Leaving the beauty of Coral Bay was hard, but the drive down the coast was lovely.
We had planned the trip out and knew what we wanted to see and do as we made our way into Perth. There were many stops along the way.
Carnarvon - so lovely to see all the fresh produce growing as we drove into the town. Many along the way spoke poorly of the town, so we only booked in for one night. On further exploration, the town and its surrounds really were much more than we had expected. After a much needed shop (where prices were much more appropriate), a high pressure wash of the car and setting up the van, we headed off to see Quobba - where rustic and harsh cliff faces meet the Indian Ocean. The blowholes were fascinating to watch and we could have spent hours sitting and watching each explosion through the variety of holes where the water blows through. Further up the coast we stopped to have a look at the monument marking the location of HMAS Sydney, our Navy boat and the 645 people who lost their lives fighting in WW2 when their boat was sunk by the Japanese.
Monkey Mia - the drive into Monkey Mia was the most picturesque and divine view we had seen so close to the main road. WA certainly has its fair share of magnificent water colour!! Monkey Mia did not live up to my expectation, but Peter was thrilled with the place. I thought the 'resort' was very run down and for the price they charge it certainly wasn't value for money. Peter's time was much more memorable (I didn't even get in the water), but he enjoyed his opportunity (or rather Zali's, who screamed and wouldn't participate) when asked to feed the wild dolphins. That afternoon while he was out swimming with some other people, he also loved the wild dolphin who came and swam with them and the fact the dolphin was not at all worried about humans being in the water. An afternoon trip to Denham was great. Zali made friends with some kids from Avalon, while Pete and I sat with their parents enjoying the show a dugong was putting on for us about 5m from the shoreline. On the way out of Monkey Mia, we stopped in the extreme heat for a walk to see the oldest stromatolites on earth. Stromatolites are bacteria which live on rocks and provide a large amount of oxygen for the Earth. It was amazing to see their 'breathing' bubbles in the water. It was a pity that you could not swim in the whole area as it was soooo hot!! The walk to and from the car in the heat saw an upset child and two very frustrated parents!!
Kalbarri - and more visits to see gorges and rock formations in the national park. To be honest, it gets a bit like castles and abbeys in the UK and Europe after a while!! Exploring the coast line was great and an afternoon trip saw lots of whales and their calves happily playing in their pool below us. The noise they make when they flop back into the ocean after a jump out of the water was so loud. The weather was not as warm as we were used to (only a mild 27 - 28 deg each day) and I really did find this quite cool. A jumper was required outside and a doona at night - a LONG time since any of these items had been used!! The sites to see in the National Park were pretty spectacular, but the flies were a killer. Zali was most taken by 'Nature's Window' and 'Z Bend'.
Geraldton - we stayed in a little caravan park just out of the 'city'. Here we saw our first set of traffic lights in nearly 90 days!! Geraldton is a very pretty town. A beautiful walking path right along the foreshore and one of the biggest kids' playground and water park I have ever seen. Zali was in heaven!! The highlight of our stay in Geraldton was the time we spent at the memorial to HMAS Sydney. The memorial was built before the boat was found in 2008, but is in memory of the 645 people on board who perished when the boat sank. It is a dome made of 645 metal doves and looks right out over the ocean. Truly spectacular. The information surrounding the monument was so well put together and we were so glad we got to explore such an important part of our war history.
Jurien Bay and Cervantes - two tiny coastal, fishing towns with magnificent water views. We stayed in Jurien Bay for the 3 nights (especially after Zali made friends with Thalia, a beautiful little girl from Port Macquarie). Again, a great park area for the kids and a 6km walking track along the beach front so Pete and I could keep up the exercise. Our day trip to the Pinnacles was the highlight of our time in this area. Trying to figure out what they reminded us of was tricky - space (as we imagine it) or a cemetery with thousands of headstones!! Rock formations, as far as the eye can see, of all different sizes and shapes. There certainly were some interesting ones, I assure you!!
From here it was onto Perth. 12 days to see as much as we can of this beautiful city - so well designed and set out compared to Sydney!! Also, time for a much needed renal check up (been shaking for weeks) and time to hit the shops and boutiques of Perth.
Hope everyone is well and until the Perth update.... good bye from us!!
