After a long day of flights we finally arrived in Perth, Western Australia.We were welcomed with 40°C (104°F) heat, a change of about 30°C from Tassie the same morning.After chicking into our hostel we jumped straight into our urgent task of finding a suitable car to get us the 4040kms to Darwin.The following day was spent running around in the even hotter sun viewing cars, visiting used car dealerships and generally getting more confused as we had more options and less time.It is $80 for a hostel in Perth per night so we needed to make a purchase ASAP and escape the city.After weighing up pros and cons of sleepervans, 4WDs, diesel, economy cars, and combies, we decided the Toyota Hilux turbo diesel 4WD was the best vehicle for the job.We had been told the roads up north can be pretty rough and this would be the best way to see the secluded gems along the way.

The following day we parted with our cash and drove away with the "beast", which Greg has temporarily named her.Next task was to stock up on camping supplies, food, water and fuel, just in case we get stuck or stranded.Our time in the first world in the last few months has done nasty things to our wallets so our diet has returned to canned tuna, instant noodles and cask (box o') wine.

We began our adventure heading south of Perth straight to Albany (only this one has gorgeous beaches and slightly better weather than the one we had been living in) home to some unreal beaches.It is a nice change from Tassie to be able to sleep with the tent cover off, falling asleep to the starlight.Our second night was our first attempt at free camping by the beach.However a 4WD and all our supplies make sleeping in the car a little difficult.Determined not to pay $30 for a campsite, we began piling the front seats with everything from the back, battling against the incoming storm.Finally we were on a half inflated air mattress in the back of the jeep which felt more like a bouncy castle, ready for our beauty sleep.It was then that the beast started acting up and we couldn't close the rear window, meaning anyone could unlock the door and rob us or we might freeze in the bitter cold wind.Shivering and generally pissed off, Greg brings out the tool box and begins taking apart the back door.Meanwhile there is a "Wolf Creek like" guy that is circling us in his car and parking up to watch us from a distance.Nearing midnight it was obvious this guy was up to no good.Unsuccessful at fixing the window we now had to deflate the bouncy castle, moving everything from the front back to the back and drove to the nearest campsite, snuck in quietly, pitched the tent and fell asleep exhausted.

The next morning we left as quietly as we came, and don't you know it the bloody window went right up!!!We decided to see what the Beast was capable of on 4WD tracks so we headed to West Cape Howe, which is supposed to have some surreal beaches only accessed by sandy 4WD tracks.Pretending like we knew what we were doing, we let air out of the tires, and we were off, until we got stuck 10 meters in!Reverse, stuck again, and again, after the 10th or so try we admitted defeat and continued driving up the coast.Next stop was the tree top walk, a walkway that is suspended 40 meters above the ground, so you are basicallywalking in the treetops (hence the name).The following day we bought a 4WD map and with some helpful tips, we decided to try a different track in the D'Entercasteaux National Park.The first 17 kms had us both sweating as we bounced over the rollercoaster of sand dunes.This distance took us 1 hour, not seeing any sign of civilization. We finally reached Lake Jasper (Australia's largest freshwater lake) that appeared in the middle of dense bush.We took lunch out onto the white sand.It was eerily silent, real crocodile Dundee sort of stuff.Poddling in the lake, we were playing with the thought, do you think there are any crocs?Having had a taste of adventure we decided to keep driving further down the track.As the sand got thicker, we let more air out of the tires.Greg seemed quietly confident now negotiating the tracks.Some parts were so narrow the jeep was squeezing through the bush on either side, scratching it nicely.Side tracks would appear without warning or signposts and unable to stop in the thick sand with fear of losing our momentum, we had to drive to a suitable part in the track, leave the car, walk back with a compass and guess which road we should be on.After another 20kms we arrived at a "camping area", where we had the choice of all 20 campsites.Dinner by the campfire in the bush was the perfect end to the day.

Driving out the next morning dodging the kangaroos in our path we got back to civilization and drove to Margaret River, famed for its wineries.Empty wallets forced us to drive on to Yallingup Beach further up the coast.And what a beach!Turquoise water with calm lagoons to snorkel or breaking waves to surf, we were happy to rest here until the sun went down.Rain the following day ruined our snorkelling plans so we planned to continue north to Bunbury, home of hundreds of dolphins, supposedly.The jeep had other plans it seemed and the morning was spent with two local Aussies trying to jump start / push start and basically cursing the Beast.Filling her with more diesel and giving her some loving, she finally started and some very good lessons were learned on how exactly this thing ticked.When we arrived in Bunbury, we were greeted by not a single dolphin but lots of rain.Tomorrow its back to Perth and continuing on towards Darwin.No doubt we will have many more 4WD adventures along the way as our quest to find unspoilt bush and beaches continues...