Author Archives: Colleen

Our wonderful trip is coming to an end.  Our last night in our bedroom on wheels!!  We have celebrated with a BBQ and a Red.  Just before we we got to those Adelaide Hills, the lightning cut the clouds to show us a little blue sky and the thunder stopped rocking the road for us to glide down the hills with ease.  We are staying in Bordertown for the night before we cross into the beautiful state of Victoria-the state ‘On the Move’.  See you all soon.XXX

Just for us

Adelaide Hills

After a night of torrential rain(Matilda had to stick her fingers in her ears and put her head in the sleeping bag) gusty winds(Emma who hates wind, thought one of our poles had come out of our fly, had to get up to check) and wild weather, we reassessed our options.  Opting on another night in Bunburry thus cancelling out 2 pack ups and setting ups, we decided on a tourist day.  Heading to Augusta we called into Margaret River and walked the length of the street, popping into the Fudge Factory, where Matilda found out she likes fudge.

Exhilerating

Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse

Back on the road we travelled onto Cape Leeuwin. Walking to the lighthouse, with it’s panoramic views,  the wind was so ferocious it seemed to blow the ground from under our feet.  We looked like uncoordinated dancers, walking on air.  Looking out to where the Indian Ocean and the Southern Ocean meet it was exhilarating.

Picnic Lunch

Climbing back into the car just in time for the heaven’s to open but only until we found a spot to have our lunch.  Next it was time to go underground!!!  They chose the Jewel Cave and I took a deep breath and agreed to join them.  The Jewel Cave is described as an underground maze of mystery and beauty and just catching the 2.00pm tour, I was amazed that we spent an hour underground, walking out at 3.00 pm.  It was very large , with very high chambers and I would have to say not too bad at all.  The heart settled down quite quickly after reaching to top. Out next stop was the Busselton Jetty.

Jewel Cave

The longest wooden jetty in the Southern Hemisphere being built in 1865, it has withstood, wood borers, fire and a cyclone.  So after a really busy day we headed for home only to find that there seems to be only one way in and out of town which we couldn’t find for quite some time.

On entering the amenities block at Cervantes, I was blasted (perhaps not blasted) by modern type music and wondered why would you have music in the amenity block.  I contemplated a little and thought perhaps it was to drown out the moans and groans of the grey nomads!!!  Not that I have heard any noises, only perhaps the happy squeals of very young children in the bath tubs.  We have not had to wait for showers or toilets throughout our holiday, although we do rate each block on water pressure, hooks for hanging clothes, shelves and how wet you’re cubicle gets with the spraying of water and if you need to remember to take a key or not.. Oops I tell a little white lie, we did have to line up for the toilets in Karajini but that was in a National Park where there was only one loo per 30 or so people.  So that is one thing I am looking forward too when I get home – my keyless ensuite!

No queue jumping

Edit by Emma: Be careful what you wish for … we have arrived in Karrinyup Waters Resort (a northern suburb of Perth) and after Digby showed us the sites we could choose from, he advised us of the closest amenities blocks (both quite close) on inspection one block has at least 6 ensuites and 2 additional toilets AND we DONT need keys!!  We are obviously in the most recently developed area of the park and are not letting on to the other nearby residents that this particular block is imaginarily entirely OUR castle to enjoy, we see them walking down this way and surreptitiously send vibes or low murmurs of “don’t go there, they are ours”.

Emma is too busy reading; she hasn’t even blogged about Broome. I must admit I now have a new appreciation for my pearls after going to Willie Creek and seeing what those little pearls have to do and even the work that goes into cultured pearls. I even think I NEED a set of Keshi pearls. (Only $8950.00)   They’re the ones that the pearl shell does all the work and they come out all different shapes and sizes.

This set of keshi pearls is worth ONLY $8950...

This big cultured pearl is only $100,000.00 worth.

$100,000. ( I told you she is a gem or a pearl)

So girls, get those pearls out of your safe place because we were told they need a little moisture to keep up their lustre. (A moist micro fibre cloth wiped over your pearls does wonders).

Sorry I got a bit side tracked. The boys are too busy fishing and the girls are too busy playing in the sand, snorkelling or swimming to do any blogging, so I had better try to tell you about our whale watching and snorkelling adventure.  We picked up our flippers and snorkelling equipment and set off in a mini bus and were met by Graeme our skipper who said even though it was windy, it should die down in about an hour and he would try and make our trip as comfortable as he possibly could.  We travelled for about an hour inside the reef but there were no whales in sight so he informed us we would have to go out through the reef.

Cruising

Another 30 minutes later and our skipper saw some spouts on the horizon.  Cruising ahead for about 20 minutes we came up to our first sighting and saw the whales spouting much closer.  Next thing we saw the whales ‘round out’, ‘fluke up and down’, a couple of ‘pec slaps’ and then just about one after the other they gave us some ‘tail slaps’.

Shake your tail feather!!

The skipper reckoned on a pod of about 8 whales.  For the next 30 minutes or so, you could hear the oohs and aahs and delighted exclamations from passengers on the boat.  The skipper then said one more presentation and then we had better turn around.  Much to our joy, the big one gave us a ‘breach’.  Excuse the lingo but that’s how they are described.

Wish I could jump that high.

Cruising back through the swell to the inside of the reef, it was time to ‘don’ the snorkelling gear!!  I must admit I was 2^nd in the water as I thought I had better have a little practice.  I decided not to go to the shark cleaning pool (where the sharks come in, open their mouths and little fish swim in and out of their mouths to clean them.  John and Ro went out with 4 of the other passengers and Mark (the mate, who is an experienced diver). The rest of us snorkelled around the boat, seeing schools of little blue, yellow, black and white fish, along with coral, trumpet, emperor and parrot fish.

Too busy

The coral was all different shapes and sizes and every now and then there would be patches of sand or clumps of green weed and surprise, surprise, I was very comfortable out there in the deep blue sea.  While cruising back to shore we enjoyed fresh buttered fruit loaf, biscuits and fresh fruit with tea, coffee or cool drinks.  So you can see we are just too busy!!  H & xxx

Too busy

Also too busy

Thinking we had left the red dirt behind at Tom Price, we had washed the cars and even washed the caravan floor.  We had forgotten our House Creek Roadside stop before we hit Coral Bay. (A little traumatic) not really but we finished reading Red Dog!! But that wasn’t the only thing that happened.  Just as we were getting into bed a young French couple pulled into the roadside camp and proceeded to set up camp.  We are sure that their car had 14 doors that they opened and shut twice and STARTED TALKING AS SOON AS THEY GOT OUT OF THE CAR AND DIDN’T STOP UNTIL THEIR JAWS COULDN’T WORK ANY LONGER.  Emma and I even think they had a little tiff (even though we couldn’t understand a word they were saying) as Mr French seemed to raise his voice and the tone changed dramatically at French chic.  I might add that at the beginning of our holiday Emma had taken Sarah and Matilda aside and explained that sometimes we would have very close neighbours- to speak quietly and at night time speak in hushed tones.  They prepared their dinner and for at least 14 minutes there was quiet while they ate.  It then came time for them to pump up their bed.  Emma described the sound as A HACKSAW CUTTING THE TOP OF THEIR CAR AND MAKING IT INTO A CONVERTIBLE AND TAKING THAT LONG!!  I then heard a thumping noise. (Careful of your thoughts).  Rohan said that it was Mr French stomping out the fire that they had lit.  I told myself that I was going to get up at 5.30 am and stand by their tent and sing Old MacDonald had a farm over and over and over.  Emma had decided on something else.

Leaving all that behind, we set off for Coral Bay and just as we came up over the last rise; there, spread out before us were white sand dunes, beautiful blue water and darker blue water on the reef with white tipped waves rippling over the coral.  A Touch of Paradise!!

I’ll leave our Whale Watch tour, which included snorkelling (yes I did it) that we enjoyed so much this morning for someone else to tell you about.  I don’t have enough vocabulary to tell you.  H & xxx

Setting out from Broome, we were heading for a roadside stop before getting to Karijini.  Our lunch time stop was a little eventful.  We had pulled into a side parking and had set up our table and just as we were cutting up our tomatoes and cucumber another car and caravan pulled in.  The lady jumped out and asked if anyone was a smoker and please don’t light up if we were.  Next minute another car and caravan pulled in behind us.  The lady then said the second car had a gas leak!!  We all looked at each other as we could hear the hissing of the gas.  John went and asked if the guy knew how to turn of the valves.  Of course he didn’t have a clue.  John then got under the car and started turning off the valves, burning his finger in the proceedings.  We hightailed it out of there as soon as we could put our picnic lunch back in the car.

With adrenalin a little high we continued on to Port Hedland, not bothering with the roadside stop.  On arrival on the outskirts of Port Hedland, there were white 4 wheel utes with iridescent logos on the side, aerials about six feet high with orange flags on them, buzzing around like ants.  Every second house had a 40ft boat parked in the driveway or out the front and there was a huge stock pile of salt, just before we crossed over the bridge.

All caravan parks were full but one receptionist phoned another and we could have an unpowered site if we got there straight away.  On arrival we were told we could have any site around the pool.  John noticed a power point on the side of the swimming pool shed so we set up camp.  In the cover of the setting sun we plugged our van in and enjoyed the free power.  Emma did some running sewing repairs to the neighbour’s little girl’s bathers in the glow of a head lamp, while the girls enjoyed a swim in the pool.

Running repairs

Next day we headed to Karijini where we knew that there wouldn’t be any power or water but we were prepared.  After setting up camp and lunch we headed for some sightseeing of the rugged beauty of the Gorges, beautiful waterfalls and sparkling rock pools.  The pools called so we climbed down to Fern Pool and slipped into the cool water to take some of the ‘pindan’ dust off and cool down.  Next day we drove over some b….. dusty, b…..bumpy, b…..road to more gorges and pools and came back to camp and set off for a swim at Fortescue Falls.  Beautiful.

Relaxing in Fern Pool

Weano Gorge

Next stop was Tom Price.  Only one caravan park in the place and the dearest of all our stops, so we had two showers and handwashed as much as we could and let it drip dry while the girls didn’t leave the pool.  We are going on a mine tour but that will be the next story.

Starting our journey this morning and heading to Kununurra, I thought the range ahead was covered with mostly green bush and trees, with pockets of blue gums, but WOW, the wide, wide, WIDE horizon  of the Gregory National park was spectacular and driving into Victoria River and coming face to face with monstrous rock formations of all

different shapes and sizes was amazing.   . There were pointy, flat, cathedral, crumbled cake, some vegetated, some bald, and even some looked like a stone train coming out of the range or travelling around the edge of the escarpment. Boab trees stood sentinel at each creek, river, spring, lagoon or water hole. America can have their Grand Canyon; I’ll have this country anytime. The photos won’t do it justice but hope you enjoy.

Red Dog time again. Bye xxx