Well I've done it again, I've managed to have to much fun to be sitting here typing away our travels, and yes this is the longest time between updates. So here goes one massive update for all of August and September rolled into one ( then i will be up to date )
Lets begin at cable beach way back when it was nice and warm. We travelled down from Quandong Point to Broome to do a little shopping before we could get into the Cable beach caravan park. Will a real shopping centre and a real supermarket we were able to get it all done easily and at reasonable prices. Stocked up we headed into Cable Beach for a week of sun, sand and the ocean. We pulled in and began the setup on a fairly decent size site, greeted by a family on one side of us who were happy we have kids, and greeted by an elderly couple who are not so kid welcoming, instead of Gday we got “ How long are you all staying here ? “ so with a question like that my response was always going to be - I am thinking we might stay for a lot longer than we planned :)
The Cable beach Caravan park consists of a nomadic tribe of sun worshippers from Perth,South Australia and Victoria, they migrate and move in on mass when the suns warm then return to there burrows when it gets too hot. Us travelling tribes seem to be unwelcome as we aren't part of the herd ! ( Fine by us) Now off to the beach to see the iconic camels at sunset. We were treated to some of the best sunsets with the camels and their cashed up tourists aloft. We watched dolphins and whales frolic on the horizon as the parading camels walked back and forth chased by eager photographers. This was to happen everyday we were there !! We caught up with the Turnbulls here for a few days and had a great dinner out in Broome before they journeyed of south.
We decided to get up and close with the whales and took a day cruise out on a Yacht on yet another hot sunny Broome day. We eventually came across a few pods and got our whale fix. A great day out sailing and searching. With most days being spent on the beach, swimming and driving we certainly wound down after the Gibb Adventures. With our time up at Cable Beach it was time for us to migrate south. We popped into Port Headland for a look and from the reports of the caravan parks in town we opted to go west and stay at a place called Indee Station, a large property that has some amazing rock art and history attached. The owners welcome all visitors into there home for happy hour everyday and provide snacks for everyone. The rooms are covered in memorabilia, and they also host an annual motorbike race called the Indee 500, a desert bash that sees some pretty big names on the riding circuit such as Toby Price who won in 2014. We also met up with another TAWKS family here, Marty and Jo and their kids.
From Indee we were tracking to meet up with Grandpa Bob and Grandma Pete who we will spend a few weeks with at Ningaloo Reef and to celebrate an upcoming milestone Birthday.
We headed to Old Onslow and met up with them on the banks of the river for a few days as we waited for our booked time at Ningaloo to arrive. A few lazy days trying to catch fish and the kids playing in the canoes passed and we were off to Ningaloo !! One of the major travel bucket list places on our list.
We stayed at Osprey Camp site in Cape Range National Park right on the Ningaloo reef. With ocean front views and warm sunny weather we were in paradise. Fishing gear out and the canoes off the roof, we have been looking forward to this for a long time. Snorkelling gear on and off we go for hours drifting around the reef watching all the sealife, turtles, sharks and millions for coral reef species. We did this for days !!! Today was a special birthday day as Sue turned 21 again, I spent the afternoon cooking up a storm for the festivities, with Bob and Peta here to celebrate as well we were also joined by Jo and Marty later on for drinks. With such a milestone birthday it had to be celebrated with a fireworks show, and conveniently someone had some :) so the skys lit up with a 40 gun salute ( opps 21 ) to celebrate and top off a memorable evening. The whole campsite seemed to enjoy the show as the sky and ocean lit up.
With the week done and the winds picking up we headed off and ventured south, Peta flew back to Busselton and Bob travelled another day with us to Carnarvon before he would head back down to Busselton as well. Just a 2 night stay here to stock up and also repair the Jeep’s Power steering. All sorted and we all parted ways as we headed towards Monkey Mia to meet the Dolphins. We camped up as a base at Nanga Resort, Resort is being a bit stretched as a title, Nanga back in its heyday looked to be amazing, 80’s styled place which would have been packed during the summer months, however today its still stuck in the 80’s and I dont think a spanner has been near it since. But all the same we chose to stay on the beach front site away from the “Resort” and had it all to ourselves. We headed off and explored Shelly beach nearby which is entirely covered in small shells. We also checked out the Stromatolites at Hamelin Bay, where they only exist here and in the Bahamas. Next day we had dolphins to see, up early and off to Monkey Mia, On que 4 dolphins arrived to be fed 3 fish each. So with 80 people standing in the water and 12 fish to be dished out it was a lottery to be lucky enough to actually feed the dolphins. Well we had a winning ticket and the boys were chosen to feed them. A wonderful up close experience that will stay in their memory bank for life ( and ours ) We stayed for all three feedings and the crowd numbers dropped from the 80 down to 15 for the last feed, so we could get up closer to see the dolphins in the shallow waters.
Monkey Mia ticked of the bucket list as we returned to the Resort for one last night. The winds were howling and the van shook !! but we were all tired and slept. Next day we moved to Hamelin Station, only about 50 kms away where we would setup and make for Steep Point, the most western point of mainland Australia. It was fathers day today and Steep Point has been on my travel planner from day 1. The maps said it was about a 7 - 9 hr return trip !!! YIKES. So off we went. It was only 140kms away but unlike the Eastern Point of Oz at Byron were you can drive on bitumen in a Toyota Prius, Steep point in wild and remote, driving along single tracks and sand dunes for hours when you suddenly come across a sign in a car park which signals you are there. A sunny day but howling winds made the coastline wild and it turned on a spectacular show for us. I have never experienced such ferocious oceans and we watched in awe as it ponded the cliffs throwing water over 100 metres up towards us. With the obligatory photos at the Steep Point sign done we headed for the Blow holes, a series of holes when the ocean is angry these things scream up out of the rocks and roar into action. Ryan and Jarred heard the first roar and retreated to the car as the sound was frightening and powerful, Luke and I rushed over to get a closer look and were treated to all 8 blowholes being fired off at once, I took these to be my fathers day fireworks. A long drive back to Camp over all the sand dunes and dirt roads we arrived back 7 hours later from when we left. Best fathers day ever.
We wandered further south after here to Kalbarri for a couple of days exploring more of the rugged coastline, a gorge and plenty of wildflowers blooming along the coast. Bit of school work to catch up one and we continued south. We went past the Pink Lake, and yes it is pink ! Weird looking but Ryan really wanted to see it. So TICK we did. We had a lunch stop at Geraldton and restocked supplies then barrelled down the road to Dongara to a free camp by the ocean for a couple of days. It was my Birthday so we stayed and relaxed in the chilly winds and overcast skys, fishing was non existent but I did try anyhow. We had a great dinner followed by a caked which we named the Gibb River Road cake, Brown and perfectly corrugated just like the road itself.
We rolled out early next day and b-lined straight to the Pinnacles ( yes another Bucketlist destination ) The sun came out to light up the Pinnacles as we walked around the sand dunes admiring natures forces. A few hours exploring and we headed out of the Park. Minutes later I get a message on my phone to “ Pull Over” A mate of mine, Paul, from Brisbane who was following our SPOT tracker was right behind us, pulled over and had a chat for a while, this makes it the 3rd such meeting across the country with mates I ride with back in Brisbane. They must be missing me lots to come and find me all over OZ ;)
We continued on just north of Perth and free camped by the road and bunkered down as it started to Belt Down. Our first sight of rain in over 5 months, the last time we saw any was way back in South Australia at Mount Remarkable. We decided to bypass Perth and come back later on, so we punched out a big day and landed in Albany at the bottom edge of Western Australia. Still drizzling with rain and freezing cold !! We have travelled from mid 30’s 2 weeks ago to mid 10’s down here. Just like the rain, I am putting on jeans that i haven't seen in over 5 months.
A few days in Albany exploring the history and the coastline. We headed to Two Peoples bay which was stunning and reminded us of Wilsons Prom in Victoria earlier this year, clear blue ocean with pure white sands and majestic rock formations everywhere. We went to the wind farm and stood below the towering giants in amazement. The sound as the blades swoop by at speeds of 260 km hr generating 80% of the entire city of Albany’s electricity. They say the wind only dies down on average 7 days per year when the wind turbines don't spin, the rest of the time they are in full flight. Should be more of them everywhere !!!!
Next day we went on the history hunt, exploring the Jail, Museum and the old replica hip the Brig Amity. The ship was the highlight as you can crawl all over it and through it, the kids spent a good hour doing just that.The museum and Jail didn't take too long as we have seen so many on our trip that they seem to blend together according to the kids, We ( the adults ) enjoyed the history of Albany
Next destination was Denmark, our shortest travel between stops - 42kms and we pulled into the Caravan park which was empty and more green grass than the MCG all to our selves. Perfect. still a bit windy but not wet, we explored the beach but our main mission was to visit the Valley of the Giants. We drove out to see the trees and all along the roads you are dwarfed by straight trees that seem 100’s of metres tall. We scaled the tree walk on the suspension bridge and walked amongst the tree tops of the giants. The bridge was big and wobbly and Sue was certainly holding onto the rails with her passion for heights !! But she braved it all the way as did we all. We wandered through the valley at ground level amongst the trees like little ants in comparison for a few more hours before returning to camp.
A long night ahead of us and our first illness and doctors visit, Ryan has Tonsillitis ! Seems the cold change in weather has brought us undone and on a downhill spiral, yes we all one by one have now caught a cold / flu and are like a family of travelling zombies.
We moved on from Denmark to Pemberton for a night to see the Gloucester Tree, one of the big trees you can climb that they used to use for bush fire watch towers. With how we are all feeling Luke and I glanced at the tree and decided we would go all of 5 metres up and bail out. It was cold and we were weak :( so no climbing today.
The decision was made - we are heading to Busselton to Bob & Peta’s so we can at least all die quietly on a lounge in front of a big TV and a fire for a few days. 4 days in total and we did nothing, no tourist stuff, no exploring , no hiking - nothing but recovery. Day 5 and we headed out to a Brewery for Lunch as we felt we were on the mend, short lived by we did get out at least.
On the mend we decided to move north to warmer weather and made for Fremantle for a couple of days. The Footy ( AFL ) semifinals are on and Fremantle is painted Purple. We booked into the Old Jail tour and were treated to a great presentation by our guide Jim, one of the old wardens when the jail used to be operation. Time for a beer and we headed down to the Little Creatures Brewery where we met some old friends, Michael & Simone over from Brisbane, See told you everyone misses us, Beer then dinner topped off a great day and a nice catch up.
Time to move and we are off to Perth, staying out in the hills at Sue’s cousins as a base to explore Perth and its surrounds.
I will leave you all here as there are lots of changes and things to tell and adventures to be done from this point onwards as we begin our Journey East.
Lets begin at cable beach way back when it was nice and warm. We travelled down from Quandong Point to Broome to do a little shopping before we could get into the Cable beach caravan park. Will a real shopping centre and a real supermarket we were able to get it all done easily and at reasonable prices. Stocked up we headed into Cable Beach for a week of sun, sand and the ocean. We pulled in and began the setup on a fairly decent size site, greeted by a family on one side of us who were happy we have kids, and greeted by an elderly couple who are not so kid welcoming, instead of Gday we got “ How long are you all staying here ? “ so with a question like that my response was always going to be - I am thinking we might stay for a lot longer than we planned :)
The Cable beach Caravan park consists of a nomadic tribe of sun worshippers from Perth,South Australia and Victoria, they migrate and move in on mass when the suns warm then return to there burrows when it gets too hot. Us travelling tribes seem to be unwelcome as we aren't part of the herd ! ( Fine by us) Now off to the beach to see the iconic camels at sunset. We were treated to some of the best sunsets with the camels and their cashed up tourists aloft. We watched dolphins and whales frolic on the horizon as the parading camels walked back and forth chased by eager photographers. This was to happen everyday we were there !! We caught up with the Turnbulls here for a few days and had a great dinner out in Broome before they journeyed of south.
We decided to get up and close with the whales and took a day cruise out on a Yacht on yet another hot sunny Broome day. We eventually came across a few pods and got our whale fix. A great day out sailing and searching. With most days being spent on the beach, swimming and driving we certainly wound down after the Gibb Adventures. With our time up at Cable Beach it was time for us to migrate south. We popped into Port Headland for a look and from the reports of the caravan parks in town we opted to go west and stay at a place called Indee Station, a large property that has some amazing rock art and history attached. The owners welcome all visitors into there home for happy hour everyday and provide snacks for everyone. The rooms are covered in memorabilia, and they also host an annual motorbike race called the Indee 500, a desert bash that sees some pretty big names on the riding circuit such as Toby Price who won in 2014. We also met up with another TAWKS family here, Marty and Jo and their kids.
From Indee we were tracking to meet up with Grandpa Bob and Grandma Pete who we will spend a few weeks with at Ningaloo Reef and to celebrate an upcoming milestone Birthday.
We headed to Old Onslow and met up with them on the banks of the river for a few days as we waited for our booked time at Ningaloo to arrive. A few lazy days trying to catch fish and the kids playing in the canoes passed and we were off to Ningaloo !! One of the major travel bucket list places on our list.
We stayed at Osprey Camp site in Cape Range National Park right on the Ningaloo reef. With ocean front views and warm sunny weather we were in paradise. Fishing gear out and the canoes off the roof, we have been looking forward to this for a long time. Snorkelling gear on and off we go for hours drifting around the reef watching all the sealife, turtles, sharks and millions for coral reef species. We did this for days !!! Today was a special birthday day as Sue turned 21 again, I spent the afternoon cooking up a storm for the festivities, with Bob and Peta here to celebrate as well we were also joined by Jo and Marty later on for drinks. With such a milestone birthday it had to be celebrated with a fireworks show, and conveniently someone had some :) so the skys lit up with a 40 gun salute ( opps 21 ) to celebrate and top off a memorable evening. The whole campsite seemed to enjoy the show as the sky and ocean lit up.
With the week done and the winds picking up we headed off and ventured south, Peta flew back to Busselton and Bob travelled another day with us to Carnarvon before he would head back down to Busselton as well. Just a 2 night stay here to stock up and also repair the Jeep’s Power steering. All sorted and we all parted ways as we headed towards Monkey Mia to meet the Dolphins. We camped up as a base at Nanga Resort, Resort is being a bit stretched as a title, Nanga back in its heyday looked to be amazing, 80’s styled place which would have been packed during the summer months, however today its still stuck in the 80’s and I dont think a spanner has been near it since. But all the same we chose to stay on the beach front site away from the “Resort” and had it all to ourselves. We headed off and explored Shelly beach nearby which is entirely covered in small shells. We also checked out the Stromatolites at Hamelin Bay, where they only exist here and in the Bahamas. Next day we had dolphins to see, up early and off to Monkey Mia, On que 4 dolphins arrived to be fed 3 fish each. So with 80 people standing in the water and 12 fish to be dished out it was a lottery to be lucky enough to actually feed the dolphins. Well we had a winning ticket and the boys were chosen to feed them. A wonderful up close experience that will stay in their memory bank for life ( and ours ) We stayed for all three feedings and the crowd numbers dropped from the 80 down to 15 for the last feed, so we could get up closer to see the dolphins in the shallow waters.
Monkey Mia ticked of the bucket list as we returned to the Resort for one last night. The winds were howling and the van shook !! but we were all tired and slept. Next day we moved to Hamelin Station, only about 50 kms away where we would setup and make for Steep Point, the most western point of mainland Australia. It was fathers day today and Steep Point has been on my travel planner from day 1. The maps said it was about a 7 - 9 hr return trip !!! YIKES. So off we went. It was only 140kms away but unlike the Eastern Point of Oz at Byron were you can drive on bitumen in a Toyota Prius, Steep point in wild and remote, driving along single tracks and sand dunes for hours when you suddenly come across a sign in a car park which signals you are there. A sunny day but howling winds made the coastline wild and it turned on a spectacular show for us. I have never experienced such ferocious oceans and we watched in awe as it ponded the cliffs throwing water over 100 metres up towards us. With the obligatory photos at the Steep Point sign done we headed for the Blow holes, a series of holes when the ocean is angry these things scream up out of the rocks and roar into action. Ryan and Jarred heard the first roar and retreated to the car as the sound was frightening and powerful, Luke and I rushed over to get a closer look and were treated to all 8 blowholes being fired off at once, I took these to be my fathers day fireworks. A long drive back to Camp over all the sand dunes and dirt roads we arrived back 7 hours later from when we left. Best fathers day ever.
We wandered further south after here to Kalbarri for a couple of days exploring more of the rugged coastline, a gorge and plenty of wildflowers blooming along the coast. Bit of school work to catch up one and we continued south. We went past the Pink Lake, and yes it is pink ! Weird looking but Ryan really wanted to see it. So TICK we did. We had a lunch stop at Geraldton and restocked supplies then barrelled down the road to Dongara to a free camp by the ocean for a couple of days. It was my Birthday so we stayed and relaxed in the chilly winds and overcast skys, fishing was non existent but I did try anyhow. We had a great dinner followed by a caked which we named the Gibb River Road cake, Brown and perfectly corrugated just like the road itself.
We rolled out early next day and b-lined straight to the Pinnacles ( yes another Bucketlist destination ) The sun came out to light up the Pinnacles as we walked around the sand dunes admiring natures forces. A few hours exploring and we headed out of the Park. Minutes later I get a message on my phone to “ Pull Over” A mate of mine, Paul, from Brisbane who was following our SPOT tracker was right behind us, pulled over and had a chat for a while, this makes it the 3rd such meeting across the country with mates I ride with back in Brisbane. They must be missing me lots to come and find me all over OZ ;)
We continued on just north of Perth and free camped by the road and bunkered down as it started to Belt Down. Our first sight of rain in over 5 months, the last time we saw any was way back in South Australia at Mount Remarkable. We decided to bypass Perth and come back later on, so we punched out a big day and landed in Albany at the bottom edge of Western Australia. Still drizzling with rain and freezing cold !! We have travelled from mid 30’s 2 weeks ago to mid 10’s down here. Just like the rain, I am putting on jeans that i haven't seen in over 5 months.
A few days in Albany exploring the history and the coastline. We headed to Two Peoples bay which was stunning and reminded us of Wilsons Prom in Victoria earlier this year, clear blue ocean with pure white sands and majestic rock formations everywhere. We went to the wind farm and stood below the towering giants in amazement. The sound as the blades swoop by at speeds of 260 km hr generating 80% of the entire city of Albany’s electricity. They say the wind only dies down on average 7 days per year when the wind turbines don't spin, the rest of the time they are in full flight. Should be more of them everywhere !!!!
Next day we went on the history hunt, exploring the Jail, Museum and the old replica hip the Brig Amity. The ship was the highlight as you can crawl all over it and through it, the kids spent a good hour doing just that.The museum and Jail didn't take too long as we have seen so many on our trip that they seem to blend together according to the kids, We ( the adults ) enjoyed the history of Albany
Next destination was Denmark, our shortest travel between stops - 42kms and we pulled into the Caravan park which was empty and more green grass than the MCG all to our selves. Perfect. still a bit windy but not wet, we explored the beach but our main mission was to visit the Valley of the Giants. We drove out to see the trees and all along the roads you are dwarfed by straight trees that seem 100’s of metres tall. We scaled the tree walk on the suspension bridge and walked amongst the tree tops of the giants. The bridge was big and wobbly and Sue was certainly holding onto the rails with her passion for heights !! But she braved it all the way as did we all. We wandered through the valley at ground level amongst the trees like little ants in comparison for a few more hours before returning to camp.
A long night ahead of us and our first illness and doctors visit, Ryan has Tonsillitis ! Seems the cold change in weather has brought us undone and on a downhill spiral, yes we all one by one have now caught a cold / flu and are like a family of travelling zombies.
We moved on from Denmark to Pemberton for a night to see the Gloucester Tree, one of the big trees you can climb that they used to use for bush fire watch towers. With how we are all feeling Luke and I glanced at the tree and decided we would go all of 5 metres up and bail out. It was cold and we were weak :( so no climbing today.
The decision was made - we are heading to Busselton to Bob & Peta’s so we can at least all die quietly on a lounge in front of a big TV and a fire for a few days. 4 days in total and we did nothing, no tourist stuff, no exploring , no hiking - nothing but recovery. Day 5 and we headed out to a Brewery for Lunch as we felt we were on the mend, short lived by we did get out at least.
On the mend we decided to move north to warmer weather and made for Fremantle for a couple of days. The Footy ( AFL ) semifinals are on and Fremantle is painted Purple. We booked into the Old Jail tour and were treated to a great presentation by our guide Jim, one of the old wardens when the jail used to be operation. Time for a beer and we headed down to the Little Creatures Brewery where we met some old friends, Michael & Simone over from Brisbane, See told you everyone misses us, Beer then dinner topped off a great day and a nice catch up.
Time to move and we are off to Perth, staying out in the hills at Sue’s cousins as a base to explore Perth and its surrounds.
I will leave you all here as there are lots of changes and things to tell and adventures to be done from this point onwards as we begin our Journey East.