Carnarvon........Let the tropics begin.

Next destination Carnarvon.
Arrived after another drive on road that looks just like the Nullabor,The only civilisation up this way are the roadhouses you pass about every 100km or so.
I had a drive around town which was no easy feat as they are doing roadworks right in the middle of town and so many of the roads were closed but managed to find my way to the shops as i am doing my final stockpiling of food in readiness for Coral Bay.
My poor bus is so full of water and enough food to feed an army,Guess i won't be losing weight any time soon.
Headed for the caravan park early as i was a bit tired and as most take dogs it took me awhile to decide which one to stay at.
They are all on the outskirts of town and are all up the road from each other so finally decided on a nice shady looking one as the weather is hot here,about 34 degrees when i arrived.
I spent today having a bit more of a look around the town but its not the easiest of places to find anything so i gave up after lunch and headed for caravan park number two.
I like this one much better as there are not many people here and its a really nice park and i have a whole section to myself.Yippee.
I spent the rest of the day refilling my water containers, washing my bike and repacking everything so i can fit it all in.
The lady on the reception told me about a great place up the road where they sell fresh fruit,vegies and herbs that are grown in one of the local plantations so Meg and i took a walk to check it out.
They had the most amazing Herbs and really cheap. $2 for big bags so i got some mint,coriander,basil and rocket.
 Carnarvon is full of plantations which they supply WA with 70  percent of their winter vegetables,who would of guessed? apparently the plantations do really well as they get their water supply from the sand of the Gasgoyne river which is an underground river.
Tomorrow i will be heading for a place called Quobba where there are Blowholes and there is also a campspot there which is meant to be really nice so probably no more blogs for awhile.

                                     View from my back window at the 1st camp in Carnarvon

                                  View out the back window from the 2nd camp in Carnarvon

Shark Bay...........Extra's

On the trip back from Denham to Hamelin pool I stopped at some great spots along the way.
First stop Eagle Bay.
Just as i was arriving the only other people in the place were just leaving so i found myself alone in the most barren place i think i have ever been,Quite an unusual feeling really.
The view was amazing and its supposed to be a great spot for shark spotting but i didn't see any,I think i used up all my good fish carma at Monkey Mia.
I then headed further along to a beach called Shell beach which is just amazing.The sand is so white and when you looked closely it was all tiny shells right up the the waters edge.
There were signs that said you weren't to take any of the shells from the beach which is fair enough i suppose.
I just won't mention the little hand full i happened to pick up and forgot to put down again. Whoops!
As i was driving along there was heaps of wildlife about, There was a pack,Herd,Flock whatever of Emu's running across the road.There must have been about 6 all up. I also saw a goat who ran out and then heard me coming and quickly ducked back into the bush and a huge cat.
I wonder how they survive as the whole area is full of the 1080 Baits.
I also called into a place called Nanga Bay which is like a little oasis in the middle of nowhere,Its only a caravan park on the waters edge but very cute.

                                                         Eagles Bluff

                                              View to nowhere from Eagles Bluff

                                                                    Shell Beach

                                                           Close up of the beach

                                                          More things that can kill you

                                                                    Emu's roadside

Monkey Mia......Wow,Wow,Wow

Wow,Wow,Wow, Thats how i would describe my day at Monkey Mia.
When i arrived the lady at the entry said if i hurried i would see the last feed of the day so i headed straight to the beach as that is what i came for but when i got down there the dolphins had just left.Ohhhh!
A lady from Switzerland came up and started chatting who had been in Monkey Mia for 3 days staying at the resort and she was really lovely and was also on her own so we hung out together for the day which was nice to have some company.
We had a great day and would you believe the Dolphins came in several times during the day which is most unusual according to the ranger so it was a great day for me to be there.
There was also a turtle that was hanging around and a couple of Pelicans and not to mention the pesky old Emu's that hang around the resort.
Hortenz and i had a great lunch of Calamari at the restaurant that over looks the water and while we were there the Emu's came up to some other patrons and started eating their lunch.I was also warned they liked attacking small dogs so to be careful with Meg when there around.
I didn't end up leaving Monkey mia until really late in the day as the weather was just perfect and the beach was really nice and it was just such a nice place to hang around.
I think it would be one of the nicest days i have had since my trip began.
I would definitely recommend it.

                                                  Monkey Mia resort and beach

                                                        Monkey Mia beach

                                                                        Dolphin....so friendly!

                                                        Emu........So pesky!

                                                       Turtle..........So amazing!

                                                          Piccolo and her baby....So cute!

                                                   Pelican.............So....so....?

Denham.......Fishermans heaven

Arrived in Denham after stopping on route at the Oceanarium where they have live shark feeding and an assortment of aquariums with all sorts of fish in them.I went on the guided tour which was really informative and probably just as well because i learnt which fish could kill,Now I'm  not sure i want to go swimming as all these fish are found locally.
Denham is a lovely little town which is basically one street that runs along the water.
The main activity in town is fishing,fishing and more fishing.
The jetty is a popular spot and apparently its the place to catch squid,which i found out on my tour is the 3rd most intelligent life form on earth.Humans and Dolphins being 1st and 2nd.
I ended up staying for 3 days before heading back to Hamelin pool.

                                                                Road to Denham

                                                                    Denham

Hamelin Pool....Bush Telegraph

After recovering from my tassle with the sand I headed for Hamelin Pool which is in the area of Shark Bay.I could have been on the Nullabor again as that is what the road was like north of Geraldton, long, straight and very remote except for the roadhouses.
I stopped at the Overlander Roadhouse for fuel and to have a look and also to check messages ,emails etc as there is no service in Hamelin Pool.
The caravan park at hamelin Pool is at the historic telegraph station and also where the Stromalites are.
It is in the middle of nowhere and its like stepping back in time and there is a little shop which is run by an assortment of backpackers and I'm served by a French girl who checks me in to the park,which means you basically park wherever you want.
Once i decide the best place to park to avoid the noise of the generator which runs full time i go for a walk over the sand dunes on the Boolagoorda walking track to see the stromalites.
On the way you go past a quarry where they used to cut blocks out of the sand,the sand is mixed with tiny shells and is really hard and the blocks were used to make some buildings in Denham years ago.The quarry is no longer in use except when blocks are needed to repair the buildings.
The track then takes you right along the foreshore where a walk has been made in to the water so you can see the Stromalites without ruining them.
I then returned to camp where i had a saltwater shower (No fresh water out here) and then bed.zzzzzz

                                                            Overlander Roadhouse

                                             Hamelin Pool Telegraph station and campground

                                                                      Sand quarry

                                                                       Stromalites

                                                       Boardwalk across the Stromalites

Geraldton and Surrounds

Arrived in Geraldton on Sunday and went for a drive around the town,It was very exciting being in a big city after all the smaller ones.
I found a Sunday market so had a wander around and brought some locally made Olive Oil which is fabulous.
I then set about finding the caravan park which was way out of town and felt like it was in the bush as it was set in the middle of nowhere.
I was a bit worried after i checked in as the lady on reception said "Oh and if you have any trouble just see the guy in the big bus" WHAT!  "should i expect trouble? No No i was assured. mmmn
Anyway it turned out to be ok and it was nice and quiet for a change and i had plenty of space.
Also I forgot to mention i called in to a place called Ellendale Pool on way to Geraldton, its a camp spot
that i had read about and thought i might stay at but when i got there it was really crowded and there was a sign near the water that warned that it was possible to catch a form of meningitis in the water under certain conditions so thought it best i kept going.
I have to say its quite dangerous being in WA as there are so many things you can catch here as another spot i went to had warning signs of possible asbestos poisoning.I could be lucky to survive this trip.......
The next day i hit the shops in Geraldton as i had a long list of stuff to buy and do before heading further North as it is more remote the higher up you go and I'm stock piling as food is apparently very expensive up further.
First on my list was a Nespresso machine,Im over bad coffee and second on the list was a wind trainer as i think I'm putting on weight and need more exercise.I ended up buying a second hand one from the guy who worked in the bike shop as he had one at home that he didn't want and was just what i was after and was also cheap.
Once i had all my booty i headed out of town to a campsite called Coronation Beach which is a lovely spot on the water.I had a bit of a drama on the way as i decided to pull over on the side of the road to check my map thinking it was gravel but it was actually sand and i found myself bogged.Thank goodness i joined the RACV so i gave them a call but because the phone service wasn't too good we kept getting disconnected so i had to keep ringing back until they had enough information to send someone out to help.
I spent 2 nights there and then headed along the coast to my next stop which was Horrocks Beach.
Quite nice but i spent most of my time catching up on washing and getting sorted for the next part of my trip and there wasn't a lot to do there.
Today i arrived in Kalbarri which is really beautiful so Meg and i did our usual walk around town and then went out for lunch to a nice cafe that over looked the beach.
Tomorrow i head up into the area of Shark Bay and Monkey Mia which I'm really excited about as its somewhere i have always wanted to go.
I probably won't be able to blog for awhile as the phone and internet service in that area isn't meant to be the best but will post some photos as soon as i get a chance.

                                                                  Ellendale Pool

                                                                   Meningitis anyone?

                                                      Prime real estate in Horrocks Beach

                                                           Horrocks Beach general store

Coral Coast....... Just the beginning..

Headed off from New Norcia on Easter Monday and headed for Lancelin but once again when i got there the two parks in town didn't take dogs so kept moving on to Cervantes where i was booked in for three nights but when i arrived i saw a sign up in the park saying to keep your dogs on a lead at all times as they put baits in the park to get rid of rabbits so i was then paranoid that Meg would pick one up and i was not at all happy and i didn't really like the park so i was happy to have an excuse not to stay longer than one night.
Before i headed nth i went back a few km's to visit the Pinnacles which are meant to be amazing and as they are in a National Park i thought i would ignore the signs not to take dogs in to the park and your not allowed to even leave them in the car but i ignored that too and plower on...until you have to stop at a gate house and then i got worried as i couldn't conceal Meg so i had to turn around and go back which was a bit disappointing but i did get to see some mini Pinnacles at least.
I then headed for Jurien bay which is a lovely little seaside town but no parks would take dogs so i decided i would do some free camping and there was a camp spot listed in my book just north of Jurien bay so i headed there for the night.
It was called Sandy Bay and it was down a 6km unmade gravel road of the highway so i was a bit hesitant at first but kept going and i was pleasantly surprised once i got there as it was a great spot with heaps of campspots all dotted in amongst the sand dunes and there were heaps of other holiday makers there.
I found a great spot to set up camp and thought it was that fab that i ended up staying for 3 days and just spent my time reading and walking along the beach and just near by were these massive sand dunes so went for a walk to further investigate,It was really amazing it was like being in the Sahara Desert,The sand was that white it almost felt like being in the snow.
On the third day there i heard some familiar voices and it was Sam,Elaine and Jan that i had met at New Norcia,It was really good to see them and nice to run into someone familiar.
With most of the free camps there are time limits and this one had a 4 day limit but i decided to move on as it looked like it might rain and i was nervous that if it did i may not get my bus out on the dirt road so i then headed for the next spot which was only about 100km up the road and it was called Edge cliff Nth and was again right near the water but the sand was piled high with seaweed so no swimming or walking along that one.
There must have been a bush fire there sometime recently too as all the bush around was burnt which looked kind of eerie as the sand was really white and then these burnt black trees.
When i arrived it was so windy that it wasn't pleasant to be outside so i spent the afternoon in the bus with all the windows and vents closed to keep the sand out which was so fine it was like dust and the only entertainment was when a caravan arrived and as they were trying to do a U turn they got bogged in the sand even though they were in a four wheel drive and they had to be towed out by another car.
I left there this morning as it wasn't that nice and there wasn't anything to do there so headed for Dongara which is a pretty town about 60 km from Geraldton.
I am staying in Port Denison which is a part of Dongara and i think prettier and its right on the water and there is also a nice marina area so Meg and i did our usual walk around the town and beaches before retiring to the park for the night.

                                               Lookout over looking beach at Sandy Cape

                                                Looking down at my camp front the lookout

                                                                   Mini Sahara?

                                               View from my bus at Cliff Edge nth camp

                                            Beautiful view at beach at Cliff Edge camp spot

                                              View from lookout at Port Denison

New Norcia...A Divine Place

Here i am again after a little break........I left Busselton on Wednesday which was really sad as i had had a really great time there but more adventures are to be had so after having the bus serviced i headed for Bunbury to get the washing machine looked at. They were able to fix it straight away so then headed to Gin Gin to hold up until Easter was over.
I arrived about 7.30pm as i had trouble finding the caravan park and booked an unpowered site for the night,It was no mean feet trying to find where to park as the park was,Shall we say," Very rustic".
I decided the next morning not to stay there as it wasn't to my liking so then headed to New Norcia.
For those of you who haven't heard of it,it is Just north of Perth and about an hour inland from the coast and is only a small town that is home to Benedictine monks that still live here.The town is set on both sides of the Great Northern Highway and consists of a roadhouse,Hotel a Guest house and a couple of churches.
Its really beautiful and has lots of history.
The monks still make their own bread,wine and Olive Oil which is all available for sale at the Information centre.
The campground is a big paddock next to the monastery where you can stay for $7 per night(My kind of town)
I managed to find a spot away from all the bull ants to set up and it wasn't long before i met my neighbours Sam,Elaine and Jan who are from QLD and NSW.We all headed up to the hotel about 4pm for drinks where we were joined by another couple,Deb and David who were also staying in the paddock and a great time was had by all.
There was an outdoor area to sit which overlooked the whole town and we were able to sample the locally made wines.The Cabernet Merlot was the nicest wine i have tasted so purchased a bottle to add to my cellar under the bed.
We all had a really nice time and eventually retreated back to camp to light a fire where we finished out the night with great company.
The next morning i cut Debs hair before they left for their next destination whereas myself and the others have decided to stay until the end of Easter as its a really great place,cheap accommodation and great company.What more could a girl ask for?
Last night we had another fire which is such a novelty and it creates a great atmosphere,not to mention keeps us warm as the nights have been rather chilly.
I have to go now as I'm about to cut Elaine's hair..Business is alive and well in the outback....

                                                                           Monastery

                                                                      Home Office

                                                             Camp

                                             A Roadtrain passing in the Main Street