Caravanning Camping Touring
Let me share some of our stories with you. I'll try to keep it fun and interesting, with heaps of photos, hints, tips and reviews all relating to life on the road.
14th February – 7 March
Travelling back from Western Australia we stayed at Shelly Beach Caravan Park in Ceduna. We had stayed there on our way west, and decided to do the same heading east. It’s a good park a few kilometres out of town and only a short walk to the beach. I also took the opportunity to use the fruit I had to stew at the old Telegraph Station as we crossed the Nullarbor, (before going through the WA/SA border quarantine.) It wasn’t pretty, but tasted great.
After Ceduna we hit the road again, fresh and ready for a long haul.
We didn’t waste any time during the first week of travel, only stopping overnight and “bare camping.” That’s what we call it when we just pull up and only set up the essentials (like turning on the gas, making a cuppa and settling down for the rest of the day). This means that we can get up the following day, and be on the road in about ten minutes and still have a ‘coffee to go’. So, we bare camped from Ceduna to Cunnamulla.
For those familiar with remote Australia you’ll be impressed at how green the country was. There’s been an abnormal amount of widespread rain and the country is literally lush, almost every creek flowing with water and the dams full. It’s pretty amazing how quickly the parched, red soil turns comes to life after rain; it’s just a few days from red to a carpet of green.
It made an interesting change for us to be driving with a purpose every day and covering the map. We made the 1,756 km journey in 6 days, then had a rest.
We had time up our sleeves, so we stayed in Cunnamulla at the Warrego River Caravan Park for three nights. Last time we were here the place was teaming with birdlife, this time not so much but I was still able to give my camera a bit of a workout.
Cunnamulla is just the average outback Queensland town that suffers from mediocre management, limited opportunity, lack of funds and lethargy that’s common in those towns, but the Warrego River Caravan Park really is a nice oasis in the west and it’s worthy of being a destination in itself.
After a relaxed few days at Cunnamulla it was a short drive to Bollon (one of our favourite bush camp spots) on Wallum Creek. It was hot, 39 to 43 degrees, but the creek was full to capacity, so we were able to keep cool. Though to be honest, I think we’ve gotten a bit soft in our old age. This was the first time we’d experienced these temperatures (without air con) since we started travelling, and it was a bit draining. Not so much that it chased us away mind you, we stayed there for six nights.
We got the hammock up and the kayaks down and we did what we do best…enjoyed the serenity of the bush. We virtually had the place to ourselves, if you didn’t count the billions of ants, but they were too busy getting on with whatever they were getting on with to be a bother to us. The flies were minimal, and I only saw a couple of mozzies, but there were hundreds of crickets. I’ve never seen so many, it was pretty cool actually, somedays I’d go for a stroll, and they’d rise from the grass like a plague of locusts. Which I guess is what they were, sort of. The birds were enjoying them too.
Take your time with the photos and you’ll see why we love this place so much. It really is the idyllic outback camping spot.
Did somebody say birds? Of course, there were birds. Most were a couple of kilometres down the creek, but hey…that’s why we have kayaks.
Whistling Kite 
A nervous Australasian Darter and a Whistling Kite 
Phew…he’s gone. 
Dollar Bird 
White-Breasted Wood Swallow 
Rainbow Bee-Eater 
White-Plumed Honey Eater 
Diamond Dove 
Apostle Birds 
How many Apostle birds can you fit in one nest? 
Spiny-Cheeked Honey Eater 
Little Friarbird 
One of each 
Noisy Friarbird 
Mallee Ringneck 
Magpie Larks 
Peaceful Dove 
Nankeen Night Heron
From there we had three nights at St George, with air conditioning, right on the banks of the Balonne River, then one more bare camp near Dalby.
We arrived on schedule, at Kingaroy on the 7th March. Peter reckons we travelled at about our average rate of 117 Km per day. But if you take out the three night stay in Cunnamulla, six nights at Bollon, and three nights in St George, we actually travelled the 2,463 km in nine days, an average of about 275 Km per day – now I think that’s pretty darn good for us.
See you out there somewhere
On tow and on the go!
10th February to 14th February
You may have noticed a subtle change in direction, no longer are we westward bound. East is our new heading. That’s right folks, we’re coming home! Not to stay mind you, just for a little holiday, then we will be on our merry way once more. Why the sudden urge to come home? Well, it’s not so sudden really. There are a few reasons. One, we know a lady who is having a very special birthday, (but we won’t embarrass Robynn by telling everyone she’s turning 80!) Two, we need to drop off some goodies that we’ve been toting around with us (unused I might add) for nearly three years. And last but not least, we want to catch up with friends and family. But first we have to cross the Nullarbor once more. So join us as we go Nulla- (and you have to say this with a sing-song voice) boorrriing.
So, how to make this post a little different from the last time we crossed the Treeless Plain? What I thought I’d do is take you all for a drive with us. I’ve taken a photograph of the road on the hour, every hour (give or take a few minutes) from leaving Norseman to arriving at the Ceduna quarantine point. Oh, and ignore the time stamps on the car’s nav system. We passed through three time zones over the five days, and the car didn’t update, neither did we for that matter, very confusing.
Day One – We left Norseman bright and early 05:57am hoping to get a good distance before the heat of the day stopped us. The first day of driving was uneventful and we stopped at Rusty’s under the Gums camp spot for the night, 473 kms from Norseman.
Because it was an early start we didn’t have any breakfast, so I stuck a couple of spinach and fetta rolls in the pie oven, ready for morning tea at 11am. Yet again, we were disgusted at the mount of rubbish left behind. I really don’t know what’s wrong with people. Have they no pride in themselves, or they just don’t give a damn about our country.
Day Two – Not such an early start. Today we got on the road at 8am, ready for another day’s drive along one of the longest stretches of straight road in the country. Hang on…we’re going the wrong way!
Yep, only we could get lost crossing the Nullarbor.
We only drove 236kms today, and we stopped for the night at the old Telegraph Station. We actually ended up staying two nights there. We had a good excuse. We had a lot of fresh produce that had to be used up before we reached the quarantine area at Ceduna. Also, it was really nice there.
Day Three – So while Peter wandered the beach, about 1km over the dunes, I stayed at home and cooked. I par-cooked the carrots, sweet spud and garlic and got them in the freezer. I made some vegetable frittatas, and stewed the apples and pears, ready for a fruit pie at a later date. We ate what was left over the next couple of days.
Day four – We left the Old Telegraph Station at 9:50am, and we drove a short distance to Bunda Cliffs. I had been looking forward to staying there again. It truly is a beautiful spot. It was however, also blowing a gale. I kid you not, the caravan was heaving and pitching in the wind. We persevered until 5pm but the wind showed no signs of easing, so packed up and moved on nine kilometres, where we found a nice sheltered spot amongst the trees. Our trip for today was all the way from Western Australia to South Australia – a mammoth 31 kms.
Day Five – An 8am start found us on the last leg of the Eyre Hwy and on the home straight to the Ceduna quarantine area. It was a longer drive today, 458kms but we did it with ease and without guilt, knowing that we had no fresh produce to declare.
Crossing the Nullarbor really is an iconic Australian road trip. But just for the pedantic among us (Peter) they have taken a bit of licence really. You see the Eyre Highway crosses south of the Hampton Tableland and the actual Nullarbor Plain is north of that. So I suppose that’s a reason why the treeless plain we cross isn’t… well… treeless. But it’s no less impressive for that, just makes you think about what it would be like to really cross the Nullarbor, but that’s over aboriginal land and you can’t do it without a special permit.
Congratulations! You have successfully crossed the Nullarbor with us. All 1198 kilometres. We hope you enjoyed the drive.
See you out there somewhere
On tow and on the go!
3rd February to 10th February
We left Bremer Bay full of exciting memories and headed off to make some more. As usual we took our time and had an overnight stop in Fitzgerald.
Interestingly, we had stayed at Fitzgerald six months earlier and Peter had done a thorough campground cleanup. Six months later there was another cleanup to be done but Peter estimates that only about a dozen or so grubs had left their rubbish behind – better that there were none but not too bad I suppose.
From there another roadside stop then on to Esperance before heading to Norseman three days later.
Esperance was not quite what we expected. At least the town itself wasn’t, it is above all else a working town, mostly mining, agriculture and fishery.
The town center was quite pretty, and the esplanade, with the turquoise waters and long jetty was lovely. We stayed a little out of town at the Bushlands CP, it was old and tired, but we had a huge space all to ourselves and this suited us well. Surrounded by bushland and very quiet, just what we like. We ran into Edith and Neil again, not surprisingly as we’re heading in the same direction, and it was great to catch up with them. We had a very enjoyable afternoon at the Lucky Bay Brewery, had a good chat and a few beers. What more could you ask for?
So, why all the hype about Esperance? Well, I think the amazing coastline and the Cape Le Grand NP has something to do with that. Absolutely stunning. We tried to book in at a couple of the campsites in the National Park but…they were all fully booked. First time we’ve come across this. And when we drove the Cape Le Grand Coastal Trail it was easy to see why.
Le Grand National Park is a beautiful place to drive through. It has broad sweeping landscapes, scattered with large granite rock formations, not least of which was Frenchman Peak, or as Peter liked to call it…Booby Hill.
It also offers you tempting glimpses of clear blue and turquoise waters waiting for you around every corner. It really is impressive.
Hellfire Bay was our first stop, and I think its safe to say, our favourite. The sand on the beach was so fine and white, the kind that squeaks when you walk on it, and the water so crystal clear, but still too cold for us to swim in.
It had been such a trying day, 😉 that we decided to stop for lunch after leaving Hellfire Bay and as luck would have it, we found the perfect place, complete with picnic table and a view to die for. Whistling Rock overlooking Thistle Cove. Whistling Rock is a large rock formation with a series of holes/cracks and when the wind is right, I’m guessing it whistles. When we were there, there was only a mild breeze, but even so, I could hear the wind moving through the cracks. Almost like when you let the air out through the neck of a balloon. I can imagine it would whistle like a billy boiling if the wind was strong enough and coming from the right direction.
After lunch we continued on to Lucky Bay. We had heard that this was the best bay along the drive, and it’s famous for all the kangaroos that come down onto the beach, but I guess you have to camp there to be there early in the morning or late in the evening to see them. I was torn about my feelings of Lucky Bay. On the one hand, the scenery is awesome. On the other, the beach was like a car park. When we first arrived there were a dozen or so cars driving off the beach, another dozen still exploring, and ten or so parked and set up for the day. I don’t know, I mean it’s great that you can do that, but for me…it takes away the serenity of the place. It was my least favourite area.
On to Rossiter Bay. This has been described as having fine white sand on a long and featureless stretch of beach. Ideal for driving or beachcombing, and with a bird sanctuary. This was another example of good marketing and/or being there at the wrong time of the year. The sand might have been white, but you had to dig through the layers of seaweed to get to it and the bird sanctuary was no more than a fifty-metre walkway off the beach, to a dead end and a park bench. There were plenty of New Holland Honey eaters there though.
Lastly, we called in to Le Grand Beach. It was the perfect way to end a great day. With the sun sinking low in the sky, we got that lovey shimmering effect on the ocean. We had a relaxed walk and a final paddle for the day before we headed back to camp for an icy cold beer.
After a very enjoyable three nights we left Esperance and drove through to Norseman arriving that same afternoon.
See you out there somewhere
On tow and on the go!
30th January – 3rd February
Oh Boy! Where do I start? Normally I would show a map, talk about our camp and the area, then get into our activities. Not today. Today I get straight to the exciting stuff. Orcas. But you know what I’m like, I do tend to prattle on a bit so first off, a few things that we learnt while on our cruise.
Fact no. 1 Orcas are not whales, they are in fact the largest member of the dolphin family.
Fact no. 2 The Orcas main diet, at least around Bremer Bay area, is beaked whale and giant squid.
Fact no. 3 I love ’em! Orcas that is, not giant squid. Not that there’s anything wrong with them.
Oh by the way, as you look at the photos in this post, you can tell the males apart from the females by their dorsal fin. The male’s dorsal fin is narrower at the body, and much taller than the females. When young, the dorsal is bent, as the male ages the dorsal will straighten up.
So, let me start from the beginning. I booked this trip as a Christmas gift for myself and Peter, splashing all out and upgrading to the VIP Captains Lounge. More about that later. It was an 0800 start and we had to be at the harbour by 0730.
We cruised about 20 nautical miles (37 kms) from the harbour out to the Bremer Canyon. The Bremer Canyon is actually one of a series of canyons, nestled along the edge of the continental shelf. In places, it is up to 5900mtrs deep. This unique biosphere is home to many creatures, including the Orca. To be fair the Orcas don’t live in the canyon, they can only hold their breath for up to fifteen minutes, so can’t go that deep. However, their food sources do live in, and around the canyon, so it is a perfect place for the orcas to hunt.
We had just reached the edge of the canyon when the atmosphere in the Captains Lounge changed from relaxed watchfulness to urgent anticipation as Orca activity was sighted. It didn’t take this experienced crew long to assess the situation.
We had cruised into the final stages of an Orca hunt, and the rest of the pod were racing in to help finish the kill and share the food. Both to the left and the right of the boat these amazing creatures were speeding past us to help their family.
There’s no doubt that the Orcas are the apex predator of the big blue, but “Killer Whale” is a bit of a misnomer. Ancient sailors witnessed the Orcas hunting and killing whales, and they quickly got a reputation for being a whole lot nastier than they are. Later, when Orcas were brought into captivity (1961) Orca the Whale Killer, didn’t have much of a ring to it, and thanks to the wonderful world of marketers, the Killer Whale was born. Much more thrilling, I’m sure it sold many more tickets. Anyway, I’m prattling on way too much. Here are some more photos of Orcas as they enjoyed their meal.
Interesting fact:
“Genus, Species – Orcinus orca. The Latin name Orcinus translates as “belonging to Orcus”. Orcus was a Roman god of the netherworld, and this genus name is likely a reference to the hunting prowess of the killer whale. In Latin, orca translates “large-bellied pot or jar,” a reference to the shape of the whale’s body.”
Thank you Google
Hmm, large-bellied pot whale? Definitely not a name to inspire fear. 😊
Orcas develop very strong family bonds and will stay with their family pod their whole lives. They, also show respect for, and take pride in their kill. How do they do this? One of the males in the pod will take the head of its prey, in this case a beaked whale, and swim around with it for a while, then another will take the head and do the same. Apparently, this will go on until the feeding is complete. Then the last male with the head will let it go and it will fall to the bottom of the canyon. Sounds weird, I know, but our crew have been researching and studying these whales for almost a decade. They’ve come to understand them and the way they interact with each other. The crew have researched the pods in the area and know them each by name and personality. They have a great deal of respect for the Orcas. That alone is reason enough to book with them (Whale Watch Western Australia) if ever you have the opportunity to go Orca watching.
On closer inspection of the photo below I noticed something just under the water near the big male’s head. I sent the image to one of the crew who confirmed my suspicions, the Orca in the shot had the beaked whale’s head in its mouth. See if you can see it.
Did you? Pretty cool hey. Nothing is wasted from the kill. The orcas will share the meat, the birds get all the leftovers, and the creatures on the ocean floor will pick what’s left of the carcass clean.
Male orcas can weigh as much as 6,000kg, but can only hold their breath for about fifteen minutes. The Beaked whales only weigh 3,000kg (maximum), but, they can stay underwater for about an hour and a half. So, how do the orcas hunt the beaked whales when they could simply stay under water and swim away. Well, in layman’s terms, the orcas stalk the beaked whales, not too close to alarm them, but close enough. Somehow the orcas know when the beaked whaled needs to surface to breath. That is when the rest of the pod are called in, and they simply use their weight and their numbers to prevent their prey from surfacing. In short, most of the time they simply drown them. If they do have to inflict mortal wounds, they will not begin feeding until their prey is dead.
I know we were there to see the orcas, and see them we did. But we also saw our fair share of seabirds. There were hundreds of Shearwaters (Flesh-Footed I think) enjoying the orca’s kill. And I was thrilled when a couple of Albatross cruised overhead. Amazing birds. I believe that the last two photos in this group are of a White-Faced Storm-Petrel.
The VIP Captain’s Lounge gave us access to, you guessed it, the Captain’s Lounge, or the wheel house. What else did the upgrade give us? Well, it was climate controlled, we dressed for cold weather but needn’t have. We had uninterrupted views, left and right, through open windows, as well as the front window, and of course we could go to any other part of the boat if we wanted to, even reserved seats at the bow of the boat. We were provided with iced water, tea or coffee and food throughout the voyage. Not big servings, but good, quality nibbles. Fruit, sushi, wraps, toasties, cake, pies, sausage roll, finishing up with a cheese platter and a generous glass of bubbly on the way home.
We were the only guests in the lounge, so we had the captain and a couple of crew members all to ourselves. But here is where we got the best benefit. As you know Peter has very poor hearing. In the Captain’s Lounge, there was no engine noise, all the announcements were made from here, so he could hear everything clearly. Also, we got to pick the crew’s brains. We had information on tap, that is why we learned so much from this cruise, and the icing on the cake, they had their dog, Alfie, with them.
There is so much more I could talk about, the Orcas truly are magnificent creatures, but I’ll let you do your own research. I will however, take my cap off to the crew. A tight-knit family whose years of research of the orcas, has rewarded them with amazing insight into the lives of these gentle giants of the sea. The fact that they do operate these tours and share their knowledge with us is, in my humble, money worth spent.
Whale Watch Western Australia post each day’s events from every whale watch cruise. This is a great reminder of the day and captures images of action that happened that the passengers might have missed. I know there was so much activity, that Peter and I missed a lot. The link below is the link to the Daily Whale and our day on the boat, 01-02-2024.
Our route back to shore led us past a small Island, (Glasse Island – I think) which was home to hundreds of nesting Crested Terns and some very relaxed fur seals.
To finish off, and my apologies for the length of this post, here is a bit about Bremer Bay.
It is a quiet little coastal town, with very pretty beaches, but not much happening unless you want to go whale watching.
I know one thing for sure, if we have the opportunity to do this again…we will.
See you out there somewhere
On tow and on the go!
26th January – 30th January
What a way to celebrate Australia Day, a road trip exploring our great country! We certainly are living the Australian dream.
We passed through Albany on our way to Perth several months ago and had a few lovely days there, but we missed out on a couple of interesting spots, so…when we left the tranquility of Lake Towerinning we headed back to Albany.
We spent three nights there and caught up with friends (yes, we now have more friends in WA than when we first arrived) and family.
We stayed at the Acclaim Rose Garden CP, (probably wouldn’t recommend it,) but it was a great location as we caught up with Peter’s niece Edith, her husband Neil and their dog Molly. We had a great time with them; a couple of happy, happy hour’s, a bit of exploring together, and…the good news is, Molly and Hugo got along like a house on fire.
Peter and I are particularly fond of Albany but the coastline is stunning and there is plenty to do. Including but not limited to, a visit to the Gap, the Natural bridge, and the Porongurup National Park. Once on the cantilevered walkway over the Gap, you find yourself staring down into the abyss below. A huge crevasse created by powerful waves over millions of years. Quite a sight. Also impressive is the Natural Bridge, it puts you in awe of the power of the waves.
Following the coastline you can visit the Cave Point Lighthouse and numerous picturesque beaches, I think the prettiest is Goode Beach, (very popular with the locals) and Frenchman Bay. There was a good view of the coast from the carpark at Frenchman bay, but it was fun to go down to the flat rocks below. The walk/climb back up was interesting and Peter asked if he could have my phone to take some photos of me going back up.
I said jokingly. “You can take a photo, but don’t make my butt look big.” Ha ha!
He replied, “It doesn’t look big love, at least not next to that rock.”
Yeah, I know, it’s a wonder he’s lived this long.
Even the Murray Rd boat ramp was worth checking out, and it’s surprising who you bump into when you’re exploring there.
But without a doubt, our favourite activity was the somewhat challenging walk, and climb, up to the Granite Skywalk Castle Rock, in the Porongurup National Park. This stunning park is forested with jarrah, karri and marri trees. Honestly, the walk alone was worth the effort.
The class 5 return walk is a 4.7 km return trek, all uphill I might add, from the moment you step out of the carpark. Peter and I hadn’t really done anything this challenging for a long time so we were a bit concerned but thought…why not give it a try. So very pleased we did. Mind you, we took an awful lot of photos. We found that activity a good reason to stop for a wee break.
You know you’re at the end of the forest walk when you reach the Balancing Boulder.
Then the real challenge begins. There are a few “little rocks” to traverse, but the powers-to-be have kindly placed hand/foot holds to help you up, and then of course, back down again.
But wait…There’s more. After the boulders, sorry, the little rocks, you have to climb up a 6mtr ladder in order to finally reach the 670mtr peak. After that you can walk around the precarious looking walkway pegged into the side of the rock. Now this is a lookout!
I could say I didn’t enjoy it. But I’d be lying. It was a challenge, and I was thrilled that I made it. Peter took it in his stride of course, but I was so chuffed that I had gone all the way to the top, I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face all the way back down to the car park. Safe to say, I was on a bit of a high. The other good thing about the walk back was that it was all downhill. Good for the heart, not so good for the knees.
And to end a perfect day, what was waiting for me in the carpark, but a family of Splendid Fairy-Wrens.
My next post is not to be missed, instead of hunting birds…we are hunting da daa daaa – Killer Whales! I kid you not.
See you out there somewhere
On tow and on the go!
7th January 2024 to 26th
We stayed at Banksia Tourist Park for another week, I had to go for a PET scan on the 12th, in prep for my doc’s visit, so it wasn’t until the 13th that we drove out of Banksia for the last time.
We drove southeast to Dwellingup, (About 110 km) and checked into the Dwellingup Chalet and Caravan Park.
It was worlds apart from Banksia TP as we found ourselves nestled deep in a forest filled with Karri and Jarrah trees.
And of course, where there are trees…there are birds.
It didn’t feel that hot, but it must have been. You may have noticed a lot of the birds above had their beaks open, in an attempt to cool off, I guess. We put water out for them, but they weren’t interested in it. Maybe they knew what was coming.
We stayed for ten nights, just chilling and enjoying the woodland vibe, though we did have a mach run back to Perth for my doctor’s appointment, (everything was great 😊) and that was our very last visit to Perth. We also had lunch at the Dwellingup pub, (not sure I’d recommend it) but we had a lovely time with Peter’s cousin, her hubby and their son.
We tried to book a train trip from Dwellingup, there are four available but at different times of the year. When we were there there was only one, at 2pm on a Wednesday, and by the time we checked it out, we’d be gone.
We did however, have a lovely day exploring the Lane Poole area. We had hoped to be able to drop the kayaks in, but the area is aptly named, Lane Poole. The river system has been blocked into a series of pool’s, making for a very short round kayak trip. There are longer stretches of water, but no easy way down. After exploring this very picturesque area, jumped into the main swimming hole to cool off. We didn’t get any photos of the swimming hole (didn’t want to get my camera wet…😜) but that’s the image you see in all the tourist media advertising Lane Poole.
From there we continued south, heading towards Albany, (we had the car booked in to have the windscreen replaced – finally) when I saw a sign for Lake Towerinning. I suggested we go there, and Peter agreed. (Smart boy).
We were only going to overnight, but we ended up staying for three nights. I am sure you can see why. A beautiful lake to kayak around.
It really was a lovely lake to kayak on, though when the wind picked up it was a bit hard going.
Peter circumnavigated the lake several times during our stay. I never got past Bird Cove. That’s what I called it anyway. About two kilometres up the lake was a left hand turn, into Bird Cove.
I’m sure you can see why I hung around there. There were hundreds of wading birds, ducks and swans, including my favourites, the Spoonbill, and I spent many a happy hour just drifting around with them.
There was also a lot of bird activity around the waters edge near our camp.
There was also a pair of Restless Fly-Catchers. Now these aren’t the best images I’ve ever taken, but they show what these little birds are capable of doing in the air.
I particularly enjoyed watching this family of Dusky Wood Swallows, as they went about their business of feeding their two chubby chicks.
And finally, the colourful ones. There were a lot of Australian Ring necks, and Western Rosellas in the area, and they made good use of the water.
It does feel good to be out on the road again, I will try to keep up to date with the blog posts, but…poor internet tends to slow me down a little. Still, I’ll get there in the end.
See you out there somewhere
On tow and on the go!
