Port Smith

Port Smith has been the best discovery of the trip so far. We only turned of the highway and drove the 23 kms of sand because we were desperate for petrol. We ended up staying there 5 nights. So what was the attraction? An absolutely fabulous lagoon where you could drive at low tide and swim on the incoming tide. To get an idea of this - the first picture was taken way out beyond the end of the mangroves that you see in the second picture. They have 9 metre tides! There are any number of (fairly serious) 4-wheel drive tracks to beautiful beaches and fantastic creeks for swimming (or fishing, if that's what you're into), and once a week the local aboriginal community band comes along to entertain the campers and help raise money for the Royal Flying Doctor Service at the weekly $5 fish-and-chip night.

Karratha Area

Karratha itself is interesting only from the point of view that the town was constructed in the 60's specifically to service the mining industry. From that it has grown into a busy vibrant centre - planned, modern and not at all photogenic. The surrounding area, however, is very interesting. 30 kilometres to the north is Point Samson, a major centre of the west coast fishing industry. Nearby is Cossack - a ghost town that boasts several substantial buildings that testify to its former status and wealth. The second picture here is the courthouse. To the south of Karratha is Dampier - an odd combination of shipping and storage for the mining industry of the Pilbara plus tropical paradise and beautiful beaches.

Ruth swims with the whale sharks

Swimming with the Whale Sharks has been one of my life's ambitions. I took these photos myself with a little cheap underwater camera. Whale sharks come to the Ningaloo Marine Park between March and July to feed on plankton. I was so privileged to be able to swim with these magnificent animals for an exhilarating and truly memorable experience. I had 7 swims with 3 different sharks varying in sizes from 7 metres to 5 metres. We swam in water 200 ft deep at first but the last encounter was only 30 ft deep. A strict code of conduct applies when interacting with the whale sharks so as they are not harmed or disturbed. We were not allowed to swim in front of them and had to keep 3 metres from the sides and 4 metres from the tail. Ningaloo Reef is one of the only places in the world where the "gentle giants" appear regularly in any numbers, in near shore waters where they are easily accessible to observers.

Denham

The main focus is always on Monkey Mia, but in fact, the surrounding area is quite breathtaking. Shark Bay is the largest seagrass ocean bed in the world (which is just one of the reasons the whole area is a World Heritage site). Remote as all this is, we still found a coffee shop with a view.

Monkey Mia

Monkey Mia has long been well-known for the dolphins that come into the bay several times a day........and they didn't disappoint. There were about 10 of them, and they kept us entertained for about an hour. Ruthie even got to feed one!

Kayla around Oz

1. "Where did that fishy go". (Wallaroo)
2. "I'm always having to pose". (Ayre Peninsula)
3. "Where's my glass of Red". (Bush camp, Nullarbor)
4. "They're having lobster and oysters". (Esperance)
5."I love it here in Kalbarri".

Kalbarri 4

On our last day in Kalbarri we did one of our favourite things - a scenic flight! Learning to fly a plane has long been one of my fantasies and I just love sitting up next to the pilot. Strangely enough, nobody else ever seems to want to do this...... Our flight took us over both sections of the national park. From the air, parts of the river gorges were reminiscent of the Bungle Bungles. Perhaps this is what the Bungle Bungles looked like millenia ago.

Kalbarri 3

To the east of Kalbarri lies the rest of the national park. It follows the Murchison River and incorporates several beautiful gorges. One of the really spectacular attractions is Nature's Window. Lots of good walking for the fit (or those who would be if they did enough of this sort of thing), and of course plenty of cliff faces for the more adventurous souls (and those who are tired of life).

Kalbarri 2

Am finally getting to put more on the blog - we have been out of service area for a week or so. These are pictures of the coastline north of Kalbarri. Both the coastal area and the Murchison river gorges form part of the Kalbarri National Park.

Kalbarri 1

Kalbarri is a very attractive town on the left bank of the Murchison River as it enters the sea. It is surrounded by the Kalbarri National Park, which stretches down the coast and out to the east to incorporate the gorges of the Murchison. The last photo is the view we had from the excellent coffee shop/restaurant right next to our campsite.

Coronation Beach

This was a moderately upgraded bush camp, but it was so good, we stayed a couple of days. One of the photos shows the view from the camper van. Do not think that bush camps are lonely isolated places - we were very lucky to get a spot in this one! You can see from the photos what a pristine beach it is.......with a resident echidna! There is property just behind the beach, between it and the dunes - it actually looked like quite good grazing land.