As we drove out of Lake Argyle, Branch noticed Dave and Rose’s latest faux pas…leaving their back window open so he alerted them straight away…what happened to the checklist??

Passing the spillway and some more great scenery, we  reached the border of WA and the Northern Territory…sad to leave WA as we had enjoyed our time in such a scenic and spectacular place!

The first thing we noticed was the change in speed limit..from 100 kph for towing vehicles in WA to 130kph in NT! The scenery was still much the same and we reached Victoria River where we stopped for lunch under the shade of some gums.

As we continued on the landscape was a bit lusher..and those fires continued to burn at the side of the road with the kites circling above.

We drove through Katherine to Shady Lane Caravan Park on the road out to Nitmiluk (Katherine Gorge) where we set up camp for the next 2 nights. We booked into the dawn cruise on the Katherine Gorge as we were not allowed to  canoe up it due to the big wet and salties still present in the area – the national parks still had not cleared it for canoing and swimming.

Dave decided to take a hose to the underneath of the toilet cassette holder as it looked a little dusty…nothing wrong with a flush of water to remove red dust!! Suddenly Rosie was heard yelling from inside the van….the van was flooding…..water all through cupboards and over the floor….3 rolls of paper towel later  (and Branch nowhere in sight) the van floor (and cassette holder) was spotless!!

It was a beautiful morning and perfect for snorkelling so we left the campground early and went to Turquoise Bay to do “the drift”. Turquoise Bay has a large reef with current passing along the reef you can snorkel and drift along looking at the reef below. The current becomes stronger at the middle of the bay as it sucks out to the open ocean through a break in the reef. Due to the strong current you have to exit the water at a certain point to avoid being swept out to sea.

Turquoise Bay is aptly named… a gorgeous sandy bay with turquoise blue water.

We arrived and there was only one other couple there so it was great….we jumped inthe water and snorkelled for the next 3 hours.

The reef was exquisite with many different varieties of coral formations, myriads of fish, reef sharks, manta rays….the list goes on. Such a beautiful and special place Ningaloo Reef.

A quick stop to look in the visitor centre and South T-bone beach one of the many beaches along the Ningaloo Coast. The outer reef stretches the entire length of the coastline and the surf can be seen breaking on it.

We went back to camp for lunch then while Kerry, Dave and Rose had a rest Trev,  Gordon and I went for a snorkel at our camp beach. The wind and swell had picked up a bit so visibility was not as good but we did see a turtle feeding on the seagrass and a ray.

At 4o’clock we drove down to Yardie Creek Gorge to do the gorge walk. It was a perfect time to do the walk after the heat of the day and surprisingly there were no flies!! The gorge was beautiful and is the only permanent water source in Cape Range National Park.

    

The sun was going down as we walked to Yardie Beach and had a look . Gordie spoke to an old mate who was fishing there at the river mouth as there was some surf out the back. The fisherman had seen numerous large bull and tiger sharks in the area….so surfing was out of the question.

On the way back as it was dusk the wildlife was everywhere…numerous small kangaroos and wallabies,  and even an echidna trying to cross the road.

 

 

The next destination was Osprey Bay in Cape Range National Park. The Ram was really struggling despite Branch’s best efforts the day before while we were out swimming with whale sharks…. Trev’s face was a little worse for wear with the Red Bell sting….Branch turned his hand to healthcare  (or was that haircare?)

We left Coral Bay but did not get very far..the Ram was running so rough that Gordie thought he could go no further. A call to a mechanic in Exmouth who said it was OK to drive and they would be happy to look at the Dodge as soon as we arrived in Exmouth…and Gordon was off like a shot. We all said a prayer that the Ram would make it and the problem would be finally sorted this time.

The road to Exmouth was lined with the usual desert scrub and increasing numbers of termite mounds. We passed the RAAF base and airport.

Exmouth has a more tropical feel to it with frangipanis and poinciana trees.  Canals have been formed with housing around very similar to the Gold Coast in QLD.

We arrived at the mechanics in Exmouth…the workshop was amazing…you could have eaten off the floor….and within half an hour the Ram was fixed… a chip problem…

 

Hallelujah we were on the road again…. after a quick Trev fix for Daves van had lost a couple of screws that had been overtightened….

We grabbed lunch at the bakery and some supplies and headed onto Osprey Bay. A couple of emus strolled along side the road as we passed a naval base/ federal police area with huge communication tours right on the tip of the peninsular.

We passed the lighthouse and travelled back down the western side of Cape Range National Park peninsular…and who should we meet but Joe and Leanne who had been exploring the area that day….they were heading off tomorrow so we said our goodbyes on the roadside…until we meet again at Uluru…

We finally  reached our campsite at Osprey Bay. The campsite was well laid out, right near the beach and the camphost Jenny was really helpful. She put our minds to rest about the stingers as none had been seen for the past week and many people including herself had been swimming every day.

Another beautiful sunset over the Indian Ocean as we set up and cooked dinner.

The day had finally arrived for our swim with the whale sharks. We arrived at the tour office at 730 and boarded a bus to take us to the wharf. Boarding the boat we met the crew who were fantasic the whole day – friendly, informative and very helpful.

Our first stop was a snorkel over the Ningaloo Reef – words  cannot do it justice – magnificent coral formations teeming with hundreds of different marine life – fish, rays, turtles, sharks, slugs, octopus, clams….and jelly fish.

 

On to our whale shark swim area out beyond the reef in the open ocean. A spotter plane radioed the boat when whale sharks were sighted and we sped over to the area. A group of 10 swimmers are dropped off the back of the boat with a guide and photographer to swim along with the sharks. The first drop was a bit like a feeding frenzy as swimmers anxious to catch a glimpse of the shark kicked each other in various parts of their anatomy! As I dropped in to the ocean the first time I turned and there was a massive whale shark coming straight towards me. They are beautiful and enourmous creatures….we swam along side it briefly until it dived deeper. The boat picked us up and the search continued. There were 20 swimmers on our boat and so each group of 10 took alternate turns in the water as sharks were sighted. We saw a playful baby whale shark who kept circling our group….the day was fantastic and we got great footage of these amazing sharks. Swimming with them was great exercise in the open ocean with the swell and also the fact that despite their size they move through the water quickly.

After a delicious lunch on board we cruised back for another snorkel on the reef…again amazing coral formations and animal life.

Trev got up close and personal with a Red Bell jellyfish…ouch!! Irikanji like jellies had also been sighted recently for the first time in Ningaloo and 17 people since the beginning of April had been hospitalized so everyone was a little wary.

We returned to the wharf at about 345 after a fantastic day. The photos of the day were available to purchase so we did….photos on today’s entry mostly courtesy of Coral Bay Ecotours.

The group on the whale shark swim were really friendly and we got to know them quite well over the course of the day.  Steve from Loftus of all places was one of Gordie’s favourite “old mates”….being a Sharks supporter 🐟

We returned home to find Branch had been working all day on the Ram….was it sorted?

And Rosie got her white linen washed 😉

Due to the bad road in, we decided to make an early start from 3 mile camp on our way to Coral Bay….and the much anticipated swim with the whale sharks. We had been lucky to get the last 8 places on the whale shark tour and Leanne and Joe were flying in to join us.

We left at 645 after a prayer for safety to get us back out on the main road….in daylight the road looked worse but some parts had been freshly graded so made the journey easier. The Ram was going OK until Kerry thought she heard a rattling noise in the van…quick check and no issue identified. Just a bit further along the rattle became very loud under the Ram….the nudge bar had fallen off and was only hanging on by the light bar cord! The metal had fractured…..no fault of anyone…just a cheap metal….Branch was reassured. Trev thought it was symbolic of the Sharkies going down!!

Two friendly road workers stopped to check if we were OK…they were working on the road to Gnaraloo….so of course the guys had a long chat to them and after removing the nudge bar totally we were on our way.

We saw plenty of wild goats and birds along the road. We reached the tarmac at Quobba turnoff without further incident and stopped to inflate our tyres and look at the Quobba  blowholes.

There were multiple blowholes which were spectacular with a large hole through which the waves sucked back – very treacherous – a tourist trying to get the ultimate photo had recently gone right down next to the hole and a king wave sucked him in never to be seen again…what a tragedy 😓

Large pools of salt had collected near the holes..Gordo wanted to bring some back for his fish and chips.

As we came into reception our phones went ballistic with multiple messages and notifications after being off the grid for 3 days…most were from Leanne who had thought we’d been abducted by aliens….we sent her a reassuring message and organised to meet that afternoon in Coral Bay.

Back on the main road we travelled through more arid areas and stopped at Minilya Roadhouse for Dave and Gordon to get some fuel. We had a quick drink in the shade and a huge 5th wheeler pulled in….Gordie had “van envy” …we left quickly before the guys could get caught up in a conversation with the owners.

The landscape on the way to Coral Bay was a bit greener and termite mounds rose out of the ground like red monoliths.

Arriving at Coral Bay we set up in 35 degree heat…and the Ram had another issue…it was running rough and Gordo thought maybe dirty fuel from the last stop or a chip issue….Branch checked it out…no help but again injected some positive thoughts for us all hahaha…

We caught up with Joe and Leanne,  went and did the paperwork for our whale shark swim tomorrow,  and had dinner at the local restaurant at our caravan park.

 

 

Another day in paradise……beautiful blue skies, warm weather and a day spent at the beach. After another Simon Manchester podcast accompanied with great discussion and Gordon’s famous scones done on the weber, Gordie and Trev went to check out the surf at Tombstones…it was pumping and Gordon was out for 3 hours!!!

Trev went back twice to check he had not disappeared (aka become shark bait)….but he was all good…just making the most of possibly the last surf of the trip.

The rest of us chilled at the beach as the tide was too high for snorkelling in the morning and the swell was big…we ended up sitting in the dunes after a couple of king waves smashed us and left us with soggy sand laden towels.

Rosie washed her white sheets and towels and managed to get the red dust out…until the wind blew over her clothesline and the white towel was red once more!! Rosie gave up and chucked the towel out 😀 . The campsite was after all a veritable dustbowl …

That afternoon after putting on the weber roast, we went down for a snorkel on the low tide…it was amazing – great tree coral, coloured fish, turtles, clams, an octopus and a wobbygong shark…🐠🐟🐢🐡🐙🐚🦀

The Sunday roast went down well…nothing was left on the bone 🍗

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….

 

 

 

 

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 😆