Exmouth WA to Cervantes WA

Our goal after the eclipse was to head to Kalbarri National Park. On the way are a couple of must-do stops to see Coral Bay and Monkey Mia. We had heard from our friends, Leigh and Geoff who were staying at Denman, near Monkey Mia for a few days. We agreed to try to meet up with them. We headed straight to Coral Bay which has one road in and out. It turned out a non-event for us. Basically, it is a beach stay with flash caravan parks/resorts, with what looked like an expensive hotel and coffee shop. You could not move for caravans, on top of each other, with kids, and paddle boards everywhere. We could not even park to see the beach and therefore were unable to tell you if it was of any significance.

Moving back to the highway we headed down and pulled off before Carnarvon to see the Quobba Blow Hole. We timed it beautifully as the tide was in and the water erupting. This was much more to our liking. It is a natural area, with no lookout, fencing or commercialism and only a few humans around. You can walk across the rocks close to the water’s edge. It was not dangerous although some caution was needed due to it being wet and slippery.  The water was fiercely blowing up through the hole when we arrived. We were able to get quite close to the opening for some great photos. Getting wet was fun and a bonus as the day had been very hot and dry. We went for a walk up the beach to a small lookout to view another cove with yet another inviting family-style beach. We noticed a large flock of sea birds sitting on a rocky outcrop nearby. The afternoon was quickly fading and so we moved on.

We decided to take our time and stay at Carnarvon once again to wash our clothes, and to enjoy some hot showers. For a few days now I have not been feeling well, hacking cough etc. Checked for covid but all clear, just a good old cold, just enough to upset our plans a little. My walking skills were a bit subdued, and my planning ability was out the window.

The next morning, we packed up early and we were looking forward to seeing our friends at Denham. Of course, our car does tend to veer off the road at every camera or tourist sign.  Hamelin Pool to see the Stromatolites was our first detour. We see the stalagmites, and the stalactites many times but this was new to me, at least. It was a short hot walk to the beach from the car park and unfortunately, the jetty had been damaged in recent storms and the access to these living fossils was not great. There are information boards but a large wire fence between you and the fossils. Hopefully, they will get the jetty fixed so others can enjoy them. The next pull-off was Shell Beach, Shark Bay, which was fascinating. Millions of tiny shells covering a 60km stretch to a depth of 7-10 metres. It is a pure white beach with shallow warm water to paddle in. A little hard on bare feet though. Our water shoes would have been a good idea, had we thought of it.  Nonetheless it was quite pretty, and the water was beautiful.

After the beach a pull-off to an historic telegraph office and beach. Not worth a mention as it was not an inviting-looking area. A little rundown and neglected, I do feel it needs some work to appeal more to the public.

We moved on quickly to Denham. This is a quaint town with a manicured esplanade running along the beachfront. It is a popular town for boating and fishing and the gateway to the Shark Bay World Heritage Area The caravan parks looked full, and we suspect a lot of holiday rentals were at capacity. We were lucky, as Leigh and Geoff had an Airbnb which had an extra room and bathroom facilities downstairs. For the first time in many weeks, we were able to have a normal bed and a normal bathroom. This was just as exciting as seeing our friends. After a cold cider and some catch-up conversation, it was decided a swim was in order. We headed off for a lake nearby. It was a short drive and within a dozen steps of the car, the water was shallow and warm. We lazed in the water and chatted some more until the late afternoon air chilled our bodies. Back to our accommodation for shower and clean clothes for a night out at the local. We headed down to the most western hotel in Australia for a great meal, some wine and more talking. As we woke from a sound sleep, we looked forward to our trip to Monkey Mia. We had heard lots of good things about this place, and I was thrilled at the prospect of seeing dolphins up close and personal. Driving another 20 km from Denham we arrived at what appeared to be a holiday resort. There was a large information and gift shop and a walkway to the jetty where the dolphins were expected to visit. The area is very resort-style, with large parkland for children, a large restaurant and easy beach access. The dolphins are expected two to three times each morning. You wait near the jetty and once the dolphins are seen in the distance, two guides join you with stories of their families and their behaviours. They do come into the water’s edge and the handlers feed them fish. They allow you to stand at the edge of the water, however, you are restricted in how close you can get to them. It is a lovely experience as they are majestic and playful creatures. The whole experience lasts for half an hour at which time we wandered up for lunch as there was little else to do. There are emu wandering around the play area and around the restaurant which are cute to watch. We returned to the Airbnb, happy at what we had seen but underwhelmed by the whole experience. I expect if we were the type that loved sunbaking on a pristine beach then we would have appreciated the effort more.

I spent the afternoon working and Ken caught up on some photo editing. Geoff decided to cook us a gourmet seafood dinner that night. He is a pretty good chef as we have experienced his excellent culinary ability previously. After a couple of glasses of wine, a walk along the waterfront, holiday tiredness crept in. As our friends were leaving earlier than us the next morning, we said our goodbyes that evening and let sleep take over once more. 

Another 350 km down the highway brings us to Kalbarri National Park. The road off the highway is pretty much all national park. The first walk we encountered was Nature’s Window. It was about a 1.5 km walk on a boardwalk with a little bit of rock navigating at the end. The large rock window allows one to look through into the Murchison River and its surrounds. The scene is perfect and beckons for a photo. The national park spans 186,000 hectares so looking out from the rocky outcrop was stunning. My cold was still persistent and so I found the walk back up was draining.

A short drive further on and you come to the Kalbarri Skywalk. This lookout allows you to walk out onto two manmade structures with see-through flooring extending over the valley. It is very pretty and easily accessible but personally standing on an undeveloped piece of land high on a cliff top is more exhilarating. Having said that the lookout and the sealed walking paths do allow a lot more people to access the beauty of this country. Once again there is a lot of information displayed and a tiny café available for resting. Overall, it is a very picturesque place to visit. There were several more drives and walks available but as it was getting late, we headed into town to secure our accommodation. Free camping was not as forthcoming along the coast, so we headed to a caravan park on the main road opposite the foreshore. That night, hoping for a nice sunset we wandered over to the park on the beach and were rewarded with a very beautiful peaceful crimson sky.  The next day the intensity of my cold meant I did not want to do any further walks. Ken of course took off to investigate some more of the National Park while I rested.  To his discomfort, he encountered another rock scrambling climb down to the bottom of a gorge. He was, however, rewarded with a glorious photographic scene. After another couple of walks he returned a very happy man. We then took a drive through the town and investigated the many ocean lookouts along the way. They all have easy pathways and the views varied at each stop. A little cold and windy but a sunny sky made it a very pleasant afternoon. Another nice sunset over the water saw an end to the day. It is a very pretty town, with lovely scenery, beaches, and some spectacular lookouts. This may have been my favourite place as far as being comfortable and relaxed.

Leaving Kalbarri, we headed down the coast toward Cervantes. As I said we had taken a drive the previous afternoon to check out these turnoffs. We could not help but look again. The morning sun gave us a slightly different view.  We were now ready to move on and hungry to see more of what WA had to offer.

Gregory was the next place to visit. A tiny settlement with a convict history and a pink lake. There are several pink lakes in Australia and this one known as Hutt Lagoon was the first, we had seen. Travelling on along George Grey Drive for some time you see glimpses of the lake and the pink colouring is obvious.  Turning off at Port Gregory Road, you drive a kilometre or so directly beside the lake until you approach a small hill where you can pull off and cross the road to a viewing area and access to the beach. There were a few cars there already, so we parked and walked down the hill on the other side. It was easy then to walk across the sand to get a closer view of the pink water. Comparing what we saw with vibrant coloured photo’s it was a dull pink with the colour varying in areas. The depth of the colour changes constantly depending on the bacteria present in the water. I would not say it was strong the day we visited but afterwards replaying the drone video you could see the intensity of the colour. Turning back the way we had come, we looked for the historic Lynton convict depot. Established in 1983, it was the first convict depot north of Fremantle. There were some signposted ruins and a little further up the road was Sanford House a Georgian homestead open to the public for a gold coin donation.  We explored a little and then moved on. One thing I noticed here was the massive trees bent almost to the ground, clearly showing the direction of the strong winds that prevail over the Western Australian coastline. We passed through Geraldton once again and checked out a historical church built between 1916-1938. Quite an impressive building and well preserved.  We then drove onto our next free camp called Ellendale Pool. The campsite was in Greenough about 45 km southeast of Geraldton. On the way, a tiny town called Walkaway, a wind farm and many acres of farmland followed by 100 m of dirt road, and we found our destination for the night. Crossing over a little bridge we find ourselves surrounded by giant gum trees and a rocky gorge. As we arrived, we noticed a tall tree completely covered in white.  At first, I thought it to be white flowers but quickly changed my thinking as a crescendo of piercing cries descended on my ears. There were hundreds of white corella nesting on the branches. Later in the day as the sun started to set it was fascinating to watch huge groups fly overhead vacating their trees, maybe looking for a warmer spot in which to sleep. We will never know but they were back to visit again the next day bright and early. With another couple of hours drive ahead of us we took off without delay.

Pulling into Cervantes expecting quite a large town we were surprised to see the opposite. We were going to a donation camp at the showground but alas it was not operating. There was only one caravan park in the town which I felt was overpriced. I had found out the day before that our daughter Jess had secretly been making plans with Ken to organise a dinner voucher at The Lobster Shack ( a seafood restaurant in Cervantes) as a birthday gift for me. They know I love seafood and this place had been recommended to us. Given that situation, Ken insisted on us staying two nights in the overpriced caravan park so we could enjoy a relaxing afternoon and the next day a celebratory lunch. It was hard to argue with that. A leisurely afternoon and another nice sunset at the beach. We woke to get an early start to see The Pinnacles. I was blown away by these as I had seen photos and was expecting a small desert area with funny-shaped rocks. It is much more than this. We arrived as the park opened. As pensioners, it was only $8.00 to enter. There is a drive through the park which is part of the Nambung nature reserve. As we arrived early there was a quiet peaceful feeling as we started the slow drive. To me, it seemed like we were invading a series of secret cities silently going about the process of change. There are hundreds or maybe thousands of these “rocks” Formed approximately 25,000 to 30,000 years ago. Once the sea receded and left behind the seashells a new world emerged. Winds blew away the sand and left the pillars to stand alone and face the elements. They are all different shapes but often similarities can be seen within certain groups. You are allowed to drive and walk among the rocks but asked not to touch or climb on them. We drove and stopped many times wandering through the structures. Often you would round a corner and feel like you had just entered another town. Some are taller than people, some are wider, there are groups huddled together and others scattered away. They are all individual and yet they are the same. In one very sparse area with more open space, we were joined by three large emus’ wandering steadily across to a small shrubbed area. We were able to watch them slowly pass in front of us on a journey known only to them. I wondered if they were annoyed by our presence in this peaceful, serene setting.  Further along the track a large grey kangaroo foraging in the bushes on the side of the road gracefully emerged and hopped across the road right in front of us. We have all seen these animals many times, but I personally am always thrilled when I see them in natural surroundings simply going about their missions. It took a couple of hours to complete the drive and we finished at the visitor’s centre where they have a large display of information and photographs of The Pinnacles. Interestingly they have not yet discovered how they were formed. The actual gift shop was a little disappointing. I find the gifts are pretty much the same in every tourist centre you enter. I was prepared to buy something which represented the park as a memory, but nothing was special or unique. The same old products with different labels. I decided to wait until I found something I liked elsewhere. It did not spoil the visit as I am still thinking of its beauty days later as I write this blog. One of the highlights of the trip for me. Topped off by my special seafood lunch, at the famous Lobster Shack,  with wine and a gelato for dessert. Sitting on the balcony with a  fabulous ocean view made my day complete.

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As we headed further down the highway, true to form the car was compelled to do a couple of detours on the way.  Firstly, we saw a sign for a place called Wedge Island. Asking ourselves the question, what are we going to see, wedge-tailed eagles or an interesting island in the ocean, we had no know idea at this point. A few kilometres down the road we started to see a few old shacks hidden in the bushes. As we continued there were more and more varying shapes, sizes, and conditions. There is no running water, no shops, and no electricity. There are some generators to be seen. The place looked deserted. We could see tracks to beach areas but no signs of people. It was obvious that there were residents, and a few vehicles parked among the shacks.  Reading up on this, apparently, there is up to 350 of these independent shacks or humpies scattered all through the bushy area.  It is hard to believe but during the right season up to 14,000 individuals may use these shacks for cray fishing.  Wedge is the name of the town and a small rocky island off the beach is known as Wedge Island.  You will not find one-star, let alone five-star accommodation in this town. Very interesting and intriguing place.

The next stop off the highway was the Lancelin sand dunes.  An absolute necessity for a 4WD is needed on these ones. You could walk all over them and had we been a bit more energetic we would have. For now, watching those on the quad bikes zoom up and down the hills and standing admiring the pristine white sand stretching for miles was enough. We used what energy we had walking up to a local lookout over the ocean. Nearby a nice little bakery satisfied us with some great pies for lunch. A note, WA make very scrumptious pies, with yummy light fluffy pastry. We endeavour to steer clear of these very frequently available bakeries.

Back in the trusty Mazda once again we decided to  head inland to a small town called Hyden for a much appealing tourist attraction. First, we stopped at Gin Gin to visit the  Gravity Discovery Centre and observatory.  The advertising for this attraction is quite appealing but having now visited we would say it is better suited for educational purposes. The examples of the fundamental forces of gravity  provided, are great for hands on fun and we believe together with an overnight stay to learn about the night sky and use the observatory facilities would be worth the trip. As day tourists it is a little disappointing. Many of the displays were not functioning well and the displayed information could have been better.  We spent an hour or so there and wandered through the displays but believe there needs to be some work done to entice more people to visit. One area I think kids would love is the leaning tower, here you can recreate a 300-year-old experiment from the top of the tower. We were not enthusiastic to try it and the area surrounding it could do with some sprucing up to bring it to life. Having said that it is worth a visit.

The next leg of our drive took us through many back roads and small towns. Travelling many kilometres  via small regional towns, like Coondle and Toodyay  we found ourselves wondering where we were going. The road has little traffic, and winds endlessly through state forests, hills, and valleys with little river crossings.  It feels like you are miles from anywhere but in fact only a couple of hours  from Perth.  The countryside is pretty and reminded us of NSW. We were originally heading for Northam and then onto Hyden however after discussion we decided we would change our plans again and head back to Perth after visiting York.

York is the oldest inland town in WA, situated on the Avon River. There were several attractions, so we started looking for a free camp to settle for the night.  It was not as easy as expected and late in the afternoon we settled on a RV site in the middle of town hoping  a quiet sleepy town would afford us a good night’s sleep. It was a pretty sight just near the Avon River. A much-needed trip to the IGA and a little drive around the quaint little town finished our day.

 Alas the sleep could have been better as we did not consider the workers leaving in the early hours of the morning crossing the local road bridge nearby.

It was the 1^st of May, the actual date of my birth so a prompt decision to have a nice leisurely breakfast in town to celebrate made us scurry to pack up. My thoughts were of eggs Benedict and hot brewed coffee, I would soon be enjoying.  You must admit Weetabix and fruit can get a bit boring after a while.

We drove straight to town, had a look around the nearby  park and started a walk around some of the heritage buildings. After a leisurely stroll down the main road, I discovered my mobile phone was missing and had convinced myself I had left it in the public toilet back in the park. I was still very stuffed up with the cold and struggling with a tight chest but could not imagine surviving without my phone. We hurriedly turned back to the park to find my phone. Breathing heavily, I checked our car first and thankfully a sigh of relief as I found it sitting on the seat.  My much-needed breakfast was foremost in my thoughts, so we trotted off to find the nearest café. To our absolute dismay we were confronted with one coffee shop with preheated toasted sandwiches and no atmosphere at all. We removed ourselves quickly and wandered down the main road trying to satisfy our needs. There was nothing and so my lovely birthday breakfast was not experienced that day.  We had a takeaway coffee and decided to wait for the next town. We had a couple of small sites to see, some photographing of more heritage buildings and we were on our way again.

Our new destination being Perth we headed back along the Great Southern Highway where we found ourselves driving through the Mundaring State Forest. We came across the Mundaring Weir, apparently one of the world’s greatest engineering projects. It was finished in 1903 as the start of the water pipeline which pumped water 700 kilometres away to the goldfields of Kalgoorlie. The area surrounding is ideal for picnics, , canoeing, swimming  and many walks. It was midmorning on a sunny day so ideal to walk across the dam wall to look out onto the heritage museum down below and then stare out at the  bright blue water surrounded by the deep green of the bush hugging the waters edge on either side.  We spent an hour or so just enjoying the pleasant surroundings and the peacefulness of the entire area. It was a nice surprise for the day.

We headed down the highway for the Lesmurdie falls which I expected to be the highlight of the day. Unfortunately, the falls were not falling, and the walk was steep and hot so not exactly what we were looking forward to. The national park was however surrounded by some beautiful expensive looking homes with great views toward the city of Perth.  Accommodation was our next venture which again proved harder than expected. We were looking for a caravan park reasonably close to Perth at a acceptable price that was not booked out. Again, everything was heavily booked. Increasingly this was the case even though it was not holiday period. This caused me to ask the question why. A receptionist at one of the parks informed us that many people were living permanently in the caravan parks due to the rising expenses and lack of available properties. This made sense and made us realise we would have to be more organised over the next few weeks of travel.  Eventually we found our spot at a place called Coogee “ pronounced Coo G”  outside of Fremantle.  One advantage of the caravan parks where there is a heavy permanent residence is that they are very clean and very quiet.  We settled into this one  for a few days.  That night we went to a restaurant for a relaxing birthday dinner. After trying a couple of places which were unsatisfactory, we settled on a restaurant and enjoyed a couple of wines with our very tasty meal. 

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. We had been travelling for 4 weeks now and loving every minute of it. The majority of these photo’s have been taken by Ken with his D3100 Camera. He has a great eye and captures the essence of every place we go to. I do take photo’s with my trusty Iphone XR, but I tend to like quirky scenes which I will post in a separate blog.

The next day we were going to explore Perth CBD, Fremantle and then move along the coast to Esperance. See part 4 for our continued escapades.

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