Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Merry Christmas to us!

After 15 months of travelling Port Lincoln is one of our favourite spots. A visit to the Information Centre enabled us to pick up a key to enter Memory Cove, within the Lincoln National Park. This fragile, but beautiful area can only be accessed by a maximum of 10 cars a day. After battling the 4WD track, we reached the white sandy beach in a very tranquil cove. The area is reminiscent of Wineglass Bay in Tasmania, complete with orange lichen on the granite rocks.

Memory Cove, Lincoln National Park

However, the difference here is the wildlife. Sure there were plenty of roos and emus, but also a rouge sea lion. Turning our heads to investigate the slapping sound in the water we discovered it was said sea lion playing with a recently caught fish. As we watched he tossed the helpless creature in the air and then chased the stunned fish. After enjoying his play he then proceeded to devour his catch. Yet the most tantalising sea lion experience was yet to come. Hopping on board a boat we headed out to Blyth Island, which is protected from the Great Whites that frequent this area. As the engines were cut and we idled closer to shore, the colony of adolescent sea lions awoke from their slumber. Just like bored teenagers they came alive at the prospect of fun and literally bounded into the water to meet us.

Sea Lions everywhere!

Swimming closer to our new friends, it was quite evident that they mimicked our every move. If we did a tumble turn in the water, so did they. If we duck dove and stuck our flippers out of the water so did they. Some were shy and liked to just watch the shenanigans unfolding. I will never forget swimming over a bed of sea grass only to find a little pup trying to hide, his big puppy dog eyes watching my every move.

Underwater and face to face..... so cute

We soon became very comfortable in the water and Dave and I got chatting, taking a break from our swimming antics. With that ‘someone is staring at me feeling’ I looked to my left- ahhhh I was face to face with a sea lion! He had simply popped up, wanting to join in our conversation. Putting out our hands, our ‘friend’ nuzzled to say hello (probably hoping we had a fish). They really are the cutest creatures, and act just like naughty puppies. However, Port Lincoln is more famous for its tuna, so of course we should swim with these too. Wild tuna are caught far out at sea in the Great Australian Bight and brought in to be fattened up in pens. It was within one of these pens (purpose built for tourists, so not as heavily stocked) that we got to know the tuna a little more intimately. Well, that is Dave did. I refused to get in the water with these huge bullets of sheer muscle.

The 'big' tuna

From an underwater viewing platform, I watched as they darted around Dave, but did not run into him. We were given fish to feed the tuna and Dave bravely held one in his hand, whilst in the water. A big Daddy tuna spied this tasty morsel and made a beeline.


Click to see me feed a tuna!

Opening his mouth wide, he was right on track to chomp the fish...... and Dave’s hand. Dave said it felt like being hit by a hammer. It was only when he got out of the water and saw the blood, that he realised the razor sharp (yet tiny) teeth had penetrated the skin.

What a shot! Tuna about to chomp.....

Sashimi revenge. I’ll just stick to eating these fish. A day trip to Coffin Bay was the perfect place to chill after all the aquatic excitement. The area seems to have a certain gentleness about it. The day was hot, but at a deserted beach the calm powder blue bay waters soothed us.

G'day from Coffin Bay

This is a great ‘get away from it’ place, but evidently gets pretty crowded in January. With Christmas approaching we left Port Lincoln, with no real destination in mind. The Eyre Peninsula is made up of many bays, so we moseyed around them all until we wanted to settle for the night. We had thought of staying at Lucky Bay- that is until we arrived. Lucky Bay is no more than a shanty town, with a ramshackle assortment of dwellings lining the shoreline. Our drive led us to Whyalla. The Queen has visited here twice, so we thought it couldn’t be that bad. The town, much like Newcastle in Sydney is the second largest city in South Australia and a major steel producing centre. Towering chimneys, portworks and furnaces lurched into view, but with the temperature soaring, it was home. As the thermometer reached 43, we headed for the beach. The eternal flames from the gas plant close by burnt as we swam, yet the water was remarkably crystal clear. A little too clear for me with a sting ray skimming the sea bed all too vivid.

Mr Sting Ray....

Midnight brought a southerly wind and a welcome cool change. Enough to revive us to continue our journey. It was Christmas Eve and we decided to head to Port Pirie for Christmas Day. The road took us through Port Augusta. Memories flooded back. We had been here 8 months prior- the starting point of our outback odyssey north to Darwin. How much we have seen and done since then.

With the only pub open for Christmas Day in Port Pirie fully booked, we stocked up with a kilo of prawns, a dozen oysters and put the champers on ice.

Christmas Day picnic

Our eyes opened to a sunny Christmas day, while our ears heard all the tunes from the Oklahoma musical being sung live. Where was this coming from? More memories came flooding back- a local sings, while swimming in the river, every morning. It had been winter when we were last here and he had sung from the shore, but today he was swimming past our home. No wonder the tunes sounded a little 'gargled'.
Click on video to see the musical talent of Port Pirie....

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Goodbye Western Australia

After six months we were soon to bid farewell to Western Australia. She had been our home for what felt like such a long time, so it was a little sad to be leaving, but she had one last challenge for us- the Nullarbor Plain. We had spoken to many fellow travellers who had told us how ‘boring’ the drive was. However, having enjoyed the lonely Adelaide to Darwin miles, we thought this road trip would bring equal pleasure. How wrong we were. Crossing the Nullarbor is the most tedious, unrelenting drive to date.

Click to view 9 hours of the Nullarbor crossing compressed into 6 seconds!

After day 3 we had listened to all of our audio books and were seriously ‘over it’. However, we had been blessed with cool weather, which made gazing at the endless bush a little more comfortable. There is really not much to see as you cross the Nullarbor, so we made the most of all opportunities, like stopping to see a piece of Skylab at Balladonia.

Piece of Skylab, Balladonia

Back in 1979 Balladonia (which consists of a Roadhouse only) made world headlines when space debris from Skylab landed here. The then President of the US of A Jimmy Carter, even phoned to apologise! Back in the car we looked forward to our next stop- to see the Caiguna Blowhole. We knew the road ventured near the coast, so presumed we would soon have a cool ocean breeze fanning our faces. Ummm, we still had many miles to go before hitting the coast. The ‘Blowhole’ is a natural breathing hole for the one of the limestone caves that lies beneath the Nullarbor Plain.

Don't do it Dave... the Caiguna Blowhole

Actually, the entire plain is made of limestone- the world’s flattest piece, covering about 200,000 square kilometres. It is so dry out here that no cliffs or valleys have been weathered like elsewhere, imagine how different the Nullarbor could be! Caiguna also signified the start of Australia’s longest straight road- all 146.6 kilometres without the hint of a bend, or any real change in scenery.

Not even a slight bend for the next 90 miles

A sign told us we were now on Central Western time and to move our clocks forward 45 minutes, however time seemed to have no relevance out here. With first light at 3.50am and full sun by 4.30am for the past few months, it did mean we were now not getting up so early though. Onward to the Madura Pass it was, which is also the midway mark between Perth and Adelaide. At the top of the Pass we finally got a glimpse of the Southern Ocean- far off in the distance over the Roe Plains. Camp for the night was again in the bush. It is always interesting venturing off into the bush, with so many relics of past times and lives. We came across many abandoned old cars, hoping their owners had survived a little better.

My new car... a relic from the 50's

Even the buildings out here do not survive- the Eucla Telegraph Station which opened in 1877, is now being engulfed by sand dunes, soon to disappear forever.

Eucla Telegraph Station

Sand dunes? Yes, we had reached the Southern Ocean and the Great Australian Bight. The sheer drop of the towering cliffs of ‘The Bight’ was a WOW moment. We were standing on the edge of Australia, some vertical 90 metres above the pounding Southern Ocean below. The landscape was severe and so was the weather with strong winds wrapping us in a cold blanket.

Great Australian Bight

With such a harsh environment no one lives out here, so although we had now crossed the border into South Australia (and added another hour and 45 minutes to our clocks), it was another 460 kilometres before we had to say goodbye to our pot of herbs and contraband fruit and vegetables at Ceduna. We had done it, we had crossed the Nullarbor. Ahhhh, time to chill out at Streaky Bay. Streaky Bay was not the idyllic seaside town we had imagined, but did have one very cool drawcard- a colony of Sea Lions at Point Labatt. From a cliff top we had the perfect vantage point to watch the Sea Lions below.



Point Labatt Sea Lion colony

There were about 40 lolling about (I thought they looked dead, as they simply flopped in the sun and dozed). A few were playing in the water, some bubs were suckling from Mum and we even witnessed a couple of males having a play fight. Now recovered from our road trip, we were again on the move to Port Lincoln. The weather had been getting increasingly hotter, and the day we left was nearing 40. An impressive collection of inselbergs (weather sculptured granite outcrops), made us get out of the air conditioned car.

Murphy's Hastacks

As we walked around ‘Murphy’s Haystacks’ we were blasted with both the heat and a very hot, dry wind. We have never experienced weather this hot before. Fortunately we timed our arrival in Port Lincoln with the onset of a southerly- ahhh cool relief.

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Sex in the City

Kalgoorlie is another of those iconic Australian towns we were looking forward to visiting, and so began our journey to the desert. Having left Norseman, the closest town, it was a further 200 kilometres to our destination. Heading into the dry Australian bush, we noticed most of the trees were dead, some black from a fire, others seeming to have just given up. The overall look of death was contrasted by the new green growth at ground level, making the ‘skeleton scene’ quite beautiful. We were back in aboriginal land and decided to stop at Widgiemooltha for lunch, mainly because the name sounded cool. Opps, we blinked and missed the town and had to turn around. Only about 3 buildings here..... Our final pit stop was Coolgardie- once the ‘Mother of the Goldfields’, but now resembling a ghost town. The only reminder of how grand this town once was is the majestic exhibition building, now a very interesting museum.

Coolgardie Exhibition Building (our camper in right of pic)


As you enter the outskirts of Kalgoorlie, the first things you see are some seriously big houses. This town has money, but I guess that is what gold brings! With a long day behind us, we treated ourselves with a first for over 14 months- Dominos Pizza- yummo. Kalgoorlie is bigger than expected, actually everything here is big. The ‘Super Pit’ being beyond our wildest imaginations. We can thank Alan Bond for the sight that lay before us. He was the instigator that brought the individual mine leases together, to create the ‘Super Pit’.



The Super Pit! Note size of the trucks on road. See video below for pit in action



Now the largest working gold mine in the Southern Hemisphere, she will eventually be 3.8 km long, 1.35 km wide and 500 metres deep- although not far off that now! Twenty four hours a day and 365 days a year this massive wound is open for business. I am not able to put together the words to describe how big this thing is. Trucks the size of houses move hundreds of tons of rock a day, but look like mere toys viewed from our vantage point. The early minors did all this hard work by hand, and remnant shafts can be seen, scars in the sides of the pit. Extending about 270 degrees, the ‘Super Pit’ is only 400 metres from town. With so many men out here trying to strike it rich, the town also has a long history of prostitution and ‘Skimpy’s’- bar girls dressed in lingerie. The oldest brothel- Questa Casa is still in operation over 100 years later..... and open for tours.

Questa Casa- an historic brothel

Buzzing the door bell, we were soon inside the historic brothel. Some others were also there for the tour, but Dave was the only male. After a chat about the wild history and handling some ‘large’ sex toys, we off to the rooms. The first was a bondage parlour and the Madam soon had Dave spread eagle and strapped to the bed.

Bondage Dave

He was left that way until I kindly undid his restraints. Other rooms looked like every day bedrooms, if not a little over the top in decoration. In the last room Dave was once again our ‘model’. Simulating how the girls used to check for STD’s, he held a dildo ‘down there’ while the Madam first lightly scrapped her fingernails near his thighs (to see if they ended up with crabs or lice in them), and then examined the now ‘hard’ member for warts. Glad I don’t have that job...... However, a buzz at the door alerted us to some potential customers. Not yet open for business for the night they were sent away. I couldn’t resist seeing what these men looked like though and as I stuck my head out of the bedroom they saw me, not sure what they thought of the quality of the girls.......


Once a railway Station was here, Kanowna

Not wanting to make money ‘that way’ it was off to the gold mines again. This time we travelled 18 kilometres east to the ghost town of Kanowna.
Another big pit is still in operation here, but all that is left of the once thriving town is the cemetery. Mind you, even areas between the graves were open to claims and excavation. For once people were keen to dig holes in a cemetery.


Kalgoorlie Town Hall

The wealth and beauty of Kalgoorlie can still be seen in the main street. Taking a guided tour of the Town Hall, we were left in awe of this 101 year old building. The history is preserved and the prestige maintained. I even got to sit in the Mayor’s chair, still used to this day.

Sitting in the Mayor's chair

But it was the theatre that had us spellbound with its old world charm and original features. A trip to Kal is not complete without trying your luck. At the Prospectors and Miners Hall of Fame, we panned for gold. I soon got bored, however Dave struck gold! (Even if it was only about a dollar’s worth).

Real gold nuggets!

Never mind, he took me to the museum where I got to see about $4,000,000 worth up close.

Friday, December 4, 2009

On the road again, again

It was time to leave civilisation, before we got too used to city life. Heading inland from Perth we were soon in the wheat belt. Vast open plains of golden fields stretched for miles on either side of us. We were once again on the open road, not another car in sight. Corrigin, an unassuming little wheat belt town, provided a welcome pit stop. Actually, it was quite interesting. In 1974 a dog cemetery was established.

Poor ol' Jedda






Headstones rivalling those of their human counterparts were dedicated to Dusty, Rover and Spot. But, ohhhh the flies were out in force once more. Wearing fly net hats, we took on the appearance of bank robbers, albeit in a slow getaway car. And, they didn’t let up once we reached our camp spot for the night at the base of Wave Rock. Wave Rock is a 15 metre high granite cliff that has been weathered by water erosion to form a ‘wave’.

Dave surfing Wave Rock

Dissolving minerals add a striped colour effect, so it really looks like a roaring wave. Pretty cool. Indeed, the area has many cool formations, with the Hippos Yawn another favourite.

Hippo's Yawn

Having climbed The Breakers- a mini wave rock, we bade farewell. Goodbye flies!! Heading towards the coast once more, the landscape was dominated by salt pans and brown wheat fields, having recently been harvested. The only colour in this barren landscape was the bush corridor running beside the road. Reaching the coast, near Hopetoun we stopped off to savour the cool ocean breeze. Barrens Beach was deserted except for us and a decomposing humpback whale carcass. Every year migrating whales wash ashore along this coastline, most having died of natural causes. The DEC leaves them, as they form a vital part of the food chain. It was a pretty awesome sight, but the smell was not so pleasant.

Rotting whale carcass, tail in foreground

Leave a tub of butter out in the sun for a few weeks and you get an idea of the rancid smell. To think, this tallow fat is what tasty McDonalds chips were once cooked in.... As we pondered this thought, out of nowhere a Roulette fighter plane silently appeared from behind the nearby headland. It really took us by surprise, as the setting had been so serene. Flying only about 100 metres above, we looked up as yet more appeared- five Roulettes in total. They must have also heard about the whale carcass, for before we knew it they made a beeline for us, dipping their wings to get a closer view. It was actually quite a frightening moment- they really looked poised to shoot us down. With nowhere to run, we can only imagine the fear enemy soldiers would surely feel. With all that excitement, it was off to set up home. I must admit feeling a little despondent. I still had my ‘city eyes’ on as I viewed our campsite in the Fitzgerald National Park. Dirty black sand and pit toilets, with none of the city luxuries. I had to take a step back and open my eyes to the beauty. Fortunately, it didn’t take too long. Dave and I set up our chairs on the clean, sandy bank of a large lake, under the shade of a gnarled paperbark tree. As the water lapped at our feet we gazed at the distant mountains, while sipping a glass a Vasse Felix. We soon reconnected with nature and each other.

Sitting at the waters edge, Fitzgerald River NP

Recharged we packed up and headed towards Esperance. We were both looking forward to Esperance and the Cape Le Grand National Park, which we were told had Australia’s best beach at Lucky Bay. We also had a smile on our face as we set up camp, for who should be positioned next to us, but our friends Lauren and Brendan from Perth! Esperance has a real nice feel about the town, and clean fresh air. However, Lucky Bay in the Cape Le Grand National Park was one of the biggest disappointments of our trip. Granted the view was stunning with bold granite headlands and ice blue water washing up on brilliant, white sand. It was possibly the most magnificent beach view to date. However, our plans of a picnic and swim were thwarted. Having trekked to the beach, we were first greeted by the stench of rotting sea grass.

He jumped out in front of me during our trek!

Stepping foot on the sand, we soon realised it was wet, with nowhere dry to lay a towel. Still walking the length, we soaked up the sheer beauty, as the sand crunched underfoot rather like the feeling of hard snow.

Lucky Bay, Cape Le Grand NP

By the end of the day, we visited and walked the length of all the beaches- Thistle Cove, Rossiter Bay and Hellfire Bay. Each made up of white sand and vivid blue water, but leaving us with sore legs! Fortunately the Esperance coastline is dominated by majestic beaches and with 35 degrees forecast, we headed for a day at Twilight Bay. Granite boulders looking like they have tumbled into the water, made a protected spot for us to swim. The sun was out, the water oh so inviting and we were happy.

Esperance Beach

With only a day left in this town, we perused the local markets, before heading to the jetty, where Sammy the Sea Lion is known to hang. Sure enough there he was, showing off and waiting for scraps from the fishermen cleaning their catch. He entertained us by shaking his head in a yes motion- meaning he wanted more food (click play to view video below). Finished gutting their haul the fishermen left.

Sammy the Sea Lion

Sammy too headed for the open water. But wait... here comes another fisherman! You could almost see the smile on Sammy’s face as he sped back to the jetty, jumping in and out of the water. Alas, they had no catch, but Sammy stayed awhile in hope.