Esperance - Kalgoorlie - Ceduna 7.12.12 -

After leaving Esperance, we drove to Norseman where first stop was the Visitors Centre. There we bought our cards for the Nullabor Links Golf Course, the longest in the world! We had a long chat to the lady behind the desk and then walked out without paying and she had to chase us across the park as we headed toward the car, blissfully unaware. Poor thing was puffing by the time she caught us! We then played the first two holes of the course which was very rough with artificial grass greens and local rules which allowed us to tee up on the fairways..... had to to get above the stones!!!

We bush camped at Mt. Thirsty with two other couples for company and watched the magpies and butcher birds and their babies. They weren't a bit shy and came demanding food as soon as we pulled up. That night was the first we'd had for sometime without cloud and the night sky was a vast, glittering canopy over the silent land. It was awesome.

Next morning we drove to Kambalda for the next hole. There was no one there and we just followed the directions for play. The greens were oiled sand and the fairways not mown at all. It's quite an experience playing these remote country courses which lack the funds and members needed for a groomed course.

Onwards to Kalgoorlie and what a surprise it was to drive into such an historic city. First impressions were of wide streets, magnificent pubs on all corners and wonderful civic buildings. The streets were buzzing with activity and people were everywhere. All the parking was angle parking which makes life difficult for caravanners but there was a section catering for long vehicles in a back street. We gathered the information we needed and headed to our chosen caravan park. In the afternoon we played another two holes of golf on the exceptional Kalgoorlie course. The greens were perfectly grassed and the fairways lush. The course is very organic with sweeping curves, rolling hills and valleys, and curved bunkers. Pathways wound through garden areas and the entire experience of playing the picturesque course was delightful. Next time we'll play eighteen holes. We finished the day with a cold beer in the clubhouse and a very tasty dinner.

The following day was a massive wash day ... three machine loads!!

We took a tour of the historic Bordello Questa Casa, which is Australia's oldest working brothel, and the only original one operating since gold rush days, over a hundred years ago. It is known as 'The Pink House" and is famous for its "starting stalls". They were doors the girls would open to allow the men to see them behind a grill. There they would discuss business and if there was agreement the girl would allow the man in. It was interesting to hear some of the history of prostitution from Madam Carmel, who has been there for the last twenty years. She explained the way the girls were 'contained' which meant they had to be in the brothel during working hours, could not solicit and could only go into town in the company of the Madam. They did not mix with the townsfolk. If local men wanted paid sex they had to go to the brothel in Hay Street which was the red light district with brothels along the entire length of the street on both sides, well away from the women and children of the town.

Pressed tin ceiling in the brothel.

After that we went to the the KCGM Super Pit lookout to peer with disbelief into the huge open cut gold mine where the giant ore trucks looked like tonka trucks busily working below. This man made wonder can be seen from space and is the richest square mile of goldbearing earth in the world. We were told there was to be a blast at 5pm but for some reason it was aborted. We chatted to a local man who knew about the mine and he picked up small rocks from under our feet and showed us the difference between gold and 'fools gold'. That was enough to have Glenn and I fossicking in the carpark, hoping for the big nugget!

Bronze sculpture of Patrick (Paddy) Hannan, the first man to discover gold in Kalgoorlie.

 

We went to the Kalguria Indigenous art gallery which had beautiful work by local artists and we couldn't resist adding a few more Christmas gifts to our over-loaded van.

Next morning we packed up and went into town to do some food shopping, stocking up on fresh fruit and vegetables for the next week and the trip over the Nullabor. It wasn't until later we remembered the strict quarantine restrictions in South Australia which prohibit moving almost all fresh produce into the protected area. Oh well.... I guess we'll have to do the 'rabbit thing' and then cook what's left!!

We camped in Fraser Range Station rest area for the night, just short of our next golf hole, on our own with a few owls for company. Love it!

Hope you had a great birthday today Angie.

10.12.12

We played another three holes of the Nullabor course and I have to say I am consistent.... just don't ask the score. Glenn is managing better than I am and had his first par today. Actually, we are really enjoying the novelty factor and the fact that it breaks the long distances across the Nullabor. The information said .... "Balladonia Roadhouse. Hole 1: Skylab Par 3 - 175m (through scrub - beware of snakes!!)". .... Gives you some indication of the quality of the fairways!

Just outside Caiguna there is a blowhole and the air coming out was really cold. The hole is part of extensive underground caves, which access the aquifer below.. Underwater divers have explored a lot of the cave system but many kilometers are still to be discovered. We ended up staying back off the road about 300m from the blowhole for the night. It was windy and very cool. Another van came in it join us just before dark.

Next morning we played the Caiguna hole, then drove to Cocklebiddy for the next, and onwards to Madura for the third of the day. We bush camped along the road and then played Eucla, Border Village and Nullabor the next day.

Border village

Between Border Village and Nullabor the highway follows the coast fairly closely and the views from the Bunda Cliffs are extraordinary. The cliffs below are part of the longest line of cliffs in the world. Head Of The Bight is one of the best places in the world to see the Southern Right Whales as this part of the Nullabor Plain coastline becomes a free range crèche between May and October.

The following day we played Nundroo, Penong and finally, two holes at Ceduna Golf Course. We are now proud holders of magnificent certificates attesting to our skill and perseverance. They will be framed and hung in due course in a place of prominance in our home!!

We admired the excellent felted scarves, bags and jackets in the Visitors Centre before booking into a caravan park and luxuriating under a hot shower.

 

ESPERANCE AND CAPE LE GRANDE NP 4.12.12

We left our campsite at a record breaking time of of 7.30 this morning and arrived in the lovely town of Esperance. After attending to some shopping we went to the Information Centre to find out about the local area. We met a fascinating man in the carpark, a German immigrant about our age, church goer, youth worker, farmer. He was a delightful man full of energy and enthusiasm who told us about camping areas in Germany where you pay a minimum few Euros to camp and then extra for all the other things like showers, dump points, power, washing machines etc. With so many vans totally self- sufficient, even to the point of carrying their own grey water, it makes a lot of sense. It would be a great thing for Australia where, at present, you pay a flat rate whether you use the facilities or not.

On advice from the woman at the centre we drove the 40 km Great Ocean Drive loop road which took us along a scenic route past stunning beaches. We stopped at every opportunity to look and photograph the magnificent coastline. The colours were amazing. Pure white beaches fringed water of clear blue.

 

After re-fuelling, we left Esperance and headed for Cape Le Grande NP which we'd heard so much about.

We camped at Le Grande campground, one of two in the NP as it was the most sheltered from the cold, SE wind. The sites are hunkered down behind the dunes and the low coastal scrub, and separated by vegetation so each one is private. The facilities include a good camp kitchen, hot showers and flush toilets.. all for $6 each. We explored our immediate area and took a long walk along the beach after we arrived mid-afternoon.

Next day we started out with a swim .. our first in the Southern Ocean. Interestingly, Australia is the only nation to recognise The Southern Ocean - to most of the world it is just part of the Indian Ocean. We didn't stay in for long but enjoyed the invigorating, crispness of the water!! On the way down we saw a small snake on the sandy track. It was a grey-green and had black running stitch lines along the length of itsbody, except for the tail which was slate grey. It tolerated our cautious inspection before sliding into the low coastal scrub. We spent the day driving though the park and stopping at all the places of interest. There are fabulous walks from our beach along the 15km coastal track to Hellfire Bay which has sand like icing sugar, to Thistle Cove, Lucky Bay and Rossiter Bay.

Thistle Cove

We also went to Frenchman's Peak which has extensive views over the park. While we were at Lucky Bay we watched the kangaroos lazing on the beach and had a mother and joey come close to us. We did a bit of bird spotting and watched four Japanese divers with SCUBA gear and very impressive underwater cameras as they entered the water.

In the afternoon the rain came down and we bolted for the comfort of our van. While we were in the camp kitchen cooking dinner we met a Danish woman and then a Frenchman who accepted our offer of pumpkin and cabbage to fatten out his meal of noodles.

We only skimmed the surface of this amazing place and plan to return.

 

Pemberton 28.11.12 Walpole, Albany

RAIN ... Actually it's beautiful ... and the Karri trees are soaking it up and enjoying the cool wetness on their leaves. Problem is that it is a bit heavy for walking purposes as everything underfoot is wet and slippery. Nevertheless, we managed the lovely walk to the Beedelup NP Falls in light rain and saw a Western Rosella and some Fantails. The forest was alive with birdsong. There is a suspension bridge across the stream from which to view above and below the falls. It was misty. I climbed halfway to the platform up the Bi-Centennial tree but the rungs were slippery so after posing for a photo, I came down. Glenn hates heights so kept his feet solidly planted on Terra Firma.

On our drive through the Karri forest we came to a tree called the Elizabeth North Tree. It was named after an extremely well travelled woman who recorded plants from around the world in the 1800s. She donated her paintings and drawings to the Kew Gardens In England. One of them was a painting of this tree.

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We followed the Karri Drive through the Warren and Gloucester National Parks, tuning in to the radio for tourist commentary at various places. We wanted to camp in the forest but all the cleared campsites were tents only which left free camps under tall trees so we decided to go to the c'van park in Pemberton because of the strong winds. There was a lot of debris on the road as we drove, so thought it judicious not to camp under the gigantic Karri trees and risk a falling limb crushing us to death. It would really spoil our holiday!

We went to the famous Gloucester Tree, one of eight trees used as fire watch lookouts. They are amongst the tallest in the forest and smoke can be easily seen above the canopy and reported. Usually you can climb this tree (which we did 40 yrs ago) but it was closed because the rain made the steps slippery so we did a loop walk from there. We miss-read the signs and ended up going down, down, instead of up when we thought we should be going up. We continued along the track until we reached a road and then walked uphill which eventually took us back to the carpark. There are a number of tracks and the one we did was part of the Bibblemun Track which goes 950 kms from near Perth to Albany. The entire area is stunning and a hikers' delight!

We left Pemberton and drove to Windy Harbour where it was exceptionally windy!! There were a lot of holiday shacks with interesting names, seabirds and fishing boats anchored and riding the huge waves.

From there we drove to Pt. D'Entrecasteaux, still windy but wildly beautiful.

Pt. D'Entrecasteaux

The next night we spent in the Shannon NP between Pemberton and Walpole, which gets a really well deserved tick of approval in the Camp Six book, otherwise known as the camper's bible. It has cleared, flat sites well separated from each other, set in a Karri forest. Best of all are the showers heated by a modern version of the old chip heater and firewood supplied for cooking fires. The chip heater was the social hub of the campground where people chatted, fed wood into the fire box and discussed the joys of a hot shower and the next great camping spot.

We drove to Walpole and went to the information centre for maps and advice, and ended up staying there, ensconced in comfortable arm chairs, assisting the Australian cricket team dispose of the top order batsmen from Sth Africa. We were tired then from our exertions, so drove the scenic route around the Knoll and out to some of the beaches. The area is picturesque with tall forests opening to pastureland and beautiful coastline. The storm clouds continued to dump sheets of rain, chased by patches of warm sunshine, but it was cold. We were back into long pants and jackets which had to be unearthed from under the beds.

Next night we camped on the Knoll, overlooking Nanulup Inlet and had a pair of White-tailed Cockatoos for company..... And more rain....... Drip, drip, drip.... Across the bay there was a lot of festivity with good music but alas, the dreaded Kakaoke started. We were grateful we were at a distance but the sound still carried over the water. Thankfully they finished about 10pm.

We awoke to a bright sunny day and drove to The Valley Of The Giants. There is an amazing tree-top walk which is child and wheel-chair friendly and superbly constructed. It is 40 metres above ground at its highest point with views over the canopy to the hinterland. It is part of a forest experience which goes for 800mtrs through the old growth forest of Tingle trees at ground level as well. We took a guided tour and learnt how important fire is to these trees and how to differentiate between different trees and plants. It was an excellent day.

Tonight we are in a free camp at Cosy corner with the surf pounding onto the beach. Sounds a lot like home! We have company... maybe 20 vans and tents nestled in behind the dunes... A lot of surfers.

We stayed two nights, walked along the beautiful beach and met a couple from Adelaide we played scrabble with. They have been on the road for three years and love it. The pressure is now on to get to Pete's house in Cowra by 23rd Dec. for Christmas. We have 21 days....... And the Nullabor Links Course to play on the way. We'll have to pick up the pace!

At Albany we did a quick shop, refuelled and checked on the bush fires burning along the coast which were creating a lot of smoke. We didn't see much of the town before we moved on but intend to revisit this southern coastal area at another time. We overnighted along the road near Ravensthorpe and pushed on to Esperance the next day.