and do.

First stop: A tour of the replica of the Brig Amity. This ship set sail from Sydney to King George Sound in the late 1800s. It was great to have a walk around the ship (guided by an audio device) and get a feel for what life was like – glad they didn't have a 'smell-o-vision' tour though. The place must have stunk with the poor hygiene, cramped spaces, maggots and buckets of excrement everywhere!! Mind you, back then, the bad smells were probably some of the least of their worries by the sounds of things!

We ended up deciding to head to Bunbury for the night – doesn't make too much sense probably but it was a better road for driving at night and we thought it might have increased our chances of finding accommodation late on a Sunday evening.

Next stop: About 20km out of Albany is a great little tourist drive (Frenchman Bay Road) with some awesome rock formations and whale watching spots along the way. We headed out here in search of Whale World. Whale World was an old Whaling Station which was last in operation in the late 1070s. It's pretty graphic in parts (the photos of the killings and how they harvested the whale oil and meat) but really interesting all the same.

This is the skeleton of a Blue Whale which was beached down in one of the bays close to the whaling station. It's massive, 25m!! Apparently big Blue Whales can get as big as 34m!!

This was one of the last whaling ships in use in Australia. Now you can climb aboard and have a look around.

After finishing up at Whale World we continued to head west and stopped at another great tourist attraction – The Valley of the Giants Tree Top Walk. This is just east of a little town called Walpole and is definitely worth a stop if you're ever in the area. The trees are Red Tingles (a type of Eucalypt) and you get to view them from the suspension bridges ~40m in the air, as well us on the ground. Very cool. (Unfortunately I'm having trouble uploading the photos which show the bridges - sorry)

This is a picture of one of the Red Tingles from the ground.

On the road again

2011-06-26T16:26:00.000-07:00

Day 8: Esperance to Albany

Well, we had actually booked a third night in Esperance Seafront Caravan Park (great site by the way), but after waking up this morning to a cold, wet day we decided to cut our losses and try and chase some finer weather. Consequently we pulled up stumps, did some last minute clothes washing and hit the road again.

The day was pretty uneventful, we drove ~480km with fairly unremarkable scenery.

(sorry, this is as good as it gets - not many photos taken today!)

We ended up in Albany in time to set up camp in the lovely Emu Beach Holiday Park. After setting up we headed into the main street of town (York St) for dinner at a cool Italian Cafe. We must still be operating on Queensland time because it was another night of early to bed, ready for a day of exploring Albany tomorrow.

Winding down in Esperance

2011-06-26T07:41:00.000-07:00

Day 7: Esperance

Well, after the calamity of yesterday it was time for some rest. By the way, sorry for those of you requesting more pictures of the rocks and mud pools that gave us so much grief in Cape Arid - we just didn't feel like stopping to take any and the photos I took when the car was on the move didn't quite work out.

Anyway ...

We got off to a relatively early start (we still seem to be operating in Queensland time). Had a massive breaky in our hotel and then went about setting up camp in the waterfront caravan park, cleaning the car and getting a new spare tyre.

After some initial hesitation in tackling another national park, we decided to head out to Cape LeGrand National Park just east of Esperance (the brochures promised 2WD access, no 4WD required!). Well, I have to say, we have no regrets. It's a 'must do' for anyone visiting the region. Beautiful rocky mountains, gorgeous white sandy beaches with the most amazing turquoise water. Simply stunning. I'll let the pictures tell the story ... oh, and Nick got his first spearfishing experience of the trip too ...

Nick's first fish in WA!!

The water was so clear - the silver streaks are fish. Massive mullet swimming through the waves. Nick actually hit one with the spear but he thought it got away, I ended up catching it on the beach (2nd fish of the day). Unfortunately I didn't get a photo of it, but it was one of the biggest Nick has caught (55cm)

Western Grey Kangaroo - they're everywhere!!

Overall, it was a great day - certainly made up for our dismal day yesterday. If you're ever headed to WA - Esperance, particularly Cape LeGrand, is a must!

Wrestling Cape Arid

2011-06-26T06:59:00.000-07:00

Day 6 – West of Eucla to Esperance (including the Cape Arid calamity!)

We got off to an early start packing up camp after a good night's sleep in the tent on the side of the road on the Eyre Highway.

Unfortunately, that highway rest area was probably the highlight of the day. We had an ordinary breakfast at Madura. Ordinary food (they mucked up the order) and ordinary attitude. Following breakfast we tackled probably the most ordinary part of the driving so far. The longest (and most boring) section of straight road in Australia. The scenery was pretty dull too so it was high fives all around once we hit our first bend!

We had a quick lunch in Belladonia Roadhouse; spent $50 on basic groceries we needed for camping (2x tins salmon, 1x tin of asparagus and BBQ sauce); and then we hit the dirt to Cape Arid.

Now we knew that we needed a 4wd to access the national park however, unfortunately, I don't think we were quite anticipating how long and tedious the drive was to become. After 2.5 hours of driving on rough road and dodging basketball sized goolies, we thought we should have arrived at a campsite – but alas, no campsite presented itself!! We then decided to proceed down another track in search of the said campsite, when we fell victim to a nasty twig.

Normally a blown tyre wouldn't phase us too much however: sunset was fast approaching, the hideous rocks were never-ending, no other cars were in site, we were in a remote location, and we were pretty stressed out that we were at high risk of losing a second tyre (that would have been a show stopper). Staying at Cape Arid was no longer an option – we needed to get out.

We proceeded with caution towards towards the South West entrance of the park closer to Esperance, We crawled along at ~20km/hr dodging literally thousands of the dodgy goolies! After about of hour of this, we were relieved to see that the rocks were becoming fewer in number – but alas, we had a new nemesis …. deep muddy pools of water!! We then managed to get stuck in the mud with water half way up the drivers side door. Luckily Nick was able to get us out in low gear without needing to use the winch (as it turns out, the would have been impossible to get to anyway because the controls were in the door on the side immersed in water).

Anyway, I'm rabbiting on … after a few more hours of dodging deep muddy waterholes and rocks, and after much contemplation of what would happen if we did lose a second tyre (when exactly do you actually set off an Epirb emergency beacon - when you run out of food, when you haven't seen someone for week??) we eventually got out of the national park and headed into Esperance. Stressed and weary after 15hours of gruelling driving, we checked into a hotel. It was a bit of a dive but gee we slept well!!

Say G'day to WA!!

2011-06-26T06:47:00.000-07:00

Day 5: Streaky Bay to somewhere west of Eucla!

We're back on the road again. It was a relatively early start in Streaky Bay – a little sad to be leaving the sea side town today as the weather was at it's best yet. The water was a sheet of glass as you can see in the photo below.

Next stop Ceduna. Ceduna's about an 1 hour north west of Streaky Bay. It's a bigger place, but from our short visit it lacks the character of Streaky Bay. We took a walk along the jetty and saw some pretty cool birds. Now I know pigeons aren't exactly an endangered species but we were both struck with how massive these ones were … some (Pete and Tarz) might even say they they were Naz sized!! The photo doesn't quite do them justice so you'll just have to trust us on this one.

We were soon back on the road again and heading across the Nullabor. As you could imagine there's not a whole lot of change of scenery along the way, but yet again we were gobsmacked by the beauty. For miles you see nothing but saltbush and no trees, then you'll get a glimpse of some cliffs and the ocean.

We were pretty happy to make the stop at the most northern section of the Great Australian Bight. The admission fee of $12 a head seemed a little bit steep just to walk along the wooden walkway, but it was pretty spectacular to see the Souther Right Whales and their calves so close to the shore line. Unfortunately we missed seeing the white calves which were born a day or two ago, but nevertheless the black ones were pretty interesting too.

It's hard to get a great photo of them, but I think this will give you a good idea.

And this is just prove I get in the photos every now and again too. The photo doesn't do it justice, but the shoreline is just beautiful.

We finally crossed the border into WA just east of Eucla where we were stopped by quarantine and lost our veges which we'd planned to use for dinner tonight, but otherwise it was pretty uneventful.

Eucla itself was a worthwhile stop off. Highlights included the old Telegraph Post ruins and an old jetty. We also got to have a good chat to a retired couple who have done lots of travel around the country. It confirmed that we'd made some good choices with our travel plans but also highlighted that there will need to be many more trips to come.

Well, finally we have set up camp in a rest area somewhere west of Eucla. There's no power, no internet so I'm writing this blog via battery power on my laptop. Feels a little weird to be surrounded by nothing yet using this technology.

On that note, I shouldn't use too much more battery power up as we probably won't be at a powered site for some days now. No doubt I'll post this blog in a few days but thought I better put pen to paper before I forgot too much.

Nick's Wrap Up:

Glad we had: Frozen peas and couscus(after loosing our fresh vege at the border)

Wish we had: A bigger lens for the camera

Lazy Day

2011-06-21T05:52:00.000-07:00

Day 4: Streaky Bay

Well, this blog will be a quick one - two reasons - 1) We had a rest day (yay!!) 2) The 'nomadnet' Internet connection that I've been using is unavailable this evening for some reason - I'm therefore trialling tethering the net through my iPhone. I'll see how it goes.

So, as I said, it was a rest day today. We felt we needed the rest after some mammoth days driving.

So, the day has been spent like this:
- Nick up early for a walk around town
- Kassie enjoyed a sleep in
- Nick went fishing and caught some squid
- Kassie explored town and did some blogging
- Nick came back and we went for a scenic drive including checking out a sea lion colony
- Wine and cheese prior to dinner (thanks Maryke for the lovely wine!)
- Nick cooked the squid for dinner (YUM!)

We took a fair few photos but I'll only post a few as I'm using my phone.

It goes without saying - a sea lion. Unfortunately even with Anna's great lens we were still too far away for a great shot.

The view on the way to the sea lions was amazing, if not a little surreal. We were standing on a sand dune, looking at a wheat field with the ocean in the background.

Anyway, that's about it for today folks. We're heading off west tomorrow. We'll probably camp in a national park somewhere along the Nullabor so you may not hear from us for a few days ... until next time ...

Nick's Wrap Up:

Glad we had: Squid jigs

Wish we had: More ideas on how to catch King George Whiting

BIG day in SA!

2011-06-20T17:15:00.000-07:00

Day 3: Broken Hill to Streaky Bay

We got off to an early start for another BIG day! Here are a few of the BIG things that come to mind:

BIG breakfast - awesome little restruarant in Broken Hill called Cafe Alfresco.

BIG birds in BIG wide open spaces

BIGGEST Gum tree I've ever seen!

BIG toys

And a bloody BIG galah!!

There were a few other significant events on the day too...

We waved goodbye to NSW and said a BIG hello to SA!

We went through an number of BIG dust storms with BIG winds

And we drove off into a BIG sunset

We got a little further than we initially had planned. Instead of Port Augusta (a BIG industrial town) we decided to push through to the more inviting Streaky Bay. The wind was still blowing strong so we decided to spoil ourselves and stay in a lovely little villa instead of trying to put the tent up in the wind and rain. We're planning on staying here a couple of nights which should give Nick some time to go fishing and give us both a little rest from all the driving. That being said, I think I might go get out of my PJs, put on some washing and take a little look around Streaky Bay.

Nick's Wrap Up:

Glad we had: Prawns for lunch (it was probably the highlight of Port Augusta, only problem is they came from Queensland!)

Wish we had: Stayed in Broken Hill for half a day

No Icebreaks in Western NSW :(

2011-06-19T05:15:00.000-07:00

Day 2: Mungindi to Broken Hill

It was always going to be a long haul. Over a thousand k's in one day! We were off to an early start leaving Mungindi - sadly minus one of our vices that would have energised us for the big day ahead - Icebreaks! (no Pauls drinks in Western NSW).

So, after dodging even more roos than the night before and navigating the slippery black soil road between Mungindi and Collarenebri, we had to settle for alternative caffeine sources and a late breakfast in Brewarrina. Actually, talking about breakfast in Bre - what a classic!! I really must get used to taking my camera everywhere I go. Caffe DeLuxe was the name - "Cleanliness and Civility" was the motto!! (the motto was advertised everywhere!)

It was actually a really cute cafe, felt like we were stepping into the past with all the original furnishings of a classy establishment. And ... well ... they were certainly civil, but clearly over the years the imagination has been stretched with respect to cleanliness - cobwebs and dust were plentiful!! Nick's breakfast was interesting too - toasted steak sanger (with onion ordered as an extra) literally came out as a steak, with a little onion, slapped between two bits of toast! Nevertheless, it got us kick started for the rest of our journey.

Sunrise somewhere between Mungindi and Collarenebri

We got fuel at Bourke which allowed Nick to reminisce about his fruit picking days - we even stocked up on some Splash Cola.

The scenery was great and despite by initial fears of a long and boring day, we both thoroughly enjoyed it! Mind you, we were quite grateful to check into a comfy hotel in Broken Hill. No more luxury hotels though - braving the cold and camping tomorrow!!

We saw a lot of these ...

Probably even more of these...

And a lot of this!!

All in all a great day!! Must be time for bed!

Nick's Wrap Up:

Glad we had: Splash Cola

Wish we had: Icebreaks

We're off and racing!!

2011-06-19T04:36:00.000-07:00

Day 1: Caloundra to Mungindi

Well, after a busy few weeks leading up to our big trip, we have finally hit the road - yay!! We managed to get away from Caloundra relatively on schedule, leaving the dogs and fish in the care of our housesitters - thanks heaps guys!

First stop ... Landsborough BP! Now, I know that this isn't too far from home, and if we keep on at this rate we'll not get much further than Toowoomba, but Nick wanted to make sure we kept Linden fed and watered (with his favourite prawns) we were staying with him and his family at our first destination - Mungindi.

Second stop ... a quick hello and picking up some gear from friends in Toowoomba ...

After dodging a number of roos, foxes, pigs and echnidnas along the way, we arrived in Mungindi at ~7.30pm. Actually, regarding the wildlife on the road to Mungindi, we didn't completely dodge the echnidnas - one MASSIVE one clipped the underneath of the car despite us trying to straddle it with the wheels! (For the record, the echnidna strolled off the road after the ordeal - unfortunately I wasn't able to get a decent photo of it!)

Anyway, after a lovely dinner with our mates at the "Jolly Swagman" we settled down in a nice warm bed, preparing ourselves for a bit day of driving ahead.

Nick's highlight: 1x 45kg pig seen east of Mungindi

Kassie's highlight: Not hitting said pig in my new car!

Nick's Wrap Up:

Glad we had: Cruise control

Wish we had: Pig dog