Aug 7th

After getting supplies in Carnarvon, we stopped for the night at a roadside camp and headed out reasonably early the next morning. Not far past Wooramel, there is the Gladstone lookout ,which has beautiful views over the Shark Bay area. We drove up and found a pile of memorial rocks at the top.

I placed a rock for Jodie ( my daughter) and Chris placed a rock on top of the pile for John ( his brother).

It was a beautiful sunny morning and the ground below had lots of yellow Daisy’s.

Next stop was Kalbarri, we were here a f ew years ago, but they have put a new Skywalk in ,so needed to tick it off the to do list.

There is two walk outs, which are quite impressive and allows great views over the cliffs and the river below.

We took our time , taking lots of photos and doing the walk out to Natures window. We didn’t go down the rocks ,as we have a photo from our trip, some years ago, and my back is still dictating what I should or shouldn’t do at the moment.

Here is that photo from June 2019. OMG. 5 years sure has made a difference to me, but the window would be the same haha.

Few more photos, then we enjoyed an icecream back at the Cafe, which is also a new addition since we were here last. Lots of pretty pink bottle brush flowers around here.

We stayed in a gravel pit ,with a couple of other vans, that night, just outside the park entrance. So the next morning we did a couple of walks, back within the park , The z Bend and Hawks head lookout.

So that was Kalbarri. As we started to travel further south, the landscape is changing also . Now fields of green and gold Canola.

we stopped for lunch in the Apex Park at Nabawa , in the Chapman Valley.

The drive through the Chapman Valley is beautiful, they have had over 600 ml of rain lately and the Valley is so green.

Next stop was Geraldton, a few more supplies and a photo of the St Francis Xavier Cathedral, as we drove around the town.

Then a visit up to the HMAS Sydney 11, Memorial , would have to be one of the most beautiful and moving memorials I have been to. Each piece of the structure resembles somthing significant about the Ship and its Crew.

This statue of a woman (mother, wife,whatever) looking out to sea, is haunting to me.

The Dome is made up of 645 silver gulls, representing the no. of Souls lost when the Ship Sank.

That night we stopped in a roadside camp, overlooking Geraldton.

The Next morning we drove in to see the Australian Defence Satellite Communications Station , of cause it’s a no go zone ,so I had to take my photos from a distance. I can’t stop from wondering if Albo even knows it’s here, let alone come out here in the scrub to visit it. Not too many media photo opportunities around here. Opps!

From there we are going East for a look around the wildflower areas. Great stonework on this old chapel

There isn’t a lot of flowers out yet , but on one bush walk we managed to find the first few orchids of the season.

Our lunch stop that day, was at the old Railway Siding at Tenindewa. We had bought fresh buns and a kilo of prawns in Geraldton the afternoon before, so they went down well.

The flowers are getting more colourful each day and thanks to the rain it will be a great season over here. We wandered around for awhile then stopped at the old Tenindewa School site.

More paddocks of flowers, then back to the Yalgoo caravan park for the night.

The next day was fine and sunny, but it is getting a bit cooler out here. Not far out of town is Jokers Tunnel, he wasn’t joking around when he decided to look for gold in them there hills. And found quite a bit.

we walked inside and it had been dug so neatly. Only head high and goes from one side of the hill through to the other. 140 metres, Chris said , he reads all the technical stuff I mainly take the photos.

we drove all around the hill seeing where prospectors had little diggings. Even that day there were a group of prospectors camped in the hills, looking for a pot of gold.

Back towards town was an old railway water tower.

Then on to have a look at the remains of the Old Coach Staging post, also not far out of Yalgoo.

Then back into tidy Yalgoo, for our 2nd night in the tidy caravan park.

Yesterday was showering and overcast, not thinking of flowers so we went out just looking around . First we drove all around Chinaman’s Rock, and Chris climbed up , not me.

I walked and took photos in-between the light showers.

An old rock well ,with nothing in it.

Then on to Dalgaranga Station, a deserted station, just going to ruins, so sad . There’s so many rocks on the property, it would of been hard to make a living, but such a shame to see all the buildings and hundreds of acres go to ruins.

Old homes, wells , sandy creeks, windmills and stock yards, all going to waste.

Then there was the big rock which they had built a dam at one end ,back in the early 1900s to provide water for the station.

Amazing the size and work to build it. Yes I did walk up to the wall.

just imagine the torrent of water when the wall gave way.

Some more walking in the rain, taking flower photos ,before going back to the van for an early dinner and putting the diesel heater on. Ahhh.

A lazy day today , we had a look through the Arts centre in town and on the walk home, passed the remains of the original store and Post Office that had the 1st letter bomb back in 1903.