Day 21 - Sunday 21st April 2013 (Travelled 98 kms)

A slowish start to the morning and Ken was again lucky to hook a silvery fish which after deliberation amongst the men folk - couldn't decide whether it was tuna, silver trevally……. On instruction from Ken, I was to text our most famous and very knowledgeable fisherman Simon who after some time got back to us saying that it was a Dart. All solved.

Broke camp at 10.45 this morning, to look for another camp a little closer to Geraldton.

Camp tonight is at Cliff Head North, a site overlooking the water. As the sun set in the distance we could see the flame burning on a rig just off the horizon.

Week 4

Day 22 - Monday 22nd April 2013 (Travelled 160 kms )

Ken & Fi headed off early this morning to get into Geraldton by 8.45am as the Pajero was booked into the Mitsubishi Dealer for a small repair. Once the others arrived in Geraldton, the girls headed for a tad of retail therapy. We spent the day in Geraldton whilst we waited for the car to be completed (which I add took all day), with the others heading out to Oakabella Homestead - Circa 1850 (Heritage listed and WA's most haunted location) 35kms north. Finally on arrival and a very quick camp set up we went on a tour of the homestead. Our guide, Loretta certainly had a passion for this old homestead and plenty of stories about its history. She said the current family of Allan Jackson lived on the 1400 acres and the original homestead since 1910. A complete picture of history was exhibited, with much of the furniture and memorabilia found within the home, especially during restoration. Shared time tonight around a little fire before heading to bed.

Day 23 - Tuesday 23rd April 2013

Ken and Fi went back into Geraldton this morning to get air bags fitted to the Pajero whilst the others travelled north with the expectation that we would catch up as the day progressed. A very long day!

Anne & Ralph and Deb & Charlie visited different areas along the way…… (420.2 kms) - On route they visited ruins of a gaol and governor's house from the early 1850s at Lynton. Looked at the ruins of the historic Lynton Hiring Station, which once housed convicts that worked on the Geraldton mine and local pastoral stations. On the way to Port Gregory they crossed the Hutt River Province which is the home of the infamous Prince Leonard. A visit to Port Gregory where they saw the extraordinary salt lake, called Pink Lake, due to bacteria trapped in salt cells and providing rich sources of beta carotene, which is harvested from small ponds, the lake took on hues of pink and mauve as the sun shone on it. Drove on into Kalbarri which was a beautiful spot where the mouth of the Murchison River met the ocean. Sadly they were pushed for time and couldn't visit the many beautiful bluffs and gorges of the Kalbarri National Park.

Ken and Fi didn't end up leaving Geraldton until much later and with a fair drive decided that the easiest option was to drive on to reach tonight's destination at Hamelin Station Stay just outside the Shark Bay World Heritage Area. The Station Stay was well set up and we were very impressed with their facilities. This is a two night stop for us, basing ourselves here so tomorrow we could leave the vans behind and head into Denham and Monkey Mia within the Heritage area.

The Shark Bay World Heritage area (World Heritage listed in 1991 for its natural heritage values - meaning it has outstanding universal values and meets one of ten selection criteria set by UNESCO, covers 2.2 million hectares on the coast of Western Australia. Shark Bay satisfied all four of the natural criteria for World Heritage listing - Natural Beauty, Earth's History, Ecological Processes and Biological Diversity. Shark Bay ranks as one of our planet's most important wilderness regions.

Day 24 - Wednesday 24th April 2013 (Travelled 293 kms )

Up early and on the road to reach Monkey Mia in time for Monkey Mia's main attraction - the dolphins. Being world famous for its dolphin interaction experience it was a must see. There has been a wildlife ritual here for 40 years with a number of bullnose dolphins coming ashore almost every day. We arrived for the third feeding of the dolphins (given a small amount of fish, which is recorded for each of the dolphins). This program is supervised by the Department of Environment and Conservation and the staff are particularly vigilant in ensuring the wellbeing of the animals is maintained. Fi was lucky enough to be a "chosen one" to feed a fish to one of the dolphins, Nicky. Charlie was privileged to see and photograph a turtle swimming along under the pier. A most beautiful beach to take in, you could understand why the dolphins just feel at home here. A relaxing morning tea overlooking a most picturesque bay was enjoyed.

Into Denham - a once ramshackle town that grew up around the pearling industry and is now the main centre of the Shark Bay area. It's located on the western coastline of Peron Peninsula with the most beautiful views across Shark Bay and towards Dirk Hartog Island.

On the drive back this afternoon we visited Little Lagoon (circular in shape) a once land locked gypsum pan. There are several fish species located in the lagoon (fishing is allowed here) and we were able to drive down onto the beach area (in fact we have been very lucky to drive down onto many of the WA beaches - unlike the restrictions that we have in Vic). There is a narrow channel that links the lagoon to the sea.

Eagle Bluff was our next stop - one of the best places in Shark Bay to view marine life. The boardwalk was an excellent view point (spectacular) to see the two small limestone islands, which are now bird breeding colonies. The clear waters make it visible and we were fortunate to see stingrays, and a couple of sharks moving around in these shallow waters. Charlie, Anne and Ralph also had the opportunity to see a lace monitor scratching and looking for food as they moved along the boardwalk.

A stop to take a look at Shell Beach - as the name implies, is not a sand beach but a beach made up of trillions of tiny shells, all from one type of animal known as the Hamelin Cockle. They live in prolific numbers in this area because of the salty water. Their bleached discarded shells are the beach. The shoreline waters are crystal clear and it is certainly a different feel having these tiny shells under foot. Shells are quarried and the poultry industry of WA relies on the loose shell. When eaten the minerals in the grit enable chickens to produce hard egg shells. The shell is also used as a source of lime for the cement industry. Since new shell is regularly deposited along the beach it is considered a renewable resource. The shell grit industry is sustainable for many years to come. The shell grit is also utilised as road surfaces in the area and is a nice change from the red dust.

A last drive through to look at the Hamelin Pool Historic Telegraph Station before heading back to our Station Stay.

Day 25 - Thursday 25th April 2013 - ANZAC Day (Travelled 513.1 kms)

Leaving our Station Stay early this morning for a long day of driving to reach Carnarvon and then onto Warroora Station - 14 Mile Beach. We reached Carnarvon just after 11.00 am to catch the end of the ANZAC Day Service. We lunched at the local RSL and after stocking up on supplies headed out of town. The interesting thing about Carnarvon is that the Gascoyne River (looked dry when we crossed it!) supplies water to this fruit bowl area and in particular bananas. The road into Warroora Station Beach was extremely corrugated. We reached our destination and after meeting the caretakers who have lived on the beach for the past 12 months (with exception of 2 weeks when the last cyclone came through) set up camp.

At this point we are on the Tropic of Capricorn which passes below Alice Springs and into Rockhampton on the East Coast.

Day 26 - Friday 26th April 2013 (Travelled 278 kms)

A morning walk along the beach before packing up and heading out along the corrugated road once again. Ralph and Ken completed an oil change on the cars. En route for Exmouth and home for tonight at the Cape Range National Park. We stopped in at Coral Bay, a small community, but very popular, and where the World Heritage listed Ningaloo Reef has gained a reputation as one of the Earth's last ocean paradises. This reef stretches 260 kms from Bundegi Reef near the town of Exmouth to Amherst Point near Coral Bay in the south. It stretches 20 kms seaward encompassing a massive 5,000 square kilometres of ocean of tropical fish and 220 species of coral. So in preparation, whilst at Coral Bay we stocked up on flippers and a snorkel for some coral and fish exploration once getting to Cape Range National Park. All prepared, we arrived at our destination, Bundarra Camp ground mid afternoon, set up camp and headed for a quick dip in the Indian Ocean to cool down. Another day comes to an end, lightning strikes in the east as the nearly full moon rises.

Day 27 - Saturday 27th April 2013 (Travelled 62.4 kms)

Today we are venturing around in the park before our second night stay. After an easy morning, the heat of the day was upon us before we knew it. We head south towards Yardie Creek Gorge for a visit. Luckily we arrived in time to jump aboard a river cruise to take in the sights of the gorge with a wonderful tour guide Peter. A much better option than walking the gorge, especially since the day was already heating up. Centuries of erosion have formed a spectacular multi coloured gorge. We were fortunate to see a few black footed rock wallabies sitting up on the rock as we passed by. Yardie is the only gorge in the area with permanent water, however it is salt water fed from the ocean trapped by a sandbar. On the limestone rock faces, it's amazing to see the trees clinging with their huge root system and their long ponytail roots (stopping before they reach the salt water). The creek housed a couple of different varieties of mangrove trees and in particular on the rock face we were privileged to see a 100 year old Currajong tree (which was bonsai like).

After lunch we headed for Turquoise Bay where we snorkelled amongst the reef and enjoyed the most amazing coral formations, not colourful, but the fish were extraordinary in their ranges of colours. It was great to be able to snorkel so close to the shoreline.

Day 28 - Sunday 28th April 2013 (Travelled 484.4 kms)

Leaving the National Park and back to Exmouth. From Exmouth it was a long drive of scrub in red soil, eucalypts in dry beds giving way to the most striking mountain ranges, including the Parry Range. We are now in the Pilbara. We camped overnight on the Robe River roadside stop and listened to the drone of the nearby mine. The change in the nature of the countryside was most remarkable on this day's journey.

Week 5

Day 29 - Monday 29th April 2013 (Travelled 282.8 kms)

Leaving camp early this morning (after the wake up call from a passing truckie hooting his horn at 5.30 am) we headed into Karratha. Wow, a very busy road in to Karratha with all the miners heading out to the huge number of mines in this area. Approaching Karratha a most amazing sight was that the highway had cut through the centre of a mine so the mining company built a bridge over the top. In Karratha, worker's dongas are everywhere and then there were the housing developments, where a basic house and land package sells from $820,000 and high rise apartments from $630,000. The highlight was visiting the Visitors Centre at Woodside's North West Shelf Production Plant. Amazing stats, accounts for $40 billion of Australia's oil and gas production and a $27 billion investment. Google www.woodside.com.au/northwestshelf to read all about this extraordinary development. We were all blown away by Karratha.

We visited Dampier (adjoining Karratha) and Burrup Peninsula. Here on the peninsula a short walk amongst the rock formations where we found some of the indigenous rock art that is dated back thousands of years. Tonight we headed out of town to camp at Cleaverville Beach, a wonderful little spot with a sunset so awesome. Anne and Deb hit the beach for a cool off, the water being warm but refreshing. Ken headed out to fish as the tide went out. A flock of pelicans crossed overhead in formation, a sight to see, and under the shelter of darkness the sands came alive with many hermit crabs moving about. Over in the distance we could see the flames from the gas plants burning, and another day has gone by……….