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.

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.