Kalbarri National park W A

We arrived in Kalbarri, late afternoon, and I decided on the Anchorage caravan park,as it was overlooking the river and seemed the most casual out of all . There is no free camping in Kalbarri township, and no camping at all within the park area. So caravan park it has to be. Well we couldn’t be happier with, the site we were given, big site, end of the row, overlooking the Murchison River.

We were all set up in time to go for a sunset walk with the camera. Then it was happy hour in the camp where the campers were treated to some good old singalong tunes. Good time had by all.

Over the next two days we drove out to all places of interest on the coast, then walked, rock climbed, and of coarse took too many photos to show on here, don’t wan’t to bore you all with what I feel is the best part of travelling. So here is just a few to show how truly awesome Kalbarri is.

By the end of the first day and all that walking around the rocks my legs were singing that night, but so worth it.

The next day was filled up more of the same, then we had local fish and chips from the Jetty seafood shop, another top day.

That’s it for this post, and i’ll leave you with a view from one of nature’s best windows.

The Pinnacles and W A Coast

Chris has decided to try out his culinary skills, which is great, bacon and eggs or pancakes for breakfast is fine by me. Going further North today, around the Geraldton area, the showers are still persisting. Typical coastal weather, but we just have to have a look to see what has changed since we were here 10 years ago, and on a time limit.

The Pinnacles have been made more touristy, as have most places. They say there is over 10,000 of them, and we enjoyed a stroll around around the now set out walking tracks.

You can still wander off the track, but they ask you not to climb on them. Fair enough, but some overseas tourists just don’t adhere to most of the advice their told .

Separation Point was cold and windy, a couple of photos and we were out of there, Didn’t bother going around to the lighthouse.

Geraldton is very populated now, and a clean and tidy place, with a newly built jetty and lookout over the harbour.

A quick look around Port Gregory area and Northampton , where they have brightly painted sheep around the streets.

A couple of old early settlers buildings.just out of Port Gregory

Then a stop at the Pink Lake, just out of Kalbarri.

That’s it for now, off to listen to a bush poet, around the camp fire. Kalbarri National Park next post.

Small Towns and Bush camps WA

Hi again, it’s rather hard keeping up with the blog as we have had very little service over the last 2 weeks. We are really enjoying being on the road again. the first week we headed towards Perth, Chris had plans of getting another metal detector ! The closer we got to the coast the colder it became and a few days we had rain, well I called it showers, as it wasnt enough to stop us from doing anything. Small towns can be quite interesting.

Moora W A
GOLD

We sayed just out of Toodyay, in a bush reserve rather than on the coast, a sheltered spot. Next day into Perth to get the metal detector. Had a hold of a nice gold nugget, that some fortunate bloke found the day before. Hmmmm,!! Also caught up with Dianne, my ex sister in-law.

We passed solar farms and a few wind farms as we got closer to Jurien Bay, on the coast.

Solar Farm
Wind farm

Camp near Bindoon,with a seat full of books.

Ok so the showers were rather persistent for the next few days, but we camped at Lake Indoon and loved it. Bush walks, lots of bird life and a nice sheltered spot.

Teddy Bear tree

The day in Jurien Bay, was wet, windy, cold, and rough seas.

Hope this post will load , photos of the Pinnacles to put up next.

It’s lights out for now.

Homeward Bound

Well the day has come to leave Kalannie caravan park and start towards home, we have decided to go north from here and over the top as it’s too cold down south at the moment, besides that way we do the big loop as they say, this trip. We have been living in the van for 15 months , and I love it ,although I do miss the family, friends and my garden. We have made Kalannie our home for the last 7 months. We have been warmly welcomed by the residents, and hopefully we will get back again. For now its a sad farewell, especially to Chris’s employers Steve, Mary, and family.

We hooked up the caravan and weighed it and to our surprise we are not overloaded !.

We called in to say another farewell to Steve, sure going to miss this family, great people and fun to work for. We rang Chris, the son and met up with him on his way back from Perth, at Wandan Hills. The two Chris’s had a chat and final farewell in a park while I had a wander and took some photos.

Two Chris’s

On our way again, and we called into Toodyay. Think it was a late lunch stop, but turned out to be an amazing hour in the renowned Christmas Shop. Bitter sweet experience for me, just so happy we took the time.

So much, so expensive, and I was like a kid in a lolly shop! Chris finally had seen enough, and I later found him waiting patiently outside.

Then it was time to find a camp spot for the night . Pulled up beside Ninan lake just as the sun was setting, I lost the game of scrabble this night, but with this awesome sunset who cares.

View out caravan window

Next morning we went for a walk along the lake edge, its a salt lake so there is a lot of interesting driftwood laying around.

Monday was a public holiday in W A, so we also took it easy .Tuesday was a day for Chris to go shopping . He now has another metal detector after our day in Perth. Also had a catch up with an ex sister inlaw, which was nice. That night we found a nice bush camp on the banks of the river.

An 1800s church and cemetery, was all we found of interest here. Think its time we got serious about heading North as its getting rather cold around these parts and they are talking rain in the next few days.

Back to work

Time at home in Casino went quick, and before we knew it we had flown back to W A for Chris  to work in the wheat belt.                                                                           I usually spend one day a week going with Mary to help her with whatever she needs to do, either to Perth or out to a farm . Olly the dog is always ready to come along, he is never far from Mary’s side, and I’m becoming quite attached to him too. Such a great companion for her.

The farms are so big out here, and the roads to them very isolated at times. We enjoy each other’s company and always make time for a bit of shopping, a coffee stop or even a photo stop if something takes our eye.

Chris also likes company as well, so I’ve been with him on some of the more interesting runs. He took the float trailer down to Manjimup area and picked up an excavator for the eucalyptus farm, one day. Quite interesting for me to see over the distillery plant . The oil is extracted from the cropped trees by feeding plant into the furnace and distilled into stainless steel vats,           Cooled and put into plastic pods. Mainly it’s sold overseas to Johnson and Johnson. The plastic pods are worth around $35,000 each.Another trip was out to the farm where the eucalyptus trees are grown.They’re harvested, loaded and brought back to the distillery in Kalannie.

They take a while to load, so the camera and I went for a walk around the farm.

There’s always gotta be one black sheep eh!Unloading is simple, just tip it off.After 2 weeks, the work is starting to slow down in the area, as the farmers wait for rain. It’s  so dry and not looking good for this years crop. Chris and I have decided it is time to head towards home. So with one last load of sand from Jurien Bay, our time here will come to an end, well for this year anyway.! I went for the last trip, leaving early in the morning and getting back to Kalannie as the sun set, after unloading on a farm out near Beacon.

Well that’s it from the work side of this adventure, its been 15 months since we left Casino in the van.  Sure has been interesting.  We have decided to go north from here and over the top, which means we will do the big loop as they say, this trip.No matter how many times you loop this country, you would still not see it all. Just a  magic country we are privileged to live in.😊

Home in Casino N S W

Well our 2 weeks was very busy , I was pleasantly surprised to find the house and garden in reasonable order.  We are so fortunate to have such good neighbors, who have kept most of our plants alive, during one of the biggest droughts for many years. I enjoyed the little time we had , pruning and just generally cleaning up, while Chris got down and dug out weeds and did some serious hedge trimming. 

Of course it is missing my TLC, but that can wait till we get back in October.  The zeiko cactus are all in bud, and a shame I won’t get to enjoy them in flower this year.                                                                                                                                             On Saturday the 4th, granson Corey and Chey married , a lovely wedding out at hanging rock hall . Truly beautiful and we had a great time seeing all the family together, and danced till the end, along with granchildren and great grandchildren . A special time. 

These are just a few photos that  I have of the wedding . Love this one of  Chris and Nate, who finally crashed ouf from dancing .                                                   Most days were filled up with Doctor, dental and visiting family and friends .  The second weekend was Mother’s day, Bec, Steve, Rosie and Creed came and stayed for the weekend, and on sunday , Chris’s mum, brother Scott,  Kym, Darlene and, hey, I can’t remember how many kids came for a visit and lunch for mother’s day. What a day, but much love and gratitude for them all, making it a special day for me.So that was our quick trip home , then it was time to fly back to WA for Chris to go back to work for a couple  more weeks.

Mangowine Homestead W A

On Easter Saturday we went for a drive out to Mangowine Homestead. When we Arrived the homestead was closed, but we were welcomed to have a look around at all the old machinery, laying around the paddock, and told to come back on Sunday for a look through the old home .  Didn’t look much from the outside, but said we would do that. 

We took some time to wander around the old farm machinery, which again Chris and Steve reminisced over.

This old car was my favorite.As we couldn’t go inside, we left to find another point of interest, water holes in  rocks called Gnamma holes. These are at Weira.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Next we headed back to camp, lit the fire, sat around to have dinner and cook marshmallows . And yes I had way too many, and suffered all night.                           Easter Sunday we got up to a breakfast fit for a king, and cooked by Steve. Followed by Easter eggs from the rabbit we saw hopping around the night before. This was to be our last day out here, so off we went to see the rock climbers on Eaglestone Rock, in the National Park. And no we didn’t climb this one. However Chris and I did drive up on one, where we had a good view of  the salt lake below.  Later we went for a walk on the lake, the salt is so clean and sparkles in the sunlight. Very crunchy to walk on. 

After spending some time at the park, we needed to make our way back to the Homestead for a look. The men’s bar room was very interesting. No women were allowed in, back in the day. 

The kitchen was basic, but the dining areas were beautifully set out, on the uneven stone floors.

A few other things of interest.

This chest took my eye, as my mother had one, almost identical, that I have revamped and handed down to my daughter Kym.

The bedrooms were beautiful, as if they could still be slept in.

Loved seeing this crocheted quilt, just like my Grandparents had on their old ratterly iron bed. Same pattern and theirs was also mainly black. Guess that was why I remember it. As a child I thought it was horrible. No doubt my older cousins will remember it.

     Here is a few other photos, from our day out, a wind driven race horse.!!            At Cleomine.

Lunch stop, at Mukinbudin, and a yummy strawberry milkshake, from cafe across the road. Red Hat Statues. And a few more old wells and gnamma holes. Took awhile to find these. Weira Reserve W A

Then it was time to go back to camp for our last night.                                               On Easter Monday. Just like that the camping trip came to an end. We packed up and headed back to Kalannie, only to stop for a cuppa at Beacon. 

Hopefully we will be back one day as we have really enjoyed exploring the midwest.                                                                                                                                    For now its time for a much looked forward to, trip home to Casino, for 2 weeks. We both need a rest and are looking forward to catching up with our families and and friends.                                                                                                                       So no more entries on the blog for awhile, take care all, and hopefully i’ll be back on here by the end of May.

Baladjie Rock and Nature Reserve W A

Easter Saturday was another good day to be out and about. After an early breakfast we packed a picnic lunch, and went looking for Baladjie Rock. It’s in a Nature reserve, most roads are just dirt tracks out here, and it’s not hard to get lost. That we did, driving around on someone’s property. We realized the road into the park was just over the fence, when we came to a dead end. Not a problem, with a little bit of handy work, we had the fence down and out on the right track, in no time. Fence back in order and we drove on into the park.

Putting this next photo up, I can see we didn’t cover our tracks up. Opps!!Found a parking spot in the shade at the base of the rock .

Ok time to get some exercise, before lunch Climbing this one was rougher but somehow easier, as the rocks were very uneven on the way up. 

Think this rock is my favorite. So fortunate that we are able to do this. Will be a special time to look back on when we aren’t able to travel anymore. So many caves and overhanging rocks, you could spend all day around here.

When you reach the top, the views of the salt lakes below are beautiful.

 we also put a rock on the pile as a memoriam to my daughter Jodie.After our climb we really enjoyed our picnic lunch when we returned to the cars. Note how good Olly is, as Steve makes his lunch in front of him.

After lunch we go to see through an old Homestead. More on that later…

Elachbutting Rock W A

After climbing all around Beringbooding Rock on Good Friday morning, it was time to find Elachbutting Rock camping area. We found a nice area at the base of the rock and decided it would be our base for the next 3 days. 

After a late lunch it was time to go see what was so special about this place. Just looked like a lot of serious climbing ahead from down here. We all started out together walking around the base, with the 2 dogs on leads. As we started to climb, pore old Olley, started to cry as his nails couldn’t grip the rock, and he was slipping backwards. So the dogs were taken back to camp, while Jodie,[ Mary and Steve’s eldest daughter,] and I kept climbing.! Steve and Chris were nowhere to be seen. Now it’s all good going up, and I had non slip shoes on, but when we had to stop for a breather, I looked down!! This is it, one pic , and i’m outta here. By this time Jodie was about 20 meters behind, and starting to make nervous sounds, and very little progress. Apparently we had caught the eyes of the campers below, who were now shouting to us to keep going, as there was no point in going backwards.!! Ha Ha. Oh shit, I had reached my limits, and didn’t have a leg to stand on, literally, as they were shaking so much, and felt like jelly. Finally we decided that there must be an easier way to the top, and I still had more living to do, so on all fours, and going sideways like a crab, I slowly got back to Jodie and we climbed down. Much to the amusement of the campers below, whom I think we’re getting ready to put down drinks and scrap us off their patch of paradise. Once down to earth we asked if there was an easy way up, must be as we could see people walking above us. Sure enough walk further along base then up, Ok, now with Mary in tow and no dogs, it was time for the second attempt.  We Made it, and here are some of the photos of the popular Elachbutting Rock.

After all that climbing it was back to camp for dinner and a relax by a campfire. With a full moon, and clear skies, life is good.  There was still more to see of this area, we found an old rock well and it amazes us that none of there areas in W A are fenced off. So different to over East, they would be fenced off and danger signs all around.                   Caves and more beautiful coloured rock walls.

Lots of fun, and we were loving this weekend of adventure.

 A short bush walk into the base and another lot of beauty surrounds you, And there wasn’t much climbing involved to see it. 

As the shadows got longer, we looked back on where we had been, and headed back to camp, for another night and more laughs by the campfire.

Easter in the Wheatbelt W A

Since being away, our family has expanded , with 2 new Great Grandchildren, being born in the last month. A trip into Spotlight, for wool was in order so I could knit a couple of jackets for the new arrivals.

             The day I went into Northam, I met this cute little fellow, in the shopping centre.      With Easter only a few days away, Mary and I went to a luncheon in the old convent in Dalwallinu. It has been renovated beautifully and now is a B and B and function centre.

Nice to have a chat with the local ladies, nice food and a good fundraiser for homeless women. I even won a raffle prize. No… not the dog !! This is Oliver, Mary’s dog, he is just  a gorgeous boy. I have become quite attached to him, and he was happy to go for a drive with me to Dally one day, when I was helping Mary.Just a pic of some Parrots, in the park, that took my eye, looked like rain, but it didn’t. This area has an average annual rainfall of 300mm, hard to believe, as it is not unusual to have this amount in one day over East. So hot and very dry, however the nights are starting to cool down as we approach Easter.                     We had decided to head for the hills over Easter, with no desire to compete with holiday makers on the coast. Mary and Steve also needed a break so we got together, planned, packed up and headed out on the Thursday evening. We only drove for an hour or so, then pulled up in Wilki, A grain storage yard, complete with weighbridge! And to our surprise we are not overloaded.   Good Friday 2019

Next morning we stopped at Bonnie Rock, before checking out the huge Beringbooding Rock. It is the largest rock water storage in Australia.There were a few campers out here already, we didn’t intend setting up here, so just did a rock walk. We all agreed that it is more interesting and spectacular than the renowned Wave Rock, at Hyden WA. Hope you like some of my Photos.

We spent a couple of hrs here, climbing around and finally making it to the top.

Again the rock walls built around the edge to catch the water, is a tribute to the early settlers . I love the natural gardens that have formed in the rock hollows.Amazing how some of the smaller rocks have fallen down and are just clinging to the edge. Makes me wonder what would happen to them in an earthquake.

The view from the top was good, as was the phone service, obviously ! Been there done that and worth doing. Next to find a camp spot for the night.