Australia – Page 30 – When the Cat's Away…

November 3, 2017January 22, 2023

Day 156: 2 November – The Nullarbor

Author: Mr A

From: Fraser Range Station

To: Mundrabilla Roadhouse, Mundrabilla, WA

Distance driven: 545 km

We planned to get a few ks under the belt today – 545 in fact (around 340 miles) so we decided to skip brekky and get on the road early. The road stretched in front of us another 1,300 kms before we would pull off to head to the coast. We came to the sign that announced the longest straight piece of road in Australia was starting, 90kms later I would turn the wheel slightly to the right and it was over.

I had had a good sleep so easily chewed up the miles until lunch, a delicious sandwich and a quick break to look at the limestone blowhole and I was back in the saddle.

This is the blow hole – not much happening today but when the ocean is rough, apparently a different story

Classy sign directing visitors to the blowhole

We listened to a heap of interesting podcasts and were soon pulling into our camp for the night by a roadhouse. We had planned to go for a walk, but it was cold, dusty and windy and not very inspiring so gave up that idea. What a desolate place. It was so tempting to say lets have a glass of wine, but had promised ourselves we would stay dry across the Nullabaor. We had been having a glass of wine nearly every night since we left, so probably time to give our livers a break!

Tomorrow we cross into South Australia. As well as being a big milestone for us (as the fourth state we had driven into on this trip), the boarder restrictions mean veggies have to be topped and tailed, and some cooked, frozen or discarded in order to prevent pests and disease being spread interstate. That task preceded dinner preparation – a chicken red curry with a lot of vegetables, accompanied by a fine glass of sparkling mineral water!

November 1, 2017January 23, 2023

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.

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.

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!

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.

Kangaroos – tough fur to protect from flies

Likely to be a feral goat (‘range’ goat)

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.

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

October 31, 2017July 14, 2023

Day 154: 31 October – Spring arrives in the south of WA!

Author: Mr A

Location: Esperance & Gibson’s Soak

Stepping out of the Zone this morning it felt….warm….and spring perhaps has finally arrived in this rather cool end of WA. We had to drop the caravan off for a new ensuite door to be fitted…dé jà vu indeed. The last one had arrived in Perth damaged and so Zone RV had shipped one down to Esperance, no questions. They are good guys!

First thing on the list was a trip to Bunnings to get another chair – they have a special on and we bought one yesterday as my chair seems to be occupied by a small cat more often than not. We were so pleased with it we thought we’d pick up another one, again for the princely sum of $5s. Bunnings is the best!

Next I was sent into the local super IGA for some provisions, a dangerous move. I went in with the mandate to purchase two bottles of Diet Coke, and came out with four bags full! I just couldn’t resist their Cornish pasties, and the tequila and lime olives were just begging to be tested. The cheese counter had a wide selection of sheep cheese, so I thought it was rude not to stock up for Mrs A. Etc…etc…. I am approaching the Nullarbor crossing knowing there will be very little of anything but pies and the very ordinary Mrs Mac’s sausage rolls for sale along the 1800km of culinary desert that awaits us.

We had planned to go back into town for a fish and chip lunch, something Esperance with its fleet of fishing boats was famous at doing well. However, it wasn’t to be. The number one rated restaurant had closed on Saturday and was opening again today, Tuesday at 4.30pm – way past lunch! The four other options we looked at were all closed. It seems Esperance with a French name is looking to emulate their business hours, and double the price we paid last year for a plat de jour in a beautiful little Parisian cafe. I don’t profess to understand how everything has got so expensive here, but the European tourist is definitely noticing and not happy.

It was time for plan B then and break out the supplies. A marvellous picnic lunch in the sun, a very relaxing afternoon before heading off to pick up the Zone. I wish we had a little more time here but time is marching on and the Nullabor beckons.

We only had a short drive to our planned camp for the night, a field beside an old pub called The Gibson Soak Hotel. I wandered into the bar to check WikiCamps was up to date and it was still OK to pull up. It was, another very friendly bar man who was pleased with the extra custom from grey nomads I would think. Another caravan was there already and three more pulled up while we were setting up.

Gibson Soak was named after Billy Gibson, who reportedly stumbled across the soak (spring) while searching for stock

I wonder what the story is with this stretch limo parked outside the motel!

Tassie was fascinated by the range of farm animals she had spotted out the window. Not entirely comfortable, she quickly retreated to her “safe space” behind the pillows!

We ambled over to the pub and a couple of locally brewed beers soon hit the spot (oops, forgot our dry pledge…oh well, we don’t start the Nullabor until tomorrow…). The locally caught Snapper and chips were brilliant. Finally…our fish and chip craving satisfied.

October 30, 2017July 14, 2023

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.

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.

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.

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!

October 29, 2017July 14, 2023

Day 152: 29 October – Esperance: cold and closed but oh so beautiful!

Author: Mr A

Distance driven: about 55 km

We wandered along the coast road this morning into Esperance along Ocean Drive (how did they think of that name?) and were blown away – literally and figuratevely. The wind has again gusted to just under 70km an hour (44 mph), trees were down and I was gripping the wheel of the rig like a mad thing – again. When we reached the ocean though the view was….I must use a word other than incredible..how about stupendous!

The first thing we (i.e. my lovely artistic wife) noticed were the colours, every shade of blue (apparently – I thought blue was blue). The waves were huge and smashing against the rocks, it was all very dramatic.

Although Tassie was quite unmoved by all the fuss. We arrived at the caravan park, called Bather’s Paradise. We looked at each other and shivered at the very thought of bathing. The temperature was supposedly 17 degrees (at midday) but that wind was bitingly cold. Anyway the park seemed nice, and we ploughed into a laundry mountain. Keeping the washing from leaving the line and not providing clothing for some deserving person in Darwin was our next challenge.

It was a Sunday and we had read the market was on. But it was closed because of the wind. Bloody wind. We needed to do a food supermarket shop. But they were closed because it was a Sunday. We needed to buy some things at the pet store. It was closed. The chemist was closed. Target was closed. The restaurant we planned to go to was closed, the plan B for dinner was the chip shop that had been recommended…it was closed. The fresh fish shop at the harbour….you guessed it. Esperance is either deeply religious or stuck in a 90s time warp. I’m betting on the latter.

So its a pre-cooked curry from the deep freeze and a (another) quiet night in. Good job I’m such remarkably exciting company.

October 28, 2017July 14, 2023

Day 151: 28 October – Snakes on the way to Paradise

Author: Mrs A

From: Munglingup Beach

To: Paradise Farmstay, Dalyup

We left early this morning, blue skies overhead but continuing strong winds. I had not had a good night’s sleep due to a pinched nerve or similar causing pain from my neck to my right arm – I’m hoping this is not going to be a regular thing – it seemed to get better during the day.

As we drove out from camp we spotted our first snake in a long while – a sunbathing diamond python along the roadside – this one is not venonmous. He posed for some photos. Not long after spotting this beauty, we crossed paths with an actual venomous black snake, which reared up at our rig and slithered quickly into the bush – no photo of that one!

We continued our journey eastwards towards Esperance, stopping at Paradise Farmstay along the way. We had some difficulty finding the location due to the lack of signage, but once we had settled, found out from Tom the farmer/butcher that he wasn’t allowed to advertise due to the Esperance caravan parks. Thank goodness for the Wiki Camps App!

We settled in for the day – I had an hour’s catch up nap, then we purchased some organic sausages, fresh eggs and some diced steak from Tom. We cooked up three of the sausages for brunch – delicious! I swear there is a difference from the usual butcher or supermarket sausages. The strong wind continued so we mostly settled inside out of the breeze (strong breeze which prevented the awning from going out and blew over chairs and stools outside!). Tassie loves it here though – no dogs or anything threatening – she had a great day strolling around the paddock or dozing in the sunshine.

At 4pm we congregated on Tom’s deck for happy hour with the other people camping here. We have a couple from the NSW Central Coast, a family from Southerlandshire, also in NSW, and a couple from Mackay in Queensland. We all shared drinks, nibbles and stories for a couple of hours, before retiring to the mobile apartments to cook dinner after enjoying a proper bush sunset.

Mr A and I have a beef rendang, cooked with our local organic beef (we are trying to disassociate dinner from the cattle strolling around in the next paddock), and the remainder of last night’s delicious Brash Vineyard Shiraz.

October 28, 2017July 14, 2023

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.

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.

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.

October 26, 2017July 14, 2023

Day 149: 26 October – Travelling east through more wild weather

Author: Mrs A

From: Bremer Bay

To: Hopetoun

Distance driven: 250 km

Distance walked: 2 km

As the crow flies from our camp this morning, tonight’s location was around 100km, but in between us and Hopetoun was the Fitzgerald National Park, and the mountains within it that stretch majestically down to the ocean, more than doubling our travel distance.

It was a blustery journey. The 3 tonnes of car and about the same of caravan were being buffeted around by extremely strong winds the whole way, making it a physical drive for Mr A as he struggled to keep us in a straight line. We were pleased Tassie seems to have got the hint about car travel, and immediately settled down for a long sleep on my lap while we journeyed.

We pulled up at our free RV camp in Hopetoun around 2.30pm, and within 5 minutes of parking up the wind gusts strengthened further still, reaching more than 72km/hour at one point, followed by horizontal torrential rain. We locked ourselves into the mobile apartment and put the kettle on for a herbal tea. When in doubt drink tea.

The rain continued for the rest of the afternoon, only breaking just before sunset, allowing us a brief opportunity to explore.

We’re parked alongside a heritage rail trail which traverses the bushland between Hopetoun and its nearest neighbour, Ravensthorpe for about 49km. Definitely an option for tomorrow’s activity. We strolled a short way along it and then down a pathway traversing a sand dune (made from giant tyres – innovation and recycling for you!) to a stunning white sand beach. Beautiful views awaited us, with the small town of Hopetoun in the distance one way, and beaches stretching away along the coast the other.

Anti-crepuscular rays in the sky opposite the setting sun (and a mini rainbow)….yes, I had to look that up!

We counted the other caravans, motorhomes and campers parked up at this free spot – 12…More than the total number of vehicles we have seen on the road all day! I wonder how the Hopetoun residents feel about the town offering this free camping spot. I guess we all bring much needed money in to the area (Mr A is already eyeing up the bakery and pub!), but there is also a private campground here – how busy it is there?

We’re all settled in for a cosy evening – plenty of solar power despite the lack of sunshine today, full water tanks thanks to our last campground, and stocked up with food…and tomorrow’s forecast is sunshine. Much to look forward to!

October 25, 2017July 14, 2023

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!’

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

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.

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.

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.

October 25, 2017July 14, 2023

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!!

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!

Category: Australia

Day 156: 2 November – The Nullarbor

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

Day 154: 31 October – Spring arrives in the south of WA!

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

Day 152: 29 October – Esperance: cold and closed but oh so beautiful!

Day 151: 28 October – Snakes on the way to Paradise

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

Day 149: 26 October – Travelling east through more wild weather

Day 148: 25 October – Exploring Bremer Bay

Day 147: 24 October – It’s all about orchids!

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