Last Blog for 2018 Trip.

Tues 23 Oct – We have decided to a small tour inland from Bunbury. We passed thru the town of Donnybrook which is an apple growing area and on thru Collie to Stockton Lake. This was an opencast coal mine which is now a great lake with clear blue water. It is used for water skiing now. The camp site was great with views of the lake. We lit a camp fire in the early evening.

Wed 24 Oct – The weather is improving and we had breakfast outside. A very short drive back to Collie where we stopped for a walk around this lovely town which reminded us of Ashburton with the railway splitting the town. They also had three old steam engines on display. Back on the road and we turned into the Wellington National Park and our next stop at Potters Gorge. The camp is on the shores of the lake formed by the Wellington Dam. Great scenery and unique bush setting. We did a 4km walk to the dam which is used for irrigation and has huge pipes distributing the water to the farm land in the SW.

Thurs 25 Oct – Back to the coast just north of Bunbury and on to the Leschenault Peninsula. We are in another “wild camp” with an estuary on one side and the Indian Ocean on the other. We rode our bikes to the ocean beach and tomorrow we will ride down the peninsula. This is a nature reserve and there are lots very tame birds all around us including Dowan Parrots, (vivid colours of green, yellow and black heads) Kookaburras, Ibis, and the usual Magpies.

Fri 26 Oct – It was hot in the night. Perhaps summer is coming at last! We rode our bikes down a 6km track along the estuary side of the peninsula to Tuart Cove. It was a lovely sand beach with a small jetty. Back at “Andy” we sat in the shade and as the ranger had dropped off some firewood, lit a fire in the evening and cooked raisin toast. A really nice camping spot.

Sat 27 Oct – Back down the rough road to the main highway north and on to the coastal city of Mandurah. We had a big shop as we had run out of everything and then drove thru the centre with its bars and restaurants to a camp. In the afternoon did a short walk to the beach with beautiful white sand. The water is still too cool to swim but there were lots of people enjoying the beach. We will stay another night here and go back to the beach tomorrow. About the only thing I cannot cook in “Andy” is a pizza and we have been hanging out for one - a great pizza place just down the road solved the problem.

Sun 28 Oct – Another beautiful day and we walked down to the beach with chairs, books and a sun umbrella to spend 2 ½ hours enjoying the sun, surf and sights. Still too cold to swim however. After lunch we biked down to the waterfront where the Australasian Police and Emergency Services Games started today. The cycling Criterium was on around the bar and restaurant area of Mandurah so we bought ice-creams and watched the action. These games go on for 10 days. We rode back along the waterfront and beaches to Supercheap Auto and bought a 12v fan for the hotter weather next year.

Mon 29 Oct – We headed inland to Dwellingup, a cute little country town, and on to Lane Poole Reserve. This area was logging in the 1900s, Karri and Jarrah. Our campsite is beside the Nanga Brook. I spent some time installing the new 12v fan over our bed ready for the hotter temperatures next year when we head north. In the afternoon we walked to the site of the original logging village.

Tues 30 Oct – It was overcast in the morning, so we spent some time fixing a couple of things and cleaning ready for our last week in Aussie. The sun came out and we did a longer loop walk (10kms) thru the beautiful forest to a pool in the Murray River (not the Murray River in S.A.)

Wed 31 Oct – We drove back thru Dwellingup and N.W. to the coast at Fremantle. The camp was only 3kms from the CBD and we rode our bikes there. We had been in “Freo” before in 1997 when I covered the “Whitbread Around the World Race and Val came over with me for the departure of the yachts. We did not recognize much of the town but we were able to identify the wharf area where I worked. We walked around this lovely old town with its many cafes and bars. It was a cool head wind (The Fremantle Doctor) back to “Andy”

Thurs 1 Nov – We were off to Janine, Louie and Tyler Ragno’s home today in Gosnells, a S.E suburb in Perth. Janine is my niece (Linley and Ron’s daughter). We had a few things to do first however. We went to a carwash and gave “Andy” another shampoo and rinse. We stopped at a beach for lunch and I did a bit of rewiring. (Val says I cannot stop fiddling). Then we drove to the place where we will store “Andy” for the summer. It all looked good. A small shop at Gosnells and then we parked up the Ragno’s driveway. Everyone eventually came home and I fired up the barbie. We had a great night sitting outside chatting and meeting their two huge well-behaved dogs, Chopper and Casper.

Fri 2 Nov – We walked to the railway station at Gosnells and caught the train into central Perth passing the new Optus Stadium on the way. The Murray St Mall and the inner city were very busy and we enjoyed the atmosphere and sights. We walked down to the waterfront and had lunch at Elizabeth Quay. Back on our walking tour passed the Government House, the Mint and Catholic Cathedral before returning to the Murray St Mall exhausted. We can walk for miles in the bush but struggle in cities. We sat on a seat and people watched for ½ hour before catching the train back to Gosnells and (now) the long walk home. Tyler cooked great pasta for dinner.

Sat 3 Nov – A really early start as we have to be at Athletics (Tyler’s summer sport) and his club was on set up. The events got underway at 8:00am. It was interesting comparing this meeting with Riley’s equivalent in ChCh - very enjoyable. We were back at Ragno’s for a late lunch. Janine took us for a drive back into Perth City and we walked around Kings Park, a beautiful area on a headland overlooking the Swan River, with a tree top walk, beautiful wild flowers and waterfall. The views of Perth City and the surrounds were spectacular. When we returned home we discovered that someone had pinched the rear wheel off Val’s bike! (The same thing happened in L.A.)

Sun 4 Nov – We all piled into the Ragno’s SUV for a big day. We drove to the coast north of the city to Hillarys Beach and Marina. We walked to the Marina outlet with hot sun shining on the huge private yachts. Our next stop was at a park where Janine’s AFL team were playing. We watched the match and were impressed with toughness of the women’s game. It made grass hockey look a little tame! Back on the road to Scarborough Beach area. This is a long beach with all sorts of entertainment (play grounds, skate bowl and swimming pool) between the beach and the shops/restaurants. Later in the day we went to Joondalup city where there was a festival of lights. We were a bit early so we went to one of the bars with a Beatles theme. It soon got dark and the lights came on. There were 60 food trucks, too hard to choose what to eat! The festival was spread over a large area and there was a huge crowd. It was very spectacular. We got home at around 9:00pm all exhausted.

Mon 5 Nov – Everyone left us for work and school and we started our cleaning and closing down “Andy” for a 5 month rest. We bought another bike at Kmart to replace the one with the missing wheel. When everyone came home we went to a local tavern for dinner. Many thanks to Janine, Louie and Tyler for looking after us so well during our Perth stay. We had a marvellous time.

Tues 6 Nov – We finished off our cleaning and packing, watched the Melbourne Cup on TV (Midday in W.A.) and drove to our storage place and got an Uber to the airport for a flight home in a 787 Dreamliner to Auckland. Just for the record, we drove 12,284kms consuming 1794lt of diesel costing $2,967.00  @  approx. 14.2lt/100km. We were away for 140 nights with our accommodation averaging $15/night.

Margaret River Area, WA

Sun 14 Oct – We left Emu Point and Albany and drove west along the South Western Highway following the coast on a windy road. At Walpole we stopped for lunch overlooking the inlet with the skies very dark but no rain. We left the coast and turned off to the Mt Frankland National Park where we stopped at the Fernhook Falls camping area. The camp was nearly full and we got the last site. There was a short walk down to a large tea coloured pool and along the riverbank to a series of small waterfalls. They would be much more spectacular with more water going over them. We took pity on a couple of ladies that arrived late and shared our large site with them.

Mon 15 Oct – Breakfast outside before heading on thru the Great Southern Forest. These are huge very straight Karri trees, a type of gum. Apart from the trees the country reminds us of the West Coast of NZ, especially with the tea coloured streams, ferns and lush bush. Just after the timber town of Pemberton we entered the Beedelup National Park and stopped at the oddly named Snottygobble camp. There was no one there and no one came in! Might it be the name? There was a nice walk thru the bush to Goblin Swamp with dark water and strange knotted trees. It had been cool all day so back at our camp we lit a camp fire and sat outside for a couple of hours.

Tues 16 Oct – Just a short drive S.W. to the coast at Augusta, a pretty fishing/tourist town on the most S.W. part of Aussie. The camp was great and we got a lovely site overlooking the Blackwood River at its mouth. This is the start of the area known as Margaret River. There was a nice walkway along the river back into the town where we got some useful information about this area. It was a lovely suny afternoon and we sat and read watching the ibis and pelicans on the river. We will stay here tomorrow and hopefully ride our bikes to the lighthouse.

Wed 17 Oct – A beautiful morning as we set off on the bikes for a 9km ride to the Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse. This is where the  Southern Ocean meets the Indian Ocean. The lighthouse, built in 1895, is the tallest in Australia. We climbed the 175 steps to the top for great views. Back at “Andy” we relaxed in the lovely sunshine, had haircuts and walked around the bay for fish (bronze whaler shark) and chips at sunset. Delicious!

Thurs 18 Oct -  It started to rain in the night and the day was wet and cold. We shopped at Augusta before we drove to the Jewel Caves. The tour was great as we had two tour guides and only Val and I on the tour. We have visited many caves in lots of countries but these would have to be one of the best we have seen. The rain continued as we drove along the coast and camped in the Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park. We were in a forest of karri gums with wild white lilies all around us.

Fri 19 Oct – There is a 4 day mountain bike event happening between Cape Leeuwin and Cape Naturaliste called the Cape to Cape. Today as we left our camp the riders were using a track near the access road so we stopped and watched them come thru. Another short drive to another camp in this National Park at Conto. The day was cool but when the sun came out it warmed up. In the afternoon we walked to the cliff tops near the camp.

Sat 20 Oct – Cool and windy this morning as we drove to the beach at Prevelly. Even the best beach does not look great in this weather. On to the town of Margaret River and we had trouble getting a camp site as the Cape to Cape race was overnighting here. We got the last site in town. We walked into the town which is very touristy, and along a track beside the Margaret River.

Sun 21 Oct – We drove along the coast to Yallingup, a beachside town. This was wine country with many vineyards. The grapes seemed to be growing in very lush ground unlike the arid conditions of NZ vineyards. There is a lot of limestone around which may suit the grapes. The wind was cold and the surf was pounding in. We did a 6.5km walk up the hills around the town returning via the coastal track with great views. 

Mon 22 Oct – We drove across the last bit of this coastline at Cape Naturaliste to the much more sheltered NW beaches at Dunsborough and followed along this coastline thru Busselton and on to Bunbury. We have had a worn bush on a suspension damper for a while and have an appointment to get it investigated. The guy who had arranged the appointment had filled us with fear as he thought the part would be hard to find and difficult to fit. Fortunately the owner (Eddy) took one look at it and said it would be “too easy”, just get a cup of coffee and come back in an hour. On our return “Andy” was all fixed ($121) and ready to go. We checked into a camp in Bunbury and walked along the waterfront passed the restaurants and bars, up Marlston Hill and its observation tower and into the shopping area. Bunbury is  lovely city (pop 31,000) set on a bay with sheltered beaches and inland waterways.  Although the weather for our Margaret River part of our trip has not been the greatest, we have really enjoyed it and can see that it must be a beautiful holiday destination in the summer. The WA wild flowers have been a real bonus.

Esperance to Albany

Tues 2 Oct – We left our camp in Esperance and parked in the town and went for a walk thru the shopping area. Another grey day and it started to rain as we got back to “Andy”. We drove east along the coast for 50kms to the Cape Le Grand National Park. There are two camping areas in the park and we drove to Cape Le Grand Beach and a site with a view of the beach. It was cold and raining off and on and we picked a gap in the showers and walked along a huge sandy beach. The sand was very white and the water a brilliant turquoise colour. Unusual as the sky was grey. The coast of the N.P. is granite with smooth boulders going into the sea. Very strange!

Wed 3 Oct – A very short drive over a hill to the next camp at Lucky Bay. Another great site with sea views. We went for a 5km walk before lunch as it was not raining. The track followed the granite cliffs with great views down into the beaches. Val took many photos of the spring flowers. We walked to Thistle Cove the next large beach along the coast. This track is part of a 17km walk along the coast of the N.P. In the afternoon we went for a brisk walk along Lucky Bay. Again the unusual sea colour and hard white sand. The wind was freezing and were glad to return to “Andy” and a relax. A kangaroo and her joey are in the garden opposite our campsite.

Thurs 4 Oct – We left the Cape Le Grand National Park and drove back to Esperance. First off, we went to an RV repair place and the guy fixed the pump leak which had developed and supplied a new water filler cap (lost the last one, bugger). Then we went to the service centre where we had jacked up for an oil change and filter. We were on the road out of Esperance and driving west by lunch time. All good. It started to rain heavily and we stopped for the night at the Munglinup rest area. It rained most of the night.

Fri 5 Oct – The rain cleared as we drove west and then turned down to the coast to Hopetoun. The town was small with only a pub, café and an IGA. There was a nice rest area backing onto the beach where we parked. We walked the town, took about 20 minutes and then along the beach into a cool wind. More rain and drizzle in the evening.

Sat 6 Oct – On the way into Hopetoun we spied a huge car-wash, so we went back there and gave “Andy” a thorough shampoo and rinse. He is really looking good with all the attention he has had lately. We have decided to go on a loop thru the Central South region (inland and north) to see the wild flowers. We have seen some already and they are very nice. We stopped in the tiny town of Varley. Not even a pub! This is farming country, mostly grains and wheat. The rain had cleared and we enjoyed sitting in the sun in mild temperatures.

Sun 7 Oct – We drove north to Wave Rock. This is another huge granite outcrop. This one has been eroded and had formed a large wave along one side. We climbed the rock for some great views of surrounding countryside. The road has all sorts of wild flowers growing along the edges. Our stop was at Kulin, in a great free camp.

Mon 8 Oct – We drove the “Tin Horse Highway”. This is a 15km stretch of road where the locals have made horse sculptures out of old drums at their gateways. The famous local race meeting was on Saturday and these sculptures line the route to the racecourse. We are now in the “Wheat Belt”. The country is undulating with huge fields of wheat still ripening. The fields have large gum trees along the roadsides and some trees have been left in the fields. Very picturesque! Our overnight stop was at Narrogin in a camp. This is a larger town and we will shop there tomorrow. Val did a huge laundry and I gave “Andy” an inside clean-up.

Tues 9 Oct – A lovely warm sunny morning and after shopping we headed south down the Albany Highway to Cranbrook where we arrived at the farm of David and Lorraine Preston. Val met Lorraine 50 years ago and we have stayed in touch ever since. They have been and visited us in Kaiapoi so it was good to catch up with them again. The Preston family (sons Mark and Neil plus families) own three farms along a country road. After a catch-up we were straight into the farming life moving a mob of sheep 5kms from one farm to another. The farms run sheep (meat) and grow canola and wheat. The sons plus two drivers were preparing to drive two huge machines (swathers), which are used in the harvesting of canola, 400 odd kms north to the Geraldton area where they will work for 4 weeks non-stop. The circus is a pilot car, the two huge swather machines on trucks towing the combs and two caravans for accommodation. We had a great roast meal and sat around the table and chatted.

Wed 10 Oct – David took us for a tour around the farm in the 4WD ute. It is beautiful country with great views of the Stirling Ranges in the distance. David is breaking in more paddocks out the back of the farm for grazing. He is using a gigantic machine which lifts the rocks out of the ground and crushes them leaving gravel which the grass grows thru. All the sons plus the drivers and the children arrived for lunch. David arrived back from Albany (100kms) with one of the trucks which had to be certified for the trip north and then took us to a bush area where there were wild flowers including some rare spider orchids. Lorraine was on grandchild minding as Dallas, Neil's wife, was getting more stuff from Albany for the road trip. Another great chat after dinner.

Thurs 11 Oct – Photos and farewells. Thanks to David and Lorraine for their generous hospitality. Back on the road again to the Stirling National Park.  This is a range of unusually shaped mountains (the highest mountains in this part of Western Australia). The camp was beautiful, and we sat and enjoyed a peaceful read in the sun.

Fri 12 Oct – It rained in the night and we drove to the Porongurup National Park and did great 2.5km climb up to an area of granite boulders called the Granite Skywalk. At the top there was a walkway attached to the giant boulders giving views over the valleys. The last climb to the walkway was quite a scramble. The wild flowering shrubs in the bush were great. It was only a short drive into Albany where we booked into a camp for a couple of days. A chilly wind and showers set in in the afternoon.

Sat 13 Oct – A nice sunny morning so we hopped on the bikes and rode an 11km cycleway along the beaches and around into the harbour and the CBD of Albany. We got caught in a heavy shower just before we arrived but dried out walking the main street of the city. Albany (pop 33,000) is quite like Timaru, hilly and with a main street running down to the harbour. A very pretty town! We had a rare cup of coffee and a muffin in the oldest pub in W.A. before we walked across a walkway (over railway track) to the beautifully designed Entertainment Centre looking a bit like a ship. Back on the bikes for the return 11km ride. Unfortunately, the skies opened again, and we got very wet. After lunch we rode around Emu Point at the entrance to Oyster harbour where we are camped.