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Published: August 15th 2008
standing in the desert
its a lonely place if you get lost here!!!!Sorry again for the late blog entries. We've been too busy having fun. But anyway...here it goes again.
So we arrived back in Oz, and after 2 weeks of sorting out papers and car, we hit the road again.
Our first stop is not that far away. Cervantes is a small town, made famous fors its proximity to the Pinnicals. Thes are limestone rocks that, for some unknown reason, jut out of the land, and have formed a huge plain of these mysterious objects. However, what is more easily noticable is the amount of flies that plague you. We had experienced some when crossing the nullabor, but this was something we had not counted on. Infact they make the whole experience unenjoyable.
Our next stop is Geraldton, and the fly problem is getting worse. However, Geraldton is not a bad little place. Theres life, and some surf, and its a very relaxing place (except for the flies!). It was easter, and everything was booked up, so we stayed for a few days here. We managed to visit the memorial of HMS Sydney, which was a naval ship that unexplicably sunk of the coast of WA. It was the
pride of the Australian navy, and had not been found until a week or so earlier. It therefore seemed fitting that we go and see what the fuss as all about!!!
Kalbarri is our next stop, and this really is a beautiful part of WA. The beach is beautiful, there's great fishing, there's national parks which holds the Z-bend and natures window, a natural phenomenon where wind and rain have carved a hole in a rock, which looks out over the river. Its beautiful, except for the bloody flies!!!
Denham is the most westerly part of Australia. Its a pretty beachside town, and the start of shark bay. The waters here are so clear, and its a chance to chill out and relax. We visited the Stromatolites, which are the oldest living things on the planet.
Canarvon had to be the most depressing place that we had been to yet. Not that canarvon is such a bad place, but it rained non stop for 3 days. All roads were closed, and we could not even go out, such was the rain. This was brought on by a cyclone, but as it died out before it got to
overview of the pinnacles
little mountains of limestone jutt from the ground, no one know why!!! us, all we got was rain, rain and more rain.
We had planned to go to coral bay, to swim with the whale sharks, but due to the rain, we decided that the visability would not be that great, and so decided to head straight to karratha. As we headed on, we were about 15km from a petrol station. The petrol was almost in the red, and there it was. It was the deepest water on a road that i had ever experienced. 4x4's could make it, and so could the road trains, but the rest of our cars could never have made it. The water leved was about 0.8M high, almost to my hip. no way forward, no way back, hot as an oven in the car, and millions of flies when you get out!!! We were planning on spending the night on the road, along with several other cars. There were talk of snakes and other creepy crawlies coming out to play at night. What would we do if we needed the toilet? However,luck finally dawned on us, and thanks to the kindness of some people, we managed to get some petrol from others and headed to
the oldest living things in the world
these stromolites are the oldest living things in this world. They are fungi like lifeforms......its like something from star trek!!!! coral bay (as we should have done in the first place).
Coral bay was amazing. There were no flies, the water was clear as glass, the weather was great, and we got to snorkel with whale sharks.
The whale shark tour was very expensive. At $365 PP, it was something that took some debate, but we finally decded that we would never get another chance, and went for it. It was a great day on the boat. We saw Dugongs (sea cows), sea snakes, and even got a glimpse of a tiger shark. Infact, some of the guides from another boat got into the water and started chasing the tiger shark. It really was an amazing thing to watch, and as they lost and found sight of it on several occassions, you could noit help but wonder why they were doing this. Infact, the Tiger shark, which must have been about 2M in length, was more eager to get away from the humans than i thought possible, and showed that the myth of sharks eagerly attacking people was actually far from the truth.
There was a tracker plane high in the sky, looking for whale sharks, and
living in the water
water being essential for life. There's not much of that around in Australia!!!! we were given a brief on what the rule were when we saw a whale shark. However, it seemed that we would be waiting some time before we saw these amazing creatures, and we settles down for a buffet lunch. So there i was, thinking "i'm gonna get my share of food here man!!!, No scrimping on this, its cost us loads!!" So i piled my plate up with salad and ham and cheese and stuff, and sat down to eat my lunch.
Suddenly all hell broke loose, as a whale shark was spotted. The captain but the boat into full throttle, and we all tried to scoff our food down, or put it somewhere for later (without falling over). On with our wet suits, fins, and we were ready. But the shark was not, and it had seemingly dived lower that we could. So there we stood, waiting, and waiting. It seemed that it was a game of cat and mouse, as sharks were spotted and then lost. It wa an hour later that we managed to get one that stayed at the surface. In went the leader, making sure it was a whale shark, and not a
the streets of spain
street names in Cervantes!!!! tiger shark (they do look a little similar!!), and he gave us the signal to com in. Everyone dived in, eager to get to the shark first. I stayed behind, to ensure Carmen was safe, but she was way ahead of me. Everything was lost in the splashing and flippers that were in my face, and then.....all of a sudden......there it was. It seemed that everyone had parted away, so as not to make contact with the shark, as we were instructed to, but there i was, bang in the path of this 6M whale shark, and he was only 2M away from me. I quickly managed to move to one side, as it glided past me, and i managed to get a few shots of its face and body. It has to be one of the most sweetes faces i ave ever seen. tere was no menace, no fear, and despite its vast size, there was no sign of anxiety from either of us. there was just awe as this great big thing slid past me, within touching distance, seemingly looking at me in the same was as i was looking at it. The shark went past a few
times, and then we got out of the water, allowing others to see it.
Our second dive happened almost minutes away. Tihs time it was an 8M shark, and again, everyone dived in and swam, as if it were a race for an olympic medal. This time, the shark had more of an interest in us than we did of it, and it actually went inbetween the group, nudging a few, and seemingly wanting to know what it was that was in the water. One guy could not get out of the way in time, and the shark actually lifted him out of the water, as if to move him out of the way as it went by. When it came round again, and everyone seemed to head towards the boat, the shark chased them back. At this point, i was behind the shark, and poked my head out of the water, only to see this huge dorsal fin, and then this huge body pushing everyone up onto the jumping platform. It was like a scene out of Jaws, only without the teeth. I stayed behind, chasing the shark, much to the annoyance of the captain who, unbeknown to
Gorge
Kalbarri me, was shouting frantically to get out of the water. When finally i did get out, i had some funny stares, but it was all worth it. We had seen the biggest shark in the world, and even touched it. It was worth every penny, and was such an enjoyable day.
By this time, the water levels had fallen, and we were able to make our way to Karratha. Karratha is actually a pretty boring town. Its the start of the mining area, and so there is nothing much to do except mine, and drink!!! The surrounding area of Dampier and Port Sampson are prettier, but its all quiet, and not a huge amount to see. We had decided to give sleeping in the car a go. We had seen others do it, and i guess we wondered what it would be like to do this. So we decided that Karratha was the place. It happened to be a very depresisng experience. For 1- we had to sneak into campsites to have showers, and use the toilets, and we often felt like those people living on the streets. 2- it was so hot in the car, that we could
us at gorge.............................
Ross Graham Lookout.....and lots of flies!!!!Kalbarri not sleep properly. 2 days of this, and that was enough. No More!!!!! However, the flies had mysteriously disappered!!!!
Port Headland, and its very hot here. Its another mining town, and although its nicer than Karratha, we did encounter our first experience of racism in Australia. We stopped at a big4 campsite, and despite there being hardly any campers there, were told that it was full, and that we probably could not afford the $39/night fee. It was an amazing thing to witness, and we were stunned into silence at first. Then we just left, as there was definately no way ther were getting our money after that. We stayed in another caravan site on the highway, which was fine, bar the bloddy mosquitos (can't get away from them).
We headed towards Broome, and stopped at the 80 mile beach cavaran site. This site is about 10Kms down an unsealed road, but you come out at a paradise looking campsite. However, the beach, although looking beautiful in its turquoise glory, is filled with sharks and jellyfish. Therefore, you can't really get to enjoy the beauty of the waters here, but it was a welcomed rest from the stresses
of living in a car.
Broome was beautiful. The weather was fantastic, we met up with the german couple again, and we met some other travellers at the campsite, made friends, and stayed for 5 days. Cable beach is rated in the top 5 most beautiful beaches in the world. Its called cable beach, because there is a huge cable running from australia to indonesia. We met up with a guy called Olivier, from Paris. He had been in Oz for 2 years (like us), and was coming to the end of his travels. Funny Guy, and we would enjoy some time with him before he left. Broome has a history of pearling. It stems from the malaysians and chinese free diving for pearls. It was financially profitable for them, but it came with huge risks. Having no scuba diving gear, the divers often suffered from the bends, and many died.
From Broome, it was the long drive across to the Northern Terretories border. We had 2 options here. Taken the more scenic, but more dangerous Gibbs river road, or take the longer, but safer way round, through Fitzroy crossing and halls creek. We decided for the safer
Nature's window
This had to be one of the most romantic spots............ except for the BLOODY FLIES!!!!!!!!!! option, not least because we needed a 4 wheeled drive to get across the gibbs river road. This was a shame, as we would have seen the kimberleys in all its glory here. It is possibly the most stunning area of australia, but alas, we will not know on this trip. However, we had a backup plan!!
Fitzroy is notorious as an area rich in aboriginal inhabitants. It is unfortunate that the face of aboriginal people are drunks on the street, swearing and asking for money, or fighting with other members of their clan or family. Indeed there is a big alcohol and drug problem within the aboriginal community at present, resulting in child abuse and domestic violence. The government, in an attempt to stop the problem, sent in their army to take alcohol away from aboriginal people, and make it an offense to buy or sell alcohol to an aboriginal person. However, although we did not spend a lot of time in fitzroy or halls creek, we did not feel in danger at all. We stopped for our lunch breaks, we stayed a night in fitzroy, and never once had a problem with anyone.
We arrived in
....and here they are
Millions of BLOODY FLIES!!!!! Kununarra, our final stop in WA. This was the place, the home to the recently discovered bungle bungle national park. This park, was found by chance by news reporters, who were doing a documentary on lake argyle. The park is estimated to be millions of years old. Given the new age of Australia, this is an extraordinary finding!! The park is known for its beehive mountains (yes they actually look like honeycomb), which is formed in such a way that it protects itself from errosion. Other formations include the cathedral gorge and echidna chasm.
After meeting p wit hOlivier again, we booked a scenic day tour to the bungle bungle NP. This included a flight over the famous lake Argyle, the even more famous Argyle Diamond Mines (home to the famous pink diamond), and some awesome scenery from the air. When we landed, we were taken through the beehive mountains, and onto Cathedral gorge. This is a gorge, formed through errosion, and ended up being a small amphithetre. It was truely breathtaking, and was possibly the highlight of the trip.
and so there we have it. WA. possibly the best state in australia, in our opinion!!! We have
We've now taken steps......
......and bought flynets. GODDAMN FLIES!!!!!!! loved it here, and are very sad to say goodbye to it. Alas, this travelling lark is sooooo hard for us. But we battle on. Onward to the Northern terretories, in the hope of finding some wild crocodiles!!!!
From Broome
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