gorges |

May 29-June 4, 2019

We drove drove and drove. That was a long day of not much to see and we just needed to get there.

I think back to 20 years ago and maybe this was the drive that Mike and I did on the red earth roads before they paved it. I’m not sure if we did the Gibb river road or not but I remember spending a few days on a red dirt road in the middle of no where. I must get home to look at the photos I took to remind me of what we did and where we went.

When we got to the visitor’s centre we got some info and we were all a little spent from the day. We’d missed a turn that meant we’d have to come back 70kms the next day to see a gorge we missed.

We headed to the campground that was the cheapest campground we’ve camped at (besides free). No bells and whistles here….basically toilets and a dirt spot. They don’t really have tables here for people to eat at at the campgrounds (this is a total shocker).

We headed down to the falls and Luc went for a swim. It was beautiful. Then back to the campground to listen to music and eat dinner.

The next day we decided to do a walk along the top of Dale’s gorge. And then down into the bottom where the circular pool is. I had to have a swim in the beautiful water. There’s something about water that awakens my senses. I only wish I could have done it naked.

Then we walked from one end of the gorge to the other back to the first pool where Luc swam the day before. This, I remember walking when I was with Mike. It was really pretty and not too hot. We got to one perfect place to swim but pressed onto the falls and took a dip there. Then we went up a bit further and saw a baby snake that I swear tried to take a swipe at Vivi’s ankle that was covered by a sock and shoe. Where there are babies, there are mamas and papas.

Then we ate some sandwiches in the parking and drove back the 70 kms to the other gorge. It was beautiful and Luc was able to fly the drone up a couple of times. I hope I can post the drone video when I post this blog.

We then headed back the 70kms and then some to a free campsite where we were the only ones! That was a bit unnerving but also really tranquil. In the morning we let out a bunch of carnal roars and screams because we could and I got naked in the parking lot because I could. I’m working on a different relationship with my body and being naked occasionally is so liberating.

We drove to Eighty Mile beach where we did laundry and spent some time down at the ocean. It was a beautiful sunset on the beach where Luc and Vivi did some shell collecting and I did some meditation and “just being present”.

The next morning we took it easy and we were going to drive to a free spot outside of Broome but decided to go all the way into town. We had enough time.

We stopped at the Broome caravan park that Mike and I lived at for a few weeks. The place was similar but changed. So many memories there. A specific moment when I made a phone call that I remember… the phone booth isn’t there anymore.

We headed into town to the mother of all caravan parks. There was only wifi at the café so you know where I was in the morning. It was perfect timing as well as there was a party for the passing of Carolyn Wadel that people went live on FB so I was able to partake in that a little bit that I really appreciated.

That night we went down to the beach to watch yet another incredible sunset on Cable Beach. We might have stolen power in our non-powered site…

Boab trees are abundant here and they are so beautiful and unique. Each one different, they are so stunning and carry so much character. I feel like their energy must be 1000s of years old. They can hold oodles of litres of water inside them and won’t burn in a fire.

The next day we explored around Broome. Nothing was the same everything was new – I didn’t remember a single thing. We didn’t visit the oldest movie theatre in the world as it didn’t work out for us and with what we wanted to see. I don’t think I visited this either when I was here 20 years ago. We visited a Sunday Market where we bought some Emu Cream and necklaces. We visited some pearling shops and had lunch at a brewery that was delicious. We drove over to where the red earth meets the blue ocean. It wasn’t as stunning as you see in drone shots on Instagram. We couldn’t fly the drone up because it was close to an airport.

Then over to the visitors centre for some much needed info and then back to Cable Beach to see the sunset one last time and see dinosaur prints! This time we got to the place where the camels were walking to get some really cool sunset camel shots.

I said goodbye to Broome for a second time. There’s something about this place that I feel really close to and I’m so glad I got to go back here one more time. It’s fascinating the feelings you have when you remember something so well and other times when you don’t remember it at all. There’s warmth and nostalgia for the memories but then disdain and frustration for not remembering. As my good friend Sheila says “it’s not the specific things you remember, just the feelings.” So true. And this place holds a lot of wonderful feelings for me.

We drove off to a caravan park 30kms up the road in the dark. It wasn’t free but they had wifi so I parked myself again in the morning at the café before the others rose so I could connect with some friends and family.

Then we packed up and pushed on to Derby. First stopping at the Prison tree where the settlers used to hold aboriginals (not very nice grrrr….), the longest cattle trough in the world (I didn’t get a pic) and to an aboriginal art centre.

We drove through Derby to the jetty and made sandwiches. Then we drove to get gas and groceries. My sunglasses broke (I can’t believe I’ve had them since well before I left) so I’m on the hunt for new sunnies.

Then we drove onto the free rest area where we got there with lots of sun left and we drank wine and leisurely made quesadillas suggested by Vivi.

Today we packed up the van and headed to Geiki Gorge where I wish we had got there in time to take a boat tour down the river but instead walked beside the gorge which was a walk that I truly did not like. I was wearing the wrong shoes (keens) and it was straight sand. You couldn’t really see the water, the rock formations were kinda cool but the discomfort of having sand and dirt in your shoes was like a torture I didn’t want to know. Then we decided to walk across the sand flats to get closer to the water to maybe see some crocodiles but little did we know that there were the spikiest grass seeds that hurt so bad when they touched your skin. OMG get me out of there.

We drove back to Fitzroy Crossing and ate our back of the van sandwiches in the tourist info centre parking lot. Then to the IGA to pick up chocolate and we wanted to by wine but FC is a dry town. Then we went to the BP and had a shower each for $5 total. Then off to the second free camping spot in a row with a spectacular view where I’m writing this blog post from now.

We have 7 days until we leave Darwin for Cairns and 6 days until we’re in Darwin. We’re about 2 days away from the border of the Northern Territory. This part of the journey feels a bit boring and dry TBH. We’re heading away from the ocean right now with tiny little Australian towns along the way. Not much to see and no network either so I’m feeling a bit out of touch with Canada.

I had the most delicious dream last night where I went back to work and saw all my colleagues again. It was so much fun being reunited with them and I woke up with the biggest smile on my face. It’s 5 weeks and 2 days until we’re back in Canada. Vivi and I are so incredibly excited to be home and see all our family and friends.

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Australia: Margaret River

May 23-29, 2019

We hit the road and did a quick drive through central Perth. We realized we didn’t really spend any time in the heart of Perth CBD. Ever since the Camino, big cities don’t really interest me. Smaller towns, outskirts, the beach all peak my interest more than going into big cities. I do feel like I missed out a bit but such is life, we’ve moved on.

We also stopped by Scarborough where I lived for a couple of months and I don’t remember it at all. All the roads and houses looked the same. So we headed to the beach and had our first sandwich making out the back of the van beside the beach. So cool. The beach was long and white with blue blue water. I wanted to stay and appreciate it but we had a ways to drive our first day and I think we all just wanted to get on the road.

A little ways along our first bathroom stop and we stopped at a National Park. We bought a National Park pass so we saved ourselves $10 (cha-Ching!). This park was amazing. Birds flying everywhere in their own natural environment. It was so serene to listen to their songs everywhere we went. And then we hit the koala area. We had no idea there were koala bears here so we were pleasantly surprised! They weren’t held in captivity but the park supplied their food so no need to stray far. We saw about 6 of them just lounging in the elbow of a tree. That was really cool. When we walked back the first one decided he needed some more leaves so moved out of the elbow and we got it all on video. I feel really lucky to be able to see these little guys.

Then back on the highway only to be turned around by an accident and a super long detour.

By this point the sun was getting low and we got to the pinnacles desert to take some really cool photos and send up the drone. The pinnacles are big mounds of rock and dirt that formed Hundreds of thousands of Years ago. A pretty neat thing to see and really cool at sunset. Sadly our sunset wasn’t stunning but the light was really beautiful. Check out the drone video

We camped our first night in a caravan park in Cervantes. A lot more expensive than we thought it was going to be for an unpowered site ($42). But the camp kitchen had sinks and gas elements to cook on. And plugs to charge all our electronics. The bathrooms were pretty good too.

It was rough the first night trying to figure out how the beds go. It felt really cramped and Luc was pretty uncomfortable with the space. I have to admit, it does take some maneuvering of our stuff and people but after a few days we got used to it. It gets challenging when we get more north and it’s hot out, you want to open the door but there’s so many flies or the sun has gone down and there’s tons of moths that love the light inside the van.

The next morning we had breakfast and packed up (more learning on how to pack up the beds) and it took us about a half an hour longer than what it takes us now 6 days later.

Our destination today was Kalbarri National Park. We had a lot of ground to cover so it seemed like we mostly drove for the day until the early afternoon when we stopped at the Pink Lake. It really is pink! Check out the drone video.

Then off to a few view points along coast. Absolutely stunning coastline. Rugged red rocks meet the dramatic waters of the Indian Ocean.

Light was not on our side so we headed to the campground that was 4kms in on a corrugated road. This campground was beside a river and I think Luc said some of the first settlers came there. You could tell because there was old farm equipment everywhere and a tank!

Again, way too expensive for what it was ($57 I think?). I didn’t use the showers as it was a bit too rustic for me and the toilets were so far away. But we had our first fire since we left Canada and roasted marshmallows that Vivi bought in Bali! We hung out with a couple who were beside us camping in their massive camper. They were from the east coast and were taking just over a year to travel around their country with their two girls.

The temps are already starting to get warmer just two days into heading up north.

We woke up, ate and packed up and headed out. The plan that day was to spend some time exploring the gorges on the other side of the park and then head to Denham which is close to Monkey Mia.

The gorges in this area are really beautiful. Red rocks cut out by the flowing water for thousands of years was just breathtaking.

We picked up some fly nets because the flies are getting to be unbearable when we step out of the van. And not a second too soon. Our next stop was Shell Beach and it was swarming with flies. I was really looking forward to seeing this beach as I remember it fondly. The beach is covered by tiny white shells. There really isn’t any sand to speak of. We put our bathing suits on but it really wasn’t warm enough to swim.

Then we pushed on and just wanted to get to Denham so we could have showers, wash laundry and settle in while it was still light out. We cooked in the camp kitchen and watch “The Voice” on the big screen tv.

The next morning we drove over the Monkey Mia. $15/adult and $5/kid. We didn’t want to pay that just to see the dolphins at the beach. So we snuck in through the boat ramp. Luc and Vivi ran over to them and I stayed in the get away van.

We named her too! Her name is Marvel. Because she brings us to marvelous places and she is a super hero of course!

We meandered back to the main road stopping at a lagoon and Eagle Bluff for lunch. Eagle Bluff was incredible. What a view with green/blue water. The flies were bad. To be honest, with the fly net they are just annoying. No where near the agony of the heat in South East Asia.

That night we stayed in our first free rest area. Luc’s favorite place to stay as it was free. There are places along the road that have toilets, tables and where a lot of other campers are (safety in numbers).

We took off in the morning and arrived in Carnarvon. Small town we wanted to check out the tourist info centre.

Then some groceries, gas and we couldn’t find the water fill up station so we went back to the gas station. Well I parked beside another truck and the angel it was parked at, the driver would have had to correct before backing up. Luc went in and I stayed in the van. The driver started to reverse and I could see he was really close to the van. If he didn’t hit the back corner it would have been a miracle. Oh and then he did. Sigh… thank goodness we got extra insurance. This guy was 19, from France, got his driver’s license in January and was driving around without insurance. Ugh….

So we exchanged all the particular info, sent it off to our rental company and set off to get water. Then we realized while we were waiting for water that the guy hadn’t signed. So we needed him to come back.

Back on the road again after a huge time suck.

We stopped at a road house to have lunch for the first time eating out. Another mistake. This just wasn’t our day. So we ordered two burgers and a BLT. My BLT came and it was tragic and $12!!!!!! Then we waited for Luc and Vivis food. I guess were used to not getting served at the same time as in SEA we all ate at different times. But after a while, I was done and their food still didn’t come, so Luc asked and they had forgotten about theirs!!! They got their food and the money back.

Onward we pushed to Coral Bay. We stopped once to fly the drone over a bunch of termite mounds.

We got to Coral Bay and booked a powered site. $57 with no wifi!!!! A travesty. And get this: no where in Western Australia (except Perth area I think) recycles!!!! I’ve talked to a few people who live here and they say it’s too expensive to put in a recycling plant. It also might have something to do with the fact that they produce iron in this state. I HATE throwing plastic, glass and metal in the garbage.

Vivi and Luc went swimming at the pool and then we walked down to the beach to see the sunset. It was stunning. Best sunset I’ve seen since being in Australia.

The next day we leisurely woke up and for ready. It was nice because every other day we were up by 6:30 and gone by 8. All we had planned was a day at the beach.

So back To the beach where we saw the sunset. We set up our free beach awning (we couldn’t believe we had the best awning on the beach and it was free. We were THOSE people! We snorkeled, made sand castles, read an actual book, saw a blue spotted sting ray in the water. It was a perfect day. We left there around 4pm and drove for two hours to another free camping rest area. We timed it so we didn’t have too much time with the flies before they all went to bed for the night (as soon as it’s dark). Then it becomes a battle with the moths as you cook with all the windows and doors open as it was still about 30 degrees out.

We finished burritos and star gazed for a while with our sky apps spotting Jupiter, the Southern Cross and Scorpio.

We slept well and awoke to the beautiful sunrise. Today would be a long drive day. We needed to make up about 450km to Karijini National Park. From there we have a day to chill out there and check the beautiful gorges.

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Tag: gorges

Australia: Road Trip – Karijini National Park to Fitzroy Crossing

Australia: Road Trip – Perth to Karijini National Park