16/5/16 Same sights , different ways

  It was a cool night , down to 12 degrees , but it warmed slowly , up to 25 degrees this afternoon .  After getting the washing done , we headed out to Red Bluff Beach . The seas weren't as big as yesterday , but still big enough for us to be happy to be on the rocks high & dry .

  We looked up to Red Bluff and decided to walk up to the lookout and back - we've been up there before , but that was done from the top carpark , not from the beach , so away we went . Around a rocky point and rock hopped up , then followed a rocky track to some steps , and we were there before we knew it .

  Some European backpackers came to the lookout and chatted to us for a while , before heading off again , we sat and took in the views before wandering back down to the ute again .
  Lyn was given some fresh mulloway ( fish ) at the clothes line this morning , so we decided that would be good for lunch , so headed back for a Bbq lunch - and it was excellent !!
  Off to the shops after eating & cleaning up , to shop and fuel up .  Then we headed down to Mushroom Rock - another spot we've seen before , but not with big seas pounding the rocks .
 It wasn't all big seas however , it did calm down occasionally between sets of waves - just to make you think it was calming down before pounding back in again .

 Spotted a crab just out for a bit of a walk around his pool , before slipping back underwater again .

 Mushroom Rock was well and truly in the spray from the water crashing into the rocks , the gap in the rock below was gushing water , sometimes going up & above Mushroom Rock - quite a sight !!
 Back to the van for some salsa & a beer , and that's it again .
Here's a map :-https://drive.google.com/open?id=1jJ4QnRSgVpUcotPrqMgcpuCY3wE&usp=sharing

15/5/16 Ocean & Outback

Today we headed down the coast a bit to a popular surfing spot - Jakes Point . The swell was surging and the waves were pretty big - 4 to 5 metres !! The power in the waves was scary , the noise coming from the waves as they crashed down onto the reef & sand , reinforced the scary feeling - left us with one certainty - never underestimate the power in the waves !!

 After parking the car , we headed down to the beach and around to the point . As we walked , we saw a few guys talking - the waves behind them were above their heads .

  As we headed around the corner , we found a strange gent , with his Jeep parked on the beach - the sand at his front tyres was still damp from a previous wave , and he had reversed up the dune as far as he could . To be fair , the Jeep isn't in the best condition , with several scrapes and scratches , a few broken lights and the odd rusty bit - there may be more after today - the salt spray was getting blown up the beach from the crashing waves .

  Back to the point and we sat and watched some of the surfers . They are definitely a hardy bunch , especially here . They get in by jumping off the reef edge when a wave comes , then paddle as hard as they can to get away from the rocks - the waves & current take them back toward the beach at a great rate of knots . The guy pictured below is wearing a helmet , when he jumped in he was swept about 150m back toward the beach , and took him about 10 minutes of paddling to get out to where they catch the waves .

  He eventually got this wave - gives you an idea how big the waves are today !!

    After watching one guy get a wave almost all the way to the beach , his next battle to get out was fraught with danger as well . He had to try to get across to a gap in the rocks which were right on the beach and he got pounded by a couple of waves for his trouble , but made it out without any visible damage .
 Next stop was lunch at Gorges Cafe ( yes the one I got the voucher for yesterday ). The meals were excellent - Lemon Pepper Squid , and a Chicken & Bacon Club Sandwich , with a couple of milkshakes to go with them . Definitely one of our better wins - a great cafe with excellent food !!!
  After lunch we headed out to Murchison Station for a quick look , then out to Kalbarri NP to revisit Natures Window and the gorge .
  It's very different this visit , next to no wildflowers , and much to our surprise , next to no water in the river . I have included 2 photo's , the 1st is today and the 2nd was last year in October .

 

 As you can see , the river has dried up somewhat , but the vegetation now is a softer green , and the light is not as harsh .

  Natures window looks better today than it did last year - mainly due to the light . Same deal 1st photo is today , 2nd is last year .

  The temperature wasn't as hot today as last year - a pleasant 25 degrees . The next photos are West Loop Lookout showing the river again , 1st today , 2nd last year .

  The road in was a lot worse than last year as well , sandy , corrugated , soft spots , holes etc . There was talk the road would be tarred this year - guess that is one of those politicians promises , never quite arriving , but promised many times over .

  That's us for today , a really good day has been had !!

Here is a map :-https://drive.google.com/open?id=1zkmEMt686xYhAHueb1LH4y5PR6U&usp=sharing

14/5/16 New location

 We wake this morning in Kalbarri , having moved up yesterday from Geraldton . The drive up was uneventful and without much traffic , we went through from Northampton to Port Gregory and then into Kalbarri .
 After setting up and having lunch , we headed down to the beach for a look and a walk . The seas were relatively flat and there wasn't a great deal of wind either - very pleasant !!

 The beach is Blue Holes , and is reported to be good for snorkelling with a reef separating the waves from the beach . The reef is limestone and would certainly make a mess of you if you got crashed onto it by a wave - the edges are sharp and hard !!

  There was a school of fish , no more than 5m from the edge , almost all were a good pan size , some were jumping out of the water - life for them is a big game .

 The sky was starting to cloud over from the northwest , it made for a very large impressive sky .

  Today we watched people come & go - some neighbours left at 9:30 , only to have new ones at 10:10 - talk about getting in early !!
  I decided to have a game of golf , it was 5 weeks since my last , and 4 months prior to that . It turned out to be a reasonable game - best one in over 11 months !! still not to my handicap , but much better!! Played with a retired cray boat owner and the local mechanic - even won a $50 voucher to a local cafe - not through great golf , rather a lucky card draw !! but we'll take it and enjoy it .
Here's a map :-https://drive.google.com/open?id=1mgjsmMefmV-x8SO8ViLuihjC0B8&usp=sharing

12/5/16 A beautiful autumn day

  Geraldton has been an interesting break from travel , with many jobs taken care of - some bigger than others !! We've polished the ute and van - that was definitely one of the bigger ones !!
  It hasn't been all work , there's been a bit of play involved . Lyn has been back on the bike again , two rides , one yesterday , one today . It was a nervous first ride , understandably , but better today .
  We rode down to the esplanade and Batavia Marina . The day was exceptional , sunshine , blue skies, and light winds . We stopped at a breakwall that protects one of the beaches just to the north of the marina , the water crystal clear .

 There are many nice houses right on the beach beside the bike track - what a place to live !!

  From here we rode back to the esplanade and out to the lookout , 4 ships were in port being filled with wheat and minerals , with 4 more at anchor waiting to come in for their turn .

  There are some resident seals that laze in the sun beside one of the navigation markers . Nothing seems to bother them , one boat cruised past them about 5m away - they didn't budge !!

  The lookout is an interesting structure , meant to look like an old pier !

 From here , we head back toward the park , stopping at the Lions lookout , for views out over the beach , ocean and park below . The beach is the one that we usually go for a walk on , and will go for one after lunch .

    Bbq lunch was on order , before loading the bikes back onto the ute ,  ready for our departure tomorrow - time to head north a bit further for some warmer weather .

7/5/16 Little steps

  A surprise met us this morning , there was sunshine !! It bucketed down rain during the night , and we were expecting to be wet and windy all day .
 We packed some lunch and headed north , stopping just outside of the northern suburbs , so Lyn could have a drive - big moment , first drive for 9 weeks , and a bit of uncertainty . Not comfortable with gear changes , we swapped back and headed on again .
 Coronation Beach is about 8 klms from the highway down a bitumen road , there are a couple of farms out this way , but not much else . The last 2 klms is all downhill to the beach and the camp area.

  It looked like a busy spot from here , but it was quite the opposite . There is a day use area and the camp ground , and an overflow camp ground as well . The most action came from 4 kite surfers and a quad bike driving down the beach . Showers came and blew through quickly , leaving just as quickly as it came .

  We had some lunch in one of the shelter sheds before heading out again . Stopping on the way out , I pulled over and got Lyn back in the drivers seat . We drove up and down the road for a while to see how the arm would go , it went better than Lyn expected , so she kept driving back into Geraldton .
   Stopping at Bunnings & BCF , we got a couple of things and headed back to the van . I need a crowbar to get the car keys out of Lyn's hand - her independence is returning , much to her delight - and mine !! It was nice sitting in the passenger seat being able to check out the scenery and not just glimpse at it while driving !!
 The ute got a wash & polish yesterday , but we didn't get the roof polished , so that was the job to complete , before sitting down with some chilli mango salsa & a beer .
 We've been ticking jobs off our list , just waiting for some bits to arrive from Sydney , and we should be right to go again .
 Here's a location for Coronation Beach :-https://drive.google.com/open?id=1bIozOND51FwLUDKtXErurGwhbq4&usp=sharing

5/5/16 Out & about

  With a few jobs done and tucked away , we had a cooked lunch and headed off for a drive . That was after I found the dentist I will be seeing in the morning . Whilst having a piece of my Margaret River Dark Chocolate , I managed to crack a piece off my tooth - Impressive !!!! not .
  Anyway , off we go on one of our look at the map and follow a road we haven't been on tours . The Chapman Valley has a road going through it - that was it - we found a lookout and ventured up the gravel road .

 Some fields are green , others still the silver / grey of harvested canola , and others that have recently been seeded with this years crop of canola or lupins .

 North east of Geraldton there are lots of flat top hills , capped with a harder red surface layer .
Our drive was taking us through & past these hills . We had planned to go further north and then head back out to the coast , but we found a gravel road and turned off to the east instead . The road took us around the hills and through grazing and cropping land . We crested one hill and saw what we thought were observatories , the road we were taking was heading away from these , so we turned towards them instead . This road was taking us further east and then south , the observatories appeared on our right hand side , then further up the road we found out what they were - Australian Defence Satellite Communication Centre . There is a lookout that you can view the centre from , you can't get any closer than there and you are on surveillance cameras the whole time - its a bit strange , you are in hundreds of acres of bush and there are cctv cameras mounted on poles watching you !!

   Leaving here we found our onto the Mt Magnet Geraldton Rd , and turned left - there was  a sign to a flora road and a chapel . Good enough for us , away we went again to St James Chapel at Kojarena - it was designed by Mons. John C Hawes , who designed the cathedral in Geraldton and lived at Greenough - just south of Geraldton .

 Checking our Hema maps gps , we took a track to the south , winding our way through valleys and hills , past old farm houses & sheds , some in great condition , others that have seen better days .

  Eventually we got back toward Walkaway - south of Geraldton - and found Rocky Pool Creek - one of the few creeks that has water in it .

  From here , we headed back into Geraldton and back to the van for a while , we still had another visit to take care of . Last year , we missed seeing the HMAS Sydney Memorial at night . tonight was the night !!
  As the sun hit the horizon , we were walking up the path to join about 10 other people to watch sunset . The sun disappeared and so did everyone else , we had it to ourselves , watching as the suns glow shone on the memorial .

 The memorial marble walls reflected the late afternoon light . The names of all the deceased sailors are engraved on the walls .

  As the light diminished , the lights came on gradually at the memorial , lighting up the dome first , the lady watching and waiting , the ships bow and then the cascading pool .

  It's a very impressive memorial in daylight , but shifts up a gear at night .
The harbour looks impressive at night also , with ships in being loaded .

 That's it for today .

2/5/16 Casting off

  It was a cool morning , the temperature at the airport dropped to 7.1 degrees at 6:30 am . We slid down the bed a bit further and stayed there for another hour , before getting up to a sunny morning . Today was hospital day , we kept the excitement down , just in case it turned to disappointment again.
  We didn't head down to the hospital till 9:30 , I was expecting phone calls & emails and of course it all came together at the same time as Lyn was in getting her arm looked at . As I walked back into the emergency dept. I noticed Lyn wasn't there , so I sat and waited . She emerged with a smile and some bandage on her arm - the day was getting better - it was a good report and such a good feeling to be out of the cast finally !!
  Off to the Post Office to post a letter or 2 , got some lunch and headed back to the van . There is a cruise ship anchored in the bay again , same as  last time we were in town .
  With the ute spending much of it's life in the weather 24/7 , the hitch is starting to rust ( probably due to not being painted properly in the first place ) , so we headed to a sandblaster to have a chat about removing the rust and painting or powder coating the steel to prevent it rusting away . We may be spending a little more time in Geraldton to get everything up to scratch - you might not own a house , but you still have to maintain things !!
  I spent the next few hours taking the skid plate off the hitch and treating the rust below it , a challenge in itself due to the locations of some of the nuts & bolts !!
 Well , that may have set the tone for the week to come , wash & polish the ute & van and check everything that opens & shuts and goes up & down .
 The blog may come every 2nd day or so while we attend to things .