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 😄

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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…

 

 

We left Big Valley Campsite early so the guys could get a surf at Yallingup on our way to Perth. The morning mist over the farmland as the sun rose gave a real ethereal look to the landscape.

We had only gone a short distance when the convoy had to make a short stop as the clips on the Wells poptop were not secured – a near miss according to Branch – the whole top could have flown off (a bit like day one’s window cover 😰).

Dave and Rose had to get to Perth by 1pm to pick up their new window flap to replace the one which had flown off on the freeway back on Day 1 so they had planned to see Yallingup with us and head off to get the repair done, and meet us at our next stop Karrinyup Waters Resort in Perth that evening.

At Yallingup on all beaches (Smiths, Supertubes and Yallingup) the swell was up with large waves being surfed by a few guys on long boards. Trev and Gordon’s boards were no good for the type of surf so we continued on without Rose and Dave.

We drove up to Meelup beach on the other side of the peninusula – such a difference – no swell at all! Trev made friends with a pelican who was wandering the shore hassling the fishermen for food…

On to Busselton for coffee and to walk the famous pier..it was a perfect day and the water was crystal clear. Gordon made friends with a Scottish lady who loved to talk!! Trev could not resist the lemon meringue pie 🍰

The walk along the pier was almost 4km to the end and back but the water was spectacular. The pier has a small trainline on it that was used to transport cargo out to waiting ships but now transports tourists.

After our walk along the pier we swam in the enclosure at the beach. A pod of dolphins swam by – beautiful!

Gordon and Kerry left us then to visit their friends while we decided to make our way up the coast. The plan was all to meet at Karrinyup Waters Resort in Perth where we would be staying for the next 3 nights.

Trev had noticed that morning that one of the tyres on our van was wearing unevenly despite the fact we had ensured a full service wheel balance etc before we left. Our turn for vehicular issues it seemed 😆 so at Bunbury we pulled into a tyre shop and got a mechanic to check it out…Branch was feeling useful once again as the last couple of days had been uneventful!

The bad news was the tyre was damaged and the wheel alignment needed adjusting which could not be done where we were. A few phone calls later and we had organised for Will from a mobile tyre balancing company to come out to the caravan park tomorrow to fix the van.

We realised that time was slipping away and we were still 2 hrs from Perth so we decided to skip Mandurah and go straight to our accommodation as the office closed at 6PM. Fortunately for us we chose that course as the traffic in Perth was horrendous plus there was an accident on the freeway😨

We rang Rose who had arrived at the caravan park and she  checked in both us and the Hunters who were also running late. The sun was setting over Perth as we crawled along through the traffic.

Eventually we were all settled in. Dave was not a happy camper thanks to his earlier brush with the law…speeding fine on the way into Perth after being distracted by the camel farm. The good news was that Rosie sweet talked the policeman who reduced the fine and Dave incurred no demerit points much to Gordon’s disgust!

 

 

 

 

Up at 0600 for that early morning surf….we headed back to Gracetown on a cloudy morning with a bit of drizzle…Trev and Gordie excited but apprehensive….would the surf be as big and gnarly as yesterday??….would they be shark bait??

We rounded the corner and surprisingly the swell had dropped off considerably..although it was a long paddle out Gordie and Trev jumped in. The waves were not that great but Gordie did catch a couple…

 

 

The dolphins were out… but gave us an initial scare with a single fin travelling slowly towards Gordie 😲but it was a pod of very playful tail slapping dolphins which were great to watch.

Kerry sent us a message to let us know that Dave was cooking bacon and eggs as their fridge had cooled off (not related to the troll in any way!!) So we headed back and after brekky commenced our self conducted winery tour beginning at the Berry farm.

The grounds of the Berry Farm were picturesque..and the cafe had a great menu tho’ much to Trev’s disappointment we did not stay for the great pancake stack! Rosie showed Gordie a novel way of sampling the jams and relishes….and no – she was not double dipping just using her dipper conservatively 😉. After some purchases we moved on to Madfish Wines.

The area was dotted with vineyards all around and great clusters of grapes hanging on the vines.

Madfish wines had a large and well appointed cellar door and after some wine tasting we all purchased a varied selection of wines. Dave was in his element!

The next stop was lunch at the Cheeky Monkey Brewery and Cidery…

 

Then on to the Margaret River Chocolate Company. The chocolate sampling was delicious and the variety of chocolates and chocolate products was extensive and mouth watering.

Kerry went for the ice cream…and had enough in one serving to last the whole trip. The rocky road was divine

Our last port of call in an attempt to find some port was Bettenay’s Wines and Nougat…with free nougat samples we could not resist. No port but some great tasting honey nougat/ coffee liquers good over ice (cream 😘).

We drove back via Surfers Point at Margaret River to check out the surf…. again a massive swell with 10 foot waves… only a handful of surfers out braving such huge waves.

Once back at the camp, Dave and Rose got stuck into packing up in preparation for leaving the next morning…their van was packed, clean and ready to depart….the other 2 vans were still as is with the owners sitting back enjoying the evening ambience……

Gordon had been telling Rosie that down  south from where we are was the point where the 2 oceans meet and she was keen to see the line between the two (😉) so we drove down through Augusta to Cape Leeuwin to see the point where the Southern and Indian Oceans meet. The day was gorgeous  and the coastline at the southern tip was wild and beautiful.

We stopped and looked at the lighthouse on Cape Leeuwin.

There was a nearby waterwheel that had been there since the 1800s and used to supply the lighthouse with water. It was encrusted with limestone but you could still make out what it was.

The swell was huge and Gordie and Trev were stinging for a surf but we had a couple more stops before they would have the opportunity to get in the water 😣

We stopped next at the Jewel Cave the largest cave in WA open to the public. The cave was only discovered in 1958 and so is in pristine condition with many different limestone formations relatively untouched.  The first explorers of the cave entered through the small hole in the roof in the picture below which had been made by a root of a Karri tree – it was the only entrance to the huge cave.

We did the hour walkthrough tour which was breathtaking (not due to the multiple stair cases or the increased CO2 in the cave air!!)

 

The next stop was Hamelin Bay where the stingrays usually come in close to shore but they were nowhere in sight much to Rosie’s disappointment

After leaving Hamelin Bay the search began for a good surf break for the guys to catch a wave. First stop was Contos….

..the bush along the way was full of beautiful native plants including some amazing grass trees.

Surf was no good so we kept driving north to Gracetown where Gordie was sure they would get a wave…..the swell was huge with massive sets rolling in…and too many surfers out to count amongst the reefs….so it was decided we would return early next morning for a surf…

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It was time to leave Cheynes Beach and continue the adventure. We attempted to sneak out quietly at 0630 as we had a long day ahead…apart from Gordon knocking over an entire recycling bin full of beer bottles and waking up the whole neighbourhood 😁we were successful and headed towards Denmark.

A quick coffee stop at Ravens cafe in Denmark….very quaint and great coffee – then on to the Valley of the Giants.

The giant treetop walk took us through the tinglewood forest where the trees were enormous.

The suspension bridges up in the canopy were quite springy as Kerry found out thanks to Trev and Gordon’s bouncing and potentially could make the walker feel all at sea!

The tinglewood trees grow to an enormous height with huge buttresses that usually rot inside and then are burnt out by bushfires leaving a hollow section.

The next stop was the Gloucester Tree near Pemberton –  a 72 metre tall giant karri tree used as a fire watch tree – the second largest lookout of its kind in the world. It had steel rungs driven into its trunk that you could imb up to the top of the tree where there was a lookout platform. Trev, Gordon, Dave and I all climbed up to the top – the view from the top was 360° over the forest canopy…great for spotting bushfires.

The journey continued to Margaret River through magnificent gum forests….

We arrived at Big Valley Campsite a working farm that also accommodates campers. The facilities were great and really rustic – we set up quickly then enjoyed a bbq dinner under the stars.