Touring Albany

Luckily the car repair was very minor, as we had hoped, and we are now mobile again sans annoying warning beep. Shortly after we got the car back we looked up and were surprised to find friends that we'd met along the journey had just pulled into the park we're staying at. Funny, because although totally unplanned this is the third time we've run into them camped at the same spot as us.

Yesterday we went to visit Whale World which is located on the site of the once operational Cheynes Beach Whaling Station. We were able to board the Cheynes IV whalechaser as well as view the "Cutting Up Deck", "Flensing Deck" and learn about how whales were processed. Amongst other exhibits we visited a photo gallery, a whale and dolphin skeleton exhibition, and a panorama tower gallery.


We also saw a film about the history of Australian whaling (which came to an end in November of 1978), a film about sharks, and a 3D animated whale movie called Giants Exist which was excellent.

3D glasses + camera = silly photos

Today we had an early start as I didn't want to miss the farmer's market in town. After the farmer's market we walked up the trail on Mount Clarence to visit the war memorial lookout. Albany was the embarkmet point for Aussie troops in the first world war and the first dawn service was held on Mount clarence in 1930.


Once we viewed the memorial a further 50 metre climb led to a viewing platform with 360 degree panoramic views of Albany, the Southern Ocean, mountain ranges and waterways.


From there we went on to middleton beach and Emu Point. Both lovely sheltered beaches, middleton being designed more for families with a huge playground, kiosk and restaurants. Emu Point also had a small playground as well as a coffee shop and park with walking paths, and shaded picnic tables. It was a lovely place to sit back and relax after our trek up Mount Clarence.

As I write this there is a group gathering for an evening of socialising, so I'm going to end here and go join them. Tomorrow we are off to Denmark and have picked a nice spot to stay along the river. Hopefully we will have a connection and I can tell you more about it once we get there.

Albany

We arrived in Albany yesterday afternoon after taking a detour to check out another spot first. The owner of the last park we stayed at recommended a spot that we'd be able to camp riverside and easily launch the boat. He said that although he didn't think they accepted dogs that since it was off season that they may be willing to. When we got to the park there were HUGE signs saying no cats or dogs. Not just one, several placed all along the road leading to the park. We decided to give it a miss and go elsewhere.

We're close to the town center which has worked out well. If you've been following our (mis)adventures you may remember that the electronic air suspension developed a fault while we were crossing the Nullarbor. Mike adjusted the suspension manually, and it's been riding fine, but it would be nice to get it taken care of (and stop the annoying warning beep that comes on when we start the car). It most likely is a sensor failure, or it may just be that the computer needs to be reset. Since it can only be done at a Land Rover dealership and Albany is the first town that has had one, Mike had to have the car in at 9 this morning. Basing ourselves nearby made it much simpler - they gave him a lift back to the park and will pick him up again this afternoon when the car is ready.

Since we are car-less we have had a quiet day. It's just as well too - gave us a chance to catch up on the more mundane aspects of our little adventure. The ever growing pile of laundry is now hanging on the line, and we've taken care of a few other things that needed to be done. Not to mention, it's a nice excuse to just relax and have an easy day.

Beach Trail

We went for a 3 kilometre walk yesterday afternoon along a sandy walking trail leading to the beach (1.6 kilometres each way).

It was a good day for it weather wise, and we were rewarded at the end by views of Bremer Bay which we enjoyed while sitting on a dune overlooking the beach.


Maggie had a great time too, at least until on the way back when he decided he'd had enough walking. We were on about the two kilometre mark. The walk was losing it's shine for me too as I'd developed a painful blister on the heal of my right foot and the blister bandage I'd put over it wasn't really helping. I ended up bending in the backs of my walking shoes and walking on top of them most of the way back. Awkward, but pain free.

Lucky dog got a "lift" back to camp in Mike's backpack, and looked quite pleased with himself. I wouldn't have minded riding along too ! Note to self: Buy Mike a bigger backpack! :)



Told you Maggie was looking pleased with himself - Mike however looks considerably less impressed.

Just for fun

While we were staying at Cape LeGrand National park I took some photos of the kangaroos milling about the campsite. Three of them were taken in quick succession. Look what happens when you (sloppily, sorry) put the three together - Hah!

Bremer Bay

Today is Sunday, the 4th of February and we have been here in Bremer Bay since Wednesday night. We've had a good connection and have been meaning to update you, but just haven't found the time.

The trip over here was a bit of a dud. We had to pick up maggie, stop at the bank, the supermarket, and run a few other errands before we really got on our way so it felt like we were in the car for ages before we got here, and we really didn't travel that far. Bremer Bay is about halfway between Esperance and Albany. When we finally arrived at the caravan park we pulled in to see if they allowed dogs, to find two men sitting outside and laughing at us. We couldn't imagine what could be so funny about our car/camper but when we got out of the car it became all too apparent.

As we were driving along there were birds on the road here and there, and as we would get close to them they would fly off. All except for one. There was one group of birds that flew away as we approached but one stayed on the road up to the last second. Mike lined up the car so that our wheels straddled him. We weren't sure if he had flown off in the end, and we both looked back and were relieved that we didn't see anything on the road, so we figured he must have flown off in the nick of time. As it turns out he somehow got stuck in something underneath our car and was hanging there when we pulled into the caravan park! To make matters worse, we read a bit about Bremer Bay where they touted it as a birwatcher's paradise. OOPS! When the park owner saw my reaction to seeing the bird hanging there he kindly offered to remove it for us.

We're staying at a Caravan Park called Bremer Bay Beaches Resort and Tourist Park, and it's a real luxury after the week in the national park. The first day was spent getting our clothes (and us) washed and doing some housekeeping and relaxing. The hot showers here are devine - clean with plenty of hot water and fantastic water pressure, and the park also has walking trails, tennis courts, a pool, a great camp kitchen, a cafe and shop along with the usual conveniences. We are really happy with the spot we are in and the park as a whole so decided to extend our stay here to a week rather than the few days initially planned. We are at the flat top of a hill on a huge site that they call "the heliport". We are so spread out and surrounded by trees that it doesn't feel like a caravan park at all, at least not in the area we are, yet has all the conveniences including a good phone/internet and tv connection.

Our spot - nice and serene.
It's approx 20x20 meters and raised so we have a great view of the surrounding park.

Bremer Bay isn't exactly a bustling town, and there is little more than a petrol station, general store and fishing/camping shop. But, if you are into fishing it's a great place. We've been enjoying the beaches, fishing, and taking the boat for a spin on the river. Speaking of fishing, it's so good here that even yours truly caught one! It was the biggest fish caught by anyone fishing with us that evening off the pier. Unfortunately it turns out that it was a Rock Cod which apparently aren't really good eating fish, so a quick happy snap, and my fish lived to see another day. Mike caught some herring which we are told are fantastic and sweet to eat. I've only ever had pickled herring, or herring from a jar with onions and cream sauce, so we're not sure what to expect, but they are waiting patiently for us in our freezer. They are quite small, so we may do some more fishing today so we can at least make a good meal of it.

(Not too shabby, huh Benny?)

Cape Le Grand National Park

It's hard to believe that a week has passed, yet here it is, Tuesday evening, the 30th of January and our last night at Cape Le Grand National Park.

Tomorrow we leave the park and head back to Esperance to pick up Maggie from the Kennel. From there we are heading to Bremer Bay for a few days. I don't know if we will have a connection there, so I thought I'd fill you in and post this while in Esperance where we are sure to have a connection, and take the opportunity to check our email and any comments as well.

Should you ever find yourself in this part of Australia, definitely do not miss Le Grand National Park. There are two campsites here, one at Lucky bay and one at Le Grand Beach. At Lucky bay, where we are, there are three tiered camping areas for vehicles/camper trailers, and another for tents. There is also a camp kitchen/barbeque, some picnic tables, solar heated showers and flush toilets. If you are coming into the park to camp you pay a park entry fee on the first day, and then a ranger comes around to collect camping fees. The fees are $7.50 per adult per day.

At Le Grand Beach the sites are a bit more private, and are set up in individual bays, with a group camping area at one end. We had a look, and it looked like a nice spot, especially if you are after privacy, but we liked the close proximity to the beach at lucky bay. Honestly, they are both close, but where we are the beach was a few steps closer than at the other campsite.

We spent the week overlooking Lucky Bay and the most beautiful azure sea rimmed with snow white sand and Islands in the distance. We are just a few meters from the most beautiful beach I have ever seen in my life and we have the BEST view from our camper. Truly, it looks as though someone painted it in some sort of paradise fantasy scene. It's really too gorgeous to be real. The sand is as white and clean as fresh fallen snow, and not at all gritty. It is very fine and feels almost like talcum powder. And, when you walk on it, especially if it's wet, it squeeks! We decided to see what it was like to drive on, and one afternoon we drove ourselves to a lovely secluded spot. Very handy to have your cold drinks and stuff right there in the car a few steps from your towel! When you look at the edges of the beach where bush and sand are mingled, you would swear that it was snow on the ground. That's how bright white it is.

And.. the water is out of this world. It is so clean and clear, that when we were in it up to our necks we could look down and see our whole bodies, including our feet as clear as day. In one spot there were a few stones in the sand under the water, and even the smallest pebble is easily seen. It was like being in a swimming pool. A VERY clean swimming pool. In fact, the first time I went in for a swim I put my finger in my mouth to taste if it was salty. I just couldn't believe that this crystal clear water could possibly be the ocean.

In addition to the beach, we spent time enjoying various other parts of the park. We climbed Frenchman's Peak to be rewarded with a spectacular view of an archipelago of islands that surround the area as well as wildflowers and rolling granite hills extending as far as the eye can see and yielding only to the "snowy" banks and the ocean.

We also went for a walk to view some rock formations near another beach called Thistle Cove. While we were there we explored a rocky area of the shore and came across a lizard baking in the sun. I don't know how Mike manages to spot these things, he was invisible to me until Mike pointed him out. Mike took a shot of me standing under a rock called "the whistling rock". It has a slit in it which we assume would make it whistle in the wind, although it was silent when we were there. It was only when we got back to the camper and viewed the photo that we realized it looks like a giant baseball glove, or mitten about to swat me!

Back at camp tonight we are winding down for our departure tomorrow. As I'm writing this we are listening to the waves hiting the shore, and a frog that makes an appearance every night. As soon as we hear leaves rustling we rush to the window to see if we can spot the kangaroos. The first couple of days that we were here we would occasionally see what looked like a mum and baby roo hopping through the campsite, baby following closely behind mum. We saw them several times, quite a few times close to our camper, and assumed they were the same two. That is, until the mum and baby made an appearance and we of course were watching them when all of a sudden about 8 more roos followed behind, several appearing to be mums and babies. They get quite close, and are not at all afraid of people. I'd guess that in the past quite a few people have ignored the "please don't feed the kangaroos" sign.

It's after ten here (after midnight in Melbourne), and the time between yawns is getting shorter and shorter, so we are off to bed. I'm looking forward to checking our email tomorrow, and reading any comments, it feels like a long time since we've been "in touch". Talk to you then!

Around Le Grand National Park Photos