Sunday, January 31, 2010

Coral Bay

The beaches and the waters of Coral Bay are located within the Ningaloo Marine Park which extends all the way up to Exmouth. Unlike the Great Barrier reef which requires high speed transportation to access it, the Ningaloo reef is right at your doorstep. You can walk off the beach into the water and snorkel at your leisure. We had discussed the possibility of driving further north, but after arriving in Coral Bay we knew it was unnecessary. We parked our campa, kicked back and relaxed at the People's Caravan Park. We even splurged on an ocean front site. Our view? Another fabulous white, sandy beach and more turquoise water. All only 50 metres from our doorstep. Coral Bay has everything you need. It's another sleepy, beach town consisting of two grocery stores, a news agent, a bakery, a gift shop, a day spa and quite a few tour operators. Oh yes, and don't forget the single petrol station where the price is a whopping $1.62 per litre.

Happily, we arrived at our destination in the early afternoon on Australia Day. The Aussie flags were flying high and the mood was festive. We parked our campa, set up our lawn chairs, grabbed a cold beverage and sat down to watch our new neighbours engaged in a friendly match of cricket. We later learned they are the Tamati tribe from Paraburdoo, an inland mining town where the temperature reaches fifty two degrees at this time of year. Riki, Dani, Jake, Taine, Sienna and Kale came to enjoy the warmth, and the cool breezes of the coast for the last two weeks of school vacation.

We did not have a lot of demands on our time. Breakfast always included two full cups of coffee. Craig worked on his Sudoku puzzles while Lynda read yet another book. As soon as the coffee was finished three-year-old Kale was eager to invite Craig to cricket practice. (Craig bowling and Kale batting, of course.) Our afternoons always included a trip to the beach. The water was warm enough for Lynda to go in and while we were snorkelling we saw lots of different reef fish. One of the most common was the Spangled Emperor. A school of them and some hangers-on patrol the shallows looking for food. They are very friendly. Probably a result of the daily fish feeding conducted by one of the tour operators. One day we made a trek out to the shark nursery and Point Maud. The protected waters of the reef are ideal for the baby, reef sharks that inhabit the area. We must have seen at least forty of them during our walk. It is amazing how close you can get to them. (Not that Lynda was leaving the safety of the beach.)

After a fabulous five days and four nights, we said goodbye to our new friends and started our journey back to Perth. Craig is on the countdown. There are only fourteen more days of barefeet and flip flops as his footwear of choice. He'd better start looking for those socks and running shoes now...

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Monday, January 25, 2010

Shark Bay

After a quick tire repair in Jurien Bay, we have continued our journey north and are now hundreds of kms from Perth. In this region, the roads are long and straight. We are faced with hours of driving whereas on the east coast, we regularly enjoyed short jaunts between stops. Petrol stations are few and far between and price is irrelevant.
At the Billabong Roadhouse, we were all too happy to pay $1.55 per litre as it was several hundred kilometres in either direction to the next petrol station. Having forgotten to raid Tom's cd collection and having intermittent radio reception, we alleviate our boredom with sightings of lizards sunning themselves on the bitemum, feral goats feeding on the side of the road and kangaroo carcasses.
The Shark Bay World Heritage area lies between 24 and 27 degrees south of the equator and was the first spot in Australia discovered by European explorers in 1616. A desolate 130 km hop off the main highway and we are in Denham, our home for two nights. Apparently, this is low season for caravan parks on the west coast. The heat and the flies keep most tourists away. Lucky for us, the ever present wind keeps things cool and since it is not blowing east, flies are not a problem (yet?) Denham itself is a quiet, little town, but it is close to several fabulous spots. In addition to the Shark Bay golf course and the Francois Peron homestead and sheep station, there is the captivating Monkey Mia National Park resort. People flock to Monkey Mia to participate in its daily dolphin visits and feedings. Having participated in similar events in Tin Can Bay and Bunbury, we elect to forgo this golden opportunity (and a 6:30 am wake up call) in order to sleep in and drink our coffee in a leisurely fashion. By the time we arrived the dolphins had already come and gone. We enjoyed a lazy afternoon on a sandy, white beach, taking a dip in the turquoise waters when the heat became too much. Craig donned his snorkel gear and spotted the usual coral, fish and some small rays. He also had an opportunity to stalk two Loggerhead turtles which passed by. He is not the Olympic swimmer he used to be and they easily outswam him. After a light lunch and a beverage on the outdoor patio, we headed back to Denham. Upon our departure from the peninsula we spent some time at Shell Beach. This 200 km stretch of beach is not made up of sand, but of a small species of cockle shells. It is one of a few species that can live in such salty water and it has no predators. In some places the shells are said to be 10 metres deep. We were able to wade out into the water a long way. Not only were there hundreds of little fish, but we also saw several skates (almost three feet in length) zooming through the water. What an idyllic setting! We are truly blessed to be here.

We have increased the mileage on the campa van and visited a few more petrol stations. We are now in Carnarvon, the last large community before Coral Bay.We have stocked up on meat and fresh veggies and not only will we celebrate Australia Day in Coral Bay, but we hope to stop driving and stay put for awhile.

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Wednesday, January 20, 2010

The Turquoise Coast

Re-couped from a month of non-stop activity with Grandma and the girls we are back on the road with a Britz campa van. (Sorry, Apollo. Any campa will do.) We loaded up and headed north. First stop on the Turquoise coast, Cervantes and the Pinnacles Desert. Our arrival in Cervantes was marred by the discovery that the left rear tire and the house battery were both almost flat. Since it was late in the day and there was no mechanic in town, we had to resort to topping up the air and waiting awhile (WA stands for more than just Western Australia.) In the morning Craig discovered that the tire had lost another 15 lbs of pressure overnight, but he neglected to inform Lynda of this fact. He topped up the air while she was in the toilet at the petrol station and proceeded to drive her into the desert to see the Pinnacles at Nambung National Park. Why would he do this you ask? According to him, life is about the adventure (and the mechanic was in the opposite direction.)

The Pinnacles are petrified limestone pillars that are suspected to be the remnants of an ancient forest which was buried in the sand. Through wind erosion they are now exposed. The Discovery Centre at the park was loaded with information about the Pinnacles and displays of desert flora and fauna, including our spider neighbours.

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Monday, January 11, 2010

The Outback

After two weeks in the city, we loaded up our Toyota Tarago mini-van and headed inland. We had to get used to driving in Western Australia as the distances between towns is significantly greater than on the east coast. At the end of the first day, we had driven 887 km and were in Kalgoorlie. En route, we stopped briefly at Wave Rock, but after forty minutes of enduring the flies and the heat, we were back in the van with the air conditioning on full blast. By the time we arrived in Kalgoorlie and checked into our hotel it was 7:30 pm and we needed something to eat. Unfortunately for us the restaurant in our hotel was closed for the holidays and after a tour around the city it became apparent that our options were limited. We ended up at an excellent Indian restaurant. No problem for Craig, Lynda and Tom, but kudos to Peggy, Jenna and Kristin for trying something new. Kalgoorlie was the site of the gold rush in the late 1800s and mining continues here to this day. It is a quaint little town with plenty of shops and sights to see. The morning of day two started with a visit to the Super Pit lookout, then we headed over to the Mining Museum. It was such a relief to go underground into the mine to a cool 25 degrees C and get away from the stifling heat. The outside temperature reached 43 degrees C that day, but according to the locals, it wasn't that hot. Maybe not for them, but some of us felt like we were melting. We all appreciated a dip in the pool at the rec centre at the end of the day.

Our second destination was Esperance, a mere 447 km away. The day after arriving we drove out to Lucky Bay in Cape Le Grand National Park. It is rated as one of Australia's most beautiful beaches. The sand is pure white, the water is a brilliant turquoise and you can often find kangaroos on the beach. We didn't see any while we were there, but there were plenty of them (and emus too) in the scrub alongside the road. We celebrated New Year's eve in Esperance after a delicious meal at a Chinese restaurant, except that maybe we didn't actually stay up until midnight. The next day we were up early and on the road again, headed for Albany.

Albany was a pleasant surprise. After 5:00 pm, most of the towns in Western Australia are deserted, but during the day, the main street in Albany was bustling with activity. Jenna and Kristin were able to purchase some souvenirs and Lynda stocked up on books. We spent the afternoon at Whale World, Australia's last operating whaling station which was decommissioned in 1978. After a guided tour and a series of movies, we toured the Cheynes IV Whale Chaser. Later that evening, we drove out to the Albany Wind Farm. It is quite a spectacular sight to see the twelve turbines along the rugged coastline with the sun setting in the background. Even the girls were impressed.

Day seven found us back on the road, heading towards our final destination, Augusta. We stopped at the Valley of the Giants Wilderness Discovery Centre to do the tree top walk. It is located right in the middle of a forest of Tingle trees and at certain points the walkway is 40 metres above the ground. Our next stop was the Gloucester tree near Pemberton. It is a 72 metre Karri tree and one of eight old firewatch stations in the area. The real excitement surrounding this tree is that you can climb to the top of it via 153 spikes that encircle it. We appreciated the opportunity to get out of the van and exercise our arms and legs. It was an invigorating climb and once you make it to the top, you are rewarded with spectacular views from the platform. We arrived in Augusta in the early evening and settled into our two bedroom chalet. From the rear deck we were able to watch the kangaroos and a herd of Black Angus steers in the paddock.

Unfortunately Craig came down with a serious case of the flu and had to stay in bed for two days. While he was sleeping, we toured around the Margaret River area. We went to a chocolate factory, a cheese factory and a candy factory. (Needless to say, our wallets were significantly lighter after these stops.) We also did a tour of the Lake cave, swam and sunbathed at Redgate beach and spent hours shopping. Grandma and Uncle Tom even made it out to a meadery where they sampled wine and liqueur made from honey. A little something for everyone.

Craig rejoined us for our final day. We drove to Busselton to see its jetty, which at 1841 metres is the longest wooden jetty in the southern hemisphere. It is currently being refurbished so we were only able to walk the first 200 metres. We enjoyed a picnic lunch by the water, then made an impromptu stop in town so our navigator could get his bearings. Uncle Tom parked right beside a surf shop to the delight of the girls. They scooted inside and were successful in finding the "rashies" they had long been searching for. (Hurray, the shopping is finished.) Before heading over to Yallingup to see some beaches we made a much needed stop at Simmo's Icecreamery and Fun Park, located on the outskirts of Dunsborough. Mmm, mmm, good!

On our way back to Perth we made one last stop at the Dolphin Discovery Centre in Bunbury. Unlike Tin Can Bay these are the more commonly known Bottle-nosed dolphins. As naturally playful creatures they swim into the bay to check out the people who are standing waist deep in the water waiting for them. They made two appearances while we were there. While you are not allowed to touch them, it is an amazing privilege to be able to be so close to them.

Our road trip has come to an end. The total mileage for these twelve days was 3388 km. Sadly, our return to Perth means the return of Grandma, Jenna and Kristin to Canada. It was a pleasure having them here, and we hope that they will cherish these memories forever, as we will.

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Sunday, January 10, 2010

Perth

Our first two weeks in Perth were jam packed with action and excitement as we explored the sites in and around the city. Many of our activities centred around the beach, including surfing lessons for Craig and the girls, boogie boarding, body surfing, sun tanning and collecting seashells for beading. Everyone enjoyed the tours at Freemantle Prison, A.Q.U.A (aquarium), and Caversham Wildlife Park. Jenna and Kristin loved being up close and personal with the kangaroos and koalas, although the Shearing Shed provided much entertainment. (Ask Jenna to do her sheep impersonation.) Finally, shopping was a huge hit. Jenna has been into almost every surf shop in the area, while Kristin was in her glory at Supre. (You got it right, Uncle Tom!) The Margaret River Chocolate Factory and the gelato shop at Hillary's Marina were also favourites. So good in fact that we made repeat visits to both.

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