Month: October 2024

21. Great Life lapping Australia 2024

Feeding Pelicans in Kalbarri

For over 40 years, some senior citizens of Kalbarri have taken on the voluntary effort of feeding Pelicans each morning at around 9:00am on the foreshore of Kalbarri beach. Yes, some pelicans are just as reliable as the volunteers in turning up for a feed and chin tickle or some first aid when injured from another aggressive pelican. Donations can be given and the funds raised are used to support other volunteer organizations in Kalbarri, like the fire brigade or SES.

Cliffs south of Kalbarri

As we departed Kalbarri, we didn’t know what was ahead until we made our way to the coastal viewpoints along the way. You can see from the photos just how nature has formed the various sandstone cliffs into interesting headlands and cliff faces of significance. Red Bluff Lookout, Mushroom Rock, Pot Alley, Eagle Gorge, are well worth a look.

Pink Lake – Port Gregory

Salt has often been in our view as we have traveled down the coast towards Perth. From Port Hedland where there are large commercial sized collection points down to the smaller region near Port Gregory. Although fishermen keenly fish on the ocean side of the point and harvest enormous weights of crayfish, visitors to the area come to experience the changes in color of Pink Lake where high grade salt is harvested.

We chose to take the Pink Lake Buggy Tour around the sand hills with an excellent commentary on the area and the process involved in the salt industry. As the sun rises, the color of the lake changes from deep pinks to brilliant violets and blues. Part of the color change happens due to the stage of the harvesting of the salt and the density of the algae in the purification stages.

As we were leaving the lake, I thought it would look good from the drone. About a kilometer past the lake, I found a spot to park and flew the drone 1200 meters back towards the lake before filming a few shots. You can see the color split of different age groupings of processes.

The Glass Marble – Geraldton

Friends ahead of us mentioned to stop by the glass marble that has become the icon for Geraldton’s tourism promotions.

Green Head

We found a small fishing village made up of three bays and would you believe that there was a fish and chip shop. The seagulls were happy with the leftovers after we had taken our share of good chips.

Wildflowers along the way

September and October are supposed to be the time when we’re to experience the vast desert of wildflowers. Either we have missed them or we have traveled the wrong roads.

At one wayside stop we stayed a night at, the ranger came to tell us that we should not be using the space. Interesting, there are no signs about to warn us that the sheltered, well hidden from residents, bowl of red dust and gravel, is not a camping area.

The Pinnacles – Nambung NP

After touring around the pinnacles area at Nambung NP, I got wondering how this place existed here but nowhere else on our travels. And it is millions of years old. The logic leaves me bewildered. But then, there’s no need to argue because honestly, no one really knows. The stories seem to fit so let’s set up a visitors centre and make some money.

We journey into Perth on brilliant highways, for a time of meeting old boarding school mates and adjustments to vehicles.

20. Great Life lapping Australia 2024

The highway – again

Found a right hand turn onto this plateau lookout and couldn’t resist pulling out the drone for a look around. Such desolation amongst such beauty; well worth the delayed arrival at the next spot.

Denham

This little town is quaint and tidy. We had visited “shell beach” on the way to this town and found lots of areas are covered in cracked shells used as a driveway topping. One restaurant which looks like a disused church, appears to be built of these cracked/broken shells made into bricks like a stone walled building.

There appears to be a strong link between this town and the HMAS Sydney II which was sunk by a disguised German raider “dressed in Dutch medical ship colors”. The German ship headed towards the HMAS Sydney and, when close enough, attacked the HMAS Sydney destroying the front of the ship with a torpedo, sinking it in a very short time, without any survivors making it to safety. 645 Australian lives were lost.

Monkey Mia

Monkey Mia is world-renowned for its friendly dolphins which visit its shores almost daily.

Monkey Mia is a conservation park area that’s a must-visit destination for families and nature lovers alike. Best known as home to the Monkey Mia dolphins, famous for their ritual of swimming to shore most days to interact with humans, and who attract thousands of people to Australia’s Shark Bay region each year, Monkey Mia is also the perfect place to unwind and to discover the wonders of the surrounding area.

For some reason the dolphins were well behaved for us and did what their trainers told us they would do; come and show off to the visitors. They didn’t perform like sea world exhibits but gracefully swam in close to us.

Little Lagoon near Denham

We had heard there is a little lagoon that exhibits brilliance in color at various times when the sun provides a mean light at different angles on the lagoon. How else to capture that display than to “put up the drone”. (What a great asset to have while traveling!)

Eagles Bluff

This bluff is very cute in a way. The head of an eagle can be seen in the headland formation.

Kalbarri National Park – Ross Graham walk

There’s a rock wallaby in there.

Natures Window

Arguably the scene we have been waiting to be part of for a number of weeks whilst coming towards Kalbarri. It’s been useful holding back in our advancing towards Perth as fellow travelers have alerted us to “what’s coming up” in our similar itineraries from Darwin. I had a BIG warning of the terrain conditions coming up when walking towards this iconic showpiece amongst the treacherous terrain around the natures window area. The warning – BE CAREFUL ON THOSE POLES. (For those who haven’t been aware, I have a Traumatic Brain Injury which has confused the balance mechanisms in my brain. Walking is now more difficult than it used to be)

Anyway, we both made it. And a great feeling of accomplishment filled our minds for a few moments. Those around shared congratulations with one walker offering to film the moment for us. Thanks, whoever it was.

Close-by is the skywalk made up of two cantilevers hanging out over the cliff edge.

We made it!!!

Wildflowers are blooming; we hope to see lots next week on our way to Perth.

19. Great Life lapping Australia 2024

Quobba Blowholes

A rather startling sign greets visitors to the Quobba blowholes, “KING WAVES KILL”. And I guess they have but ironically, there are no fences to prevent you getting up close to the blowholes. Only the authorities know why. Also, only the tourist board for the blowholes knows why they haven’t built a board walk, to prevent viewers testing out their balance mechanisms and abilities on the rocks leading to the vantage viewing spots. We watched for an hour on each of two days. Hearing the buildup in the chasm before the water blow, was a new experience.

We camped for a night in high winds not far along the beach in the sandhills. The location would be quite good in fine, calm, weather. The wind sent us onto “the aquarium” nearby but with the tide out, it’s a bit difficult to get into to view the coral and fish. Then it was on to Carnarvon.

Carnarvon Space Museum

As you near Carnarvon, you can’t blot the skyline out of your vision; the space museum dominates it. We spent nearly 4 hours here. Can I suggest to all who visit Carnarvon, to go experience the modules in the display? Get some photos of yourselves on the moon – if you want to don the space suits provided to make the experience more authentic, do so. This display has to be top of the ladder for displaying something instilled in all our memories the day that Neil Armstrong walked on the moon. Think back, where were you at that momentous occasion in history? What interested me was the fact that there weren’t numerous attempts to make it happen – the event took place without a hitch, and on the first attempt.

We also have thoughts come to mind of what has been discovered or invented during the planning of man’s walk on the moon. People with grandiose ideas bring their ideas to fruition in good time, and we benefit from their mistakes and successes. Yes, even Musk and his satellites revolving around earth will benefit the world for years to come. Thanks innovators!

Carnarvon one mile jetty museum

We didn’t have anything planned one afternoon, so decided on a brochure recommendation to visit the museum a little out of town at the dilapidated old jetty. With school holidays now finished, anything you visit is taken at your own pace; easy as you go. The history of the area has some embarrassing times and also some devastating weather sequences.

Carnarvon has a long history of being hit by devastating cyclones which have, on occasion, brought a number of deaths.

The more embarrassing times included the taking of local folk to an island because they had health problems which were seen as incurable. Most of them died as medical technology hadn’t proved appropriate treatment for the “prisoners” on an island of very sick people.

The museum includes modes of transport used years ago. There are trains, boats and farm machinery for all to reminisce on.

Our time to get home to Victoria is shrinking so we may just suddenly make fast tracks home.

18. Great Life lapping Australia 2024

Exmouth and Ningaloo Reef

Exmouth survives predominantly on water sports holiday makers; fishermen, jet skiers, divers, surfers, snorkelers, whale watchers, and those who like to swim with sharks in a controlled environment. Pre-accident, I would have jumped at the idea of swimming and diving with sharks and tortoises, but these days, I find it hard to get into water and do adventurous activity.

The town is busy with school holidays on and many families getting into the sun from Perth’s winter. Beyond Exmouth is where all the water sports and activity occur. There is a lighthouse atop the hill at the northern part of the peninsula with views to all directions. The road goes another 70km further south with lots of access points to small beaches from which you can snorkel or dive or be patient waiting for migrating whales to surface and play. There is an abundance of whales these days. Since the Japanese whale culling became unlawful, the numbers have increased enormously.

Friendly emu in the park

Yardie Creek Boat Cruise

At the end of the road from Exmouth, is a little boat that does tours up the Yardie Creek. The guy that drives the boat and does the commentary is a real oker guy with a warm sense of humour. All the kids get involved with finding the Rock Wallabies that inhabit the gorge. The kids counted around 30, some with young in the pouch.

Said to be Donald Trumps real persona
A nesting Osprey

We had made the decision to return to Bullara for their Friday Burger Night before we left for Exmouth and made a booking. Their scones and cream are worth more than one serve too. Our stay ended up being for 4 nights.

Coral Bay

Coral Bay has a reputation of being busy and expensive so we just did a quick 80km day drive from Bullara. They say some units are $1000 per week and campsites near $95 per night. The sandy beach is safe for shallow swimming and snorkeling. We still haven’t ventured in for a swim in West Australia.

We have moved on from the Exmouth region now.