May 24 - 29

Day 53 – May 24 – Port Hedland -> Eighty Mile Beach

How inefficient can a tourist information office get? Michelle had specifically called ahead a couple of days to enquire about the BHP facility tour, and was told by the office that no prior bookings were required, we just had to turn up on the day. We turned up, and you guessed it! Tour cancelled because no-one had booked ahead… Fuming! The tour couldn’t be organised at short notice because they had already cancelled the bus. Also, their information about ships departing the harbour and trains departing were also both incorrect, so we didn’t see anything. Bit of a wasted overnight stop, really…

Anyway, we kept heading north and had a break at De Grey’s rest area – where we practised our newly honed stone skipping skills and did some bird watching (Thanks for the Bird book Pa – has proved very useful!)

We stopped at Eighty Mile Beach, just short of halfway between Port Hedland and Broome. A HUGE caravan park in the middle of nowhere, but we soon found out why. The beach is fantastic – big sand flats at low tide and thousands upon thousands of huge, interesting shells. Ben said “I can’t believe God created such a beautiful world”. Gotta love his comments.. When we arrived at the park a lady approached us and gave each of the kids a beautiful home made shell animal sculpture, made with shells and some glue. That night the kids made a card to thank her for her amazing generosity – she obviously gives one to each of the little kids who stay at the park.

Day 54 – May 25 – Eighty Mile Beach -> Broome

We went for early morning walk along the beach. At 6:30 there were already a dozen fishermen. We collected dozens of amazing shells (no National Park restrictions here thank goodness!). We met a man who told us that he had stayed at the beach for three months already. We also saw a large school of dolphins swimming close to the shore.

A brief stop at Sandfire roadhouse (typical petrol station in the middle of nowhere) where we saw a dozen peacock walking around…

We arrived in Broome mid afternoon – quite humid, just like we expect Darwin to be. We played in the sand at Cable Beach and watched the camels walking on the beach at sunset. Broome seems to go crazy around sunset, dozens of 4WDs go down to Cable Beach to watch the sunset, than half an hour later they all charge back up again!

We let the kids stay up late tonight to watch the Survivor finale on TV (we’ve managed to convert the whole family to be Survivor tragics) until after midnight! We’ll all be tired tomorrow…

Day 55 – May 26 – Broome

We planned out our next few days – lot’s to do in Broome!

This morning we stopped at the Japanese cemetery and strolled around the Chinatown district. We did an excellent tour at the Pearl Luggers museum where we learnt about the early history of Broome and pearling industry – fascinating. Did you know that the Japanese divers (Many of which only weighed 60kg dripping wet) wore diving suits which weighed up to 200kg! We were invited to try on the diving helmet but we declined when we couldn’t even pick it up.

We dropped in at Kimberley bookshop (must have been the same one you liked Pa – great) and stocked up on books for the kids – 12! Hope they’ll last for a while, the kids have been reading voraciously while we’ve been away.

Then we went back to Cable Beach and did a half hour camel ride – something the kids have been looking forward to for the whole trip. It didn’t disappoint – very touristy but well done. We had plenty of time to get to know the camels, the kids could choose which camels they wanted:
- Erin – Rasheedie – very furry and loves eating
- Luke – Daisy – an ex Alice Springs racing camel – a boy with a girl’s name so it didn’t attract many bets (apparently the boys are faster than the girls), and therefore attracted better odds for the owner’s bets – smart… Had very long eyelashes
- Ben – Connor – big camel, quite young at nine years old found in the wild near Mount Connor in NT
Recommended for all travellers to Broome!

Day 56 – May 27 – Broome

Today we dropped in ‘Winnie’ for a 70,000 km service, then we were picked up for our Willie Creek Pearl tour. After picking up a few other tourists at various hotels and accommodation we drove 40km over dodgy dirt roads to the pearl farm in Willie Creek, north of Broome on the road to Cape Leveque. We learnt about the anatomy of an oyster, how a pearl is formed, and how they are farmed. We also went on a boat to look at where the oysters are stored in Willie Creek. While on the boat, we went looking for the crocodile that they had seen ‘yesterday’, and we were shown a bird nest (no bird), etc etc.

Overall pretty lame – they made us spend more time in the shop looking at their range of pearls than anything else. I guess it worked however; we did buy a small freshwater pearl necklace for Erin. The tour was definitely aimed more at grey nomads with fat wallets rather than families with young kids..

Back at the caravan park (and having picked up Winnie) we went for a refreshing swim in the pool, and then went to Gantheaume Point at very low tide to see some 120 million year old dinosaur footprints in the rocks – now that was impressive and it was absolutely free! Then had yummy chinese for dinner in Chinatown – we introduced the kids to the pleasure of Short soup.

Day 57 – May 28 – Broome

Michelle went for an early morning walk on Cable Beach – just like Balmoral in Sydney really, lots of boot camp people exercising, power walkers and parents pushing prams. Cable Beach is a little bit bigger than Balmoral however…

Cable Beach was actually closed today for swimming as someone was stung yesterday by an irukandji jellyfish (one of the most venomous creatures in the world for the uninitiated). Normally they don’t appear this late in the season, especially in Broome. To think – the kids went swimming at the beach just the day before!

This morning was maintenance – cleaning the motorhome, doing several loads of washing. Good to take advantage of decent facilities and a sunny day. Bruce and the kids played minigolf (yay, all the kids got at least one hole-in-one… no arguments), the kids rode bikes round the park, swam in the pool and read heaps of books.

In fact so many books have been read by the kids that we went to a second hand book shop in town to buy more – Erin and Luke in particular seem to be finishing a book a day!

We then went to Town Beach to watch the ‘staircase to the moon’, a phenomenon where a full moon rises over a low tide across the mudflats of Roebuck Bay, creating the impression of stairs up to the moon. There were thousands of people there waiting for the moon to rise at 5:36pm – we thought that it was going to be a disappointment after all the hype, but it was fantastic! We walked out on the flats to watch the moon rise, and Erin & Luke discovered some amazing worms in the mud that glowed with a fluorescent blue light. Only problem was getting stuck in the mud flats (Ben wasn't impressed!).

Day 58 – May 29 – Broome

Ben wanted a ‘school day’ today, so Michelle kept them all in for the morning and made them do homework. She rang the bell and everything! It’s good for the kids to catch up on their homework, we’ve been a bit slack lately.

Bruce washed the outside of the motorhome while all this was going on – so we spent the morning again just like yesterday.

In the afternoon we went to the Cable Beach Crocodile Park just around the corner. It’s owned by a guy called Malcolm Douglas, a local legend who apparently was doing things like Steve Irwin long before Steve did. Not quite as famous as Steve, but then Malcolm is still alive so maybe he’s smarter after all…

The park looked a bit run down – there is another, newer and larger park on the outskirts of Broome, but it was excellent simply because of the number of huge crocs there. We learnt heaps of info about the various crocodile species, with the saltwater crocs being the largest and most aggressive. We did a tour with a guy called Mark who took great delight in teasing the largest saltwater crocs with raw chickens, making them jump up against the fence right in front of us. One of the crocs lost a tooth on the fence – Mark then gave the tooth to Luke for being the keenest kid in the tour. We also held a croc about a year old – but not before his mouth had been held shut by a rubber band.

Rode our bikes down to Cable Beach again to watch the sunset – this time the beach was fairly empty as most of the town was over at Town Beach watching staircase to the moon again. We rode home behind the camels (not too close) and finished another very pleasant day in Broome. Off to Derby tomorrow!

May 17 - 23

Day 46 – May 17 – Cape Range National Park

Michelle and Erin went for an early morning walk on the beach, they had it all to themselves. National Park rules prevents collection of any items, including shells and coral. Big shame, there’s some great stuff there! While they were walking, a shovel nosed ray followed them all the way along the beach.

Later we all did a 3km walk through Mandu Mandu Gorge. We had a serious energy depletion issue but nothing a jelly snake or two couldn’t solve. A tough slog along a dry rocky river bed, but then up to the top and back along the top of the gorge back to the car park. Great views from the top, well worth the effort.

We returned to our camp ground mid afternoon to find it half under water! A combination of high tide plus big swells plus strong winds caused water to be pushed up into the camp site. We turned around to do some snorkelling at Turquoise Bay for a couple of hours (sensational!). On one side of the bay you can enter the beach at one end and let the current drift you along, over the coral bommies to the other end of the beach. Just beautiful, spectacular coral and hordes of amazing fish. The fish are unafraid of humans as well – once a school of over 100 fish surrounded us! Later we returned to our camp site to see the water had subsided with the lower tide (a bit…)

Day 47 – May 18 – Cape Range National Park

We drove down to Yardie Creek this morning, where we did a 1 hour hike up through the gorge. More beautiful red cliffs. We then did a 1 hour boat cruise up the creek and learnt about the local flora (rock wallabies and egrets), fauna (red and white mangroves) and environment (ancient rock formations in the gorge). The water level was very high (the highest the ranger had ever seen) – we were wondering whether our camp site was going to be inundated again!

We decided to go back to Turquoise Bay again, where we did the Drift snorkel again – just fantastic. Nice and warm in the water. We stayed a while and let the kids have fun in the water.

Small world – at our camp site we met a lady from Wingham (near Taree in NSW). That night we went crab hunting with torches on the beach back at Lakeside. Ben counted 21 crabs – some small, some v. big. The kids were a bit scared when we were between the crabs and their holes, and they would run towards us (Bruce and Michelle were unafraid of course…) The biggest surprise was seeing the biggest crab of the night waiting for us at the step of our motorhome! Erin was screaming and Ben was in tears.. Luke said ‘we are never going out at night again’!

Day 48 – May 19 – Cape Range National Park -> House Creek Bridge

Michelle and Erin went for a final snorkel at Lakeside in the morning. Quite sunny so the visibility was good, the fish were particularly bright. The Wrasse (lovely purple, pink, green and peach colours) and the Moorish Idol (think ‘Gil’ from Finding Nemo) were a highlight. They got a fright when they small two rays – one small but one behemoth (5 foot wingspan and 6 foot long tail). They were the same colour as the sand so only saw it when they were right on top of them! Made a quick getaway…

We restocked with food, fuel, gas etc in Exmouth and then headed inland for the Pilbara. Beautiful drive – through the red soil, yellow spinifex, green bushes and purple mountain ranges as the afternoon daylight faded away. We drove during dusk, and we found out why this is not advisable – we had to stop several times for cows which were perched on the road.

Day 49 – May 20 – House Creek Bridge -> Karijini National Park

We continued driving towards Tom Price, dodging cows, kangaroos, corellas and road trains. Quick stop in Tom Price for tourist info and then on to Karijini National Park in the Hammersley Ranges. At Karijini we had our first shower in 5 days – good to have clean hair and put on clean clothes…

We settled at Dales camp ground, which provides good sites in a bush setting. The kids rode bikes around and worked on some activity sheets provided by the ranger. We had a roast for dinner (not bad for camping…, thanks to the Winnebago) – Ben said “Nothing could be better than this!”

NB: Far less flies than we had expected – bonus!

Day 50 – May 21 – Karijini National Park

Awesome day! We hiked from our camp site around the rim of Dales Gorge, then down into the gorge to Fortescue Falls. Spent the rest of the day (4 hours) swimming in the cool water under the Falls, lazing like lizards on the rocks in the sun, walking to Fern Pool for another swim and shower under a waterfall, then lunch, another swim at Fortescue Falls, etc, etc…

Not much more to mention, but what a day!

Day 51 – May 22 – Karijini National Park

Another great day in Dales Gorge. This time we hiked along the floor of the gorge from Fortescue Falls to Circular Pool and back, about an hour each way. A very pretty and exciting walk, as there a number of creek crossings on precarious slippery stepping stones. Somehow we managed the walk without any slips and broken bones, and had a swim in Circular Pool – very cool, clear, deep water completely surrounded on 3 sides by steep cliff faces. Back at Fortescue Falls we did more swimming, more lazing, more sitting in the waterfall. Michelle and Erin went back to Fern Pool for a massage (from the waterfall) and a pedicure (from the little fish nibbling their feet).

Day 52 – May 23 – Karijini National Park -> Port Hedland

Big driving day today, from Karijini to Port Hedland. Played lots of games in the car, Michelle did spelling tests with the kids. Ben learnt how to spell ‘palaeontology’ – did I spell that right?

We’re not impressed with Port Hedland – obviously not built for looks but for functionality to the mining industry. Quite impressive for ports, ships, trains and piles of salt and iron ore however. Amazing to see how much infrastructure is required for a large mining company these days.

May 11 - 16

Day 40 – May 11 – Denham

Luke sat 2 (out of 4) NAPLAN tests this morning at Shark Bay School. Only a small school which has K-12 – only eight students in year 3. The school is only four years old (brand new!), and has a very friendly principal.

We walked through the town and saw the excellent Discovery Centre, showing the history of the area and describing why Shark Bay is one of the few places in the world that satisfy all four requirements of World Heritage listing : History, Evolution, Natural Beauty and Threatened Species.

We saw an emu walking down the main street (!), and a turtle off the main jetty. We collected some sea shells and Ben made sushi with the seaweed. We also saw some interesting local buildings made from compacted shell bricks cut from the quarry at Hamelin Pool. Fishing is the big recreation at Denham, lots of boats go out every day from the jetty. Apparently Shark Bay is excellent for fish, particularly pink snapper. The geography of Shark Bay means that they can get both cold water and tropical species.

Day 41 – May 12 – Denham

We got up while it was still dark to get to Monkey Mia to see the dolphin feeding. Fortunately Bruce had found out from a fellow traveller the night before that first feeding was before 7:30, so we arrived just after 7am to find the dolphins already there for their feeding! Eight dolphins came as close as a metre to us while we were standing knee deep in the water. An amazing experience (even though we were sharing it with 100 others…) For some reason the rangers fed the dolphins themselves (usually they pick people at random to feed them). We saw one dolphin Nikki who had been visiting the beach to be fed every day for 34 years. The dolphins then came back again for a total of three feedings – but all over by 8am! Good thing we were told to get there early.

We relaxed on the beach, paddling in the cold water and playing beach volleyball. Bruce amazed the dolphins with his old volleyball skills (not really).

Back in Denham we went fishing off the jetty. Erin caught 3 little puffer fish (or was it the same fish getting caught 3 times?), and Luke hooked a huge fish but it jumped off just before we landed it. We saw a charter boat come in with nine passengers and fifty huge beautiful fish. We had to be satisfied with some pink snapper and whiting that we bought from the local fish market for dinner. Yum!

Day 42 – May 13 – Denham -> Carnarvon (Blow holes)

Luke did his final two NAPLAN tests this morning (hooray!). There were three kids from out of town doing their NAPLAN tests there, a girl from ACT, another girl from Dubbo as well as Luke. The staff at the school, especially Kay and Rebecca were very friendly and helpful.

We visited Ocean Park Aquarium on the way out of Denham, which had a number of tanks with fish, sharks, eels, stingrays, turtles and other creatures. Ben was splashed by a cheeky fish! We saw the only tiger shark in captivity in Australia being fed – an awesome sight.

We camped behind the sand dunes at the Blowholes near Carnarvon. The campsites were along a two km stretch of road behind the sand dunes. The caretaker had a small windmill to power his fridge, and there was a collection of little shanty shacks made of corrugated iron. It was very windy, apparently unusually. Still people fishing off the beach, we saw one man catch a very large fish.

Day 43 – May 14 – Carnarvon (Blowholes) -> Coral Bay

Unluckily for us, the swell was coming from the wrong direction for the blowholes to be performing at their best (apparently 20m on a good day), but it was still an impressive sight. Looked like a lunar landscape, covered in salt pools, leading to a rugged cliff with fierce waves.

While driving we saw heaps of animals, including emus, cattle, goats and kangaroos. Two emus ran across the road in front of us, and a flock of 20 pink breasted cockatoos flew right in front of us. Erin walked across water over the Gascoyne River at Carnarvon. The Gascoyne runs underground, so all you can see is a sandy river bed about 50 wide. It provides fertile ground for local banana plantations and other tropical fruit.

Coral Bay is a cute little town but packed with tourists and backpackers. Way too busy for us. We’re staying in a nice caravan park in a fantastic spot, right across from the beach. Even has grass and trees! Erin, Luke and Michelle went snorkelling from the beach – amazing – there were huge 60cm snapper, and great coral.

Day 44 – May 15 – Coral Bay

Bruce not feeling well this morning (bad headache, obviously not getting enough sleep – only 11 hours a night!). We stayed around the caravan park while he rested. The kids made a couple of friends so they happily amused themselves playing tip and flying kites. Very windy day.

At midday we did a glass bottom boat coral viewing and snorkelling tour in a boat called the Sub-sea explorer – we actually sat below the level of the water and looked out the side through glass panels. Just like a moving aquarium. The whole floor of the bay is carpeted in coral. Amazing shapes and structures, although not much in colour. Hundreds of gorgeous colourful fish, Erin even spotted a turtle. Erin, Luke and Michelle went snorkelling amongst the fish (great experience!) while Ben and Bruce stayed on the boat. Pizza for dinner – a treat!

Day 45 – May 16 – Coral Bay -> Cape Range National Park

Up before day break today, to get to the Cape Range National Park just after 8am to queue for a campsite. We left Coral Bay in the dark at 6am and drove towards the rising sun, a lovely pink/orange sky.

Luckily there were 4 campsites available so we chose one at Lakeside – a pretty spot near the beach and close to a snorkel site. Only 7 sites in the whole campsite – much quieter and more peaceful than the caravan park at Coral Bay.

We checked out the Visitors Centre, by riding our bikes 1km on a very bumpy dirt ride – Ben did particularly well!

We then did some snorkelling at Lakeside – excellent coral, teeming with fishof all colours, shapes and sizes. Saw a shovel nose ray and a manta ray. We all skipped stones. Ben made a good effort with 3, Erin 5, Luke 7 and Bruce did an all time personal best of 9! (Small things…) We watched kangaroos on the beach while the sun set. Can’t get better than this!

May 4 - 10

Day 33 – May 4 – Busselton -> Fremantle

We spent a pleasant two hours on Bunbury beach at the Dolphin Discovery Centre waiting to see some dolphins. They’re supposed to come close to shore not unlike the Monkey Mia experience, but things sounded ominous when the lady who took our money ‘prayed’ for dolphins today. We did see two dolphins from a distance but none came to the beach to be fed as we had hoped. Oh well – we enjoyed looking at the interesting discovery centre and talking to the very enthusiastic volunteers.

After Bunbury we detoured to Donnybrook which has the biggest free playground in Australia. Amazing! Spent two hours and had a BBQ lunch there. Lovely drive up the coast, and enjoyed an outdoor art exhibition at Rockingham. Stayed at our favourite caravan park – Fremantle Village. (We let the kids stay up to watch Survivor – their favourite show!)

Day 34 – May 5 – Rottnest Island

One of our best days yet! A big bike riding day on Rottnest Island. We cycled from the caravan park (8am) to the ferry terminal and caught a ferry to the island (30 minutes). What a great, relaxing place! No cars, just people cycling and strolling around. The island is about 11km by 4km, so a good size for cycling. No dramatic hills. On arrival we spotted two dolphins, then a quokka. The kids had a try at fishing (thanks to a friendly tourist), and Erin caught a herring!

Later we saw some huge stingrays, a peacock and lots more quokkas (Erin & Luke counted 32 in total). We braved the cool water to go snorkelling at the Basin and saw heaps of fish. After the ferry ride home we had fish and chips in Fremantle, then cycled back to the motorhome just on dark (6:30). Fantastic day!

PS. Check out Bruce's beard!

Day 35 – May 6 – Fremantle -> Cervantes

Long drive out of Perth, to arrive in Cervantes just after lunch. We checked into the local caravan park (not much accommodation choice in Cervantes), and after a rest we spent a couple of hours at Nambung National Park wandering amongst the Pinnacles. We were disappointed to hear that the Winnebago was too wide to drive through the Pinnacles, but we took the walk and got up nice and close anyway. Very eerie, thousands of limestone rocks jutting out of the sand. The kids amused themselves playing ‘poo tip’ – where Ben pretends to pick up dried animal poo and the other kids try to avoid him – lots of fun.

Day 36 – May 7 – Cervantes -> Coronation Beach

From Cervantes we drove along the coast road through Dongara and then on to Geraldton. We saw the amazing leaning trees, that have been blown over by the constant wind (yes, more windmills in Geraldton!). In Geraldton we had lunch next to a water playground, and we let Ben and Luke get themselves soaked.

At the great Geraldton Museum we learnt about all the shipwrecks in the local area, in particular the Batavia which was wrecked in 1627. An amazing story, the survivors of the shipwreck experienced a subsequent mutiny, where over 100 of the survivors were massacred. They showed a movie which dramatised the events, in all their gory detail. Good thing we were warned not to let the kids see it!

We stopped in briefly at the brand new memorial to the HMAS Sydney II – which was sunk in a naval battle with the German ship Kormoran in 1941.

At Coronation Beach camping site we at fresh prawns and Mullaway fish (which we had bought at the docks in Geraldton) while watching a beautiful sunset.

Day 37 – May 8 – Coronation Beach –> Kalbarri

Beautiful drive along the coastal road through Kalbarri National Park, lots of scenic lookouts on the cliffs. At the Natural Bridge lookout we saw a large pod of dolphins from the cliff top, and we nearly got blown away at the Red Bluff lookout.

At Kalbarri we relaxed at the pool in the caravan park, and in the evening we went to an outdoor cinema where we saw ‘How to Train Your Dragon’. Great experience, they provided very relaxing chairs and we ate pizza and ice cream. The kids watched the movie from their sleeping bags – a fun night!

Day 38 – May 9 – Kalbarri -> Nerren Nerren

Mothers Day! First stop was by Murchison river in Kalbarri where we saw two pelicans being fed. Very entertaining. We then rode pedal boats on the river for a while and set off to see Kalbarri National Park. We had received advice from the Visitor’s Centre not to attempt the dirt road to the main gorges, so we satisfied ourselves by stopping at Hawks Head lookout and also walked down to the river for a look. Very hot (even in May!) and so many flies! We’ll have to try out our fly gauze hat covers at the next stop…

We stopped at Nerren Nerren camp site (just off the highway) – still lots of flies, but we had a great camp fire and sausage BBQ when they died down. We were treated to an impromptu fireworks show by one of our neighbours, but they weren’t nearly as colourful as the language of one of the other campers who said that the crackers were scaring his dogs…. Luke made damper in the fire coals for dessert – excellent!

Day 39 – May 10 – Nerren Nerren – Denham

More driving – but the country looks and feels like the Nullarbor again. Long stretches of red dirt and shrubs with a roadhouse every now and then. No grass, very few trees.

At Hamelin Pool we saw the stromatolites – the oldest living organisms on the planet. Stromatolites were the king of living things for 2 billion years, and helped produce enough oxygen in the atmosphere to promote more advanced life forms. They didn’t look like much, but amazing to think that that was how life started…

Stopped at Shell Beach which consists of millions and millions of tiny shells. Still heaps of flies, so not particularly pleasant to stay for long. We also stopped at Eagle Bluff which shows an excellent view over the water in Shark Bay, and saw the vast fields of Sea Grass which feeds 10% of the world’s population of Dugongs (didn’t see any of these however).

In Denham we’re staying at Seaside Caravan Park, nearby to the school where Luke will do the NAPLAN test (which Michelle has arranged).

May 1 - 3

Day 30 – May 1 – Shannon -> Augusta

Been going for a month already! We’re definitely getting used to living like this… We spent the day amidst tall tree forests. Went to Pemberton and saw the giant Bicentennial tree (75m tall) and the Gloucester tree (65m tall). They’re both used as bushfire lookout towers on top of giant Karri trees. Visitors (ie. us…) can actually climb to the top on very precarious metal poles placed around and spiralling up the tree trunk. Seems so dangerous, we can’t believe they let tourists climb up without safety gear. If you slipped, that’s it, it’s all over…

We went on a 2 hour tram ride from Pemberton to the Cascades (a small waterfall) and Arthur River – pretty lame trip. The driver loved the sound of his own voice and astounded us all with intricate details of the local tree species.

Later we did a brief walk to a suspension bridge over some other falls, and camped at a pretty camp site next to a river near Augusta – Alexandra Bridge (had a great BBQ over a camp fire!).


Day 31 – May 2 – Augusta -> Cowaramup

Glorious day in Margaret River! A great place, lots of fun for both kids and adults. We:
1. Saw Cape Leeuwin lighthouse – the tallest lighthouse in mainland Australia – at the point where the Indian and Southern Oceans meet. Some very interesting ocean currents, very rough!
2. We did a tour in Jewel Cave, the largest of many amazing caves in the region. Was only discovered in the 50’s, it’s very well looked after and in great condition.
3. Now a winery for Mum & Dad – Leeuwin Estate – excellent!
4. One for the kids – A Maze’n – Margaret River hedge maze. We usually love mazes, but this one was mediocre, one hedge maze and two smaller puzzles – all over in less than an hour and we’d forked out $60.

5. Afternoon tea of scones, jam and cream + ice chocolates at the Berry Farm. Yum! Bought some jam and pickles too.
6. Stayed at Taunton Farm Caravan Park. This was great, it really feels like we are staying on someone’s farm – the kids fed the animals. They then met some new friends, AND there’s a bouncy pillow. Couldn’t ask for more…

Day 32 – May 3 – Cowaramup -> Busselton

What a decadent day! We overindulged so many times today we all felt so sick…

First up we went to the Chocolate Factory for morning tea and couldn’t believe our eyes when we walked into a huge room full of chocolate. Free tastings! We had ‘real’ hot chocolate and chocolate fondue – tasted delicious but all soooo…. rich! We stocked up on chocolate supplies in preparation for the long drive north.

We followed this up with some more wineries and breweries – some with great playgrounds (good to see the wineries have figured out that parents with young kids can be a lucrative demographic!), then a nice drive to Canal Rocks, then Yallingup Beach and Cape Naturaliste lighthouse.

Afternoon tea at the quirky and yummy Simmo’s icecream – an icecream shop in the middle of nowhere with 39 obscure flavours. We had liquorice, blood orange, bubblegum, tiramisu and roasted macadamia. Our favourite was a sign outside – ‘Kids left unattended will be given a double espresso and a free puppy’.

The 1.8km jetty at Busselton was undergoing renovation so we could only walk on the first 20m… We stopped in a quiet bush campsite by the side of the road – and were then joined by 4 other vehicles in the next ten minutes!

April 26 - 30

Day 25 – April 26 – Perth (Fremantle)

Stayed in Fremantle all day today – we spent the morning cleaning the motorhome inside and out. It was very dusty so took a while..

We then caught the free local bus (public transport in Fremantle puts Sydney to shame…) into town and saw the sites. A great day, even though there were lots of people around due to the public holiday. We went to Fremantle Prison for a tour – which was very good. A very large prison which was used in convict times and finally closed in 1991. Peter our tour guide regaled us with various tales of life during the various stages of the prison – we were shown the cells, exercise yards and also the flogging rack and gallows – where many prisoners were hanged over the years.

Great walking around Fremantle afterwards, we walked through vibrant streets and markets towards the docks where we had an early dinner of Fish and Chips at Cicerello’s. Tomorrow we’re off to get the motorhome fixed up and back to the southwest!

Day 26 – April 27 – Perth (Fremantle) -> Bannister

Today was all about maintenance! We went to Winnebago in Maddington (sw Perth) first thing where they squeezed us in to their schedule and fixed our water pump (ended up just being a dodgy switch that needed some tweaking) and our external shower (longer job, had to be completely replaced). They were very good however, they made sure we were all set to go and didn’t charge us full time for their labour. We then dropped in at a bicycle shop called ‘CycleBuzz’ where we fixed Ben’s bike and the co-pilot bike, and finally we had the windscreen replaced at Windscreens O’Brien. That took longer, so we caught a cab back to Fremantle and went to the Maritime Museum – we saw Australia II which won the America’s Cup, but the highlight was a guided tour through HMAS Ovens, a decommissioned submarine. A very technical tour, our guide actually served on the submarine in his younger days and insisted on describing in detail how the sonar, periscope, weapons and virtually every other system worked. Ben says he now knows everything about missiles, torpedos, and mines! Amazing to think that over 60 men served for weeks (sometimes months) on end on board.

When the windscreen was finally fixed, we headed out of town and started driving southwest – we made it to a roadside rest stop at Bannister. We’ve had a couple of restful days in Perth waiting to get the Winnebago fixed, but now time to head back into the countryside…

Day 27 – April 28 – Bannister -> Albany

We drove down towards Albany, and discovered that Mt Barker is yet another wine region – we browsed the wineries and racked our brains for all the wines we’ve enjoyed (note – we are definitely not wine connoisseurs), and the only one we recognised was Plantaganet. We dropped in and bought a couple of bottles. Good timing since our supply from SA had just run out. Hopefully this will keep us going until Margaret River!

We then went to Porongorup National Park and climbed Mount Hawley. It was a steep 1.7km climb up and then back down again. Ben was very reluctant – we had to cajole him every step. It was only at the very top that Bruce had to carry him, so he did well. Lot’s of nice trees but no view until we got to the very top, and then the view was spoiled by the haze – which we found out later was caused by the farmers burning off large parts of their properties in the region. Great exercise though!

In Albany we went to a very helpful information centre, and then went to Emu Point caravan park. Very nice – but very expensive… The kids wanted to stay there because it had a bouncy pillow. After we had settled the kids then came and said that it was closed! We said to jump the fence and use it anyway..

Day 28 – April 29 – Albany -> Cosy Corner

First up was the War Memorial right at the top of Mount Clarence, just up from the centre of Albany town. The 1st ever Anzac Day service was held here. There were still some wreaths from the 2010 service on display.

We spent a few hours at ‘Whale World’, which used to be a whaling station (in fact the last active whaling station in Australia, it only closed in 1978). It is now a museum devoted to whales and the whaling industry. We saw some great films about whales and catching them, we did a tour of the station where we heard in gory detail how they cut up and processed the whales, and we explored a whaling ship – called a Chaser. Quite vivid and gruesome photos and descriptions. There is a skeleton of a pygmy blue whale (washed up on shore one day in Albany in the 70’s), which is 22m long! Still quite staggering when we were told that Blue Whales can reach 34m in length.

We saw some more rock formations called the Gap and the Natural Bridge – very impressive but still don’t stack up to the Apostles! And we saw another wind farm, this time with towers 65m high and blades 35m long. Apparently the wind farm serves 50% of Albany’s power needs, and they’re thinking about building more turbines.

Dropped in to Woollies to stock up – and we have this down pat now. Michelle writes up 3 lists – one for Erin/Luke, one for Bruce/Ben, and she gets the complex things. Very efficient, the whole thing was done in 20 minutes!

Albany was a great place, a very pretty town in a huge protected harbour. Definitely a place to come back to!

Day 29 – April 30 – Cosy Corner -> Shannon

We stopped in at Denmark information centre, and were surprised to find the world’s largest barometer! It is 12 metres high – and every six minutes the water drops down and then goes back up towards the top when a vacuum is introduced to the top of the tube. The kids loved racing the water level up to the top of the stairs! When the water reaches the top it then boils, even though the temperature is only 20 degrees Celsius, because of the vacuum. We also heard the sound of a ringing bell gradually disappear as a vacuum was introduced into a jar – proves that in space no-one can hear you scream! The whole exhibit was constructed by a Dutch man who emigrated to Australia (Denmark) in the early 90’s. Fascinating – and unexpected!

The kids went swimming (Brrr!) at Greens Pool, a lovely calm huge rock pool, and then made Elephant skin with the grey sand at Elephant Rocks. Afterwards we dropped in at a Meadery to have honey ice cream, on our way to Dinosaur World. Sounds impressive but was a couple of dinosaur skeletons, with reptiles and birds. We arrived at the right time so the kids handled lizards, snakes and birds. Michelle was befriended by a cockatoo named Eddy that kept following her around and pecking her toes. Some friend!

We took refuge from the inclement weather inside the giant Tingle trees at the Valley of the Giants Treetops walk. Very impressive, but we were more impressed with the Otway fly back in Victoria. It was excellent driving through the tall tree forests of Walpole National Park, and we stayed in the very spacious and picturesque Shannon National Park campground. One of the best yet! We toasted marshmallows around our camp fire (we have resolved that Michelle is much better than Bruce at starting a fire), and drifted off to sleep surrounded by Karri and Jarrah trees. One of our best days!

April 22 - 25

Day 21 – April 22 – Kalgoorlie Boulder -> Grass Patch

Did a big clothes wash this morning at the caravan park – 5 loads – once it was hung on the line the heavens opened.. We checked the weather forecast to hear that there was a 90% chance of rain – pays to check in advance next time! Who would have thought that we would have rain in Kalgoorlie…

Then we found out that the Super Pit observation deck was open again after the earthquake – Yeah! Amazing… Huge hole dug out and blasted – 3.5km x 1.5km and 500 m deep. We saw the huge mining trucks and diggers cart tonnes of rubble out of the pit.

We then went to the Royal Flying Doctor base at Kalgoorlie airport where we listened to some information on the history and current operations – very impressive, the service was the first of its kind in the world and still more extensive than any other. We then head off towards Esperance but didn’t make it – stayed at a small town called Grass Patch where the kids befriended a family of black cats – what was that superstition again?

Day 22 – April 23 – Grass Patch -> Lucky Bay

Spent the day at Cape Le Grande National Park 50km east of Esperance. We started walking up Frenchman’s Peak (named because the top of the mountain looks a little like a Legionnaire’s hat), but it turned very overcast and windy. The scramble over the rocks was very steep so Michelle, Erin and Ben stayed down the bottom while Bruce and Luke continued up the top. Up the top the rain started, so B & L took shelter in a cave right at the top – they waited until the rain stopped before they came down, but it was very slippery and dangerous. In some places they had to clamber down like crabs – no more mountain climbing for us for a while…

Dropped in at Thistle Cove – more rocks but it wasn’t raining and the kids had great fun rock hopping.

We camped at Lucky Bay camp site – a gorgeous long white sandy beach with turquoise and aqua coloured water. Would have been great for a swim but very cold! The sand was the whitest and finest we had ever seen. Ben loved making ‘sand balls’ – he wanted to take one home with us… We took refuge from the gusty windy weather in the motorhome and spent a few hours playing cards (taught the kids how to play patience), while Michelle cooked roast dinner and surprise slice in the over – a perfect end to the day.


Day 23 – April 24 – Lucky Bay -> Wave Rock

We all woke up just after six and went for a hike over the headland to Thistle Cove and back – a great walk, we saw the sunrise. Ben got wet shoes and socks in the first five minutes so Bruce carried him!

We drove through Esperance and along the 40km scenic Great Ocean Drive. We saw beautiful white beaches and a windmill farm (Esperance was the first location in Australia to have a wind farm). The kids went swimming in their clothes at Twilight Beach (voted Australia’s best beach in 2006).

Then drove to Wave Rock through vast open plains and wheat fields under a big light blue sky. Got there just in time to see the rock in twilight – huge! 15m high & 110m long..

Day 24 – April 25 – Wave Rock -> Perth (Fremantle)

We surfed Wave Rock in the morning, and walked over it – the colours are very pretty – orange, red, white and black stripes. Wave Rock is part of the larger Hyden Rock – it was amazing to stand on top of it, great views of the wheat plains extending out to the horizon.


The water pump stopped working today, and Bruce also broke the outside shower tap – both problems beyond us – so we decided to drive straight to Perth to get them fixed (as well as the cracked windscreen). We’ll go back to the southwest corner afterwards.

In Hyden we had learnt that there was an AFL game on tonight at Subiaco – Fremantle vs Richmond. Luke had always talked about seeing an AFL game while we were on the holiday, so tonight was the chance! We managed to get 2nd row tickets right behind the goals (don’t know how we managed that!). The warm-up was interesting – hundreds of footballs coming at us from all angles – good thing they had a net up between us and the field! Fantastic experience overall – the atmosphere, the crowd, the junk food, and of course the football. We decided to support Richmond even though we were surrounded by thousands of screaming Dockers fans (never felt threatened though) – Richmond had a great first quarter and scored six goals (at our end!), so we saw the players up close. Fremantle recovered and ending up winning convincingly. We left at three quarter time to escape the crowds, and then drove to Fremantle to stay at a caravan park.