Western Australia

Perth to Sydney

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Indian Pacific

Few Days in Perth and the Indian Pacific Train

I had a few days in Perth after I returned from Albany by bus.

Stones Concert

Before I forget, I haven’t posted about the Rolling Stones concert I went to before I left Perth. I was aware that the Stones were in town, but had not thought of going to the concert until the first night. The city was full of people wearing Stones T shirts.

At the spur of the moment, I decided to go to the Perth Arena to see if I could get a ticket. As luck would have it, there were some returns. I got a ticket of the floor. The other people near me had done the same. One was a pomie bloke in his late 30’s. He told that he had been telling his Australian wife how much he liked the Stones. She told him “shut up and go them”. Another was a woman my age who said, “she was meant to get a ticket because she loved Mick so much. There was also a very attractive girl in her 20’s who told me something, but I could not hear what she said.

They played nonstop including their best stuff: Start me Up, Brown Sugar, Satisfaction, Honky Tonk Woman etc. The highlight was You Can’t Always Get What You Want’ with assistance from the UWA Choir (watch the YouTube clip)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pwp3ixWPBqQ

Rottnest Island

I spent a day on Rottnest Island, which is just off the coast. I took the ferry from the city wharf which goes down the Swan River to North Fremantle before heading across to the island. The commentary of the ferry pointed out some of the extravagant houses along the river.

The island itself is worth a visit. The beaches are very spectacular with pure white sand a many shades of blue (I suppose aqua) water. The island got its name from the Dutch explorers who called It Rottnest (Rat’s Nest) after the Quokkas (small Kangaroos) which they thought looked like rats.

Ride around South Perth

I also took a bike ride around South Perth, taking in the University and Cottesloe Beach. It was very windy. I wasn’t overly impressed with the beach.

Long Train Ride

I had decided to take the Indian Pacific to the east coast.

I had been on the train before from, Sydney to Peterborough in northern South Australia in 2009. On that trip I rode on the Mawson trail to Adelaide.

The Perth to Sydney trip is one of the great rail journeys.

A number of people have heard the story about my parent’s trip on the train. Dad was playing in Veteran’s tennis tournament in Perth. He decided to take the train rather than flying. Two days into the trip, a bloke saw him looking out the dining car window. He asked Dad what it reminded him of. Dad turned to the bloke and relied, “yesterday”.

After the tournament my parents flew back home.

I found the trip long (4,962 klms and 75 hours) but interesting. The line from Perth to Kalgoorlie passes through Midland and Northam. There is quite a bit of the ‘wheat belt’ before you hit the desert.

We arrived in Kalgoorlie late at night, so it wasn’t possible to see the ‘Big Pit’. I should have taken the Prospector train to Kalgoorlie at least a day before so I could have checked out the town.

After Kalgoorlie, the train rattles off into the night.

It stops in Cook which was a ‘major’ stop in the past. Only one family lives there now. There is a plague say this is “The Middle of Nowhere’ .It is right.

Before Port Augusta, the line passes just north of a State Park. It is surprisingly hilly in this part of the country.

There is a brief stop in Adelaide before it heads north again towards Gladstone and on to Broken Hill.

I had done the tour of Broken Hill before. Once is enough. For those who don’t know, the city is where Broken Hill Proprietary Ltd (now BHP Billiton), the world’s largest mining company started.

Again, the train rattled off into the night heading to Sydney. The route through the Blue Mountain has some great scenery.

We were delayed coming into Sydney due to a truck carrying cars at the rear of the train, becoming detached. According to the driver, “this happens once in blue moon”. We had two ‘blue moons’ that day.

Circumnavigation of the World Complete

I arrived in Sydney on the 10th of December. It has taken me 229 days to travel around the world.

Just loving it.

Flickr Links

The Stones

https://flic.kr/s/aHsk5LABi6

Rottnest and Sth Perth

https://flic.kr/s/aHsk36Srry

Indian Pacific

https://flic.kr/s/aHsk6atwk4

Garmin Links

Rottnest

http://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/644170361

Perth Ride

http://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/644875713

Albany

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ANZAC Centre

Albany

It was good to be finally in Albany. I had ridden 684 kilometres to get there. Add another 20 kilometres or so riding around the town, that makes over 700 kilometres for the trip. I also took a bus on two legs. This region is only a small part of the State of Western Australia.  I guess that puts the size of this place in perspective.

ANZAC Centre

The main reason for going to Albany was to see the National ANZAC Centre. The centre was established to commemorate the Australian and New Zealand soldiers that left Albany in 1914 to fight in World War One.

The Centre is located on the side of Mount Clarence, overlooking the town of Albany and St Georges Harbour. It is an outstanding museum.

One of the people primarily responsible for the Centre is the brother of my London host. Ironically their Grandfather features in the exhibits. Check out the link below.

Walk

If you are visiting the ANZAC Centre, I suggest that you there via the Padre White trail which starts in the town and takes you to the top of Mount Clarence.

Flickr Link

https://flic.kr/s/aHsk6xGtjt

ANZAC Centre URL

http://www.nationalanzaccentre.com.au/

Dexter Story

http://www.nationalanzaccentre.com.au/story/walter-ernest-dexter

http://www.smh.com.au/national/ww1/national-anzac-centre-lives-up-to-legend-rsl-president-20141029-11dpl7.html

Pemberton to Albany

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Valley of the Giants

Pemberton to Albany

At Pemberton, I was finally where the Munda Biddi trail runs. My route down the coast had taken far from the trail.   I could now give it a try.

I headed out to the Gloucester Tree which is where the Munda Biddi track starts from Pemberton. It is also where the Bibbulmun Walking track also passes the town.

The curious thing about all the pamphlets and maps for the Munda Biddi Track is that none of them have a picture of the symbol that appears on the sign posts you should follow.

You guessed it – I followed the signs for the walking track and not the signs for the bike track!!!!!!!!!!!!

Resorting to the Garmin

I followed the walking track for a few kilometers before it became far too difficult. I had to resort to letting the Garmin take control. That was wasn’t too bad for a while. It led me down forest tracks towards Northcliff. One of the tracks ran fairly close to the main road. It was clear but then suddenly became very overgrown. I decided to persist as I had ridden down a rather steep hill and wasn’t inclined retrace the route.

The track became even more over grown, but I could hear traffic and the Garmin was telling it was on 500 metres before it wanted me to ‘turn right on to the highway’. That 500 metres took forever.

On the Bus Again

The Munda Biddi track from Northcliff to Walpole is apparently really tough. I had already decided to give that a miss and take the bus from Northcliff through to Walpole. It was cold and wet. I had a beer in the pub waiting for the bus.

As we approached Walpole I noticed a cyclist on the road.

I checked into the hostel. Like the in Albany there was hardly anyone staying there. The only place to get a meal was the pub. It looked pretty shabby, but the meal was very good.

I had decided to stay a day in Walpole.

Giant Tingle Tree

The main thing to see in Walpole is the Giant Tingle Tree. This is about 10 klms from town.   The Munda Biddi Track runs near the tree. This time I knew its symbol and was able to follow the trail. To get to the tree, you have to follow dirt road. I could see bike tyre marks in the dirt.

When I arrive at the park area where the Giant Tingle Tree is located, I came across the cyclist responsible for the tyre marks. We introduced ourselves and had a chat. She is a Dutch girl currently living in Kuala Lumpur. She was on a short holiday in WA and had decided to hire a bike to see the South West. We worked out that she had been the cyclist I had seen on the bus the day before. We checked out the tree and headed our separate ways. I rode back to Walpole.

Valley of the Giants

In the morning I head into the town centre for breakfast. I ran into the bloke with the Bob Trailer that I had met in Pemberton. He had ridden the Munda Biddi Track including “most of the Northcliff to Walpole leg”. He said it was really tough and had “ridden on the highway for the last 30 or so kilometers because of the sand”.

I head off to the next stop which was the ‘Valley of the Giants’ – very big trees. This park is about 10 klms off the highway.

When I got to the park I noticed the Dutch girl’s bike. As I was buying my tickets she arrived after doing the ‘Tree Top Walk’ through the trees. We had another chat before she headed off towards Bow Bridge.

I did the ‘Tree Top Walk’ through the Karri Trees and another walk through more Tingle Trees. Check out the Flickr Link

On a Very Tough Rail Trail

Not far from Bow Bridge, I came across the Dutch cyclist yet a again. We stopped for a very late lunch in a rather interesting café. It had a pool with Marron – very large freshwater crayfish.

There is a rail trail into Denmark from the place where we had stopped. It took a bit of finding but we did find and decided to give it a go.   Some of it was very overgrown and sandy. At one point I almost ran over a Tiger Snake. My language was a bit on the ‘French’ side. It was late in the day the snake appeared to be asleep.

The trail improved as we continued. However we came to a point where it was ‘closed’ and we were forced on to highway. The last 14 kilometres in the dark seemed to take forever.  We found the hostel, check in and headed off to the pub for dinner.

Day in Denmark

The Dutch cyclist headed off for Albany to catch the bus to Perth and her plane back to KL.

I spent the day in Denmark dealing with ‘administrative stuff’ including the ATO. They were very good.

Ride into Albany

The ride into Albany was mainly on the Munda Biddi Track. A lot of it was very close to the highway, but it is a good single track with not much sand.

It was great to finally arrive in Albany

Flickr Link

https://flic.kr/s/aHsk6qX4rk

 

Garmin Links

Permberton to Northcliff

http://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/637035961

Around Walpole

http://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/637596387

Walpole t Denmark

http://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/638903257

NB Whole route not plotted

Denmark to Albany

http://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/640034430

Augusta and Pemberton

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Cape Leeuwin

To Augusta

I quite liked Margaret River. It is easy to see why it is so popular with Western Australians and other visitor.

I was a bit slow leaving the camping ground due to the need to do some washing. I am so undomesticated.

I had a good breakfast at the Blue Ginger café over the road. It is one of those places that has the right formula for a café. These independent cafes are so much better than the chains like Hudson’s or worse still – Starbucks.

Bike path to the beach

It is a fair way from Margaret River to the nearest beach at Provelly.   There is a bike path which is good to see.

I decided to take the Caves Road to Augusta. This is one of only two options. The other is the Bussell Highway. The Caves Road was not too crowded given it was a Monday.

The road passes through some great countryside with some spectacularly tall Karri trees.

Snake

At one point I came across a Tiger snake. Apparently the Tiger snakes in WA are not as aggressive as those in Tasmania. This one seemed to confirm that and simply slivered off into the bush.

Augusta a bit quiet

It was quite late when I finally made it into Augusta. The place seemed deserted. I had a long chat with the owner for the hostel. He hailed from Leeds and had married a local girl. It seemed that business wasn’t too good and they it up for sale. It seems that a lot of tourist businesses are suffering in WA.

I headed off to the pub for a meal. The meal was ok , but the place was freezing.

Lighthouse

In the morning I headed out to the Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse. I like lighthouses for some reason. They are typically in an interesting spot. Some like this one are at extreme points.

This one is where the Southern and Indian Oceans meet. Others I have been too in Australia have included: Point Otway (the most Southerly point on the mainland) Cape Byron (the most Easterly point) and the Tasman Lighthouse on the east coast of Tasmania.

The tour of the lighthouse was interesting.

Bus to Pemberton

The owner of the hostel had told me that the ride from Augusta to Pemberton was “ long and boring”.   I decided to take the bus.

Back at the hostel I met an American women who was also travelling to Pemberton. She is a musician living in Amsterdam.

As it turned out, we were the only passengers on the bus. The driver was a real character. He is an Italian who had lived in Perth for more than 35 years. He still has a very strong Italian accent and is very amusing.

We arrived into Pemberton a bit late due to a problem with the suspension on the bus. The hostel turned out to be am old Timber cutters cottage. It is great.

Tram

I spent the day In Pemberton. I has good community services centre with free WiFi for seniors over 50. One of the benefits of getting old.

One of the tourist attractions is a tram that runs on part of the old railway line from Pemberton to Northcliff. I was a bit of fun.

One the old people staying in the hostel was a bloke who had ridden the Munda Biddi Track from Perth. He said it was very tough. He looked at my bike with the five bags and the ‘slick’ front tyre and said “you will struggle”. He had a ‘Bob Trailer’ and was carrying bugger all.

Flickr Links

https://flic.kr/s/aHsk6g3R4x

https://flic.kr/s/aHsk6cDUE9

Garmin Links

To Augusta

http://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/634789733

Cape Leeuwin

http://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/635889424

South to Margaret River

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SW Australia

Down the Coast to Margret River

Slow to get going

It look me a while to leave South Fremantle. I had a long breakfast in a café which is part of a very up market apartment and housing development on the beach. The places look good, but being so close to the beach they are likely to suffer serious maintenance problems in the future.

All the staff in the café seemed to be from the UK on working holidays. They were very chatty and very efficient.

Seemingly endless Suburbia

I had decided to stick to the coast. The route took me on quiet roads or bike paths. Most of the bike paths are shared footpaths. It is good to see that the local councils see fit to allow bikes of these paths. It is necessary given there are so many bogans on the roads.

Fremantle seems to simply merge into Rockingham. There is suburb after suburb of single story houses with the occasional four to six level apartment block. There is a lot of new construction going on.

Big Industry

Just north of Rockingham I passed the Aloca Aluminum smelter. This is seriously big industry.

Mandurah

It was late when I arrived in Mandurah. Because WA has decided not to have daylight saving it was also dark. I decided to stay in a hotel or motel. I was stunned to find that they nearly all had ‘No Vacancy’ signs.

I finally found a Motel with a vacancy. The manageress told me I was lucky to get a room as they had just had a cancelation. The place was full because of the Iron Man Race the next day.

In the morning I headed down to the Marina area along the roads closed for the race.

I found a nice café and settled in for a long breakfast the turned into lunch. It was a good opportunity to Skype with friends and relatives.

Iron People

I decided to stay in Mandurah and headed to the camping ground which is about 5 klms east of the town.

Two of my neighbours had competed in the Iron Man Race. One was a bloke in his late 30’s. He was a fireman and had done many of these races – full and half races. The full race involves a 2klm swim, 180 klm bike ride and 42 klm run. The ‘half’ is, as you would expect, is half that.

The other was a woman in her late 50’s. She had only done one ‘full’ race, but a number of ‘halfs’. They both said that the hardest part of these races is the training. I can imagine it is. They both said you have to train for long periods on each discipline for at least 4 months before the race. A big issue is controlling your food intake when you stop.

Boring Day and Flat Tyre

The next stop was Binningup. This was not a very interesting ride.

I stopped briefly a café about 30 klms from my destination. A fellow cyclist dropped in travelling north. He turned out to be a young German bloke who had ridden from Melbourne across the Nullabour. He was having a “quiet day and only doing 130klms”.

As I turned onto the road into Binningup, the bike started to wobble. I had a flat tyre. This was hardly surprising given the amount of glass on the road. The only other place I have seen so much glass in in London on a Sunday morning.

I had to walk the last klm or so into the camping ground. By this time the only shop in town was closed. I had an early night.

Fixing a puncture with the Rolhoff is a bit of a pain. There is a locking mechanism that keeps the hub steady. This requires the wheel to be pushed into the frame at a particular angel. If you don’t get the angel right it won’t lock in. It is sods law that it won’t go in went you are nowhere near a bike shop. I think my swearing could be heard in Perth.

Bunbury

With the tyre fixed, I head off to Bunbury.

Just north of Bunbury is a place called Australind. This yet another piece of surburbia.

I decided to stay at a backpackers in Bunbury. The room was small but clean.

Bunbury is a curious mixture of the old and new. It was an old whaling town and is now famous for its dolphin centre and whale watching. There are a number of new building that look completely out of place next to the old stuff.

On reflection I am not sure why I stayed an extra day there.

Busselton and another Flat Tyre

South Bunbury there is yet more suburbia. I tried to stay of the highway, if I could.

For the most part this worked ok. A one point the tarmac road I was on turned to dirt. It then turned to sand. I was impossible to ride on this stuff.

A bloke in a 4WD came towards me. I asked him how much longer the sand lasted. He said “about one klm”. I am going to buy real estate of that bloke. I must have been at least 3 klms. Tough going.

As I rode into Busselton the bike started to wobble again. Another bloody puncture.

I checked into a hotel that had apartment accommodation. I was quiet good – two storey one bed room apartment.

I had noticed a bike shop around the corner. I also had a coffee shop – a good combination.  I decided to replace the rear tyre with a knoby. I will need that when I finally get on to the Munda Biddi Trail.

I checked out the Busselton Pier. It is very long

Dunsborough

The ride down the coast to Dunsborough was all bike track. I like that.

The camping ground is about 3 klms south of the town. There a lot of permanent residents. Some of them looked a bit miserable.

I had a couple of beers and a meat pie at Occy’s Brewery Restaurant. The beers were really good. It was freezing in the tent that night.

In the morning I had a very expensive, but very good, breakfast in town. The owner is a Thai girl with the perfect personality for hospitality.

Margaret River

Options for getting from Dunsborough to Margaret River are limited.

I decided to chance the Caves Rd. It is very narrow in parts.

I stopped off at the Checky Monkey Brewery. This is a very popular place. The IPA was very good. The Pilsners was only Ok. You can’t beat the real Czech stuff.

I arrived in Margaret River late in the afternoon. My neighbours in the camping ground were a young couple – she was Canadian and he was from near Albury. He was amazed that I knew of his hamlet – Bungowannah.

I went to the Settlers pub to listen to a live band and watch England play South Africa in the Rugby. I didn’t stay up the watch Australia get beaten by France.

Flickr Link

https://flic.kr/s/aHsk5yDqgZ

Garmin Links

Mandurah

http://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/628652108

Binningup

http://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/630688026

Bunbury

http://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/630912455

Busselton

http://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/632524333

Dunsborough

http://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/633688102

Margaret River

http://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/633688124

Fremantle

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Fremantle

I stayed in Perth much longer than expected. I will post about that more later.

Thanks to the generosity of my London host’s brother, I was able to off load some stuff at rather snazzy apartment in West Perth. That involved an interesting chat about the events in Albany to commemorate the departure of the ANZAC force to WWI. I look forward to hearing more about that event. I suspect that my opinion of the our Prime Minister will not improve.

Down the River

The bike trail took me down the Swan River. There is a large development being built between the Perth CBD and the river. Hopefully this will bring the two together. It seems that Perth as city, has not taken advantage of the Swan River at all.

The path took me past the University of Western Australia in Crawley (I always thought it was in Nedlands). This is a nice part of the world.

Onto the Bike Path

The route then took me on the bike path that runs parallel to the train to Fremantle. This line is very popular, which is a bit of an achievement in a such a car dependent city such as Perth.

Unfortunately the path does not go all the way to Fremantle and you a thrown onto  the road. I was ‘tooted’ at 5 times leading into Perth. I am certain these were not ‘toots’ of the encouragement. There is a sizable bogan element in WA.

Chatting at Little Creatures

I stopped off at the Little Creature Brewery for a beer and a meal. It was quite a happening place for a Wednesday night.

I had a chat will an American woman who is “now a FreeO”. She told me that she has some friends form Colorado who are planning to ride a tandem across the Nullarbor to Perth. I suspect that they will be heading into the wind.

I also had a chat will a bloke who told me that he was a teacher in Broome in the mid 70’s. He had a lot to say. The person looking after my stuff in Perth should  to speak to this bloke in the context of  the museum upgrade being planned for Broome. He had some “wild west’ stories.

Remembering the Coupe

There is a VW Combie Utility outside one of the Little Creatures buildings. It is a bit older than a model I owned from 1979 to 1984. I bought it off my Dad for $10, and used to joke that I paid $9 too much.

Friends nick named it the coupe – in reference to sports cars, which it was clearly not. There are lots of stories about the ‘coupe’ that I will post one day. One involves being pulled up on the Yarra Glen Freeway in Canberra the night before I was to leave of a Foreign Affair trip to India. The Policeman was totally confused to say the least.

Back in the Tent

It was dark by the time I got to the camping ground at South Beach.

Fremantle Goal

I decided to stay an extra day in Fremantle to check out the Gaol. It is an interesting place.  As the guide explained, its history has two parts – one as a convict prison up until the 1870’s and the second as a ‘modern’ prison up until 1991.

It is difficult to believe that that it was still in operation up until 1991.  That is a true indictment of the State Governments since WWII, if not before.

Flickr Link

https://flic.kr/s/aHsk5SbyzN

Garmin Link

http://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/627370982

Cervantes

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Cervantes

Cervantes and the Pinnacles

I left for Cervantes from Geraldton around 2 in the afternoon.

The land between the two towns is pretty nondescript.

Chatty Teacher

I was told by a lady on the bus that the Hostel was not far from the Truckshop where the bus stopped.

I headed off down the road unto I came to an intersection. I saw ‘Tavern’ written of the roof of a building and assumed that would be the centre of town and headed towards it.

As I walked, a young girl came towards me on bicycle. I asked her if “the hostel was down this way” ? She said no. “you are heading the wrong way”. I thought how is it possible to get lost in such a small town?

She offered to take me to the Hostel. She told me that she was a Primary School teacher in the nearby town of Jurien Bay. I must be getting really old. She didn’t look long out of Primary School herself, let alone High School or University.  She told her name was Tara.

Tara asked me a ‘1,000 questions’ as we walked. I she told me that she wanted to travel the world too, and that working in this part of WA was good in that “there was nothing to spend your money on as long as you don’t go to Perth”.

Not Much Happens in Cervantes

Tara was right about Cervantes. The Tavern was closed permanently. There are three places that serve food at night – the Bowling Club, a restaurant in the Motel and the Truck Shop.

Let’s put it this way: it is in a place like this that you appreciate that there is distinction between being served food and eating food.

A long way from Holland

Next morning I had a chat with the wife of the husband and wife team that run the hostel. She is Dutch. I said “you are a long way from home”. She rolled her eyes and said “tell me about it”.

She went onto tell me that she came to WA over 20 years and worked in Port Headland before moving to Cervantes.  She said that she “never expected to stay, but here I am”.

The Pinnacles

I had expected that there would be some sort of transport from Cervantes to ‘The Pinnacles’ which is ‘the’ tourist attraction in the area.

My Dutch friend told me that here is company that is planning to start tours from Jurien Bay, however, they have not started yet. Like the towns further north, Cervantes has been hit by the down turn in the tourist industry. The high costs caused by the mining booming and the related high AUD have driven many tourists away.

She suggested that I ask if anyone was heading to The Pinnacles  could be give me a lift. The other option was to ride a bike. She offered to lend me a bike.  I took off the offer of a bike.

I rode to a café for breakfast. I chatted to one of the staff about getting to The Pinnacles. A women overheard the conversation and said she could help. She was travelling with her husband, daughter, grandson, mother and dogs. She said that they could not take the dogs to The Pinnacles. As a result they would be making two trips. She said they would be more than happy to take me on first trip.

I went to The Pinnacles with the husband, daughter and grandson. It is very interesting place.

Check out the Flickr Link and Wikipedia Link

Stromatolites

The other interesting thing in Cervantes is the Stromatoles in Lake Thetis. These are one of the earliest form of life.

The ones in Lake Tetis are not was extensive as the ones in Hamelin Pool in Shark Bay, but they are there.

I rode the borrowed bike there.

Flickr Link

https://flic.kr/s/aHsk55iAx8

The Pinnacles Link

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pinnacles_(Western_Australia)

Stromatolites Link

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stromatolite

Geraldton

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Geraldton

Geraldton

I caught the TransWA bus from Kalbarri to Geraldton. I was probably the youngest person on the bus by about a decade. It is possible to age considerably waiting for this bus, they so infrequently.

First impressions of Geraldton were not good. The bus stopped at the railway station. It has ceased to operate as a railway station ages ago. The walk to the Foreshore Backpackers took me past the Law Courts and Police station. A number of people hanging about looked like customers of both, with the next stop being gaol.

I checked into the Backpackers. It turned out to be a surprisingly good place. I was an old hotel – a bit run down but clean and a bit quirky. My room was small, but with all the facilities you need.

I headed off for a walk around the town. The ‘city centre’ is a rather strange place with a mixture of closed shops, a very large vacant tower, a brand shopping centre not far from the main street, some interesting little shops and cafes.

Really Good Museum

I walked along the beach to the Museum. This is really good.

I got into a conversation with the staff. I know one of the Managers at the WA Museum. He has responsibility for the regional museums including this one. I mentioned his name. He is obviously a highly regarded and liked Manager.

The Museum has a really good exhibit on HMAS Sydney II. This warship was sunk by the German ship, the Kormoran in rather strange circumstances in WWII. The wrecks of the ships were discovered in 2008. Check out the link below.

Monument

There is also a Memorial commemorating the loss of the HMAS Sydney II on the hill overlooking Geraldton. It has an interesting dome. It is however, an appropriately somber place.

Cathedral

There is also a major cathedral in the town – St Francis Xavier Cathedral. It is places like this that highlight the population decline in these country towns and the decline in religious observance.

Chat About LA

I had a look chat to the middle aged couple that owned the hostel. They were interested in my travels and had recently been to Los Angeles and elsewhere on the west coast of the USA.

I was interested to hear their views on LA. They were amazed “how dirty it was and the apparent absence of any decent public space”.   They thought Venice Beach was “third world”.  In short, the only place they “thought was any good was the Getty Center”.

Good Meals and Funny Banter between Musos

I had a couple of good meals in Geraldton. One was at a Wine Bar place opposite the hostel.

On the night I was there a Kiwi girl was singing a playing the guitar. She was quite good. At one point a young pommie bloke asked if he could join her.   He chatted with her for a bit and they started playing the the Stones – ‘You Can’t Always Get What Want’. He was really good.   After they had finished she told him the he was fantastic and would he like to join her on the road. He replied, “sorry no”. She replied that’s disappointing. He replied ‘You Can’t Always Get What Want’. Everyone in the crowd thought that was very funny.

Not a Bad Place

I left thinking Geraldton is not a bad place.

Flickr Link

https://flic.kr/s/aHsk5BCbpd

About HMAS Sydney II

http://museum.wa.gov.au/explore/sydney

Kalbarri National Park

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Kilbarra

Kalbarri

It is only 180 klms from the Overlander Roadhouse to Ajana, which is where there is a turnoff the Kalbarri.

The owners of the Hostel in Kalbarri also run the transfer service. This is a tough gig in that it is an hour’s run each way and the buses, travelling North and South, pass through Ajana around 1 and 3 in the morning.

The bloke who picked us up was part of the husband, wife and daughter team that own and operate the hostel. His wife is also the Principal of the local school.

The daughter is planning to take her holidays in Iceland in January. A bit of a contrast to Kalbarri.

Not the Best Time to Buy a Hostel

He told me that they bought the hostel just a couple of months before the GFC.   As a result of that and the high AUD, there occupancy rates have never been back to the levels the former owners achieved.

Wallabies Piped in the Dying Minutes

I watched the Wallabies loose their last Bledisloe Cup match. I was the only person watching the match. These Sandgropers are only interested in Aussie Rules.

How stuffed is the ARU?????

Kalbarri National Park

I tried to book an Adventure Tour of Kalbarri National Park. I was cancelled because I was the only one that booked. It is a tough old business being a tour operator here.

In the end I hired a car and drove out to the National Park. It is well worth a visit. Check out the flickr pics. It recommended you walk down to the river.

The coastline either side of Kalbarri arriving is also pretty spectacular.

No Mood for Night Buses

I discovered that TransWA operates a day time bus from Kalbarri to Geraldton. That suits me. I booked it and headed into Geraldton on Tuesday.

 

Flickr Link

https://flic.kr/s/aHsk4VFHKe

Garmin Link

http://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/616535930

Monkey Mia

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Monkey Mia

Shark Bay and Monkey Mia

The bus leaves Coral Bay at about 8.00 p.m. The next stop was the Overlander Road House. You have to get a transfer from there to Denham which is the main town on Shark Bay.

Basil Faulty’s Nephew

I was the find out later that the transfer service to Shark Bay, and a similar arrangement from the main road into Kalbarri, is the subject of a completive Tender run by the WA Public Transport Authority. This is obviously part of their public service obligations.

To book a transfer, you have to ring a bloke called Mike on his mobile phone. I called the day before the bus was leaving Coral Bay. I was told:” I may be not be running, you have to give 24 hours’ notice”. I told him that I knew of two Irish girls that would also need a lift. He told me to ring back.

I found the Irish girls in a restaurant.   They had called and they “didn’t understand what he had said”.   I called Mike again and was told: “f##ck off, I am trying to sleep”.

As it turned out an employee of Integrity Buses was on the bus to The Overlander. She was made aware of our experiences with Mike. I wish him the best of luck with the next competitive tender.

Into Denham

As turned out, Mike’s driver was at the Overlander Roadhouse was there to pick up at around midnight. It is about an hour’s ride by a Landcruiser into Denham.

On the way he stopped on the pretext of showing the Irish girls the “amazing sky”, which is fully of vivid stars. This is due to the lack of pollution and the absence of any other light. The reality was he wanted to have a cigarette.

Monkey Mia

Next day we took another Landcruiser across to Monkey Mia. The Irish girls had been having difficulty coming to terms with the costs in WA. These added transfers only added to their misery.

We arrived in Monkey Mia in time to watch the feeding of the Dolphins. This is a major attraction. If you are into Dolphins I suggest taking a sea kayak out from the Main Beach at Byron Bay.

Glam Camping

There is not an enormous amount to do in Monkey Mia. I booked into a trip on catamaran. As I waited for the trip to start, I got into conversation with some fellow oldies.   They turned out to be on a very upmarket adventure tour. There were a couple from Mansfield in NW Victoria, a woman from Melbourne and another old bloke with a young Chinese wife.

It turned out that the bloke with the young wife was a photographer and the he was taking photos and videos for promotional material for the tour company. The others were ‘models’ and were being paid to go on the trip.

It was an interesting chat.

Photographer was one those ‘rusted on’ Coalition supporters who could find fault in all the Labor Party Governments have done including; “selling of the Commonwealth Bank and QANTAS and the floating of the AUD”.

Shotover Catamaran

The catamaran – the’ Shotover’ – is a former racer. It is seriously fast. Check out the Garmin link.

The trip is out into Shark Bay with the expectation of seeing Dugong and Dolphins. We saw two of the former (check out the pic of brown blob) and none of the latter.

Back to the Overlander Road House

The Irish girls and I headed back to Denham to get the 4WD back to the Overlander for another late night trip south the Ajana. Where were met by another Transit service to take us into Kalbarri.

 Garmin Link

http://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/614590884

Flickr Link

https://flic.kr/s/aHsk5t535j