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.