Going Up!!

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Having considered all the different ways to get about this huge part of the world, we opted to hire a car for 2 weeks and cover as much stuff as possible. So, the temporary owners of a brand spanking new Hyundai Getz we hit the road, hoping to visit the Ningaloo Marine park a really long way away.

Leaving Perth through the swan valley the scenery is first rate with vineyards aplenty and no shortage of greenery. This soon changed as we headed up the highway further north and we were introduced to Oz Native Bush. It is literally just loads of bushes for miles and miles and miles with lots of red dust , the odd flat kangaroo and an occasional goat. But its pretty unique although this wears a bit thin after 500 km.

Our first overnight stop was a place called Geraldton about 400 - 500 k's from Perth. It was a pretty non descript place although its the only city up that way so it was needed for essential supplies. we had the most expensive beer ever at the local pub and walked around, the place seems fairly industrial with nothing to keep you there very long. The best bit being the hostel, in a former hospital called Batavia Backpackers.

Our next stop was at a place called Denham, in the shark bay area. Having driven through, yup you guessed it, lots of bush to get here we were treated to some amazing coastal scenery. We stopped off for half an hour at shell beach, which is a beach with lots of shells (you gotta love these "say what you see" Australian place names), coz the water is so salty the only thing that lives nearby is a type of cockle so the beach is made up of millions and millions of shells. It's pretty nice.

Denham is really small place but nice enough with a good YHA hostel. The main reason people come here is due to the nearby Monkey Mia, (no monkeys here though) it is a resort which is frequently visited by Dolphins who come right upto the beach. We checked these out the next morning which was pretty good.

The other thing you notice about this area is the heat, it got steadily hotter the farer north we got. Fortunately there are lots of swimming beaches to cool off in. Its a hard life.

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Photos

the open road
Blue skies, bush , red dust x 100 000

Dolphins
Mum and Calf

Pellican
Cute innit?

Little Lagoon
Salt water lagoon near Denham

Comments

[Dad]

lovely pics again. It is indeed a hard life for some of us! Think the ossie way of say what you see could catch on for a way of naming places. What would Millom be? dad