We woke up early to check out the camp as we had no idea what it looked like having arrived in the dark.

It was wildly beautiful and the beach was close. Red rocky cliffs, good surf and snorkelling to be had! We spent the day chilling at the beach. The flies were in abundance….the fly nets were worth their weight in gold. Gordie and Trev had a surf and we had a snorkel…lots of fish and coral.  After lunch at low tide we snorkelled again…better this time as the swell was less due to the outer reef’s protection. We saw lots of large colourful fish, sand rays, small octopus and a wobbygong shark.

That evening we went to the “bar” to watch the sun set over a beautiful 3 mile beach…..

The day started early at Denham packing up our camp to move on to the much awaited Quobba coast – Gordies surfing mecca 😆In the light of dawn we hopped in the cars with great anticipation of the day ahead and jumping in the surf on our arrival…..

The road to Carnarvon went through some very barren looking steppe rock formations – dry and dusty.

 

We arrived in Carnarvon, fueled up, bought some supplies and had a quick lunch by the harbour. The harbour was pretty and on the corner of the roundabout was “Shelton’s Corner” …..looked like a bit of an op shop/ junk shop with collectibles….ironic!

Leaving Carnarvon the turnoff to Quobba was not far. The road out to the  coast was sealed and in good condition.  A lot of salt mining is done out here and we passed  another pink lake of salt with turquoise blue water channels beside it – obviously pumping seawater in to harvest salt.

Passing the Quobba lighthouse,  we arrived at the coast near the Quobba blowholes….with a grim reminder on the signpost of the dangers of this particular area.

We turned right and headed to Quobba Station along the now unsealed road. Our plan was to drive to 3 mile camp on Gnaraloo Station about 70kms along this dirt track. The road at first ran close to the coast and the waves at times were breaking on the rough cliff edge.

Despite checking road conditions and being told the road was  good, it was actually very rough and corrigated so Trev decided to lower his tyre pressure.

There are a few mines in the area and road trains come thundering along in a crowd of dust so we had to drive carefully when going over crests.

The Ram was having a few conniptions….or maybe  gremlins….because all the alarms and gauges kept going off and reading incorrectly. Branch was keen to get in and assist as he had been worse than useless the day before during “sandgate”.

We stopped a couple of times to let it rest but eventually Gordie decided to have a longer stop – he decided that due to road conditions and the Ram it would maybe be better to stop and camp at Red Bluff which was closer than 3 mile. After much discussion it was decided that Trev and I, Dave and Rose would continue on to Red Bluff to find a campspot for the 3 vans as time was marching on, and Gordon and Kerry would rest the Ram and then come on slowly joining us at Red Bluff ( BAD IDEA….. no troll should be left behind!!)

The turnoff to Red Bluff seemed an eternity away travelling at 50kph. We reached it finally and turned off only to find the road was even worse with large corrugations, rocky outcrops and sand sections…and 16kms to be done! We perservered and arrived at Red Bluff….what a spectacular and  beautiful beach….no waves however so Gordo would not be impressed…but the campground was pretty feral and unkempt…rubbish lying around, dogs running all over the place but we paid for 3 nights and went in to look for a spot for the vans.

The camp area was quite small and most spots were taken – no real place for 3 vans together and what was left were very uneven. After almost an hour trying to work out where to camp we decided that, as Gordon and Kerry had not shown up,there was a serious Ram issue and as we had no reception at all we would head back to Quobba Station for the night and contact them there.

We went to the caretakers hut to beg for a refund and just as Trev got out of the car a couple pulled up in a campervan and asked was he Trevor Loveday – they had a message from Gordon that just read “gone to Carnarvon “….which I think gave us leverage with the caretaker who kindly refunded our money.

We were not keen to go back all the way to Carnarvon so we decided to head back to Quobba, try to get sites there for the night and ring Gordie to find out the damage… It was getting late in the afternoon so we knew we had to speed up to travel 50k back on the dirt track to try to reach Quobba before dark.

As we turned out of the Red Bluff campsite not 100m down the road but what came into view?? THE RAM!! What a sight for sore eyes! ( Unfortunately for that kind couple they had just done 32kms on a nightmare road for no reason as they were heading to Gnaraloo -thanks Gordie 😃but they were very gracious).  Seems the Ram had improved after blowing dust out of it and Gordie was keen to continue on slowly. We could not return to Red Bluff and the light was fading fast so we made the executive  decision to push on to 3 mile camp which was much closer than Quobba hoping to get there and set up before dark.

We went back out to the main road (by this time Branch was losing it the road from Red Bluff was so bad),

turned left and headed in to Gnaraloo Station, a further 10 kms along the road….the road was slightly better for a while as it looked freshly graded but when we turned off to 3 Mile camp it was worse again.

We arrived at 3 mile camp as the sun set and the caretaker was great giving us 3 sites together. The campground was flat and well set out – much better than Red Bluff so in the end it all worked out for the best despite the hiccups. Gordie planned to  call his mechanic in the morning to see what the issue may have been to determine the seriousness of it. We settled in for the night hoping for some great beach time tomorrow.

The day started out well although Rosie had not slept much due to her excitement about going to Monkey Mia to see the dolphins. We left at 745 to drive to  Monkey Mia and got there just in time for the first dolphin feeding, There was a large crowd but the dolphins were up close and personal so we had a really good opportunity to experience the beauty of these gentle intelligent mammals.

We ended up being there for the second feeding and Rosie got the opportunity she had been hoping for – to feed a dolphin!

We then went across to the cafe for coffee..and then a quick swim before driving out to Cape Peron in Francois Peron National Park.

We could not locate Rose and Dave when we were about to leave Monkey Mia..and then saw them down near the water ( the no go zone where only rangers can take people for the feedings). Rose was trying to attract the dolphins for a personal dolphin experience and a ranger had come down and was telling her off 😨

The road through Francois Peron National Park started out well. We let down our tyres at the start of the sandy 4WD track. The area was arid with more clay pans and lots of red dirt, sand and flies!!

All went well until the Ram got stuck in some soft sand….after digging it out and letting the tyres down more…success….momentarily.

Branch was cheering from inside the car as he was reluctant to get out in the heat and flies….

The Princess was riding high initially but then hit the dust and dug herself in too….both cars stuck in the sand in 30 degree heat (the sand was scorching hot)…about 30 kms from the entry to the park with no one in sight…..nothing  we could do but dig ….with oars from the canoes!!! Because we had not taken our 4WD we did not have our shovel or maxxtraxx (note to self do not leave our car behind next time!)

The flies were relentless, the sun was scorching and there was no shade whatsoever…and no one came along the track the whole time we were bogged. After the first dig we did not get either car out. Dave’s car by this time was not responding normally and Dave was getting worried about the Princess…Rose had the manual out and they were trying hard to sort out the problem.

We gathered round and said a prayer before trying again…as soon as we walked back onto the road I noticed a couple of things just down the road that I had not seen earlier…2 bottles and what looked like an elongated cushion. Kerry and I walked over and it was a long plank of marine ply…perfect to put under the wheel to gain a bit of traction.

We dug again around Gordies truck, put the plank in place and then Trev, Kerry and Dave jumped on the back to give  a bit of weight to get Gordie started. He took off and got out and continued driving as far as needed to get out of the soft sand and to a place he could turn around. Rose and I were left with the Princess as we watched them bounce off around the corner. A little while later I could just make out the Ram still driving away..fantastic sight as Gordon was definately unstuck. What we did not realise was happening was Gordon was gunning it forgetting he had 3 people perched precariously on the back bumper bar holding on to the back for dear life. The back of the ute was bouncing like a pogo stick and Trev had to wrap his body around Kerry to hold her on so she did not lose her grip and fall. Dave got swung round the side, up down and back again – it was a miracle no one fell off or was injured (apart from a few bruises)…they were yelling at Gordo to stop to no avail as he could not hear them at all with all the windows up…he pulled up to a stop once he came to a safe place to turn around. Although they had talked about getting on the back to help get the Ram out, Gordo did not realise they actually had jumped on!!

While we waited I noticed the plank had completely disappeared….buried after Gordo took off…it took some prodding with a paddle up and down the road to locate it finally and then digging it out so we could reuse for Dave’s exit.

Dave walked back to us looking a little worse for wear…then Gordie drove past and went on to a safe place to stop. They returned on foot to repeat the process with Dave’s car…Trev and Dave drove it out without anyone standing on the rear end.

The whole process from start to finish had taken 2 hours so it meant we did not get to Cape Peron, Skipjack Point and swimming and snorkelling…..but the challenge had been a different kind of day….as we headed back along the track we met the ranger (why had he not come along sooner – in the whole 2 hours of being stationary on a one track road in and out we had seen no one!).

As we travelled out further we saw ahead another 2 cars bogged… and the ranger now assisting them.Trev got out to lend a hand and Gordo got out drinks for us all…

Eventually everyone was on their way…..we went straight to the beach at Denham for a swim…we were so hot, sweaty, dusty and flyblown! Gordie got out his portable shower after the swim…Rose could not resist as the water was nicely heated after being out in the desert most of the day.

A couple of emus wandered down to check us out….

Home for a shower and then a walk down to the pub for a bistro dinner….and debrief 😃.

The glasses at the Pub seemed somewhat appropriate…

On the walk down we passed the largest boat trailer we all had ever seen..Glen Hackfath eat  your heart out 😆

Just another day in the Loveday wild adventure hahaha….

 

 

 

 

The race was on to leave early from Kalbarri to get to our next destination…the Wells and Hunters had done some packing late the night before but we were still ahead in the morning until we discovered Gordie had basilled us by driving the Ram onto our flooring…(he blamed Branch of  course!)

In Dave’s haste to get out first he omitted to put down his TV aerial…where was that on the checklist Rose?

We got underway and along the way had this sense of de ja vue..a huge piece of mining equipment blocking the whole road – fortunately going in the opposite direction to us!

We stopped at Billabong Roadhouse for coffee then on to Hamelin Pool to see the stromatolites. The landscape was arid with red dirt and sparse vegetation.

We arrived at Hamelin Pool and were amazed by the amount of stromatolites growing there. Stromatolites are formed by cyanobacteria growing and forming sedimentary rock like a living fossil. The stromatolites at Hamelin Pool are one of the best examples in the world of their kind.

The flies were fierce so we continued on to Shell Beach which is a pristine beach of small white shells with turquoise blue water. The stark contrast of desert, white shells and turquoise blue water was spectacular. A small ray shark swam lazily by on the edge of the bay.

We arrived at Denham , set up and had lunch, then raced down for a swim.

The sunset was amazing as we dined at Wells  Alfresco Restaurant…..and we discovered that yes there is a real Wells checklist….and Rosie was really occupied with her paper towel fetish 😄

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 25

The race was on to leave early from Kalbarri to get to our next destination…the Wells and Hunters had done some packing late then night before but we were still ahead in the morning until we discovered Gordie had basilled us buy driving the Ram onto our flooring…(he blamed Branch of  course!)

In Dave’s haste to get out first he omitted to put down his TV aerial…where was that on the checklist Rose?

We got underway and along the way had this sense of de ja vue..a huge piece of mining equipment blocking the whole road – fortunately going in the opposite way to us!

We stopped at Billabong Roadhouse for coffee then on to Hamelin Pool to see the stromatolites. The landscape was arid with red dirt and sparse vegetation.

We arrived at Hamelin Pool and were amazed by the amount of stromatolites growing there. Stromatolites are formed by cyanobacteria growing and forming sedimentary rock like a living fossil. The stromatolites at Hamelin Pool are one of the best examples in the world of their kind.

The flies were fierce so we continued on to Shell Beach which is a pristine beach of small white shells with turquoise blue water. The stark contrast of desert, white shells and turquoise blue water was spectacular. A small ray shark swam lazily by on the edge of the bay.

We arrived at Denham , set up and had lunch, then raced down for a swim.

The sunset was amazing as we dined at Wells  Alfresco Restaurant…..and we discovered that yes there is a real Wells checklist….and Rosie was really occupied with her paper towel fetish 😄

 

Day 24

We awoke to a hot day in Kalbarri.  Unfortunately Trev had felt nauseous all night…?? cause ? Was it the same bug Rosie had a couple of days ago or the kilo of grapes he consumed yesterday on our way to Kalbarri now fermenting in his stomach?

The heat was dry with a fairly strong wind and we were all keen for a swim so we headed along the Murchison river to the coast and stopped at Blue Holes which was a sandy beach with reef and swimming holes with sandy bottom between the rocky reef. The water was turquoise in colour and a refreshing temperature. I could tell Trev was not feeling great as he was first out of the water to rest on the beach.

From Blue Holes we went to Jakes Point to check out the surf….there was the occasional good wave but about a 15 min wait between sets close to a reef so Gordie was not impressed…

The surfers of Kalbarri were very concerned for the environment as indicated by their signage…Trev could not help himself!!

Along the coast at Kalbarri are some spectacular cliffs and rock formations…

Red Bluff- a sandstone bluff with rock platforms beneath – red due to iron ore…

From the top of Red Bluff you could see for miles…rugged cliffs, turquoise blue water and white sandy beaches….

Pot Alley which had a small but beautiful secluded sandy beach…

Gordon was so confident the Ram was better than the Toyota Hilux that he was ready to drive it off the cliff!

The Natural Bridge……

The Castle…..

Trev by this time was exhausted….so unusual for him and the nausea was no better so we headed back to camp…Trev promptly lay down and fell asleep…Branch in attendance to provode some positive vibes 😆

Kerry was keen to see the Natural Window in the Murchison Gorge in Kalbarri National Park so after lunch we left Trev asleep and Gordie doing some repairs to his car aerial and drove out to the gorge.

Murchison Gorge was carved out by the Murchison river which wound its way along the floor of the gorge surrounded by impressive red sandstone cliffs. The river bed itself had sandy beaches in partss and river gums dotted along it – very picturesque!

The views were breathtaking and Nature’s Window was an amazing rock formation at the end of a narrow cliff face.

Branch suddenly appeared out of nowhere for a photo shoot at the window obviously deciding to ditch Trev but the wind was giving him a bad hair day and he nearly blew off the cliff until Dave jammed him into a crevice (can you see him?)

The flies were in plague proportions and we were so glad we had brought our face nets..we were the only ones there with them and everyone else was clearly envious we had them….including one poor Japanese tourist who swallowed/choked on one! Dave was particularly attractive to the flies with his black t- shirt!

We arrived back to the campground to find Gordie still under his car and Trev up but still nauseous and feeling washed out 🤒

Gordie had met a couple with a 28ft boat while we were gone. Their story was pretty hair-raising as they had travelled down from Exmouth in high winds with 3m waves and sheer cliffs with no form of communication…they were fortunate to arrive safely at Kalbarri that afternoon!

(Pic to come )

That night we were joined after dinner by a German  couple Daniel and Connie who were doing a 4 week whirlwind Aussie tour ..Margaret River,  Perth, Kalbarri, Monkey Mia, Exmouth then over to Melbourne and Sydney… we had a great time talking to them… they were enjoying their time in Australia but strangely they had been sold a small pot of  “natural” fly repelling ointment in Kalbarri for $14 which they asked us about…. it was clearly a scam as the ointment closely resembled Vicks vapour rub and worked for about 5 seconds…Branch felt so sorry that they had been ripped off he had to  come out and meet them….and reassure them that all is not disaster doom and gloom 😆

 

 

We awoke to a hot day in Kalbarri.  Unfortunately Trev had felt nauseous all night…?? cause ? Was it the same bug Rosie had a couple of days ago or the kilo of grapes he consumed yesterday on our way to Kalbarri now fermenting in his stomach?

The heat was dry with a fairly strong wind and we were all keen for a swim so we headed along the Murchison river to the coast and stopped at Blue Holes which was a sandy beach with reef and swimming holes with sandy bottom between the rocky reef. The water was turquoise in colour and a refreshing temperature.

I could tell Trev was not feeling great as he was first out of the water to rest on the beach.

From Blue Holes we went to Jake’s Point to check out the surf….there was the occasional good wave but about a 15 min wait between sets close to a reef so Gordie was not impressed…

The surfers of Kalbarri were very concerned for the environment as indicated by their signage…Trev could not help himself!!

Along the coast at Kalbarri are some spectacular cliffs and rock formations…Red Bluff- a sandstone bluff with rock platforms beneath – red due to iron ore…

From the top of Red Bluff you could see for miles…

rugged cliffs, turquoise blue water and white sandy beaches….

Stunning scenery….Pot Alley which had a small but beautiful secluded sandy beach…

Gordon was so confident the Ram was better than a Toyota Hilux that he was ready to drive it off the cliff!

The Natural Bridge……

The Castle…..

Trev by this time was exhausted….so unusual for him and the nausea was no better so we headed back to camp…Trev promptly lay down and fell asleep…Branch in attendance to provide some positive vibes.

Kerry was keen to see the Natural Window in the Murchison Gorge in Kalbarri National Park so after lunch we left Trev asleep and Gordie doing some repairs to his car aerial and drove out to the gorge. Murchison Gorge was carved out by the Murchison river which wound its way along the floor of the gorge surrounded by impressive red sandstone cliffs. The river bed itself had sandy beaches in parts and river gums dotted along it – very picturesque!

The views were breathtaking and Nature’s Window was an amazing rock formation at the end of a narrow cliff face.

Branch suddenly appeared out of nowhere for a photo shoot at the window obviously deciding to ditch Trev but the wind was giving him a bad hair day and he nearly blew off the cliff until Dave jammed him into a crevice (can you see him?)

The flies were in plague proportions and we were so glad we had brought our face nets..we were the only ones there with them and everyone else was clearly envious we had them….including one poor Japanese tourist who swallowed/choked on one! Dave was particularly attractive to the flies with his black t- shirt!

We arrived back to the campground to find Gordie still under his car and Trev up but still nauseous and feeling washed out!

Gordie had met a couple with a 28ft boat while we were gone. Their story was pretty hair-raising as they had travelled down from Exmouth in high winds with 3m waves and sheer cliffs with no form of communication…they were fortunate to arrive safely at Kalbarri that afternoon!

That night we were joined after dinner by a German  couple Daniel and Connie who were doing a 4 week whirlwind Aussie tour ..Margaret River,  Perth, Kalbarri, Monkey Mia, Exmouth then over to Melbourne and Sydney… we had a great time talking to them… they were enjoying their time in Australia but strangely they had been sold a small pot of  “natural” fly repelling ointment in Kalbarri for $14 which they asked us about…. it was clearly a scam as the ointment closely resembled Vicks vapour rub and worked for about 5 seconds…Branch felt so sorry that they had been ripped off he had to  come out and meet them….and reassure them that all is not disaster doom and gloom!

 

 

Trev and I got up early to explore Sandy Cape as we had planned to leave about 0830. I still had not much sleep as the razorblade sore throat I had had for 2 days now had become a head cold…soooo annoying as I could not remember the last time I was sick.

Sandy Cape is a beautiful place – huge sandhills, clear water and the campsite was great (apart from the huge redbacks in the toilets and the pungent aroma inside the amenities block😰)

The plan was to head on to Geraldton for lunch then arrive at our destination Kalbarri early afternoon. Gordon was having surfing withdrawals so he and Trev were on the lookout for a place to get into the water. We stopped at Dongara (home of the giant rock lobster) and there were a couple of guys out…Trev and Gordie struck up a conversation (unusual 😂) with a local surfer who mentioned a place called Flat Rock as a good place a bit further up.

Rose and Dave continued on to Geraldton as Rose was keen to look around and see the lavender farm. We went to Flat Rock…a gnarly reef break where Trev and Gordie got a surf (finally!) The beach was interesting with the reef shelf coming right up to the sand and no where to get in for a swim which was a disappointment for Kerry and I but the day was gorgeous and the surf was good…

Gordie nearly severed his aerial cable (another faux pax) by closing his back door on it which also left the car unlocked…..

Rosie rang us to tell us they had left Geraldton as there was not much to see and the Lavender Farm was closed. We agreed to meet at Northampton so after we had our lunch at Geraldton we drove on and met up for coffee at the Burnt Earth cafe….then on to Kalbarri.

The road to Kalbarri took us through some sparse farmlands where cattle and Merino sheep are grazed.

We arrived in Kalbarri and set up for the next 2 days withou any hiccups (is this a first?)

As it was Sunday we had a slow start to leaving Perth deliberately so we could listen to another Simon Manchester podcast which was again very encouraging. We packed up and left for Yanchep to grab some groceries and then head north. We stopped along the way at Two Rocks where there was a great view back toward Yanchep and beyond…and the guys struck up a conversation with a bloke using a drone..

We were heading for Jurien Bay but had a few stops along the way looking for surf….but no real luck.

The landscape along the way was arid with hundreds of grass trees, white sandhills and farmland. A spectacular bank of storm clouds was gathering in the distance.

The Pinnacles desert was the next stop along our way…it was an amazing site…a “forest” of fossilised tree roots projecting out of the desert sand…lots of interesting shapes and sizes….and Trev had forgotten his water so had some difficulty 😎Where was Branch when you need him?? Nowhere to be found….

Leaving the Pinnacles we drove to Jurien Bay, had a quick look

and then headed out to our free camp spot for the night – Sandy Cape Recreational Park. Huge sandhills surrounded the area as we drove past a limestone and sand mine via a dirt road to get to the park. We were fortunate enough to get a group site for $10 per couple for the one night…the caretakers on site were very accommodating!

Rose and Dave had another fridge issue – it appeared the gas line was blocked so it wouldn’t ignite..Kerry and Gordon had a go….Trev went in again (this time with a plum in his mouth??) – the issue was sorted…Branch came to light….was this why he was not at the Pinnacles tour??

We set up for the night and enjoyed Sunday roast on the Webers….delicious 😘

The guys did the washing up…a marathon effort which seemed to take it’s toll on some of them 😂

Up early to catch the ferry to Rottnest Island.  Gordie and Kerry were catching up with friends and Gordie was keen for a kite surf so we left them behind at the camp 🙁but would catch up later for dinner….

We boarded the ferry with our hire bikes at 0745. The trip across was quite rough with a bit of swell and a lot of reef areas well negotiated by the ferry captain.

We had a coffee stop first at the bakery on  the island and saw our first quokkas at the mall…. One took a real liking to Trev….and Rosie could not resist them!

We cycled about 20 kms around the island stopping for swims, quokka photo ops and spectacular views along the way.

Despite Rosie’s knee which was still recovering from the kayak incident she did well cycling with a little assistance on the hill climbs from Trev

 

…and despite not wanting to get her hair wet, Trev and Dave made sure she had a good dunking!

We returned to the main settlement  for lunch and realised that the fine situation could have ended up at number three after reading the sign below….😨…ROSIE!

After a great day we returned to camp to find no Gordie and Kerry just an sms to let us know Gordie had only just gotton out of the water at 630PM after a good afternoon of kite surfing…..

It will be interesting to see how the cyclists pull up tomorrow after such a big day!!

The morning began slowly with Trev and I waiting for a call from Will who was coming to fix our wheel alignment on the van. Dave and Rose went out to visit Perth CBD, Kerry and Gordon went to get the Ram serviced and we spent the time waiting by booking our trip to Rottnest Island the next day.

Will arrived and after some manipulation etc with Trev’s assistance the van’s wheel was changed and all realigned. Branch spent some time checking out Will’s truck and thankfully all ended on a bright note!

We decided to go and look at Hillary’s wharf and pick up the tickets for tomorrow’s trip. Trev bought a new Akubra while we were at Sorrento Beach as he had not been able to find his old one before we left (Mitchel??)

We explored down the Perth coastline for the rest of the afternoon, had a swim at Cottesloe Beach then met Rose and Dave at Fremantle for dinner.

The sunset over Fremantle harbour was beautiful as we sipped cocktails and had dinner.

Kerry and Gorden went to visit Kerry’s family for dinner. Back to the vans for a quiet night before our big day out to Rottnest…