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Published: March 1st 2013
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Naughty girl
Nambung National Park It was time to leave Busselton, not a bad town but full of ignorant drivers who dont give way to pedestrians and who have no idea how to use an indicator properly. We drove north towards Bunbury before joining the South Western Highway at the town of Harvey, so many pretty towns but no where cheap to eat or drink.
We passed through a number of similarly lovely towns as we travelled north toward Armadale where I pulled over to set up my GPS device which proved really useful in navigating Perth's poorly designed highway system, I couldnt believe how many traffic lights they have on their highways. Eventually we made our way onto the Great Northern Highway arriving in New Norcia an hour or so later.
New Norcia is certainly unique, established by Spanish Benedictine monks as an aboriginal mission in 1846 it is Australia's only monastic town. The large buildings are built in various styles including byzantine and gothic. Twenty seven of the towns buildings have been heritage listed, I was particularly impressed with the beautifully decorated abbey church which holds the earthly remains of Resondo Salvado the communities founder. We decided to have lunch at the
stunning Spanish style hotel where I tested the local brew and procured a glass.
It was then time to travel the two hundred fifty kilometres to Jurien bay located on the coastline north of Perth, where we are visiting the Nambung National Park home of the Pinnacles Desert. Jurien is another lovely seaside town, unfortunately we can only stay one night as the caravan park is full due to the long weekend.
Friday morning we moved from the caravan park to the foreshore where a great english guy Matt, was renting out kayaks, he was a really funny pleasant bloke who gave us all some great tips. He taught me how to get back on a kayak in deep water and later Ruth and I how to use a snorkel and mask correctly, before giving me some great advice on what to look for when buying a kayak.
We grabbed some fish and chips for lunch before moving down the road some twenty five kilometres to Cervantes where we rested, washed clothes and ourselves until we left town around 4pm to see the Pinnacles.
We travelled sixteen kilometres to the entrance of the Nambung National Park
arriving just minutes before the interpretive centre and shop were due to close for the day. Luckly for us they stayed open long enough for us to buy some souvenires before walking to the lookout. The pinnacles dominate a a creamy yellow desert and are made of lime rich desert sand compacted with sea shells to form pillars that have been eroded by wind over millenia.
The pinnacles resemble fangs sticking up out of a large area of the desert and were a treat in the late afternoon sunlight. We walked a few kilometres before I spotted an emu meandering though a field of these amazing formations. On the return trip to Cervantes we saw quite a few kangaroos along the road side which was a concern when driving at night.
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