Adelaide/Nullarbor

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Day 32 (2/4/2019)



Last day in Perth.



Went for a drive into West Perth To Watertown, which was the original DFO in Perth Before they built the Airport DFO. Here they had all the usual shops, but nowhere near as many bargains as the Airport DFO has. If you ever visit Perth, give Watertown a miss & go to the Airport DFO as it is far better.



Back to the caravan to pack up & plan tomorrows trip to Busselton.



Day 33 (3/4/2019)



Departed Perth at 9:00AM; peak hour traffic. Strangely enough the traffic was not too bad considering as we rarely came to a halt. Our only holdup was some woman doing 40kmh in the 80kmh/100kmh zones. Hard to change lanes when other vehicles are travelling so fast & you get stuck behind some buffoon like this.



Pulled in to a roadhouse for a cuppa after getting through Perth. The freeways are that good that they make travelling a breeze. There is freeway almost all the way to Bunbury which means you can go along at your own pace.



Arrived in Busselton at 1:00PM. Set up the van & went to check out the shops & pick up some supplies. Also visited the Information Centre to get details on where all the good places to visit are.



Such a lovely pleasant afternoon, so we walked 100M to the pristine beach next to the caravan park & had a decent walk, wading in the cool waters as we went.



Returned back to the caravan park & went for a swim. The walk & the swim made us quite hungry. We thoroughly enjoyed the steak, jacket potatoes & mushrooms for dinner. Not long after it was a hot shower followed by bed.



Day 34 (4/4/2019)



Up early to travel to Augusta & Margaret River, knowing we had a full day of sightseeing to do.



Arrived in Augusta to pouring rain, so went straight through to the Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse just out of Augusta on the South Coast. This is the tallest lighthouse in Australia. We opened the doors to gale force winds & some spectacular scenery of waves crashiong into rocks.



We then headed back into Augusta since the rain had stopped & parked at Hardy Inlet on the Blackwood River. Just a few km from the lighthouse, but no wind at all here. A very picturesque spot, there are some magnificent photos to be taken. It is also quite tranquil here if you need a quiet spot.



Hopping back in the 4WD, we headed for Lake Cave at Margaret River. There were only 12 people in our tour group, so we chose a good time to go as you get to see & do more. Our guide was fantastic, imparting his knowledge & allowing us ample photo opportunities.



By now it was time for lunch, so stopped in at Cowaramup Bakery. A short distance up the road was The Beerfarm at Metricup. The place was buzzing & must be a popular spot to hang out. We sat & had a drink before moving on to Margaret River Nuts & Cereals. The range here is quite extraordinary & a good place to visit if you love nuts & muesli.



Everything is a short distance away, so it is easy to see a lot in a short space of time. Margaret River Chocolates was next for lots of sampling & a purchase of some Coconut Rough.



Next across the road was The Grove Distillery. Here Deb's eyes lit up as she sampled mini cocktails before purchasing some liquers. There is also other spirits to sample if you dont have to drive!



Next on the agenda was Bootleg Brewery, yet another place that was packed. A great atmosphere to enjoy a drink & also have a bite to eat. We sat & watched Geoffrey the magpie keep flying in circles on a window ledge, in love with his own reflection in the glass which was quite amusing!



Last stop for the day was Eagle Bay Brewery where I did a tasting platter of beers along with some sourdough bread. By now we were exhausted & went back to the caravan completely spent.



Day 35 (5/4/2019)



Today was a bit of retail therapy followed by planning for tomorrows trip to Albany. The expectation of an early night & a good sleep was thrown into chaos by a huge influx of vans & a giant party of around 80 people & screaming kids. This went from early afternoon until 11:15PM when someone put a stop to it. Far from impressed as kids were running & riding scooters through peoples sites, including ours, while their parents just sat & got highly inebriated. Some people are just completely inconsiderate.



Day 36 (6/4/2019)



After not getting as much sleep as we would have liked due to the loud party, we were up early & made sure we made a bit of noise just as payback.



Departed Busselton at 8:00AM, a bit later than expected. We stopped for fuel at Nannup where they were holding a car forest rally. A rather rude female official told us we had to move our 4WD & van from the fuel bowser “straight away as we are trying to run a rally here”. So Bob goes to the toilet & takes his time just to infuriate her a little bit more for being such a bitch.



Stopped at Crossings Bakery in Pemberton for a late morning bite to eat. We arrived in Albany at 1:50PM, courtesy of some crap roads & big hills which slowed our progress quite markedly. We then set up the van, which we have got down to a fine art by now! Went to the local shops & picked up some supplies, followed later by a light dinner & into bed early to catch up on sleep we did not get the night before.



Day 37 (7/4/2019)



Today it was off to the Albany Whaling Station for a tour. Our guide David was excellent, sharing a lot of information about the history of whaling until it ceased in 1978. Here they exported 60%!o(MISSING)f the world's whale oil, which is quite extraordinary. We were able to climb aboard the Cheynes IV, one of the last 3 whale vessels. There were short movies which were extremely informative; skeletons of whales which shows how huge they were. One whale could fit a small hatchback car in it's stomach & a small child could crawl through it's arteries! This was a brilliant place to visit & is a must see when in Albany.



A short drive away was the Salmon Holes, a beach where the Salmon come inside the reef to hole up to escape the rough seas. Quite picturesque with some great views. Better was to come when we stopped at the Blowholes. A rather taxing walk but the views of the rugged coastline with huge waves smashing into rocks quite breathtaking. The blowholes themselves give a whistle as misted spray shoots up out of them.



After walking back up the fairly steep hill back, we stopped at The Gap & Natural Bridge, 2 extremely gorgeous sites next to each other. What you see is absolutely brilliant & you should not miss this location. Last stop was Limeburners Distillery where Deb tucked into some whiskey tasting.



Returning back into the town, we found virtually every major shop closed on a Sunday. The major chains are not allowed to be open; hence only IGA & some local shops are allowed to trade so they can get a fair go; due to an act by the Shire of Albany to stop major corporates taking over & putting smaller retailers out of business.



After a light dinner, went fishing at Emu Point harbour jetty. Ended up with a lovely bag of King George Whiting, Flathead, Squid & Tommy Ruffs.



Day 38 (8/4/2019)



Had a relaxing part day shopping & looking around Albany, which is quite large & needs a lot more than the couple of days we had to check it out.



Went afternoon fishing, coming back with another feed, this time Trevally & Tommy Ruffs. After cleaning them it was off to bed.



Day 39 (9/4/2019)



Departed Albany at 6:10AM, about an hour later than expected after sleeping in. How wonderful salt air is for ensuring a good night's sleep!



Stopped at Jerramungup for breakfast & fuel at 8:20AM, then back on the road at 9:00AM. About 90km from Esperance, we had a near miss. An idiot in a hatchback overtook us when there was a vehicle coming the other way. A major accident was likely as I slammed on the brakes; the idiot cut back in front of us, narrowly avoiding the car coming from the opposite direction. The next 90km were spent driving a lot slower with a pounding heart rate that took so long to come down. I found it so hard to concentrate as a lot of what ifs were running through my head about what could have happened to us.



We arrived in Esperance at 1:00PM; a pleasant drive with the above exception. A quick setup of the van, into the local shops for supplies, followed by steak for dinner & a well earned rest.







Day 40 (10/4/2019)



Up early to head to Lucky Bay which we had heard so much about. As we drove over the hill to the views, we were not disappointed! It was everything we had heard & then some! The kangaroos on the beach are very friendly, enabling lots of photo opportunities. Then there are the views & the beautiful turqoise water which is just so pristine. This is a place you could just sit in a deck chair for hours & marvel at the sheer beauty of it. A place that you must not miss if in Esperance.



Headed back to the Pier Hotel in Esperance for lunch, encountering rain on the way, along with the looming predicted thunderstorms.



We enjoyed Garlic Bread, a Hamburger & a Steak Sandwich which were mouth watering as well as filling, all washed down with a nice cold drink.



With rain looming, had an early dinner which was the fish from Albany which went down just nicely. You cannot beat fresh fish! Headed down to the small town jetty as the large one had been damaged by storms & was missing in parts & closed. The fish were in a frenzy as lightning flashed all around, but there was to be no thunder. A few drops of rain did not stop the fishing as I returned with a stonker King George Whiting & some large Tommy Ruffs. These will be on tomorrows menu!



Day 41 (11/4/2019)



Went out to the Pink Lake (which is no longer pink due to no water flows), followed by the scenic coast drive with stops at 11 Mile Beach, Observatory Beach, Observatory Point where a snake blocked our path, Twilight Beach & finally Salmon Beach where we managed to catch 1 small Salmon.



We then went back to the caravan for Happy Hour & rested up for tomorrows long drive.







Day 42 (12/4/2019)



Departed Esperance at 2:55AM; the start of a very long day. Had a fuel & toilet stop at Norseman, where it was drizzling rain; something we had not seen for quite a while. Well we saw a lot more rain for about the next 200km, with huge pools of water on the roads which made driving difficult with the ruts of water where your tyres go. This would pull the vehicle to the left or the right, depending on which rut you drove into. On a narrow road this was extremely dangerous, so we slowed down as a result.



Next stop was a cuppa break in a roadside parking bay to take a break from the rain. Not long after came a breakfast stop at Balladonia at 8:15AM – 9:00AM. We pushed on & finally got past the rain, with just odd drops thereafter. Caiguna was our lunch stop to enjoy a well earned break.



Our proposed overnight stop was to be Moordini Bluff, but huge March Flies saw us head to Eucla for the night, arriving there at 4:30PM. We stayed at the cheap Eucla Caravan Park & had dinner in the Nullarbor Nymph hotel.



Sleep was not a problem at all after driving over 900km for the day!



Day 43 (13/4/2019)



Departed Eucla at 8:00AM, intent on taking our time as only a short drive ahead of us; or so we thought! Arrived at the free camp on the Head of the Bight road, only to find a plague of flies. This made the spot intolerable.



Stopped for a quick bite to eat at Nundroo before heading to Penong Caravan Park as our designated stop. Had an early dinner, followed by a shower as the humidity was terrible, then another early night.











Day 44 (14/4/2019)



Departed Penong at 10AM & stopped 150m away at the Windmill Museum. Here we saw Australias largest windmill, along with a spectacular range of smaller windmills. Well worth stopping at as it is free, but donations are accepted.



Only 71km to Ceduna, so we ambled along, taking in the scenery before having to stop at the quarantine station on the edge of Ceduna.



Arrived at the Ceduna Foreshore Caravan Park at 11:45AM, set up the van & walked 200m to the local Foodland supermarket to stock up for the 4 days we will be here. Checked out the local hotel next door & walked 100m to the town jetty.



Went for a drive down a few km down the road to Thevenard where they load/unload the ships. On the way back we spotted a fresh fish place & stopped to get a dozen fresh oysters for $16. This was to be our dinner & they were huge! Pretty good value for such a nice size.

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