We're in the sunshine!!

Thursday 15^th August, 2013

Hello Family and Friends,

Well it’s the two wondering travelers- sun tanned, relaxed and “happy-little-vegemites-as-we-are-on-the-bitumen”. Sorry to harp on about this but it is such a different ride when you are on a lovely smooth surface. You can actually read your book instead of making small talk with the other people in the car. Oh, that would be Anthony!!

On dirt you can’t do anything, other than hang on, and to read a HEMA map that has smallish writing and is about 10 x A4 in size, well that was like doing calisthenics sitting down!! But that has all changed as we are now on the bitumen. Yippee! OK, I’ll stop now!!

We are currently at a place called Nanutarra Road House which is on the North West Coastal Highway. This morning we left Karijini National Park and tomorrow we will be in Cape Range National Park, right on the coast. It was too far to drive from one place to the other in one day so we have split it here and this is just like every other Road House in the world- not flash. There are trucks going past all the time so it’s not all that quiet and the amenities are very basic, although there is a flushing toilet and a shower and you don’t have that in National Parks so I shouldn’t be too picky. A little while ago I spied some washing on a line so I went and asked where the washing machines were. This Irish lad (who I could barely understand until my ear twigged to his accent) showed me where they were. I asked how much and he said nothing. Well all of a sudden my little bit of hand washing went BIG- the queen size sheets and pillow cases, all the towels and everything that was dirty. This was way too much of a good opportunity. Most caravan parks charge $4 a load and the wash is not that good. This load looked great as I hung it on the line a little while ago. Some one is smiling on me, or is it that I smell bad!?!

Port Hedland 

parks & harbor

Since my last blog at 80 Mile Beach, we have spent 2 days in Port Hedland (where we had the Prado serviced) and 4 days in Karijini National Park.  Karijini is the most beautiful National Park (NP). There used to be 2 separate camping grounds here, but one has been converted to an Eco Resort which is run by some of the local Aborigines and is now very expensive. We decided to spend 4 days in the ‘Dales’ camping area and would just do one big day trip to the other end of the NP so that we could still see everything that there was to see. It worked out really well as we did stuff in the mornings, relaxed a bit in the afternoons, watched TV then went to bed. And not packing up, moving and setting up every day was also a bonus!!

Circular Pool, Karijini

Layer upon layer...

Fern Pool- Dales camp ground

Dale Gorge walk

The gorges, walks and swimming holes at every place in the NP are just gorgeous, but the water is really cold, so we didn't swim here! It really is like a hidden gem in the middle of the outback.

Thursday 22^nd August, 2013

Hello folks, I’m back. Sorry about the “break in transmission” but we have been a bit busy!!

A train from Port Headland heading to Newman- whoa!!

After our one night at the Nanutarra Roadhouse- one night was enough!- we headed to Exmouth then around to Cape Range National Park. Now this place is superb- terrific camp sites, pristine beaches and brilliant snorkeling all the way along the coast. Boy, did we have fun here!!!!

We booked in online (while we were in Pt Hedland) which was great as the place was fully booked out. As soon as people leave in the mornings, any unbooked sites get snapped up at 8am in the morning, which until this year was at 6.30am in the morning!!! But this place is sooo popular. As we drove out after our 3 night stay, it was about 8.30am when we passed the Ranger’s “check in hut” and there were 13 vehicles waiting to get a site. Book on line my friends, it’s easier!!

 

Kurrajong- by day and night

We stayed at a camping area called Kurrajong and it, along with the camp hosts John and Christine, were just lovely. Anthony and I would go snorkeling on the reef, which was just in front of our camp site, every mid-morning and afternoon. On our first snorkel we saw parrot fish, angel fish and black and white nemo’s. It really was just like swimming in an aquarium as there was so much to see.

A place to clean your fish!!

One morning we headed to nearby Turquoise Bay where you can “drift snorkel”. You put your towel and stuff on the beach then walk about 400 metres further along the beach. You get into the water and snorkel and with the very strong current, you just drift back alkng the beach. Before you know it you lift your head up to check where you are and you’re almost back where you left your towel!! We did the “drift” 3 times- it was so much fun!! And the coral was totally different looking to the coral at our beach which made it interesting. And we saw a turtle- unbelievable!!

Torquoise Bay- superb!

After 3 days at Cape Range NP we headed to Coral Bay. This place is small- really small, but it has 2 HUGE caravan parks, as the water and beaches here are beautiful and the weather is fantastic. Again we went snorkeling every morning and afternoon on a reef just off the swimming beach. There were totally different coral formations here and a great array of fish. The snapper were right there in the water as soon as your went under to snorkel, and they were HUGE!! As I came in one afternoon there were 3 small aboriginal kids playing in the shallows near where the water gets deep. They were so excited that “these huge fish were just there”. When I got to the shallows 2 of them asked me if I had “been out there”. I said yes and they asked were there more fish out there and I said there were lots and lots- both big and small. One piped up and said “why wasn’t I still out there”, to which I said I was getting too cold. I don’t think he really understood, but I desperately needed a hot shower!

Coral Bay- a popular spot, great for a 50th

It was here in Coral Bay that I celebrated my actual birthday. As Anthony and I had been out to dinner in Broome, we just had a lovely meal in the camper and some champagne and strawberries afterwards. It was a lovely day as the weather was fantastic, we went snorkeling (twice!) and I did not lift a finger all day- only to pick up my champagne glass! I know the weather in Adelaide was horrible all day so I was doubly pleased to be away from the cold!!

After Coral Bay we headed to Carnarvon. This is a very working class town with about 6 caravan parks!! The one we selected was a relatively newish one and it was really nice- the amenities were gorgeous!! When we turned up it already had a FULL sign out the front so again it was really lucky that we had called a few days ahead to book in.

Hello Moon, are you there?

As you drive in to Carnarvon, you can see this huge satellite dish. This was the one that NASA used during the space trips in the 60’s and 70’s, including the Apollo moon landing. We visited the space museum which was very interesting. Astronaut Buzz Aldrin visited Carnarvon last year for the 50 year anniversary of the moon landing. He went to the local school and took questions from the kids. One child asked “What did you do when the circuit breaker broke on one of the buttons that you needed to land?”. Buzz said, with a very serious look on his face, “how did you know about that?” The whole audience cracked up!

Today we have arrived in Shark Bay and the water from the Esplanade is just blue- pure blue! The place has a very beachy feel to it, and again our forward booking got us a great caravan site, as both local caravan parks are fully booked. Funny thing is most of the caravans we have seen in the past week or so have been West Australian plated. These WA-ers definitely don’t like being in the cold!!

The view from our bedroom (from the camper) at Shark Bay!!

The day after tomorrow we are off to Monkey Mia which at the moment stands to be the most expensive place in the whole of Australia!!! Stay tuned… more to follow.

Just remember folks, it is almost the end of August and the cold is nearly over for the year. And to brighten your day, it is 4 months until Christmas. Now that stopped you thinking about the cold, didn’t it!!!

Stay happy and safe,

Love Anthony and Julie xxooxx