Advertisement
Published: November 19th 2007
Edit Blog Post
Brochure Text:
• Nambung National Park
• Pinnacles Desert
• Hangover Bay
Departing Perth 7.00am.
We head north to the Nambung National Park and stop to explore the famous limestone formations of the Pinnacle Desert . After lunch at one of the small fishing towns there is a chance for a swim in the Indian Ocean, or a gentle stroll along deserted beaches. We carry on our adventure through Geraldton and along the Batavia Coast , the site of many shipwrecks (ask your guide for the stories). In season (July - September) check out the prolific wildflowers , en route to the Pink Lakes and the Ocean Gorges (Pot Alley). We stop to watch the sunset and Humpback Whales frolicking in the Ocean (seasonal) and then we head for camp, which is a good time for spotting kangaroos. Tonight we stay in Kalbarri . It’s a traditional Aussie Barbie tonight so a stop at a bottle shop on the way is a must.
Overnight stay, Hostel, all facilities. (L,D) Friday 16th Ouch, 6am alarm call! Up, strip bed, shower, breakfast and pack away my small bag! Get picked up 640. Get to bus station and there's
a bit of chaos there... Find the right bus and everyone else seems to have a full-size bag... Don't know whether to feel chuffed that packed so small or worried that I'm missing something! By 730 we're actually heading out of the city. Head out into 'the bush' - surprisingly changeable vegetation, including lots of orange Christmas Trees... Usually bloom at Christmas but they seem to have become a little confused and bloomed a month early. Plenty of straight roads and after a couple of hours we stop at a roadstop, where there's some emus under the water-pump windmill... Which Laurie our driver tries to tell us is a big fan for the farmers!
Next stop the Pinnacles. Been recommended these by Phillipa, and they are really quite a sight to behold. A lot smaller than I thought from the postcards I've seen. Interesting though, especially once you start to look for what the shapes represent - many of which Laurie pointed out to us. We saw many people trudging around, but Planet Perth is one of the few which is allowed to drive buses around so we saw a lot more than they did. Robert, one of our
group has been to the Pinnacles before but only saw the small tour group walking amount... Flies were a bit friendly but we just did the Ozzie Swat and kept looking! On the way out we saw big piles of pure white sand (the yellow was mostly shattered limestone), which is exported for use on many beach resorts.
Back on the road, cover some more distance then stop at a Roadhouse for lunch - a good lunch it is all too - all fresh make-it-yourself-and-avoid-the-flies sandwiches! Soon after head to the supermarket, then we have a fuel stop a couple of hours later, and one of the staff says would we like to see a baby kangaroo. They found one which is now about 3 months old and are caring for it until it's old enough to be put in the santuary! Back on the road, through acres of farming land which is suffering from FIVÈ years of drought, although this year they've had enough rain to be able to plant some crops this year. Fields didn't look in the best state. Much of the road runs parallel to the ocean and further on we see a gap where
the convicts would have been dropped (many of whom had done no more than take bread to save themselves from starvation), and then the holding buildings and a mansion belonging to the overseer - much of which is now being restored.
Our next stopping point is the much heralded 'Pink Lake'. There are a number of these, but this one gets harvested (with betacarotene, forming the basis of Vitamin A tablets). The crop is formed via hypersalinated water (super-salty), which is what turns the water pink (on a sunny day). Next stop is a kangaroo sign - special request from yours truly from several hours ago, Laurie knew this one was there! On the road again, then we pull into the Ocean Gorges - pretty impressive stretch of coastline. On the way out Laurie says he's going to have to slow down as evening is 'Kangaroo Time' so he may have to suddenly slap on the brakes - none run in the road but we see several hopping around in the bush and even manage to stop for a photo of one.
Past a camel farm, and we're into Kalbarri, our destination for this evening. First stop a
'Bottle Shop' (off-licence) - I'd already bought some port at the supermarket so I was all set. Back to the beach we'd seen on the way in to sit and watch the sun drop out of the sky (very swiftly once it 'hit' the edge of the ocean), before heading off to the ranch where we were to spend the night. Accommodation pretty basic (and only one shower amongst 14 of us), but clean and cool... And the food was smelling good as we headed in. Finally, about 9pm we were given chicken/rice/salads - a lot of, then several of us had an evening shower and got ready to try and sleep early as we are breakfasting at 5am!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.081s; Tpl: 0.033s; cc: 10; qc: 26; dbt: 0.027s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb