Kalbarri to Perth

13^th News Letter.

Friday 9^th October. Driving out of the beautiful Shark Bay our eyes were drawn to the masses of color along the roadside, beautiful clumps of vivid red and yellow bushes to begin with and then to our delight many more colors began to appear.

We were in Wildflower Country and what a beautiful picture it was. The country itself between the Overlander Roadhouse and the turnoff to Kalbarri was very different to what we have experienced thus far, suddenly we were in wheat country with fences and cleared paddocks instead of wild scrub with feral animals. The flatness turned into rolling hills with wheat and sheep, reminding me of central N.S.W. area. It seemed as though we rounded a corner and then to our amazement the sides of the road where a painting straight out of an English garden.

The colors, textures and variety of plants were amazing and we both got the feeling that we must have consumed some hallucinogenic substance at lunch and were having a great psychedelic experience. Unfortunately we were not able to pull off the road and take photos of this particular place (probably because of the drugs) but later on we have been able to capture a few of the beauties with the camera.

On our arrival in Kalbarri we booked into Kalbarri Anchorage Caravan Park to find ourselves having to ask a particular family to move their table and chairs so we could occupy our spot, they were very obliging.

Saturday 10^th found us not happy with allocated position so asked to move to a more appropriate site with river views, fortunately it was not far away so the move was easy. It was time to check out this town so on went the walking shoes, hats and backpacks never wanting to miss an opportunity for a bit of shopping. The town of Kalbarri is picturesque along the shore of the Murchison River to where it enters the Indian Ocean. Standing at the Meanarra Hill lookout the view of the ocean and entrance to the river is spectacular, we sat for an hour or more watching a charter boat attempting to enter the river mouth eventually we gave up and walked back to our van. Our friends Louise and Lynn had arrived at the park so we arranged to go out to dinner with them to an Australian themed restaurant. Those of you who know me know that it wasn’t going to be my thing but even I was shocked when BYO meant your own glass as well as wine. The pista resistance was the roll of toilet paper on the tables to use as napkins, a theme I do not believe I will take up at my next dinner party.

Monday 12^th a visit to Kalbarri National Park could not be resisted. Despite the 26km of gravel corrugated road it was well worth the journey. We chose not to do the 8 km loop hike so opted for the 500m Nature’s Window walk instead, with stunning views of one of the beautiful Kalbarri Gorges. A photo at ‘Natures Window’ a magnificent rock formation with a huge whole (window) through the middle, was a must record. We also ventured to the Z Bend where we were able to view the gorge from a high platform. We also watched two male idiots test their stupidity by jumping from a ledge some 30meters up into unknown water depths below. We didn’t wait for the results, hopefully their self preservation took over and they chose to walk down the way they came other wise they could well have had to be winched out by helicopter. We also drove on to Hawks Head and Ross Graham Gorge, which were spectacular. What wasn’t spectacular were the bush FLIES in their billions, no trillions, in your face, up your nose, eyes, walking on the inside of your glasses, you could not breath without inhaling them, we swore we would buy insect face netting to go over our hats at the first opportunity.

Wednesday 14^th, time to move on and our destination was Geraldton, what a beautiful drive it is down the coast from Kalbarri through to Northampton. Hutt Lagoon or Pink Lake as its often called is north east of the town of Gregory and the coast road runs along its length. The Lagoon is a salt lake which, in the right weather conditions turns pink or some may call it purple, the color of the lake is due to the high concentration of salt tolerant algae. The salt mined from this lake is actually PINK. We drove on to Northampton where we unhitched the van in a parking bay and Ken drove on to The Hutt River Province leaving me to the enjoyment of exploring the town shops. The shops were fascinating, particularly a large haberdashery store that sold everything from fabric, buttons, thread etc, thought to clothing for every member of the family, kitchen ware and a huge variety of crockery, bake ware also pots and pans. They also sold hats in all forms and for every occasion from the garden to the races. Shoes, bras, panties, not to mention their extensive gift range, what a great place to just poke around. The store is one of the first buildings in the town and I suspect some of the items contained within may date back to its beginnings. In one corner of the store I came across a cat having a nap on a roll of fabric perhaps he was the security system not sure and the lady who appeared to run the place was out the back doing her ironing, a very friendly soul indeed. Just for the record, Hutt River Province is an independent sovereign state since 1970. Ken has always wanted to meet its self appointed head of state. He came back from his afternoon visit to the place with a disgusting T shirt and a head full of information about the place which I will not bore you with the details. Moving on from Northampton to Geraldton we drove through some of the most beautiful farm country imaginable, green rolling hills with sheep and winter wheat in alternate paddocks.

Thursday 15^th we were up early as we had the Land Rover booked in for a service. The caravan park of choice was Batavia Coast Caravan Park because it was Wendal friendly and also it was close to the place servicing our vehicle. After leaving the vehicle we headed into town or should I say the centre of the city where we spotted a movie theatre, oh joy. Deciding on a movie, we noted to be back by 12.30pm, so spent the rest of the morning wandering down the main street and along Geraldton’s beautiful water frontage with clear aqua water lapping clean sandy beaches. Lots of activities for families such as water features that children can inter act with. It struck us as a very clean tidy city that takes pride in its appearance. The movie we saw by the way was “Mao’s last dancer” which we both thoroughly enjoyed.

Friday 16^th back on the road heading south on the Brand Highway we found ourselves stepping back in time with many beautiful historical buildings dotted through out the country side, places such as Central Greenough Historical Settlement and Station Museum dating back to 1887. Once again we were amazed at the beautiful rich countryside that surrounds this area obviously on all sides of Geraldton. Some kilometers past Dongara, Indian Ocean Drive takes you all the way down the coast to Cervantes. We were hoping to find a free park somewhere along this stretch of coast as we had become very tired of caravan parks. Our Camps 4 book indicated there were at least four of them.

The first one we came upon was Cliff Head North, very beautiful, right on the ocean with spectacular views. We thought we had died and gone to heaven until we got out of the car and then realized we had arrived in fly hell. The flies were unbelievable, swarms of them descended on us from all angles and all we could do was run for cover back to the car, however they managed to join us in the car because they were all over our backs and heads. I couldn’t even breathe without inhaling them so had a tissue over my face until they had blown out of the windows of the moving car. We continued on checking out the other camping areas (without getting out of the car) to find that you could no longer camp anywhere along the coast. There are signs up every couple of kilometers stating how unwelcome camping was and a hefty fine would be issued if you disobeyed. At this point our desperate priority was to buy fly nets as we had not had success thus far. The first store we came across was a hardware store and yes we were in luck, two very stylish nets available. Now we are in charge of the flies! Oh who am I kidding. We eventually were directed to Sandy Cape Recreational Park just slightly north of Jurien Bay, a lovely spot right on the ocean with a good dirt road into the park. There is a friendly caretaker who is happy to take your $15 a night fee but it was nice to be away from neighbors either side for a while. We enjoyed a long walk along sand tracks, which eventually lead us back to a beach then another long walk back to camp, all up about an hour and half walk. Ken did his good deed for the month by helping two young guys who had become stuck in the sand with the incoming tide, the 4 WD they were driving was becoming more bogged by the minute so a bit of advice from an old bloke worked wonders, not to mention a lot of pushing. The sand fly’s proved to be a problem at Sandy Cape and in the end and we were getting very sick of being bitten. Always the queue to move on!

Sunday 18^th we decided to move on to Cervanties, a small pretty town at the end of the coast road. Meanwhile a drive through Jurien Bay had been highly recommended and we were both surprised in regards to the amount of new wealth that is being poured into this town. Mega mansions going up along the waterfront to the tune of 2 million dollars, seems strange in such a small town. We arrived in Cervanties early afternoon so after putting some washing on, headed to The Pinnacles some 16klm south of town. These are rock formations that come out of the desert in the form of pinnacles, very strange to look at and it would appear that the scientists are still only guess as to how they were formed. That evening we went to Cervantes Bowling club for a lobster seafood platter that I will not comment other than to say Ken enjoyed it.

Monday 19^th found us heading east to New Norcia, a town that was on Ken’s must see list. New Norcia is said to be Australia’s only monastic town founded in 1846 by Bishop Rosendo Salvado and Dom Joseph Serra. It’s situated only 120 klm from Perth so enjoys quite a lot of tourist attention. We had a very peaceful night camped in the field watching the sheep and other wildlife before dark and then enjoying the stars in a clear sky later.

Tuesday 20^th Once again we were taken by the beautiful countryside that is in this area of the country, lush is the only way to describe it. Beautiful green rolling hills dotted with wild flowers of every imaginable color, size and shape. Coming into Perth, wineries appear to dominate the countryside with the invitation of wine tasting at every turn, however this invitation is hard to take advantage of particularly pulling a large caravan, perhaps another day. We had booked into Karrinyup Waters Resort at Gwelup at the recommendation of friends who were staying there. It was a delight to be able to catch up with Ray and Sherrie whom we hadn’t seen since Carmila Beach in Queensland in May.

Wednesday 21^st. Time to look around the suburbs so a number of shopping centers were recommended, basically we chose the nearest one Karranup. I must say I have never seen so many large suburban shopping centers anywhere. Karranup has a Myer and a David Jones and every other chain store you can imagine. I can’t tell you how exciting shopping centers are to women who are traveling in caravans, I know it’s sad but true.

Thursday 22^nd. Freeman phoned us on Skype from Canada where he has gone for the ski season, wonderful to talk. I miss him very much. We took the car for a drive North of the city to Yanchep and Two Rocks, these are towns on the coast that used to be small and sleepy but now they have huge areas opened up by developers with some very expensive houses already established. It is great to see the different architecture that appears on this side of the country, really different to the east coast of Australia. Most housing developments in WA incorporate rear vehicular lane ways so the mandatory car garage is not a front of the house feature. On returning to Perth we decided it was early enough for a drive down the coast road to North Fremantle to see some of the sights, lots of old 1950 -70 houses being replaced by contemporary designs, very exciting and fresh.

Friday 23^rd, Time for a trip into the city so checked out the public transport system to find Perth has a fantastic rail system and also a great bus service, particularly the northern suburbs where we are staying. We got a lift to Stirling Station where we jumped on a very fast modern commuter train and got off in the city at one of its underground stations. A great day was had by both of us just wondering around this very clean, organized, attractive city, some great old buildings proudly standing beside their more contemporary counterparts, all with great dignity, stature and design. Perth city is situated on the banks of the Swan River, so there are a number of parks that are part of this city’s centre. A free bus service takes you for a ride around the city for as long as you wish to take in the views. We were entertained by a number of very talented buskers in the Mall area, a very frustrated Opera Singer Fiona Mariah, who has won many awards in Europe for her singing entertained us with her beautiful voice and character. We are now the proud owners of one of her C.D’s and really enjoy her unique talent. Another C.D. we bought was by Los Chasquis, a South American group, who play music from the Andes, lovely pan pipes and fantastic rhythm. These performers have allocated times so they don’t clash with one another (very organized) and all are professionals in their fields not your usual busker. The only complaint I have about Perth is its lack of advertised Public Toilets, they seem to be a secret and you really don’t need that when you have a full bladder. So please Perth tell us where they are! As we got off the train at Stirling we noticed an IKEA store so a quick trip to the kitchen department for a new fry pan was a must. No I wasn’t allowed to stroll through the mired of new items and ideas that this store offers, no the shopping scrooge put a stop to that.

Saturday 24^th It’s raining, cold and miserable and don’t feel like going anywhere. Off to the local Supa IGA store for last minute shopping is the best I can manage.

Sunday 25^th The sun is shining and we are off to Fremantle which is a port city located 30 minutes from Perth’s city centre. It is said to be the world’s best preserved example of a 19^th century port streetscape and boasting Western Australia’s largest collection of heritage listed buildings, it also has many stylish museums and galleries. There is a lot to see if only the legs will keep up, walking shoes are essential in this city. One of the many highlight of Fremantle for us was the Maritime Museum, I thought I would be board ridged so took my book but instead found it a wonderfully interesting place to spend two to three hours. They are even housing Australia 2 in full sail, complete with look a like mannequins of its crew when it won The America’s Cup.

We also strolled along the main wharf area and were able to view two square riggers about to leave with young crew onboard for a sailing adventure. It’s amazing how far sailing ships have come in design. As if Fremantle was not enough for these old folk we ended our day with a visit at twilight to Magnificent King’s Park. I will at this point quote from EXPERIENCE PERTH, “The jewel in the city’s crown, King’s Park is one of the largest inner city parks in the world”. This stunning location overlooking the city really is breathtaking, but it’s not just the magnificent views but also the gardens with their abundance of Western Australia’s wildflowers, which have been lovingly planted and nurtured into fantastic displays. The war memorial was also quite spectacular, situated high on the hill with the city and Swan River as its backdrop. The inscription “Let silent contemplation be your offering” seemed so very appropriate in such a place.

Monday 26^th Today we are leaving this beautiful city, to drive south in search of some lovely Margaret River wines and some more beautiful coastal experiences. Goodbye Perth, it’s been a great experience, thank you.

I hope all is well in the lives of those of you who are reading this. Take care all my good friends and look forward to hearing from you. Love Elizabeth.

Broome to Denham

12^th News letter.

Tuesday 15^th September, reluctantly we left Broome and headed south on The Great Northern Highway. Our stay in this picturesque town was outstanding and would recommend to anyone that it is a must see place on this planet. Unfortunately like many places on the West Coast it is an expensive place to live particularly when it comes to Real Estate whether buying or renting. It makes me realize how cheap our places are on the Sunshine Coast by comparison. Our first port of call was Barn Hill, however as we pulled off the highway we discovered we had a small engine problem in so far as the intercooler pipe had a slit in it and oil was leaking onto the engine bay. Out came the ever-trusty black tape and after a lot of wrapping, on we went to Port Smith Caravan Park some 23 klm off the highway on another dirt road. An almost deserted park as we are now far behind the crowd that has already gone home and planning their next trip. Before we had even hooked up to electricity a very nice man came over and offered us four fillets of fish that had just been caught. Now you can’t beat that can you? I might add they were delicious. We took a long walk down to the waters edge, as it was low tide and wondered amongst the sand flats enjoying the clear aqua water on an incoming tide.

Wednesday 16^th It was a long days drive to Port Headland some 500klm away with a dickey pipe so we were careful not to go over 80 klm an hour. I have two words to say about Port Headland, DON”T GO if you can avoid it. It’s a mining town that ships Iron Ore on massive ships to god know where. Everything in the town is covered in Red Dust and looks revolting. Best of all, you too could buy a house that costs $750,000 that you wouldn’t want to live in because it’s so horrible and rent it out for $2,500 a week. We stayed in one of the 3 caravan parks in town that was so feral I couldn’t believe we were there and they charged $35 a night for the privilege. I figured they should be paying us to stay there. The run down feral dongers they rent out for $450 a week, I think their sense of pride disappeared a long time ago.

Thursday 17^th A special day looking at the high and low spots of Port Headland from the car window as I refused to get out except to go to the supermarket. Ken of course made it his business to overlook the unpleasantries and had a ball watching the big ships being loaded with Iron Ore and jostled about with the help of tugboats. It’s the small things in life that make it worthwhile. We were not able to buy a replacement hose in this town so phoned Perth and arranged for one to be sent to our next Port of Call, Karratha, our worst nightmare would have been having to stay in this town for a week waiting for the part to be sent, as it was we stayed 2 nights.

Friday 18^th On our way out of town my unstable and very disturbed partner Ken mouthed the fact that if it wasn’t for me he would have liked to spend a few more days in Port Headland so he could watch a few more ships come and go. He obviously is not well, poor thing. A good job he has me along for the ride to look after him. Another 200 klm down the road we stopped in Roebourne, a small settlers town for lunch. It is said to be the oldest town on the NW coast of Western Australia. Established in 1866 it comprises an array of restored historic buildings to its credit. We noticed many Indigenous people were sitting along the roadside, probably to greet us. It’s strange how they all know we are coming and find a nice tree to sit under for the day to make us feel welcome. On to the small deserted town of Cossack, which was home to the North West’s first pearling industry. Cossack boasts of 8 restored buildings including an impressive courthouse and a neglected cemetery. Just when I thought I had seen it all, a trip to the headland had to be included and I might add it was a spectacular view. After many hours of stepping back in time enjoying our history it was time to find our camp for the night at Cleaverville Beach. Situated some 14 klm west of Roebourne we turned off the highway onto 13 klm of yet another dirt road to eventually find something close to heaven. It’s an area of about 100 acres of natural bush land on the ocean. The council has put in some good dirt tracks to enable you to find your own camping site, and from ours we have 180deg view of the ocean including sunsets to die for. There are very few people here at this time of year as the season is nearly over so it’s nice to have the place to ourselves. The only amenities offered are garbage bins and sewerage dump points, however water is 35 klm away in Karratha, so one has to be super careful with its use. The cost of this place is $7 a night per van so we are pretty happy with that. The down side however are the midgies, those little blighters that love to bite you and even get through the netting in the van so while we are here we are also sleeping under another netting erected over the bed.

Tuesday 22^nd Today we can take it no longer, the sandflies/midgies have won. This morning we woke to hundreds of the little buggers under the mosquito netting with us, and our bodies covered in bites. Ken raced outside to pack up while I set too and packed the inside. After about 20 min of midgie agro, we put Wendal outside on a lead and sprayed the van until my arm hurt. What a pity, as it has been such a beautiful spot and we have enjoyed 4 lovely days. We believe the start of high spring tides has flushed them out. Swallowing as many Phenergan as possible, we then tried not scratching our way to Karratha. We pulled into Balmoral Caravan Park on the edge of town and as it was still quite early in the day and went to check the P.O. to see if our intercool pipe had arrived. Yes we were in luck, so Ken put it in and I did our washing and also washed our very red caravan. Wow it looks good without being covered in red dirt, so does the cream leather lounge after some elbow grease. Apparently we could not leave the area without a visit to Dampier so as the sun was setting we hightailed it to have a look at the port.

Wednesday 23^rd We headed back into the centre at Karratha to do a wee bit of shopping; I hate to miss the opportunity to visit Woolies. My watch had stopped so I needed to find a jeweler that sold a suitable battery. Also two of our gas bottles were empty. Shopping for supplies always takes us a while so we didn’t leave town till after noon. Our impression of Karratha is it’s a very prosperous town due to the massive iron ore and gas industries. Lots of new houses being erected and my guess is the shopping centre will follow suite. Another long drive and we had already decided to stop at a free park so chose Robe River, which was already near capacity when we arrived at 4.30pm. On our arrival we noticed two ladies coming out of the drop toilets with rubber gloves on, disinfectant in hand and cloths that were obviously going to the nearest rubbish bin. On enquiries as to what they may have been doing we were informed as to the state of the toilets. They were chokers, with a clearance of about 15 mm below the seat. No I won’t go into further detail, however the council should get its act together and have more frequent pump outs before people start getting sick. The other joy about this place was the red dust and the strong wind that blew it through the door and every nook and cranny.

Thursday 24^th Saw us on the road to Exmouth and enjoying much cooler weather. Just outside the small town of Learmonth we came upon a huge fiberglass Prawn, so the car pulled itself off the road into the driveway and 2 kg of prawns were deposited into the Evercool, which makes Ken a very happy boy. Ningaloo Caravan Park in Exmouth was chosen to be our home for a couple of nights, however finding a shady spot proved to be a challenge. Later in the afternoon we decided to take a 4 klm walk to the new Novotel Resort right on the ocean and we were both taken with what a beautiful place it was. The resort is designed in a semi circle with the reception, bar and restaurant in the middle and the two story bungalows curving around on either side all facing the sea, pool and water features. A great place for a drink and a cool off.

Friday 25^th Ningaloo Reef here we come. The first thing we came across was the Naval Communication Towers, which are the world’s largest very low frequency transmitter. The central tower, known as Tower Zero, stands at the centre of the base surrounded by twelve others and all can be seen from a great distance. It is said to be the second tallest structure in the southern hemisphere standing 387.6 metres high and weighing 800 tonnes and can withstand winds up to 500km per hour, very impressive by anyone’s standards. Next stop was the wreck of the SS Mildura, a cattle ship that now sits on the sand bar at the tip of the cape, it was destroyed in 1907 by a cyclone while traveling south. On to Vlamingh Head lighthouse and a view that is beyond words, however breathtaking is close. Today the wind is picking up the sea and rolling it over the reef that can be seen on the horizon. Closer to shore aqua clear water with the occasional wave coming off a reef closer to shore, was a surfers delight. As we drove down the coast into Cape Range National Park the road followed the coastline allowing us to stop for yet another view of this magnificent sight. There were only a couple of possibilities for snorkeling due to the windy and rough conditions, but Ken did manage about an hour or two with his head under water. I enjoyed lying on the beach tanning up my very white legs.

Saturday 26^th We traveled on to Coral Bay, a village only 150 klm down the road, comprising 2 caravan parks, a hotel and a couple of shops. We were hoping to stay quite a while but were told we could only stay one night because it was fully booked for the next 2 weeks due to school holidays. Well we did what we could to enjoy the place for the rest of the day. Ken went snorkeling and I went shopping and had a sleep. Toward the end of the day the park filled up with families on holidays, tents touching, children squealing, and dogs making nuisances of them selves.

Sunday 27^th Drove to Carnarvon Caravan Park and booked in for one night. Drove into town and walked on the old one mile jetty that was built in 1897, and it is still used by young families and old men fishing ‘trying to catch a feed’. Back at the van park we met some of our new neighbors and all promised to get together tomorrow evening.

Monday 28^th A quiet day in sleepy old Carnarvon, I did house hold chores and a wee bit of baking, some nice fattening choc chip cookies, fortunately they don’t last to long when Ken is around so very few pass my lips and go to the hips thank to the cookie monster. Drinks with our new neighbors proved to be a most enjoyable affair, Lyn & Louise come from the USA, Pam and Ivin come from United Kindom and now reside in Queensland, and Pam and Bob from Victoria, such a diverse and interesting group of people.

Tuesday 29^th It’s raining today and the wind is blowing like hell and very cold, this is the first rain we have experienced since leaving Walkamin. in Qld. Winter jackets and dooners are coming out of their hidey-holes with great speed and even the electric heater is being sought to warm our cold feet. How quickly the weather can change. Since being in Carnarvon we have had access to lovely fruit and vegetables all locally grown on the farms that surround the town. Eggplants, tomatoes, baby egg tomatoes, beans, spinach, avocados, bananas, paw paw all very reasonably priced, for example a bag of tomatoes cost $1.

Wednesday. 30^th Today the weather has cleared up enough to take a drive to The Blowholes, some 75 klm North of Carnarvan. Powerful ocean swells force water through sea caves and up out of narrow holes in the rocks, forming jets of water sometimes to a height of 20 meters. It’s a spectacular sight and was worth the drive however the chill factor was not to my liking. Never happy I hear you say, could be right. By this stage afternoon drinks have become a regular affair with our newfound group of friends.

Saturday 3^rd October. Can’t believe we are still at Carnarvon, however we ARE leaving tomorrow. We have a booking at The Seaside Tourist Village in Denham as of tomorrow night, so no excuses. One of the reasons we have been here for so long is due to school holidays here in WA and all the coastal parks are booked out a long time in advance so we decided to sit put and wait it out.

Sunday 4^th The highway from Carnarvon to the Overlander Roadhouse we have renamed as Road Kill Highway due to the extraordinary amount of animal remains. At least every kilometer one comes across yet another Kangaroo, Emu, Goat, Sheep, plus the odd Cow all at differing points of discomposure, very unpleasant when you have to drive around a fresh one. Too much information I am hearing you say, well I have to agree. We also noticed that many human fatalities had also occurred depicted by crosses and wreaths marking the spot, it seems strange that in all our travels we have just never seen so much death in such a short distance. Fortunately we have arrived at Denham in one piece with out any hiccups.

Thursday 8^th What a beautiful day it is, with not a cloud in the sky and the wind abating so we can enjoy this lovely part of the world. We have been here for five days now so will try to relate just some of our experiences, but first of all some history. Denham is a small seaside town located on the Peron Peninsular in Shark Bay Marine Park. Shark Bay Marine Park is some 748,735 hectares in size covering 1500klm of coastline, said to be the largest marine embayment in Australia. The aquatic life is amazing with a myriad of dolphin, dugongs, sea snakes, sharks, eagle rays, manta rays and turtles. The bay region has the largest number and area of seagrass species in the world and is a breading ground for dugongs estimated to house one eight of the world’s population.

This has been a world heritage area since 1991 covering all four of the natural criteria for world heritage listings, in this case Natural Beauty, Earth’s History, Ecological Processes and Biological diversity. The world heritage attractions include Hamelin Pool Stromatolites, being one of only two places in the world where living marine stromatolites exist. What are stromatolites I here you ask, well they are living fossils that contain microbes similar to those found in 3,500 million year old rocks. Another attraction is Shell Beach, the beach is made of trillions of tiny shells, all from one type of animal, the Hamelin Cockle.

There are prolific numbers in the area due to the super salty water and the discarded shells have heaped into massive piles up to 10m thick. Tonnes of bleached white shells form the beach up to 1km wide and many kilometers long, it is a sight to behold. Eagle Bluff is located some 20klm south of Denham and it provides an opportunity to view this expansive coastline and the myriad of marine life that exists in the shallow waters of shark bay. A newly constructed boardwalk was a great place to view turtles, rays, sharks and dugongs, and I was also impressed that the broad walk included wheelchair access.

Monkey Mia is arguably the most popular attraction because of its dolphin interaction experience. The ritual of feeding the dolphins has been going on for 40 years and we were very fortunate to be part of the experience. I am not sure if it was my orange coat and shoes or if it was the bribe Ken paid so his lovely bride could be one of the ‘chosen’ selected to feed these beautiful creatures, despite standing in the back row. Ken decided to take photos while I got to meet one of the grand old ladies of the sea. The dolphin turned on her side and just played with the fish I was giving her, while staring at me with her right eye. (Apparently they are able to use their eyes independently of one another, depending which side of their brain they are using). I really did feel a wonderful connection and was grateful for the experience.

Just before leaving we visited Ocean Park and enjoyed a few hours being entertained and informed by some very young and enthusiastic Marine Biologists in regard to the fascinating marine creatures found in this world heritage area.

Friday 9^th October. It is time to move on to our next destination Kalbarri, but before we do I must say how much we have enjoyed our stay at Shark Bay and would highly recommend to anyone to put on your MUST DO list.

Well good friends enough from me, this update has been a long one. I hope I am not hearing any snoring. I don’t believe I have mentioned our beautiful boy Wendal in this update, well he sends his love and is behaving beautifully. Hope this finds you all well and happy. Take care, regards Elizabeth.