Adelaide/Nullarbor

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Day 19 (20/3/2019)



Up early to visit Kalbarri National Park before it gets too hot. First stop was the National Parks Office for a Parks Pass as we will be visiting several throughout our trip.



Next stop was Natures Window. A short easy walk from the car park takes you to this incredibly wonderful location. Spoke with a couple from England for about 10 minutes as we were the only ones there & took several photos. Just a shame that there is no water in the river at all; completely dry except for some stagnant pools further upstream.



A few kms down the road was Z Bend. Very little water here as well. A slightly longer walk to get to this spot, but still quite a simple stroll. Saw people standing on dangerous rock ledges to get photos of themselves. Clearly some do not understand that cliff edges are fragile & you could lose your life chasing that one photo. It is not worth it.



Back in the 4WD for a 30km drive to the next location called Hawks Head, a huge gorge which shows the rock formations formed over thousands of years. You can clearly see where the water has been at it's height. Pools of stagnant water with algae show how harsh it can be here, until the storms dump their rain & it becomes a life filled river again.



Finally a few kms down the road is Ross Graham lookout. It is a short walk to a point where you can see large pools of water with fish swimming around the rocks. It was quite an abundant volume of fish, not large but the silver flashes very prominent. So even in this stagnant water, life still finds a way to continue.



Tired from the walks in the heat, we returned to the Kalbarri Hotel for a $12 Lunch. Deb & I both had the Seafood Basket, while I added a Garlic Bread. I offered Deb some, but she just turned her nose up & sneered! Quite good food in an open air location overlooking the river.



We then returned to the caravan, resting for a while before again jumping in the beautiful swimming pool. A decent pool helps you to recover from the walks & also respite from the heat. It also helps you to sleep better!



Day 20 (21/3/2019)



Again up early for a drive, this time to see the Pink Lake known as Hutt Lagoon. Colour was not as prominent when we arrived as it can vary depending on the time of day, temperatures & weather.



From here we drove about another 50kms to the lovely little hamlet called Horrocks. This is a pretty little place with a sheltered bay protected by a large reef. This small town is beautifully set out & well worth a visit.We would have stayed here except that the woman who fronts the Caravan Park is apparently quite rude. Almost every review mentioned this, so we decided to bypass as we dont need any negativity.



Took the long drive back to the caravan park, again jumping in the pool & kicking back to relax.



Day 21 (22/3/2019)



Being the last day in Kalbarri, ventured out to do some fishing, but the winds had other ideas. The surf at all of the beaches was far too large with the swells making it impossible to maintain control over the line.



The rocks also were a bit too dangerous for my liking. Around every 4^th or 5^th wave was larger than the others, and the strength of the water running over the rocks more than enough to drag you into the ocean.



Rest of the day was resting up for tomorrows drive.



Day 22 (23/3/2019)



Had strong winds overnight; worst of the trip to this point. Deb & I were up just after midnight putting the awning back in before it got damaged. 30 minutes after we did it, the wind stopped completely.



Departed Kalbarri at 9:20AM expecting to make short work of the 230 kms but savage front on head winds made the drive a slow slog. Around 75Km/h for around 150km made it feel like we would never get anywhere.



The last 20km before Geraldton gave us protection from the wind & made a noticeable difference to our progress. We made a brief 20 minute stop here to pick up some supplies at the cheaper supermarkets as we expect Dongara will be more expensive.



Back on the road it was yet again more headwinds banging us around for the next 40 km. Arrived at Dongara/Port Denison at 1:30PM, stopping at the Big 4 Dongara Denison Caravan Park right on the foreshore next to the fishermans coop which we will take a look at on Monday.



Found a good sized IGA supermarket with reasonable prices, just a tad dearer than what we found in Geraldton. Took a bit of a look around to get our bearings of the stretts & where everything is located. Had some satay chicken sticks for dinner, followed by nice hot showers & an early night.



Day 23 (24/3/2019)



Deb did the tightarse thing & had the free pancakes put on by the caravan park. After that we visited the local bakery & picked up some goodies; Cherry Ripe Slices, Vanilla Slice & a London Bun.



Returned to the caravan to put these in the fridge before driving a few km down the road to the Illegal Tender Rum Distillery. Deb paid to taste the Rum & it was funny watching her eyes grow large while swigging away!



When we got back to the caravan, I set about cooking a Pork roast in the Weber, with jacket potatoes, roast carrots, peas & beans. As always, the Weber did not disappoint, producing yet another beautifully flavoured roast.

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