Yalgoo to Perth

12th to 23rd June
After spending the last few months on the coastline, we’ve turned inland to the desert, mining and grazing country. Due east 200kms from Geraldton is the small township of Yalgoo, population 120 people.... and that’s the whole shire!

Melangata shearing shed

Thanks to the mining boom funded ‘royalties for regions’ program the Yalgoo caravan park, township and brand new footy oval were all first class.
We camped at an old pastoral property which traditionally grew wool, but has recently moved to meat sheep, though battling an increase in wild dogs (dingos).

The owners took us for a drive around the property where we saw granite jump ups and aboriginal cave paintings which very few white people have seen.

Sheep Grazing country

Walga Rock

On the way to Mount Magnet we passed Walga Rock, a 2km long granite monolith that the local aborigines used for ceremonies.

The surrounding country is red dirt, sparse vegetation and very few people.

New Norcia monastery 

On our way back to Perth we passed through New Norcia, an active Benedictine monastery with Beautifully manicured lawns and imposing buildings.

Originally built as a place to convert the local aborigines to Christianity, and though the nuns convents and the orphanages have long gone the monks still operate a commercial brewery, bakery and hotel.

Campfire camping

Our East to West of Australia lap is completed..... 

After 23,232kms, 139 days travelling and 52 different camp sites we’re flying back to Sydney for a couple of weeks to catch up with family and friends. 

Coral Coast to Shark Bay

24th May to 9th June
We’ve hit the Coral Coast and are heading northward.... via Lancelin, Geraldton, Kalbarri, Hamelin Pool and Denham which is our most northerly destination this trip.

Milligan's Island campsite

This part of the coastline is ochre red cliffs running into white sandy beaches, aqua waters and blue blue sky.
Most of the towns are small fishing villages, with large pastoral leases inland running sheep or marginal cropping, Tourism's a big economic driver... no wonder the locals are friendly....
We had the best and freshest fish and chips in Lancelin, pink snapper and whiting, caught locally by the husband and cooked by his wife. Ocean to plate less than 12 hours, yum yum.

Lobster co-op

The Crayfish (Lobster) industry is worth big dollars, and we toured the processing plant in Geraldton, where crayfish are sorted by colour and size ready for export, straight to Asia.

We did this as part of TAFE tourism, which also included their fish breeding facility and a two course lunch....sadly no crayfish on the menu.

The gorge's in Kalbarri National Park are where the Murchison river comes off the plains, cutting through to the sea. We did the walks early in the day before the heat set in.

Natures Window & the Murchison river

At Hamelin Pool we saw marine Stromatolites,  rock like living fossils, the oldest and simplest life form dating back 3.5 billion years... dawn of time stuff.
Our campsite had shell base from the local beaches, and this was the first time we've had flies this trip.....

Hamelin Pool Station

Our stay at Shark Bay in Francois Peron National Park had flies, moths, wind and flooding... quite exciting.

Flynet fashion

Kevin did a great job of driving though the sand dunes to big lagoon and then Cape Peron, without getting bogged... though there were some white knuckle moments, apparently that's part of the fun?

Heavy rains came on our third night at Peron, we lost our annex twice, the roads were closed and we were 'locked in the park' for two days... just us and the campground host.
By the time we headed back to Denham there was red mud on every thing and everywhere.

Big Lagoon

Shark encounter, Denham