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Published: October 20th 2010
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The tornado of travel that has been the last four weeks has sadly come to an end in the beautiful pearling town of Broome. 26 days of camping, 4500km of bitumen, 4kg of pasta and enough petrol to drown a large emu; the west coast of Australia was an adventure like no other. Our journey has been such an sensory overload that I present to you the 'short n skinny' version complete with photo montage. The following are the highlights of my west coast adventure:
Day 1-5: Camping under the stars at the Pinnacles. Watching the sunrise with Laura in this neolithic desert. Our first free camping experience at a roadside truck stop. No facilities, no services, just your tent, the fire and the moonlight. Exploring the deep expansive gorges of Kalbarri National Park. Hiking an eight kilometre trail in and around the gorge in 35C midday heat. Canoeing down the peaceful Murchison river with Laura to another epic coastal sunset.
Day 6-8: Powering with Alberts monstrous engine up the barren and boring highway to Shark Bay heritage park. Free camping beside the beach on the rugged coastline. Pouring hot pasta under torchlight to a most impressive
Monkey Mia Dolphins
These dolphins arrive like clockwork for a daily feeding at the town of Monkey Mia. sunset; our outback television. Watching Laura giddy with excitement as she fed the famous Moneky Mia dolphins. Swimming in Monkey Mia's picturesque turquoise waters. Snapping mandatory touristy photos along the parks lookouts. Causing mischief on the remarkable Shell Beach where shells up to 10m deep consume the beach and run as far as the eye can see. Burning out of the dry and arid town of Carnarvon after availing of its cheaper fuel and food. Led Zeppelin on the stereo. Road sweets on the go. Coral Bay in our sights!
Day 9-15: Paradise! A word too cliche to be used but too important to omit. Arriving to the white sandy beaches and pristine waters of Coral Bay. So beautiful, locals and travellers share chocked camp sites, carving themselves a little slice of heaven. Snorkelling in a coral wonderland just 50 meters from the beach. Sharing jugs of beer with new friends, watching the red sun sink into the Indian ocean and making travel plans. Arriving parched to Exmouth; the jump off point to the Ningaloo Marine Park. Night fishing with friends beside the towns secretive military antennae. Kangaroo dodging on the hair-raising night drive back to the camp
The Ozzie Tradition
Beers and sunset, is there anything better? site. Camping rough in the glorious Cape Range National Park; a snorkellers mecca! Frequenting the parks various rocky beaches to join Aussie families in a snorkelling frenzy. Ogling schools of fish and coral bommies of the 'Oyster Stacks', 'Turquiose Bay' and 'Lakeside' beaches. My shear excitement of diving the Navy Pier at Exmouth (Voted six in the world's top ten shore dives). Then diving the coral infested waters of the Muirion Islands with the Laura the day after.
Days 15-24: Motoring to the sounds of Daft Punk off the great northern highway into the outback, smashing 600km in 44C heat to reach Karijini National Park by nightfall.
(In Western Australia you must reach everywhere before sunset, unless you want Skippy the bush kangaroo for dinner and fat bill from the mechanic in the morning). Hiking the fabulous Dales gorge and taking a dip in the refreshing, circular pool. Visiting the various waterfalls and swimming holes of the park. Ferociously boiling water at night-time to hydrate ourselves, only to find out that you can drink local bore water two days later. Navigating tight gorges and marvelling at the wonder of Karijini.
Days 24-29: The long arduous drive
Bliss
Swimming in the chilled pools of fresh water at Karijini national park where daily temps hit 35C. from enchanting Karijini to Broome, over 800km of bushland and intense heat. Our overnight stop at the exclusive campsite of Barn Hill. Unknown to backpackers this spot leads right onto another pristine Australian beach complete with epic sunset to gaze upon while you chow down on your 2 minute noodles. Rolling into humid Broome all hot and sticky, albert running on fumes. Camping with our roadtrip buddies right next to the 'world famous' Cable Beach (Ozzies proclaim that this beach is world famous). Celebrating my birthday with the gorgeous Laura at a Thai restaurant and being pleasantly surprised at eating my favourite, Black Forest Gateau for breakfast, lunch and dessert. Nom Nom Nom!
My west coast road trip has sadly ended and while Laura travels to Perth to touch base with family, I fly to cairns to pursue my original plan of working on a diveboat and exploring the barrier reef. After which, my time in this incredible country will come to end, so stay tuned for my final Aussie instalment coming soon.
More West Coast Pictures on Facebook My Photography
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kraks
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Tks Barry for sharing.......makes me long......