The Simpson Desert - 2016

It was an exciting moment filling up with fuel at Mount Dare.  This is the last fuel stop before entering the Simpson Desert.  We really were not sure what to expect as this was our first crossing - and all of us were looking forward to the next six or seven nights.  We filled the fuel tanks to the brim, bought our Desert Passes and enjoyed a last ice cream.  It wasn't long and we were on the road to our first camp - Dalhousie Springs.

Dalhousie Springs is an oasis on the western edge of the desert.  The artesian water is a delightful 39 degrees, and we spend the best part of a full day lolling about in this paradise.  The three boys delighted in playing the in water, jumping out and enjoying the novelty of cooling in the breeze before warming up again in the water.  

On the Oodnadatta Track, Painted Desert and beyond

After a long day on the road, we camped overnight at Wearing Gorge in the Flinders Ranges.  Having received good rain in the previous few weeks, the landscape became more green and lush the further west we pushed.  The next morning we had a leg stretch at Blinman, before proceeding down the Parachilna Gorge.

The grass was so green in places it almost hurt our eyes to look at it!

On our previous visit, we had promised the boys a meal at the Prairie Hotel.  Unfortunately it was closed - and perhaps that was a good thing...  (See here: http://project2014australia.blogspot.com.au/2014/03/wilpena-pound-and-rawnsley-park.html).

Sadly with any highly anticipated activity, we were a bit disappointed with the Prairie Hotel, Parachilna.  It had been renovated without taste in a way which had destroyed all former character. There was no bar, save a glimpse at what could have been, now filled not with taps, but a till. The walls were covered in expensive art for sale, with only the occasional piece eliciting pleasure. And the meals were something else again.  Trying to be inner city chic, the meals would have been more fitting in inner city Hipsterville.  Sorry Prairie Hotel Parachilna, we won't be back.

On the road to Silverton

After living on the road for twelve months back in 2014, some people would think our travelling would be done.  Others, perhaps wiser, would know that it has barely begun.  For the past few months we have been planning a trip to the Simpson Desert, and on Saturday 6th August 2016, we set off.  Looking back on that 2014 trip, it is easy to see how much these beautiful boys have grown.

This was to be a trip without our camper trailer 'Matilda'.  We were not sure how going with just swags (and an emergency tent) would go.  We figured we would be alright, unless it rained... and in a few short weeks we would test the limits of our wet weather capability.  We were also travelling with friends Kylie, Jim and their boy, The Little Fossicker.

Our first night was on the banks of the Murray River at Euston.  Jo had made special onesy outfits for the cold nights - and the kids loved them.  There was no complaints from any of the swag dwellers, so we pressed on.

We traced the Murrumbidgee River from home, and later followed the Murray stopping at Wentworth to see the confluence of the Murray and Darling Rivers.  We would be crossing the Darling River again in a few weeks some 1,970 kilometres by river north at Bourke.

Getting the camper ready to travel again....

In little more than a blink of an eye, school holidays are again upon us.  Whilst I cannot believe how quickly three terms have gone by since we returned home after 12 months on the road, these holidays see us hit the road again with our faithful travelling companions, Rocky and Matilda.   With a couple of weeks to go until we get back on the road, it was a good idea to pull everything out and check it thoroughly.

We have only camped once since we have been back.  We have largely neglected the camping gear for the past nine months.  For the most part it was pushed to the back of the shed and 'stored'.  Unfortunately other items have been dispersed or requisitioned for other projects.  Reassembling all the various bits and pieces has taken me longer than I thought.

It is a funny feeling pulling out the goods and chattels that we dragged around the country last year. Each item invokes a particular memory, such as the BBQ that made not only delicious roasts, but also baked scones with a roast meat flavour! Or finding the plastic drink cup that was used as an emergency dust cover on Matilda after the wheel bearings failed on the Tanami.

The ferocious dog watches on as I start reassembling the camping gear

Mainly it is amazing how a fresh pair of eyes makes everything look tired.  Our camp chairs, held together with bits of wire and fabricated bolts and which we promised to replace once we got home, still faithfully answer the call.  Likewise our bench seats with stylish gaffa tape highlights over bottom pinching splits, should have been put out with the rubbish.  But due to a shift in priorities, we haven't got around to replacing them.  

Mount Kosciuszko with kids - back on the road again

Little more than two months after coming home, unpacking everything and getting back into the swing of life - our feet started getting itchy again.  Now don't get me wrong, it is great being home, and we are right back into the swing of school, work and renovations (yes - we find plenty of ways to keep busy).  But we had one major challenge we wanted to complete. 

On our 12 month journey around Australia, we saw many Australian icons, swam under some fabulous waterfalls, and climbed some picturesque mountains.  There was one mountain that we didn't conquer on our trip, and it was nagging us.

It was time to head to the High Country and the Australian mainland's highest peak - Mount Kosciuszko.  (Australia's highest peak is actually Mawson Peak, part of active volcano Big Ben on Heard Island way south west of the continent)

Some highlights of the Atherton Tablelands

We returned south after our adventures at Cooktown and Laura at a relaxed pace.  It was time to check out some of the things to see and do in the Atherton Tablelands, and (re)discover why this area is so popular with tourists and locals alike.

We saw some magnificent timber work at the Tolga Woodwork Gallery.  These places always showcase incredible craftsmanship - and the gallery here was no exception. Beautiful timber had been turned into exquisite furniture - and we all enjoyed walking through the gallery.

Tolga Woodwork Gallery - I had hidden Jo's credit card just in case...

Our next stop was Crystal Cave in Atherton.  Rene Boissevain has put together an amazing collection of crystals - and displayed them in a unique quirky cave.  It was fascinating walking through the crystals - many of them able to be held and touched.  

Inside the Crystal Cave

One of the most amazing specimens is a huge Amethyst Geode, standing over 3.5 metres tall. It is simply spectacular and takes your breath away when you walk into the room.  We thoroughly enjoyed our time checking out all the crystals here - even more impressive was that the vast majority are able to be held or touched.  Some of the specimens are extremely rare, others are simply beautiful. This was a fantastic place to visit.    

  

And now for something completely different

The next part of our adventure was not particularly far from Darwin as the crow flies, but it is a long 400km journey by road.  Almost half of the drive is on an unsealed corrugated track, littered with burnt out cars.  We were visiting a part of Australia that is far from the tourist circuit - indeed it is an area often singled out by the politicians and media outlets for all the wrong reasons.

Unsure what to expect, we were nervous about making the journey here.  I was concerned for not just our safety, but for the impression this place would leave on our boys.

I came away with a strong feeling of hope.  

Our destination was a former mission that was established in the 1930's, and relocated to its present location in 1942.  It became a meeting place for many people, with land assigned for each family group within the mission boundaries. This has created an extremely diverse community undergoing a massive cultural change, and this upheaval hasn't always gone to plan.  Our destination was Wadeye (Port Keats).

I wont pretend to even attempt to understand the challenges or issues here, suffice to say they are extremely complex.  There is no simple solution.  

We were visiting Chris and Emily, family friends who had taken a two year contract to teach at the school here.  They are 18 months into their contract, and are considering extending their contract for another two year period.  Chris and Emily played the part of gracious hosts, tour guides, chefs, and translators.  We were extremely fortunate to have such wonderful friends to visit here, who went out of their way to ensure we all got the most out of our visit.

The road in was littered with burnt out cars - because the cost to recover broken down vehicles usually exceeds the vehicle's value.

Gibb River Road Part III - There is so much more to Mitchell Falls than just Mitchell Falls

We made good time following our departure from Manning Gorge and after a quick grocery resupply at the Mount Barnett Roadhouse we rolled out.  The road east of Mount Barnett was probably the worst of the track so far - but Rocky and Matilda handled it with aplomb.  Our destination was initially the King Edward River just off the Kalumbaru Road, on the way to Mitchell Falls, but as it turned out, we didn't end up staying there at all.

We refuelled at Drysdale River Station, some 59km north along the Kalumbaru Road, and were intrigued by a mudmap on the shop counter showing some Aboriginal rock art sites near the King Edward River.  These sites are not shown on the regular maps, nor are signposted.  We followed the mud maps and found ourselves among ancient sandstone blocks coloured with Windjana and Gyorn artwork.

The boys check out some Windjana paintings

Point Quobba and the fabulous Ningaloo Reef

We left Carnarvon with the skies still threatening - but it was clear enough to head to the coast and the southern end of the Ningaloo Reef.  We were heading for the Blowholes - because the road was sealed, and locals recommended it as one of the best places to swim at the reef.

As we made it just past Point Quobba Lighthouse I had to pull off to celebrate a momentous milestone.  Rocky clocked over 50 000km since new - exactly 22 756km since leaving home.  It was worth a photo, with the lighthouse in the background!

Happy 50 000km Rocky!

We decided to camp at Point Quobba, a shire run camp-ground for the princely rates of $11.00 per night.  It was an interesting place with plenty of old beach shacks, grey haired nomads and keen fisherman all jostling for a spot.  We found a nice place near the beach access, and set up camp.

Just back from the beach - glorious

The following morning we checked out the Blowhole.  Best seen at low tide, there are about half a dozen holes in the limestone rock shelf.  One is particularly large, and near it a small vent provides a spectacular display.  Timing a photo to show it off at full glory is particularly difficult, but we enjoyed our time here looking at the blowhole.

Waiting for the perfect shot

You get the idea

The part of the world has a protected fish sanctuary area, well called the aquarium.  Fishing is not allowed near here, but the snorkelling is first rate.  Whilst the coral may lack the colours of the Great Barrier Reef, it is incredibly accessible, being just off the beach - and the waters are full of fish!

The Aquarium - doesn't look so much from above the water - but in the water it is very much alive!

The boys kicked about in the shallows for a while, before donning their snorkels and heading out into slightly deeper water.  We spent ages just looking at the clams, coral and fish of all colours and descriptions.  I did take the GoPro camera with me, and hope to have taken some good video of the excursion underwater.

Kicking about before donning the snorkel

We were told to take a bit of bread with us - and if we thought there were plenty of fish in the water earlier, the mere dropping of a few crumbs had the water literally teaming with fish.  A few over zealous fish even nibbled the fingers of those silly enough to hold onto the bread underwater!  It was simply delightful.

We wandered up to the rocks overlooking the 'Aquarium', and were rewarded with a sighting of a Green Turtle.  The waters were beautiful and we spent ages looking down on the fish waiting in the gentle current for a fresh feed.

Green Turtle in the Aquarium

Check out the fish!

There are worse places to sit and check out the fish!

A real highlight for The Little Fisherman was that he finally - after much effort - caught a fish (in the fishing zone), the first of the trip!  He was in-a-word ecstatic.  In fact Mum even heard his cry of "Fish" from camp, a good hundred meters upwind!

Little Fisherman with his catch

Thankfully the fish was unable to be identified from our little books and the WA fishing guide, and being of a small nature, we returned him to the water to live another day.

On our last night at Point Quobba, the weather changed.  A front came through that brought very strong winds and lots of rain.  I could tell you how it was, but The Little Helper (7 years old) wrote an excellent journal article that I will reproduce here:

When we went to Point Quobba.  We were having a good night... until... uh oh.  Heavy rain!!!!  It came down in pools of water! Lachlan and I had a wet bed because we have a flap.  The flap kept on opening!!!  When Dad took us for a wee our shoes were floating!When we went for a wee it was like having a shower out side!!  When we went inside, Mum said "Come and sleep up here!!"  So up we went.  All of us were squished.  Lachlan was not squished because we was doing a star fish in the middle of the bed.  So of course we did not get any sleep.  Lachlan wanted more room, so he was going 'wiggle, wiggle, wiggle...wack!' to poor Dad.  I can tell you how we got no sleep.  It was because the sound was ear splitting!

It was a wild night for sure - and we all decided to head off early the next morning.  We packed up and returned to Carnarvon to resupply and head inland.  Unfortunately we should have had a closer look at he road conditions before we set off!

Surprising Geraldton

We arrived in Geraldton with the main aim of getting a service at the last Volkswagen dealer before Alice Springs or Darwin.  It seems the transformation of Geraldton from a rough industrial town into a vibrant city is well under way, and with a day to spend in the town, we started in the very centre of town.

The wonderful foreshore

When the rail line to the Port was moved from the foreshore, the city embarked on a massive redevelopment of its waterfront. A real hit for the kids was the water-park!

The Water Park - built on the old railway line!

Nearby we checked out the locally built submarine, built as a prototype for a local Western Rock Lobster fisherman. Unfortunately the venting of the lead acid batteries rendered the experiment a failure, but I was amazed that such a project had even been commenced.

The submarine was painted yellow after the Beatles hit song... as you do

Life on the farm, we have a break at York

With the Easter weekend fast approaching, we took up a kind offer to share the weekend with some friends at their family property near York.  The best part was that the boys had a friend too - and it wasn't before the three of them were inseparable.  We were extremely lucky to be able to have a beautiful campsite on the only bit of green grass on the property - the front lawn - which had been carefully manicured by the resident kangaroos and alpacas.

With any farm, there are always jobs to do - and the boys soon embraced the new lifestyle.  Of course the best part was riding in the back of the trailer on a special 'first class' board constructed especially for their comfort! 

Riding first class

Our friends run a mixed farm on their 500 acres.   A large area is reserved native bushland.  The rest is mostly sown oats, which is cut and baled into oaten hay and exported.  We helped out clearing some of the paddy melons or gourds (cucumis_myriocarpus) from the paddocks.

Margaret River - would you believe it's not all about the wine...

Margaret River is synonymous with wine, delicious wine, and we came expecting to enjoy a bit of grown up time exploring the wineries.  We hadn't factored on there being so much to do, that it took us four days to visit our first winery!

This is a fantastic region to visit with a family, that seems to undergoing burgeoning growth.  The old favourites are still here, but in the 12 years or so since my last visit here, many new ventures have started, bringing new activities, tastes and even fashions to the area.

We camped at Contos Campground, just near the stunning Lake Cave.  There are some 300 steps to descend into the cave, and a new addition is a suspended deck over the collapsed cave roof.  It was a little unnerving stepping onto the clear observation points in the deck - but for some crazy reason we all ended up on the deck and took this amusing selfie.

On the suspended deck.... The cave is some 300 steps below us!

Lake Cave's show-piece is the magnificent suspended column - one of only two known in the world, and the only one open to the public.  Whilst the cave is beautiful, I felt sure the water level of the lake had dropped since my last visit.  The guide confessed that all the caves in the Margaret River region have dried up, and they lined the bottom of this lake with plastic to ensure it didn't dry out too.  Of course no one really knows why - but the huge number of massive dams supporting the grape industry (and don't forget the aesthetics of a nice big dam) must surely have something to do with it.

With the giant trees at Pemberton

The South West of WA is famous for its trees, and one in particular seems to have captured the imagination like no other.  The Karri tree (eucalyptus diversicolor) is well named, as its smooth bark ranges from grey to salmon pink in colour.  Felled in huge numbers in the early 1900's, largely to provide sleepers for the Trans-Australia railway, some reserves were gazetted to ensure the survival of these magnificent trees,  Over time these reserves have been turned into National Park, and whilst the timber mill at Pemberton is still processing Karri timber, it is managed much more sustainably than ever before.

The best way to get up close to these trees is to take a climb to the top. Originally built as fire observation posts, today these trees are big tourist drawcards, so much so that in 1988 a new tree was 'pegged' allowing a birds eye view of the surrounding forest.

Dave Evans Bicentennial Tree

Be us fools or worse, we put it to the vote as to which tree we would attempt to climb.  Of course we had to go to the tallest tree - the Dave Evans Bicentennial Tree - to test our mettle.

Having climbed the nearby Gloucester tree last time I was in the West, I knew what I was in for, but I think the rest of the family had a few moments of contemplation when they saw what lay ahead of us.  A 65 metre vertical climb on steel pegs, screwed into the trunk of the tree.  There is no safety harness of any sort - you just hang on and take care.  After all, it would be silly to let go.

Yes - this is one tall tree, but there is a little rest platform about 15 metres off the ground, and we all made it there for a pause and a chance to rethink the next stage.