We leave Perth in northerly direction on Monday, January
21, 2008, and drive to the Walyunga National Park where
we would like to stay for the night.
But the camp is closed due to tick infestation.
This is a bit of a shame as the swimming-hole looks very
inviting, especially with the outside temperature of 32°C.
But the ranger recommends driving to the Moondyne National
Park via the Chittering Valley, which sounds good to us.
The Chittering Valley is very pretty.
Large groups of grass trees line the road.
In spring this drive must be very beautiful with all the
wildflowers.
We also spot a few emu families with their young ones.
Then we leave the bitumen.
The track is not very wide and in some sections is very
badly corrugated.
We drive into Moondyne Nature Reserve and
shortly after Joes Cage we find
a gate.
We wonder what this is all about but soon find out: the track
down to the river is quite steep and definitely 4WD-only!
Susi jumps out of the OKA and takes pictures.
This is usually a sign that the track is too rough for
her comfort ....
In the last section she slips and skids down the track
... it seems that she always finds the spots where she can
hurt herself!
All at the bottom of the track we find the camp site as
described by the ranger at Walyunga NP.
There is still water in the water hole but it does not really
look too inviting so we skip the swim for today.
But the water attracts a lot of birds.
We enjoy dinner at one of the provided tables listening to
the birds singing.
Then an almost full moon appears, the crickets chirp, the
bats chase mosquitoes .... it's quite peaceful .... if you
don't mind noisy trains passing every so often (the Perth
- Kalgoorlie Railway passes through there).
On Tuesday morning after a comfortable night with 19°C
we are ready to tackle the steep assent.
In the steep sections the OKA makes funny noises, like
metal rubbing against metal, but we cannot figure out what
it is.
Ruedi and Peter agree that it is nothing serious.
Probably something that only takes effect when the OKA has
to climb steep tracks.
Otherwise the OKA performs very well and Ruedi is pleased
with its performance, one more thing tested and happy with!
During the photo-shooting-session Susi slips again, but
this time she falls into a thorn-bush.
At least 30 - 40 thorns are stuck in her hands and arms
... the sort that break off as soon as they are touched ....
She will be busy with the tweezers later on ...
Then we reach the main track again and travel north on
dirt tracks.
Again we can see many emus with their young.
We drive a short part on the Great
Northern Highway through
a pretty valley.
Shortly before Bindoon we leave the bitumen again and turn
into Teatree Rd.
The sign "Steep decent" does not exaggerate, the
road is a bit like a roller-coaster-ride ...
Then we reach the bitumen again, drive through Gingin and
cross over to the Brandt Highway and head
north. As we drive north the temperature raises gradually.
After Eneaba the outside temperature reaches
39°C.
Then we reach the coast in Dongara and the
temperature drops to 30.5°C ...
Amazing!
At the Greenough River we leave the Brant
Highway and drive towards the Ellendale Pool.
On the way to t we pass the Alinta Wind Farm.
For more details on the wind farm
click here
.
We reach Ellendale Pool, a camp with a
very pretty pool with fresh water and stay for the night.
As soon as it gets dark there we are attacked by guess what
.... no, not mosquitos .... blasted cockroaches!
As they fly around they crawl all over you, you have them
everywhere!
Before going to bed we spray all hatches and the interior
of the camper.
The last thing you need in the camper is a cockroach family!
On Wednesday, January 23, we head back to the Brandt Highway
on small roads.
We are surprised about the many springs and abundance of
water they have in this area.
The springs look like green islands in the otherwise yellow
ocean of stubble fields.
We head north on the North West Coastal Highway.
At the Galena Bridge Restarea we stop for
lunch and ... nock, nock, nock, 2 Swiss Ladies, Natalie and
Riana knock on the door.
They have spotted Peter and Heidi's car with the Zurich number
plates and come over for a chat.
We stop at the Billabong Roadhouse to
get some fuel (the next one is the Overlander Roadhouse and
is too expensive) and who do we find ...?
Riana and Natalie again!
We leave the highway at the Overlander Roadhouse and
turn into Shark Bay Road.
Compared with our trip in August 2007 it is barren, just
some dried flowers left.
For details on how it looked on the 2007 trip
click
here
.
After Hamelin Pool we turn into Useless
Loop Road.
Luckily the road has been graded since Heidi and Peter had
been here in November 2007!
We stop at Tamala Station to fetch the
key, then head out to the camp at beach.
The camp is deserted and we find ourselves a beautiful
spot with a nice strip of beach, the water has a temperature
of 29°C ...
Susi goes on a discovery trip and is impressed about nature
and how it adapts to the never-stopping wind and the harsh
environment.
In the evening a full moon rises and it looks just too good!
On Thursday morning we continue on towards Steep Point.
Right outside of Tamala Station emus have their breakfast
...
We passed Carrarang Station and continue
on via Biddy Giddy Outcamp.
At the causeway we are please to see that the expected 3,5
t restriction sign has been removed so we can drive over
it
without any second thoughts.
It is such a pretty place.
Goats are farmed out here.
Under these harsh conditions not many other kinds of cattle
would survive.
We pass bay after bay, one prettier than the previous one.
Up to here the road is maintained because of the traffic
of the salt plant.
But this ends abruptly; the corrugation increases and in
certain areas it is so bad that we slow down to 20 kmh.
The sand is rather soft but with the pressure reduced to
40 PSI (front) and 45 PSI (back) the OKA wanders through
it with ease.
At the second high ridge Ruedi almost gets into trouble
in second low gear but manages to change to first gear without
stopping and with a bit of wiggling of the steering wheel
he
gets the OKA to the top.
The descent on the other side of the dune is quite steep.
Susi decides to get out and take pictures ... her usual
excuse when it gets to steep for her ...
Click here to view the movie.
We continue on passed beautiful beaches with almost white
sand and turquoise waters.
We decide to stay for two days and find ourselves a nice
camp site at the Steep Point Camp.
Friday, January 25, is a beautiful day with lots of sunshine
and temperatures around 30°C. A strong sea breeze keeps
us cool.
We spend the day working on the photos and the diaries.
In the afternoon we go swimming and have a bit of a snorkel
on the "house reef", a small bommie with a few soft corals
that is populated with moray eels, squids and lots of different
fishes.
When walking along the beach we find lots of pretty shells.
In the evening we watch the crabs as they work on their
burrows.
They remind us of the large earth-moving equipment used in
development sites or mines as they drag the sand out of the
hole with their hind legs, throw it away from the burrow
and then flatten the area with their front claws.
Click here to view the movie.
On Saturday it's Australia Day.
We get the Australia flags out and mount them on the antennas.
Today we are leaving the OKA on the camp site and venture
out towards Steep Point in Heidi and Peter's Toyota camper "Kokopelli" to
explore the various attractions.
We reach the Zuytdorp Cliffs and climb
down a bit to get a better view of the many blow holes and
also the animals swimming past.
The waves are pounding the rock faces of the cliffs.
Looking at the salt and shells washed up on to the cliffs
it must be pretty rough here at times.
There are even hooks mounted, either for fishermen ... or
maybe for photographers that want to take pictures of the
waves
when it is stormy and the waves come over the cliffs ...?
Anyway, we are very careful in approaching the cliffs as
it goes down a fair bit into the white and foaming waters.
We are also surprised to see that even under these inhospitable
conditions plants thrive out here.
There are various blowholes.
We are lucky that we approach them in the right sequence,
more or less from the smallest one to the largest one.
So, when the chip in the camera is full we can just go delete
... delete ... delete ... without any regrets, as the new
blowholes
are even more impressive than the ones we have already taken
pictures off!
We also reach the most westerly point of mainland
Australia and the obligatory touristy picture
is taken to prove it ....
It is also amazing to see how nature transforms the cliffs
over time.
Then we reach Steep Point and see some
balloons floating around in the air.
They are filled with Helium and are used by fishermen to
get their lure further out into the open and deeper water.
It's
like
deep-sea
fishing
but from the land.
As we approach one fisherman it is obvious even to us that
he is fighting with a large fish.
The fishing rod is bent and the fisherman looks like he's
going to fall into the water any minute.
Quickly we run to his aid.
Ruedi follows the fisherman's instructions
and gets his multi-tool out.
A rope is cut off and Peter gets to hold the helium-filled
balloon while Ruedi is asked to fetch a triple hook on a
strong rope.
The fisherman lowers that hook down to the large fish but
misses its head.
He curses a bit because, as we find out later, a shark is
lurking down there just waiting to get his chance to bite
off the fish.
The second time it works and Ruedi gets to hold the fishing
rod, while the fisherman drags up the fish.
It is a large Spanish Mackerel, a very good catch.
The fisherman is so pleased with his catch that he offers
some fish to us.
To watch him filleting the fish is quite fascinating for
us tourists.
And the seagulls love the scraps!
Slightly sunburned we return to the camp and go for an
extensive swim.
Again we can see many fishes.
The water at the "house reef" is just right in height.
One can stand and watch the constant coming and going through
the goggles without stress, just breathing through the snorkel.
It's just great.
The wind picks up more and more and we have to dismantle
the tent so it doesn't get blown to peaces.
Again we are pleased with the comfort of the OKA that allows
4 people to sit and eat in peace while outside the wind sandblasts
all.
On Sunday we leave and head out towards Thunder Bay.
The sand gets really soft and Ruedi reduces the tyre pressure
to 27 / 34 PSI.
Almost at the end of the track we just can't get any further.
The soft sand has been blown over the track and we don't
feel like risking too much and getting stuck in some shovelling
work ...
... so we walk to Thunder Bay and enjoy
the views.
It is interesting to see the tracks of what lives out here.
Some of the plants just barely survive in the
sand.
The sand dunes are very pretty.
We never expected to see sand dunes like this in Australia,
this is more like one expects the north of Africa to be.
We continue on to False Entrance where
we watch the two blowholes which are about 30 m above sea
level.
They are not really active, just some spray comes out of
them every so often.
But when you get closer to have a look into the hole and
then suddenly this grisly howling sets in, you just instinctively
jump away.
It gives you the creeps!
We venture on into the dunes and try to find a way down
to the beach.
The ranger happens to come through and shows us the passage
to a perfect beach.
The small waves are just right for some boogie-boarding.
We decide to stay here for the night and enjoy a great afternoon
at the beach.
On Monday, January 28, we return to the bitumen and head
south.
Shortly before the Murchison River we head
west onto a small track that should lead to the abandoned
Geraldine Lead Mines.
But there is a "No access" sign ...
We head a bit back and try our luck at the river bed.
Even though there is no water in this section of the river
bed it is obviously the Murchison River can get nasty and
cause "boat casualties" ...
But the track we follow just ends in the very soft sand and
no passage or ford can be found to cross the river.
So we pick the route described in the "Priceless Campsites & Rest
Areas" guide and drive down to the old Geraldine
Lead Mines town-site.
We don't dare to cross the river as it looks very boggy.
We find ourselves a campsite with nice views onto the
river.
Even though it is hot a cool breeze blows keeping the flies
away ... and there are many of them!
The Murchison River has so little water that only Ruedi goes
for a "swim" ... the rest prefers showers ...
On Tuesday after a comfortable night with 20°C the
sun soon warms up the air to close to 30°C and the flies
get active again.
They are the "sticky" ones, the ones that are not chased
away easily, the real pain-in-the-bum ones.
We go for a bit of a walk around the ruins but soon give
up as there isn't really that much to be seen.
We continue on to the Warribano Chimney,
then get back the bitumen and head into Kalbarri.
We head south toward Port Gregory where we leave the bitumen
and drive down to the beach.
After passing a small settlement of squatters we follow the
track, or at least we try to!
At time there are so many tracks
leading through sand that we have to find our way on our
own.
At one time after a bit of "reconnaissance" we
lose Heidi and Peter in their
"Kokopelli" so badly that the only way to get together
again is to pass the
current position to each other on the UHF radio, enter the
position into the GPS and track them down
that way!
Then we reach Lucky
Bay, a stretch of beach sheltered by a small reef
that creating a little lagoon.
It is very windy but we decide to stay for the night and
enjoy a good swim in the safe lagoon.
We like the place and decide to stay for two days.
On Wednesday and Thursday we take it easy with a bit of
PC-work and some swimming.
The lagoon offers some interesting snorkelling in the shallow
section.
We see many stingrays and lots of different reef
fishes.
We are also visited by different animals ... and the sunsets
are pretty too!
The wind is really strong and one gets sand-blasted when
walking along the beach in the afternoon.
But luckily during the night the wind quietens down a bit.
We don't mind the wind that much, as the OKA is so heavy
that is takes a lot of wind to get it rocking and rolling.
But Peter and Heidi's Kokopelli has a pop-up roof with tent
sidewalls that flap.
On Friday morning, after a sticky night with almost no wind,
Peter and Susi go for one last snorkel in the lagoon.
Again they see lots of fishes including a flounder. Also
three different slugs are spotted.
There is still no wind when they come back to the cars and
it is going to be a hot day ...
We head off in northerly direction into the dunes.
We progress well but in certain areas there are so many tracks
that it is hard to know which one to take. So Susi walks
ahead and checks out if they are ok for the OKA.
This all goes well until we hit a large area of sand with
no vegetation.
Peter and Heidi drive ahead with their Toyota and already
have trouble in a specific spot, but get through.
Then we follow with the OKA and sure enough get into trouble
in that spot.
Ruedi tries to force the OKA through but all that he achieves
is that that the OKA is buried in the sand down to the
axles.
Peter and Heidi come back and almost get bogged too, the
sand is so soft.
We start digging and try to get it afloat again ... no
such luck.
It is hot, just after lunch time and the sun burns down on
us ... we should really not be out here in the sun doing
this ...
We get scorched slowly but surely ... but we agree on trying
one last time.
Peter turns around his Kokopelli, gets the winch out and
hocks up to the recovery hook on the OKA's back.
The OKA's wheels are freed of sand and the sand-mats
put in place.
Peter starts pulling and the OKA starts moving ... slowly
... but it is moving.
Peter keeps pulling and the sand-mats get placed under the
wheels as they are freed up.
Then after a bit more than an hour we reach safe ground.
Everybody is close to a heat stroke.
We all get into the OKA and just drink and drink and drink
... then we have a well deserved lunch.
Click here to view a short part of the recover
This exercise has shown us how good the sand-mats are in
the sand ... and that we have to pick up the two mats we
have
in the shed to have a total of 6 not just 4.
As we cannot get through this sand patch and the way
along the beach is no option we decide to head back a bit
and find
another passage over the sand dunes.
We follow some tracks and get on top of the ridges.
We venture out in different directions to explore the area
and find a passage down into the valley and the road behind
it.
It is only a few hundred meters to the safety of the dirt
track ...
Peter and Heidi volunteer to go and look how the track
continues ... but don't get far ... they get bogged so badly
that we collect our sand-mats and the shovels and walk down
to give them a hand.
Down there it is incredibly hot and there is no wind at
all.
No wonder the sand is so soft in this dry heat!
While Ruedi, Peter and Heidi work on getting Kokopelli
out of the sand Susi is sent out to find a way down from
the
dunes back onto the road.
But she is not successful and returns
to the group to lend a hand.
Four shovelling-sessions and three hours later Kokopelli
is out of the soft sand in the valley and back on the ridge
of the dune.
We head back to the cost, find ourselves a place for the
night and go for a well deserved dip in the ocean.
On Saturday, February 2, we head back towards Lucky Bay
in search of a passage over the dunes.
Again it is hot and extremely dry.
The sand is as soft as soft sand can be.
At a critical section Ruedi unsuccessfully tries to get
over a sand ridge. It does not matter which way he tries
the soft sand just will not allow the OKA to get to the top.
So we prepare a sidetrack through the greens for the OKA
and also place twigs on top of it.
Ruedi gets into position, accelerates ... all looks good
... but then he is stuck in the sand ... the infamous not-released
handbrake could have played a role in this bog but we are
not sure.
Discussing the "ifs and buts" does not
help so we start getting the gear out again.
Ruedi wants to use Kokopelli as a tree-replacement to
winch the OKA over the small sand ridge, so Peter places
it in position.
But the resistance of the OKA in the sand is too strong;
its winch just pulls Kokopelli towards the OKA into the soft
sand.
Then we hear another vehicle coming.
A ute approaches and takes the route
that Ruedi had unsuccessfully tried with the OKA previously
...
and gets
stuck in the sand right in front of the OKA.
Ok, change of plans, we have to free the ute first.
We get the sand-mats out and all four of us push the ute
at the same time as the driver accelerates.
After a few tries the ute finally manages to make its way
over the ridge.
The man in the ute, a local fisherman, offers to help by
attaching his ute in front of Kokopelli thus making it close
to impossible for the OKA to drag the cars towards itself
instead of pulling itself out of the sand.
With this setup and the sand-mats it works, the OKA finally
makes it to the top and over the soft sand.
Click here for some footage of the recovery.
The fisherman tells us that he has never experienced the
sand to be so soft and that he might risk to get bogged a
bit further down on the next ridge.
No worries, we will be there and help with the sand-mats
again if required.
So he takes off.
We watch him as he tries ... and does not succeed.
He tries a second time, with lots of extra momentum and just
makes it over the ridge.
Hmmmmmm ... that could be a problem for us too if he already
has such problems ... but Kokopelli makes it up the ridge
in its first try.
The OKA almost makes it but because the track width is a
bit wider than the one from Kokopelli at the end the resistance
of the sand being pushed ahead of the tyres in the track
is too big and Ruedi has to try again.
This time the track-width fits the widths of the OKA's track
the OKA basically walks over the soft sand.
So it seems that not the weight of the OKA is the big issue
but more the extra width, that forces one tyre to plough
through the sand requiring so much more extra power.
Then we are back in Lucky Bay and Peter and Heidi take
their vehicle up the large dunes.
As they go they tell us on the radio how the conditions are.
The conditions are actually much better than expected and
only one soft patch will have to be negotiated.
When it is the OKA's turn it just drives over the sand and
up the dunes as if it was any sandy track.
We are very impressed.
Then we reach the dirt track on the other side of the dune
and head back to the bitumen road.
As we head south we pass Hutt Lagoon,
beautifully red today, then proceed to Horrocks on
the White Cliffs Road.
We find Horrocks to be a pretty little place, with a swimming-beach
with a float and excellent amenities right by the beach.
Then we discover this sign and once again are amused
about the humour of Australian people:
|
Attention
Dog Guardians
Pick up after your dogs.
Thank you.
Attention Dogs
Grrrr, bark, woof.
Good dog. |
We leave Horrocks towards the fishing bay and find a spot
for the night.
On Sunday morning, after a warm (23.5°C) and muggy
night, we head into Northampton for some
Internetting and then head south on the North West Coastal
Highway.
Some 20 km south we leave the Highway and drive down to Coronation
Beach.
But we are disappointed.
Lots of seaweed has been washed ashore and it stinks a fair
bit.
So we decide to drive into Geraldton, where
we meet Sybille, the daughter of Peter's sister and have
lunch with her.
Geraldton is a pretty place with lots of shops and a nice
beach area in the middle of the city (it has 33 000 inhabitants!).
Then we drive further south and shortly after Dongara head
towards Carsons Beach as described in the "Priceless
Campsites & Rest Areas" book.
After a bad stretch of corrugation along the railroad track
the dirt track crosses over the rails and leads into the
bush.
The track is a bit sandy in some sections and it has one
soft and sloping bit, but we get through without much hassle.
The road ends just before the last dune at Carsons
Beach.
We find a strange kind of "housing" ... it looks
like this fisherman has set up permanent camp here ...
The bush is actually woven to a more or less waterproof shelter.
We find ourselves a little spot a bit further down the
road and set up camp.
We find some interesting grasshoppers and also some flowers
bloom here .... amazing!
As we go down to the ocean to check out the water temperature
we see a strange "thing" out in the ocean ... looks
a bit like a small cyclone.
Worried about a freak of nature we fetch the binoculars and
check out this unusual shaped thing ... only to find out
that it is a drilling platform.
After a good laugh we go for a swim in ocean.
On Monday, February 4, we head back to the bitumen and continue
in southerly direction.
When driving through the Beekeepers Nature Reserve we
head down a small track towards the ocean looking for a place
to camp.
While Ruedi explorers the track by foot
Susi looks out the window and on an apparently arid patch
of sand she discovers
small blue flowers.
When checking them out she finds even smaller yellow flowers.
Again and again we are surprised by nature ...
Later on we find another interesting patch.
Beside a pretty hibiscus we find a bush with two different
types of leaves.
It is a mistletoe, which has grafted itself onto its host
plant; the spot where it "plugged" into its provider
can clearly be seen.
Heidi later on finds some details on mistletoe propagation
in a book.
Apparently the seeds are very sticky and are transported
by birds.
As the birds find themselves a spot where they can scrape
the seeds off, usually a fork of a branch, the seed of the
mistletoe is spread around and can propagate.
Clever set-up!
The day soon warms up.
We deviate to Lake Indoon and have lunch there.
We turn away from the coast and within 5 km the temperature
rises from 29°C to 34.5°C, just because we have reached
air masses that are not cooled by the ocean anymore.
On the way to Lake Indoon we pass some salt lakes.
They are covered with large chunks of salt.
This must happen, when the water evaporates the salt crystallizes.
The lake looks like a lake in a glacier ....
We also pass some very pretty flowering Eucalyptus trees.
We also find some snails displaying a funny behaviour.
We find Lake Indoon to be completely dry.
The signs giving instructions to water skiers looks a bit
out of place ....
As it is not really a pretty sight we head back to the coast
and go shopping in Leeman.
We have reached an area, where there are many tourists
and also there used to be squatters.
To prevent any new illegal houses being set up all councils
along this coast have prohibited any camping outside of the
official camp grounds.
This makes our live rather difficult as we have to comply
with those laws to avoid hefty fines.
It also gives the coast a bit of a hostile touch ... not
very much to our liking.
In Green Head we look for a small 4WD-track
that should lead along the coast but it has been closed.
So we continue on and look for a track described in the "Priceless
Campsites & Rest Areas" book that should take us
to Sandy Cape.
We find the entry point into the track but after a while
we find ourselves in front or a large sand dune, the track
just disappearing under the sand .....
Heidi and Peter explore a side-track and check out if they
can find a new access to the beach around the sand dune but
have no luck.
So we head back to the main track.
Shortly after we find a sign pointing to the new access to
Sandy Point.
We follow the sign on a heavily corrugated dirt road and
find ourselves in the Sandy Point Nature Reserve.
The set-up of the campsites matches the description in
our book, so we have found the right place by coincidence.
The place is so pretty that we decide to stay for two days.
We set up camp, go for a swim in the clear warm water,
Ruedi starts recording some guitar ideas .... it is a great
spot.
Later in the afternoon the wind changes its direction and
starts blowing from the land.
Within minutes the temperature rises to 35.5°C; it feels
like sitting in an oven.
But in exchange we are rewarded with a fabulous sunset.
Over night the temperature stays at 25.5°C and it is
muggy ...
On Tuesday the wind blows from the land all day keeping
the temperature close to 36°C.
It is very dry and the bees go nuts on everything that has
a bit of water on it.
This turns into a small problem when Ruedi swims into the
tentacles of a jellyfish.
The First aid instruction is it to wash the affected area
with fresh water and then apply vinegar to it.
Because of the bees hovering around us we cannot just hose
him down outside of the OKA as this would instantly attract
bees.
There are definitely more attractive things in live than
to become a water fountain for a swarm of bees .....
So we just head into the OKA as quickly as we can and hose
Ruedi down inside the OKA in the entry section.
With no time to set up the shower curtain it all gets a bit
messy and some of the fresh water is splashed onto the mozzie
door.
Instantly the bees approach and start sapping off the water.
Also under the OKA, where the water from the shower tray
has run into the sand, bees arrive and start sucking water.
We just know one thing: we will have to be very cautious
when exiting the OKA for the next few hours ....
Then we apply vinegar to Ruedi's stings and afterwards sunburn-lotion,
but it takes a while until the burning pain stops.
Peter goes for a snorkel to check out what king of jellyfish
has stung Ruedi.
He finds a rather small almost transparent jellyfish in that
area that is shaped a bit like a tulip with tentacles that
are close to
2 m long.
Now at least we know it is not a dangerous jellyfish, just
a painful one.
(Note: even a few days later, when Ruedi scratches on the
marks they still itch and burn.
The venom capsules stay in the surface of the skin and on
contact break open releasing their content.)
Over night some rain sets in and we have a cool and relaxing
sleep.
On Wednesday, February 6, it is our 10th wedding anniversary.
Ruedi checks the Satellite-phone if any mails have arrived
and finds an SMS from Susi's brother on it.
Surprised he starts reading aloud "Hi, Dad has just
died ..."
The message of the death of her father reaches Susi a bit
unexpectedly ...
After a while she gets on the Satellite-Phone and calls her
brothers in Queensland to find out details.
The funeral service will be held in a week's time so we have
a bit of time to organise the flights and all.
We inform Heidi and Peter and tell them that we will head
into Jurien Bay on the bitumen to have internet access and
organise all.
Heidi and Peter decide to travel to Jurien Bay on
dirt tracks and we will meet there later on.
After a bit of shopping we continue on south and look for
the access to the Hill River Mouth.
As a new development has been set up the roads have changed
completely.
After a while we find the correct track and head north along
the coast towards the Hill River Mouth.
The sand gets softer and deeper.
As we don't fancy using
the shovels again we decide to find ourselves a place in
the dunes to stay for the night.
After a warm day with temperatures just over 30°C we
don't mind a bit of clouds and wind.
Later on heavy rain sets in and a thunderstorm passes over
us.
Once again we are glad to have a metal cabin
... so we can just snuggle up and go back to sleep without
having to worry about getting injured when being struck by
lightning.
On Thursday, February 7, because of the night's rain
the sand has become quite firm and it is easy to drive on
it.
So we decide to stay on the track and head south along the
coast.
The track gets narrower and narrower but because the shrubs
and trees on both sides are green they just scratch and squeak
along the OKA.
Once again the OKA collects "firewood" ... it looks
like it has eyebrows!
There are a lot of kangaroo ticks in the scrub and Susi
is busy picking them off her legs.
As she is allergic to them she tries spraying her legs with
insect repellent.
Yes, success!
The ticks don't like it and now leave her alone.
We follow that track and eventually reach Cervantes.
As the weather still is not too good we decide to check in
at the local campground and do the washing.
On Friday we visit the Pinnacles.
Even though we have been here already a few times we always
find something new.
But of course we also have to take the obligatory touristy
pictures ....
The Pinnacles are located in a desert and it is very dry.
At the toilets they have placed warning signs because of
the bees.
We have experienced that even after having had the water
on for a bit, suddenly a bee gets washed out of the tap and
more than once the bee has landed in our hands while we were
washing them.
Funny enough the bees don't seem to be in stinging mood in
that very moment.
It is just a bit of a scare when you realise that you are
actually washing a bee between you hands!
Then we pick the track along the coast from Cervantes to
Lancelin.
As we are lowering the tyre pressure a rental camper
comes from the track and stops.
They are Swiss too and have
recognised our small flags on the car and also Peter & Heidi's
Swiss license plate.
They inform us that the first part of
the track is quite rough and also narrow at places, after
Wedge it will be very nice ... ok, let's go and find out!
They did not exaggerate!
The beginning is really not funny, very narrow and lots of
ticks again!
But after the small village of Grey the
track gets better.
The track follows the coast and at some sections we have
to drive on the beach.
This is a first for us and we are a bit worried as many cars
have been lost on the beach because they got bogged and people
were not able to dig them out of the sand before the high
tide.
But all goes well.
Shortly before Wedge Island we find a good
camping spot behind some dunes and stay for the night.
On Saturday, February 9, we continue on along the beach.
The white sand is blown around by the wind and forms very
pretty formations.
Then we reach Wedge, a place where the
government has entered into a contract with the squatters
and has given them a temporary approval to stay there.
All is very organised and clean.
There is also a notice board where lost things are placed
....
It is a very popular place and one can see the big boys
with the big toys ....
Fishing is very popular too.
The track now leads over some white sand dunes.
It is interesting to watch how the dune covers the track
and people have to drive around it more and more.
Then we reach a valley with lots of black boys (grass trees)
in it.
We remember that in our trip in 1995 we had been to a valley,
similar to this one.
We start looking around and suddenly actually even find the
spot, where we took some pictures in 1995!
Not much has changed since and of course we have to take
a picture of it!
Click
here
for the 1995-trip diary (sorry, only in German).
At one spot the road is sloping so badly to one side that
we decide not to drive through it and take the detour.
The risk of placing the OKA on his side mirror is too big!
Close to Narrow Neck we try to cross the
dunes to reach Dide Bay.
Peter and Heidi's Kokopelli manages the soft and very steep
track but for the OKA it is too much.
So we decide to drive around it and look for an alternative
route, which we find.
We get to the beach and obviously have found another of the
favourite fishing spots in this region ...
We finish driving the track to Lancelin and
there head to the large sand dunes to watch the activities.
We see the tour-operators enter the soft sand with their
heavy vehicles and decide to do the same.
Ruedi misjudges a ridge and the OKA jumps over it only to
get a bit stuck on the other side.
Luckily we do not get bogged.
It would have been a bit embarrassing with all the tourists
around to get stuck here ...
It is amazing what people do for fun.
This place is renowned for its sand dunes.
Not only tour-operators come here to sand board, also quad
and motorcycle enthusiasts use it as their playground.
We must admit, it is quite fascinating to watch a quad speed
up a rump and then fly over a sand dune!
We have seen that with motorcycles, but with quads?
That is new.
We check in at the Lancelin Caravan Park for the night
and then enjoy the warm waters of the nearby beach.
On Sunday, February 10, we are awakened by the people leaving
the caravan park early.
But we take our time and enjoy the fresh bread Heidi has
baked for us.
Then we hit the sand and travel on a small side track along
the coast to Ledge Point.
Ledge Point seems to be a rather expensive place to live,
lots of nice and new houses, very pretty place.
We also find a brand new Big4 Caravan Park.
So next time we will not stop at the rather run down Lancelin
Caravan Park but stay at Ledge Point.
As we cannot find any tracks along the coast we pump up
the tyres and continue on to Seabird on
bitumen.
Seabird is a small town, but also here there are some very
expensive looking houses.
Seabird seems to be the weekend escape of people from Perth
...
Then we find the entry point into Trip 2 "Wilbinga to Seabird" described
in the booklet "4WD days out of Perth".
The sand is dark brown, very hot and soft at times.
The track is rather rough and has stony sections.
But the views of the coast are splendid.
Then we have to find our way around a border line of a private
property; the track must have been moved.
At one point four different tracks lead away, one steeper
than the other one.
Peter and Heidi choose one, we the other one and but both
of us encounter our challenges ... but we manage.
The last part of the track is very soft and Peter and Heidi
have a bit of a struggle to get Kokopelli through.
Funny enough the OKA just walks through, possibly because
of the wider track-width, which keeps one wheel on the greens
growing beside the track.
Then we reach Guilderton, a little town
with a very pretty beach.
Here the Moore River reaches the ocean and
is a popular place for swimming, canoeing, etc.
We try to find a small track that leads over the river, but
it has been blocked off.
The next track also only leads to a private property,
no way though.
So we decide to pump up the tyres and drive to Perth on
the bitumen.
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