Karratha/The Pilbara 29/3 - 30/3

We left Coral Bay for the mammoth journey of 540km to Karratha. Driving into a headwind took us 7 hours. However it was a very scenic journey passing into the Pilbara region. There was also plenty of cattle near the roads to keep us alert.



Karratha is very much an industrial city and "the most expensive place in Australia" or so the lady at the camp site told David to justify her excessive fees ! With this is mind we set off to buy a camera and found it wasn't too over priced. So from here on we are back to a digital camera again. The area has a distinctive red rock and is the industrial home to iron, salt, and gas.



With our new improved zoom we can now get up close to even more wildlife. Here is a Galah Jayne's favourite bird, they are pretty docile and a lovely shade of pink.



And then just outside the gas works there was a Kangaroo hiding in the shade of the trees. It just suddenly appeared as if it knew that Jayne wanted to try out her new extra zoom.



Having visited Dampier we moved on to visit Port Samson. This is the rocky beachfront of Honeymoon Cove.



We also visited Wickham where David is deciding whether this truck would hold up more traffic than our caravan. Can you spot him he looks like a little 'borrower' and almost fades into the background.



We then visited Cossack which was the area's main port in the mid to late 19th century. When the pearling fleet and the gold rush had long diminished and the ships became too large to dock there any longer Cossack was dissolved in 1910, and eventually abandoned in 1950. Some of the pioneer buildings have now been restored to their former glory and the town is very pretty and very quiet. It's hard to imagine anyone wanting to leave such a beautiful area and buildings behind.

Coral Bay/Ningaloo Reef 27/3 - 28/3

Having checked the weather forecast we decided to move onto Coral Bay for a couple of nights to let the cyclone pass. We are glad we did as the resort was really pleasant and we had a chance to relax by the beach and take a dip in the slightly warmer sea. The sea was crystal clear with small tropical fish swimming around in the shallows.



The winds died down on our second day and we took a trip to the nearby Ningaloo Reef on a glass bottomed boat. These fish are North West Snapper and were about 2 foot long, they shimmered a bluey green when the sunlight caught their skin.



The reef runs from Coral Bay to Exmouth and is very close to the shore.



Whilst it didn't have the colours of the Great Barrier Reef it was still spectacular in places. Above is an example of the large plate reef and below is an electric blue coloured stag reef.



Close to Coral Bay the land is covered by Termite mounds which look quite strange as they suddenly appear on the horizon.

Shark Bay/Carnarvon 26/3

After leaving Monkey Mia we visited some other areas around Shark Bay. At Shell Beach the beach is made up of small shells.



The world's best known colony of Stromatolites are based at Hamelin Pool. Stromatolites are microbes identical to those that existed 1900 million years ago and evolved into the foundation of life.



We had an overnight stop at Carnarvon. It was very windy on the seafront. We later learned a cyclone was expected somewhere ahead of us in the north west.



The camp site was close to the OTC dish which was established by NASA to monitor the Gemini and Apollo space missions. It is now abandoned.

Monkey Mia 23/3 -26/3

We ventured further north to Monkey Mia. This is where every morning wild dolphins come to the shore. They are fed a limited amount of fish and this attracts small crowds.



Usually its just female dolphins and their calves that visit but on our first morning some males joined in.



The dolphins swim around waiting to be fed. They are usually on the beach by 7.30am.



We waited on the beach for the dolphins to return later in the morning. They visit up to three times each morning for a feed. However they are only fed 2 kilos a day and require 8 kilos so they still have to hunt in the wild.



David with Monkey Mia beach and resort in the background.



We treated ourselves to a wildlife cruise aboard the catamaran Shotover.



We saw lots of dolphins, turtles and some dugongs (below).



Back on shore the next morning, the pelicans were waiting for any unwanted fish. Isn't this just the coolest pelican you have ever seen ! He looks like he is about to fling open his wings like a cape like the 'Phantom Raspberry Blower' (for those old enough to remember that), or sing the Phantom of the Opera to you in his best pelican voice !



Our camera broke today. Typical after passing through all the major cities and miles from any decent shops. So the photos from now on are screen grabs from the video camera. Here are some Emus at the Monkey Mia Dolphin Resort.



On our final morning before departing Jayne was excited as she finally got a chance to feed a dolphin. Overall a very relaxing stay at one of the best places in Australia. We felt like we were actually on holiday !

Kalbarri 22/3

Next stop was a stay in Kalbarri. The town was only formed in 1943 and is a picturesque tourist resort.





The main purpose of our trip was to visit the Kalbarri National Park. This is the view of Hawks Head Gorge.



In order to visit the park we did a lot of driving down unsealed roads. It felt and looked like you were driving in custard powder as the top sand layer was quite thick and a strong shade of yellow.



We went to see Nature's Window. To reach it involved walking through bush and climbing down the layered cliff face below.



And we've made it, just around the corner of the cliff face was Nature's Window and this is the view.



The plants are stranger here. Do you recognise this animal's head ? Yeah or Neighhhh !




Jayne looking over part of the Z-Bend.



Kalbarri also has a number of scenic cliffs along the coastline. Here's David at Castle Cove.



The views onto Island Rock and the Natural Bridge in the distance.



Its not all beautiful scenery and beaches, we do still have the wind to contend with.



It had been a long day. We had travelled for 3 hours to reach our destination and then went sightseeing for the rest of the day trying to cram in as much as possible.

Geraldton 21/3

This is Nazareth House in Geraldton. Some child migrants from the UK found their way here after the Second World War. These migrants believed they were orphans and were shipped off without knowing they had parents or family still at home. Their plight was covered in the TV drama the Leaving of Liverpool. You can also read about them in the books Empty Cradles by Margaret Humphries and Orphans of the Empire by Alan Gill.



Geraldton has some beautiful buildings including this the old hospital which has also been used as a jail.



We visited the museum which included a shipwreck display containing items from the Dutch ship, the Batavia which sank in 1629. Another ship the Zuytdorp sank in 1712 and relics have been found on land which suggests that some survivors made it ashore and became the first white settlers of Australia. Their fate remains unknown. Here is Jayne dressed as a convict.



Outside the Museum in the harbour we were lucky to see two dolphins hunting for their tea.



This is St Francis Xavier Cathedral, construction began in 1916 and was completed in 1938.



The HMAS Sydney Memorial commorates the loss of 645 men when the ship sank after a battle with a German Ship in 1941. The ship and bodies have never been found. 'The Waiting Woman' is looking out to sea, grieving for her loved one lost at sea. The dome consists of 645 carved seagulls representing each of those men lost.

Cervantes & The Pinnacles 20/3

We left Perth and headed north to Cervantes. Cervantes is a small fishing port but is close to the Pinnacles Desert in Nambung National Park.



There are thousands of limestone pillars in the park in a variety of shapes and sizes. Jayne was feeling brave and sat on the ground in a park said to be highly populated with reptiles and snakes.



The lime rich desert sand originated from seashells which compacted with rain and then eroded. When Dutch sailors first saw the Pinnacles from the sea in 1650's they mistook them for ancient ruins.



Jayne found a handy pinnacle upon which to take a short rest after a long tiring day in the warm and dusty desert.



And David wanted to show you just how big it really is.



It's over 4 metres, just in case you were wondering !

Near Cervantes is Lake Thelis, one of only four sites where Stromatlites are found. These are the world's oldest living fossils.



We watched the sunset over Cervantes creating lilac hues over the beach and clouds.



The sun sets over the Indian Ocean for another day.