Margaret River to Bunbury - 100km

I drove to Bunbury today after Chris and I spent three nights at the 600 acre sheep farm which is situated on the outskirts of Margaret River  -  about 10km.

With the school holidays there were lots of people camping, but with everyone spread out it didn’t feel crowded.  It was such a pretty place with sheep grazing in the paddocks.

On Saturday we went to the farmers market in Margaret River, but it was too crowded so we didn’t stay long.  We wandered along the main street and looked at the shops then sat at an outdoor café and enjoyed a hot chocolate while watching the world go by.  This part of WA is very pretty to drive through with the beautiful karri forests and all the wineries.

Pumpkin Carving at farmers' market:

Chris is still at Margaret River where she has Rolly (her dog) booked in for a clip, but I had to drive up to Bunbury today because my van is booked in for some repairs tomorrow morning.  Unfortunately the water pump started to play up a few days ago and I have recently noticed a small amount of water seeping out onto the floor after using the shower.  Fortunately the van is still under warranty.  

My stove is still playing up even though it was supposedly repaired a few weeks ago, so when the water problem has been fixed, I will deal with the stove when we reach Perth.  It is very frustrating when these things happen, but luckily we were intending to spend a few weeks in Perth while Chris catches up with family.   Her son lives in Perth and he has offered us the use of his car so we can spend time sightseeing. 

Walpole to Alexandra Bridge - 295km

I haven't been able to add to my blog because I have been out of phone range, so I have some catching up to do.

Walpole to Quinninup  -  100km

We drove through spectacular karri forests from Walpole to Quinninup on Sunday and stayed at the Qunninup Eco Park.  A beautiful little spot with lots of kangaroos and emus wandering around.  When I first pulled up Oscar jumped out and came face to face with a pet emu.  He got such a fright all four feet left the ground simultaneously as he jumped about 2ft then hid behind my legs.  The emu also jumped because of Oscars reaction.  It was hilarious.  I intended to have my photo taken with the emu, but unfortunately the weather was terrible and it rained on and off for most of the day.  It was a very reasonable park too, at $20 per night.

Quinninup to Nannup  -  109km

On Monday we travelled along pretty country roads away from the main highways and gradually made our way to Nannup via Pemberton and Manjimup.  The countryside in this part of WA is just spectacular with the magnificent karri forests, beautiful wineries and lots of lovely green pastures with very contented looking cows.

We parked the vans across the road from a lovely old restored pub in Pemberton and went for a stroll along the main street.  Such a friendly place, with the locals saying hello when we passed by.  It was hit and miss with the rain, which has been hanging around for several days now.  I wish it would just rain really heavy and get it over with instead of drizzle, sun, drizzle sun all day long.

We stopped by the side of the road and had lunch in Manjimup.  It was a big town and very busy with lots of traffic down the main street.  I found a place to have my gas bottle filled.  I went to Mitre 10 first but they wanted $50 for a refill which I think was a rip off, so I found a rural supply store which charged $38.  The price really varies.  I have paid as little as $17, but most of the time I have to pay about $35.

We parked overnight in a little rest area in amongst huge karri trees, about 12km from Nannup.  It was very dark and very isolated.  There is no way I would park there if I was travelling alone.

Nannup to Alexander Bridge  -  86km 

On Tuesday we walked along the main street of Nannup and had morning tea at a little café before travelling to Alexander Bridge Camping area which is in the Margaret River region - about 20km from Augusta.  It is a lovely setting beside the Blackwood River.  We stayed for three nights ($8 per night) The school holidays started in WA this week and most of the caravan parks and camping areas are booked out in the Margaret River area, but we have been lucky so far and found somewhere to park.

Tonight we have booked to stay at a sheep farm in Margaret River.  We plan to stay for three nights then decide where to from there.

Main street Nannup:

Alexander Bridge camping area:

Walpole

Chris's van was repaired on Wednesday afternoon and yesterday she joined me at the camp about 25km west of Denmark.

I had an appointment in Walpole at 11.00am this morning to have my hair cut, and decided to book into the Rest Point Caravan Park 5km west of Walpole instead of driving 45km back to the camp near Denmark.    Chris stayed at the camp another night because she is doing the Treetops Walk tomorrow morning which is on the way to Walpole, and then she will join me at the caravan park tomorrow night before we move on again.  I didn't want to do the walk because I'm scared of heights so I was happy to see the huge big karri trees at ground level.

This caravan park is very reasonable at $24 per night because it is in such a beautiful spot.  It is located right on the water with lots of pelicans and some stingrays.  There is even an albino stingray - very rare apparently.

Denmark

I drove to Walpole today and went for a drive through the Valley of Giants  -  huge big karri trees.
They really are amazing.  Beautiful trees hundreds of years old and soooooo big.

I also went to see a giant Tingle tree.  To get there I had to drive up into the hills along a dirt road.  It got a bit hairy after a couple of kilometres, but I had to keep going because it was one way.  I thought I was going to slide down the hill sideways at one stage.

Fortunately it was well worth it when I got there.   After walking down a track about 300 metres I came upon the Tingle tree.  It has survived two bushfires and is still growing despite the base of its trunk being burn't out leaving a huge space inside the trunk which is the size of a big room.

I had to lock Oscar in the van because it was a national park, but he is used to it.  When ever I leave him he curls up into a little ball and sleeps until I return.


 

Denmark

Denmark is a quaint little town.  Very trendy with little cafes and craft shops, and I noticed a few older hippies wandering around.  Chris has a problem with the brakes on her van and is waiting for parts to arrive before it can be fixed - hopefully this Thursday.  As a result she had to stay in town at the caravan park and I ventured out of town to find somewhere cheaper to stay.

I ended up at a place called Ayr Sailean which is a farm about 35km west of Denmark.  It was a pretty spot with views over the valley.  I stayed for three nights for $15 per night.

Today I went searching for another place, which was recommended to me by a fellow camper, called Boat Harbour Chalets and Camping.  I found it about 10km further down the road and I plan to stay here for the next three nights.  It is a really lovely bush camp with lots of trees and birds, with sheep, llamas and camels and only $8 per night.  I am the only person here at the moment and it is lovely and peaceful.  It's not listed in the camping books so I don't think many people know about it.

I plan to head out tomorrow to do some sightseeing.

 

Kulen to Albany - 350km

Kulen to Albany  -  350km

 

On Sunday night I had a delicious snapper meal at the pub.  Unfortunately they didn’t have a roast on the menu and they had run out of vegetables, but the snapper came with a nice fresh salad and hand cut chips and I really enjoyed the meal.

On Monday we traveled through a town called Lake Grace and then drove on to Borden where we stopped for the night at the local sports reserve.  It was an interesting drive because this part of WA has a lot of problems with salt rising up from the water table, and as a result there are hundreds of small salt lakes dotted around the countryside.  Many of them have dried up leaving huge white saltpans which shimmer in the sun. 

By the time we got to Borden in the afternoon it was so hot it was a case of find some shade, pull up a chair and wait for the sun to go down.  Before it got dark Oscar enjoyed chasing his ball on the oval.   He is so obsessed with his ball that I have to wait until he is distracted then hide it, otherwise he whines and carries on all day wanting me to throw it for him.

On Tuesday we had a relatively short drive (100km) to Albany.  After a trip to the supermarket and a visit to the Information Centre where we filled our water tanks, we headed for a camp about 30km west of Albany.  It is in a lovely spot right on the beach, but unfortunately the weather has turned a bit cool and windy with showers.  After seven weeks of beautiful weather I can’t complain.  

After two days of cloud and some drizzle today has turned out lovely and sunny again.  I have driven back in to Albany today to have my stove fixed and to catch up on some washing.  Chris will continue on to Denmark and I will meet her there later in the afternoon.

Esperance to Ravensthorpe to Kulin - approx 350km

We left Esperance yesterday morning and headed for Ravensthorpe where we stayed the night.  This morning we headed north to Hyden and made our way to "wave rock"which is a very impressive
granite boulder shaped like a huge wave.

After spending a couple of hours at the 'wave' we headed along the Tin Horse Highway towards Kulin where we are now parked for the night in an area set aside for RV's which is across the road from the pub.  As we got to about 20km out of Kulin there were tin horses of various shapes and sizes dotted along the side of the highway. Some of them were very clever.  I think the property owners along that stretch of highway are all trying to outdo one another.

Tonight we are going to wander across to the pub for a meal.  I'm hoping they will have a roast on because I need a vegie fix.  Tomorrow we will continue our way south back to the coast and head for Albany.

Esperance

Esperance is such a pretty place we stayed longer than intended.  The scenery and the beaches are spectacular and although the caravan park we are staying in is a bit run down, we are in a lovely secluded area with lots of lawn and trees and enjoy staying here very much.  It is only costing $20 per night, so that is an added bonus.

Yesterday while Chris was having the water pump fixed in her van I did a bit of sightseeing and drove along the coast.  It was magnificent.  I have never seen such blue water.  I also visited a wind farm which was on the cliff top.  Those wind turbines are huge and the mechanism inside makes a loud clunking noise which is a bit off putting when standing next to them.

 
Tomorrow we are planning to head towards Albany.  Not sure if there will be phone coverage when we stop for the night, but will update blog when I can.

Esperance

We have decided to stay put and relax for a few days.  The caravan park is very restful and in the bush with lots of lovely trees and grassy areas.  It is a bit run down, but there is heaps of room and the beautiful setting makes up for it.   The good part is it is only $25 per night.

My stove has stopped working altogether now, so I rang this morning and made a time for it to be fixed when we get to Albany.  We are about 450km away, so I made a time for Thursday next week. Luckily I have a little butane gas stove which I use for cooking outside, so it hasn't been too much of a hassle without my stove.

I also rang VAST and asked them to switch my satellite TV signal from Victorian to WA.  It has been a bit confusing turning the TV on to watch the 6pm news only to discover I'm 3 hours too late because it's set to Victorian time.  The VAST satellite service is provided free of charge by the Government for people living in remote areas as well as for people travelling around the country.

Later on today I will be talking on the phone with Belinda while she sits at my home computer and I talk her through how to deal with the various emails that have arrived.  At this time of the year I get a lot of emails directed to my Super Fund.

It is a beautiful 26 degree day here - sunny with a gentle breeze.  Time to sit out under a tree and catch up on some reading.  

    

Norseman to Esperance - 200km

The drive to Esperance was going well until we were about 70km from Esperance.  I was ahead of Chris when I noticed she was no longer following me.  I waited for a few minutes and realised something must have happened, so I turned around and found her parked on the side of the road with a blown tyre.

Fortunately it happened at a spot where she could pull off the road, but without any phone signal she couldn't call anyone.

I wrote down all her details and travelled towards Esperance to call the RACQ road service as soon as I could get a signal, which was about 40km further along the highway.

After making sure the Road Service knew exactly where to find Chris I continued on my way to Esperance.  We weren't sure how long it would take, but Chris eventually turned up at the caravan park at about 6pm.

I am looking forward to doing some sightseeing tomorrow, and I especially want to see the "Pink Lake" - it looks magnificent from a distance.

Before we left Norseman this morning I took a photo of some tin sculptures of camels which were in the main street.  In my travels over the past few years I have never seen any, but there are supposedly half a million wild camels roaming Australia.

   

Ceduna to Norseman - 1200km

We left Ceduna last Thursday and took 5 days to cross the Nullarbor to Norseman.  It is a wonderful trip.  The landscape changes constantly and when you drive across the treeless plains where the horizon is visible in every direction,  it just confirms what a beautiful and vast country Australia is.  The Nullarbor will always be a magic place for me, and this will definitely not be my last trip across.

Our first night stop was Yalata West Rest area and I asked a fellow camper to take a photo of Chris and I standing in front of our vans. 

We drove to the Head of Bight on Friday where boardwalks have been built out to the edge of the cliffs so tourists can watch the whales.  It was too early to see the whales because they don’t arrive until about May or June, but it is a stunning spot. 

 On Friday night we stopped at Bunda Cliffs Scenic Lookout – another magnificent spot overlooking the ocean.

On Saturday we stopped at the Border Village Road House and had a hot chocolate - $6.50!  Petrol is also very expensive - $2 per litre.  We then had to stop at the quarantine checkpoint which is about 200metres past the Roadhouse.  They are very thorough and look in cupboards as well as the fridge.  I made sure I had eaten most of my fruit and vegetables, but had to hand over an avocado as well as my honey.  Once through the checkpoint we drove over the border into Western Australia.

"Rooey 11" stands out the front of Border Village Roadhouse.

As we drove further West, I noticed spectacular gum trees with beautiful bronze trunks.  I haven't seen them anywhere on the East Coast, so they must be a species native to WA.  I am going to ask at the Information Centre tomorrow.  Unfortunately the beautiful rich coloured trunks don't stand out in the photos.

After five days without phone or internet access, it was good to get back on line tonight and catch up with family.  Tomorrow we will be heading South for Esperance.  The 7 day weather forecast is looking good for travelling with temperatures expected to be in the mid twenties to low thirties.