Jurien Bay

Leaving Geraldton, we followed the Indian Ocean Coastal Hwy towards Perth. Our next, and last stop before Perth is Jurien Bay. We've heard some good reports about this seaside spot. Along the way we stopped in and had a look at the towns of Dongara and Point Denison, both seaside holiday spots, then stopped in at Leeman, where it was time for morning tea, and we found a lovely little place near the boat ramp.

The new jetty at Jurien Bay

We drove into Jurien Bay a little after lunchtime, and checked into the Jurien Bay Top Tourist Park, right beside the main beach. We found the staff very obliging, and set ourselves up on a nice site, though again we were back on the crushed shell base, and here it is like concrete. Trying to put a peg in the ground for the awning tie down, was impossible. having seen me bend two pegs, Tony the manager came over with a drill! The caravan park is in the middle of town, so we head off for a look around. It is a modern little place, with lots of new subdivisions. It is obviously a popular place with retirees and holiday makers, and the town has all the facilities you would need for a longer stay. Almost everyone has a fishing boat, so I assume fishing is good. The water is a beautiful turquoise blue, and the wind has died down a bit. However, for this visit, we are only here for three days.

Welcome to Cervantes.

John at the Pinnacles.

Next day, we head off down the road for another 30 kms, to the small town of Cervantes, the gateway to the amazing desert Nation Park that is The Pinnacles. What an amazing job they have done to make The Pinnacles available to tourists. After paying your park entry fee at the gate, or in our case showing our annual pass, you head off and follow the well marked track out into the

The track winds its
way through the rocks.

desert. It is quite stunning, with acres of yellow sand studded

Lots and lots of rocks.

with thousands of small, and not so small, columns of stone. Some are rounded, some are pointed. Some are in clusters and some just stand alone. There are plenty of places to pull off the track and walk among the stone columns. A visit to the Interpretive Centre, only adds to the mystery of the Pinnacles, as quite unbelievably, scientists really don't know how these stunning rock formations were formed. One theory is that it is the remains of a forest, petrified, another theory says it may have resulted from volcanic activity. They just don't know. We wandered around for some time, climbing up to the Desert View Lookout, just trying to take it all in.

A couple
of good looking crays.

So many crayfish!

Back into Cervantes we went. This is another nice little seaside town, popular with holiday makers. It is also home to a pretty famous little family business called "The Lobster Shack". Now, we just have to call in and check this place out. It is quite the business. Operating as Indian Ocean Seafoods, the now fourth generation of cray fishermen, bring in 550,000 tonnes of crayfish per year! This is their quota. The Crays are processed, and shipped live, by air, all over the world, but mostly to Japan, China and other Asian markets. The crays are put to sleep for their flight, and will remain "unconscious" for 36 hours, long enough to get them to most parts of the world. We did a factory tour, which was absolute torture! This is an unbelievable business, automated and so clean and well organised. The crays come straight from the boats, are cleansed for 48 hours in seawater, then readied for live export. We have never seen so many crayfish! They grade them by size, starting at around 500grams, and

Delicious!

I'll have this one!

maxing out at over 1.65 kilograms. We were amazed to learn that the crayfish industry is Australia's largest seafood export industry, generating around $600 million in revenue a year! You can buy them from the shop, starting at around $25.00 each, or better still you can eat in at the Lobster Shack Cafe, which is what we did. There are lots of choices and sizes to choose from. The meal is cooked fresh while you wait, and comes served with chips and salad. Delicious!! There was no shortage of patrons, with a high proportion of Japanese, on tours. We had a talk to one of the owners, who told us an hilarious story of his attempts at getting into the Russian market. It was a story of graft and corruption as they managed to get live lobsters into Russia, carried in their luggage!! Their proposed wholesaler helped along the way, telling them it was the only way, as if they'd tried to ship them in, they would have been "confiscated" by customs and never seen again.

Carols By Candlelight at Jurien Bay.

I've been a good girl Santa!

That night back in Jurien Bay, it was Carols By Candlelight at the park across from the caravan park. We headed across with our chairs, and were surprised at how many people were in attendance. It was a lovely night, and even though the performers won't be appearing on Australia's Got Talent anytime soon, they sure were enthusiastic. The local dance school had all its kids dressed for Christmas, and Santa was in attendance and getting a constant stream of kids across the lap. When the little kids were done, the bigger kids took over and Santa grew an extra couple of hands, and started making promises he had no hope of keeping! Overall it was a fun night. 

Western Australian Christmas Tree.

Perth City Skyline.

In the morning, we packed up and headed for Perth, just 200 kilometres away. It was a pleasant drive, with the landscape dotted with a lovely tree in flower, with a golden bloom. We subsequently found out that this is the rarest tree in the world, and is commonly known as Western Australian Christmas Tree. Along the way, we dusted off the old Navman GPS unit. Haven't had any use for it for the last 12 months! It didn't miss a beat, and had us weaving through the outer northern suburbs of Perth, headed for our home for Christmas, the grandly named Lake Karrinyup Resort, a Top Tourist Caravan Park. We settled in with help from the staff. We have a nice big site, with a view of the lake, and each afternoon the ducks come by for Happy Hour. The Caravan Park is set in a wetland area, full of parks. There are walking and bike trails all over the area. We will be very happy here. On 17th December we cracked a bottle of Moet and celebrated the conclusion of our 3rd year living our dream and exploring our wonderful country. How time just flies!!

Three Years down and ???? to go!

The Xmas lights are up.

This will be our first Christmas away from family and friends. We have booked ourselves into the Crown Metropole Hotel & Casino for a couple of nights, the 24th & 25th of December. We decided to spoil ourselves a little and let someone else do the cooking for a change. We would like to wish all our followers a very safe and happy Christmas, and we'll be back in the New Year as we continue our amazing journey into a fourth year.

Merry Christmas to all from John & Carolyn.

Geraldton

Pink salt lake near Port Gregory.

It is only a short 200km from Kalbarri to Geraldton, so it was a late and lazy departure. We soon were out of the Kalbarri NP and the countryside became more rolling hills. We passed alongside the pink lakes near Port Gregory, that are all a part of the salt mining thing that stretches along the coast from here to Dampier. Didn't realise we had such a big salt industry! Port Gregory sounded such a noble, almost aristocratic, kind of name, so our expectations were high. We quickly crashed and burned. It is wall to wall asbestos shacks, and we were certain we could hear the sounds of duelling banjos!! We didn't even slow down. We chucked a U turn at the waterfront, and high tailed it out of there!!

The Catholic Church at Northampton.

Huge wheat silos near Northampton.

Next town was Northhampton, which turned out to be quite an historic town from the mid 1850's, as we quickly learnt that we were now in the grain belt of central WA, a far cry from the deserts we have crossed the past few months. We drove through town, and saw the huge old Catholic Church and Convent, and much evidence of old dwellings from a time long gone. We figured such a town would have a quaint little Tea House or Cafe, and spied a sign beside the pub. We pushed through the flyscreen doors into the dingiest, darkest little room. I looked to turn on the lights, then realised they were already on!! A voice beckoned from somewhere, and as our eyes adjusted we saw this tattooed & pierced apparition on the far side of the room. "Wadda

The old convent at Northampton.

yous want?" Carolyn, never to be put off in the quest for morning tea, announced "Coffee & Cake!" She took our coffee order and pointed us to a glass cabinet that contained one slice of something that we are certain, once was a cake, and I announced I was going over the road to get Father Frank to come and administer the last rites!! When she fumbled in the drawer and blew the dust off two "coffee pods", I knew we had made a huge error. Carolyn's latte and my flat white, arrived looking like tortured twins. They were super heated, and I was in fear of the spoon melting if I dared to add sugar, which in itself would have been a major feat, as it had set like concrete in the bottom of the bowl! To fill in time, I asked if she'd lived in Northhampton long, and then got the family tree back about four generations with no illegitimate children, or greater scandal, left out! She took a breath and headed out the back, and before she could return we were well on our way to Geraldton!

Lots of grass at Belair Gardens.

Geraldton city centre & port.

We drove into the outer suburbs of Geraldton. It is a city of 35,000 plus people, and even has traffic lights and parking meters! Welcome back to civilisation! We wound our way around to the Belair Gardens Big 4 Caravan Park, and got set up on a beautiful, big grassy site, for a stay of one week. So nice to have grass under our feet, and not shell grit! We armed ourselves with lots of brochures from the office, and were pleasantly surprised at how much there would be to do. Geraldton is a large commercial centre with a big harbour. The harbour is the focus for industry, with wheat and minerals being exported in huge volumes. You can see the bulk carriers anchored out to sea, waiting their turn. There is also a huge crayfish industry. The coastal area and the offshore Abrolhos Islands, breed some of the world's best crayfish, which are live exported all round the world. And the good news is, it is a sustainable fishery, so prolific are these delicious crustaceans at breeding! As is happening anywhere there is a town with a harbour, it is undergoing a rejuvenation, with great recreation areas for the people, and new residential and commercial properties.

Crayfish a la Carolyn.

First stop was the crayfish shop! Our caravan park is very close by. The lovely man in the shop tells us he has just freshly cooked up a batch, so we buy two good sized little suckers, for $50.00. Carolyn does the rest, and voila, Crayfish a la Carolyn!! Out with the good sav blanc and let the good times roll!! We are determined to be sick of crayfish by the weeks end!! He also has some lovely fresh local prawns and calamari, and lots of fish. This is a great seafood centre, and we have the freezer stocked up for the next couple of weeks.

St. Francis Xavier Cathedral

HMAS Sydney Memorial.

The town of Geraldton is nice. It has a good main street of varied shops, and it has a couple of small malls, each based around a supermarket. The old part of town around the waterfront, has a number of beautiful old buildings, including the old railway station, the old gaol, the old hospital, and there is a beautiful catholic cathedral, St. Francis Xavier, as well. On a hill above the town is the relatively new memorial to the HMAS Sydney. This is without doubt one of the best memorials we've seen. It has a number of elements to it. There is the huge stainless steel dome, made up of 645 sea gulls, one for every man lost in the tragedy, then there is the bow of the ship, a bronze statue of a lady looking out to sea, and a whirlpool with a sea gull touching the water, signifying where the ship went down. It is all wonderfully well done, with black granite walls containing the names of the entire crew. 

The Jaffle Shack.

High Tea at Fleur.

Didn't take us long to find a couple of excellent coffee spots, as there are a number of choices. There is the Dome, which is a chain based out of Perth. It is beautifully placed at the town beach, and serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. Our two absolute favourites were The Jaffle Shack and the Fleur Tea Room. They are side by side, and are run by the same people, but offer such varied choices. The Jaffle Shack is beachy and casual and serves good old fashioned jaffles and great coffee, whilst the Fleur Tea Room is a formal tea room serving high tea to order. We really enjoyed both, and favoured the Jaffle Shack more often. Didn't quite feel singlet and thongs was the right dress for high tea!!  A couple of doors down the street, was a fantastic Second Hand Bookshop, run by a passionate and eccentric middle aged woman. The shop was neat and tidy and beautifully laid out in named sections. This woman must have known every book in the shop, and boy could she talk! She got me a couple of new authors, guaranteed to please. I took some of my old books in and did some trade ins. What a character!

Changing Room!

Mr. & Mrs. Osprey.

On Saturday there were markets in Middleton Park. They were quite small, but we did pick up some nice fresh produce to go with the crayfish. Even picked up some beautiful stone fruit from a local grower. It has so much flavour. In town we visited the craft market in the old gaol. Quite a unique concept, with local artists taking a cell to display their wares! Many of the cells were locked when we were there. The hours seemed a bit all over the place. Non the less, a unique place to shop, but no way were they getting me into a changing room! It had a peep hole in the bloody door and the lock is on the outside! The Visitor Information Centre is situated in the old hospital building next door, but we didn't really need it, as the caravan park staff had been so helpful and had all the brochures. The old lighthouse, and the old lighthouse keeper's cottage, are also worth a look. It was quite funny down by the lighthouse, as a couple of Osprey had made a nest on one of the shipping markers. You could hear the little ones kicking up a stink, as mum & dad flew in with dinner.

Horricks Beach General Store.

A message for master and pooch!

We took a Sunday drive out through the Chapman Valley, part of the rich grain belt. We stopped in at a lovely Lavender Farm, for morning tea. It was lovely sitting out on the veranda looking out over the rolling hills all recently harvested. We continued on out to nearby Horricks Beach, a place we had seen featured on a TV lifestyle show. It was a real sleepy little seaside village, with a nice caravan park and rows of little fibro beach shacks. The General Store was doing a roaring trade in Fish 'n Chips and Hamburgers, so we joined the throng on the shady deck for lunch, sharing a delicious hamburger and chips. We wandered up to the lookout and checked out a nice beach, with a number of Crayfishing Boats bobbing up and down at their moorings. This looks like a nice place to spend a lazy week or two. It will probably be going crazy over the Christmas/New Year holidays. We also couldn't help but be amused by the sense of humour of the local council. They are obviously a very dog friendly lot. Check out the photo of the sign. 

One last coffee at The Jaffle Shack.

The museum at Geraldton is excellent. We spent an afternoon looking through the fantastic exhibits. The absolute highlight is the Shipwreck display. Here you can read the wonderful history of the wreck of the Batavia, and numerous other Dutch ships. The way it is done, and the volume of treasures salvaged from the wrecks and on display is mindblowing. Old canons, anchors, even the complete stone entrance portico, destined for a city in the Dutch East Indies, that had been cargo on one of the wrecked ships.

We managed to attend to our Christmas Card list whilst in Geraldton. We really started to get into the spirit of Christmas. We will definitely come back to Geraldton. We like the feel of the place, and found all the people we met friendly and helpful. The surrounding area we hardly touched, and those Abrolhos Islands fascinate me with their history and colour. Not far to get to Perth now.

Kalbarri

A nice roadhouse.

Leaving Shark Bay, we retraced our tyre tracks to the North West Coastal Hwy, then headed south for our next destination, Kalbarri. Same ugly countryside, more goats and dry, windblown scrub. We spy a sign for a Roadhouse, and seeing as a fuel top up won't hurt, decide to drop in. These roadhouses are a real lottery. Some are gross, full of the smell of greasy fried food, but the Billabong Roadhouse was decidedly nice. The place was very clean, and the food on offer was fresh and well presented. We paid for the fuel, picked up a couple of fresh sandwiches for lunch down the road, and got back in the saddle. After a couple of hours we reached the Kalbarri turnoff, and headed west towards the coast. The scenery had marginally improved, and there were some real paddocks and smaller farms. That all quickly change once we crossed in to Kalbarri National Park.

The inlet at Kalbarri.

We wind our way into Kalbarri, and are immediately taken by the blue waters of the inlet, created where the Murchison River meets the sea. It is a nice sheltered waterway, and home to a number of crayfishing boats. It is still quite windy, but the inlet is quite sheltered from the southerly winds. We drive around town checking out the three caravan parks, and decide on the Top Tourist Murchison Caravan Park, where the very obliging manager helps us choose a sheltered site, where the satellite will work. We set up, and sit down to enjoy a cold drink when a friendly voice says "fancy seeing you here!" It is Greg and Chris, a couple we have been bumping into ever since Fitzroy Crossing. They have teamed up with another couple, we also met at Coral Bay, Bob & Ellen, who have also arrived in Kalbarri. We settled in for a terrific Happy Hour, talking over our travels over the past couple of weeks since we last met. They were heading off in the morning. This is one of the truly great parts of our journey, meeting lovely new people who share our gypsy blood!

Wildflowers of Kalbarri NP.

Wildflowers of Kalbarri NP.

We are only staying for four nights, so it will be a quick look around. Kalbarri, is a popular holiday destination for people from Perth. It is like any seaside village, full of surf shops cafes and pubs. We like the feel of the place. There are lots of places, looking like holiday homes, and it has a feel of being a popular retirement area as well. We head for the post office. Brother Neil has forwarded the mail. This is an exciting time for us, as we usually only get the mail once a month! We can't wait to see what surprises there are, and Carolyn can't wait to get the monthly Foxtel book!

Looking through Nature's Window.

The Murchison River Below.

Kalbarri National Park is the focal point of the area. It is a dry and varied landscape. The Murchison River carves its path through the park, creating spectacular gorges. It has a lot of flat heathlands, that are ablaze with wildflowers in the spring. We are a bit late for the wildflowers, but there is still some evidence with a few late bloomers. There is a famous rock formation in the park, so we just have to get a photo. Nature's Window, appears high above the gorge of the Murchison

Looking down at the Z Bend.

River. It is very hot away from the coast, the gauge in our car

Murchison River from
Ross Graham Lookout.

says it's 43 degrees, so we head back to the car, and continue our exploration of the National Park. Next stop is the Z Bend, another amazing piece of nature's work, where the river has carved its way through the rock, which is called Tumblagooda Sandstone. I kid you not! Talk about well named, because the rocks do tumbla gooda around here! The park has excellent facilities, with well made tracks and paths, as well as spectacular suspended lookouts. A short drive away is the last of the vantage spots we plan to visit, at Hawks Head and Ross Graham Lookout. Both are spectacular, with the red and white sandstone. We stood for a while at Ross Graham Lookout watching a cormorant. The water in the river was so clear we could see the cormorant diving below the surface and chasing fish around the rocks. Fantastic!

Back in Kalbarri, we needed  a swim so headed out to Blue Holes, a popular spot with the locals. Carolyn had learned about it during a shop visit trying on clothes! Amazing what those girls talk about! It is a lovely spot, large rock pools in behind the reef. The perfect place to cool off after a hard day exploring. Carolyn also found the best place for coffee during her shopping trip. It was called Angie's Cafe, and was very good, cashing in on the fact that the other two cafes in town were closed, taking a break before the Christmas tourist onslaught!

The Natural Bridge.

Pot Alley.

Next day, we headed down along the coast a short distance to view the famous Kalbarri Cliffs. There are sealed roads into all the main spots, Natural Bridge, Island Rock, Shellhouse Grandstand, Eagle Gorge, Pot Alley and Red Bluff. All spectacular. It is these cliffs that caused so much grief to the early Dutch Sailors. On their journeys to the Dutch East Indies they would ride the roaring forties heading for the Great Southern Land. They would see the cliffs along this section of coast and turn north towards their destination. Unfortunately, the numerous reefs and treacherous seas would bring them undone. The most famous of the wrecks near Kalbarri was the Dutch ship the Zuytdorp which was washed onto the rocks in 1712. Its whereabouts remained a mystery until the 1960's. 

The scenery around Kalbarri is varied and spectacular. We will definitely return for another longer visit down the track. For our last night we decided on good old Fish & Chips down by the jetty. Really good fresh fish. Carolyn went for the local Whiting while I did the local Pink Snapper. Both were delicious, and the view looking out across the inlet, surrounded by seagulls, wasn't bad either. Next morning, we packed up and headed for Geraldton.

Shark Bay World Heritage Area

Add caption

Down the highway we continued, heading for our next stop at the World Heritage Listed Shark Bay area. The road remains flat and has gone from boring to ugly! We were seeing a few sorry looking cattle along the highway, but they have now given way to some even sorrier looking goats. Yes, they raise goats here, because they'll eat anything! Apparently we export these tough old buggers to the Middle East. The recipe goes "Put goat in a pan with an old boot. Add salt and pepper to taste. Boil like mad for 3 days. Discard goat, and carve up the old boot which will be much more tender!" Along the way we cross the 26th parallel, and officially leave the "North West". Ironically, as we turn and head up the western side of Shark Bay, we cross back over the 26th Parallel and re-enter the "North West!!" Boy that was a short stay in the mid west!!

Welcome to Shark Bay.

The road to Useless Loop!

The welcome sign to the area is quite impressive, and well worth a photo stop. We chat to a couple of young English girls backpacking their way through the west, dressed in skimpy bikinis that will no doubt never see the light of day back home. Carolyn beats me around the head, and points me at the car, encouraging me to stop chatting up the girls! Our destination is Denham, the main town in the Shark Bay precinct. We pass the turnoff to Hamelin Pool, home to the Stramatolites, which grow in the extremely salty waters at the bottom end of Shark Bay. To really explore this unique feature, you need to stay and do the walks and tours. Unfortunately it will be a next time, but for the uninitiated, Stramatolites are colonies of micro organisms that resemble the oldest and simplest forms of life found on earth some 3.5 billion years ago. The one here are around 3,000 years old, and very fragile. It is a heavily protected area and no swimming is permitted. Next time!! A little further along the road, we see a sign to what has to be the worst town or place name in Australia, "Useless Loop"! Where do you live? I live in Useless Loop! So what do you do in Useless Loop? I work in the salt mine! That's right, the only thing in Useless Loop is a salt mine.

We made it to Denham.

There is a lot of history in these parts. The first European to set foot on Australia, was Dutchman Dirk Hartog. He left the famous inscribed pewter plate nailed to a post, as evidence of his landing. Eighty years later another Dutchman, William de Vlamingh arrived, and realising the significance of his compatriots discovery, took the plate back to Holland, leaving another one in its place. The original is in the Rijks Museum in Holland. Many more Europeans arrived, many being shipwrecked along the coast. Names like William Dampier, Nicolas Baudin , Louis de Freycinet and Francois Peron, are names that many who were paying attention in the history class, will remember. The most westerly side of Shark Bay is bordered by Dirk Hartog Island, and the most westerly point of the mainland, Steep Point, is just off the island's southern tip. It is a remote and difficult place to get to, requiring permits and favourable 4WD conditions, not available on this journey. 

Carolyn hangs on
for dear life at Eagle Bluff.

High on the hill in Denham.

As we arrive in Denham, it is still very windy, and the air is full of the white dust that emanates from all the crushed shell road base used to cover everything. The caravan park is no exception. Not a blade of grass in sight. Actually, water is very scarce in this region. Our caravan park is the Denham Seaside Village, situated at the northern end of the small town, and tiered up the hillside, so most sites get a view, and a lot of wind. We almost spark an international incident, as two Germans were encamped on the site next to us, and parked partly across our site. They are none to happy when we asked them politely to re-position their little hired camper van. They mumbled about blocking their view and huffed off to the office to complain, about what I don't know, then returned and told us they were moving. Tell someone who cares Fritz!! We found the mornings were less windy, so walked along the beach, and headed out to some of the sights. Eagle Bluff has a wonderful walkway, and offers great views up and down the coast, and Shell Beach is one of the saltiest beaches in Australia. You can do your best JC impersonations here, and almost walk on the water! Little Lagoon on the edge of town, is a popular swimming place. It is a unique turquoise blue, and fringed in white sand. Very pretty spot. There isn't a lot to Denham itself. The water across from town is very inviting but very shallow, and they've had to dredge a channel into a small jetty and harbour for the few Crayfish and Fishing boats.The coffee scene was very ordinary.

Got to get the tyre pressure right.

The sandy track to Cape Peron.

High on the list of things to do around Denham, was a drive out to the Francois Peron National Park. This 4WD only track, takes you out to the tip of Cape Peron and Skipjack Point, through some very isolated and remote country. It is a sandy track, and definitely 4WD only. You need to drop the tyre pressure down when driving in soft sand, and the park provides all the tyre pressure gear, which is fantastic. The lower tyre pressure makes for a much more pliable tyre, and a bigger footprint. We drop ours to 20 pounds, and head off. We tracked across some desolate sandy country, full of Emus. From the sand, you would break out onto vast salt pans, with big warning signs to stay on the track as salt pans can be just a crust over thick, glue like mud! In this National Park, they have successfully reintroduced threatened species. The Bilby, and the Mallee Fowl have come back into the area, followed by an extensive program to remove feral cats and dogs. 

On the boardwalk at Skipjack Point.

The red cliffs of Shark Bay.

When we arrive at Skipjack Point, there is an excellent boardwalk that affords amazing views out over the crystal clear waters. There are pied cormorants in their thousands sitting along the beaches, and the water is so clear, you can easily pick out different types of sharks, stingrays, turtles both green and loggerhead, dolphins and large fish, all swimming around. It is a wonderful spectacle to see. The red and limestone cliffs that line the bay add to the colour of it all. We spent an age just staring at the sea watching the moving feast of marine creatures wandering around the waters of the bay.

Rescuing the German Tourists.

Ready set Go!!

On the way back home the action really picked up. As we came around a corner, we found a Pajero and a Mitsubishi Triton Ute, totally bogged and blocking the track. The Pajero was buried up to the axles, driven by two young German guys, who didn't have a clue what they were doing. In fact, they were driving in 2WD! The people in the Triton, who we had been talking to out at the lookout, had tried to drive around them, but got stuck in the soft sand at the edges of the track. Luckily, I carry a Snatch Strap, which is like a big, heavy, seat belt, 20 metres long. It is used to pull bogged vehicles out. You attach it to both vehicles, take up the slack, then both accelerate like crazy. It acts like a slingshot, pulling the bogged vehicle out. Thank God I did a course all those years ago! The plan was, I would pull out the Triton, then get around the back of the Pajero and pull him out backwards. I got the Triton out, but then as I

Beware of Bilby's

was trying to go around the Pajero, made the fatal mistake of backing off, and sunk into the same sand I'd just pulled the others out of!! So the roles were reversed, and this time I got pulled out by the Triton. The Germans just stood by dumbstruck! Next time around I got through, and we managed to get the Germans out as well. We explained as best we could about 4WD, and the fact that when the sand is soft you just have to floor it and not back off. They got about 50 metres!! So, out we go again and pulled them further up the track. The guys in the Triton raced back with my strap and yelled "quick lets get out of here, we could be here for weeks with these dumb buggers!" No wonder they lost the war!!!

You wouldn't believe it, but 5 kilometres up the track we came across another Pajero, this time towing a camper trailer, bogged in the middle of the track. We all piled out, but before we got started, some young guys arrived in highly modified Toyota 4WD's, and took over. They hooked the guy up, and dragged him up the road in seconds. Talk about know what you're doing, and having the right gear! It was a hell of a lot of fun out in Francois Peron NP.

Feeding a shark at Ocean Park.

The rescued turtle.

From the National Park, we headed out to Ocean Park, an aquarium that catches and tags the local marine species. It is a well run place and we did an amazingly informative tour run by one of the young marine biologists. They have heaps of different fish species, as well as sharks, and the deadly stone fish. What an ugly bugger he is. People usually tread on them walking around the reefs. They reckon the pain is so bad you just want to die. You usually die from cardiac arrest, not the venom! Yuk. The place has an excellent cafe as well, with a huge deck out over the bay, where we enjoyed a coffee, and watched the sharks swim by. We also had a real life emergency, with a couple arriving with a stressed green turtle they had found. Apparently green turtles go from herbivore to carnivore after a few of years. Some have difficulty making the transition, and this was one such guy.

Cheeky Emus all over the
Monkey Mia Caravan Park

There wasn't much else to do in Denham, so we packed

A cocktail bar at a caravan park?

up the caravan and moved across to nearby Monkey Mia, on the more protected eastern side of the peninsula. Monkey Mia is famous for its dolphin encounters, and we have heard so many varied reports on the place. We have heard everything from wonderful to terrible, but I have to say, our experience was wonderful. What a beautiful spot. Everything at Monkey Mia is either run by the Parks& Wildlife Service or by the Monkey Mia Dolphin Resort. We paid extra for a beachfront caravan site, and it was just that. The waters are turquoise blue and a lot calmer than Denham. The resort has all sorts of accommodation from 4 Star to 3 Star, Backpackers and the caravan park. There is an excellent bistro called The Boughshed, as well as bars, a general store, and a tour office. In addition to your accommodation, you have to pay a nominal park entry fee to the Parks & Wildlife Office. Everyday, Parks & Wildlife run 3 interactive dolphin encounters & feedings of the dolphins. They start around 8.00am and are all over by 12.00 noon.

Shotover Eco Tour.

Sailing on Shark Bay.

Our first activity, happened straight away. We called at the tour office to see what was on, and got told there was a catamaran eco tour about to leave, and as the wind was picking up over the next couple of days, we should get on it. So, we held up the boat, got some hats and sunscreen, and were ready to set sail in 5 minutes! The crew were two young guys, and it was all very casual. Their slogan is "sail with a  bunch of animals!" We settled right in and headed out onto the bay. The objective is to see as many marine critters as possible. We motor along, no sail on this catamaran, and soon there is the cry of dugong. This is really exciting as we've never seen one of these amazing little guys. They look like a dolphin that crashed face first into a wall! They have a big flat snout, and are the only mammal herbivore on

Relaxing on board Shotover.

the planet. We actually see two of them, but forget about  a close up photo, as they only surface momentarily, and quickly disappear below the surface again. We got some real close looks though. Shark Bay is home to vast meadows of sea grass, hence the dogong's presence. There are around 12,000 of the estimated world population of 75,000 dugongs, here in Shark Bay. Each one eats around 50 kilograms of weed a day!! That's a lot of dugong poop!! Over the next 3 hours we find sharks, dolphins and a number of turtles. We even found another couple of dugongs, and then on the way back got close to a huge manta ray, with a wing span close to 3 metres. He was pretty shy, and the first one they'd seen in about 4 months! The crew got us back just in time for Happy Hour and $10.00 cocktails. The bar was humming, and our little Chinese Cocktail waiter was shaking his bootie in all directions!! It was a great day out, and we were so glad we went because next day it just blew like crazy, and our free sunset cruise was cancelled. Double Bugger!!

The dolphins at Monkey Mia.

They are so friendly.

Next morning we were up bright and early for our Dolphin encounter. We arrived at the beach with about 100 other people, with a very, very low tide. The ranger told us that this wasn't good for the dolphins, as they had to come around the long way, rather than across the beds of sea grass which were now fully exposed. To our delight, eight dolphins made the trek, mostly mums with calves, around 12 months old. we get to stand in the water as they swim around. They are beautiful, just lazing around, rolling on their backs and giving you the eye. The Japanese tourists were going crazy, and almost had to be restrained. There is no touching, and sunscreen has to be applied at least 20 minutes prior to entering the water, to avoid diseases and eye irritations.

Carolyn feeds Surprise.

The rangers make sure that the dolphins are relaxed and

The ranger relaxes the dolphins.

happy to be here, and then we are asked to move back onto the beach to allow the feeding to take place. Four volunteers carrying huge buckets, each containing 4 tiny fish, walk into the water and will pick at random, the lucky people who get to feed a dolphin. The rangers detail the way it works, emphasizing that waving arms and jumping and yelling, will not be tolerated, as it spooks the dolphins. The message is conveyed to the Japanese through their guide, and obviously lost something in the translation, as berserk led to frenzy! I told Carolyn to put on her best pleading, pick me, smiley face, while I elbowed the Japs out of the way! It worked a treat and Carolyn got to feed a dolphin called "Surprise". I was so happy for Carolyn, who just adores every creature big or small. Once the feeding is done, the dolphins slowly swim away. They and others will usually come back twice more during the morning, but the numbers drop off each time. It was a wonderful experience.

John's pork chops
on roasted veggies.

Carolyn's Salmon on
sweet potato mash.

For our last night we decided to get a bit dressed up and have a night out at The Boughshed. We started with margaritas at the bar, and then had a lovely table looking out over the bay. They had some special deals with a 2 course meal for $39.00. The food was excellent, and we had a really lovely night.We've really loved our time in the Shark Bay Region. The history, the natural beauty of the landscape, and the amazing wildlife, have made it a memorable stay. We will come back, at a less windy time, to visit more of this incredible place.