Clare and Ross - a van, no plan.

Happy Birthday Ross!!! Drove on for a nice morning tea at Burra....all the cafes were open here and we'll supported. Drove on to Renmark in the Riverlands....again had to toss out all fruit and vegies .... everything we had stocked up on 2 days ago in Ceduna....we forgot about the Riverlands!! Stopped early and walked beside the river...The Murray....into town.

Driving across the top of the Eyre Peninsula. We stopped at Kimba....again.....4 th time!.....half way across Australia. Everything was closed being Sunday and very few people about. Drove on to Port Augusta.....so many wind turbines all around the time. Stopped for lunch at the Arid Lands Botanical Gardens....nice gardens, nice food. Final stop was Gladstone...a small town....again everything shut for the weekend. It's claim to fame seems to be that in its heyday it was a mechanical hub for trains of 3 different gauges...narrow, standard and broad gauges....all 3 lines run through town.....trains still pass through but there is no station now....it has been converted into a museum.

200km to Ceduna and the end of the Nullarbor. Lunch in Ceduna overlooking the waterfront at the club....the only thing open on Saturday after midday. We have then driven through wheat and sheep country. Wudinna has set up its showground to allow caravans to stay...powered and unpowered sites and new clean facilities...$15 a night with an honour envolope for cash. It is well supported 10 vans here tonight. This was lunch on the Bunda cliffs yesterday.....no whales this time of year.

Another 500km across mostly treeless plains today. We are using our drums of diesel careful to avoid the highest prices across the Nullarbor...up to $2.22 a litre. We know when a Roadhouse is approaching as we can see the communications tower from 5 km away....nice to have some reception for a short time. Each Roadhouse has a golf hole....no real fairway but fancy artificial grass for the greens. Stopped at Yalata an Aboriginal Community....they are part of the tribe moved from the Maralinga Region to allow the bomb testing to go ahead...they are now spread over a wide area. The community itself is closed due to Covid risk. The caravan park has only been open for 5 months with brand new facilities and a very cherpy chatty manager.

Big driving day again today. We turned right at Coolgardie towards Norseman and left the big water pipe behind....it is going to Kalgoorlie....thanks Melanie. We have driven through the Western Woodlands and into the saltbush of the Nullarbor. Through Norseman, Belladonia....yes the remains of Skylab are still there on the roof of the Roadhouse after its crash in 1979, along the longest stretch of straight road....146km ....in the world. We looked out for camels,emu, kangaroos and cattle all the way but did not see any . We have ended the day at Cocklebiddy...we have also entered the Central Western time zone 45 mins ahead of Perth time....a primer for tomorrow. The Roadhouse has 2 wedge Tail Eagles....rescued after Road accidents. They are very big impressive birds.

We spent yesterday packing up and moving everything back to the caravan. Bikes included. Did a grocery shop to restock before leaving  Treated ourselves to dinner at the local Italian Restaurant. It is nice to be able to walk to dinner . Today we loaded the final items.....farewell 44 Aberdare Road, collected the van ,wiggled and stopped and started through Perth until finally on the open road. We have driven through Meridian, Southern Cross, The Wheat Belt and into The Goldfields ...we arrived as the sun was setting (30 mins earlier than Perth) in Coolgardie. The wheat looks as though it has been harvested already in some places....it is very golden....not green like when we last drove through. All the way from Perth we have been accompanied by a railway line and a massive water pipe....over 500 Km.....where is the water going? The park in Coolgardie is almost tropical...lush thick green grass and palm trees....it must take a lot of water to maintain.

Explored this coastal park near Floreat which had some steep climbs to lookouts over the ocean one way and the city the other  Harry knew the way as he has done this walk with Rachael and Andrew. He was very happy trotting along until we were sprung by a ranger on a quad bike who told us Harry had to be on a lead....we obeyed ......fearing that the Ranger could sneek up on us again! nice park...nice banksias....warm day.

Decided to follow the bike path down to beautiful Matilda Bay...over the Narrows bridge and along the south bank of the Swan River. The foreshore area has been left as parkland all along the river for the general public to enjoy with separate walking and cycling paths....great views over to the CBD. Lots of people picnicking on the grass. We watched a ferry going backwards and forwards to the CBD. We completed the 10km loop crossing a different bridge to return to the North bank. Coffee on the South bank, Lunch on the North side and coffee again at Matilda Bay....perfect.

Saturday mornings there is a farmer's market at Subiaco. We walked up and the market was busy...fruit and vegies, a mushroom stall, a fishmonger, free range eggs as well as crafts of various kinds. Lots of food stalls selling Bfast, brunch and lunch foods and entertainment laid on. It was buzzing and happy. Bought all of our supplies for dinner. Lovely to see Betty Cullen and her daughter Catherine and grandaughter Amelia. Lots of chatter about times gone by, Ireland and dress hunting for a formal.

We are close to Shenton Park railway station and all along the railway is a cycle path. We cycled out to Fremantle which was very nice until we were nearly there and the cycle path just disappeared. We opted for the footpaths rater than the very busy roads but had to keep getting off for people and outdoor eating areas. The central square is being renovated and looked almost European . We found ourselves a cafe for lunch and as we were ordering, 3 very  elderly men waddled in and slowly set themselves up...getting out a guitar, saxophone, clarinet, flute and base clarinet. They were excellent!...playing jazz mostly....everyone had a good time....them most of all! What a lucky choice! We caught the train home $2 each ....nothing extra for the bikes.

We have spent the last 3 days running around Perth getting jobs done. The car has been serviced, tyres all replaced, the caravan hot water system and a hatch have been fixed. We have paid a visit to the shopping centre Andrew supervised the building of....very flash....high end shops....no Target or Kmart! We liked this outdoor area best....surrounded by eating areas. Ross has had lunch with a friend from CES Staff Training, 35 years ago, and lots of visits to the dog beaches and round and round the dog park. Feels good to have everything done and safety checked before heading back ....over East.

We can walk to Kings Park from Rachael and Andrew's place....just at the end of the road. The park is enormous, we discovered, but eventually found ourselves at the war memorial overlooking the river and CBD. The gardens were all in flower....so colourful. walking back there was a pond with Stromatolites which we had seen further up the WA coast....some have been relocated to the park. I wonder if they are still growing.

Perth has plenty of dog friendly spaces...all well supplied with poo bags! The local park just 2 blocks up is a park used for sporting events but dogs are welcome ....Harry is very familiar with this park and took us along his favourite route. Also visited Peasholm Beach another dog beach. Lots of swimming , ball chasing and interacting with the other dogs and owners. Another hot beautiful sunny day....so many people out enjoying the beach and cafes.

Hot day in Perth. Took Harry to Cottesloe Beach, lots of dogs all chasing  balls or frisbees...they seem to know which one is theirs and leave the others alone. Rachael and Ross and Harry all braved the water. walked along to a cafe with outdoor area. Later cycled through the grounds of UWA.... beautiful sandstone buildings and extensive grounds. To Matilda Bay.... lovely spot on the river with parklands all along it. Slight problem when we got back to the house....we could not open the back door. Sooo....

So here we are back in Perth having completed a massive circle of WA, NT and SA.....32,000km. What an amazing time we have had! Lovely to see Rachael and Andrew again and we have enjoyed a wonderful Greek dinner with Harry and Demetra...Andrews parents. Walked down along the Swan River to a lunch spot on the water. The city was sparkling in the sunshine....a big blue sky day!

Wellington Dam was built during the depression...across the River Collie.....creating initally a source of drinking water but now used for irrigation and considered too salty for drinking. The 30 metre high dam wall has been painted. There is an enormous gush of water coming from the base of the dam which creates the Collie river below the dam. we drove along the side of the river enjoying several spots....The Rapids, Big Rock, Little Rock, Long Pool and Honeyman Pool. A very attractive river system. No swimming today but it was a beautiful blue sky day!

The cut is a narrow channel between the inner and outer harbour. The dolphins were there as we hoped....bobbing up and down and swimming back and forth across the entrance to the cut.....there must have been plenty of fish there. The beach was covered in the fibrous balls that we have seen from Darwin to SA and now in WA  They are called Neptune Balls and are formed from the fibrous material in the leaves of sea grass..... remarkable! walked up the the lookout in town on Marleston Hill. Lots of steps...round and round but it gave us a great 360 degree view over the town, port, beach, marina and lighthouse.

We have driven a little further up the coast. Bunbury has a busy port but also a very expansive attractive waterfront with a long beach. we believe there is a big dolphin population in the bay....that is for tomorrow!

Explored further along the bay on the bike track  We cycled along the back of the incredibly long beach. Fantastic views all the way. The water was turquoise and the sand very white...it looked very inviting....but....no-one swimming, just a bit to cold and maybe to many sharks!?!.....people walking, paddling sea kayaks, jet skis, and lots of people on bikes. It also seems to be the longest dog beach in the world. There was a Sunday market in the park in Busselton....lots of food and crafts for sale. After a nice lunch we rode back....plenty of exercise today!

The lighthouse on the Cape was manned until 1997. We joined a tour to walk up the lighthouse and see the mechanism inside...the massive lens is floating on a mercury bath so it turns with virtually no resistance....now all mechanised but impressive. The view from the top was amazing....360 degrees. we walked around the point...out to a whale watching platform. There were whales splashing about  quite a long way out from the point...there were 2 whale watching boats out there enjoying the sight. We went on to Moses Rock and walked a short section of the Cape to Cape walk as far as Quininup Falls. When we arrived at Moses Rock we could see whales much closer....breaching right out of the water and with their tails and flippers flapping around....fantastic! The falls were quite surprising so close to the beach. The area had huge numbers of large grass trees....almost all with very tall flower spikes.....there were paddocks full of them.

Dunsborough is on the western end of Geographe Bay, Bustleton is at the Eastern end. It is a magnificent shallow bay with holiday resorts all the way along accessing the beach. Dunsborough is very orderly, tidy and wealthy looking .....the Terrigal+ of  WA. Lots of classy clothes shops and trendy cafes. Everywhere was very busy.....all the accommodation is full as there is an Iron Man competition on over the weekend. A lovely sunny day.....horray!

We are staying 5 km outside town but there is a very nice cycle/ walking track all along the waterfront. A very nice flat scenic path. Left the bikes at the beginning of the pier and walked out to the end. It is almost 2 km long and has a solar electric train the runs out to the end.....very slowly....we beat the train to the end. no whales or seals or dolphins today but very very windy. walked back .....behind the train this time. Lunch in a cafe in the old court house .....then rode back. We have had our second Covid shots today so we should be protected to return to NSW.

We were able to get the valves on the tyres on the caravan replaced this morning....we were unaware you could do such a thing!  All 4 were cracked and at imminent risk of breaking off and letting all of the air out of the tyres resulting in the tyres being shredded....disaster averted hopefully. We have driven on to Busselton and have set ourselves up again. We had a quick explore of the extensive foreshore area and the amazingly long jetty. It is very cold and windy.....again!

Thwarted a couple of days ago by floodwaters, today we took the Winter Route to the dam...a side loop from the main trail that had a bridge and board walk across the raging torrent. Made it! The dam was larger than we expected and holds the water supply for Margaret River.. We walked a loop around the dam wall and enjoyed lunch amongst a tall Jarrah and Marri forest. The track was fun to ride and we were surprised that coming home it was mostly down hill.We shared a coffee at the end of the track with a couple of cheeky birds.

Fantastic Saturday morning farmers market....fresh fruit and vegies, Italian food, arancini balls,fresh bread.....yum yum. We loaded up with produce and when walking back came across a community garden....lots of lovely shady spots and little winding paths. There were volunteers serving tea or coffee with homemade cakes for a donation.....to eat and drink in the garden. Lots of people were enjoying the setting. Later exploring further along the river....so many plants flowering....we are lucky to be here this time of year.

Cycled along a cycle path very different to yesterday's.....it was sealed all the way.....no rocks, roots ,fallen trees, mud or massive pools of water.....it was lovely! Rode along to the mouth of the Margaret River then down to Prevelly where we were able to watch the surf rolling in. Definately a surfing community! No Great White Sharks in view today.

We had the caravan serviced this morning...brakes, bearings, lights etc all greased, cleaned and checked. He found that the valves on our tyres need replacing as they are all cracked...so we need to find a tyre place. Rode our bikes along the track to the dam. The track started wide and a good surface but as we went along it got narrower and became a mountain bike track.....we rode through big mud patches, large water pools, over rocks and stumps, under a fallen tree and managed not to fall off as we rode over thousands of very large round eucalypt seed pods. We went past a turn to an alternate winter track but continued on the "summer" track. It continued up and down until we ended up at a deep water crossing with the water flowing very fast and a sign saying...do not cross. We did not cross and did not get to the dam. Never mind....it was a new riding experience and we emerged unscathed.

Ross had a tennis morning with some of the locals. Only a small group of about 6 but friendly and just the right ability level. He misses Wednesdays at Castle Hill with its great bunch of characters. Clare went for a walk along one side of the Margaret River....there is an excellent walking / cycle track going on for over 10 km so did not go the full way but crossed at a weir and walked back on the other side of the river  The weir was flowing rapidly.....there has been a lot of rain.....there was a clever fish ladder to allow fish to travel up and down the river. This afternoon we visited Hamlin Bay between downpours of rain. Despite looking very carefully along the shore there was not a single stingray to be seen.....last time we were here there were huge numbers of very large rays right at the water's edge. Nevermind....walked up onto the headland to look over into the next bay....only 2 snorkelers in wet suits to be seen. We mistook them for seals for several minute