23rd September. Geraldton WA

We moved into town, Big4 Sunset Beach Caravan Oark. It's very nice, l, we have loved the hot showers especially. Opportunity to use our washing machine & get everything up to date for our months trip home. We are noticing the cooler weather after all the high temperatures up north.

Yesterday we had a day sightseeing, first stop was HMAS Sydney memorial 

That has 645 seagulls that form the dome, one for every life lost when it was sunk 19 November 1941 by a German Raider which was also sunk with 80 lives lost and the remainder were interned until the end of WW11. 

The wreck was only found in 2008 & this has been built nice then.

Everything was symbolic right to the material used in its construct. 

The LifeSize Bronz statue of a woman looking out to sea, forever waiting.

Another view.

Naturally it is on a hill overlooking Geraldton and it gives a great view of the city.

Under the centre of the Dome is a propeller 

The wall in the back ground has the name of every one engraved.

On then further south where we saw the leaning trees. It shows which way the wind blows.....westerly!

This is an isolated one but we saw many more on out travel.

Our destination was Greenough which is now a heritage village which was a busy farming & central community centre in the late 1800 & up to about 1970 & it's now a very interesting place to visit. Both Anglician & Catholic Churches which are still used on a monthly basis.. 

School

And a big Police station & Court house. The Sargent & his wife had 14 children!!! The was also a gaol , this is the exercise yard!

The Catholic Church even had a boarding school there.

Their information centre was well appointed and very informative. Even the outside was cute.....

We watched a half hour video of the history & found it most interesting.

On then to Ellendale Pool, a very beautiful spot where we could have camped for $5 per night.

No he didn't jump in!

The flies had found it also, so we had our lunch in the car!

Brian didn't like the last 5k because it was dirt road & we had just had the car washed!,not too bad this time. Saw some wild flowers but the predominant was Wattle, which has a bush instead of a tree that we are used to.

There is another yellow bush but the flowers are not as intense as the Wattle 

Our last stop for the day was the Infirmation Centre which is most interesting and has a display of the wildflowers. Out side they have the giant Mortan Bay Fig Tree planted in 1900. A wonderful sight.

Time to go home as it started to rain, but it had been a wonderful day.

Today, it was grocery, pills and I got a pair of warm tracks dacks, cold nights when free camping over the next month. We also bought a board game from Toyworld.... Delux Rummy-O. We were missing Fred & Monika too much. First game about to be played.

20th September. Coronation Beach, Geraldton.

Said goodbye to our playmates of the last few stops. If we don't see them on the way home, we WILL see them in January, at Philltp Is.

The wind is not so dramatic today but the flies still remain. There are 2 windsurfers having fun in the clam area before the waves, 3.30pm.

There have been people sailboarding as well as the fishing boat. The boat is out most days, crayfishing, big $s in that business & very expensive to own a craypot.

This is the view from our front window.

Behind our van is a hill with steps up to a lookout (no......I haven't been up there........Brian has)

The very clean (smell free) toilets have a shower in half the building.....the notice on the door is "Bring your own Water" There is hook that you could hang A portable shower bag of water from. That the first of its kind I've seen.

The wattle is out in flower everywhere 

I'm impressed by this sign.

NO, Brian, we are NOT going to investigate!

Tomorrow is another day.

18th September. Geralddton, Coronation Beach.

On the road again, stopped for 2 nights at Nerren Nerren Rest Area, a nice big area with lots of parking areas within it. On the second morning, our friends found that they had a flat tyre, Brian helped change it and they decided to head straight to Geraldton to make arrangements for a full set of new tyres (5), then camp at Coronation Beach. We stayed the second night then straight to join them because they were able to get the new tyres delivered from Perth & have them fitted on 16th. We stayed with their caravan while they attended to things in town, 33k away.

One of the New tyres, only done 33k!

Our van is the one on the extreme left. It is a beautiful spot $14 per night, toilets that are clean, a caretaker, a dump and many Rubbish bins. No water or electricity.

Brian has developed a hacking cough & has also now shared it with Fred😠😠😠. It appears that they will both live.😃😃😃

The flies are a trial, they have driven us to this!!!

Saturday 17th was Christy's Birthday. Happy Birthday.

i didn't make. It but gave it to her with love.

It was a chilly, windy morning so we decided to go into town for a look around. It's a big Port Town, huge export of Iron Ore and Wheat. The silos around the wharfs are HUGE

There were 7 ships lying at anchor, waiting in the bay. A long way out, reminded us of Newcastle.

They would be for iron ore as its not the wheat season for another month. There are 2 shopping centres as well as all the other things. We visited 'Kentucky Fried' for the first time this trip! Then missed the Information Centre because it closes 1pm Saturday's! There is a caravan parking spot very close by that you can stay in 24hrs. We will go there on Friday morning, go to laundromat, supermarket, Fuel up , Vist the Info Centre and see the sights we missed.

We drove the foreshore, it is beautifully presented

and then went to the museum until it closed. The most interesting display to us was the story of The Batavia, a shipwrecked in 1629, with one of the most horrific mutinies in history.

this a a reconstruction of what the bottom of the ship was carrying. The rocks were for balist & were to be used in a construction like this at Batavia now Djakarta.

There was also another display about the sinking of The Sydney on 19 November1941 by the German raider which also sunk, 82 killed  & 317 eventually captured.

The wrecks were not located until 2008.

We could see the 'Dome Memorial' for the 645 who went down with her, but will visit it on Friday.

From previously:- As we were driving out from The Blowholes at Point Quooba, we could see a 'blockage' ahead......Brian had waved goodbye to a guy towing an older pop top van , and his mate following in his own Ute......Our friends were ahead of us & had stopped, , they then drove on as no help was needed. The first vehicle & camper had rolled twice, the vehicle was back on its wheels and the van was in a thousand pieces. There was nothing on the road, it was all on the side of it. The road was straight with a very slight incline, we don't know anything except the van began fishtailing.....could have been a blowout or???? Oh it was horrible, very thankful that there was no injuries, but he had lost EVERYTHING. A very sad sight & a sight to make us extra careful. We also did not stop as he had all the help he needed.

12th September. Bush Bay. South of Carnarvon.

An easy, short drive, 108k. Another large area where people can camp among the scrup along the coast. This is a very shallow bay which shows when the tide is out....such a long way. If there were to be KING Tides, this area would be flooded. We believe Rangers come 'sometimes' & the fee is $7 per person......if they come! The only thing here is a dump point.

Some vans are permanent! Locals from Carnarvon are free. Those are vans in the distance.

Sand, wind and flies, but our 2 vans have some shelter. The temp is 10 degrees cooler once we go onto the waters edge. Evenings are cooler, the further south we come. Day temp has been lovely.

The beach is through the bushes in the path between our vans. We are with our friends from Phillip Is for another few days.

The photo makes it look quite nice. It hasn't been my favourite place but the company is great.

I walked out to waters edge at low tide to show this foam, it looks much nicer at high tide when it's just a nice white line.

I did an about turn and this is the sight.

Some very nice shells I picked up on the way back

Tomorrow we drive about 270k south on our way toward Geralddton, W.A.

8th September. Point Quobba & Blowholes nth of Carnarvon.

Point Quooba & Blowholes are 75k north of Carnarvon, Western Australia. The ocean gives us the most magnificent display of crashing waves rolling over a reef of some sort and also where it crashes into the rocky coast line.

This blow hole is a mighty sight (no need to go to Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada!) it is consistent and the waves splashing all along this area are just about as spectacular.

This area is $8 per night per person, if the Ranger comes while you are here. The is are Rubbish bins and chemical toilet dumps at one end of a 2&1/2 k camping area. We are about the 4th van in (just by luck.) There is no phone or Internet connection but we can get satellite TV. There is a lighthouse, high up, just in behind our van. We tried to go up to get connection!!!!

Got 1/2 way up & started spinning!!, we have since heard that it's knee deep soft sand.........HELP.

 We then found the proper road and Brian goes up every morning to download his newspaper.

Now from the top lookin down to our van.

This is the view from my kitchen bench

The first day was just perfection, but yesterday we caught the very edge of Perth's big storm. We had wind & rain but it only lasted for the morning. Because of the rain we decided  to go to Carnarvon earlier than planned to get gas, water & fruit & veg. My knowledge of WA was improved, I hadn't known that Carnarvon was a big fruit & veg growing area. A lot of bananas & they are quite different to those grown on the east coast, they are smaller both the trees & the fruit. Quite a variety, banana, hot chillies,  pumpkin, basil, green beans, zucchini, tomatoes, capsicum. Being the beginning of spring there is nothing fresh at the moment and the signs at the farm gate says 'Closed, no work' which tells they use casual workers. "Conveniently! We were there just after noon & there was  'Fish & Chip Shop'!!!  Well, of course we HAD to have them for our meal. Sat in the car surrounded by seagulls waiting for the leftovers. It's 150k return trip & we pass through Rio Tinto Salt mine area.

We took some evening photos of the Blowhole but it's not half as impressive as morning light

When we arrived back we found our friends from Quondong/Philltp Island had arrived so we had a great catchup with them.

Today we have been right along the length of the camping area and found an abandoned 'Hippie' corrugated iron settlement. We understand they lived there until the Council made them pay rates.

This is a Tidy one, many are just collapsing 

We then drove along the coast to see the points of interest 

The Memorial is part of Australia's war history. The HMAS SYDNEY was lost in attack by a German Raider which also was lost in 1941. All 645 Australians perished & only 80 Germans landed in life boats but history does not know what happened & the wrecks have never been found.

We drove up to Quobba Station (farm) they allow campers, I fact they have created a caravan park, not very inviting according to us. We did see 2 Brumbies & 4 goats! The whole 8k had views of the great white spray of waves crashing on the rocks. 

Tomorrow we are moving to Bush Bay, (it's free) and only 45k south of Carnarvon. 

As I'm writing this, there is a 'WindSurfer' having a wonderful time in the bay area just before the waves, that's in the photo from my kitchen window.

It's hard to take my eyes away from the surf, it's sooooo beautiful.🌊🌊🌊🌊

5th September. Minilya Bridge Camp Spot.

We had our farewell trip into Exmouth 

He was FAR TOO BIG to eat, would have been wonderful to try!

We had hoped to catch up with friends from Quondong/ Phillip Island, but due to poor phone reception, it didn't happen. Now we hope to meet them at The Blowhole, as we are going there tomorrow.

Yesterday we drove the 250k from Exmouth to here, Minilya. The scenery was outstanding.......just scrup, not even one house, good road though. There is a Roadhouse with 9 van sights and over the bridge on the opposite side of the road, 500 meters away, is a huge area for free camping. The riverbed is dry (naturally), there are toilets & a dump site. Last night there were about 20 vans here. We are the only ones to stay a 2nd night. Yesterday was VERY hot, but a nice breeze today. Can't sit outside because of tiny flies, in every eye, ear, nostril and any exposed piece of skin,,,,,UCK!!!

These were last night.

About 2pm today there started to be a lot of activity, a huge semi truck followed by noisy, highly decorated vehicles. It was the annual outback bash celebration of "Camp Quality" the fund raising group for Kids with Cacer. They have just stopped for lunch here, hence the Semi. There are about 37 vehicles, they are decorated with sponsor names and many have honkers and horns. They have their oun Doctor (Eastern Health Service) with them and a band to provide their own entertainment where they set up for the night. I have to admit that we think it would be a very noisy night!!! But it's not here.

This is some of their vehicles, they do not drive in convoys, so there has been quite a long time here for the officials who are ticking off everyone as they come in in smaller groups.

It is so very dry and now at 4pm there are about 8 vans parked, guess more still to come.

It's been a nice spot, but really just a place to park for free.

Tomorrow it's back to the beautiful ocean.

2nd September. Exmouth.

The sunset trip didn't happen.....it was cloudy (one of the 4 days per year when it's not sunny,)

Yesterday we set out to 'Do' the The Cape Range National Park which is alongside the Ningaloo Reef, one of Australia's World Heritage sites. The Park was just scrub land like everything in this area but there is a paved road right through with gravel & sand designed roads into the ocean. It is very will set up, a pay to enter the park, and all the areas were well maintained, toilets, picnic areas, and well signed. The information centre was outstanding.

These were displays in the centre. They had a beautiful film showing the fish in the coral reef, pure delight.

We took our picnic dinner, & why not?

This was our view. The reef is quite a distance out, so it's beautiful to see the breakers out so far. It is a major place for Snorkelling because you can just about walk out to the reef then view it for yourself. (Drat, I can't swim!) Brian walked into Yardie Creek Gorge, I walked to the creek! They had boat trips, kayaking, paddle boats, the water was sooooo blue. There are camp sights about 10 & they are booked out in the peak season. You can book 6 months in advance & can stay 28 days. It is strictly controlled. There are toilets but NOTHING else. You have to be fully self contained. It's 40k to Exmouth from the first camping site, so that's where you have to go for water, gas, food, & dump sight.

It was a beautiful day & we loved it, probably 220k round trip.

Come evening, we went up to the Lighthouse along with many others to marvel at the setting of the sun

It capped off a perfect day.

Today is again bright sunshine, the same as yesterday & we drove into Exmouth, it's a very small town, but has two Supermarkets, both IGA, one at each end of the little shopping mall. We were glad to be able to get internet connection there as it is very spasmodic here. 

3.30 pm Coffee time. Bye.