Day 21 Nambung National Park to Perth

White sand dunes... 

and the ocean at Lancelin.

Tobogganing down the Lancelin Sand Dunes.

Numbung National Park and .....

The Pinnacles.

Friday, September 30^th.

Today was the last day of the trip. We moved out of our hostel before sunrise and left without breakfast. We drove for a couple of hours to the town of Geraldton, where we stopped at some cafes on the high street where we could get coffees. I had the usual cereal breakfast. We went sandboarding here just out of town. We drove to a beach and climbed a large white sand dune and instead of boarding down we tobagganed. I went down once and then went for a nature walk to a lookout point over the bay. Then we boarded the truck again and drove until lunch to another town. We had our usual picnic lunch in a median by the road. Half way through it started to rain so we finished quickly and moved on. Damien checked the radiator one last time.

Our last point of interest was Nambug National Park and the Pinnacles Desert. When we got there it was still sprinkling or drizzling. However, as we got out of the vehicle it let up and the sky cleared a bit. With the sun and the wet yellow sand the colour, lighting and mood was really nice. I walked around by myself enjoying these interesting shapes. Scientists are not sure exactly what they are but, it is possible that they are fossilized plants. The prevailing theory is they were buried under a series of sand dune years ago and when the dune shifted they were exposed to the elements and began to erode into the shapes that are here today.

After that we continued our drive to Perth. As we drove I noticed hundreds of a unique plant that was growing along the road or in the surrounds. I wanted to get a shot and Damien obliged by pulling over. It looks like a cross between a grass and a palm.

We arrived at the YHA Hostel drop off point in Perth by 6:00. Damien came in to talk to us and started by saying that he heard a guide one time say to his group: That's it have a good rest of your life”. He told us he really enjoyed our group, our sense of exploration and our work ethic. Then it was time to say goodbye to each other. It was sad to say goodbye to Anja, Albert, and Gudrun, as I had been with them for three weeks. That's it, all done. But I don't fly back to Melbourne for two more days!

Day 20 Monkey Mia and Kalbarri

Lined up along the beach to feed the dolphins.

They were late, but they finally showed up.

The 'Windows on Nature' overlook.

Albert, Anja and I, sporting the latest in fly deterrent.

An echidna.

Red Cliff, by the town of Kalbarri.

Thursday, September 29^th.

This morning we got off to yet another early start. We had to make tracks as we had a breakfast date with dolphins. We arrived at Monkey Mia by 7:30 and although there were lots of people waiting at this famous site, the dolphins were late. We waited for at least a half hour. Everyone was lined up along the beach and were not allowed to enter the water. Dolphins have been coming to this spot for about 40 years because people feed them. At first people fed them as much as they wanted but, gradually they realized this wasn't good for them and they were losing most of their young to starvation or abandonment. So now they only give each dolphin three fish and then select from the crowd who will be allowed to feed them. Four dolphins eventually showed up and swam in the shallows waiting and nuzzling the guides who were in the water. One of our girls got selected along with a couple of other people.

After that we had to drive some serious miles to get to Kalbarri National Park. We stopped a couple of times for toilet stops at Billibong Roadhouse, where we had lunch, and at a quiet stretch of the Murchison River. We also stopped along the road into the park because Damien was amazed at the amount and variety of the flowers again.

When we finally got to Kalbarri we went on two hikes. One to a lookout over the Z-Bend where the Murchison River flows through the faults of the sandstone and changes direction a couple of times, and the second one was to the Windows of Nature overlook. This is an interesting sandstone arch and is quite different from the ones in Utah. We stayed there for a while taking photos and posing. The men's toilet here had an amazing view of the river gorge as you were standing at the urinal. Then as we were leaving we came across an echidna on the road.

When we got to the town of Kalbarri we drove to Red Cliff, which is a high headland that overlooks the town and the sea. We got there just in time for the sunset which was lovely. Then we drove into town for the bottle shop before driving to our new hostel, one of the YHA chain. Here we were given three rooms, so, the ten of us were able to divide in half. I am with my German friends for our last night.

Day 19 Shark Bay

A beautiful stop along the road.

German friends.

The truck overheats....

and we picnic in the bush, as Damien repairs the truck.

Stromolites, one of the earliest life forms.

Shell Beach.

We forgot to close the back door and the truck filled up with road dust.

The cliff overlooking Shark Bay.

Wednesday, September 28^th.

Today we got ready and left by 7:00. The first stop was about an hour south at a sign that marked the Tropic of Capricorn. Then we continued on our long drive. We stopped at a roadhouse for a toilet stop and then shortly after that we stopped at a local organic fruit farm that Damien knew about where the family grow bananas, mangoes, paw paw, papaya and jack fruit. They also sell frozen mango on a stick covered with chocolate. I had one of them. Then we continued for a couple of hours. I was in the front again and enjoying the view out the window and Damien's music. We stopped at a really nice lookout where we could see the vast emptiness for a long way. It is amazing how little is out here and how empty the land is. We haven't even seen hydro wires or telephones either for most of the trip. Most of the towns here are so isolated that they get there power from windmills. We could see a small group of emus off in the distance.

We stopped off at another roadhouse and then we turned off the highway onto the road to Shark Bay. Damien said we would stop in about a half hour for lunch but right after that the engine alarm came on and we had to stop to refill the radiator, so Damien announced we would have our picnic lunch right there in the middle of nowhere. The flies couldn't believe their luck!

Shortly after that we arrived at Hamelin Bay, where we visited the World Heritage sight of the stromolites. These are a very ancient life form that has existed for about 35 billion years. They are colonies of different kinds of bacteria that live in the water. They eventually form into rocks with their waste. They were the first life forms to use water and give off oxygen molecules. They are responsible for creating the oxygen rich atmosphere on earth that has allowed life as we know it to flourish. They used to be common around the world but now only exist in a couple of places. They thrive here because the water is extra salty and the climate is extreme. None of their predators can live here or like the salinity. There was also a colony of pied cormorants there.

Then we drove further and Damien turned off the highway and went overland off roading until we wound up at Shell Beach. It was beautiful and white and consisted of millions of small white shells apparently up to 5 metres deep! The beach is really long too.

The last stop for the day was at Eagle Bluff, which is on a small hill with a good view of Shark Bay. Unfortunately it was really windy and cool so none of us felt like hanging out and looking for the wildlife that thrives in the bay, like lemon sharks, dougong (cousins of the manatee) and turtles that feed on the sea grass.

Then we drove to Denham and our hostel, Bay Lodge, for the night. Again we had multi share rooms. I was in a room with the same ten people only this time it is a suite with a room for six and another for four. My bed was really soft and saggy, so I hauled it out into the sitting room and put it on the floor behind the couch. That way it is better for my back and I won't wake anyone when I get up in the middle of the night.

Damien made us an excellent peanut satay chicken dinner and he baked a cake for Chelsea who had her 24^th birthday today.

Tourist note: I overheard Sheena talking to another tourist yesterday about a t-shirt he was wearing from the river float tour in Laos. I did this tour in 2011. She was asking if it was open or not. Apparently the river is a sacred site for the local people but, with the tourists drinking alcohol at the riderside bars, floating and drowning in the river they thought it was cursed. As a result they were not using the river in their traditional ways. Therefore the river float expedition was closed but, then everyone realized how much the community had come to rely on the income it generated and they needed the money so it has been reopened and their culture has been adversely affected forever.

Day 18 Coral Bay

At the end of the pier is the boat I went out on for the day.

Humpback whales.

Manta rays.

Reef shark in for a cleaning.

Lemon sharks in the shallows.

Tuesday 27^th.
All 10 of us slept pretty well in the room. We had breakfast and got organized and then walked to the tour place so we could pay for our glass bottom boat tour (had Damien had recommended to us about yesterday and pre-booked for us). When we got there I asked Damien if it was too late to change my mind. I was thinking about the tour and decided I was more interested in the Eco Day Tour which offered the chance of swimming with manta rays (I really wanted to swim with whale sharks, but it was the wrong season). He told me to go for it.

I boarded the boat with 21 other people and four crew and we powered out to the inner reef. They gave us all wetsuits and equipment and we had a 40 minute snorkel around some excellent coral with lots of the usual colourful reef fish. The water was cool but it was colder when you got out and in the wind. We were told to take off the top part of our suit and I put on my fleece which helped. Then they gave us a snack while we sailed to the outer reef in search of manta rays. They sent up a spotter plane to find them. As we were powering along we came across three adult humpback whales and a calf, along with four or five dolphins. We stayed and watched them for a while and then got the call that they had located a couple of rays. We were divided into two groups and told to suit up and get ready. The instructions were to stay together, follow the leader and stay behind the ray. The first group went and then my group. Both groups got two chances to swim with them. The first time they were quite deep and swimming with the current. The second time they were shallower and swimming against the current. I found that hard to keep up with them as they moved through the water. Great experience though! They are enormous and incredibly graceful as they 'fly' through the water.

After that we sailed through very rough water and the boat got soaked as we sailed back to the inner reef. They took us to an area of sea grass where dozens of green turtles were feeding.

Then we had lunch before our third and final snorkel. This was at a large 'cabbage' coral where reef sharks come in to be cleaned by cleaner wrasses. We saw two sharks laying there and being serviced with their mouths open. We swam around for a half hour before boarding the boat again. I was quite chilled by this point, but we were near to the wharf.

When we got back I walked around the beach in the sun warming up. Then I went back and bought the USB key with today's photos. After that I heard about a shark sanctuary where reef sharks bear their young. I walked about two kilometres along the beach and saw about twenty of them swimming in the shallows. They were about two metres long. I also saw a couple of stingrays that were in the shallows too. They were a tan colour with blue dots on them.

Then I hiked back along the beach to the town where I watched the sun set before heading back to the hostel. Damien made us a pasta dinner with leftover sausage salami and bacon in the sauce. It was very good. We sat around and swapped stories about our tours.

Day 17 Yardie Creek and Torquoise Bay

The power charging station at camp, phones, cameras, batteries.

Cape Range NP - Yardie Creek Inlet.

Beautiful Torquoise Bay.

Emus at our campsite.

Monday, September 26^th.

This morning was a lazy and slow morning. It seems everyone is tired. I was up early and ready to go but had to wait for the others. Eventually we got underway and since it was still windy and cool Damien decided to take us on a short hike instead of snorkelling. We began to drive but about twenty minutes out Damien cursed and I heard him say the temperature of the truck was going up. He stopped and told everyone to go for a walk while he asked me to help him move all his stuff in the cab so that he could open the cab which folds forward to get to the engine. He put some oil in and then had to put about 10 litres of water in the radiator. We put the truck back together and it was all good. We'll have to keep an eye on it.

We drove for about a half hour down to Yardie Creek and hiked a trail that led parallel to it to another gorge. From the rocky edge we could see a rock wallaby with a joey just across the gap. On the way out I saw some pied cormorants and a couple of other sea birds.

When we got back to the truck we drove back towards camp and stopped at Sandy Bay for a peak at the beautiful turquoise water and white sand. The sun was very hot but the wind was cool. Then we drove Turquoise Bay to do some snorkelling. The water was cool but beautiful and clear. There was a current that ran parallel to the beach and between the beach and the reef. Therefore you walked up the beach a bit and got in and the current carried you back to your starting point. The reef looked very healthy with a coral that resembled green grapes and a large variety of fish including some large ones.

After that we loaded up again and went back to camp for lunch. When we arrived there we saw four emus at the water hole beside our camping area. After lunch we loaded up the truck and drove to Exmouth, where Damien had to do some grocery shopping and refuel. Then we began another journey to Coral Bay. The drive was about two hours through mostly flat, featureless, land full of termite mounds. I was sitting up front and Damien said he was tired of playing DJ, so he told me to pick some tunes from his iPod or use mine. Well alright! I played about 20 cuts picking ones that I thought the other passengers might enjoy. No one complained so I guess that was good.

We arrived at Coral Bay and the Ningaloo Club Backpackers just at dark, 6:30. We were assigned our rooms: 10 to a room! So much for my private accommodations. Once we got settled we went down to the main floor and the lounge, eating, bar games, area and had hamburgers that the staff there cooked for us. Damien gave us some ice cream and TimTams for dessert.

We had a beer and Damien and I played ping pong, which I lost badly. I went to bed shortly after that.

Day 16 From Karijini to Exmouth

Sunrise.

Warming in the rising sun as we eat our breakfast.

The twice daily drill of loading and unloading the luggage.

Our permanent tents.

Time for a window cleaning.

A mountain being dismantled by iron ore mining.

More of the spring flowers.

An ex-Canadian and extended Australian family.

Sunday September 25^th

We got up and had a leisurely breakfast and got off to a bit of a late start. We drove out of Karijini NP to a Shell station in the town of Tom Price (named after the financier of the local mine). Then we drove out towards the coast. I was sitting in the front with Damien and we had a good talk about stuff (his life and mine) while listening to a whole bunch of Eels songs. We made a couple of pit stops along the way including another at area of amazing wildflowers, (Damien says he has never seen it like this), and a picnic area for lunch with a number of galahs watching us. I talked to a family who were also eating there. Turns out it was a man from Barrie who has lived in Australia for 45 years with his Australian wife and one of their sons and his wife with two grandkids.

It was a long day of driving and it didn't help that we got delayed a bit by road work. We arrived in Exmouth about an hour before sunset, and did a quick shop. Then we drove up a hill to a lighthouse for a quick photo op of the ocean, and then drove to our wilderness camp ground. We got there at sunset. It was windy and kind of cool and so far under whelming. No wi-fi, no cell coverate and no electric, and not much to do except wait for dinner and then go to bed.