Roadhouse rock

No internet connection yesterday folks, as we were out in the sticks.  Having decided on a slight route change, we spent an extra morning at the beautiful Coral Bay and then headed out north east to Nanutarra Roadhouse.  As well as providing essential refuelling for vehicles and their drivers, these roadhouses also offer (basic) overnight facilities for weary road train drivers and travellers alike.  We pulled up alongside a friendly couple and their dog called Jack.  The opening question around these parts is invariably:  "you headin' north or south?".  

There was more to this rocky outpost than first met the eye.  Next to the highway runs the Ashburton river, and we caught a glimpse of it just as the sun was setting.  

Ashburton River

Black swans, the faunal emblem of Western Australia

Road train 

Coral Bay - one-legged snorkelling 

More of Coral Bay

Snorkelling around Ningaloo Reef (day 8 out of 24)

Woke up to the usual dawn chorus and the smell of bacon.  A universal camping fact:  no matter how early you get up, there's always somebody already out there rustling up a cooked breakfast.  

  

Today we went snorkelling around the easily accessible Ningaloo Reef in Coral Bay.  A glass bottom boat took us to two of the "hotspots", from where we donned flippers and masks and plunged into the 22c water.  Hannah and Ruby were well prepared, as they use snorkelling gear in their swimming classes and both swam like little fish today.  The views were magnificent.  We swam with fish of all shapes and sizes, including rather menacing looking "nor west" snappers. Our skipper told us about a famous large groper fish in the area nicknamed Merv, after Mervyn Hughes, the famous Australian fast bowler.  The female has the ability to change sex to a male, so he was previously known as Mervette.  

Unfortunately, no photos of the snorkelling as we were all in the water together.  

Aboriginal culture and the Coffee Pot train

After spending the night at the quietest campsite ever, we headed off to visit Gwoonwardu Mia, also known as the Gascoyne Aboriginal Heritage and Cultural Centre.  It tells the fascinating story of the Aboriginal people of the Gascoyne region, in their own words.  After taking a ride on the Coffee Pot Train along the One Mile Jetty in Carnarvon, we hit the road to Coral Bay and the Ningaloo Reef. 

 

Gwoonwardu Mia

Coffee Pot Train

Making our mark in Coral Bay

Bananas in Carnarvon

The girls managed one more visit to the dolphins this morning at Monkey Mia before packing up and continuing our journey. Today's stopover is the Welsh sounding town of Carnarvon, a seaside resort also famous for its banana plantations.  

How's the weather been so far, I hear you ask?  Well, we've had sunshine every day with temperatures around 19 to 21c. There was torrential rain in Perth on our second night and a brief shower this evening.  So for the rainiest month of the year, we've been quite lucky.  However, the days are short, with sunrise around 7am and sunset at 6pm.  It gets quite chilly in the evenings and some nights have been uncomfortably cold, so we splashed out on some blankets to supplement our thin duvets.  It will get warmer as we move further north (that just doesn't sound right!). 

Meanwhile, back in Carnarvon, we set up camp for the night and had dinner in the communal kitchen. This is a great feature of Australian camping culture.  Every campsite provides gas barbecues, stoves and a seating area. A good way to mingle with the neighbours and more convenient than cooking in the camper van, which can get a bit cramped. 

Feeding the dolphins in Monkey Mia

En-route to Carnarvon

Bananas!  The view from our back window at the Carnarvon campsite

Dolphins and Didgeridoos

What a day!  Up at 7am to see the dolphins and this time, bingo. They came up really close to the shore, as they have apparently been doing every morning for the last x years. There were a lot of spectators and a guide with a microphone, which gave it a bit of an "aquarium show" feeling.  But it was still amazing to see wild dolphins so close up.  

After breakfast, we boarded the "Shotover"catamaran for a sailing and wildlife spotting excursion around Shark Bay.  We saw more dolphins plus cormorants, gannets and a loggerhead turtle. The trip was worth it just for the sailing, let alone all the wonderful sights. 

We rounded off the day with dinner and a show: a great guitarist and didgeridoo player called Fingers Mitchell Cullen, playing an interesting mix of folk and slide guitar and a triple set of didgeridoos. 

A pelican. Better late than never. 

Hoist the sail me hearties

Yes, it was brrrrr cold out there. 

The long and winding road

Long drive today, through Kalbarri National Park and onto the Northwest Coastal Highway towards Monkey Mia, today's destination.  There's more of a feeling of remoteness now, with long, winding roads, no towns and very few places to take a break.  We eventually stopped at the Billabong Roadhouse, which was like something out of a movie:  squeaky signpost flapping in the wind, tumbleweed drifting past and characterful staff.  Another 2 hours of driving and we finally arrived at Monkey Mia Nature Resort.  Hoping to see some dolphins tomorrow.

Shark Bay

Our catamaran for tomorrow's Dolphin spotting trip

Pelican brief

Up at the crack of dawn (alright, 8am) for the daily pelican feeding show down by the riverside.  We got an interesting intro from the local pelican expert, but unfortunately the main act didn't show up owing to family commitments (breeding season). So it was back to the camp for toasted muffins and scrambers, followed by a bike tour along the coastal path.  It's a stunning coastline, with big rollers breaking over the reef at the mouth of the Murchison River.  Dinner at the communal barbie rounded off a lovely relaxing day.  

Cervantes, Kangaroos and Kalbarri

Busy day yesterday.  After vacating the apartment, picking up the camper van and raiding the local IGA supermarket, we set off north to Cervantes and our first stop over.  The camper is enormous compared to what we're used to at home and has all the luxuries: bathroom with shower, microwave, airconditioning and buckets of storage space (but sadly, no Nespresso coffee machine!). The roads so far have been mainly single lane highways with a speed limit of 110 km/h and very little traffic.  

After a very chilly first night, we visited the famous Pinnacles in Nambung National Park, an expanse of limestone pillars originally formed underground and since uncovered by the south-westerly winds. On the walk there, we came face to face with a group of kangaroos bouncing around in the bushes. A welcome sight after all the promises we'd made to Hannah and Ruby. 

Continuing along the scenic Indian Ocean Drive, we arrived at Kalbarri where we will spend the next 2 nights. 

Sunset in Cervantes

The Pinnacles

Skippy

The Beast

Sunset in Kalbarri

Perth wrap-up

And so we say farewell to Perth.  A few reflections on the world's remotest city and first impressions of Australian life, before we embark on our journey to Darwin:

Hannah:  it's warm for winter.  I don't understand everything they say.  The food tastes different. Loved the Bell Tower and Kings Park. 

Ruby:  I like the way they speak English.  Loved the adventure playground in Kings Park.  The milk tastes funny.  Nice dresses in the shops. 

Grit:  the architecture reminds me of the UK, and Basingstoke in particular.  Not much wildlife around and not one cat or dog seen. Lovely friendly people.  

David:  friendly, engaging people. Excellent local produce.  Loved the vibrant atmosphere of Fremantle. Haven't heard a "g'day", a "struth" or a "fair dinkum" yet. 

Downtown Perth skyline

Fremantle Town Hall

Perth city

G'day cobbers,

Woke up around 4.30am, just in time to see Götze's winning goal.  Jet lag starting to take its toll on Grit and me, but Hannah and Ruby are sleeping well. Took a ferry across the river to Perth City centre and visited the modern looking Swan Bell Tower. The bells come from St Martin-in-the-Fields church in Trafalgar Square, London and the tower was especially designed to allow close up viewing of the bell ringers.  We took part in an interactive ringing session, led by the matronly "Auntie Laura", and we all managed to keep our feet on the floor. 

After visiting the Western Australia state library, we stumbled on an outdoor ice skating rink, packed with winter-clad skaters circling in front of a giant screen showing Paris in the snow. A reminder that it's mid-winter here and the locals are determined to enjoy it, even if it was 19c and sunny. 

 

Swan Bell Tower

Some amateur campanologist 

 

Arrived

Right then, finally managed to get an internet connection ...

Good flight, only 30 mins delayed due to "disappointing tail winds". Arrived in Perth on Saturday around 6pm just as the sun was setting, dumped our stuff at the apartment and headed straight for the nearest diner to celebrate Ruby's birthday.  Amazingly enough, we all slept through the night and woke up to a beautiful sunny day. 

Sunday morning we took the bus to Fremantle, a port where convicts were landed and detained in the local prison.  It's now a buzzing cosmopolitan town with local arts and crafts, coffee shops and weekend markets.  It was great to unwind after the long flight and dive straight into Australian culture, past and present ... oh, and hang around on the beach. 

Time to go ...

ENOUGH of this soggy, Swiss summer.  We're off down under for some southern hemisphere sun.  See you in about 48 hours.

Overview of our road trip from Perth to Darwin