Our Australia trip

Because the camping at Jurrien Bay is fancy, which means expensive, busy and with many rules, we look for alternatives in this area and find Sandy Cape, only 14 km north. We return along the same road and turnoff on a 7 km corrugated road which seems to be used by trucks to transport Lime that is quarried here.

Then we arrive at a nice bush camping. Shielded from the wind by a small dune, right on the beach.

Then it’s time for lunch and after the first bite of our pan-toasted sandwich Marjo and I look at each other. There’s a strong taste mixed with some gentle natural type perfume with every chew. It seems that while waiting for the pan to heat up Marjo sprayed herself with fly spray and then went to coat the sandwiches with a thin spray of olive oil. Or so she thought. Or it could be that Marjo had come up with her own fly deterrent from the inside out and started coating our food with insect spray.

The dogs and we like it here and that afternoon I try out some of the tips from the Kite shop owner, using body dragging. The wind is not very strong so I have some success but not enough work with the board. That will be tomorrow’s focus.

Meanwhile the dogs have a nap on the beach. It takes Dotti some time to find the right shady spot.

Marjo, meanwhile, goes on a walkabout and in her subtle way makes clear that she’s had enough of paying for food and that it’s about time for Axel to catch his own.

That evening we sit together on our ‘private beach path’ and watch the sun set. It never tires.

The lime dunes behind us show a peculiar pink and blue colour. Pretty!

Although the combination of wind direction, wind strength, seaweed that keeps clinging to the kite wires and waves makes it somewhat hard for a novice kiter….

We have a great time doing some art and playing guitar.

And exploring the picturesque beach.

And when I tried to pose for next year’s travel brochure, Dotti and Nossi thought it was a new game.

Then we went some dunes up and down.

At which point Dotti went nose first in the sand and had a swim to clean it off.

And then it’s time for some well deserved rest.

Another great stay!

For more information, read this in-depth guide by portablecnerd on water tanks, heaters, etc.

The next day starts cold and overcast. We have seen the Ellendale pool and after dumping our toilet cassette we are on the move again. With more small movements we start relying again on our GPS which sends us down another 34 km dirt road. We are not in agreement though and do a u-turn and return past the windmills towards the coast. We want to go to a large lake (Indoon) that seems to be nice for water sports and allows dogs.
It is not to be.

With these warnings the campsite has barely any campers and we are game, but not stupid. After have lunch here, we move on and head to Leeman which is renowned for kiting. The coast here has a reef about a kilometer from the coast that keeps the waves out. Ideal for kiting…..if…there….was…..beach access.

The beach is not visible under the loads of seaweed. We have seen this since Carnarvon and the west coast seems to be covered with the stuff. It’s about time more dugongs eat all this stuff or some genius scientist finds a purpose as it’s not very nice along the shore.

Our next option is Green Head which has no real beach. The cost is mainly rocks which is a pretty sight, but has no purpose for what we want to do.

Next is Jurrien Bay and this gives more satisfaction. By now it’s late and the wind has gone so we turn into a campsite and stay for the night. I cook Fish and Chips and we catch up on emails and Facebook and listen half to a divorced father desperately trying to get his three under 10 sons to get to sleep in a tent too small. Poor guy.

We left the camping at around 9 am and headed towards the Geraldton Woolworths for some new groceries, took fuel, got some new wine and beer and bought Metalfix, some water based paint that seems to bond well with rust, advised by a fellow camper at Quobba Point. His bus was covered with red blotches of the paint. Luckily they also sell it in grey which matches our bus :). At the same shopping centre there was a Kiting shop that had some tips and sold full length wetsuits specially for kiting and windsurfing. So no more freezing my xxxs off in cold water or display of excessive skin 😉

Then we drive more inland towards a natural pool we read about. First we pass the Geraldton wind park with 54 massive wind turbines that moved really slow in the hard wind. I guess they generate quite a bit of power at these slow speeds but have less wear and also not make the annoying sound that fast turning turbines make.

There are nice displays of wild flowers and suddenly we think it starts to hail, but no, we are hit with an army of bees that seem to enjoy the fields of little purple flowers before splashing to bits on our windscreen. Next we arrive at the campsite. The flies definitely get less annoying the more we head south.

The campsite is in a nice bush setting and we find a spot along the water.

With no waves and not too much wind Marjo gets the itch and does a little kayak dance.

Then she is off and makes some scenery shots along the way.

When she’s back it’s time for drinks and dinner. Another great day.

This must be the first time that I have not set a foot outside the bus between last night and departure. Marjo, my brave lionheart (hey, we’re Dutch after all) took the challenge and singlehandedly fed the dogs (who had today’s special of dry food with fly), took in the magnetic fly screens, turned off the gas and closed the trailer. The packing up of chairs, dog rope, dog beds and stuff we already did the night before when the flies went wherever they go after dark. Flies buzzing around my face and crawling in orifices I never knew I had is just not my thing. So we sped off, leaving some rubber behind.

Then we were on the road again, just missing one of those tailless animals and a tail-only animal.

We arrive at the camping on the outskirts of Geraldton, that we booked ahead of time. Because it is still school holidays and we want to give the bus a service we did not want to be in a situation where we wouldn’t have a bus and nowhere to stay.

The camping was close to the coast, which meant, there was no road between the campsite and the ocean, just a large field and dunes. It took Marjo and Nossi over half an hour up and down dunes as well chased by flies, to get to a seaweed infested beach. Dotti and I decided to guard the bus and didn’t regret that decision.

The camping otherwise was nice apart from a lot of local miners who tend to leave at 5 am and don’t believe anyone else should sleep longer than them. So we were up bright and early ready to drop the bus off for its service. We decided that there was no point for Marjo and Dotti and Nossi to stay at the campsite so they came along to Geraldton. We drove along the shore to look for an appropriate spot to stay for a couple of hours and found that the shore in Geraldton town is mainly developed with a large marina, a port for late container ships and even a mine site.

More south we found a nice beach with sun shelter where I dropped them off.

Then I went to the mechanic, leave the bus in their capable hands and walked up and down the hills to town. I walked around a little to kill some time, bought a capo for the guitar and at 10 am went to the WA museum which explained why this is called the Batavia coast.

After midday the bus was all ready. I then made a stop at Bunnings for a bag of grout for Marjo’s mosaics and a stop at Hungry Jacks for hungry Marjo and Axel. Then onto the beach where we had our lunch and a play with the dogs.

Then we went back to the campsite and did not too much. Well we cleaned the fresh water tank, cleaned the bus, cleaned ourselves with showers (not that this did anything to deter the flies) and had a night of Bones on the iPad.

While waiting for the bus to be serviced I visited the WA museum to look at the Dutch mishaps along the coast here. A interesting story about the Batavia, the Zuytdorp, De Vergulde Draeck and the Zeewijk.

A story in pictures.

When we get up we have a tailless reptile waiting near the door. No idea what it is but when we come out it decides not to become breakfast and runs off.

From Kalbarri we leave very very slowly. Not only does the very strong Eastern wind push us slowly seawards, but also the coast south of Kalbarri is a sight to see. Our first stop is the IGA for food and then we’re stopping 1 km out of town to look at the bluff.

The ocean here is wild and powerful and we watch it for a while. Also the coast is colourful.

Then Marjo visits the Rainbow jungle to look at parrots.

Then we hit the various turn offs into the Kalbarri National park to see the

Then we pass a pink (!) lake, run almost two bicyclists off the road and hit the wheat belt.

Then we came back to the Indian Ocean.

To escape the gazzillion flies that love dogs faces as much as ours I made a run for the ocean followed by our two four-legged companions and dove in with hat and flynet. Marjo followed soon.

After our swim the flies didn’t want to leave us alone and itched Nossi on his back.

Some flies were foolish enough to land on Dotti’s snout before she had dinner.

We spent the rest of the day in the bus, away from flies. After dusk the flies went where flies usually go after dusk and Marjo captured the moment.

Posted from Buller, Western Australia, Australia.

We’ve had advise from John at Quobba Point that there is no point going to Kalbarri. The views are as per the folder and we’re much better off going straight to Geraldton. Of course we don’t listen to that and turn off to the Kalbarri National Park.

The road through the park is straight and has more grass and hay but, more importantly magnificent native bush flowers.

Then we come closer to the shore.

And that vantage point is as good as any to walk the dogs.

We have to haggle a bit to find a camping as Kalbarri seems to have a no-dog policy for the school holidays. So we end up on the side of a camping still with use of the facilities. Of course we check out the river and have a play in the water. Then Marjo and Nossi go for a walk along the river bank towards the shore in the howling wind while Dotti and I guard the towel in the shade.

Then Nossi finds a lady friend.

Who starts getting a little too intimate for him.

So he does what every commitment shy guy does.

And finds solace with his friends.

After that the dogs lie to rest, and Marjo and I utilize the facilities of the camping. I lower myself in a tourist infested swimming pool trying not to make body contact whilst cooling down and desalinating in the chlorinated pool water. After that Marjo takes a fresh shower to turn her white salty skin in a gorgeous tan. That’s how I know her.
Because there is a surf fashion store, Marjo needs to indulge her shopping instincts and surprise, surprise comes back with an outfit for me. What a woman. Of course I have to model.

Posted from Kalbarri, Western Australia, Australia.

One of the things with crowded campings is that you don’t need an alarm clock. Still we set it for 6.50 am so Marjo can get to the first dolphin feeding. We shouldn’t have bothered as at 6 am we wake up from all the kids that wake up at sunrise. I make an early breakfast and Marjo can leisurely wander to the beach. She sees the dolphins up close and swears that one of them winked his eye to her. Or did I understand that wrong?

Meanwhile I slowly wake up and feed the dogs. Marjo then walks them and I pack up, hitch up the trailer from the entrance and we’re on our way. We stop at Little Lagoon for the promised kiting and kayaking only to experience that the wind is gusty and one second the kite pulls me over while the other it drops from the sky. That the lagoon is positioned lower than the surrounding land doesn’t help either with stable winds. Marjo has some lower back pain from standing waiting for the dolphins this morning so no kayaking either and the only ones who get some water action in little lagoon are the poopers.

After getting really spooked from all the 1080 poison bait signs and two people telling us that locals lost their dogs while letting them walk around the water, we get scared and decide to forego bushcamping on the shore. A pity as it looks very enticing with perfect conditions to kite. Ah well, what’s kiting if we can be certain that no harm comes to our dogs. We read about project Eden which entails a 10 year program to bring back native animals to the Shark Bay peninsula. It involves a fence (of course; Australians love putting up fences to keep unwanted animals out (remember the rabbit proof fence and the dingo fence?)) and cull wild goats, wild sheep and – most feral – the wild cats. The best way to get rid of the cats seems to be dried meat with 1080 poison. Only dogs and cats seem to eat that, the native animals rather have fresh meat like road kill.

We stop on the way from Denham to the main road – while we still have mobile reception – to arrange for a car service in Geraldton later this week. We have found that car mechanics are busy people and need a week notice. With that arranged, as well as our campsite in Geraldton, we drive East and South.
We notice that suddenly gum trees start to appear. Apart from the odd Boab tree we haven’t seen many trees in the north, only shrubs. “tell someone who cares” I hear you say as what’s the importance of trees to you. Well for us it is, great to tie the dogs onto so they don’t wander off and eat 1080 poisoned meat but more importantly as a source of shade so we don’t get cooked in the warmer sun.
Although Kalbarri is our next stop, we don’t want to drive that far in one go and stop at the Nerren Nerren rest stop. After enduring a gazzillion flies that love any part of man and dog alike and almost swallowing a bee who drowned in my beer can, I retreat to the bus and drink water. Marjo is more fly resistant and Dotti keeps snapping her jaws and eats flies for desert.

We have an early night.

Posted from Nerren Nerren, Western Australia, Australia.

One can’t drive up the peninsula and not meet the dolphins at Monkey Mia. So we take the picturesque Monkey Mia drive from Denham past Little Lagoon. We plan to visit this on the way back later today so we can kite and perhaps kayak.

When we arrive at the gate (it is a paid for National Park) we are surprised to hear that they are very dog friendly. When we walk on the beach and Marjo waits to see the Dolphins up close a Dutch volunteer tells her that they even allow dogs on the camping. All the information we have is that dogs are not allowed on the camping in Monkey Mia, so we are happily surprised.

The only snag is that the camping is full as it is still school holidays. We find a solution and are allowed to camp as car without the trailer. We park the trailer near a lamp post just at he entrance of the camping and set up near the tent area. Then we head for the beach.

The ocean here looks spectacular with deep blue sea, light blue/green shore and white beach. The shallow shore is a haven for the dogs.

Then Nossi discovers a new friend, an 8 week old puppy, introduces it to Dotti and then they play. The little one keeps following my feet and runs in between when it gets a bit too rough. Then he jumps on Nossi again and they play like best mates.

At 5 Marjo goes to the bus and I get to do my fathers day present from Joran, a sunset cruise on Shotover, a big catamaran. There is a lot of wind and we see plenty of dolphins. On the way back the skipper takes my picture with all my clothes (including the borrowed jacket) blown sideways.

Later we find out how busy it gets when cars are parked everywhere and every piece of grass and shell gravel gets covered by a tent, swag or table and chairs.

Posted from Monkey Mia, Western Australia, Australia.

It took me ages to get to sleep which had the advantage that I didn’t wake up until I had breakfast in bed made by my lovely wife 🙂

The dogs slept through the night and after that slow start we were at around 9 am on the road. Today we would go slow, look at the different places along the road. The first was Shell beach and very different from all the other Shelly beaches in Australia, this one has earned its name.

The dogs are less impressed by the shells and check out the water and Nossi can’t stand still.

Until Marjo casts her magic spell.

Then we all have fun with the shells.

Dotti seems to dread the shells on her head but then settles into the inevitable.

We make another stop at a sea aquarium but it’s too commercial for our liking so we go onto Denham while passing some nice vistas.

Denham is a small village with 400 people has all we need. Water (to buy as it is desalinated and at a cost), fuel, groceries, gas (for cooking) which is really good. This is our second refill bottle of 3.7 kg in almost 4 months. Also we find a set of reef shoes so I can go kiting again 🙂

Then we find a camping where dogs are allowed and we can do the laundry.

We find some shells with stripes that go in an unexpected direction.

And then mistakenly almost walk to the wrong bus with trailer.

Ok, I need glasses.

Marjo cooks a yummie dinner and we have a refreshing desalinated-water shower before going to bed. Another great day!

Posted from Denham, Western Australia, Australia.