As we left Hyden...the skies were YET again closing in on us. As we trudged through the NEVERending wheatfields of the 'Great Southern Wheatbelt' we were hit with severe head winds which constantly battered Larry and Judy. The weather was relentless! On we forged continuously being sprayed with mist from the huge tyres on the roadtrains carting the precious grains from each of the bins.

Eventually we were surrounded by the massive Stirling Ranges which were blanketed under a thick cloud like something out of Jurassic Park. Around 60km on, we found the King River and our home for what would be the next 5 nights...'Happy days!' (which was also the name of the caravan park!) Not such a fitting name when it continuously poured with rain. We were lucky during set up because all of a sudden (like something out of a movie) the rain just stopped, just in time to get Judy on her feet before the next deluge of weather hit.

Our campsite was incredible...very picturesque! We backed onto the King River a stunning little spot much like the Yarra River. (Warburton)

During our stay we did have SOME breaks from the rain... but the chill in the wind was worse than Melbourne in the middle of winter. So...we spent a couple of days with Judy and it was good to just chill and relax (this trip around OZ can be very tiring!!!)

We also visited the port and the Anzac Centre which was very insightful and gave us a new undersanding of where the ANZACS left our shores and what they were faced with.

For one last day we braved the Albany cold and visited the Torndirrup National Park where we were greeted by the Gap and Natural Bridge. The gap had just reopened with a flash stainless steel viewing platform which overhangs the clifftop with amazing views of the pounding ocean. The gap is a rock formation with a steep cliff which from the coastline and every so often the waves pound against the cliffs, pushes into the gap and then sprays water up into the air...Larry found out it also manages to spray over into the carpark!

One thing we have noticed so far about WA is they take lots of pride in their public places, schools and parks... everything is kept neat and tidy and all really well thought out... except for the carparking spaces. Larry gets a bit worried about the tight spaces and getting
a door jammed into his side or a wing mirror taken off... let's just say we dont leave him for long.

Although Albany was predominantly wet and cold it was still a very cool place....Tara just wished we were there in whale season! There's always next time!