Day 28 Geraldton - 27/3/11

We decided to stay one more night and spend today getting ourselves organised.

Peter set up the satelite dish so that he would know how to work it when we needed to.  We also planned where we might stay for the rest of the trip and for how long.  They are only estimates but we needed to have some idea where we would be when I need to fly to Melbourne.  At this stage it will be Katherine in the Northern Territory.  Peter can then travel down to Alice Springs and I will meet him back there.  We have already travelled the Northern Territory and I used to live there so I won't be missing anything.

No photos today. 

Tomorrow we are heading to Denham which is near Monkey Mia.  I can't wait!

cheers
Pete and Roz

Day 27 Kalbarri - 26/3/11

Well we did stay another day as we decided to do a day trip to Kalbarri rather than calling in there with the caravan on our way north.  The countryside was again amazing with different shaped hills.  One is called Elephant Hill because it looks like an elephant laying down with its trunk out the front.  There is a patch where there are no trees which looks like an ear.

Can you see the elephant?

We went to Northhampton first which is one of the oldest settlements (1864) outside Perth with a population of 842.  The first railway in WA went from Geraldton to Northhampton in 1879.  We then headed to the coast and Port Gregory.  Just before Port Gregory is Lynton Hiring Station at the foot of the hills.  The stone buildings once housed convicts who worked on the Geraldine Mine and local pastoral stations.  The convict facilities were built in 1853 and have been recently restored. 

The creative entry sign for Northampton

Port Gregory has the Indian Ocean on one side and Hutt Lagoon on the other which is known as the Pink Lake (there are a few of these in WA) due to its colour created by the naturally occurring beta carotene.  On still days there are stunning reflections and on windy days there is is a pink haze through the skies.  The town is protected by five kilometres of exposed coral reef which provides safe anchorage and boat launching areas for fishing and water sports.

The Pink Lake

The beach at Port Gregory

We then decided to call in and say hello to King Leonard at the Principality of Hutt River.  Unfortunately the King was not in residence but his wife, Princess Shirley showed us around.  There is a post office and you can buy stamps but you have to post your postcard there and the stamps have to be put on the back of the envelope and when they are taken into Northhampton, the post office there franks the front.  There is a big bust of King Leonard, a chapel, a souvenir shop and another room with lots of memorabilia.  There is also a pyramid that someone random built on the property.  I have to say it was all a bit sad.  Princess Shirley is 83 and the King is 86.  She seems to be the one who has to be around for the tourists while King Lenny goes off to be in parades etc.  It wouldn't be much of a life for her.  Was it worth the 30kms of dirt road
(the map only said 12kms!)?  Well maybe not but we can say we have been there.

The gateway into Hutt River Province 

A very large bust of King Leonard

We headed on for Kalbarri and stopped to have a lunch at a little shelter some way out of town.  Well, you should have seen the flies, there were thousands and I am not exaggerating!  We had to put our fly veils on and even that didn't stop them all.  I am sure we must have eaten at least a couple.  Yuk!

Trying to eat my lunch through my fly veil

 Next stop was the Kalbarri Cliffs in Kalbarri National Park.  They were absolutely amazing.  However, don't come without your fly veil.  If I thought there were thousands where we stopped before, there were millions here!  Fly veil time again but that didn't stop them swarming on your arms and back.  It was awful.  However, we braved the little buggers and walked to the viewing platforms and saw the Island Rock, Natural Bridge and many more.  The scenery was spectacular.  Of course the flies following us into the ute so we then spent the next 20 minutes trying to get them out.  I hope this isn't a sign of things to come.

Island Rock

The Natural Bridge

Some of the flies on Peter 

Onto Kalbarri where the Murchison River runs into the Indian Ocean.  We stopped for a cool drink (it was 37 degrees) and an iceblock.  Kalbarri has a population of 2000 and is also famous for whale watching and the wildflowers and has a parrot breeding program with Australia's largest free flight aviary.

From there we returned to Geraldton via the highway.
cheers

Pete and Roz

Day 26 Geraldton 25/3/11

Woke early this morning as friends forgot the time difference and sent me happy birthday wishes.  I got up ealry and went for a walk along the beach which is just 50 metres from our van.  There were only a few other people on the beach and it was just before the sun came up so it was really lovely.  Very few shells on the beach and lots of seaweed but it was great to walk along the edge of the surf, occasionally get a bigger wave than expected and getting a little wet.

A photo taken on my walk looking towards Geraldton wharf

We had a look around Geraldton today which is four and a half hours north of Perth and the heart of the Coral Coast.  They have done some amazing things with the foreshore development including a large playground, a water park, public art and foot and cycle paths.  There is a red and white striped Point Moore Lighthouse and a busy marina and wharf. 

Also, about 100kms off the coast of Geraldton is an archipelago of 122 low lying isles called the Abrolhos Islands which are renowned for The unique marine environment, seabird colonies, seasonal rock lobster industry and a rich but gruesome maritime history.  This is where the Dutch Est Indies sailing ship, the Batavia,  ran aground in 1629 on one of the treacherous reefs.  Most of the passengers scrambled ashore but then a small group of mutineers embarked on a bloody slaughter that saw 125 men, women and children slain on the desolent isles.

We went to the HMAS Sydney Memorial which sits magnificently on a hill top and pays tribute to the 645 crew that were lost.  The HMAS Sydney was a World War II warship which had some great victories but was lost after her final battle with the German raider, the Kormoran, on 21 November 1941.  The ship was undiscovered until 2008 when it was found in waters off Shark Bay.  A silver dome has been erected and is made up of 645 silver seagulls which represents the lost sailors, while a wall shows ghost like photograps of te ship and the names of all the crew.  Nearby is a stele, a single dramatic shape representing the bow of the ship and also a bronze statue of a woman gaving desperately out to sea awaiting news of the ill fated HMAS Sydney.  It is an amazing memorial.

The HMAS Sydney Memorial

The dome is made of silver seagulls 

The statue of the woman looking out to sea 

The dome and the stele

We wandered around the shopping centre and had a coffee and cheesecake at Dome (a chain of cafe/restaurants) which was right on the beach. 

Dome Cafe/Restaurant

I then found out that Peter had organised a surprise dinner for my birthday.  I couldn't work out how as we had been together all the time but he told me that when I went to have a shower, he phoned one of the restaurants in the tourist guide and booked a table.  Then when we were looking around town he had to find out where it was so he would know where to go.  As it turned out it was not far from Dome (where I thought he was taking me) and also overlooked the beach.  We had a table which was right at the front and the walls were open which felt  like you were outside.  It was really lovely and we had a seafood platter. Peter is not a romantic by any stretch of the imagination but every now and then he does something like this which blows me away.

At my birthday dinner 

The seafood platter 

We are due to move on tomorrow but think we might stay another day.

cheers
Peter and Roz

Day 25 Perth to Geraldton

We could have spent so much more time in Perth as there was so much we didn't get to see.  However, our main aim was to see the north west so we didn't want to spend too much time down south as we can always come back to Perth.

Today we set off for Geraldton through the Swan Valley, Bullsbrook, Muchea, Cataby, Badgingarra, Eneabba and Dongara.  It was so hot that the air conditioner in the car decided that going up the steep hills was too much and decided to stop working.  I thought I was going to melt! 

We continue to be in awe of the amazing landscapes in Western Australia and also the vastness of this great country.  We can travel for 100's of miles and you can see no evidence of civilisation as far as the eye can see.

Some of the flat topped hills near Geraldton

About half way, Peter changed the oil and oil filter so I got one of the fold up chairs out and sat in the shade with my hat and fly veil on.  It was just bearable.  When we had lunch you had to swat the flys away to get a mouthful.

We arrived in Geraldton about 4:30pm  and set up at the Sunset Beach Caravan Park which is right on the beach. 

Geraldton has a population of 33,000 and is another joined city like Kalgoorlie/Boulder and is joined with Greenough.  You see a lot of references to Geraldton Greenough.  It is known for its warm, dry climate and has become known as the Sun City.  The site for Geraldton was surveyed in 1849 and the need to export lead from the Geraldton Mine led to the port and jetty being built in 1860. 

We were quite tired after our very hot day (we later found out it ws 37 degrees!), so we had a quiet drink and then watched the sun go down over the Indan Ocean.

Sunset over the Indian Ocean, going...... 

Going...... 

Gone!

cheers

 Pete and Roz

Day 24 Rottnest Island

The Dawn Princess was at Fremantle Wharf this morning

We drove to Fremantle this morning to catch the ferry to Rottnest Island which is 18kms off the coast of WA.  Rottnest is 11kms wide and 5kms long and has coral reefs for diving and snorkelling.  It is also the only place where the Quokka exists - a small marsupial, a bit like a small kangaroo.  Willem de Vlamingh, a Dutch mariner that thought that the quokkas looked like giant rats. When he landed in 1696, he named the island 'Rat's Nest Island, or in Dutch, Rottenest Island. The 'e' was eventually dropped and today it is popularly called Rotto by local West Australians.

This is the ferry we caught

We caught the 11:45am ferry which takes half an hour and sat on the top deck.  All was going well until we hit the swell half way out.  Peter was fine but I was feeling decidely queasy.  I somehow managed to contain myself until we arrived.  Once there we had some lunch and then hired some bicycles to tour the island.  You can't take cars to Rottnest, so the only way around is either on a tour (bus) or by bicycle.  We were lucky enough to get fairly new bikes and set off.

Coming into Rottnest Island 

A view of the other side of the jetty

The sign post in the village

Rottnest's coastline is very attractive; there are numerous secluded bays with super clear water and soft, white beaches. The surrounding sea is a marine sanctuary that protects a wide variety of fish and other marine creatures. No pets, guns or spear guns are allowed on Rottnest Island.

Well it looked very flat on the map but let me tell you....................!  I managed fairly well but have to admit that I did have to walk it up a couple of hills.  You can actually ride all around the island.  We didn't do all the trails but ended up doing about 10kms.  I was very proud of myself.  We were also lucky enough to see some quokkas.  I didn't think we would as they are nocturnal but we were going past a treed area and there were several just sitting there.  A great photo opportunity!

One of the quokkas

One of the wrecks off the island

The landscape is quite varied with grassy plains, woodlands, scattered salt lakes, low lying scrub and bush vegetation.  Peter tasted water from one of the salt lakes and said it was saltier than the ocean.

The salt lake

We caught the 4:30pm ferry back.  The Captain suggested the best place to stop seasickness was downstairs, a couple of rows behind the stairwell.  We did that and I didn't have any problem on the way back even though it was a bit rough.

On the way back to the caravan park we called into Cottosloe Beach to watch the kite surfers.  They are amazing and must have very strong arms because the wind is so strong and just pulls them along.  When they come off they have to let the wind lift them up again.  There are also parts of the beaches that are for dogs and it was great fun watching the dogs have a ball, running in and out of the surf.  They have places where you can grab a doggy bag and bins to put the filled bags in.

Tomorrow we are moving on to Geraldton.

cheers
Pete and Roz

Day 23 Perth, Rockingham and Mandurah

We had an unexpected visit to the doctor today.  Last night I accidentally cut my finger.  Stupid really, I had peeled and eaten an orange and the skin was in a pile on the table.  I decided to stab it all with the knife to put in the bin but the last bit didn't go on so I picked it up to slide it onto the knife and you guessed it - almost sliced my finger off instead.  Peter quickly gave me a cloth and then grabbed the first aid kit.  About five bandaids later he managed to stop the bleeding (I think it was still bleeding but there was nowhere for the blood to go with all the bandaids!).  It was 9:30pm so we decided to go to the doctor in the morning (today).  When we rang we couldn't get in till 11:45am and when I did get to see a doctor she said it was very deep but it was too late to put stitches in so I ended up with steri strips instead.  Surprisingly it didn't hurt that much except if I touch it and if bumped it hurts like hell!  Didn't get out of the doctors until 12:30pm which really stuffed our day up so we decided to go back to the caravan park, have lunch and then go to Rockingham and Mandurah for a look.

On the way to Rockingham we came past a huge grain terminal with elevators to take the grain to boats at the wharf.  It was amazing.  Rockingham was nice, on the beach, and had a jetty that we went on.

The big grain terminal

The elevators from the grain terminal to the boats

A nice park at Rockingham 

The jetty at Rockingham 

A view from the jetty

Then on to Mandurah, it was getting quite late by now so we managed to catch the sun as it was going down over the beach.

View from a lookout at Mandurah

Sunset at Mandurah

Till tomorrow
Pete and Roz

Day 22 Swan Valley

Today we decided to explore the Swan Valley which is an area north east of Perth and is Western Australia's oldest wine region with more than 180 years of heritage and viticulture.

Our first stop was the Margaret River Chocolate Company (it's nowhere near Margaret River????).  Wow you walk in to this huge room and it is wall to wall chocolate.  Peter bought some rocky road and I managed to restrain myself and only got a macadamia cluster which was mainly nuts held together with a little bit of chocolate.  I thought of my friend Tanya who is a chocoholic of the highest order - Hi Tanya!

The Chocolate Factory - yum!

Then we went to Whiteman Park which is a unique conservation andrecreation reserve that is home to the popular Caversham Wildlife Park, Birds of Prey Flying Display and Revolutiions Transport Heritage Centre.  There are playgrounds, walk trails, vintage tram and train rides, the Tractor Museum, the Motor Museum, a craft village and more.  We had lunch here and then went to the Motor Museum.  It was amazing with lots of vehicles, collections of model cars and much more.  I know my friend Raelee's husband, Geoff, would love it.  We walked around the park and check out the craft shop.  It is a great place to go for a picnic and there are lots of things for the kids to do. 

An amusing sign as you enter the park 

The Motor Museum 

They have a huge collection of hub caps 

Some early Holdens 

A very old car - can't remember what it was 

This was an old prospectors car

The Swan Valley Trail is a big loop, so we drove the loop.  We are constantly amazed at how dry it is here in WA.  The Margaret River area was particularly dry with lots of the grapevines quite wilted.  Even here in the Swan Valley it is extremely dry.  Such a contrast to what we saw back in NSW and Victoria.

We (well Peter actually) forgot to bring the remote for the TV which has made it difficult as we have to tune in the tv at each new place we go to.  My friend Kim kindly agreed to send it to us by express post as Lauren's work hours didn't give her time to do it.  The parcel arrived today and I thought it was a tad big for the remote and it was like getting a "care package".  Inside were half a dozen magazines and lots of chocolates as well as a cute little box (hand made by Kim) which was full of easter eggs.  Thanks Kim!  I did eat a couple of the small chocolates but have gifted the rest to Peter - got to keep the diabetes in check!

Tomorrow we are going to Rockingham and Mandurah.

cheers
Peter and Roz

Day 21 Fremantle

Today we decided to explore Fremantle.  We found it very easy to get there and was amazed at the size of the port and the large ships that were there.  First stop was the E Shed Markets at the wharf where we had a browse and Peter bought a new wallet and I bought a new hat (Peter calls me the Imelda Marcos of hats as I am always trying to find one that doesn't give me "hat hair" - I don't think there is such a hat!).  The one I bought is reversible, patterned on one side and purple on the other.  If any of you know Irma Bombeck's poem about the purple hat you will understand why I like them.

The E Shed Markets at Fremantle Wharf

Next we went to the Maritime Museum, also at the wharf.  It is a very modern building and has lots of interesting exhibits including Australia II of the wing keeled hull which won the America's Cup.  Peter also did a tour of a submarine which is outside in the grounds and really enjoyed it.  While he did that I had a coffee in the coffee ship which has fabulous views of the wharf so I was able to watch the ships coming and going.  I didn't realise that the windows in the coffee shop are a bit tinted so these pictures have a blue tint.

The Maritime Museum

The submarine that Peter toured

We couldn't get over how busy it was in Fremantle, the traffic was bumper to bumper.  There was a Chilli Festival in the park (a bit like Canberra's Wine and Food Frolic) so there was a lot of people around. 

The Chilli Festival

Fremantle has a great free bus called the CAT bus which takes you around the shops and the suburbs.  They run evey 10 minutes and you can get on and off wherever you please.  We did a lap on one of them and got to see a lot of the very old buildings and one street (I think it was South Street) which seemed to be all coffee shops and cafes.  A bit like Lygon Street in Melbourne with all the restaurants.  There was lots of live music too which really added to the atmosphere.

Some of the old buildings

The old P&O Building

That's it for now.

cheers
Pete and Roz