2019 - Perth to Geraldton

Tues 30 May – An early start (4:00am) for our trip to Perth, (via Brisbane) where “Andy” is stored.  Our plan this year is to drive north from Perth, thru Broome to Darwin and then south thru Kakadu and back across to the east coast. Our flights went well and Val even managed to get our cellphone up and running at our stop over in Brisbane airport. We caught an Uber to the storage place where “Andy’s” battery had been charged and started first pop for the short drive to the Ragno’s (my niece) and parked up their drive. Louie and Tyler had footy practice, so we had a drink with Janine and we all had Chinese Takeaways for dinner. Off to bed early, 9:00 (1:00am NZ time).

Wed 1 May – Everyone had left for school and work before we woke. We had a long list of stuff to do today. First off check the tyres, complicated as most tyre places did not cater for small truck tyres. We found a very friendly place and I discovered that the inside rear was flat and not holding air. They put on the spare and ordered a new tyre which will arrive tomorrow. After a big shop-up we returned to Ragno’s and I cleaned the solar panel and fitted a new volt meter bought from NZ. Everyone has footy practice tonight, so I made a huge lasagne for dinner. Another early night.

Thurs 2 May – Our plan was to head north for 4 nights at Guilderton, a beach resort 100kms north of Perth. At breakfast we changed our minds, delayed our trip north by 2 nights, and booked the ferry to Rottnest Island. We set off back to Fremantle (this was our last camp last year). On the way we fitted the new tyre, picked up extra foam plastic for the squabs, and ordered a new sun screen for our awning. At the Fremantle camp we checked the bikes out and fitted the foam in the squabs, very successful. We walked down to the beach to watch the sunset. The weather is warm during the day but chilly at night.

Fri 3 May – Off on our bikes to the ferry to Rottnest about 5kms away and loaded our bikes on board for the 35 minute crossing. Rottnest is known for BBQ – Beaches, Bikes and Quokkas. It was sunny but with a strong wind. We did a short ride to a lighthouse and returned to the village to buy lunch and then set off for a ride around the island. There are no cars on the island, only buses and a few delivery vans. The views were spectacular with white sand and blue green sea. The road was quite undulating and coupled with the wind some of the trip was hard work. The Quokka is a small marsupial which was thought to be large rat when discovered by the original Dutch explorer, thus the name Rottnest. The quokka is very social and traditionally you get a selfie with them. Back on the ferry and the ride back to our camp. We biked 35kms and had sore bums!!! A nice warm night, so beers outside watching the sunset.

Sat 4 May – Back to our original plan of driving north. It was a long trip thru Perth, the suburbs and eventually out to the coastal road. Guilderton is a small pleasant beach resort set on an estuary with a nice golden sand beach. The camp reminded us of a small older version of Kaiteriteri with views of the estuary and the sea from our site. We walked along a boardwalk to the beach where several brave souls were swimming but the water was cold.

Sun 5 May – A day of rest! We had to shift sites because of our delayed booking. We still have the same view however. A sunny morning sitting and reading. After lunch we walked to the beach but as soon as we got there the sun disappeared and we headed back in light rain. The rain cleared but the temperature dropped.

Mon 6 May – A nice sunny day but with a cool wind off the sea. We decided to walk inland following a path along the Moore River. Away from the sea there was no wind and it was a very pleasant 7km walk. After lunch we sheltered from the wind and read in the sun. Many A-vans arrived in the afternoon. These are a folding caravan with an “A” shaped roof. It was the 20^th anniversary of the club and about 50 vans arrived.

Tues 7 May – Another sunny day with very little wind so we set off along the beach for 2kms (hard going in the soft sand) to a lighthouse. The lighthouse was 32m high, made from bricks and shaped like a “waisted lady” beer glass. Very unusual. We returned to the camp via the streets of Guilderton with some very nice holiday rental houses. Back in the sun after lunch. We have had a good rest here and keen to start our trip north tomorrow.

Wed 8 May – We filled with LPG before leaving the camp and drove north 50kms to another beach town of Lancelin. We shopped in a small IGA store and bought alcohol before checking into a camp where we got a site overlooking the ocean. These beach towns are much smaller than we had thought they would be, considering we are only 150kms north of Perth. There was a strong wind blowing down the beach and there were several kite surfers making the most of the conditions, jumping high into the air. This coast is known for its winds.

Thurs 9 May – Back on the road for a 90km drive to the Nambung National Park and the Pinnacles Desert. We paid our admission fee and went to the information centre before walking into the dessert. This is an area which was under the sea and has vertical outcrops all over the golden sandy desert. The outcrops are made of limestone and have remained when the soft sand has been eroded by wind. It was very unusual and beautiful, well worth the visit. Lunch at another small beach town of Cervantes before continuing on to Jurien Bay where we camped. This is a bigger town with another stunning beach.

Fri 10 May – After we checked out, we hopped on our bikes and rode a smooth path called the Turquoise Way for about 7kms along the beach. A very short drive along Jurien Bay to a beach camp at Sandy Cape. There were lots of campers tucked into the sandhills. The beach was white sand and curved.

Sat 11 May – We decided to stay another night, so we walked out to the registration booth and paid. Before lunch we walked up the sandhills to a lookout with beautiful views in all directions of the turquoise waters of Jurien Bay. The sport here was to slide down the steep sandhills on small surf boards and try and reach the water. After lunch we took our chairs to the beach and enjoyed the sun and a read.

Sun 12 May – Another short drive thru the town of Greenhead (dumped and filled) to the Milligan Island Eco camp area. A ranger collected our fee and again we went to the beach. Unfortunately, although the days are warm (27C), the water is still too cold for swimming. There were very few campers in this lovely spot.

Mon 13 May – We drove back out to the Indian Ocean Road which we have been following and travelled north for 50kms to an area called Cliff Head and eventually found a great camp right on the beach. We sat in the shade of a gum tree and later walked along another beautiful beach! We watched the sun set and sat outside until it was dark. The warmest evening we have had yet but it is still cool at night.

Tues 14 May – It was cloudy in the morning but warm. We walked the along the beach, past the cliffs (very low) to another camping spot on the other side. Our progress north is slow along this great coastline but we have plenty of time and will pick up the pace further north. We are about 350kms north of Perth and 100km south of Geraldton. There is very little wind, mostly coming either from the east (inland) or north.

Wed 15 May – We drove north to Port Denison/Dongara, leaving the Indian Ocean Road and joining Brandt Highway, the main road north. At Port Denison we booked into a camp for laundry. In the afternoon we sat in the sun and did some planning, booking a camp in Coral Bay and two National  Park camps on the Coral Coast for three weeks’ time. This is a snorkelling area and is very popular. When it was cooler, we cycled 9kms on a path along the coast and up the Irwin River to Dongara and then back along the other river bank to the sea, pushed our bikes across the sand bar and rode back to Port Denison. On one part of the path there were steel silhouettes of the ANZAC soldiers who would have stopped over here on their way to the 1^st World War. This is a lovely area, very popular with retirees. Out to the local pub for a fish dinner.

Thurs 16 May – There is a cold front coming up from the south as we drove a short distance to Seven Mile Beach and joined about 15 caravans in a gravel area overlooking the sea. It was cloudy but still warm, so we walked along the wild beach. In the evening it started to rain, strong winds from the south, cold and huge seas.

Fri 17 May – We woke to a huge truck (low loader) taking one of the caravans away (don’t know why but much excitement). Nice and sunny but a very cold southerly. A 60km drive to Geraldton. This is the third largest city (Ashburton size) in W.A. We shopped before checking into a camp for a couple of nights.

Sat 18 May – (Australia’s Federal election day). Our site was getting no sun, so the “Head of Communications” went to the office and now we are on a nice sunny site. We biked passed a lighthouse to the back beach before lunch and then biked along the waterfront to town in the afternoon. There was the usual great bike path passed the huge grain silos and along the foreshore of Geraldton. There are 3 great beaches in the middle of town and boat harbour with luxury yachts overlooked by stunning apartments. The city has a very nice feel to it.