The Ghan, Darwin and Kakadu

After handing the keys to the campervan back to Maui we were happy to sit back and be driven for the next few days. A short flight to Adelaide and connection to The Ghan allowed us to relax a while and be thoroughly pampered. This beautiful train took three days to snake it's way up through the mighty central desert to Darwin.

The Ghan is just under a kilometre long and it was like a cruise ship on tracks. They had a staff of 50 to look after 200+ passengers. The food was stunning. Menu offerings included crocodile, buffalo, kangaroo and barramundi. We are in fresh mango country up here too!!

Our first stopover was at 0600 next morning to see a desert sunrise, while having coffee and vegemite scrolls by a campfire, in a tiny place called Marla. Although just a weather outpost, Marla has a police station for 100 people!!! We didn't see anyone,.... just a few wild horses, but the sunrise was fiery.

On to Alice Springs and our second stopover. Doug took off on a Desert Experience to get among eagles, reptiles, insects and dingoes......

.....while I went on a camel trek. Here is an 8-year old , highly intelligent camel with a 68-year old less intelligent person on it's back!!

Actually it was fun, in spite of the heat, flies, and dust! Our final stopover was Katherine. By this stage temperatures were in the high 30's and the humidity crawled all over us. We visited Katherine Gorge, a hidden gem in Nitmiluk National Park. Being the end of the dry season only two of the 13 gorges were navigable. No freshwater crocs to see, but the rock formations were quite dramatic.  Apparently it is safe to swim with freshwater crocs?? Mmm.... maybe next time!!!

The beginning of the wet season is certainly upon Darwin. The locals call it "the build-up", a time of increased anxiety, punctuated with mood swings! The sky looks like it is going to burst into a thunderstorm at any moment. Humidity is nearly at its peak. Here are some pearling boats against a spooky sky....

Thankfully my memories of post-cyclone Tracy have now been erased as Darwin is now colourful and vibrant.  The waterfront dominated our attention. Life is lived outdoors and any excuse is good enough for a celebration. We struck one at the Mindel Beach Night Market where they celebrated the end of the dry season with fireworks.

The grand finale to our trip was Kakadu National Park.  It was like stepping into another world, - a very spectacular ecosystem in a tropical setting, with scorching temperatures. It was useless visiting dams, billabong and waterfalls because they were all dry. Highlights for us were exploring the wildlife on Yellow Waters, a flight over Arnhem Land, and watching the crocs feed on barramundi at Cahill's Crossing. Spot the snake....

Doing a U-turn at Exmouth

It seemed easy to just keep travelling north, and after we left Carnarvon we went beyond our planned itinerary. Once we reached Exmouth we knew we had to cover some serious mileage back to Perth in a short time. For the first part of our return trip we drove without any diversions and our scenery went from this......

to this......

for about 900km.

Exmouth gave us Cape Range National Park, therefore a chance to enjoy the coastline and take a swim or two. In Exmouth emus rule! All traffic gives way to these crazy birds.......usually the males who look after their teenage off-spring. Apparently the female disappears when the real work of upbringing begins. Smart lady!!!

One of our reasons for our extended itinerary was to enjoy the Coral Coast and snorkel on Ningaloo Reef. Swimming with turtles and schools of colourful fish was brilliant, but the real buzz was being with Manta Rays. These guys can have a wing span up to 7 metres, but this one was only 4 metres.

They are both graceful and ugly. When they come towards you they look sinister,...... just have to remind ourselves they are inquisitive filter-feeders. Some had a couple of sucker fish attached,....... going along for the ride and collecting the crumbs!

Actually we were just in time to explore around Exmouth. Many attractions and accommodation shut down at the end of October.  Temperatures become too hot and sticky, so most people hang back until the north become bearable again.

As mentioned in a previous blog we stayed on cattle ranches as much as possible. We noticed friendly rivalry and competition to attract travellers. One is around scone-making. Would have been impolite to refuse the offerings.....

Even if some didn't make scones, artesian baths are a drawcard,..... in spite of a mild smell of Rotorua lingering on the body from the bore water!!

In Cape Range National Park room service was provided at our camp at Osprey Bay. Door opens,....... in flies the staff, cleans the crumbs off the floor, then attacks Doug's shoes!!

We took our time travelling through the Avon Valley as we neared Perth. In contrast to the harshness of the north the green rolling hills and fields of canola were a refreshing change. Many of the towns have English names like Northam, Beverley and York,...... and all are brimming with restored pioneering heritage.

It was a sad moment returning our van back to Maui,....... such a faithful home on wheels for 44 nights. But....... all good things!! We are now off to Adelaide to hook up with The Ghan. In the meantime a colourful wave as we reluctantly leave WA.

The Coral Coast

On our return trip through the wheat/sheep belt back to Perth, we stopped over in some of the small towns to chat with the locals rather than sightsee. Many Maori families have settled in this area because Maori shearers are in hot demand. York was our favourite town, not only because it was dotted with sculptured animals made from wheat.......

......but also because the people loved to chat, it's history lined the streets, and we found a cafe that felt like "Foodie Heaven". It is family-run,... even 80+ year old granny helps, and fresh supplies came from the men's garden, an off-shoot to the men's shed.

We side-stepped Perth because we were hankering to see the coast again. Our first stop on the Coral Coast was Yanchep National Park. Six fat blobs high in the gum trees turned us into Koala-spotters. Such a peaceful place full of bird life and a small glimpse of wildflower.

As we travelled north, large patches of sand started encroaching on the scrub.  Desert meets farm, and there stuck in a selected area of its own is the Pinnacles Desert National Park. It looks like a large gathering of hooded monks. Fascinating!

Back to the coast where crayfishing dominates. Just had to stop for lunch in the laid-back town of Cervantes, headquarters of a $600 million crayfish industry.

The little settlements dotting the coastline up to Geraldton seemed to host a mix of recreational and professional fishers. It was delightful arriving in Geraldton. It's waterfront is a masterpiece of fun activities, picnic spots, bike trails and cafes. This sphere held our attention for quite a while.

We were instantly attracted to Geraldton and stayed longer than planned. A powerful spot overlooking the city commemorates the sinking of HMAS Sydney off the coast during WW2. Each bird in the memorial represents a life lost in the tragedy.

In this part of WA we have chosen homesteads, ranch-stays, eco-camps and roadhouses to stop each night. Most have toilets and showers, but no electricity. Some provide complimentary damper. Flies are always free. Snakes are an optional extra.

At Wooramel River Retreat, bet you can't spot the river!!!

It is a long way between attractions up here. On our way to Kalbarri we lingered by Pink Lake, that was actually PINK because of a little beta-carotene producing algae.

We enjoyed hiking in Kalbarri National Park. Certainly is rugged terrain, but absolutely stunning rock formations. Apparently the flow of the Murchison River carved out these beautiful gorges over the past 400 million years.

The in-shore winds can be quite robust in these latitudes at this time. They blew us inside out at Monkey Mia so we hurtled further up the coast towards Exmouth.  It is calm and 35 degrees up here. Tomorrow we are booked to swim with the Manta Rays at Coral Bay.

Unlimited red dust

Esperance held both intrigue and sorrow for us. We always wondered what kept such an isolated spot ticking and soon learn its port was busy off-loading wood chip, grain and the jewels of mining. But I felt robbed! For weeks I have been telling Doug how amazing I remembered the Pink Lake was,.......only to find it hasn't been 'pink' for twenty years!!! All was forgiven though, when we were treated to its display of picture-perfect coastline!

One final highlight before leaving the Southern Ocean for the harshness of the interior was Cape Le Grande National Park, and in particular Lucky Bay. As with our coastline at home, many of the South coast beaches had their seasonal littering of sea grass. In spite of that, we hung out with the local roos and revelled in the beauty of it all.

No wonder Matthew Flinders lingered here during his circumnavigation of Australia.  

We finally wrenched ourselves away and took the long road from Esperance to Kalgoorlie. 400km of straight roads, dry salt-pans, red dust, mine entry signs, and road trains too big to fit in the photo.

At last Kalgoorlie and our first stop was the KCGM Super Pit. Certainly made Waihi's mining hole look like a back yard sand pit.

Historically mine-workers kept two very flourishing businesses afloat. The ladies of the night and luring barmaids aren't quite so busy now, but their workplaces remain as Kalgoorlie's iconic attractions.

We enjoyed the 'wild west' atmosphere of Kalgoorlie-Boulder and admired what they are doing to restore their town centres. Coolgardie, their poor cousin down the road is now a ghost of its former self. On Saturday, only the pub was open,......in fact that's possibly the same for every day of the week!! It is amazing that Kalgoorlie gets its water piped from Perth. It would be like Auckland getting its water from Wellington! We saw several hundred km of the pipeline on our way to Hyden. Might as well include it here because the rest of the landscape hardly changed for 500 km.

Hyden was our diversion on our way to Perth. The attraction was Wave Rock, and it was a challenge alone to get this shot without swarms of Chinese tourists posing with their surfboards.

We preferred the other stark granite outcrops that dotted this wheatbelt region. It gave us another great opportunity to go hiking and enjoy the wide open-spaces.

Finally we salute the Aussie farmer, who is not only in constant drought, but is also facing dieback of important shelter trees.