Unemployed in Western Australia

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Back from our Asian adventure, it was time to face reality and find some work. We were unhappily surprised to discover that all of the places who had told us there would be work in three weeks before we left for Asia were telling us the same thing now. We decided to make our way down the South West coast to the wine region of Margaret River. We stopped in the small coastal towns along the way; many of which boasted impressive historic jettys, all of which were closed for repairs. Arriving in the small but swanky town of Margaret River, our first stop was the recruitment office for the vineyards. More bad news: We were told that the harvest was a bit behind and there was a surplus of workers, but if we returned in 10 days we should have work then. With this, we decided to make the most of our time and go for a walk. We started out at the north end of the Cape to Cape Track - an impressive long-distance coastal hiking trail. The track was beautiful, navigating it's way along the limestone cliffs and across endless beaches. Our original plan was to walk the entire track, but between the heavy packs and long walking distances, my back and shoulder injuries did not allow this. After an excruiating second day, we changed our plans to include shorter daily distances and decided we would only be able to complete the first half of the track. We watched massive storm systems coming in off the Indian Ocean, but we managed to narrowly miss all but one. There were die-hard surfers at every wave along the way, regardless of the weather. When we weren't on the beach or the cliffside, we walked through beautiful forests, stopping to filter water out of the springs along the way. It seemed the track was always either going up or down or through deep and heavy sand. Before we set off, we thought about how nice it sounded to hike along the beach, but we quickly discovered that with your pack pushing you down and the sand trying to keep you there, it takes quite a lot of effort! In the end, we spent six days walking and covered about 70 kilometers. It was an impressive hike and there's just something special about having everything you need to survive on your back.

After our hike we were told the work was yet another week away, so we went down to Cape Leeuwin, the south western corner of Australia. This is where the Southern Ocean and the Indian Ocean meet, and we were astonished to discover that when we looked very closely, we could actually see the two currents colliding. After checking out the lighthouse, we drove through beautiful karri and tingle tree forests to Walpole. Here, we went to the Valley of the Giants Tree Top Walk. The suspended walkway almost 40 meters above the forest floor placed us in the magnificent tingle tree top canopy. It was so amazing that as soon as we finished, we went up and did it again! After our second go-round, we spent some time walking amongst the giant trees from the ground. From here, we went back to Margaret River and continued to chase false leads about jobs. Eventually, Andrew had secured a job in a vineyard. At first, it was for both us but we soon discovered that because there were so many workers available, most of the farmers weren't hiring any women (yes, they actually told us that...) so the job ended up only being for Andrew. The starting date was continually pushed back a day or two, and once he finally started, the pay changed to significantly less than he had originally been told. After much discussion, we decided that as much as we couldn't afford to go, we really couldn't afford to stay, so we decided to head north in hopes of finding employment. We weren't sure we'd have any better luck, but at least it would be warm. The south of Australia gets surprisingly cold in the winter, especially when you live outside. In fact, it stormed (wind, rain, and hail) every single day since we finished our hike. So with the decision made, we packed up our tent and headed north.

Our first stop was Fremantle, a trendy historic suburb of Perth. Only a few hours north, and the weather was improving already! We spent the afternoon checking out the sites and the evening at the Little Creatures Microbrewery. The next day we headed into the isolation that consumes the entire state north of Perth. The first part of the drive was much greener than the first time we did it. It was amazing to see the difference - where there had been dry, dusty plains before was now green and flooded. We drove up the Shark Bay Peninsula, which we had bypassed before. At the end of the peninsula is Monkey Mia, a place where a pod of wild bottlenose dolphins routinely comes into the shallow waters every day, seeking interaction with humans. The pod has been doing this for about 40 years, and has astounded researchers and tourists alike. We arrived after the morning "feeding" where hundreds of people squeeze in around the water's edge to watch a researcher give the dolphin a fish. By the time we got there the beach was deserted and the pod was catching it's own food in the shallow waters. We watched as four or five of them played and fished in the waters. One of the dolphins came right into the shore to see us! It took a few minutes to check us out and roll around in the soft sand before heading out to sea. We left when the dolphins did, heading back up the peninsula, stopping this time at some places of interest along the way.

Continuing north, we headed for the Ningaloo Marine Park. Many Australians say that the Ninglaoo Reef is better than the Great Barrier Reef because it is more accessible (you can snorkel it from the shore) and less damaged. We detoured to the small town of Coral Bay before going to Exmouth which is the access point for the reef. Coral Bay was absolutely packed - primarily with "Grey Nomads" - retirees who spend their time travelling around Australia in a caravan. We hadn't found the warm weather yet, so we were surprised to see the place so busy, but we learned that normally it is hot and sunny every day, we had just hit an anomaly. We went for a stroll along the beach, with crabs scurrying for cover with every step we took. We headed in the direction of the shark nursery where baby reef sharks are protected from predators in the shallow sandy waters. Disappointed we hadn't seen any, we decided to head back when all of the sudden the sun came out, illuminating the clear waters, and revealing a couple dozen baby sharks! They had been there the whole time, but we just couldn't see them until the sun came out! Satisfied with our sighting, we got back on the road and continued on to Exmouth. It was as busy there as it was in Coral Bay, and we were very lucky find a caravan park that had a cancellation, leaving us with a place to stay for the next few nights. Our first order of business was to book a dive trip. The company we had planned to dive with was having their boat repaired, so we booked two dives with a different company for a couple day's time. We went to Cape Range National Park, where we alternated between snorkelling and hiking. Our first snorkel was at the Oyster Stacks, and we stayed until the tide went out and it was too shallow to continue. We were amazed by the marine life and hard corals we saw so close to shore! We got out of the water just in time to see humpback whales on the outer reef; only a couple hundred meters from where we had been snorkelling! Next, we hiked through the Mandu Mandu Gorge, where the trail led us along the dry creekbed and up along the Northern Ridge. After the hike, it was time to cool off again in the beautiful waters of Ningaloo. We went to Turquoise Bay, where we did a "drift" snorkel - entering at the far end of the beach, we just floated face down in the water, letting the current carry us over the fish and coral below. We heeded the warning to get out by the time we reached the sand bar "or be carried out to sea."

The next day was dive day! Once fitted with gear, we were transferred to the dive boat by a small pontoon along with about a dozen other divers. During the short ride out to the reef, our divemaster began to discuss the details of the dive when a humpback whale appeared beside the boat, distracting us all from the dive plan. The whale disappeared and we finished our briefing before gearing up. Many of the Aussies on the trip complained about the "freezing" 25 degree waters and donned two wetsuits. We of course, thought the temperature was great, and kept to ourselves the temperatures we dive in back home. Our trip consisted of two amazing dives. Unfortunately, we don't have any photos from these ones, so you'll just have to use your imagination! Our guide, Kerri, was absolutely wonderful and she pointed out many things we would have otherwise missed, and made the dive more interactive. She knew of a few things you can safely touch underwater - both for ourselves and whatever we were touching - and we were able to feel a sea cucumber (it feels like a gelatinized suede). She also introduced us to a cute little bottom dweller with big thick whiskers - the Ningaloo catfish - which is endemic to the reef. She indicated for us to come closer, and we watched as she slowly lay her fingers in the sand in front of it. The catfish cautiously inched it's way towards her, eventually meeting her fingers. Next it was our turn. There were two catfish, so we each slowly laid our hands down in front of each, not sure what to expect. Again, with caution, the catfish approached our fingers and began sucking on them! Now we can cross having a catfish suck our fingers off our life's to-do list! As the dive continued, we were guided through a coral swim-through and continued to admire the myriad of marine life. On the second dive, we were the first ones in the water and subsequently the first ones to spot the manta ray. Since the ocean floor was only about 20 meters deep here, we were able to settle quietly into the sandy bottom without disturbing the mantas. They came very close to us, and glided through the water ever so slowly, at peace with our quiet presence. At one point, one of the giants swam right over my head without me even noticing! We were delighted to see these amazing creatures again. As we continued the dive, we spotted the odd manta from time to time. We improved our air consumption on the second dive and we were able to stay down as long as the more seasoned divers. Both dives were great, and we saw so many creatures - sea turtles, nudibranches, parrot fish, ramoras, a blue-spotted stingray.... just to name a few. When we were in the boat, we watched many humpback whales breaching spectacularly in the distance, and mantas flapping their wings on the surface. After the completion of our second dive, we graduated to Level II Open Water Divers! Our love of diving continues to grow every time we take the plunge into the magnificent underwater world.

From Exmouth, we began the long drive through the Pilbara to Broome, which was quite scenic in an arid, deserted kind of way. Broome is the most popular tourist stop in Western Australia's northern two-thirds and was packed! Not only were the campgrounds, hostels, and hotels full, but the "Emergency Overflow Camping" was full as well! We had arrived just in time for the Staircase to the Moon Festival, which was great timing aside from not being able to find a place to sleep. The first night, one of the hostels allowed us to sleep in our wagon in the parking lot and we were able to get into the Overflow Camping after that. After spending some time applying to jobs in the area, we decided to take in the sights of the town. The Staircase to the Moon is a natural phenomenon where the rising full moon illuminates the rippled mudflats exposed at low tide, creating an illusion of a staircase heading up to the moon. It was quite impressive, and did actually create quite the optical illusion. Equally impressive was the number of people, locals and tourists alike, who crowded into the "viewing" areas around the bay. Broome is also well known in Australia for it's stunning red rock formations which are starkly contrasted by white sands and aqua waters. Our good timing continued and we were able to catch a glimpse of fossilized dinosaur footprints which are rarely exposed by a very low tide in daylight hours. We were amazed by the quality of the fossilizatons in the rocks - they were tricky to find, but once we came across them they were unmistakeable. Apparently, there are several of these prehistoric footprints in the area, though all are not quite as distinct as the ones we saw. After several days of sightseeing, and no luck in the job hunt, we decided to continue on. After leaving Broome, we officially entered croc country, where you'd have to be suicidal to jump in the water without being 100%!s(MISSING)ure there are no "salties." We drove across the magnificent Kimberley (many of the scenic shots from the movie Australia were filmed here). The scenery was stunning. After crossing the Kimberley we said goodbye to Western Australia, hoping for better luck finding work in the Northern Territory.

Much love,
Cass & Andrew xoxo

As an update, we have now been WORKING in Darwin for the last few weeks! Andrew got a job as a mechanic within hours of arriving in town, and I've been doing office work. We couldn't believe how easily we found work here after searching for months in WA. We love it here, and we are actually staying in a house (with A/C!) rather than a tent or hostel, which is a welcome change. Since it took so long to find work, we'll be staying here until our time is almost up in Oz, saving up for the rest of our travels.

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Photos

Tree Top Walk
Valley of the Giants

Conto's Campground
We spent A LOT of time here (too much....)

Monkey Mia
Cass with a bottlenose dolphin!

Stromatalites
Shark Bay

'Oyster Stacks'
Ningaloo

Mandu Mandu Gorge
Cape Range National Park

Dinosaur Footprint!
Broome

Mangroves
Bunbury, WA

The Beginning
Cape to Cape Track

Stopping for a Rest
Cape to Cape Track

Lonnnnnggg Sandy Beaches
Cape to Cape Track