The Ningaloo Reef

This morning we crossed the tropic of Capricorn, a sign marked the spot. We stopped for this photo opportunity as any marker point on a journey of this length is worthy of a celebration. The distances
are truly uber immense. Yes we researched the mileage and heard it from others but until you actually want to get from A to B do you then realize the enormity of the place.

We booked into Coral Bay back packers and headed straight to the beach and the Ningaloo reef armed with a couple of snorkel sets.  Ahhhhh the reef the reef the reef. Then there's the fish, the coral, the crystal clear sea, the white sandy beach that just runs on and on. That 2000 km drive was well worth it.

The Ningaloo Reef is 260 km long and closed to commercial fishing. The reef starts within 100 metres of the beach so no need for excess fin work here. Which is good as Dave is shocking at it!  The water is so
clear which makes visibility of the reef perfect.  It s also not too deep which aid visibility but makes you worry about damaging it with your fins.  Sadly global warming is killing coral and in 50 years it could all be dead, not good specially as coral is the very start of the food chain in the ocean.

Fish spotted today:
Yellow tail emperor, China manfish, Stripey seaperch, Spanish mackerel.

Carnarvon

The highlight of this town is the old Satellite station, whohoo I hear you cry. Used by NASA back in the 60's as a tracking station for the Gemini and Apollo space missions, it also tracked Halley's Comet. It closed back in the late 80's and like many other icons of our past it is now being left to rot.

We walked the length of the one mile jetty at the heritage precinct. The jetty used to accommodate ships that bought supplies and passengers from Perth and allowed the export of wool and livestock from the
region. This area was also known for it's whaling.  Also went to the lighthouse keepers cottage museum which displayed the cottage as it would have been in the 1900's. In the garden of the house was a water pump made in Norwich!

We stayed the night at average hostel which seemed to be full of overseas fruit pickers, due to the fact that the region is well known for its fruit crops. Most seem to get up and go to work at 5.30 and it was the first time we both thought about work and the fact we didn't need to get up.  The feeling felt very good.

Swimming with dolphins at Monkey Mia

Next bit of civilisation on route north is Denham. Oz's most westerly town and a good stop before Monkey Mia.
The Hamelin Pool a marine reserve contains the world's best known colony of Stromatolites. These rock like formations are made up of microbes almost identical to organisms that existed 3500 million years
ago. This area also housed the Postmasters residence and telegraph office that served as a telephone exchange till 1977.  This place was 2 hours from anything but sold Devonshire cream teas and the outpost used to transmit messages from NASAs Gemini space craft.

Nearby is Shell beach a whole beach made up of miniature cockle shells that is up to 1 metre deep. These cement together after rain and are used to make into building bricks.

We stopped at Eagle bluff, a cliff top lookout for birds and sharks, didn't spot any sharks.  Just as well with snorkeling on the agenda in the next bay round.

At last we get to Monkey Mia. Named after a visiting ship called Monkey back in the day and Mia is Aboriginal for home. We were up early to see the dolphins feeding at 7.30am.  Dolphin feeding started back in the 50s by local fisherman. Shark bay has a 50% fatality rate of all newly born dolphins. It ain't called shark bay for nothing!  500 grams of fish is given only to certain female dolphins, depending on which turn up. Some days 5 or more turn up and some days none. The fish given isn't much so that they continue to hunt in the wild.

Male dolphins hang around in packs looking for schools of fish or fighting over females whilst the female dolphins constantly focus on pregnancy and searching out food whilst raising their young. You could
say a bit like us humans!

Dolphin facts:

They have 104 very sharp teeth
Adult dolphins weigh 120 kilo baby dolphins around 50 kilo
They can swim up to 40 kph
They communicate through a series of whistles and clicks.
Pregnancy is around 12 months

Monkey Mia is up there when you think of complete remote paradise bar a few other die hard road trippers, these parts are pretty deserted. Close to shore there are pelicans and rays, as well as dolphins. We were swimming and 2 dolphins decided to join us, just to add to the untouched beauty of it all.  Had to keep reminding ourselves that the dorsal fin coming towards us was not a shark!

The road is long....

The roads outback are long, straight and lonely.  Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall would have a field day with the roadkill here. It wouldn't fit in the boot let alone in a pie! Kangaroos seem to be leading the charge for the animal with the least road sense, the roads are lined with them. So this is why you need a 4x4 with bars on the front - not to do the school run!

Driving here is very boring. Imagine sat on the M4 for 4 hours, not moving. The scenery here never changes, just outback, you pass nothing for hours. It's a real survival test, never leave a town without a full tank of fuel and some water. We were worried about not having a phone but there is no radio out here let alone phone signal.  So if you break down, god knows what happens!  Thankfully we had our ipod plugged into the stereo to keep us going.


King of the Road is the 'road train'. A truck pulling 3 petrol tankers long.  The roo wont stand a chance againts these guys.

First stop, Kalbarri

Kicked off a little too eager this morning, left the cabin and then proceeded to fall down the veranda stairs. No panic though nothing broken bar the lunch box that I was carrying at the time. As the saying goes though life could be worse.

Finally on the road we swoop into Geraldton and came across Geraldton's WA museum. It mainly focused on shipwreck history especially that of HMAS Sydney that sunk just off Champions Bay.  On signing the
visitors book a guy spoke up and said 'G'day mate how long you been out?'  I replied '5 days'.  With a parting smile he returned comment that he left Portsmouth 42 years ago and has never gone back. With that he was gone as quick as he arrived.  Prior to leaving we headed up to the HMAS Sydney memorial that was only installed in 2008  as the ship's exact whereabouts was unknown. 

Heading onto Kalbarri we came across Port Gregory.  A small coastal town with a strange purple/pinky coloured lagoon.  This was due to a bacteria called Dunaliella salina, nice.  It becomes trapped within the salt granules. This provides a rich source of beta carotene which is harvested. It all looked very odd though going on the surrounding red earth scrubby landscape.



On arrival at Kalbarri we booked into a cabin overlooking the Murchison river.  Once unpacked we headed for Kalbarri National Park to walk down the rugged gorge to 'Natures Window', a hole that's been blown through a large overhanging section of sandstone rock. There is a real fly problem in Oz at the moment so it was advisable to keep mouths shut. I counted 30 flies on my rucksack at one point! Great views to be had from this point looking  down to the Murchison River below. You are meant to be able to paddle up this section but it seemed pretty dry, WA has had an exceptionally dry winter.

From Natures Window we headed from the loop track down to the 'Z bend'. A section of the gorge that shapes the river way like a sharp knife. It looked pretty 'grand canyon' like as the sun started to set over the coloured rocks. It was time to head for home as to leave any later the ranger states it will be roo bashing all the way home.

On the return from any walk it's always advisable to stop for a cheeky one to wet the whistle. We stopped at what looked like a lively joint for Monday night.  Well it would do wouldn't it as this place had everything that drinkers dream of.   Pool tables, live ozzie rules on loop, a fully operational mini bookies and a restaurant on the side.  Bookies (plus ATM) and beer = a dangerous combination. You get caught in this place in the wrong sort of mood and you'd never leave! 

At Kalbarri beach the pelicans are fed every day at 8am. Joyce, the local volunteer feeder was very funny. It's one of Kalbarri's main attractions as like the local say, because it's free.  There is only one type of pelican species in Oz and up to approximately 60 return to Kalbarri each year after travelling the world.

Heading North

We collected the hire car, white but certainly no Audi, and were up and out of Perth.  We headed north for New Norcia, Oz's only monastic town.  After a look round at some great ornate styled buildings we decided to push on as it seemed too late in the day for us to actually meet a monk, the towns main attraction, or anyone else come to think of it. On route to NW we passed through many small towns that just reminded you of years gone by . But however small you always got the 'welcome to ......' sign treatment and the obligatory population info which doesn't really reach many over a 1000 - the smallest being a mere 70!

The plan from NW was to head for Cervantes to view the Pinnacles at sunset but after a few wrong turns and a bit of roo dodging we somehow ended up at Dongara.  We'd over shot Cervantes by some 90 kms.  As the sun started to set we decided to avoid any more roo action (they are big buggers and not sure the hire car could cope with a head on impact) so we stayed put at Dongara in a cabin near the beach.

Birthday in Perth

Wahoooo. My birthday downunder. Ah what a blast - 24c, blue skies and a slight southwesterly.

Up early to enjoy the sunrise to start my 37th year celebrations.  Caught the train to Fremantle, the journey hugs the Indian ocean which looked pretty inviting for spring. Friday at Freo is market day, on walking through the market 'by the rivers of babylon' plays out in the background. Ahhhhh the vinyl memories come flooding back. The market sold everything from local food to aboriginal art. As they say in Freo all you need are two feet and a heart beat and you will easily get round this town.  We stopped off for a cuppa and to celebrate the epic day I duly ordered a chocolate avalanche tartlet, which was tough on the Daniel Craigs. Also did I mention my lovely card and pressie from Fe that I got this morning ? Pretty special seeing we've been on road a fair bit.


We visited Fremantle Prison after our caffeine and cake stop.  The prison was built by it's actual convicts. The early convicts were shipped from Britain mainly to ease Britain's overcrowding but also to plug Austraila's skill shortages. The prison is built of limestone. This raw poor quality material once formed a hill which overlooked
Frementle bay. Consequently the prison was a little crumbly which aided the odd escape! Prisoners were encouraged to stay on in Oz once reformed & released and to persuade them their families where shipped over with a view of them all starting new life downunder.

If a prisoner stepped out of line they would be tied up and whipped using a tool with leather strips, this was called a cat and hence the sayings....



Not enough room to swing a cat
Let the cat out of the bag
Cat got your tongue (due to the fact the lashing hurt so much)
Rub salt into the wounds (salt was used to reduce infection of open lashing wounds)

The hanging pit was full of superstitions....
13 steps
13 ft to drop
13 spaces between rafters
12 guards plus the hangee making 13 present at every hanging

1964 was the last and 44th execution, that of  Eric Cooke.   Martha Rendell was the only women to be hanged in 1909 both were sentanced for murder.  Corporal punishment was abolished in 1993

For my birthday supper, a fish supper, Freo style, fish and chips overlooking the West Coast.  In the hawker markets of Asia it feels like you're sat within the melting pot of spice and flavours, you choose your dish and your beer and then take a seat in the communal dinning area. At Freo harbour they seem to have also pulled off the same approach to dinning though with fish and chips. You pick your fish then your Aussie wine and then head for a seat. Simple but it seems to work as the place was rammed.

Out back and out of touch

Wifi in WA seems to be a thing of the future.  So alas our posts may be few and far between, sorry folks!

Be back soon.....

x

Goodbye Asia, G'day Oz

After 2 months and many countries we have left Asia.  Some of the countries we have visited felt slightly oppressive - very strong religious believes, no real blend of cultures and races, then mix this in with the stifling heat. Wahoo Asia can certainly wash you out.

Will be strange after all this time to be able to walk down the street and just 'blend'.  As a 'white skin' (a term used by Asians for all western types) we vary so much, hair and eye colour, a rare sight in Asia.  Might as well have 'tourist' printed on your back.

Certainly wont be sad to leave behind drop toilets and of course the humidity ! If you thought Fe's hair was curly back home, it reached 'afro' conditions in Asia.

Miss:

D - A great mix of old and new
F - The fashions

Won't miss:

D - Many many cheap electrical stores. Dangerous when you don't have an income!
F - Massive thunder and lightening

Again pictures will follow...........

Where's my.............

How can it be that you can loose something within such a small space. Now its not like rucksacks are say as big as a 3 bed house or anything but sometimes it takes exactly the same amount of time to locate that one elusive item.

When it rains, cocktails pour

We'd made plans to meet Matthais and Rebekka, a couple who we met in the Nam. We headed for Raffles for some Singapore slings. They both were staying in Singapore enroute home to Germany. Miles, you were right as you do start bouncing into the same people as you travel, which is nice. The day was particuarly wet, when it rains here it certainly rains, not to mention the thunder and lightening so the only thing for it was to head indoors, for cockails. The S slings were pretty good, although horribly overpriced, but hey...when in Rome. Moving onto somewhat more budget friendly bars, it was more cocktails on the 74th floor of the Swissotel but they seemed pretty keen to charge for sitting down, the window seats of this place come with a extra charge of 20 bucks.

We decided against and it headed over to the newly finished Marina Bay Sands Hotel, inparticular the Skypark to take in the sun downer views. Hang on, noooooo, we didn't stay here although Fe's eyes lit up as the four of us walked through the main entrance. The feeling, "we've arrived" sprung to mind.http://www.marinabaysands.com/SandsSkypark/Sands_Sky_Park.aspx

To finish the night off we headed for little Indian were we had a great kashmir curry and few cheeky Tiger beers. Nice.

All slinged out the following day we headed for Sinagpore Zoo.  Set in a rainforest environment with a "open concept” covering 28 hectares and home to over 315 species of animal.  It was great to see so many animals and so little fencing between us and them. They have managed to enclose the animals by clever landscaping alone.

Like a lot of the countries we have visited Singapore was no exception with regards to history with war.  We visted The Battle Box , a WWII underground command centre that was constructed as an emergency, bomb-proof command centre during the Battle of Singapore.  After the war, the Battle Box was sealed off and its exact location forgotten. It was rediscovered in 1988, and converted into a tourist attraction.  It reminded us of the German underground tunnels in Jersey and Guernsey.

Blogger user advice....

.....if you are viewing the pictures via the right hand slideshow, tittled 'THE' Slideshow (with drop downs.....) 'a long story'...  If you click on any one image it will then re-direct you to the full album which is stored in Picasa.

We know it seems a bit of a pain but for some reason Blogger only drags across the first 20 pictures from any Picasa album even though each Picasa album can contain up to 1000 images. All very odd, another one of Bloggers little quirks maybe as it seems to have many !
Annette, Milo or Draper, my-man. Any tips on how this latest annoyance can be overcome to ease usage ?