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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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.
View More Photos
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