Cape Range to Kalbarri

After our time in Cape Range National Park we headed south to the very popular holiday destination of Coral Bay. Since it was school holidays it was jammed packed with Perth holidays makers and with little room at either caravan park we decided just to spend the day there. Our first impressions of Coral Bay were not great but that might have been due to the overcast day (first day of bad weather in months), over populated, cold and not really set up for day visitors. We managed to walk along the beach, up to a look out and return to the village for lunch at the Bakery. After 2 hours we felt we had seen everything in Coral Bay and it was hardly swimming weather so moved on.

Looking back at Coral Bay from the Lookout 

We put in a big effort driving wise and made it to Carnarvon by late afternoon. Just enough time to see their Dish and their One Mile Jetty both of which are no longer used. One Mile Jetty also had a Museum and a lookout over One Mile Jetty constructed in an old raised water tank. It had some great old machinery including some trains so Kai was very excited. After our late viewing of One Mile Jetty we had to find a caravan park for the night. Thankfully we managed a late check in, into the one in town and even got a site where we didn’t have to unhitch which is always helpful when we are only there one night.

One Mile Jetty in the distance to the right

Water tank Lookout at One Mile Jetty

Museum at Carnarvon

Tractor

Train

Girls having a go the old fashion way 

The next day we headed for Denham for 2 nights, so we could visit Monkey Mia and the dolphins and see some surrounding sights. On arrival at Denham we queued to get into the caravan park, which was publised as the most western caravan park of Australia and the ground was covered in tiny shells. Being school holidays it was busy with lots of families but was well set up with wide sites and good amenities. Unfortunately on our final morning when we tried to have a shower we discovered there was no cold water. Yes I said ‘cold water’. Apparently there was a hole in the bore water line further down the hill in the caravan park and therefore the showers no longer had cold water, only hot. Certainly couldn’t shower as the water was burning.

Looking out at the water from Denham township 

Our day at Monkey Mia was a lovely warm sunny day and we managed to get to see the dolphins for the second feeding of the day. This was a lot less crowded then the first (which apparently had about 200 people) and we got to see them up close in the wild. The show took a long time to get going so we spent about 30 minutes waiting for the actual feeding listening to a ranger talk via a wireless speaker. She was very good but it was to long a wait for our children and even some of the dolphins who headed back to sea before getting a feed. Unfortunately we were not one of the lucky people selected from the crowd to actually feed them a fish but it was still a great experience and the kids did come back to see it take place.

Here comes a dolphin

Now we have four

Only a metre from our feet

Waiting patiently to be feed

The wait was to long for the kids

We spend the rest of the day relaxing the enjoying the sunshine, sand and information boards around the place. Ella decided that she wanted to climb a pole outside the café/restaurant and she wanted to reach some wires that where attached about roof height up it. She managed to do it and get the photos to prove it. She has become a monkey at climbing poles as well as our mountain goat when walking up hills. We also decided to take a short camel ride as a family and met Henk and his three beautiful camels Digger, Bella and Camellia. It was a great experience and we had a great chat to Henk about his camels and lifestyle up at Monkey Mia. Camellia is particularly taken by beards and so Tig sporting an after 5 shadow got some lovely face rubs with her. Thankfully she doesn’t follow with a kiss.

Ella and her climbing pole

Relaxing at the jetty before our camel ride

Five Bloomfields on camels

Kai giving Bella a pat

Maddi and Camellia

Kai and Camellia

Ella and Camellia

Camellia giving Tig's whiskers a rub

On our way out of Denham we stopped at Eagle Bluff to see if we could spot any sharks, dugongs or stingrays in the shallow waters. We did manage to see some but it was so far away that it was hard to identify exactly what it was. We also stopped in at Shell Beach to admire this natural landmark. It was amazing seeing a beach made up of all these tiny shells. New shells are regularly deposited on the beach so it is considered a renewable resource and has been mined by the Shell Grit Industry since the 1960s. Another interesting fact is that WA poultry industry relies on loose shells. They feed the shell grit to the chickens as the minerals enables the chickens to produce hard eggshells.

Eagle Bluffs shallow waters

Ella enjoying her morning tea with a view

Shell Beach from the main road

Running out to the water at Shell Beach

Tig and Ella strolling off to the waters edge

Kai and Ella

Maddi and Tig discussing shells at Shell Beach

Ella and Kai playing in the shells

We spent the night at a very popular free camp rest area on the Murchison River. After some late evening fishing Tig and Maddi spotted a familiar camper trailer on their way back to the van. It was the family we had camped next to at Kurrajong Campground in Cape Range National Park. They were on their way back to Perth at the end of the school holidays. We were very impressed by their Camprite camper trailer and this time got to see it all packed up.

The following day we had only a short morning drive before reaching Kalbarri National Park. After stopping off at Hawks Head and Ross Graham Lookouts where we walked down to the river we headed into Kalbarri township to set up the van and have some lunch before returning to the northern area of the park in the afternoon. It was at least a 20km corrugated drive into the main attractions of the national park and we didn’t feel it was necessary to tow the van in when the township was only 11km from the turn off. Kalbarri is a gorgeous coastal township bigger then we had expected. After lunch we drove back to the National Park and visited Z Bends and Natures Window. It was warm and the flies where very bad but the kids did very well with their walking all things considered. Natures Window is an eroded hole in the rock through which you have a spectacular view of the valley behind. After our photo shot in front of the window we ducked back around to the shaded and protected side to have some afternoon tea on a rock ledge. From here Kai was able to greet the back packers walking by on their way to Natures Window with a ‘G’day’. One of these back packers had said it to him and after that he couldn’t help himself. It was quite funny watching him issue a G’day to anyone who was within earshot.

Hawks Head Lookout

Maddi and Ella crossing the Murchison River

Walking in Kalbarri National Park

Tig captured by three snapping crocodiles

Z Bends Lookout

Natures Window

Looking through the window

Our afternoon tea rock shelf

The following morning we caught up on the washing (4 loads) and decided to back a picnic lunch and head for the Kalbarri National Park coastal section. We arrived at Eagle Gorge and walked down to the beach before we found another sheltered rock ledge to spread out the picnic rug and have our lunch. Tig took the kids across the rocks to watch the waves come in before playing on the beach. We returned up the slope to the car and headed further south to view more rugged coastline at Natures Bridge and Island Rock.

Eagle Gorge and Beach

Lunch at Eagle Gorge

Maddi and Tig on the rocks

Island Rock in Kalbarri National Park

Natures Bridge in Kalbarri National Park

Maddi infront of Island Rock

On our return to the caravan park we found we had new neighbours who had two young girls. After our initial introductions we got talking about where kids slept in our vans and who had the top bunks. Kylie mentioned that another family they met had two kids who swapped beds each time they changed the sheets. It turned out we new this family, the Chapmans, who we had travelled from Alice Springs up to Katherine with. Kylie and James along with their girls Charli and Chelsea had also travelled with the Chapmans visiting the Bungle Bungles and some other places with them.

That night we had a dinner out at the local café/restaurant, which had an interesting sign out the front saying ‘No Book, No Cook’. The kids have often recited this at odd times since then, especially Ella who thinks it is quite funny. This sign did provide Tig and I with much discussion over dinner as we watched at least 5 different parties arrive hoping for dinner only to be turned away at the door. Obviously we had booked. We couldn’t understand why they would turn people away when their were plenty of tables available but on questioning the staff while paying we discovered that they put it in place during school holidays so to ensure they don’t get over run with clientele especially since it is a tourist town. We still couldn’t completely understand, as there were plenty of tables and plenty of staff. It was a good night out with a lovely meal for us.

Next day it was pack up and move on day, which we did very slowly and Tig helped James out with a little bike mechanics before we left. We once again had people waiting for our site before we had moved out.

Next up in our adventure it is down to Perth to meet up with our Sydney friends Grant, Jenny and Kee Chan.

Thea & Tig