Pearly Shells (Kalbarri to Monkey Mia, WA)

Kalbarri, on our day of departure, couldn't decide what weather to offer. Wind. Showers. Sunshine. It was like being in Melbourne. Nah, it wasn't that sad a situation and the pies were better.

The neighbours commenced moving out around, I don't know, it was dark. We managed to crawl out of bed to the news of an Ashes victory. Well done team. Especially Alex Carey and Captain Pat for the Bairstow dismissal. This will keep the Colonial Masters whingeing for a generation. However, I digress. Bags packed and stowed, we checked out and went straight to the Red Bluff Bakery for a breakfast pie. Today ... success. Good pies. I shall return. A pity they can't manage to serve coffee in a proper cup. Not letting it go.

The drive today is around 4 hours straight through but we have things still to investigate in the National Park before we hit the big road. First stop is Hawke's Head Lookout.

Hawke's Head Lookout

Another amazing spot above the Murchison River. It's making me itch to be out bushwalking. On the drive in, we spotted numerous emus and wallabies. Happily they remained where they were.

This 'walk' was classed as 1. Sealed all weather surface all the way. Luxury. The walk was only a few hundred metres from the car park. Did we take rain protection? No. Did it rain? Yes. Enough to send us back to the shelter. The wind was moving the clouds so quickly it wasn't going to last, and didn't, but it was enough to make us moist. OK, damp.

Rain cleared, it was back down the path. The colours of this country are so unfamiliar to me. The depth and variety of the red soil is incredible. And the river as a contrast, blue and green, depending on depth of the water and the reflective sky. It is stunning and awe inspiring. And while I'd love to walk it, I think of it from ground level and wonder how the First Australians navigated the landscape. Respect.

The head of the hawke is visible to the left.

We were pretty much the only people here although numbers increased as we were leaving. The experience is so much better without the hordes of school holidays and the sullen teenagers and whining children.

Ross Graham Lookout

A kilometre or so down the road was the Ross Graham Lookout. Apparently a Class 3 walk. What a joke. Reasonably level, sound under foot, well signposted. I wonder how they would rate some of the tracks I've walked.

Again, a gentle wander from the car park to an area overlooking the magnificent Murchison. It provided easy access to the river for day trips and picnics, although I'm sure I cold manufacture an overnighter out of sight of the day trippers. The landscape here is so different from other parts of the river. The red of the soil was not nearly evident and it was in between gorges.

Ross Graham was the first teacher in Kalbarri and died at the tender age of 30 in 1967. He was known and respected for his love of the environment and was a great champion of the area in general. 

Coincidentally, Ross Graham is also the name of a family friend. Photos and text were sent to him to let him know we were thinking of him and Lesley (his wife).

Back on the road for the longer section of the drive. There was not much in the way of wildlife except goats, goats and more goats. Alive, in reasonable numbers and not as much as roadkill, sadly. The next break would be to see the stromatolites at Hamelin Pool.

Hamelin Pool Stromatolites

Finally we reached the turn at Overland Roadhouse. Excitement plus. The trip was easy, the road was straight, and consequently there were plenty of opportunities to pass the ubiquitous caravans/trailers. Even when some idiots were driving in convoy with insufficient space between vehicles.

We turned left towards our final destination but with a couple of stops in between. The first was at Hamelin Pool, the stromatolites. Life is too short for to explain what they are, so google it. Anyway, every sign showing a turn off to said 'attraction' had a very large, handwritten NO adhered to it. Every sign. Curious. Have the living fossils been removed? Surely such an act of vandalism would have the news on the east coast. I mean, they have an hour for news and only devote about 12 minutes to reporting it.

Maybe the road was closed. WA Roads would have had that signposted. So we continued and with every signposted 'NO', our curiosity grew. We turned off toward Telegraph and the stromatolites, and the road was fine. There was traffic coming back from the other direction. On we went.

We reached the car park. There were other cars there, a shelter with the usual explanations for the area and the attraction you are about to see. So we walked down to the beach. And there it was.

Despite brochures and information everywhere. NO!

Apparently cyclone Seroja wiped out the viewing platform in 2021 and it was scheduled for reconstruction and reopening in 2022. In front of our eyes were a fence and a sign saying NO access - subject to fines. The viewing platform looks as demolished as it did immediately after Seroja struck 2 years ago. Our tourist brochure said it was open. The RAC magazine, June/July 23 edition, lists it as place to visit because the viewing platform makes for easy access. Poor form WA. Lift your game.

I mean, to be honest, they're not that interesting anyway.

Back in the car an onward. Disappointment behind us.

Shell Beach

Shells as far as the eye can see.

A little further down the road. Ok, a 30 minute drive or so. The name says it all. Shell beach is a beach made of cockle shells that stretches for 60 kms at a depth of up to 10 metres. White shells that can be absolutely blinding in full sun. The shells have been used to build local buildings in Denham. Signs warn against visitors helping themselves to the shells so 21st century constructions cannot make use of this product. Instead the crunchy shells are left to build up and provide a dazzling white contrast to the pristine soft blue waters of the L'haridon Bight sanctuary.

A hand model happened past and offered to pose.

At the eastern end of the beach, at one of the narrowest points of the peninsula, a fence has been constructed that spans the width of the land and extends into the ocean on either side. This has been built to keep out introduced predators like cats and goats and consequently, without the threat of these feral species, the native wildlife has started to regenerate. Mind you, the fence is open at the roadway but a cattle grid supposedly acts as a barrier at this point.

They were serious - I thought.

Obviously the shell beach inspired today's title, Pearly Shells by Burl Ives, in case it has slipped past you. Too young? Google it.

Eagle Bluff

Last stop before Denham was Eagle Bluff. The road in is sealed all the way, despite the travel brochures saying otherwise. Sealed, except for the car park where we wrangled with a mach 4WD unsurprisingly attempting the roundabout in the wrong direction. After a brief stand-off, I parked in one of the last spots.

Not a creature was stirring....

The Bluff is a high cliff that overlooks shallows that extend out to a small island and sea grass beds that feed an estimated 10,000 dugongs (10% of the world's population). A boardwalk and viewing platforms have been built along the cliff top and viewers can glimpse turtles, sharks, rays and dugongs in the shallows. We, however, did not see a single creature stirring while we were there because we were too intent on not being blown into the bay. 

Denham and Monkey Mia

Denham is not the nicest place to be when the wind is howling. Today it would blow a brown dog off a chain. We drove in to buy some supplies, cheese and biscuits and so forth because we didn't really know what to expect at Monkey Mia.

One of the locals.

The wind continued and brought the occasional shower of rain. Just unpleasant, so we checked out the shopping precinct and returned to the safety and warmth of the car.

Monkey Mia is about 30 minutes drive from Denham. Aside from the dolphins, what is at Monkey Mia you ask, dear reader? Nothing. The RCA "Resort" is it. A monopoly on food, drink, entertainment, accommodation. They own the lot and charge an extra fee to be there, on top of the National Park Pass and your accommodation and all the other incidentals. Nice.

Approaching sunset

First impressions were not good. Unfettered, unbridled screaming children everywhere. It is, a glorified tourist park with some expensive accommodation. There are a couple of food options and at both venues are also bars. The view from our room is beautiful but at the moment, I'm feeling tired and thinking this was not a good choice. Maybe some food and a couple of glasses of wine will soften my stance.

Stock standard sunset photo.

For this first night, we opted for take-away pizzas to accompany our own wine on the balcony of our unit to watch the sun go down.

All the photos at Monkey Mia have been taken from our balcony.

Until tomorrow.

DCX3 (Kalbarri, WA)

Dinner was an interesting affair. The bus group that inhabited most of the restaurant were celebrating Christmas in July. It's not a concept that resonates with me and, in Kalbarri in July, it wasn't cold. In fact I've endured colder December days in Sydney. The food was fine, expensive but fine; not that it would necessarily be my first choice, should I return. However, even in school holidays, options were limited as we soon discovered.

The next morning was not the sunshine promised by my weather app. It was already cloudy which meant the Pink Lake or Hutt Lagoon, as it is properly known, would not be at its best. It also cast further doubt on the sunset cruise going ahead.

The local bakery, Red Bluff Bakery Café was fêted for its wares and coffee on some website Jayne had been using, so breakfast there en route to the lake was the plan. They were sold out of plain pies so we settled for a $6 sausage roll. Quite tasty. Am I out of touch, dear reader, or is that a tad pricey? And the coffee? Served in cardboard cups with a sippy lid. Two of my pet hates. Good coffee requires a proper cup. No coffee for me.

The Pink Lake

The view from the road to Kalbarri.

We drove past the Pink Lake on the way in to Kalbarri last evening. It was just on sunset and probably would have produced some spectacular photographs, but I was keen to get off the road, away from wandering animals, so we didn't stop. The road was punctuated by road kill, a black cat, kangaroos, wallabies and un upturned car.

Cloud kills the colour

The drive back takes around 35 minutes and during this time the sun came and went. We spotted a kangaroo, but it was far enough away not to be a concern. The cloud was moving fast in blustery conditions, signalling a change in weather.

Colouring up with a break in the clouds.

There were plenty of cars in the 'car park' and a bus, which meant the sand strip along the lake was crowded. The high ground, which afforded better views, was not so. Although we had an excellent vantage point the cloud really dulled the impact of the salt crystals that provide the colour. It was definitely pink, but looks blindingly fairy floss pink in full sun. They should have launched the Barbie movie here, there is more pink than the Barbie aisle at K-Mart. I'd come back to see it on a clear day, as it is quite startling and not something I've seen before.

An arty shot from Jayne.

On the drive back toward Kalbarri we passed the dead black cat for the third time which made today's title choice simple. DCX3 or Dead Cat Three Times by Grinspoon what a great rock band.

Bigurda Trail: Natural Bridge and Island Rock

The rest of the day was focused on the natural environment and we turned our trusty Camry back towards Kalbarri. After a short period of time second guessing how quickly the fuel would run down, I gambled that we had sufficient to stop and explore a couple of sights before heading back into town.

The clouds were being ripped across the sky by this time as the wind increased. A boardwalk on the edge of the coastal cliff overlooking the Indian Ocean was always going to be an interesting experience. The road in to these 'natural wonders' has recently been sealed. 

Island Rock

Car parked, we made our way to the first lookout point that provided views of Castle Cove and Island Rock. I'm not sure it was worth the walk to be honest. While the view was dramatic again, the colours were muted by the cloud. Undeterred we walked towards the other lookout to discover that we were gifted with a view of Island Rock from the northern side. About face, down the boardwalk to the southernmost point where Natural Bridge was the attraction.

Given the velocity of the wind and the sand that was providing us with a face exfoliation, we are not certain Natural Bridge is going to be a tourist hot spot for long.

Natural Bridge

In all seriousness, the walk along the cliff top was an attraction in itself. The two manufactured sights are really quite an embarrassment. It's like a little brother trying to outdo the elder, or some sort of animal competitive thing you'd see on a David Attenborough program. WA is bigger than Texas with plenty to offer, it doesn't need to 'create' attractions.

Point in case - whales. They were just doing their thing flopping about in the water. The assumption is that they are juvenile humpbacks.

Once again the car was pointed toward Kalbarri, this time for petrol before heading to the Kalbarri National Park. Incidentally, I'm averaging 5.4litres per 100km in the hybrid Camry. Pretty good given all the highway driving.

Kalbarri National Park 

First stop was the Skywalk. As the name suggests, this is a boardwalk that has been constructed by combining steel and sandtone to create two cantilevered viewing platforms that protrude out into the gorge, 100 metres above the Murchison River. The walkway provides a canvass for first nations Nanda artists to tell visitors about their Dreaming and the Beemarra Serpent, central to their country. It is also an opportunity to educate tourists about the local fauna and for some truth telling about the post-colonial treatment of the Nanda people.

The Skywalk structure boasts a capability of 1000 kgs per square metre of the steel mesh platforms - it is said to provide a thrilling experience and great photo ops of the gorge. Not so thrilling, if you are not comfortable looking through the mesh under your feet at the gorge floor 100 metres below you while the "sturdy world class engineering marvel" sways and sings in the strong WA winds....

Anyway, for your enjoyment, the less than thrilled intrepid photographer ignored the dangers and took the stunning shots of the gorge and the river before we moved on to the next walk in the Kalbarri National Park.

In WA, all walks are classed 1-4; a different rating system to NSW. The Skywalk was a class 1 walk - wheelchair accessible. There was some discussion about next going to Nature's Window, a much celebrated photo spot but this was rated a higher class walk so the decision was made to hold that over till next time.

Instead, we headed to the Z Bend Lookout Trail, a relatively short walk which was said to offer the most spectacular views of the park, showcasing the sheer gorge walls of iconic sandstone layers that are synonymous with this environment.

The walk also featured fossilised tracks made by the Eurypterid, a long extinct creature that looked a lot like a trilobite.

A model of the Eurypterid.

This was a Class 3 walk, the second most difficult. Yeah, nah. Too easy. It was clearly marked, had drainage channels and was stable underfoot. here was no scrambling or climbing. Too easy. Had I known I would perhaps have tackled Nature's Window, despite wearing jeans.

The fossilised tracks.

Meanarra Lookout

This lookout is outside of the park, on the drive back into town. We stopped and admired the 360° view but the wind had whipped up the sea spray to ensure the entire valley was covered in mist. No photo opportunity here as you can see.

On a clear day ... not today.

Despite the weather, the view is worth the short drive off the road and there are interactive points where Indigenous elders relate stories of the area. The wind and threat of rain sent us back to the car and The Edge to check on the viability of the sunset cruise.

Sunset Cruise and Pizza

No deal. For either. The weather was,  accurately described as foul by the cruise operator. It was off. As I put the phone down the drizzle turned to rain and the wind ratcheted up another notch. Not a afternoon to be on the water.

The reputedly best pizza in Kalbarri was a 3 minute walk from our accommodation. Once again a carefully researched destination. We arrived to the shop in utter darkness and a potential customer was sitting on the doorstep, surrounded by all her shopping bags of groceries. Shortly after, a car arrived and disgorged more potential pizza eaters. We stood and discussed the situation as the phone continued to ring inside.

The lady who was waiting when we arrived said this was not an uncommon event as there was illness within the family. To wait or retreat? The rain and wind settled it.

Plan B. Back to the resort, into the car and down to the jetty to the Jetty Seafood Shack. This turned out to be a masterstroke. Again the food was expensive but it was excellent. Certainly some of the best fish and chips we've had. We would most definitely return because of the quality of the food but also because we witnessed the staff breaking in a new worker. She was slightly under the pump at her station and she was frequently asked how she was going, was she okay, did she need a drink of water?  Nice to see them look after a newbie.

And that's about it. We watched the cricket - go Australia - tomorrow is a 4 hour drive without breaks, but there will be breaks.

Until next time.

Sonic (Perth to Kalbarri, WA)

The Murray Street strip continued to be party central. It reminded me of Kings Cross in Sydney (without the strippers) when Sydney still had a nightlife. The double glazing ensured we slept soundly and woke to a quiet Sunday morning. We decided to forego breakfast and get on the road as early possible. It's about a six hour drive to Kalbarri without stops and we have a number of stops planned, the first at Dan Murphy's. Prices for essentials, outside of the city, can be eye watering. And we needed champagne. Of course.

The car was parked across the street in a parking station. The walk up the stairwell was, well, pungent and puddled. Clearly Perth pubs and clubs don't have toilet facilities.

The freeway out to Uncle Dan's was a lovely stretch of road. If anyone in NSW or Victoria is wondering where their GST went after the Morrison deal, look no further than the road system in WA. It's all under construction.

We arrived at the bottle shop 5 minutes prior to opening time. Now that's a good look, hanging around outside Uncle Dan's waiting for the doors to open on a Sunday morning. Not that we are desperate, you understand....supplies purchased to avoid exorbitant prices heading North, we were walking back to the car when the unthinkable happened. The bottom of the box I was carrying gave way. One belligerent bottle made an escape attempt. A successful one. Only to be stymied by landing on its head and rolling to my feet. Unbroken! It's a miracle! The cap was damaged, and the contents looked like a sparkling (it was a Vasse Felix Classic White), but otherwise it was all good. Hopefully that is not all our good luck expended in one go!!!

Lancelin Sand Dunes

Next stop was Lancelin, home to WA's largest sand dunes. Now dear reader, I don't wish to be boastful, but we have climbed the largest sand dune in the world, in the South of France, in fact. Our southern hemisphere version just doesn't measure up. And in this case, size does matter.

While Declan was faithfully navigating us toward the sand people, his commentary became superfluous as the amount of sand being whipped into the air beckoned us forward. It was like light smoke in the air. We preferred to park on the street and walk the 300m into the carpark area. This is a celebrated WA recreation area, sand boarding, quad biking, 4 wheel driving, getting sand bogged, redneck spotting. The last was like shooting fish in a barrel - another concept that eludes my understanding.

Says it all really.

There were queues for the sand boards. There were queues for the quad bikes. There was no queue for the towing service - you had to phone them but they had conveniently put their phone number on a prominent sign, positioned immediately before the entry point. "Take a photo - you might need this number". We did see one macho-4WD thing being removed on the back of the trailer truck. Sadly they don't make the driver complete the walk of shame and trail behind his incapacitated vehicle.

Looks like a lot of fun.

Sand boarding looked like immense fun. Struggle all the way up a sand dune. Enjoy a 20 second ride. Collect more sand in orifices unnamed and struggle back up the dune. Repeat. Awesome. Quad bikes are just an accident waiting to happen and the 4WD drive cowboys get to act out a Ram ad. Be still my quaking heart.

Queues.

The wind was whipping the sand up to such an extent I thought I'd booked in for a defoliating treatment. The amount of airborne sand made it difficult to appreciate the beauty of the "largest sand dunes in WA". The wall-to-wall testosterone vehicles had nothing to do with it. Sand everywhere, as Leonardo's Bride informed us in Sonic from their Open sesame album of 2000.

I've always been fond of the expression "I'm not saying they're from the shallow end of the gene pool, but I can see sand". Well, there was a lot of sand today. Just saying.

At least when you climbed the dune in France, there was an epic view at the top (and stairs to climb to it).

The Pinnacles

Recently The Pinnacles featured on that bogan TV travel show on Channel 9. OK, it's become a guilty pleasure, but not for the reasons you might think. We believe Kevin and Janetta are channeling us. We'd be excellent travel companions for them.

This was our first National Park entry and we had pre-purchased a park pass before we left the safety of NSW. The car in front of us clearly hadn't and then decided to pay - in cash. Who does that in 2023? To enable this momentous moment, people in all parts of their over-compensating 4WD had to scour pockets and search purses. And then, the driver, wearing a broad brimmed hat in the car, wanted to chat to the attendant. Not for the first time, I wished I had some James Bond style attachments to my car. It was just inconsiderate. Cars steadily built up behind us and he chatted on regardless. Thankfully we never saw them again because they drove the circuit rather than getting out of the air conditioned environmental destroyer they were sitting in.

Anyway, on to more important matters, that is, the Pinnacles themselves. We ventured into this part of the Nambung National Park, ready to feel underwhelmed, given the name promises so much! And we weren't disappointed. It was underwhelming, expansive and overcrowded. Not just by 4WDs, also by people and people with drones, breaking the law by using the annoying, buzzing, expensive toys. Drones are the new generation's selfie-stick. I despise drones more. Noisy, invasive, illegal. They were banned on the south island in New Zealand, good work there.

The Pinnacles are unique formations of limestone pillars that have been exposed by coastal winds eroding the ubiquitous WA sand dunes. They are testimony to the ever-evolving maritime/desert dance that has formed the current WA landscape. They are worth visiting, but the name suggests so much more than the experience of walking through them delivers. It is interesting but it is not the apex of what will be the take home memories of WA.

The Lobster Shack

Bet that heading got your attention. We had a choice of places to have breakfast - yes, that is correct, we have yet to eat today. There was choice. The Jurien Bakery or the Lobster Shack. The later was recommended to me and it had the word lobster in it so Jayne was sold.

Again we leave the highway and drive to the edge of the country. While the Lobster Shack was easily found, easily enough to drive past, the actual entrance to the 'restaurant' wasn't so obvious. After driving to the end of the street and turning around to locate the car park, behind a colourbond fence, we struggled to find the actual 'restaurant'. We found the kids' play area, the gift shop, other lost tourists, and eventually the 'restaurant'. Simple. 

It looks like an entrance, but no, it's not.

Not so much. Where do you order? Are there menus? It was crowded. The first Sunday of school holidays. The end of normal lunch service. Unfettered, unbridled, unrestrained children underfoot everywhere. It was heaven.

We found the bar. No deal. Driving much further today. Someone pointed us to where you order where we found another couple who were equally confused. Together we found the menu. It was an interesting mix of things I'd never order and options I wanted to sit and savour. No deal. Driving. Also it wasn't cheap.

After much discussion about how it is against the law to hurt unrestrained children. No, sorry wrong discussion. After much discussion we opted for a lobster roll. Not particularly surprising given our time constraints, the choices and the massive number of children. Did I mention it was school holidays? And they weren't even fun kids, you know, the ones to watch, sullen teens sneering at their parents, staring at their screens. No, these were barefoot tearaways.

There was an outside deck where we annexed a table. Water was the next challenge. They have one of those fancy chilled water dispensers. Over I go, feeling amazed there were so many cups sitting, waiting to be used. Amazed until I tried to extract water from the tap. Nope. Not working. They later placed a sign on the tap - it was out of order - and directed people to jugs of water on the bar. Yeah, whatever.

The lobster roll was very good. Big enough for two. Particularly as it came with chips. But then it was $30.

Would we come back? Hell yeah. On the right day, weather wise, the deck is an absolute winner. The lobster was excellent. Just don't come on a Sunday afternoon during school holidays.

Back on the road.

Kalbarri

It was not an easy drive to Kalbarri. The sun was setting which makes conditions difficult and we were heading west for a large part of the drive. At one stage the sun was sitting directly atop of the road. And then there are animals at dusk.

Suffice to say it was a drive that required intense concentration. We arrived, without incident.

And with that, I think that's enough for this post. I'll deal with dinner tomorrow.

Until next time.

Honesty (Perth, WA)

Despite the continuous party outside in Murray Street, dear reader, we slept well and struggled to get vertical in the morning, but there were things to be done. It was a beautiful Saturday morning, clear skies with a temperature that made many locals opt for the puffy jacket. Whatever. I conceded and wore jeans. A decision I later viewed as unnecessary. It was crisp, but the sun was delightful and the wind doctor didn't get up until lunch time.

Jayne researched breakfast and off we went. Breakfast is a fraught meal for me. I'm not a big eater. I'm not a fan of eggs. It limits one's options somewhat. All anyone needs, IMHO, is coffee. And maybe some muesli and toast. I don't need a side of bacon slathered in maple syrup covered in poached eggs drizzled with a sauce made from camels that originally 'opened the west' and a side of triple fried wedges. Does anyone?

So. To discover a place that serves toasties AND good coffee. Heaven, I'm in heaven. All within a 5 minute walk of our hotel. In a back lane. How cool.

We arrived at Grillah Toastface and surveyed the menu. It looked the real deal. The hip hop music playing in the open kitchen certainly was. If you love toasties this place is well worth checking out. If you love coffee, prepare for disappointment. It's not often you can get everything you want in the one establishment.

The toasties were next level. Everything you've ever dreamed of in a toastie. Oozy cheese, bits of burnt cheese, crisp, thick slices of sourdough. I'd go back but my cardiologist said no.

One of the regulars.

The coffee not so much. Two small (read normal size, fu America) long blacks please. Now dear reader I'm sure you understand the concept of a long black. It is a double shot of coffee with water. Here, we ordered the second shot because they only make it with one shot. Seriously? Crimes against coffee lovers. Despite 'eating in', drinking also, we were served coffee in disposable cardboard things. No, no, no.

Anyway the locals were lovely and came for a chat and a drink with us.

He wouldn't stop chatting.

Wandering Perth

Post toastie and average coffee we returned to the hotel, sorted the camera (and my lenses) and made our way to the Information Centre. It had been a good morning, sunshine, birds singing, excellent toastie and then reality.

All we really wanted was a map of WA for the road trip north, not a road report that was going to put the rest of the trip in jeopardy. That, however, is exactly what we received, reinforced moments later by a text from a tour operator further north.

Check out the bee.

"How can I help you?" developed into a 30 minute discussion of the places to see in Perth (that didn't occupy much time) into places you can see on your journey to Broome. And beyond? Once again, maybe, maybe not. Climate change ... don't get me started.

Later this month we are supposed to be joining an APT tour from Broome to Darwin. Currently, after flooding again, both roads are closed. Neither with workable detours. And there is more rain predicted. I'm not going to dwell on the what if or what might be, I shall deal with the here and now. Today we are in Perth, bathed in sunshine under cloudless blue skies, let's revel in that.

The flowering gums are so architectural.

Armed with brochures we didn't now we wanted we walked back into the sunshine and turned towards the water and the Bell Tower, one of the few recognisable landmarks from our visit in 2005. The entire foreshore has been developed between there and Kings Park/Botanic Garden/Kokoda Track. Surprised by the last entry? As were we.

The towering landscape of Perth's CBD buildings is dominated by such companies as Rio Tinto, Woodside and Macquarie. Rape, pillage and plunder overshadow the river and the children's water play area, sponsored by BHP Billiton. I sense a theme here.

Old school entertainment for the kids. Or is it?

Elizabeth Quay is a lovely area and was well populated on a Saturday morning. There are sculptures, play areas, restaurants, accommodation, walkways and spaces just to enjoy the surrounds. Before the Fremantle doctor arrives. It's a tad cold in the shade once the wind gets up.

Sculpture near the train station.

We decided to follow the shoreline to Kings Park and the Botanic Garden area. Simple, as they say in the TV ads. Yeah, not so much. Signposting is a curious art. Our destination appeared on one sign to disappear the the next. We followed the signage one way to reach a crossroads and be directed back the way we came, albeit on a different path. Confusing? Damn straight.

I'm sure it has meaning ...

At the point of no return we discovered the entrance to the Botanic Garden, also titled the Kokoda Track. Not trail. Track. In WA, not New Guinea. Confused again. And so we commenced the climb up the stairs of the Kokoda Track. While Jayne did not enjoy the climb, it was hardly difficult. The link with Kokoda was the memorials on the way. It appears that we enjoy a war in WA. The park has memorial areas for many wars, a curious juxtaposition of peace, serenity and beauty with the reality of what is being commemorated. Maybe that was the point.

Look closely. Kokoda Track.

The Botanic Garden also contains areas of lawn. Quite substantial areas of lawn which were quite popular on a sunny winter's day. The people from Perth embrace their sunshine by lying all over their public lawns. Curious behaviour I thought, restricted to the British who have scant of either resource in the country.

Love a bird photo. She/he just demanded it.

The return walk was significantly easier than the climb up the Kokoda Track and we were soon back investigating dinner options, discussing climate change and road closures, and enjoying our complimentary drink at the hotel bar.

The view from Mt Eliza lookout.

Day over

There are many options for dinner or lunch in this area. Provided, of course, it is between Monday and Friday. Our first couple of choices were closed. Our response was to go shopping. We purchased some water, for the trip north, and important things: chips, peanuts, chocolate bullets, items to sustain life on the open, remote roads.

OK, this was from the lookout.

Subsequently we devoured the chips with our complimentary bottle of wine (from the hotel) while I was blogging and Jayne was researching the coming days; weather in mind.

Dinner, we finally decided, should be at the hotel. Miss Mi is the name of the restaurant and we would eat there again. There is a certain hotel style about it, but the food is really good, modern Asian, which we paired with a Grenache from South Australia.

Prawn toast.

Dumplings.

The bill arrived, after it was requested, and we weren't charged for the wine. At a mere $73 per bottle. Nice. How cheap was that meal! Did we tell them? Did we walk? What would you have done dear reader? We told them. At the cash register because it was getting difficult to find a server. The response: "Why be honest?" Really? No thank you. It was clear they would never have known. And so ... but no, that's not how we are. Hence today's title song, a Billy Joel classic from his 1978 album 52nd Street.

I'm watching the cricket as I finish this post and Murray Street seems not to be so 'party city' on a Saturday night. That said it's only 8:30pm.

Tomorrow we head for Kalbarri where the weather is closing in. They contacted me today to see if we could arrive in time for the sunset cruise on Sunday. That is not feasible in terms of distance and drive time. We are scheduled for a Monday cruise when the sunset probably won't be visible. Like much of what is to come, I'll guess we'll see.

Until next time.

Drops of Jupiter (Sydney, NSW to Perth, WA, part 2)

 Sleep, dear reader, such a regenerative process. I feel so much better, but to conclude yesterday's story ...

The Flights

There is a reason Qantas is upgrading the fleet and it's not just because they made a shitload of money during the pandemic and continue to ignore their customers. The 737 aircraft are aging and the plane we flew to Melbourne on fits that category.

NSW south coast, Kiama.

The Business Lounge in Sydney was as always. A good selection of food, swift service and comfortable lounges. More comfortable than the plane to Melbourne. We were late leaving. No surprises there. Let's blame the wood nymphs or the fairies at the bottom of the garden or the wind that never reached the predicted speeds. Boarding was reasonably civilised because, well, we were already there waiting because the plane was late. As for the new Qantas boarding procedures? Yeah, right. Non-existent. The usual free-for-all and if row numbers were called they were ignored by the customers and the staff. The flight was uneventful and the cabin staff were, as always, delightful.

Lunch en route

Our bag was checked through so it was straight from the plane to the Melbourne Business Class Lounge. Now, I don't want to add to the Sydney-Melbourne rivalry because there can be only one winner. As there is in any sibling contest. The elder wins. Always. And here too. The Melbourne Business Lounge is average. The food offerings are limited and it was reported that the 'facilities' needed attention from an attendant.

Nearing Melbourne.

Once again the plane was late and boarding resembles a rugby maul. One line. Fortunately no one could take our seats, although I was more concerned about the overhead space for our luggage. Regardless, we boarded, stowed bags and settled in. The seat in front of me was reclined as soon as we were in the air. Like seriously! 

Dinner options were canvassed. Alcohol was offered. It was then I realised that I was driving at the end of the flight and it was water for me. Sad face. Jayne's Malbec looked enticing.

Again a 737, not quite as aged as the previous leg, but with no individual screen. Maybe I spent too much time travelling for work, but I'm used to an individual screen to distract from the boredom of the flight. Especially when there is no point looking out of the window. Black, black and more black. I was momentarily captivated by the shared screen once the Bruce Springsteen concert was over (really? he has like four decent songs) and Corpse Bride replaced the aged American 'rocker'.

Anyway, blah, blah, arrived in Perth. Eventually found the car hire place. Signposting, we have discovered, is not a strength of this Antipodean outpost. After a chat with car-guy, "Like what is with Sydney today? Everyone is late". As if we would be surprised by that fact having just arrived from Sydney via Melbourne.

Perth

Perth is a bit like visiting your grandmother. It's a nice idea but as soon as you arrive you begin to think about leaving. To be fair, it almost 20 years since we have been here, so maybe, maybe, I'll reconsider.

I tapped the hotel address into my iPhone and plugged into the car's system. All good. Two turns out of the airport onto some major, and I mean major, 8 lane freeway emulating all that is wrong with LA in the US of A. My siri, Declan, so named because I've given him an Irish accent, kept instructing me to exit left. Just like Snanglepuss the Tiger. What? Oh, google it.

At the fourth attempt, Roads WA, or whatever they are called here, allowed us to exit the freeway only to backtrack 8kms. Finally we were on the road to bed. It had been a long day and it still wasn't quite over.

Our hotel, the Murray Street Novotel, is in the heart of Perth. To be exact - it is PARTY CITY, writ large and LOUD. Easy to find. Not so easy to find a parking spot where we might park. Remember that signposting issue thing?

After a couple of laps of Murray Street - hey, we weren't alone, all the cool kids were doing it. Just not in a Camry. We found a spot which allowed Jayne to speak to hotel staff. In a surprising move, I won't bore you with the details, suffice to say we did another lap of the precinct and ended up in the Wilson carpark across the street.

Down the alleyway, past many homeless people, into the carpark. Find a space. Gather our bags. Find the stairwell, there was no lift, and out onto the street where all the beautiful people are doing their best to ensure they won't remember a thing when the sun comes up tomorrow. The bar directly opposite the hotel has live music and he is singing Drops of Jupiter  - ffs. What year is it? Who even remembers who sang it? OK, so you get the 2001 song reference now.

Finally in our room. The bed is good. The cricket is going well. The Bunnies have won. In retrospect it wasn't such a bad day. ZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzz.

The party outside continued well into the morning. At around 4:30am the street quietened. Grateful for the double glazed windows.

Go Your Own Way (Sydney, NSW to Perth, WA, part 1)

Hello again dear reader. Did you miss me? It's been a while since our NZ sojourn and although we have been out and about there wasn't really anything to blog about. You know me, wineries, restaurants, the usual stuff. Until now. The end of the financial year forced me from my cocoon of warmth in the inner city and deposited me in Perth, Western Australia. Curiously, WA is experiencing some unseasonal weather at the moment. If there is such a thing as unseasonal weather in the current age. What was it Tony Abbott said about climate change? Fool.

It started like this:

This trip (I've decided the word holiday is to be expunged from my vocabulary), is the last of the planned, pre-covid expeditions. Initially the idea was to fly in and out of Perth and drive the length of the Coral Coast to Exmouth and back exploring on the way. The ultimate aim was to swim with the whale sharks on  Ningaloo Reef. Bucket list. As well as soak up the beauty of the coast and surrounding country.

Remote is such a clichéd word, but is the only way to describe this part of Australia. Not Perth, further north. There are vast distances between towns and the original plan was to take about 4 weeks and see as much as possible. As always, there is a substantial amount of guesswork involved, given we haven't passed this way before and Google, while helpful, has its limitations. It was all mapped with a luxurious stay at Sal Salis (seriously, check this place out, amazing) planned at the end point culminating in the whale shark experience before a slow meander back to Perth. Then Covid arrived and Sal Salis was off the menu. This time.

On the other side of the pandemic, we finally did the APT European river cruise and were keen to see what they had to offer at home. That was how we came across the Broome to Darwin via the Kimberley tour. It would allow us to experience things we didn't see on our Kimberley expedition cruise a few years back, as well as getting into Kakadu and Litchfield National Parks. This is as close to wilderness as Jayne is likely to experience.

The trip morphed into Perth to Broome and then Broome to Darwin. The first part organised by me, the second leg by APT. It created some logistical problems, more on that later, and also locked in the date we needed to be in Broome which dominoed all the way down the Coral Coast to Perth and back to Sydney. In a tragic turn of events, it meant we were travelling in school holidays, something we vowed never to do again. On the plus side, we get chauffeured to and from the airport for being repeat APT customers.

The school holiday effect, which needs a name, was unknown until recently. While all the accommodation was booked 12 months ago, the day-to-day experiences were left until this week. Consequently, there will be no snorkelling with the whale sharks. Every tour operator in Exmouth or Coral Bay is completely booked. As they say in the classics, not happy Jan. Unless we jag a cancellation we will be back, maybe next year. Definitely not in school holidays. 

Some websites have even suggested we need to pre-book restaurants. Despite being incredibly well organised that is just a bridge too far, so we may return several kilos lighter.

Packing problems

Packing. The word sends chills down my spine. We always overpack. Even knowing this doesn't help and I'm sure I've overpacked again. Normally this is not a problem and is rationalised by the unknown - weather and experiences. Not this time. We have a luggage limit for the Broome to Darwin trip. Further, we can take soft bags only. No suit cases due to the all terrain vehicle in which we will be travelling.

What does this mean you ask, my inquisitive reader? Well, we are flying Qantas. They have destroyed two of my suitcases on recent flights so I don't trust them to take care of soft bags. Aside from that, we are snorkelling and swimming at various points on the Coral Coast. It has some of the best and most pristine reefs in the world (see Tim Winton's documentary Ningaloo). Our fins only fit into the largest of suitcases.

The remedy? I packed most of my gear into my RM Williams bag which will be carry on and Jayne's duffle bag, her gear, beach towels, snorkel equipment and the rest is in the large suitcase. When we arrive in Broome, we will repack to meet requirements and stash all unnecessary things back into the suitcase for it to be transported to Darwin. Simple. Well, not really, but as the French say, 'il semble travailler' (it seems to work).

That was then. As I sit and survey the luggage strewn floor, I have decided to re-pack the suitcase. 

Happy with that.

Qantas

Ah yes, Qantas. I've mentioned the destruction of my luggage. There have been other issues but I don't wish to bore you dear reader. However, at 10:26pm on the night before we were scheduled to fly, they cancelled our flight. By text. I was awake watching the cricket in England but my phone had sensibly gone to sleep so I didn't see the message. Until this morning.

Actually the first message on the screen was from 12:26am to inform me that our flight had been re-routed to Melbourne. That certainly got the blood pumping. Melbourne? WTF? We are now flying at 3:30pm to Melbourne and then on to Perth arriving at 9:05pm. Do you believe that will happen? I don't. There are now reports that only one runway is operating in Sydney, due to high winds. And it is school holidays. Happy days.

The good news, if there can be any, is that the we have kept our Business Class seats on both legs of the flight. Although we have been relegated from the comfort of the A330 to the stock standard 737. I know, I know, first world problems.

The Flights and Perth

I think that's enough for one day. We arrived. Tired. I'll save the rest of the day for tomorrow. After all it is Perth, how much can there be to do?

Connectivity

The other significant impact on this trip is connectivity (or lack thereof) although there are no issues tonight. I have no idea how often I will have a network strong enough to post a blog with photographs. Therefore, posts will be sporadic and could well be out of sync and posted once we are back home in Sydney. Fear not, the blog will continue, just not in real time.

As will the song titles to head up each post. Today's title is from that classic 1977 Fleetwood Mac album, Rumours. Have a listen. We will be going our own way until we arrive in Broome.

Until next time.