Distance traveled 1132km/4300km(26%).Stayed 3 nights.18th May and after a quick “decamp” which for us is a fraction of the time taken by the caravanners to pack and hitch up,we did a quick restock in Carnarvon because the camper fraternity freely pass on these important tips….buy food etc., before Coral Bay as it is expensive there.Included in our shopping foray was a 1kg pack of tiger prawns from the local seafood wholesaler…a snip at $24(R150).The drive north to Coral Bay is relatively short(300kms)and we are soon trundling up the North West Coastal highway.Now&hell [View Full Entry]

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Distance traveled 838km/4300km(19%)4 nights stayed 13th May(day ten)as we broke camp and steered Washongi out of Kalbarri for Shark Bay,about 300kms further up the coast.The first 60kms is through the Kalbarri National Park and despite many signs warning of animals,they are scarce and this isn’t anything like one of our game reserves.We did spot a few roo’s but that was it……at two of the gorge viewing sites we took walks down to the banks of the Murchison River and it was eerily quiet with only the gently whispering wind making any sound.Bird calls were few.A silent,p [View Full Entry]

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Distance traveled 905km/4300km(21%)1 night stayed. 17th May….fired up Washongi after feeding her with gallons of the black stuff which she consumes at the rate of 8.5 km per liter.On the way out of Shark Bay we visited Shell Beach which is remarkable due to the fact that a very large area is buried under 9 meters of shells which have accumulated over many years.An interesting snippet….Australia is experiencing an alarming decline in a number of their wild life species(those strange little animals with unpronounceable names and certain ground based wild fowl).Across huge parts of [View Full Entry]

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Distance traveled 577km/4300km(13%) 4 nights stayed Another short(just less than 200km’s)putter up the coast from Dongara took us away from the coastal road and into the farming areas of this region of Western Australia.Both Sue and I cannot get over just how dry the countryside is….not at all surprising considering that it hasn’t rained since October and summertime temperatures are 40degC and above daily.The Aussies don’t have a weather fixation because there is nothing to fixate about when they know it will be sunny and hot for at least 6-7 months before the brief re [View Full Entry]

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Distance traveled 359km/4300km(8%) 2 nights stayed Packing up “Washongi” to move on is a doddle compared to the caravanners and campers who seem to spend a lot of time playing with and packing away endless gadgets before they finally,exhausted,drive away.Thursday,7th May,we did a short 140km drive on the scenic coastal road which hugs the coastline.Occassionally the road nudges away from the sea and the harsh,dry countryside takes on it’s own dusty hues.Farming in this area must be tough with sheep and cattle standing in barren,sandy fields and then a winter wheat crop(when [View Full Entry]

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Distance traveled:267km/4300km(6%) 3 nights stayed Collecting the appropriately named “WaShongiExpress”(WSE) from Campaboutoz meant that our long way up drive to Darwin was finally on.The name is derived from Wa…benzi(being a Merc Sprinter) and Shongi…..lolo.With the aid of Chris Lendrum’s GPS device we had no trouble threading our way out of Perth and onto the Brand Highway.The countryside is flat and covered by sparse shrub like growth not unlike that seen driving up the West Coast to places like Langebaan.There was some evidence of wine production close to P [View Full Entry]

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There are many ways of finding your way to Perth from Freo and having endured hours flying high we chose the Captain Cook ferry service which takes one in style up the mighty Swan River.Not too many boarded the ferry so all calm and quiet despite the usual quota of Japanese tourists who couldn’t quite outgun the boisterous squawking of the seagulls.Water is the dominant feature of much of Freo and Perth and the multitude of boats to be seen everywhere was remarkable and if the Skipper of the ferry is to be believed,one in three Western Australian families owns a [View Full Entry]

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The flight and arrival into Perth was non eventful…exactly as you would anticipate with both Emirates flights under the command of South African pilots,one of whom gave his captain’s message in Afrikaans(still steeped in SAA tradition?).Apart from the odd masks adorning the faces of orientals in Dubai,it was clear from our first step onto Australian soil that they are not taking any chances with swine flu.Infra-red,flu seeking cameras homed in on all passengers entering the arrivals hall.Luckily Sue wasn’t having one of those troublesome “fifty something” hot flu [View Full Entry]

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All journeys to somewhere have an origin and a routing before arrival at the destination.A temporary stop in Dubai waiting for the flight to Perth provides a timely opportunity to get this travelblog up and running.Plagiarism is in vogue following the ruling by the NPA when letting JZ slide off the court register(our NPA man copied a Hong Kong ruling almost verbatim in his ruling).So with this in mind you will receive "Scribbles from Ozland" which is borrowing a bit from Bill Bryson("Notes from a Small island).The swine flu story here is BIG and there are a number of people,mainly orientals,we [View Full Entry]

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