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We left Denham and headed for Kalbarri, this is what we came across. Beautiful coast line with massive drops to the white sand below. They say the fishing along the coast here is one of the best. The colours of the cliffs at both ends of the day are great. I got up early one day and hit the beach so I could check out some spots to go fishing and come across some locals surfing off the rocks. These guys live on the edge as they wait for the white wash to cover the rocks and then they take that leap of faith into the ocean. You watch as the water rushes back out and the guys paddle like crazy to get out as far as they can before the next wave hits the rocks. Oh yeah, it's only 7deg on this morning and the water temp only about 15deg. I know what I would be doing in that wetsuit to keep warm.

I headed back to the van and kicked Gabriella out of bed and had breakfast. We planned to go down to the pink lake just before Port Gregory. Well when you  hear that a lake can change colour you think yep your an idiot. I was expecting to get there and the lake would be green/blue. Well as you drive along the coast you can see the colour as you get closer and closer. To our amazement it was pink. The colour is caused by a build up of beta carotene in the water. We drove around the lake and into Port Gregory and from every direction you looked the colour got stronger and then you would see nothing. The light was making the difference but still a fascinating sight.

As our time is running out and we are heading back home we only have a limited time to stay at some places. We stopped in at Jurien Bay for a couple of nights. This was a quaint little town and a nice jetty just outside the caravan park which, and yes, I did catch a fish, a Tailor. I didn't take a camera so the evidence is still at sea as I let it go as the sharks had a bit of a go at the poor fish and it was marked up a bit on it's tail. Gabriella turned up about 15 min later and she didn't believe I caught one, the only saving grace was that some other people doing some crabbing on the jetty saw the fish. I have finally come to terms  that I need a boat. So that is the next thing on my agenda.

We drove down to Cervantes to see the pinnacles which are amazing. This is a place that they could shot a movie of a moon landing.

The next day it was off to Perth. We arrived at Coogee beach tourist park and and hit the cafe to have some lunch. I jumped on the phone and within an hour I finally headed around to see my brother who I haven't seen for about ten years. It was like going back in time, nothing seemed to change with him and he had certainly got a bit older. Well so have I  but I'm still good looking. Ahhhhhhhhhh

 Sunday morning we drove into the Freo market and strolled along the area. This is like the Lygon street of Fremantle. Not bad but nothing on Carlton. It has a strange feeling as there are a lot of old buildings but the mix and match of old and new just doesn't seem to work.  Down to the waterfront sheds and it's a bit like the Victorian markets but on a very small scale and they sell pretty much the same crap.

A quick look at the old Fremantle goal and the south Fremantle  football oval and then off to the park for a BBQ with the family and relatives that I haven't seen for 24 years back in NZ. Good day had by all.

On to Perth CBD for the sight seeing and the walk around. We visited the Bell tower which was interesting and headed out on the Swan river on a cruise. Two and half hours later we had seen where Gina Rhinehart lives and the home of the Australia II yacht  house. The river is great and we came across a couple of dolphins playing around just near the Fremantle yacht club. The boat house below has an interesting story, two guys built this boat shed and they were told by council to pull it down as they didn't have a permit. The two guys got a lawyer and they finally won a the case as they were told that if they registered the shed as a yacht club they could leave it there. This is the smallest yacht club with only 2 members. Yep the two guys that built it.Lucky bastards.

The two man Yacht club.

The Old brewery in West Perth

Perth skyline from the Swan River.

Yesterday we headed to Monkey Mia to see the dolphins in their natural environment. Oh, and the chance to feed them.  The girl (Hannah) was one of the volunteers who assist in the feeding of the dolphins. When the dolphins arrive they come in close to the shore and the  volunteers then select people to feed them. I was lucky enough to be chosen from the hoards of wannabee dolphin feeders to step up and feed one of them. The dolphin's name was Surprise and was about 33 years old. There were about eight dolphins playing in the area during the first feeding with one of the young ones putting on a show for the tourists.

Gabriella booked a sailing tour on one of the catamarans that leave from the jetty and I stayed ashore and tried my luck at fishing again and then laid around in the sun. We headed back to Denham and arrived just in time for the Denham speedway car display doing the block showing off their cars to the people lining the street.

We planned to do the trip up to Cape Peron in the Francois Peron National park the next day. We slept in and left a bit late but it was an interesting day. The road was 4x4 but pretty much sand with a bit of corrugation. The beaches were beautiful and we could understand why people dragged their camper trailers up the sandy road.  This photo was take at Skip jack Point with the cloud starting to form.

On the way back we dropped into the Peron Homestead. They have a small natural artisan fed hot tub that people visit and have a dip. It was pretty busy when we arrived and as it was only small and a lot of people waiting to get in we had a look around the old shearing shed and took some photos. The photo to the left was and old wool bail marking stencil.

I had said to Gabriella I must get some shots of the sunset as the cloud formation looked really good and should make for a great sunset. Well I waited a bit long and raced to a lookout just up the road hoping to get some shots. Well it was the best sunset I have seen since being on the road. The colours were brilliant and clouds only enhanced the reds and oranges put out as the sun went down. This photo hasn't been edited only minimised in size so I could upload it.

We have one day left in Denham then off to Kalbarri.  I was hoping to do some fishing in Kalbarri but I think it will be too cold for fishing. As we are heading closer to Perth the weather is getting cooler and hopefully we will miss the rain. Bye for now.

We're currently in Denham and we did the tour of the the beaches today. The photo below was taken as we headed around to Shell Beach. The view of the beaches from the roads are beautiful. The water is so clear you can just sit and look at it all day.

This is Shell beach, it is all small shells that have washed up on the beach for years. They harvest the shells for yep, shell grit, keep all those chooks and their eggs in good shape.

We visited Hamelin Pool and Shell block Quarry which was a two hundred klm trip up and back. They also had the Stromatolite that grow just behind the caravan park in the shallow waters. It's a very interesting place to visit and the area is full of those Stromatolites. They still use some of the compacted shell grit that are cut into blocks and are only used to repair the buildings in town when needed.

Tomorrow we head off to Monkey Mia and feed the dolphins. Well you have tobe picked out of the crowd of people that turn up everyday. Anyway that's what you have to do if you want to see the cute little things. I will be going fishing while Gabriella does a cruise around the coast. The next day we do some four wheel driving up to Francois Peron National park to check out the scenery.

Well I went fishing the other day and yes I caught 4 fish but still not happy with the catch. I was hoping for some red emperor but ended up with a big sea perch, Robinson seabream and Goldband Snapper. Now they were all a reasonable size and we did have fish for dinner but I will still continue to catch the big one. Gabriella went out to do some coral viewing and enjoyed the day around Coral bay.

The above coastal photo was taken whilst we visited Exmouth. The white sand and the clear water was beautiful.  We didn't stay in Exmouth as we didn't have time due to bookings in Coral Bay, Carnarvon and Monkey Mia. Anyway we enjoyed our stay in Coral Bay and with some time spent on the beach I couldn't be happier.

We headed down to Carnarvon and crossed over the Tropic of Capricorn and yes the weather changed the next day with some very heavy rain. Before the rain set in we went back  to Point Quobba. The photo below is of the blowhole area of the coast. There is a big warning sign that advises you to be very wary of fishing from the rock cliffs due to rogue waves that come in from the ocean.

They say the fish you catch from here are massive and a lot of fishermen have lost their lives doing just that, chasing the big fish and doing it from the cliff edge.

The blowholes can produce small or very large sprays of water through them but I chose not to get too close just in case that freak wave came in. It was amazing how it's calm one minute and the next thing you see is the spray covering the cliff rock.

Now this was the reward you get when you go somewhere to look at the coast and probably go fishing. As we were standing around at Point Quobba looking at the area to see if I could do some fishing I noticed some large white waves out in the ocean. I ran back to the car got the tripod and  a 200mm lens and spotted the whales moving up the coast. We didn't expect to see whales but they did say in one of the information brouchers that they pass through very close to the shore line and can be visible at this time of the year. We paid good money to go out on a boat to see whales but this was free and we got a better show from the many whales that came through. We could see heaps of whales further out as well. The shots below are of some of the whales we saw today.

Now that was our day out at Point Quobba  and we also watched the owners round up their sheep to be loaded up for sale. The owner flew around in this small gyro copter and had about 20 guys and their kids rounding up the sheep. The young kids picked up the baby lambs and put them in the utes that followed. This was a place that was worth the trip. Les & Roz if you get down here and the whales are still around get down and have a look. Allan & Ann I think you may get here a bit earlier so don't hesitate if your in town and need something to do. I was hoping to see some guys balloon fishing but the wind was on shore. We're in town for another day and then  off to Monkey Mia. Yep flipper territory. Hope to get to feed these fascinating creatures. I probably won't go swimming in Geraldton due to those sharks.  Bye for now.

During our stay in Karratha, we visited Dampier which is just a short drive out of town. I must say I'm quite impressed with the infrastructure they are doing up there. They are duplicating everything from train lines to roads going to Port Dampier. This is a city that will probably double in size over the next year. I was told that the Hilton hotel chain is going to build a new building starting this year. We ran into a couple that are contemplating moving permanently into Karratha due to the long rotations. They work 28 days on 7 days off. 12 hour days and for a labourer they earn a whopping $165.000 pa. Yep a labourer.

Anyway I'm still travelling as Gabriella wouldn't use a shovel. Both Dampier and Karratha are strange towns with not very much to do. The people who do live here permanently do a lot of fishing and every second house has a boat in the front yard or parked outside because they can't fit up the driveway. The picture above is of a plant called the Sturt desert pea. Timbo we finally found them in Dampier. They were planted right where the Red dog statue was placed. We haven't seen the movie yet but now that we have seen the statue we might get a copy to watch. Neither of these towns did much for us and we were glad to move on to Coral Bay.
After a 560klm drive we arrived early afternoon to a very pretty place. We dropped the van and cruised on down to the beach. It was feeding time for the local fish. This area is a sanctuary for the breeding of species that inhabit the local waters. Well we went down and stood in the shallows of the water and waited for the fish to come. They came and they were spangled emperors. Now these were your everyday small fish, they were between 30-40cm in length and right at our finger tips. Well toes to be precise. This was very annoying as you couldn't fish in these waters and the buggers know were the line is and not to cross. No fish for Rodney. We took some photos but they're stuck on a phone somewhere.

It was a day of nothing as we needed a rest. Cooked some dinner and hit the sack early. Next day we walked around the sand dunes and checked out some fishing spots. I have actually booked another fishing charter for Sunday. This is one that we have seen come back with a lot of fish. The main fish they catch  on these charters are Spangled emperor, red emperor and the odd snapper with other varieties I have never heard of before. SO if I can't catch anything from this trip I'II gladly dump all the fishing gear and take up lawn bowls.

As we had nothing to do today we decided to go whale watching. The boat above which they use to do these trips was great, it was fast and very agile moving through the waves and reef area. We spotted about 12 humpback whales heading north with some of the juveniles from last year. We spotted one which was playing a bit but missed out on getting photos because the boat was on the wrong angle.

This pod of whales were just cruising by with about 5 of them in the group. The size of these beasts (mammals) is incredible. You don't appreciate the size of them until they are close. We came across two that were literally only metres from the boat. They had to stop and kill the engines just in case they got spooked and turned on us.

We raced from one pod to another and in two hours spotted enough whales to keep me going for a while.

No here's one for all the readers. What is Rodney doing in the picture below. Leave your answers by clicking on the comments section below.

Can't wait to see who gets it right.

Just when you thought it was safe to check your emails, we reappear. Been off the beaten track and no connection for a couple of days. We got into Broome and yep just couldn't be bothered, the weather was good and decided to look around and see some sights. As we were staying at Cable beach we headed to the beach and had a nice walk along the white sands and endless water's edge. Yeah I forgot that someone said it was a nudists area further up the beach, low and behold a strapping old man just happened to strut his stuff down the beach into the water and back up in time for us check his bait and tackle, he did have a good suntan. Enough of that, we headed over to Gantheaume point and checked the sight out from the sandstone edge. The views and especially the water is so clean and blue. Probably the white sand that helps but still beautiful. Checked out the racecourse with the intention of hitting the track on Saturday. That didn't happen because we were on the beach.

 I was speaking to a colleague and told him that all was going well with the car, van and everything else, well that wasn't the case after the phone call that night. I always say don't talk about things that can go wrong because they will, Gabriella has learnt that I won't answer her if she says things are going well. Anyway the hot water hose decided to come loose overnight and turned the van into a heated swimming pool. It took three days of running a heater and fan to dry things out. Lucky the floor is marine ply as it didn't soak into it just ran off and through any little opening. Anyhow it's done and cleaned up.

When finally we got into the town centre of Broome we found the Sun Picture theatre. This is an icon with old projectors in the foyer along with photos of past actors, shit I'm starting to sound like Bill Collins. Yep thought so, don't know who Bill Collins is, he's not the race caller from the sixties he's the movie buff, probably passed away by now. Anyhow we went to the movies the next night with our neighbours to watch Salmon fishing in the Yemen.
The ambiance in the theatre was great as we sat back in  canvas deck chairs with the birds singing and the occasional 737 aircraft buzzing over the roof as it landed at Broome airport. Scared the shit out of some people, but again added to the night and the story telling. Gabriella did a test run of the seating and also checked out the acoustics of the place for the best seats, no only joking they open it up during the day for people to check it out.

  We headed out to a place called Cape Leveque. This was a trip of about 220 klms with about 86klms of unsealed corrugated road. We drove into Cape Leveque and the road was a little uneven but the area was very picturesque. Once again the beaches in the area are all beautiful and they seem to just go on and on.
As you can see I was into the fishing again and still didn't catch anything. It' very relaxing just like playing golf. Bullshit I haven't caught anything and I'm getting a bit frustrated with the whole thing. I'm going to persist and I will catch one even if I have to go to the fish farm. We stayed and had a bite to eat and then off to One arm point and the 86klms of dirt road. On the way out of Cape Leveque we came across this sign. If was a corrugated dirt road with more pot holes than the Western ring road. Check it out and see if you think it makes sense. Funny photo for Hey Hey its not on anymore.

As we drove up to One arm point the road started to get bad but we continued on. We came across some of the local fellas who had stopped as their car had over heated. They wanted some water and we gladly assisted them and had a chat with them for a while. It's funny how pretty much all other people driving past didn't stop or ask if they needed help. We had a laugh and they asked if we were staying up in Beagle bay which was our next stop. I think they would have had some interesting storys to tell. Oh, their car wasn't registered and they only used it to travel to the main road and then changed into another car to drive into town. They obviously have money as everyone in the North west has a Toyota 4x4 of some description. Some not as pretty as others, smashed and knocked about. Anyhow we made it to Beagle Bay unscathed and visited the local church which had a pearl shell alter. Pictures tell the story, not sure if the locals attend the Sunday mass.

As there wasn't much to see in the town we grabbed an ice cream and headed out.

We drove to One arm point and looked around the beaches and checked out some of the other features of the town. This area has street signs that tell you not to go into local areas but they were quite happy taking twenty dollars off us to drive into the area. It seems that the places of no interest or very little interest charge you money to go into the areas. The roads are bad, the upkeep of the facilities is poor but they charge you for it. Not too many people said a good thing about the money they take and how they use it.

Anyway we headed back out and down the sealed road for about 110klms and then hit the 86 ks of unmade road. We passed two recovery vehicles putting a couple of new Toyota 4x4s on tray trucks and it was a bit of a worry seeing new cars braking things. But the Nissan Navara made it through. I thought at one stage something broke as there was a load bang under the left front of the car. Luckily nothing broke and we made it out OK. I have decided that the Nissan has done it's job on off roads until I get some suspension mods done. It would be fun doing these trips with a small  4x4 camper trailer in the future but the caravan would fall apart 10ks down one of these roads. The speed hump sign road was what the 86 ks of road looked like on the return so I was very sore after the drive.

We got home and hit the shower and into bed, you wouldn't believe driving could take that much out of you.

We went down to the jetty to do some fishing and I was talking to the security guard on the gate, there was a cattle ship leaving for Egypt and he told me that they take 20,000 head of cattle on it. No wonder price of beef is expensive we send it all overseas. Oh yeah, they have to bring the cattle in by truck, yep all those road trains. It's either iron ore or cattle.

Now it was back to the beach so Gabriella could do the camel ride. It was a very warm afternoon so sat, drank and fished while Gabriella rode a camel. The pictures below tell the story.

The line up before they are set upon by the hordes of tourists. The keepers say they love being ridden on the beach. My comment was "which one told you that?" the girl laughed.

I said smile.

Off they go down the beach.

Yep they came back and still smiling.

had to throw this one in. Who is that good looking guy with Gabriella. Is that a six pack. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

This fella was the grumpy one of the herd.

This is the photo that you get on postcards. Thought I'd do it myself.

having a great time see you when we get back. :) Rod & Gabriella

This is the hardest shot to get on the beach as you have to wait until all the tourists have walked past and then start snapping.

Well that was our adventure in Broome, we are moving on to Karratha with an overnight stay on the way down. We decided to stop at DeGrey river which was very nice. There was close to a hundred vans, tents, motorhomes and camper trailers spread along the river banks. Left the next morning and headed down to Karratha, did some shopping and hit the Chinese restaurant for some dinner, it was beautiful.

We will look around town today and head down to Dampier for a look as well, only have today as we head to Coral Bay for a well earned rest.