From Perth to Monkey Mia

After almost a week in Perth, my journey north began on a VERY windy and wet day. As I woke in the morning the tent next to me was completely flooded out, and I wondered whether I should just stay another day. But apparently the weather gets warmer as you head up the coast, so I pushed on. My plan was to go to New Norcia and spend the night camping on the oval of the Benedictine Monks Monastery. New Norcia is the only monastic town in Australia, and the motto of the monks there is Pax - a Latin word for Peace. Unfortunately for me, there was very little of it that day. Putting on my raincoat, I stomped through red mud puddles to enquire at the visitor centre (which had quite a calm to it, a smell of frankincense, and a LOT of Mary MacKillop memorabilia), only to be told that the oval was on a low ground and much water was being pumped out. Not an ideal camping spot, and really not a good day to look around. So one quick photo and I was off!

New Norcia, WA

Now for anyone doing this trip, the natural progression would be to make their way west again and visit the Pinnacles in the Nambung National Park. It wasn't an option for me. The weather was actually quite scary, and the drive from New Norcia a long and hilly one. Jean Claude (Camper Van Damn!) was running on gas and going up those hills farted his way to the top...just! Stalling on an up stretch while fearing an exposion from the back end made for a pretty interesting day. Mum actually called me on this drive and asked where I was. "I have no bloody idea!' I screamed. "But if I have signal when I get there I'll call and let you know". I didn't have signal when I got 'there', but thankfully the camp on the roadside somewhere between the Pinnacles & Geraldton was calm and treated me well for the night. I later discovered that the weather in Perth had ripped roofs from houses and flooded some roads. I'm not surprised!

With the bad weather behind me I slowly made my way to Geraldton via Jurien Bay & Greenough. A campsite at Ellendale Pool is well worth a visit if ever you're coming this way. About 30km off the highway.

Ellendale Pool, WA

Along the way I called in to the home of one of the largest rock lobster fleets in WA. Port Denison did its best effort with a BIG Lobster, but I'm pretty sure I know where there's a bigger one!

Port Denison, WA

While I'm on the subject of BIG things, I must admit I was quite remiss in the very early part of my trip. Passing through Kimba Sth Aus, I passed the BIG Galah and didn't snap a picture. So thanks very much to Daz who was there last week and helped my add such beauty to this blog!

The BIG Galah, Kimba, SA

So back to the trip. I made Geraldton home for the next few nights, and apart from the wind, it was a great place to visit. It was where I got to see my first REAL sunset on this trip, and it was absolutely stunning.

Sunset Beach, Geraldton, WA

I met some people who were also on their way north, but doing it at a much faster pace than I am. They'd done this trip before so they gave me a suggested itinerary of what I needed to see along the way.

First, there was Port Gregory with its 'Pink Lake', so coloured because of the carotene secreted from alga. It's quite a sight to see, and is apparently best viewed close to sunset. I was there early, and unfortunately the photo doesn't do what I saw justice.

Pink Lake, Port Gregory, WA

And next was the coastal town situated on the edge of the Murchison River, Kalbarri. From the moment I drove in to town I knew I wanted to stay a while. It took a lot of restraint not to take photos of the sunset each night, there's only so many variations you can have right? Days walking along the beach and finding a nice spot to sit and read, a paddle down the river in the canoes ($15ph...pretty good right?) and  decent walks in the National Park. There was only so much I could take!

Kalbarri, WA

Kalbarri, WA

Back on the road again and my little camp spot for the night along the way....

Somewhere just off the highway between Kalbarri & Monkey Mia, WA.

The drive to Monkey Mia, my next destination felt like quite a long one. It was only 380km, but there were long stretches of nothing, and the sun had quite a bite to it. I called in at Hamelin Pool as I got closer to my destination, and saw the amazing Stromatolites.

Hamelin Pool is one of only a few places on earth where the living stromatolites exist, dating back 3.5 billion years. 

Hamelin Pool, WA

Hamelin Pool Telegraph Station, WA. Almost as old as the Stromatolites!

The sun was on it's way down by this stage, so I made my way as fast as JC would take me to Monkey Mia. I made it just in time for another pretty damn good sunset, and by 8.30pm on the last day of summer, the temperature was still 24 degrees. 

Monkey Mia, WA

It's not too bad a feeling on a warm....but not annoyingly hot night, to know that the next morning my day will begin with a dip in the Indian Ocean as the dolphins make there way in to shore for their morning feed. Yes, this'll do me nicely!

Next blog: Monkey Mia