Category: Activities

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Day 155: 1 November – Giving blood on a sheep station across the Nullabor

Author: Mrs A

From: Gibson’s Soak

To: Fraser Range Station

Distance driven: 283 km

Distance hiked (at high speed under great duress): 6 km

March flies fed: 200+ (estimate)

After a poor to fair night’s sleep at Gibson’s Soak, we were on the road bright and early to head up to Noseman. The main downside to our free camp was its position – right in between a rail line sporting freight trains hooting their horns from 4am and the main road north, sporting roaring road trains. Not the best combination for relaxation. 

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We headed first to Norseman, an old goldmining town, and what we expected to be the last frontier before commencing our crossing of the Nullabor. What we found was far from our expectations. Mr A had a nap while I popped to the local chemist and IGA supermarket for some final bits and pieces. Every shop and building was heavily protected with bars on windows, often no windows at all, replaced with shutters. Many shops were long closed and boarded up, the paint peeling and a strong feeling of deprivation. It was very sad indeed. We had intended to find a cash point, but alas there was none – I later discovered the bank closed two years ago.

Just over an hour beyond Norseman was our stop for the night, a sheep station on the Fraser Range. The station was originally settled in 1872, and was the first on the Nullabor. Its located in the Western Woodlands, and with its granite hills apparently looks little like the rest of the Nullabor Plain.

As we called in to announce our arrival we were surrounded instantly by flies, many of them biting March flies. Ouch. We were not impressed. The temperatures here are up in the late 20s, the warmest we have felt in a long while, but we were forced inside behind the safety of the flyscreens for most of the afternoon.

As the day wore on we decided we ought to try and get out. Mr A attempted a cycle but found few tracks to explore, so we decided to head up to the summit of the range on foot. We mistakenly thought the March flies would be preoccupied with other campers, but found there were plenty to go around.

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Despite being bitten frequently on all limbs, tap dancing our way up the hills over granite bolders, we did manage to see some incredible scenery. It took some skill to stop for the minimum amount of time to quickly frame, focus and shoot photographs while sustaining the fewest bites, but we did it. A few looked vaguely ok even!

Can you spot all the biting March flies on the backs of my legs? Ouch!
The summit!

On our 90 minute high speed dance up and down to the summit, we failed to see a single sheep. We did spot a baby camel, a calf, several red kangaroos, a pair of shingleback lizards, and a wild goat. 

Thirsty Camel! Mr A feeding it milk
Kangaroos – tough fur to protect from flies
Likely to be a feral goat (‘range’ goat)
Signs of wetter times on the lowlands
Quick snap on the walk
Shingleback Lizard
A Shingleback Lizard – well disguised
Great colours up here as the sky shows signs of a change in the weather ahead

Reaching the summit was a relief. I quickly wrote a message in the visitor’s book, and it was about turn and back down to camp as the sun went down.

Low sun
Sunset

With darkness the flies vanished, and we retired for dinner and a good night’s sleep…we hope.

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Day 153: 30 October – Esperance finally shows us some warmth

Author: Mrs A

Location: Esperance & Cape Le Grand National Park

Distance driven: 120 km return

Distance hiked: 10 km

Finally the wind dropped this morning, with gusts around 30 km an hour instead of 70! So yes, still ‘breezy’ by usual standards, but not uncomfortably so. We had earmarked today to head to the nearby national park – Cape Le Grand – to do some hiking and so the upturn in the weather was a relief.

Cape Le Grand is named after one of the officers on the ship L’Espérance (after which Esperance is named – French for hope) which sailed here in 1792. There are rugged granite peaks and cliffs, the remains of a huge mountain range which once stretched along the coast here, originally higher than the Himalayas, but now smooth and eroded. The many turquoise bays are what it is mostly famous for, and the flora and fauna which exists here and nowhere else.

Long stretches of deserted beach

We commenced our section of the ‘Le Grand Coastal Track’ at Lucky Bay, following an extremely scenic route along the cliffs to the next bay, Thistle Cove. Lucky Bay has been voted the whitest beach in Australia, with sand so fine is literally squeaks as you walk on it. A beautiful bay which stretches round in a great arc, its coastline stretching out to the archipelago of islands off the coast.

Incredible colours
Soft sand and gentle waves – the water is very cold though!

Everywhere we looked was stunning, and barely anyone else about either, certainly not on our walking track. Birds, kangaroos, wildflowers and lizards often tried to block our view of the great blue, but we managed to dodge past them.

One very chilled out roo on the track
Nobody here but us!
An Ornate Dragon basks on the warm granite rocks

We enjoyed a picnic lunch on the white sand beach at Thistle Cove, before retracing our steps back to Lucky Bay. We called into the serenely named Hellfire Bay on our way back to Esperance…no hell or fire, just more turquoise water and glaringly white sand.

We are moving on from Esperance tomorrow, heading further east. We will be travelling across the Nullabor Desert, so this afternoon popped into the local supermarket to stock up on supplies, mostly fresh fruit and vegetables, as these will be few and far between on our 1,300 km (808 miles) journey.

This evening we treated ourselves to a meal at the local Chinese. Once again, our first and second choices of restaurant were both closed (!), but the Chinese was delicious. No more mention of wine for a while – we have been alcohol-free since dinner on Saturday. We have decided to abstain until we reach South Australia. A dry desert crossing if you like!

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Day 150: 27 October  – A campsite and pristine beach all to our ourselves

Author: Mr A

From: Hopetoun

To: Munginlup Beach

Distance driven: 113 km

Distance walked: 7.5 km

All these little towns off the main tourist trail are just so friendly. We got a smile at the local IGA, and useful local information on road conditions from the bakery. We just had to buy a sausage roll to start the day. After talking to a a couple of friends yesterday who described themselves as ‘hitting the gym’ and ‘eating healthily’ we aren’t looking forward to Christmas around the pool together! 

After an hour’s drive we decided to head down to a little bay (Munginlup beach) on the coast for some lunch. Arriving, we saw a well laid out campsite, new toilets, and noone else. So…we thought let’s stay here the night. Tas was keen to explore so a walk to the ocean was in order. 

Rich dunes
The most colourful rock pools ever
Not even grey skies can stop this water looking incredible (sorry for the sloped horizon!)

After a spot of lunch and a read (John Le Carré’s new one for me, it’s a cracker) it was time to hit the beach minus Tassie. The wind was howling but it was a stunning vista that awaited us as we walked along. Not a single footstep was visible. We marched up the sand and came to a lagoon, again not a sign of anyone. 

Tas wasn’t too keen on the sight and sound of the ocean, but loved digging in these dunes

Heading back to the caravan we decided to use up some pancake batter and try making Yorkshire puds in our oven. Worked out very tasty – washed down with a Chardy from Mt Barker’s Plantagenet winery. Main is a chicken Pad Thai, absolutely yummy, so we decided it needed something special to show it off. I fished out the Brash Vineyard 2014 Shiraz. More medals than Usain Bolt’s mantelpiece. 

Yum!

It’s so nice to have a place all to ourselves, with only the sounds and smells of the ocean keeping us company.  This is a great time of year to be travelling along this part of the coast. The weather may be not the most beachy, but hasn’t often stopped us from getting out and about. I would trade sunbaking and swimming for less crowds any day. 

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Day 148: 25 October – Exploring Bremer Bay

Author: Mr A

Location: Bremer Bay

Distance walked: 6 km

Today we had decided to take a short 20 minute drive up the road to the nearest settlement, Bremer Bay. We set off with very little in the way of a plan, all we could gleam from a bit of Googling was “a small settlement surrounded by fabulous beaches, with fishing and surfing opportunities”. Well that describes 99% of all Australian coastal settlements…what was special here? We soon discovered that as we came to our first view of one of the surrounding beaches. What incredible colours, the vivid blue of the ocean was in stark contrast to the almost white sand. One local described it as ‘Whitehaven Beach without the temperatures and crowds!’

Too gorgeous!

The cold wind soon drove us back in the car again (a great day to be behind glass) and we carried on around the town trying to find its centre. Looking at Google Maps it wasn’t really apparent, because it doesn’t have one. Is the pub near the houses? No. Are any of the few shops clustered together? No. It was quite odd. It’s called a town, has 250 permanent residents, and apparently this swells to 11,000 in the school holidays. But really had no feeling of hanging together. 

Another stunning beach – sheltered this time
A people-free zone
Can imagine this being busy in the summer holidays

We drove around and found another spectacular beach though, and then headed to the local fish processing plant, as we had been told they would sell us some fresh catch. They hadn’t got any prepared, and we had no gear to gut and scale, so we brought some vacuum packed, frozen but locally caught, shark and sardines. The owners were delightful and we chatted for a while about their move from Gosford on the east coast of NSW to run the business. 

We finally found the pub we had been told served a pretty decent feed, and were warmly greeted by a very friendly barman. Everyone here has the time and genuine inclination to have a natter. Food was ordered and delivered to our table, sheltered from the wind. 

A great feed at the pub!

We were a little thrown by the very scary sculpture on the way out though! As the Ranger we spoke to said, he’d lived here for 15 years before he realised what it was. See if you can guess.

Something from our worst nightmares? This big mermaid is 6.3m long and weighs around 3.5 tonnes

We took a bit more of a drive around and then headed back a bit ambivalent about the place. Yes, it was surrounded by such beauty, but seemed to have no coherence, just a series of buildings scattered about randomly. Lots of land was up for sale so clearly there’s an appetite to develop the town, but it needs more infrastructure and planning. Get a new town council! 

Back at the camp a rather lazy afternoon followed, with Tassie being the recipient of far too much attention. 

Our beautiful fur child

We dragged ourselves out of the cosiness of the Zone though for one final sunset walk around the property, as we will be leaving tomorrow. This has been a fantastic bush camp and all credit to Terry, who keeps the place immaculate, and to Robert, the owner, for setting this facility up. Everyone here has been so friendly.

Tassie giving ‘I love you’ eyes
And the sun sets on another day
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Day 147: 24 October – It’s all about orchids!

Author: Mrs A

Location: Tozer’s Bush Camp, Bremer Bay

Distance walked: 6 km

We did something quite different today, joining Terry, an amateur botanist passionate about orchids, on a wildflower hunting expedition around the bushland surrounding Tozer’s bush camp. I must admit we have very limited knowledge of Australian flowers, and Western Australia seems to be richer in diversity than anywhere else we have been – possibly due to the smaller population and poor soils for farming purposes.

The three hour tour commenced at 10am and we were immediately educated with stories of the importance of the right amount of bushfires to help distribute seeds and open hard seed pods and shown the impact fire can have on the land. Then there were the orchids. Many are dependent on the sun to open (particularly the Shy Sun Orchid which will close up as soon as the clouds come over), whereas others just need warmth.

Below a few that we saw – I will try to remember all the names, but can’t guarantee they are all right!!

Leopard Orchid
Enamel Orchid
Cowslip Orchid
Goodenia
Melaleuca

There are many many more but they will have to wait for a wifi connection – we’re running low on mobile data.

It was a fabulous morning, and we returned for lunch with our heads spinning with all our learning.

We concluded our day with another walk, trying to remember what we had seen during the morning and spot more flowers, while enjoying the serenity of the bush. We finished up at the communal campfire for a chat with our fellow campers before heading back to the mobile apartment for dinner as the sun set. Just another day in paradise!

Another fine evening to conclude the day
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Day 145: 22 October – Birds, beaches and blossoms

Author: Mrs A

Distance cycled: 22 km

Distance walked: 3 km

Turning left out of our campground we followed a cycle path without truly knowing where it would take us, enjoying the adventure of spontaneity. The path followed the forest behind the water’s edge with occasional diversions down to white sand beaches and incredible views.

We continued on as the paved pathway made way for an off-road route, following the Bibbulmun Track for a couple of kilometres, and back out through a housing estate. We chatted with a couple of local cyclists out for a Sunday morning explore who gave us advice on directions to go. We chose to follow the river towards the ocean, finishing up at a lookout with a vista of the spectacular Ocean Beach.

Perfectly still waters
Breezy hairstyle Mr A
A typical sleepy sandy and seaweedy beach

It was a warm and very humid day, with temperatures in the late 20s, constantly threatening storms which we would have welcomed, but never came. We returned via the other end of the rail trail, which brought us conveniently back to camp.

A lovely gravel trail to return us to camp

After a BBQ lunch, we spent the afternoon cleaning. Fridge, floors and shoe cupboard for me, mountain bikes and car for Mr A. After a shower and quick pick up of final supplies (we are off bush camping for a few days, and the IGA supermarket here is fabulous!) a walk to enjoy the stunning evening was in order.

The water was very still, offering mirror-like reflections.

The only ripples come from a pelican swimming up the creek
A drumstick – threatened species in these parts, with phytophthora dieback which feeds on the root system, rotting the plants
A pelican checking to see whether I had any fish to feed him
One of four kookaburras which stalked me on the walk
An ancient and twisted gum tree

Tomorrow we farewell this beautiful water and woodland paradise, and head further east. We’ll be sad to leave serene Denmark. It’s not quite Western Australia’s answer to Byron Bay as some suggest, but a far sleepier, more peaceful version of it. Denmark – it has been wonderful.

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Day 143: 20 October – Walpole to Denmark in an hour

Author: Mrs A

From: Walpole

To: Denmark

Distance driven: 73km Cycled: 28km

Well who knew you could travel to Denmark in less than an hour and still speak English? Denmark Western Australia was named by Europeans in 1829, not after the country as you would imagine, but after a naval surgeon, Alexander Denmark. The resident aborigines called the area Kwoorabup (place of the black wallaby). 

We turned in an easterly direction from Walpole and drove through stunning scenery, Marri, Karri and Tingle forests lining the roads with blue skies overhead, the morning sunlight filtering through the trees. Beautiful. We booked into a campsite down by the Wilson Inlet, a shallow lagoon full of birdlife with forest and white sand beaches lining the shoreline. We were keen to enjoy the beautiful day and so after setting up jumped on our bikes for an explore. Denmark is very bike friendly with shared pathways throughout town. 

We decided to embark on a ride along the Heritage Rail Trail which starts just 100 metres from the campground. 


It was a beautiful ride, along relatively flat pathways, mostly alongside the inlet and beaches, and frequently reminding us more of English countryside rather than typical Australian landscapes – it was only the flora and fauna which reminded us where we still were.



It was a stunning afternoon’s ride taking us to a little under 30km return and working up a good appetite for the evening’s activity. 

Just before heading off on our cycle, we had received a knock on the caravan’s door, as you do. It was the skipper of the the caravan site’s boat, popping over to let us know they were doing an evening cruise – $35 to head up the local creek and out into the inlet to see the sun set, including a fish and chip dinner delivered by the local pub! That was something we couldn’t say no to, so of course we booked on.

The cruise departed at 5.30pm sharp, and took us up the river, allowing us to see some incredible reflections while learning a bit about the region’s logging and farming heritage.


It was BYO so of course we took along a rather delicious chilled white to accompany us on the journey and to enjoy with our food. With a cloudless sky, sunset was lovely but not spectacular, and best enjoyed through the glow on the trees and scenery. 

A lovely end to a fine day.

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Day 142: 19 October  – Walpole is apparently the belly button of the world

Author: Mr A

Distance – cycled: 9km Walked: 3km

Sometimes you meet someone in life, who when you match yourself against them you realise how little you know about the world. Today we took a eco-tour (as its marketing describes it) which was actually a history lesson, a science show, a naturalist history talk, and a fabulously entertaining tour of the Walpole Wilderness by boat.


The tour was hosted by a larger than life, eight generation stockman, turned tour raconteur and self styled eco-warrior, Gary Muir. How the heck Gary has amassed such a vast ranging knowledge of the history, natural and human, of this area is amazing. There is no subject he couldn’t range on, with enthusiasm and humour.


Even describing (by drawing in the sand) how Walpole was at one point just below the equator and positioned as the belly button of the world. His respect and knowledge of the local aboriginal culture was also refreshing. When he asked what I had done in Sydney I mumbled “sell software”, and felt embarrassed against his impact on the world. His award winning boot cleaning station has been used to prevent die back spreading further around the coast, Australia and soon to be the world. He has unearthed letters from Tolstoy in a local boat shed (metres from where we are camping), educated thousands of people and sewn a spark of environmental care into their hearts. Gary…I am not worthy.

After this trip we took a drive up into the “Valley of the Giants”, and wandered amongst the giant tingle trees. I’m sure this has been said before, but these trees produce a tingle down the spine as you crane your neck up into their upper branches, up to 80 metres over you head. The red tingle tree is also up to 20 metres round, and if I carry on eating the amount of pies I have on this trip I wont be far behind. It is truly humbling to walk amongst these giants.


Back at the caravan park we decided to go four a late afternoon ride along the the Biblimum track. Primarily a walking route, stretching from just outside of Perth to Albany, some parts of it are available as cycle trails. This section near us was and we headed into the forest as the afternoon sun was shining through the canopy. What a great little ride.


There’s so much to do around Walpole, we are really reluctant to leave tomorrow.

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Day 141: 18 October – The sun re-emerges and reveals Walpole’s beauty

Author: Mrs A

Location: Walpole

Distance walked: 5km

The rain and wind continued this morning, keeping the temperatures down and people inside. 

Mr A bravely decided to embark on a solo adventure to try out his new bike tyres while I got down to some volunteer work I had committed to. I’m helping two doctors in the USA and one in the UK with separate research projects – they have drafted questionnaires and I am helping to finalise them. Keeps me in a research mindset while travelling, and helps them with something positive for patients. Meanwhile I was also compiling a Q&A for another doctor who has agreed to answer questions for a support group I run. A busy morning on the laptop for me, grateful for a strong 4G signal! 


The wind dropped and the sun came out mid afternoon and Mr A and I decided to do some exploring on foot. Our campsite is surrounded by national park in every direction – an extremely picturesque location on the banks of the Nornlup Inlet. The inlet is calm and tinged red with the tannins from the forest which reaches down to the water’s edge. We can hear the roar of the surf on the Southern Ocean in the distance.


We walked through bushland full of beautiful wildflowers through to a stunning beach. Pelicans joined us along the coast and a sea eagle soared through the sky.



This region is a true haven for wildlife, with birds galore around the campground, along with wallabies munching on the lawns. Tomorrow we’re booked on an Eco tour around the waterways where we hope to learn a lot more about the region. We are in love with its peacefulness and serenity, as well as its many opportunities for toy usage. To bike, hike or PacKraft, that is the question…!

(Below: Western New Holland Honeyeater on a fence post behind our caravan)


A relaxing evening with a chicken curry, Peaky Blinders on Netflix and a glass of Coonawarra Cab Sav followed this gentle activity, accompanied by a small furry friend. Life is good!

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Day 138: 15 October  – Wheeling around Margaret River

Author: Mr A

Distance cycled: 35 km

As Einstein said “There’s hope for a race that invented the bicycle”. After a fortifying BBQ brekky, we were off on the bikes following a very rough mud map drawn by the station staff, showing us how to get to the town of Margaret River “the back way”.


And what a brilliant back road it was, meandering through tall stands of trees, the sounds of the forest enveloping us. I was leading the way trying my best to interpret the map, and got the usual questions from my team that always started with the same phrase “Did you see” then ended with words like “massive tree, bird, lizard”. Now I don’t have the best eyesight, as some of you know, so invariably I didn’t. I like to think I’m seeing the big picture, not getting focused on details…..but actually I’m just charging through on my boulder crusher enjoying the rush. 


After a few back tracks we came out on the rail trail that leads into Margaret River, and were soon sipping hot chocalates at the local bike shop cafe that I had also been recommended to call in it. My bike always garners attention (which Mrs A thinks is the whole point of me owning it, suffering only child syndrome) and this time was no exception. In fact the mechanic has offered to come in on his day off and fit me up with tubeless tyres! Such enthusiasm, perhaps helped along by me buying a new helmet, after mine has mysteriously disappeared. 

Sadly the order of a dairy free and dairied up hot chocolate may have been mixed up, as Mrs A immediately shot off to find the nearest toilets, emerging quite a while later looking decidedly uncomfortable. We set off back to retrace our steps, and in time were wheeling down the beautiful driveway that frames the entrance to our delightful campsite-come-sheep station. 


That evening we had arranged to share dinner with the couple we had got to know on our wine tour, Nick and Carol. We had a Western Rock Lobster from the freezer, kindly gifted by people we had met in Geraldton, so Mrs A is found keenly watching YouTube to work out how we prepare it. After some anxious moments, its halved and a lovely marinade prepared for the BBQ. 

It cooked beautifully, and would have comfortably fed a less than hungry mouse, oh dear, we should have brought another one. Well it was only supposed to be the entree, and thankfully Carol had had  a casserole bubbling away all day. With some fresh bread it was just fantastic. Oh, and rather a lot of red wine, and then the Choclate Port came out, and the cheese. A perfect end to a perfect day, breaking bread with new friends, getting to hear their stories and dreams, simply wonderful. 

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