Quobba - Kalbarri

(Photo: Blowhole, Quobba Station)

Pippa-We went to Shark Bay after spending 1week in Exmouth. When we got to Denham we set up next to a Campbell friend Andrew. We went out for tea with Andrews Family. At the Old Pealer Café Restaurant. The next morning we went to Monkey Mia to see the dolphins but it was a bit commercialized for me we didn’t get to pat them. At sea world the dolphins are much better there. We went all the way to Neren Neren stop for the night. We went to Kalbarri the next day. We meet the dickens there. We have been doing lots of stuff.

(Photos: 1. Shell Beach, Shark Bay 2.Stomatolites, Hamlin Pool, Shark Bay )

Campbell - we went to monkeymia and saw the dolphins. We drove to Kalbarri met the dickins. We did 8 km on a gorge walk. There were lots of things to see. I saw a snake. We went fishing off a jetty. We caught lots of undersized fish. I was the first one to catch fish. Lucas caught the second fish in his lifetime that was very big but it snapped the line. We are staying in a unit.

(Photo: Nature's Window, Kalbarri)

Lachlan- we went to shark bay after Exmouth. We went to the visitor center it had lots of artifacts and information. For tea went to an old pearling shop made out of shell rock for tea. The next morning we went to see the dolphins. It wasn’t as good as it sounded. Then we went to eagle bluff. We saw sharks, stingrays and a black blob, which we think was a dugong. Then we went to shell beach. It was fully shells no sand to be seen. Then went to see some stromatolites. We bought some shell rock. That we stayed at a rest stop. We ate marshmallows with the best before date 5/8/08! Then we went to Kalbarri and met the dickens. We have done lots of stuff like go on a fishing charter and go on an 8km gorge walk.

(Photo: At Murchison River Gorge, Kalbarri)

Rhys – After Exmouth onto Quobba (aboriginal word for hitting someone). Amazing history of Europeans (mainly Dutch) crashing ships into a very rugged coastline, not a good habit! After a reasonable days drive we arrived at Quobba Station a “farm” that has 80km of coastline and is about 185,000 acres of land! Unfortunately the land is very low lying sand dunes covered by stumpy saltbush with an annual rainfall of about 350mm, very harsh country. Found a campsite behind a saltbush that offered a bit of shelter from the SE winds, which we have been battling since leaving cape leveque. In the morning I took the kid along the beach that was about 100m from our camp site, at the beach we found mountains of giant clam shells, each about 200mm long piled up as much as 1000mm deep in places. There must be millions of these things in the ocean. Walking up on top of the cliffs with an 8 –10m swell rolling in and crashing into the cliffs sending spray billowing into the air was very impressive. We spotted a pod of dolphins just offshore and witness them catch a large fish and toss it about. Then they proceeded to surf the waves in, which after a short ride would turn around and jump off the back of the wave, with such a large swell they jump left them 5-6m above the water, amazing sight! On leaving we visited the HMAS Sydney II memorial (my mums cousin was a crewman) then to the Quobba blowholes, another wondrous sight.

From Quobba we headed off towards Kalbarri arriving after we spent a night at a roadside stop. Kalbarri has it all Ocean, river, wildflowers, gorges and nice foodie places. We spent a marvelous week with Steve, Wendy Dickens and family, which was very good to see them and spend time together, it went so quickly. It was good enjoying the products Kalbarri has to offer with friends. We had only been catching little fish off the pier, and wanting bigger ones on the Saturday Steve, Lachlan and I went out on a charter boat the “”Kalbarri Explorer” to catch some big fish. Steve and Lachie catch some unfortunately I got seasick before I could get a rod in the water. As the trip was for 5-6 hours I spent it in contemplation assessing my life, hoping for time travel fast and maintaining to consistently vomiting into a bucket. I was able to get additional contemplation of life by alternating between having the shakes, hot sweat, freezing cold, visiting the toilet and vomiting, I believe I did it all well as next day on the pier fishing a fellow fisherman recognized me and commented on how “committed I was to the bucket “. Also was advised by the skipper of the boat that he had never in his “30 years at sea seen any body as sick”, comforting words. Guess it was not at all helped by already feeling a bit bilious from the chronic fatigue that I still have.

Tomorrow we are off to Perth then home, how quick has the last 3.5 months gone!

(Photo: Lachlan with his big catch!)

Kathy – Well, we’ve gone from camping in the outback trailer to living it up in an apartment in a resort since we last blogged.

After Exmouth we went to Quobba Station which is up from Carnarvon and guess what? It was windy! Fortunately it was just windy, windy and not gale force. The Quobba coastline reminded me very much of Victoria. Instead of turquoise blue sea and white sands we had big cliffs and a roaring sea. The waves were enormous and it seemed most of the coral reef on the coast – particularly the clams – was washed up on the beach.

From Quobba we headed to Shark Bay and Monkey Mia. At Shark Bay we actually had to put a jumper on – it was getting colder! Denham was a nice little town and we met our friends, the Dunfords and also Will and Tim, the bike riders we had met previously. We ended up having a meal with the Dunfords at a lovely little restaurant made out of shell rock. We took the kids to Monkey Mia while there to see the dolphins and were all suitably unimpressed! Much more interesting was the stromatolites at Hamlin Pool and Shell Beach which instead of sand the beach is very small shells. Very different.

From there we went to Kalbarri via an overnight stay at Neren Neren Rest Stop which was actually quite good and surrounded in wildflowers. Talking of wildflowers, we’ve been very fortunate to see lots of flowers and every 50 kms or so the wildflowers change. If you have the time I can bore you with thousands of photos of wildflowers from around Australia! There were lots of wildflowers along the road to Kalbarri which was fantastic.

At Kalbarri we met up with Steve, Wendy, Lucas and Lauren Dickins. We’ve had a great time with them this week. It has been great doing things with them. We’ve done, yet another, gorge walk which was great. We’ve hit the cafes and the beaches. Rhys and Lachlan went deep sea fishing with Steve although Rhys had serious sea sickness and didn’t even get to put a rod in. Kalbarri is a great place which had a great mixture of the outback with the gorges, nice beaches and a lovely little village with all you need. Very nice. But this has now come to an end and tomorrow we head off to Perth for a couple of days and then it is basically “Home James”. We plan to be back in Melbourne on or about 3 October. We are having those mixed feelings of looking forward to going home to our own house and seeing friends and family again but at the same time realizing that our great adventure is almost over. It has been such a fantastic time but it will be great to get home.