Jurien Bay

A bright and sunny day to take me up to Jurien Bay this morning, only about 25km to the North, just along the west coast. Mind you, not that I see any of the ocean while I am driving, its about a kilometre to my left, all white sand covered with a low kind of scrub, beginning to bloom in yellow. At Jurien Bay I pick up a few bits from the local IGA store and also enquire about the stranded whale I heard about in the news. "..No, they have not seen it themselves but it’s about 5km to the south and I should be able to get access to the beach about 2km back towards Cervantes, where a new housing development is in progress."

I have seen the sign posts with the usual "FOR SALE" signs on my way up, so I drive back a little way, through the new streets with many vacant lots, heading towards the visible sand dunes that separate the flat land from the ocean. A dirt track leads into that area and I follow it as far as I dare, getting stuck in loose sand is not my idea of fun, so I leave my van in a free space by the side of the track. I walk down to the beach, sure enough, right around the bay, a good kilometre away, I can see several vehicles standing together near the water. I walk along the beach, using the tyre tracks left there by the big 4-wheel drives.

When I finally get there, I see a Ranger who has put up an exclusion zone with plastic tape on some poles in the sand. The whale is in the shallow waters where he beached himself. There are a few white scratches on his back, but those seem rather superficial, don't look life threatening at all. The Ranger tells me that no-one knows exactly what might be wrong with the whale at this time. We are at high tide while I am there and I can see that the whale's head is coming up every so often, exhaling and inhaling before putting his head back under water. The top 20cm of his back are always out of the water but I can't see him using his tail to help propell him into deeper water and back out to sea.

Just about 30 metres from the shore, a stranded whale.


A few more rubbernecks have arrived and I decide its time to walk back to my van.

I check into the trailer park and get a nice private spot along the fence with green grass beneath my van and my feet. Because the sun is good and strong, I start a load of washing, have some lunch and sit under my awning, enjoying a nice cold beer, reading "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance". Life IS Good!

After stowing all my freshly washed stuff, the wind is becoming gusty once again. I stow my awning again before the wind will tear it off and I have already decided to drive on to "New Norcia" a Monastic community, tomorrow morning.

Cervantes and on to Jurien Bay

I arrive at Cervantes, late Friday Morning, drive through a modern and seemingly growing town. Easy to see that some of the commerce is in Crayfish harvesting with several large fishing boats in evidence and several jetties along the coast. The largest one populated by fishermen with their lines in the water. I go to the tourist info to get some brochures, check out the local caravan park, which looks nice and green.
Rather than checking in, I decide to drive out the 17km to the Pinnacles, check out a 'wild' campsite out of my book and discover that in this area 'wild camping' is now prohibited and so head back to the caravan park and book myself into an unpowered site for a few day.


A look at the Pinnacles, limestone formation coming through the yellow sand

The Pinnacles are very interesting to see, arriving early in the day also makes it a rather peaceful event, only a few vehicles are actually in the park when I drive through. I quite enjoy taking it all in, the morning light adding a particular quality to the place as well. To be recommended! When I have setup my van in the park, I get on my bike to discover mora about the township of Cervantes. Many newly constructed roads and new houses wherever I look. Many of the street names have Spanish origin, like Talavera Road or Malaga Circuit, or Majorca Street. There are 4 Restaurants/Cafe, two of them in Clubs. Should like to try at least one of them later.

Its Sunday today and after getting up early, I take a bike ride out to the lookout on top of a high sand dune, about 2km from my camp ground. I only see two people there and it’s a great spot for a good look along the waterfront, up and down the coast line.

View along the coast from the lookout

Lots of blossoming shrubs on the way, again, just two cars on the road this early hour.

Dead tree formed by the constant winds near the Lookout

When I return into town, I take a drive down to the jetty, being Sunday, lots of kids throwing a line into the water, hoping to make that catch.

One of the three jetties at Cervantes

Back at the trailer park I chat with my neighbors, a couple with their young son, about 10 from New Zealand, but now living in Perth. They came up to Cervantes for the long weekend, just to get away from the city. He has to be back on the job on Tuesday, so tomorrow, Monday they will need to return. Another couple that arrived this morning, are from Frankfurt, have been here for the second time, this time to explore the West. They are heading south to Perth and beyond and fly out again on the 8 October.

For my travel plans, I have decided to leave in the morning as well to drive up to Jurien Bay, about 25km to the North. The news also reported that a whale was stranded on the beach, south of Jurien Bay, something I really want to check out.

Heading South from Port Denison

Started out real well this morning, clouds finally clearing after a day of rain, spent mostly at my computer, indoors. I drive down the highway and turn right into the coast road that leads down to Cervantes at the southern most end. My planned next stop is only about 35km to the south, "Cliff Head North" and I find it with ease. A short dirt road, right down to the beach. Two Caravans who spent the night there are just leaving. I am the only vehicle on site. There is no wind, the sky looking as though it is about to clear, promising sunshine once again.

I am putting out my awning, sit in my chair and start reading. Several campers and trailers are pulling in but each one leaving after a quick look around. By the time its 11.30 the wind has picked up again, getting stronger by the minute, my floor covering getting blown away. What started out as a promising morning has turned into another extremely windy day here on the water and I decide to move before I get blown off the beach. What I need is a place, away from the water, sheltered from the strong wind gusts. I drive further south to a campsite at Lake Indoon.

Great location, Lake Indoon

A nice spot actually and I also find some shelter from the wind, make some lunch and eat. No sooner have I washed my dishes, the wind has turned somewhat and its beginning to rain, the temperature dropping. If I had power, I could turn on my heater. I move again and finally get to a trailer park, back off the main highway, where I book myself into a powered site to help me keep my house warm with my electric heater. The wind has now really picked up and feels COLD!!!!

The sun has finally gone down and, guess what, the skies have cleared. With luck on my side, I will head down to Cervantes to take a closer look at the Pinnacles. Tonight, no phone connection, no internet connection, so tomorrow I will need to catch up with the world.

Dongara / Port Denison

Coming from around 100km inland its real nice to see the ocean again, even if I have only been away for a few days. It’s a bit warmer than inland but the forecast says clouds and rain on the way. Dongara and Port Denison are really only one township, stretching along the ocean front, separated only by the river.

Having spent 2 nights at Port Denison and unable to extend my stay further because of bookings for the upcoming long weekend (Queens Birthday) as well as the beginning of the school holidays, I will head out again tomorrow morning before the Friday afternoon traffic from Perth will clog the highways. There are 2 rest areas about 35km south of here, where I intend to spend the next few nights until the end of the long weekend. I do hope that the rain that has settled into the area at the moment will clear up by tomorrow.

The nice and warm weather I had when I arrived has certaily cooled down a bit, 21 dgrees at the moment, not cold but unfriendly and quite dark. At least the van gets a superficial free wash, rinsing off some of the accumulated dust. Unfortunately, there is not much I can do with the rain coming down. There were a few hours around lunchtime when the rain had stopped, when I took a ride around town, went to the lookout to checkout some of the views.


Looking South to Port Denison from Dongara Lookout on an overcast day

Mullewa to Port Denison

The map of this part of the west coast as far as Perth


A smaller section of map showing my route

Another cool night at Mullewa, but the sun is out, blue skies with a promise of higher temperatures. After breakfast I pack up and drive to the town centre, re-fuel and head out to Morawa. The lady at the local Tourist Centre told me that there are still lots more wild flowers to be seen along that highway, going south toward Morawa.

Very colourful, as it turns out. Quite a variety of colours and 'carpets ' stretching in all directions away from the road, whites, shades of pink, blue and a lot of yellow. The road I am on is a low-order road, yes, its sealed but its mostly just single lane with dirt shoulders on either side. No Road Trains, which is good but for the few cars that come the other way, it also means that everyone has to move with the two left wheels onto the dirt shoulder when passing. It’s a pleasant drive, sometimes just scrub by the side of the road, then fields of wheat or just grass land with a few sheep.

Morawa is just a small township, so I only stop to buy something to eat at the bakery and continue on my way, now heading west again toward the coast and the town of Dongara / Port Denison. Here the country opens up, revealing an expanse of wheat fields, from horizon to horizon, either side of the road. The fields are green, looking very healthy and what dams I see along the road are filled with water. I also note that finally, the river I cross, contains water as well.

Looking out to my left


This is what I see on my right

Its really enjoyable to drive in open country like this and before I know it, I arrive at Dongara, continue through to Port Denison where I book into a caravan park, right along the beach. Its been getting steadily warmer as I drove back toward the coast, so, having arrived its real nice to be sitting outside in the shade, drinking a nice cold beer...

Wild Flowers at Mullewa

Today I took a short video about the many wildflowers around Mullewa at this time of year. Many of the flowers are really quite delicate, often appearing as real carpets of any one kind of flower.



Being in the middle of the Wheatbelt, the obvious signs of grain storage facitlities, like large silos are in evidence on the outskirts of Mullewa with the associated rail link back to the coast for shipment. There are also a few Nature Walks where you can check out many of the wild flowers close up.

The church built by Monsignor Hawes is also very impressive, particularly for such a small community.



The inside looks very impressive

Below is a picture of the Architect and builder of the church


Monsignor Hawes

Geraldton to Mullewa 20/09/08

My last morning at Geraldton and it looks like its going to be another beautiful sunny day. Its 7.00 am and, like every other morning I have been here, I vacate my "illegal" parking position at a great hide-away place someone told me about. I would like to be out of there each morning as I do not want to draw attention to my spending every night there. I drive down to the harbour foreshore where I prepare breakfast, enjoy the view while I have my coffee.

Looking down shopping area at Geraldton

I check my email and get my stuff ready to continue my trip, but first, re-fuel at the Wollies Service Station as I still have a discount voucher that will expire tomorrow. $1.78 on the display, so it will be $1.74 with the discount. I also go into the store to buy some more soft drinks and two loafs of bread (Sour dough, would you believe, even at Geraldton) you never know what kind of bread I may get further inland, usually only the feather-fluff bread, no taste, no body, just air, all of it packed in a square plastic bag. YUK! I don't eat this sh..

My destination for the day is Mullewa, only about 100km from Geraldton, so it should be a nice and easy drive. About 10km out from Geraldton, lots of farm land, easy also to see, why they call this the "Wheatbelt". Rolling plains to the horizon, with rows of large trees planted in between, probably for wind breaks. Except for the enormous size of the fields it almost feels like I am driving through parts of Europe.

Looking across the "Wheat Belt" near Mullewa

The local Service Station at Mullewa also acts as 'Booking Office' for the Caravan Park, apart from being a General Store and Delicatessen Shop according to the sign out front. I book myself in for a couple of nights as I am very much in need of washing a lot of dirty clothes, using their facilities.

Mullewa as seen from the Lookout

The Tourist Info Office is closed until 12.45 so I drive up to the caravan park to pick out a spot and get my washing started. A good time of the day to do that before lots of others appear and hog the washing machines. A pleasant surprise, only $2.00 as against the usual $3.00 or even $4.00 I have encountered at some Parks. Good machines too, even allowing for a hot wash, not possible at any of the Parks I have been to so far. The Toilet and Showers all appear to be in excellent shape. I guess, I will recommend this place!

A carpet of pink near Pindar

Mullewa is well known for its abundance of spring flowers that bloom in the aerea this time of year, particularly when there have been spring rains like this year. One of the most unusual flowers are called "Wreath Flower" as they always grow in a circle, the blossoms always appearing at the outside rim of that circle. It does look like a wreath indeed.


To see them in their natural environment I have to drive out 20km to a place called Pindar, from there yet another 10km on dirt. Rough in places, but absolutely worth getting there.

Wreath Flowers near Pindar

What I still find surprising is, just how delicate most of the flower blossoms are, like a way of nature to counteract the harshness of this environment.

How delicate are these?

Many of the plants that grow here are quite rugged, very often bristely and spikey and I think most plant eating animals would find it very difficult to take a bite out of many of these.

Geraldton

Mea culpa! I should say, regarding my last blog "The tyranny of distance". Looks like the figures for the size of Europe are less than accurate, but thanks to my friend Heinz in Germany, he has supplied more accurate data which you can read if you click onto the comments at the bottom of that blog….

Quite a nice town, Geraldton is. There are 2 big Terminals for Shipping, one for Ore and other metal concentrates, one for Grain with the associated Grain Silos along the foreshore. There are also large starage facilities under the sky for Talc which is also shipped from here.

There is certainly an air of prosperity around Geraldton, with many of the population working for Mining or Shipping. The foreshore is only metres from the central part of town. It is currently undergoing re-construction and modernisation. Massive fortification have also been put down along parts of the harbour to provide safe docking for the ships that come into harbour via a dredged channel. I also note that the population is very friendly and ready for a chat at practically anytime. Must have something to do with the state of happiness, indicating a pretty happy lot around this town. I recommend it highly!

The Courthouse


There are several older style buildings, like the Courthouse looking out onto the water, next to modern architect designed buildings like the Museum which I visted yesterday as the weather was not quite up to scratch.

The Museum on the right, a modern structure directly on the foreshore.

There are comprehensive display regarding the discovery of HMAS Sydney that was lost in 1941 with all Hands. When no-one had yet discovered the whereabouts of the wreck.

Overlooking Geraldton is a large Memorial for HMAS Sydney, that was erected back in 2001. Only recently has her wreck been discovered as well as the wreck of the German Raider Kormoran. Both ships were incapacitated during a battle at sea, not far from Geraldton, both coming to grief.


The HMAS Sydney Memorial at Geraldton


The town also has a lovely Cathdral built in a Spanish Style, fitting in very nicely with the other buildings around town.



The Cathedral At Geraldton

The weather has had its up-and-downs over the last five days. I have decided to stay a while until the rains stop and temperature rises east of here. Tomorrow I intend to drive to Mullewa to check out the spring flowers which I am told is particularly good this year.

The Tyranny of Distance

I have done a fair few kilometers so far, often thinking about the distances involved to get from A to B. Now, for all of you who look at this blog back in the "Old Countries", its probably worthwhile to put it all into some sort of perspective. Today I got a post card that shows just that, the size in square kilometres of the European countries and the map of Europe super-imposed on top of Australia. At the bottom left it says that Europe has a Total of 3,687,245 km2 against Australia with a Total of 7,686,848km2. Now that makes Australia more than twice the size of All-Of-Europe.

The distances quoted for Australia on that card tell the rest of the story, i.e.:

Darwin - Perth 4396km,
Perth - Adelaide 2706km,
Melbourne - Sydney 887km,
Sydney - Brisbane 972km and
Brisbane - Cairns 1748km


One would also do well to remember, that often between reasonably sized townships, there is very little, or perhaps I should say, a limited number of places where one could stay for any length of time. As a consequence, I often have to cover quite some distance to get to another sight to see, or accessible place that I can discover for myself (i.e: is there a road and can I drive on it with my van? Some of them are stricty 4-wheel-drive roads where my van would get me into trouble). I am saying this because some of you have expressed, that I should take more time. As a consequence, I have in fact stayed a lot longer at places that I particularly liked. I have also been busy with the camera, having taken so far, about 2500 pictures, a small selection of which I have shared with you via this blog, in a very small format, just to convey an idea of what I am seeing.

On October 22, I will return to Sydney by air, for several weeks, where I will setup some Photo Albums on the web, of my pictures taken up to my time at Perth. Once that has been done I will let you know in the blog, where you can find those images on the web so you can also experience those pictures in a large, screen-filling format, which will do a lot more justice to the various landscapes I have been traveling through. So, stay tuned.

In December I will return to Perth, where I will have left my van, to continue my journey around the southern parts of Australia. More about that in the continuing blog.

Coronation Beach

Map South of Kalbarri

A bit of rain this morning, enough to moisten the ground. A fairly warm night too, so this morning I have another hot shower and shampoo before driving out. I follow the coast road south, retracing some of the scenery I had a look at along the coast. On my right, a huge salt lake with pink coloured salt brine, stretching for seemingly endless kilometres. The brochure tells me, the colour is caused by bacteria in the salt crystals. They are also a rich source of Betacarotene, which is harvested in small pools around the lake. Too bad that there is no vantage point to take picture from but when I finally am past that lake, I get to a T-junction, so, instead of turning left to take me further south, I turn right to take me into Port Gregory, 5km away, in the hope to get a better view of the pink lake, from a somewhat more elevated position. I find that spot just before I enter the township ('town' is a bit of an exaggeration though, just a few houses, a General Store come Liquore store and a Marina with a few boats tied up.)

The Pink Lake near Port Gregory

Its probably a great place if fishing is your passion. There is a reef beyond the Marina with heavy waves breaking over it, about 100m from shore, beautiful turquoise waters and very windy. I take my photos and continue back to the highway.

The road passes through the southern part of Kalbarri National Park, as soon as I leave the park, the land on both sides has been cultivated for farming. This is part of the 'Wheatbelt', a new crop already growing, also lots of straw bales with their plastic wrappers everywhere and driving out from Northampton, huge grain silos on my left.

The Main drag at Northampton

Its also Show Day at Northampton, which probably accounts for all the traffic I am experiencing this morning. I visit a couple of shops, just for a look-see and continue on my way towards Coronation Bay, a camp spot that has been recommended to me. Its about 8km away from the highway with a beautiful new sealed road. The Ranger points me to a wind protected site which turns out really nice.

Fields of flowers near Northampton

In the background I can hear the waves thundering over the reef but otherwise its really peaceful. I think I will vegetate here for a couple of days. No phone, no internet, just time to have a snooze, write my blog and relax.

The Coast along Kalbarri

Like I said in a previous post, there have been many a ship wreck along this coast line, the Dutch were the first to have heavy losses back in 1629 with the Batavia which got wrecked on the Abrolhos Islands, about 80km off shore. Check this link that tells part of the story:


Click here for Ship wreck story

Here are some images taken along the coast yesterday, south of Kalbarri. The coast is certainly very rugged, rising high above the ocean that has shallow waters with lots of protruding rocks.

Kalbarri National Park 10/09/08

The girl at the Visitor Information Centre said, the road into the National Park would be full of bad corrugations. The half-day tour costs about $60 and I thought that its her job to sell tours and so quite possibly make the road sound worse, so decided to drive myself anyway. The Ranger at the Park entrance also said, corrugations all the way. Yesterday morning I saddle up and go. Yes, its all dirt and yes, quite corrugated, sandy, slippery, driving does require all your attention, the only real difficulty though is, getting up to a speed that will allow the vehicle to kind of 'float' over the top of all those corrugations across the road caused by other vehicles. I find the best speed is about 75-85kmh, leaving a trail of dust behind me. Its also reassuring to know that my van is 4-wheel drive and so chances of getting bogged are much reduced.

Its 25 km to the first lookout, a half hour walk through the bush reveals many a delicate flower that has made its home in such harsh and dry environment.


Even some trees make a sparse living, creating bizarre forms

The views down the gorges are, as expected, spectacular, once again.

View through "Nature's Window" down to the river gorge

Quite different to the bright and stark colours I saw at Hamersley Range some time ago, but rough and rugged multi coloured sandstone instead.



I am also quite surprised how many people have come down this road to see the sights with all kinds of vehicles.




There is a path down to the bottom of the gorge as well, but its warmish, the flies plentyful and fierce, also the insignificant fact, that I am simply too lazy to tramp all the way down to the bottom of the gorge today. I drive another 12km to checkout a place called 'Nature's Window' which also offers great views to the gorge and the Murchison River that flows through it.

Finally, on my way out I pass many other vehicles that are taking the road the slow way, at speeds of about 15-20kmh. Yes, that’s another way to go, but I think the car suspension has to work a hell-of-a-lot harder at the slower speeds. So it’s a large trail of dust that I leave in my wake yet again, hopefully accompanied by not to many curses from the drivers I pass on my way out. It was a great experience that I truly enjoyed.

More about Kalbarri 10/09/08

Two days at Galena Bridge is enough, so this morning I am travelling on to Kalbarri, home of the Pelican Feeding Event that takes place each morning at 8.45. Once I am on the highway, the land either side of the road is used by Agriculure, growing, what looks like wheat, now about 30cm high, probably due to the rain that has gone down here recently.

15km down the road is the turn-off to Kalbarri and surrounds. Still fields of wheat until I enter the Kalbarri National Park. Scrub now on both sides, but on my left the signs of bush fires that have burnt out the undergrowth some time ago. Wildflowers are beginning to blossom but are not in full bloom yet. I arrive at Kalbarri about 11.00 am, re-fuel, get some groceries at the local IGA and the find a very nice camp spot along the Murchison River in one of the trailer parks.

View from my van onto the Murchison River, Kalbarri

Kalbarri has a long history of wrecks of ships that have come to grieve along its rugged shore line, first the Dutch in 1629 by Commander Pelsaert and again in 1696 by the Dutch navigator, Willem de Vlaming in search of water. Again, in 1712 the Dutch East India Company ship 'Zuytdorp' was wrecked near Kalbarri. The fate of any survivers is unknown.

There are many hiking trails and gorges in the vicinity which I am planning to explore over the next few days.

I had a look this morning (10 Sept.) to see the Pelican feeding, maybe about 50 tourists but only 3 Pelicans turned up, cameras clicking all around but decided it all looked a bit too stage-managed for me, so will show some pictures of the birds taken at Monkey Mia instead.

Coming in for a feed

Ever the opportunists when someone is cleaning fish

A remarkable bird is the Pelican, his beak can hold more than his belly can...

The road into the gorges, I am told, is pretty bad so I won't attempt a self-drive. Instead will book myself in for a half day tour on Friday morning, day after tomorrow. It’s a nice town, Kalbarri, everything important within easy walking distance, Post Office, shops, liquor store and also a very small Westpac Bank, about the width of two doors, staffed by one lady.

The Murchison River flows into the Indian Ocean in this town and there is a long sandbar about 2/3 the width of the ocean front, so only about 1/3 provides access from the harbour to the ocean. Yes, there are channel markers in the water, indicating where to navigate across the reef that sits squarely across the entrance. There are waves breaking across this reef a bit further out on the seaward side and I can well believe that this is one of the most treacherous harbours in all of Australia. (Refer above to some of the (historical) ship wrecks along this coast).

The river is also popular with the fishing fraternity, Aluminium dinghies heading up-river every day in order to catch that night's dinner. Most of them returning in the afternoons with a few fish. Bon appetit!

Kalbarri 8/9/08

Two days at Galena Bridge is enough, so this morning I am travelling on to Kalbarri, home of the Pelican Feeding Event that takes place each morning at 8.45. Once I am on the highway, the land either side of the road is used by Agriculure, growing, what looks like wheat, now about 30cm high, probably due to the rain that has gone down here recently.

15km down the road is the turn-off to Kalbarri and surrounds. Still fields of wheat until I enter the Kalbarri National Park. Scrub now on both sides, but on my left the signs of bush fires that have burnt out the undergrowth some time ago. Wildflowers are beginning to blossom but are not in full bloom yet. I arrive at Kalbarri about 11.00 am, re-fuel, get some groceries at the local IGA and the find a very nice camp spot along the Murchison River in one of the trailer parks.

View of the bay at Kalbarri

Kalbarri has a long history of wrecks of ships that have come to grieve along its rugged shore line, first the Dutch in 1629 by Commander Pelsaert and again in 1696 by the Dutch navigator, Willem de Vlaming in search of water. Again, in 1712 the Dutch East India Company ship 'Zuytdorp' was wrecked near Kalbarri. The fate of any survivers is unknown.

There are many hiking trails and gorges in the vicinity which I am planning to explore over the next few days.

Monkey Mia to Whale Bone and on to Galena Bridge

Leaving Monkey Mia this morning after for days. The skies back to their usual blue after an overcast day with the occasional spit of rain yesterday. There are enough walking tracks around MM to keep everyone occupied when there are no Dolphines to be watched and there are several excursions with two catamerans on offer at the booking office of the caravan park.

A last hot shower for a few days, and then back on the road towards Denham. About 10km out of Denham is the turn-off on my right to Cape Peron, a dirt road currently closed to all traffic except Tour-vehicles and just beyond the turn-off, the road to Little Lagoon with beautiful white sandy beaches for sun bathing and several sun shelters with tables and barbeques. In the distant hills of Denham I can see already the four towers with their propellers, the Windfarm for Denham. There is a queue at the Service-station-come-shop, but I only need a few bits from the shop, so I stop out in the street and walk in. I then put my name down at the visitor centre to stay the night at one of the rest areas.

There are several rest areas south of Denham, the first one being "Eagle Bluff" high on a hill with fabulous views and a boardwalk.

View from Eagle Bluff Boardwalk

From there I drive on to "Fowlers Camp" where I run into four people I met at 14-mile beach. They suggest that "Whalebone Bay" may be the best and I decide to drive down a few more km to the turn-off. This is probably the best spot, but still quite windy and I need to turn my off-side of the van into wind to have a little protection. At least, its not dusty and I am looking right at the ocean in front of me.

It does keep blowing all night, the van rocking me to sleep with gusts of wind. When I step outside in the morning, its still blowing but not a cold morning, so, after breakfast I set off again towards Karbarri, further down the coast. Its about 100km back to the main highway that will take me further south. Some views of Shark Bay as I head towards the T-intersection, apart from that though, just scrub either side of the road, quite a few caravans and motor homes on the road, heading towards Denham and Monkey Mia.

Once I have turned right, heading south, I make e tentative stop at Nerren Nerren Rest Area that has a good write-up on my map. It looks quite nice and clean but its right on the highway and so I decide to drive on to Galena Bridge Rest Area, another 72km down the road. About 10km before Galena Bridge, the landscape changes, farming has shaped a new, by now rarely seen look, with crops of what looks like Barley, also ploughed fields, most important though, lots of flowers, carpets of them, the scent in the air smells of honey. This is spring time in Western Australia and there will be plenty more blossoming flowers to be seen as I head down the coast.



Some of the many flowers near Galena Bridge Rest Area

Galena Bridge is much further away from the road, the camp sites along the river, separated only by sheer endless carpets of white, bottlebrush-like flowers. I really like it and decide to stay a couple of nights.

On to Denham and Monkey Mia

One night is enough at Hamelin Pool, so this morning I leave about 9.00 am to be on my way early and be at Denham Post Office to collect my mail. When I get there, I find the Post Office at the back of the Stationery shop with a nice friendly lady who hands me 3 envelopes that have been there for a few days. (Denham is named after Captain Henry Mangles Denham who charted the whole Shark Bay Area in 1858.)

Main Street at Denham

Another polite and helpful lady at the visitor centre rounds off the welcoming impressions in a most positive way. The town looks like its growing into a nice tourist oasis, a fabulous waterfront, a new marina for motor yachts, with a wide chanel dredged out towards the sea and deep water. Lots of new construction in the back streets with property prices on the up and up, according to the listings at the local Ray White Real Estate shop. Two small grocery stores and two petrol stations, one at each end of the town.

But on to Monkey Mia with the dolphins that are fed each morning. One of the Dolphins has just given birth to a baby six days ago and she is not shy to bring it in to shore, quite lovely to watch actually thye following morning.

Feeding the Dolphins on the beach

I like the atmosphere at MM and decide to stay a couple more days.



A view of the beach at Monkey Mia. During the day (Top) and at dusk

The weather has also vastly improved, just a gentle breeze now after all the windy weeks in the past, the temperatures also notching up a bit.

Amazing what you find growing in the salt flats near the beach

Shark Bay, as the water way is called, has lovely white beaches, turquoise and blue waters, a real treat and a good place, for me to take it easy once again.