October 14th to 27th October 2025
And then an amazing thing happened!
After weeks of dry season bush we suddenly saw flowers. I was overcome, I was excited, we had to pull the van over for pictures, I’d almost forgotten how beautiful flowers are.
Then another miracle. Fields of wheat, one minute bush, then wheat just like that. Apparently we were now in the wheat belt.
We were also approaching Kalbarri National Park and a whole load of new scenery to explore.We camped by the sea and explored the main park. From the high viewpoints we could see down into the valleys carved into the rock. There was a glass bottom viewing platform to help with this, sticking out way over the valley giving a fantastic view.
Along the way were sculptures of local wildlife, one of the sculptures was a nice emu that couldn’t chase your food.
The geology was sufficiently interesting for a school geology field trip to be visiting here and our campsite. Meaning I had to fight past girls with makeup bags in holdalls to brush my teeth or wash my hands.
Luckily here when I met them, they were caught up in some fascinating pieces of stone not directly in the way, discussing the various types of erosion, allowing me to get to Nature’s View unimpeded for a photo. Mind you the rocks did look very interesting.
I also managed to see more flowering plants
I spent some time happily looking at flowering plants and taking pictures and wandered down a few trails.
One of the trails went all the way to the bottom so I could get to the river bed and clamber over the rocks there.
Cut off from everyone and not a toilet in sight, I thought I’d have a quick bush pee, but was rather put off by the sign. I didn’t think that I was the kind of wildlife they were hoping to see, and certainly not that view.
Pelican feeding was right outside our camp, so we caught the feeding time, which was fantastic. Pelicans tend to move around so they mostly only stay a few weeks. Apart from Naughty Boy, this is a neuro divergent pelican who is rather less fussy with his feeding than the others. Pelicans will occasionally get a seagull in their beak by accident in the fight to get the fish. When this happens they spit them out. Not Naughty Boy though.To the feeders embarrassment one time he swallowed it down in front of everyone. It was too unexpected and quick for her to stop him.
https://au.news.yahoo.com/hungry-pelicans-cheeky-move-in-front-of-crowd-of-tourists-shocks-volunteer-042028852.html
Apparently he is also the reason that dogs have been banned from the area. He scooped up a chihuahua one day and the last anyone saw of it was a red lead hanging from his beak as he flew off. I haven’t been able to verify that story though.
After feeding time we explored more of the national park, but along the coast this time. There were several look outs and trails between them so I could explore a bit further. The trails are well marked with lots of white sticks and the rock colours were amazing, especially when contrasted against the brilliant blue sea.
Here I bumped into the school party again still exploring the rocks.
Mushroom rock below was a local landmark and had lots of surf crashing against the rocks below.
There were also several lookout for us to see together, we had a fun morning.
We carried on down the coast to Port Gregory and the Pink Lake, one of several in Australia and probably the most accessible.
I didn’t get my hopes up too much as pictures and reality don’t always match up. However when we saw it, it was a brilliant bubble-gum pink. Amazing, and my pictures don’t do it justice. I popped back at sunset but was disappointed that although there, the pink wasn’t so striking. The next morning we could only see pink at the edges of the lake.
Apparently the pink is caused by salt tolerant algae. Australia has a lot of salt lakes. Some are only part time and dry up, some have the pink algae
The town here sported the first grocery shop we’d seen selling alcohol. It also did takeaways as it was the everything shop advertising groceries, cold beer fish and chips and bait.
Our campsite here was a joy when we arrived, sunny, no wind as it was sheltered (we’d had a windy few days) and no flies. Unfortunately the next morning the air was full of little specks called “No-see-ums”. We had been prepared for these in the north and not seen any and we were a bit slow catching on now. These tiny things were bity tiny things and with the air full of them we got bitten although we didn’t really realise it at the time. Ashley, who doesn’t normally get bitten was worst. A day or so later his legs came up in red blisters which still haven’t gone completely almost a month later despite lots of bite gel and spray.
We moved down the coast to Geraldton. The main interest here is the memorial to HMAS Sydney II a ship celebrated for her battles in the Mediterranean which was sunk 112 nautical miles from the west coast of Australia with the loss of all 645 men on 19th November 1941. In March 2008 the ship was finally found and the subsequent investigation in 2015 brought closure for many families.
The memorial was dedicated in 2001 before the wreck was found and marked the 60th anniversary of its loss. The memorial was carefully designed with lots of symbolism and a statue of the grieving woman looking towards where her husband or son was lost.
After that by way of contrast we sat by the sea and enjoyed that pleasure, along with such an Australian thing, the local police sitting in the sun at a cafe relaxing.
The statue at the bottom is for Wiebbe Hayes for his suppression of the Batavia shipwreck survivors, more on this at Perth.
Before Perth though were the Pinnacles and a homestead stay. The homestead was on the edge of a national park joining Pinnacles National Park.
We were welcomed by a couple of grey nomads who’d ditched in their day jobs, rented their house out and were enjoying temporary jobs with accommodation between periods of travelling. Sarah comes from Wells, Somerset originally so it was time to have a catch up although she’d left about 40 years ago. The farm was owned by an older man living in town for his old age which was how they got to work there. Their work had been hospitality and farming was a new experience. Hence comments like, “I don’t know what I’d do if the cows didn’t move when I clap my hands”.
The national park areas here are sand dunes in the middle of farming areas. The sand moves and it will gradually swallow up land one side and presumably dischare it the other side over a period of years.
The sand dune landscape changes daily as parts get covered and others exposed.
The tour we did with them has had to move gradually to fit with this, and long pegs were strategically placed for guidance back to the homestead. We were privileged to see this national park, as only the homestead owner had permission for limited access for tours.
This is a less exposed version of Pinnacles National Park. Some of the Pinnacles here that were exposed are now covered and new ones have been exposed.
The colours of the sand changed as it dried out in the morning giving a variety of hues. We spotted emu tracks through the dunes. It was a bit weird having this massive sand dunes area amongst the farms.
The couple hosting us haven’t explored as much as they’d like.
We could see the green areas between the sand areas. After the dunes we had a tour of part of the farm land. We were in a brief green phase between flooding a few weeks back and dry earth to come. The grass is grown here for cattle feed.
Like many places water is in short supply. The homestead gets water from the local spring. However, this can’t be given to campers as potable water so they supply water in large plastic containers in the camp kitchen, for drinking
I mentioned a particular plant I’d seen in Kalbarri but been unable to photograph. I was told that this was the grass tree and we were taken to see some. The previous year there had been a bad bush fire and a large area was burnt out. There is no fire service away from the highway so it just had to burn out, damaging a large area and meaning replacing the fencing. This meant though that the grass trees, being one if the many plants in Australia dependant on fire, were flowering this year. They throw up a massive spike covered in tiny flowers. After this it turns black which is what I’d seen in Kalbarri.
We couldn’t leave without going to Pinnacles National Park. So we went there on the way to Perth and saw all the rock pinnacles there.
No one knows quite how the Pinnacles formed. There are several theories, but no agreed answer. Anyway we drove around a sandy path through the stones. We were fortunate, the park had been closed a couple of weeks earlier due to flooding. We were pleased that we had missed all the rain.
As it turned out we hadn’t missed all the rain. It started on the way to Perth, on and off as it pleased, and our windscreen wipers, which really needed replacing when we picked up the van trailed ribbons of black rubber as they went backwards and forwards. We felt it was good timing that our van was going in for a much needed service and list of jobs for faults we had noticed, tomorrow.
The next day we also met up with Terry who we’d met travelling with Madventure on the silk road. It was great to see her again and catch-up. She had offered to show us around Fremantle and we had been pleased to take her up. So we did a lightning tour around the area dodging the pouring rain that we seemed to have brought with us.
We started off at the Fremantle Jail. Swan River (the original name) was originally designed to be a free state, however years of problems leading to a need for labour, and a British government keen to deal with overcrowded prisons meant an agreement was reached.
Fremantle Prison was built as a convict barracks in the 19th century and remained in continual use until 1991. The Prison was a place of hangings, floggings, dramatic convict escapes and prisoner riots. Inmates included imperial convicts, colonial prisoners, enemy aliens, prisoners of war and maximum-security detainees.
The first convict transport sailed into Fremantle Harbour in 1850. The Convict Establishment, as the prison was first known, was built by convict labour between 1852 and 1859 using limestone quarried on the site. The first prisoners moved into the main cell block in 1855.
There were examples of uniforms including a jesters uniform designed to further shame the convicts and make them stand out.
The prison was closed in 1991 after years of controversy over the conditions and a series of prison riots which Terry remembers seeing, looking down on the jail from where she lived.
The leg irons looked horrendous.
Terry then took us to Ginos for hot drinks and cake. I got served with the largest piece of carrot cake ever! I had to share it out with Terry and Ashley. After which Ashley suddenly discovered that he didnt mind carrot cake after years of avoiding it, as it didn’t taste of carrots that much.
We then went for photos by the statue of Bon Scott from AC/DC who is something of a local hero.
We visited the shipwreck museum which showcased the Batavia wreaked in 1629. This had rather a gruesome history of brutal mutiny and murder which happened after the wreak resulting in the deaths of over a hundred people. Hence the statue of Webbie Hayes at Geraldton.
After lunch we went off to see the Botanic Gardens high above Perth and got some lovely views despite the poor weather.
Back at our campsite we were fortunate to have a camp kitchen almost opposite us, to cook and eat out of the rain
We had also booked to see Rottnest Island so the next day saw us on a cruise down the Swan River and across to the island being entertained by an older couple happily telling us about being thrown out if the pub the previous night after a rather rowdy wine tour. To be fair we also heard a lot about their extensive fruit and veg growing and preserving.
We cruised past some very expensive properties and some lovely scenery.
On Rottnest we boarded a bus to go around the island and see all the views. The island boasts many beautiful beaches. One of the landmarks is The Shark, an old wreak sticking out if the water.
Rottnest means rats nest. This is because when it was discovered, the Dutch man who landed there mistook the Quokkas with joeys in their pouches for two headed rats.
Rottnest is primarily a holiday island with its industry revolving around this. Many workers commute daily to the island with fares paid by their employers.
We had a bit of luxury for lunch, a few steps up from our campervan which was very nice. Then I managed to pose with a quokka which apparently is the in thing to do here.
When we stopped for a hot drink later we found that these normally nocturnal creatures had found tourists easy pickings and happily jumped up on the seats and tables in pursuit of food.
Then it was time to get our ferry back to Perth and catch the lights on the way to our site.
Standing in a shop looking at the pictures it suddenly occurred to me that we hadn’t seen Koala bears yet. We also found that there was a small group near us, so off we went to catch a glimpse. They are nocturnal and sleep high up in trees so we were fortunate to be able to see a few of them.
We had one more trip on the way out from Perth, hoping to see penguins. Unfortunately the pier at Penguin Island had got clogged up with sand over the winter and was still being cleared, so no penguins. However., we did see sea lions basking in the sun and frolicking in the water. We also had dolphins come out to see the boat and swim around us.
Unfortunately when we got to Margaret River it was still raining. However we were fortunate enough to have an en-suite here. Our own little hut for a toilet and shower. This doubled as our own little shelter out of the rain so we could keep warm and dry in the evening.
When dry we sat outside and made friends with the local birdlife. We only had one day here so we had to explore the local wineries. We started off with a coffee tasting, not my thing, however to my surprise when I tasted it properly it wasn’t too bad, I even bought some iced coffee liquor spiced and designed to be poured into milk. I also found that as I am not used to much caffeine the tasting had quite an effect on me!
The wine tastings were nicely spread out so although we tasted a lot of different wines we had a good day, including lunch and ending with chocolate. Unfortunately I forgot to take any photos, I blame it on the coffee.
We have got the one the tour guide took though.
I have been fascinated with the idea of the tree top walk ever since I read about it in Bill Brysons Australia book so we had to go there. This is set in a surviving Tingle forest.. Tingle is one of the many types of Eucalyptus in Australia it is very tall and has soft bark like a sequoia tree. They also live to a long age, hundreds of years. The walk took us up 40m above the ground. I was amazed that Ashley not liking heights decided to do the walk on the bouncy moving metal walkway. I must admit though he didn’t hang around and returned to ground well ahead of me, but I was impressed with him. Ashley says he will never forgive Janet for this.
Several of the trees are hollow inside, a mixture of rot and then fire. Another fire loving plant! There was also the grandmother tree with a face and the King tree.
Here is one with a door to get in.
There was also a display of local animals. I have to mention the Antechinus. The male of the species will drop dead after the breeding season poisoned by its own raging hormones and exhaustion from the season. The females are left alone to carry forward the next generation.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/commentisfree/2024/jan/18/antechinus-males-drop-dead-after-breeding-poisoned-by-raging-hormones-some-also-get-eaten-by-their-own?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
And look what we found in the supermarket nearby, Wookey Hole cheese, amazing.
We carried on down the coast into the Great Australian Bight, stopping at view points to see the fantastic views.
At Esperance to our amazement we found Stonehenge. A life size copy. No one knows exactly what prompted the idea, however, one of the winery owners in Margaret River got the idea and started the project. However a downturn in finances meant that after the stone was cut he had to bail out. Two years later the current owners completed the project. So this was our chance to find out what it was like to stand inside and experience the surprising acoustics. It has been built to line up with the sun in a southern hemisphere equivalent of the original. I guess the reason for this Stonehenge will be as much a mystery as the original.
We now got into the long expanse empty land towards the Nullarbor Plain. Long drives and not a lot happening for hundreds and hundreds of kilometres.We did see a bright green lake – makes a change from pink, and a couple more not so pink pink lakes.
Anything becomes an attraction on such a drive things like Scottys Goanna below or the Slylab museum complete with a stuffed camel and a real section of the Skylab. The two main claims to fame for Balladonia. When the Skylab broke up.on re- entry on 13th July 1979 pieces were scattered in the locality. Jimmy Carter President of the USA phoned up to apologise and Miss America then in Perth for the Miss World competition came to visit.
The other claim to fame isn’t so good. Afghan’s rock is nearby. Here a white man killed an Afgan over an argument about him using water there for ritual cleansing of his feet. The argument that he had sullied the water with his feet completely ignored the dead camel already in the water.
We drove “90 mile straight”, the longest straight road in the world and drove along several emergency landing strip for the emergency flying doctor’s service.
We even stopped at the blow hole which was as exciting as it looks. 🤣. At our last stop in Western Australia we entered a very local time zone “Eucla time”. South Australia is 2 and a half hours ahead of Western Australia, so this little area is three quarters of an hour ahead to ease you in.
Here we met some wedge tail eagles now im a cage for their own protection after road injuries. Drivers are asked to slow down when seeing eagles feeding off road kill as they take a long time to lift off and gain hight.
Here also was the big kangaroo and one of the holes on the Nullarbor golf course- to be continuesd in South Australia.
j
And that was it Western Australia done, onto South Australia.
