The starting point

The starting point

Monday, 18 June 2018

18/6/18 Onward & Upward

     The weather hasn't been terribly nice , wet & cold , and we don't like it !! So up we go , northbound , it has to warm up doesn't it ???
   We are revisiting some roads and towns , trying to warm up aching joints on the way . Geraldton was our choice for a few days after having an overnight stop after a later start in the day before . We found some nice weather , but the rain & cold was chasing us , we did get 2 nice days out of 3 though.
 I managed a game of golf , and we did some driving around checking out the works around town - some that have been completed near the harbour and some more underway just to the north - new parking bays , cycleways & landscaping  it will be impressive when finished .
   The water is crystal clear up here at the moment , and we had a magical day in the mid 20's .


 
  Recent storms have done a lot of damage to the beaches here , the sand has been removed and there's a 2 to 3 metre drop-off onto the beach !! It will all return in time like most other beaches .


 It has been interesting coming back to somewhere we have spent some time at previously , it gives us the time to see things differently , to be able to take more time and be more selective . Here's a spot we love HMAS Sydney Memorial .


 After a few days , it was again time to move northwards , this time to Kalbarri . Outside go Geraldton , we started to go into some wheat fields that are growing nicely with the recent rains . It made the view very different from when we were here last , instead of being dry and brown , everything looks fresh & green - very green !!


 Similar conditions greeted us on the way to Port Gregory .


   Nice weather was the go here as well and we set up , had lunch , and headed out to Kalbarri NP - the coastal section . Again , we hadn't been to this part for 3 years , so it was interesting to see it all again . Conditions were spectacular and so were the views , we walked a few kilometres along the cliff edges on great tracks and raised walkways .


 Although we are too early for the wildflowers , we did manage to find a Murchison Rose , not a rose in the traditional sense , but still nice . All the plants here on the coastal cliffs have taken a battering with the winds , it will be interesting to see how it affects the flowering .


 Australian Hobby - also known as the Little Falcon , was flying around , soaring the sea breeze whilst looking for it's next meal , which it found pretty quickly , eating it while flying around .



 The cliffs are made of a lot of different materials , limestone features prominently .


  Back to another favourite  - Murchison River Kalbarri NP . When we were here last , the river was dry , and the road in had a lot of sand/gravels roads - it now has bitumen all the way !! There has been talk of a suspended walkway out from the cliffs edge at the West Loop Lookout -in all the paperwork it was supposed to open mid 2018 - Hmmm - the builder apparently went broke and it won't be completed till mid 2019 - maybe !! This is the view toward West Loop and the walkway will be built on top off the cliff in the middle of the photo .



 Plenty of water in the river this time , and while we were having lunch down from Natures Window we could see hundreds of fish swimming around - must be healthy !!

 
  The rock formations are incredible , with hundreds of layers of different rock & siltstone making up the composition of these hills & gorges , quite fascinating walking on , through and over all of this history .


 We walked along part of the 8klm loop track for a different view of things , in the rocky ground these little flowers are just starting to appear - they are only as big as the old one cent piece !!


   This is the view back toward the carpark and Natures Window , quite amazing and well worth doing .



  After heading back to town we went up to  Meanarra Hill Lookout - it wasn't well loved previously , but now has had a great facelift . The view is expansive to say the least , perched on top of a limestone hill , views stretch to the horizon and almost 360 degrees . This is looking straight over town and the Murchison River .


 That's it , your caught up again , here's a map link :- https://drive.google.com/open?id=1qk9_oTa84RpflsRgTWeJoW0MALUasZ6O&usp=sharing

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