Sunday 30th June

Well last day of the 2012/2013 financial year and probably the last time we will be submitting a tax return.
Today we drove the 155kms to Kalbarri. On the way we stopped at the historical site of Lynton which is the ruins of a convict hiring depot that was established in 1853 The convicts were utilised for Government works and in establishing a road to Kalbarri and the Murchison River and the Geraldine mine (lead) operated by Cornish miners. The Ticket-of-leave men from the depot were hired out for work at the port and on nearby farms and stations. The depot was barely finished when it was closed in December 1856 due the harsh living conditions and transport problems of the time.
Convicts were held until local businessmen came to hire them for labouring tasks on the nearby farms. There are stories where the local farmers treated the convicts like slaves frequently flogging them for the slightest misdemeanours and executing them for minor offenses. It is difficult to substantiate these claims and they may well be little more than local folklore.
As you can see by the photos the cells these "convicts" were kept in were unbelievably small. I think that animals in zoos were even treated better than this. It's hard to believe that we thought it was okay to treat people in this way.
By 1856 a store, bakery, depot, lockup, hospital, lime kiln and administration block had all been built but a lack of fresh vegetables had seen the convict population ravaged by scurvy. It was decided to close the settlement and by January 1857 (less than 4 years after they had arrived) the convicts were either being shipped back to Fremantle or settled in nearby Greenough.
Five women from the "Bride Ships" were known to have arrived in Lynton. I can only imagine what these women thought when they were brought to this windswept and isolated part of the country. The "Bride Ships" were another interesting part of our history and served a purpose at the time, for the women, who came voluntarily, for many and varied reasons, as well as the men. Sometimes it was okay for those concerned and sometimes not. I don't know what the women did if the place or the men didn't suit them. Well perhaps I do, but I'd rather not think about it. Packing up and going back home may not have been so easy. Just Google "Bride Ships". They are not as far back in our past as you would think.
Lynton remains the most intact example of a regional convict hiring depot in Western Australia.and was quite eerie to visit. (no charge)

As we drove into Kalbarri we saw the most beautiful views, clear blue water, white sand, breaking waves in the distance all in a large inlet, which was protected from the ocean and waves by sandbars all around from one side to the other.
The caravan park however only has a small frontage so water views from the park are limited to just a few vans. We are down the back in a new part of the park built for bigger vans. There is lots of sand and not much shade for most, but it doesn't really matter at this time of the year. we have a nice private spot in a corner, under some shade, but a fair walk to the amenities. Not too worry! Kalbarri is a lovely place with plenty to see. We have booked in for seven days.
Monday 1st July
We went for a walk in the morning and found some shops. We went shopping yesterday in what we thought was the only supermarket and then walked the other way today and found a good IGA. I reckon we spent $10 more than necessary at the other place yesterday. Well we know better now.
Today we went to "The Rainbow Jungle". A commercial aviary with lots of exotic birds such as Rosella's, parrots, cockatoos, budgerigars, Macaws, etc in large enclosures as well as in free flight aviaries. They have a breeding program here and breed many endangered species as well as showcase some of the more well known ones. They were very well looked after and had just been fed their daily meals of fresh fruit, juice, grains, nuts and what looked a very fine pollen.
Later at sunset Ross noticed some beautiful colours in the sky so we walked down to the beach where the sun was setting over the Indian Ocean, giving us and lots of other people, who were sitting on the grass, a wonderful display as the sun set over the western horizon.
We also visited the gorges in the Kalbarri National Park about 50kms from here. On the drive in to Kalbarri the land appears fairly flat with bushes and shrubs and hardly any trees above 5m, so to go and see some deep and spectacular gorges that have been carved out by the path of the Murchison River over thousands of years is quite a surprise. Cement paths lead to the lookouts making them very accessible to all. To have carved these gorges The Murchison must have had lots of water running furiously. At this point though rain has not been plentiful here and the river is hardly running at all in lots of places.
Now it's not often that visitors to the area have a gorge named after them, but you wouldn't want to know and "believe it or not?" Ross Graham has the honour and we have photographic proof so you can check the truth of this for yourselves.
It's still quite cool here overnight, so snuggling into the warm bed and snoozing in the early mornings is very pleasant, but sometimes impossible. This morning the council garbage collection happened at 6.30am, not just a couple of bins, but 20 or so placed in the street just the other side of the fence from our van, then the guys next door, who only arrived yesterday left at 7am, after that the chap one down who prepared his boat and fishing gear yesterday started up the diesel to go fishing for the day. We gave up. Ross got up and made a cuppa, while I stayed in bed and watched the news on tele. Oh Dear! It is a very hard life!!!!
It's our last day in Kalbarri today and one of the river gorge roads leading to "Natures Window," which has been closed for upgrading, was opened for the weekend.
This time it cost us $5.00. The ranger who was collecting fees looked in our car and said" Mmm! recycled teenagers?" We said "yes" so we got the seniors' discount for National Park Entry - $5.00. Up to today we did not have to pay since the road to the main attraction was closed. We don't mind paying at all as the roads, paths and facilities provided have been so good.
The road to Nature's Window was 15km out of town and then 25km of sand road which was quite good even if under repair.
There were lots of cars there today and therefore quite a few people. After a walk of 500m through the park and along cliffs with lots of photo opportunities we arrived at a heap of rocks to climb down to take a photo of Nature's Window. I could see myself slipping on the rocks, so Ross went down to take the picture. When you look at the photo you can see how it got it's name.
Tomorrow we leave for Shark Bay, Denham.