We spent two days in Adelaide and then drove from Adelaide to Melbourne where we spent a further two days, again visiting relatives.
From there it was a day's drive back to Canberra, arriving home on Friday 18/9 having travelled a total of 21,000 kilometres in our World Tour of Australia.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Shortly after Nundroo you come to the Head of the Bight and this is where they have a marine sanctuary and between June and November you can see whales. The park has a series of boardwalks that take you down over the sand dunes and right to the cliff edge and there just below you are about 70 whales, mothers and their babies frolicking in the ocean. What an absolutely awesome sight. You hear them bellow and blow a spout of water. Watch the protective mothers circle their babies if the stray too far and the young calves slap their tails in the water, breach and roll in the water. Some of the whales were just floating in the water upside down.
It was so difficult to leave and press on but we had to get back on the road.
We are now in Streaky Bay in SA on Eyre Peninsula. It is a very pretty little spot.
It was so difficult to leave and press on but we had to get back on the road.
We are now in Streaky Bay in SA on Eyre Peninsula. It is a very pretty little spot.
We set off early this morning, well that’s a little confusing because WA is 2 hours behind but between Belladonia and Eucla they have adopted a non official time which is 45 minutes ahead of WA then when you arrive in SA you change time zones again.
Along the highway today are several lookouts, the Great Australian Bight Marine Park which stretches for hundreds of kilometres. Stunning views all along the rugged coastline.
We stopped at the roadhouse at Nundroo where very near the petrol bowsers was a small aircraft for scenic flights. It’s not often you see a plane at the petrol station.
The other thing you don’t see very often is the signs that tell you that the highway also doubles as a Royal Flying Doctor runway for landings for emergencies. Every so often along the road you will see the white lines painted on the highway and a sign to say it’s a landing strip for the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
Along the highway today are several lookouts, the Great Australian Bight Marine Park which stretches for hundreds of kilometres. Stunning views all along the rugged coastline.
We stopped at the roadhouse at Nundroo where very near the petrol bowsers was a small aircraft for scenic flights. It’s not often you see a plane at the petrol station.
The other thing you don’t see very often is the signs that tell you that the highway also doubles as a Royal Flying Doctor runway for landings for emergencies. Every so often along the road you will see the white lines painted on the highway and a sign to say it’s a landing strip for the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
We have travelled across the Nullabor Plain and once again it has been a big surprise to us. We have driven the section which is the longest straightest bit of road in Australia or was it the world. It has been more interesting that we expected. We saw signs to watch out for camels, emus and kangaroos. We have seen quite a few emus,some kangaroos but no camels. We have seen lots of large lizards sunning themselves in the middle of the road or crossing it very slowly.
It was quite a surprise to drive over two passes, the first, Madura Pass, has a lookout at the peak with views forever over the plains and the second pass is at Eucla where we stayed at the one and only motel there.
We ventured out from Eucla and clambered over the sand dunes to see the old Telegraph station, the jetty and the beautiful beach with its pearly white sand and beautiful turquoise water.
There is a lookout at the top of Eucla Pass with a travellers cross which is lit up at night. From the lookout you can see miles of beach and the white sandstone cliffs.
It was quite a surprise to drive over two passes, the first, Madura Pass, has a lookout at the peak with views forever over the plains and the second pass is at Eucla where we stayed at the one and only motel there.
We ventured out from Eucla and clambered over the sand dunes to see the old Telegraph station, the jetty and the beautiful beach with its pearly white sand and beautiful turquoise water.
There is a lookout at the top of Eucla Pass with a travellers cross which is lit up at night. From the lookout you can see miles of beach and the white sandstone cliffs.
The following day we travelled to Menzies, Broad Arrow and then on to Kalgoorlie. Broad Arrow was so named because the man who discovered laid a trail of broad arrows for his son to follow him. At the height of the goldrush there were 15,000 residents but it is now a ghost town. The old Broad Arrow Tavern is noted for having almost every wall covered with handwritten notes from past visitors but is now closed.
Menzies is another goldrush town with a number of fine sandstone buildings. The town hall has a clock with an interesting history. The clock is actually 4 clocks, a master clock inside the building and 3 slaves on the face of the tower. The town bought a clock in the early 1900’s and the ship carrying the clock was sunk in a storm and the clock was never recovered. It wasn’t until 1999 that Menzies finally got it’s clock. What really struck me, was after waiting 100 years to get a clock why would you have a clock that showed the 3 faces all with different times and all of them were wrong.
We finished our day with a stop in Kalgoorlie to look at the superpit, a gigantic open cut mine which is still operational and a visit to the Miners Hall of Fame. We also stopped in Boulder and Kambalda before heading on to our overnight stop in Norseman at the Roadhouse motel.
Menzies is another goldrush town with a number of fine sandstone buildings. The town hall has a clock with an interesting history. The clock is actually 4 clocks, a master clock inside the building and 3 slaves on the face of the tower. The town bought a clock in the early 1900’s and the ship carrying the clock was sunk in a storm and the clock was never recovered. It wasn’t until 1999 that Menzies finally got it’s clock. What really struck me, was after waiting 100 years to get a clock why would you have a clock that showed the 3 faces all with different times and all of them were wrong.
We finished our day with a stop in Kalgoorlie to look at the superpit, a gigantic open cut mine which is still operational and a visit to the Miners Hall of Fame. We also stopped in Boulder and Kambalda before heading on to our overnight stop in Norseman at the Roadhouse motel.
Sandstone has a number of lovely old historic buildings and also has a spectacular display of wildflowers at this time of year.
We stopped overnight in Leonora in the middle of the Northern Goldfields just down the road from the now ghost town of Gwalia.
Abandoned virtually overnight in 1963 when the Sons of Gwalia mine closed down, it remains as a monument to the WA gold rush. People just up and left, leaving behind their belongings, cars and furniture where it mostly remains today.
The houses are corrugated iron humpies. Inside these miner’s shacks, jackets hang from coat hooks and kerosene-tin drawers sit intact on the floor amongst the pots, pans and broken crockery.
It is quite eerie wandering around the deserted town and peering into the lives of the inhabitants.
In Gwalia is also Hoover House which is been completely restored to it’s former glory as the home of Herbert Hoover who was the 31st president of the United States and manager of the Sons of Gwalia mine. The house is now part of the museum but also operates as a B&B on weekends.
It is a stark contrast to the iron humpies that the miners lived in. The dining area of the house was the site of the famous gold bar dinner, where four large bars of gold were placed on the table to celebrate a years worth of gold mined which would in todays money have been valued at over a million dollars.
We stopped overnight in Leonora in the middle of the Northern Goldfields just down the road from the now ghost town of Gwalia.
Abandoned virtually overnight in 1963 when the Sons of Gwalia mine closed down, it remains as a monument to the WA gold rush. People just up and left, leaving behind their belongings, cars and furniture where it mostly remains today.
The houses are corrugated iron humpies. Inside these miner’s shacks, jackets hang from coat hooks and kerosene-tin drawers sit intact on the floor amongst the pots, pans and broken crockery.
It is quite eerie wandering around the deserted town and peering into the lives of the inhabitants.
In Gwalia is also Hoover House which is been completely restored to it’s former glory as the home of Herbert Hoover who was the 31st president of the United States and manager of the Sons of Gwalia mine. The house is now part of the museum but also operates as a B&B on weekends.
It is a stark contrast to the iron humpies that the miners lived in. The dining area of the house was the site of the famous gold bar dinner, where four large bars of gold were placed on the table to celebrate a years worth of gold mined which would in todays money have been valued at over a million dollars.
Not far from the Brewery is London Bridge, believed to be about 350 million years old. The old sandstone has been weathered into a “bridge” that at one time you could walk over and even take a horse and cart but it is now very thin and it is estimated it will fall down in the not too distant future.
We spent the night in Meekatharra and the next day we visited the towns along the Goldfields highway, Cue, Mount Magnet, Sandstone, Leinster, Leonora and at the end of highway Kalgoorlie.We visited the delightful gold mining township of Sandstone. Not far out of town is the Brewery which was constructed in the early 1990’s. The Brewery was constructed above an enormous cave which was used to store the beer in the summer months to keep it cool. The brewery supplied the local hotels up until 1910. The brewery itself is gone but the cave is still there.
Port Hedland is interesting. It is in the Pilbara and there are a number of huge mines there, mostly mining iron ore. The whole town is covered in red iron ore dust. Every car, house, path, road and even the trees are covered in red dust.
3 billion dollars worth of iron ore is shipped out of Hedland every year. BHP and Rio Tinto both have big mines there. Rio has minerals and there are large piles of salt as you come into town.
There are enormous ships coming and going through the very narrow port right in the middle of town. Road trains longer than any we’ve seen so far carry buckets of iron ore and nickel to and from the ships and the nearby mines as well as the train.
We also had the opportunity to go down to the beach and watch the Stairway to the Moon again, this time over the mudflats of Cooke Point.
From Port Hedland we drove to Newman in the heart of the Pilbara through the most picturesque countryside with huge gorges on either side of the highway that are part of the Hammersley ranges.We will have to come back to this area and spend more time there
3 billion dollars worth of iron ore is shipped out of Hedland every year. BHP and Rio Tinto both have big mines there. Rio has minerals and there are large piles of salt as you come into town.
There are enormous ships coming and going through the very narrow port right in the middle of town. Road trains longer than any we’ve seen so far carry buckets of iron ore and nickel to and from the ships and the nearby mines as well as the train.
We also had the opportunity to go down to the beach and watch the Stairway to the Moon again, this time over the mudflats of Cooke Point.
From Port Hedland we drove to Newman in the heart of the Pilbara through the most picturesque countryside with huge gorges on either side of the highway that are part of the Hammersley ranges.We will have to come back to this area and spend more time there
We have spent four days in Broome. We have fortunate enough to be here for the stairway to the moon phenonomen which happend on two consecutive nights. The first night was a non event due to some cloud. Tonight however there was no cloud and the full moon rose spectacually, a bright orange in the inky darkness reflecting it’s light over the still glistening wet mud flats exposed at low tide thus resembling a staircase to the moon. This phenonomen happens every 28 days during the dry season only as it rises over the land during the wet season.
We have loved Broome. Cable beach is stunning with it’s amazing azure blue water and white sand stretching for miles. Sunset over Cable beach is amazing. A popular pastime is to take a camel ride on the beach at sunset
We visited the pearl luggers museum and learnt all about Broome’s pearling industry history. We learnt all about the divers who risked their lives first by diving just holding their breath and later in rubber suits, copper boots and copper helmet that all together weighed hundreds of pounds. There were many deaths.
Tomorrow we leave Broome and our next port of call is Port Hedland.
We have loved Broome. Cable beach is stunning with it’s amazing azure blue water and white sand stretching for miles. Sunset over Cable beach is amazing. A popular pastime is to take a camel ride on the beach at sunset
We visited the pearl luggers museum and learnt all about Broome’s pearling industry history. We learnt all about the divers who risked their lives first by diving just holding their breath and later in rubber suits, copper boots and copper helmet that all together weighed hundreds of pounds. There were many deaths.
Tomorrow we leave Broome and our next port of call is Port Hedland.
From Fitzroy Crossing we travelled to Broome via Dalby.Dalby has a colourful past with it’s prison and prison tree, a boab tree with a large hollow used to house prisoners. Dalby is also a busy port and has a large commercial jetty which is also famous for the sheer number of very large saltwater crocs that inhabit the waters around the jetty, presumably drawn to area by the amount of fishing that happens there.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Early this morning we did a tour of the Geike Gorge. It is very beautiful but we have now seen several gorges and I think I am gorged out.
Geikie Gorge is a little different because you can easily see where the level of the water reaches in the wet season. The limestone rock is bleached white by the water, so for about 10 metres above our boat we could see white limestone which then changes to a deep orange colour stained with black. The black is from rain water pouring down in the crevices.The limestone has become carved out by the water and resembles honeycombe and forms small holes, crevices and huge caves, some shapes hanging down into the water resembling icicles. The tiny Fairy Martin birds make an ice-cream cone shaped nest hanging under the rock ledge from mud. These nests get washed away every wet and the birds return to the same spot in the dry and start the labourious process again to rebuild these mud nests, year after year in the same spot.
Geikie Gorge is a little different because you can easily see where the level of the water reaches in the wet season. The limestone rock is bleached white by the water, so for about 10 metres above our boat we could see white limestone which then changes to a deep orange colour stained with black. The black is from rain water pouring down in the crevices.The limestone has become carved out by the water and resembles honeycombe and forms small holes, crevices and huge caves, some shapes hanging down into the water resembling icicles. The tiny Fairy Martin birds make an ice-cream cone shaped nest hanging under the rock ledge from mud. These nests get washed away every wet and the birds return to the same spot in the dry and start the labourious process again to rebuild these mud nests, year after year in the same spot.
Our next stop was at Fitzroy Crossing, so named because it crosses the mighty Fitzroy River. The old crossing was an old concrete ford across the river which would have often been flooded sometimes for months on end and residents used a flying fox to cross the river.
Now a large modern bridge spans the river.
Another must see is the old Crossing Inn, an historic hotel dating back to the 1800’s. That was quite an experience.
Now a large modern bridge spans the river.
Another must see is the old Crossing Inn, an historic hotel dating back to the 1800’s. That was quite an experience.
Throughout the Kimberley is the boab tree. They are truly majestic trees found only in the Kimberley and Madagaskar. At the moment the trees have no leaves and first impression is you think the tree has died. The bare branches have a large nut, still green so that’s the only sign of life. The boab tree flowers, huge white highly fragrant flowers which last only one day.The boab tree is actually edible. Cows are often know to eat branches that fall from the tree.
We did a trip which took us to Lake Argyle and then on to boat for a trip along the Ord River which was fantastic. We also visited the Durack Homestead. The Durack family migrated to Australia from Ireland in the early 1800’s and settled in the Kimberleys.
You may know the novel Kings in Grass Castles about the Durack family, written by Mary Durack.
The boat trip along the Ord River and the gorge was on a very fast craft that darted around rocks and trees in the river as it raced along in sections. I didn’t like that so much when the boat lurched from side to side at speed. The scenery along the way was absolutely stunning. Towering jagged mountains on each side of this massive river form a deep gorge. The water at the beginning was very fast flowing It has lots of lush pandanus ferns, reeds and lily pads. We saw a few freshwater crocs sunning themselves on the rocks. They’re not nearly as aggressive as the salties and are often timid and will disappear under the water when a boat approaches.
We moored the boat at a little inlet and climbed up the embarkment to a spot with some tables and chairs and we had some afternoon tea before getting back on the boat.
A little further along the river widens dramatically and it is no longer visibly flowing. It is a deep emerald green colour and as smooth as glass. As the sun begins to go down, the mountains, trees and lush foliage at the edge all reflect magnificently in the river. A truly awesome sight.
During the wet season the river can rise by more than 10 metres and becomes extremely dangerous with high waves and a torrential flow, ripping out trees and plants and sweeping them into the torrent.
You may know the novel Kings in Grass Castles about the Durack family, written by Mary Durack.
The boat trip along the Ord River and the gorge was on a very fast craft that darted around rocks and trees in the river as it raced along in sections. I didn’t like that so much when the boat lurched from side to side at speed. The scenery along the way was absolutely stunning. Towering jagged mountains on each side of this massive river form a deep gorge. The water at the beginning was very fast flowing It has lots of lush pandanus ferns, reeds and lily pads. We saw a few freshwater crocs sunning themselves on the rocks. They’re not nearly as aggressive as the salties and are often timid and will disappear under the water when a boat approaches.
We moored the boat at a little inlet and climbed up the embarkment to a spot with some tables and chairs and we had some afternoon tea before getting back on the boat.
A little further along the river widens dramatically and it is no longer visibly flowing. It is a deep emerald green colour and as smooth as glass. As the sun begins to go down, the mountains, trees and lush foliage at the edge all reflect magnificently in the river. A truly awesome sight.
During the wet season the river can rise by more than 10 metres and becomes extremely dangerous with high waves and a torrential flow, ripping out trees and plants and sweeping them into the torrent.
Colin did an early morning scenic flight over the Bungle Bungles (I wasn’t feeling well, the heat I think), Lake Argyle, Argyle Mine,the Ord River and the little island where zebra rock is mined. Zebra Rock is unique as it is only found in this one place, an island that can only be reached in the dry and the rock is a creamy colour with brown zebra like stripes.
Lake Argyle is enormous. It is 64 kilometres long and 40+ kilometres wide with the Ord river flowing into as well as Lake Kununurra.
Lake Argyle is enormous. It is 64 kilometres long and 40+ kilometres wide with the Ord river flowing into as well as Lake Kununurra.
Leaving NT we drove along the highway and soon noticed the scenery change dramatically to towering jagged mountains and winding roads. Even the termite mounds changed from tall pointy mounds to fat round ones, resembling beehives.
The Spinifex grasses are back again and these often resemble pin cushions carpeting the landscape and sometimes on the mountains.
We visited Wyndham, an historic port town, the busy port services the Argyle diamond mine, exports live cattle, sugar and molasses as well as fuel and other goods.
They apparently sell the cheapest fuel there in the Kimberley, pity we didn’t know that before we filled up.The lookout, sitting on top of the Bastion Ranges has the most amazing views of the sea and the five rivers as well as the Kimberleys.
The Spinifex grasses are back again and these often resemble pin cushions carpeting the landscape and sometimes on the mountains.
We visited Wyndham, an historic port town, the busy port services the Argyle diamond mine, exports live cattle, sugar and molasses as well as fuel and other goods.
They apparently sell the cheapest fuel there in the Kimberley, pity we didn’t know that before we filled up.The lookout, sitting on top of the Bastion Ranges has the most amazing views of the sea and the five rivers as well as the Kimberleys.
This morning we took a two hour cruise on Yellow Water, part of the South Alligator River floodplain to view the wildlife at Kakadu, gliding almost silently amongst the giant lily pads. We saw rare birds, wild horses, white sea eagles, rare red lilies with giant waterproof leaves and at least 20 crocodiles, several more than 3 metres in length. We were amazed to learn that there is around 60 to 80 thousand crocodiles just in Kakadu, that’s saltwater crocs, the really aggressive ones.
It has been extremely hot the last couple of days, 39 degrees with 100% humidity.
Tomorrow we will farewell the Northern Territory and drive to WA spending the next couple of nights in Kununurra.
It has been extremely hot the last couple of days, 39 degrees with 100% humidity.
Tomorrow we will farewell the Northern Territory and drive to WA spending the next couple of nights in Kununurra.
Our highlight so far has to be the one hour scenic flight we did this afternoon. Our flight took us low over the East Alligator river where we spotted a number of large crocs. We saw the rock we had climbed from the air and I marvelled that we had actually climbed to the top and back down again.
We flew low over the Ranger Uranium mine and then onto to the plains of Arnhem Land and swept low over the vast wetlands before returning to Jabiru.
We flew low over the Ranger Uranium mine and then onto to the plains of Arnhem Land and swept low over the vast wetlands before returning to Jabiru.
We have spent the last couple of days in Kakadu. We have done a number of walks and have seen some amazing Aboriginal rock art.
Last night we went to Ubirr to view the rock art and to climb up the escarpment to watch a stunning sunset over the Nardab floodplain.
We climbed up the rocks, following a barely discernable path to the top of the escarpment which had the most amazing views of the wetlands.
Climbing back down the rock was much harder than climbing up.
Last night we went to Ubirr to view the rock art and to climb up the escarpment to watch a stunning sunset over the Nardab floodplain.
We climbed up the rocks, following a barely discernable path to the top of the escarpment which had the most amazing views of the wetlands.
Climbing back down the rock was much harder than climbing up.
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