Perth - Kalbarri

Perth – Jurien Bay:  26 June [259 km]

[Note that this segment included a number of side trips]

Today we start travelling north up the coast of WA.  It was a lovely day and we had wonderful views of the ocean as we drove along the Turquoise Coast on Indian Ocean Drive towards the Pinnacles.  We stopped for morning tea at the pretty little seaside town of Lancelin.  The striking feature of the coast in this region is the reef some distance off shore which protects the coastal edge from the full effect of the sea.  We saw many blackboys along the way as well as interesting signs.

Then it was on to the Nambung National Park with the spectacular Pinnacles Desert.  What a sight!  Having seen photos of the pinnacles over many years, the reality was even better than we imagined.  We were unprepared for the extent of the area covered by the pinnacles, the wide variation in their size – some are 3 metres or more high and 5 or 6 metres around their bases and the fascinating panorama which the pinnacles provide. 

We walked among them following a marked track for a couple of kilometres.  From the higher points, it is possible to see the Indian Ocean sparkling in the distance.

As we drove to Cervantes, we saw a lot of red flowering bushes:  we learnt that it is called templetonia retusa or cockie's tongue. It is a valuable source of winter nectar. 

We had a late lunch of crayfish – called rock lobster in this part of the world! – at the famous Lobster Shack in Cervantes.  It was a delicious meal and a sign of things to come with the prospect of even more seafood.  We arrived in Jurien Bay by late afternoon and settled in to our cabin for a relaxing evening.

Jurien Bay – Geraldton:  27 June [199 km]

We got an early start on another beautiful day and had a smooth run through to Geraldton following the coast for most of the way.  It was interesting that the reef, which we had first seen much further south, continued north for many kilometres;  it is easy to see how the early sailors got into so much trouble as they sailed east across the Indian Ocean. 

After morning tea looking over Geraldton port and the sparkling ocean, our first objective in Geraldton was to seek out Abrolhos pearls – the so-called ‘black’ pearls.  We found a wonderful selection displaying the extensive range of colours in these pearls and, of course, we made some purchases.

We drove up to the memorial site for HMAS Sydney and spent a while looking over the features of this striking memorial.  It is interesting to see the addition to this memorial highlighting the discovery in 2008 of the last resting place of HMAS Sydney. 

The list of names of those who died and the sculpture of the woman looking for her lost family are particularly poignant.

As we were now on the Batavia Coast, we visited the WA Museum Geraldton to see the exhibits relating to the Batavia disaster.  These added to our insight into this dreadful event which took place in the Houtman Abrolhos Islands just 70 km off the coast from Geraldton.  Then we drove to our caravan park where we relaxed for the evening.

Geraldton – Kalbarri:  28 June [180 km]

[Note that this segment included a number of side trips]

We started slowly this morning, as we had arranged to meet the niece of Wim, a friend of ours from church, later in the morning.  We spent a lovely time with Catherine and her four children on the new waterfront recreation area in Geraldton.  We also saw a great statue of Wiebbe Hayes, the soldier who resisted the mutineers from the Batavia.  Then, it was on the North West Coast Highway heading for Kalbarri. 

We called into Port Gregory and enjoyed lunch looking out over the small fishing fleet, the offshore reef and the Indian Ocean beyond:  it was a lovely setting.  As we left this fishing village, we had a closer look at Hutt Lagoon – more commonly known as the Pink Lake.  The pink colour comes from a bacteria which is a rich source of beta carotene.  The expanse of pink water looked stunning in the midday sun.

As we neared Kalbarri, we drove into the various sites where the spectacular Kalbarri Coastal Cliffs can be seen.  These cliffs are predominantly comprised of sandstone and they take a quite different shape to the Bunda Cliffs of the Bight.  The action of the sea is just as vigorous as elsewhere and the sculpturing of the sandstone is clearly evident, especially with the Natural Bridge and the Island.  North of Kalbarri, we could see the Zuytdorp Cliffs stretching as far as we could see.

Then we went into Kalbarri – what a wonderful location on the estuary of the Murchison River.  After settling in to our cabin, we did a bit of walking to explore the town in the warm afternoon sun.  Our first sunset over the Murchison River looked superb.  We enjoyed a beaut seafood dinner at the Black Rock Café and then relaxed for the evening.

We have already mentioned the names of our friends from church in Wanniassa – Matt and Rachel Brain – to some people in Kalbarri and they and their children are remembered with much affection.