Been a While

Our adventures up the Western Australian coast have continued, even taking us on a detour inland to the Pilbara. From the dramas of the dented rim at Steep Point, we were able to buy a new rim in Carnarvon. And take in some of the local sights - including a river of sand that suppports 176 fruit and veg plantations - and tastes....yummy! pure fruit iceblocks. Coral Bay beckoned and we spent a night there after an afternoon snorkelling with the snapper. Exmouth - gateway to the Ningaloo Reef - was next. More snorkelling and sight seeing. Jon was fascinated with the naval communications base there and Kirsty loved that only 10 steps into the ocean and you were on reef. We detoured inland then, to mining town Tom Price....home of the richest iron-ore deposits in the world. But we weren't there to look at the mine. 50ks out of town you come across one of the most amazing places we have seen on our journey.....Karajini National Park. 3 days exploring gorges and waterholes was so fun....as was joining the mule team in an SES rescue. We helped pull an injured tourist in a stretcher and an SES guy 70m up the side of a gorge cliff. Cold nights out there....frozen dew on our bonnet one morning...but days warm enough to swim. From there we visited Millstream NP and last night was spent in industry boom town, Karratha....where we felt a little like Mary and Joseph - no room in the inn! 

Swimming in Fern Pool, Karajini NP.....yes! Jon DID go in too:)

Circular Pool, KNP.....one of the most beautiful spots in Australia....in our opinion.

Hiking through Weano Gorge to Handrail Pool.

Cape Range NP.....near Exmouth. The reef is JUST THERE.

The mighty Gasgoyne River in Carnarvon. Farmers access underground water through bores in the riverbed.

And then there was the NEXT day...

After Friday's 'greatness', Saturday started off not quite as well. We had our first tyre casualty. But we did make it to Carnarvon by later that afternoon, despite the earlier setback and hope to be able to get things fixed on Monday. BTW, it seems we don't have a puncture of the tyre, just a dented rim. Not sure which is worse, considering the cost of an alloy rim!

Let me explain...

....what a great day looks like:

First....wake up to warm sunshine and gentle waves lapping the shore, just metres away.

Next....listen to an informative talk on dolphins while standing shin deep in water and watching 5 dolphins cruise by just a metre or 2 away.

Be one of only a handful of people selected to feed one of 3 dolphins a fish for breakfast.

Celebrate with a bowl of porridge which proves to be very interesting to the local emu mob.

Take a 3 1/2 hour 4WD out to the beach....dirt roads, bush tracks, beach driving.

Watch your husband get to live one of his dreams...making it to the western most point of Australia.

Set up camp right by the water...again.

Sit back and relax as the sun sets and a golden, just-off-full moon rises over the water.

Ahhhhhhh! Now that's my definition of a GREAT day.

Now here's that GREAT day in reverse....sorry!

View from our camp spot out at Steep Point.

Jon poses at Steep Point....Australia's western-most point.

The emus at Monkey Mia are ever-so friendly. 

Feeding 'Surprise' her fish.

One of the other friendly faces at Monkey Mia....'Nicky'

fun in the sand!

Our Western Australia Wonder Days continue. We had a couple of rest and relax days (coz we were both sick) in Perth and Fremantle (where we got to see QLD win Origin 1...Go the Maroons!) before continuing north. A morning sandboarding in Lancelin proved to be a bit of fun...if you can't tell by my screams of enjoyment. We travelled further up the coast appreciating beautiful (but weedy!) coastline, sea-lions, rock lobster fleets, dolphins, sunsets over the water, The Pinnacles, wheatfields, full moon and more emus than you could poke a stick at. It is really dramatic country up this way...and feels like we are miles from anywhere....despite being only 5 hours from Perth. Very different to drive north from Brisbane. We head off from soggy Kalbarri today and are headed over to the most western point on the Australian mainland...Steep Point. We're both :) and so's the car after we gave her a new battery this morning. Jon has discovered a new and rewarding holiday past-time...reading! Kirsty likes NCIS. And we are both grateful for warmer nights. So Life is WONDERFUL!

MotoX

Happy days in Manjimup .... southern WA. Here's some action from 'Australia's Premier MotoX Event.'

We thought you'd like this one Dan! But don't ask Mum and Dad for a bike...just yet.

We've been everywhere

Kalgoorlie's Super Pit....they mine gold here - open-cut and underground. Jon did a 3 hour tour of the mine site and was very impressed. One weird thing was how much timber they collect when mining.....from all the old-time mines and shafts sunk over the past 100 years or so.

The 75m high fire tower in the Dave Evans Bicentennial Tree. Jon made it to the top...but not without a little bit of trepidation. Kirsty made it up 8 rungs and headed down! But she eventually got to the 25m platform and just avoided passing out from fear.

Standing at Australia's most south-westerly point...near the Cape Leeuwin lighthouse.

Surfers at Prevelly....west of Margaret River. These were BIG waves! 

One of the many action moments at the Manjimup 15 000. A great day out in the mud after lots of rain the night before.

Following on from our time in Kalgoorlie, we made our way south and then west. And after another thousand plus kms on the road, we feel like we have seen a lot of Western Australia's south west. And this truly has to be some of the most beautiful country in Australia. Unusual rock formations.....pristine beaches.....rolling green hills dotted with sheep or dairy cattle......vineyards galore......'big tree' forests......sleepy little villages......bustling cities......the south-west has it all. Some highlights of the past week or so have been:

• catching up with old friends in Albany....I have known Shelley since I went to pre-school with her in Bunbury, way back in '78.
  
• climbing the Dave Evans Bicentennial Tree near Pemberton
• cool camping spots like Maranup Ford, Warren NP and Leschenault Peninsula (near Bunbury)
• a day at the races....Australia's No. 1 motor-cross event.... the Manjimup 15 000
• posing on Wave Rock
• yummy Margaret River Chocolate Factory
• Cape Leeuwin lighthouse near Augusta
• watching the surfers at Prevelly