How ya goin’, Mate?

Ah... sweet, beautiful Australia… how lovely to meet you… can we be friends forever? I’m not sure if it’s the impact of hitting somewhere like Australia directly after 5½ months of travel in more difficult lands, or if we would have felt the same way regardless, but Australia was exactly the breath of fresh air that we needed- both literally and figuratively :)

We arrived in Perth on Christmas Eve and as we started to push our luggage cart across a crosswalk at the airport we both flinched as an approaching car neared and then… slowed down and stopped for us! We both looked at each other stunned, and then laughed about how such a simple thing could feel so foreign! We then proceeded to drive 30 minutes to Vicki and Bruce’s house and there wasn’t a single horn honk to be heard. These joys were counter balanced by the fact that it was 39 degrees outside but hey, you can’t have it all… We spent Christmas with Bruce and Vicki (Vicki’s Dad is cousins with Cam’s Gran), Keely (their daughter), and Riley (son of our NZ contingent) and spent most of the day hiding from the 40 degree temperatures and enjoying drinking from the tap. After dinner we went for a Christmas swim and simply could not get enough of the gorgeous sand, the crystal clear water, and the sense of peace that comes with it all.

We spent 3 more days with the Tunnicliffe’s and thoroughly enjoyed feeling “at home”. We managed to fit in a beach visit with Casey, a friend we’d met in Tibet and who had just returned home to Australia himself. On the 29th we packed up our van and cautiously headed north- we knew the temperatures would only get worse, plus there had been flooding closing some key roads, but we planned to go until we no longer could and then return back through Perth to eventually head east to Melbourne.

The first couple of days were reasonable- hot during the day, but the constant breeze kept things bearable in the van at night. We explored the Pinnacles near Cervantes, and the amazing coastal cliffs in Kalbarri. We planned to hike around the gorges of the inland part of Kalbarri National Park, but temperatures reaching the mid 40s kept our walks to 20 minutes or less. From Kalbarri we drove further north to Denham, Shark Bay, where we walked amongst stromatolites (ancient organisms which release oxygen and are basically responsible for life as we know it), swam at the gorgeous but frustratingly shallow Shell Beach (a beach made of only tiny cockle shells- 10m deep in some places), watched wild dolphins come to shore to be fed at Monkey Mia (they are wild, but hand fed- you can read about it), stood on a boardwalk and watched sharks swim in the crystal clear waters well below us, and almost killed an emu when a posse of eight made some suicidal moves across the road in front of us.

It was also in Shark Bay where two things happened: we rang in 2011, and the wind stopped. One of these events was far, far more significant than the other… It turned out that the wind that had been our saving grace was in fact the result of a cyclone and not some consistent daily event (as with the Freemantle Doctor in Perth). With no breeze to battle the excessive heat, the van became an oven at night- our thermometer was registering minimum temperatures of 35 degrees. After a long night where we had both the sliding door and back door of the van wide open and still got no mercy, we headed for the nearest town and bought ourselves a fan which made the nights bearable (although not exactly comfortable) and allowed us to continue our journey north. The road north of Shark Bay had been closed due to flooding, but opened just in time for us and we cruised through some serious rain storms to eventually reach Exmouth. Part of that journey had us passing through Carnarvon which was the worst hit area in the flood and it was devastating to see the damage- entire banana crops were ruined, roads were washed out, and businesses had water marks over 3 feet high. As we drove through, the sky was covered in cloud and they glowed pink on the bottom- the gorgeous red earth of the surrounding countryside was now a murky red lake and the reflection on the clouds was quite amazing.

We managed to make it to Exmouth without being struck by lightning or losing a windshield, and we pulled into our campsite to find that it was all but empty. It was clear that we were in the “off season”. Exmouth is the launching point for the Ningaloo Marine Park which boasts the most accessible reef in the world- in many places it’s less than 100m offshore and any rookie with a snorkel can stumble into the water and be immediately rewarded. Combined with it’s accessibility, the reef is said to offer more variety and better viewing than it’s more popular East Coast compatriot- the Great Barrier Reef. One of Ningaloo’s specialties is its coral and the whale sharks that the coral attracts. The whale sharks come every year to feed on plankton and small fish that abound in the coral, and have become a huge tourist draw as they are gentle giants and you can snorkel up close and personal with them. We, however, were not there during whale shark time so had to settle for experiencing the reef without its token mascot. Despite not actually being hugely keen on snorkelling, we did spend many hours in the water and were amazed by the variety of life that was right at our finger tips. At one point we emerged from the water and Crocodile Dundee asked us if we’d seen the sharks? Uh… no… Well, he assured us there were two reef sharks swimming around where we’d just been, and if we went back in we’d surely find them. Amazingly, we donned our gear again and went back into the water to voluntarily search for two reef sharks that were “bigger than me” according to ‘ole Dundee. I was both disappointed and relieved to not find the sharks. We did actually find a reef shark on our final trip into the water (coincidence…?), but he was chilling under a rocky ledge so we gave him a wide berth and carried on. Perhaps the highlight was when we realized we were floating directly overtop a massive ray who was nestled under the cover of sand. Agreeing that he was terrifying, Cam suggested that we depart the area by heading “over here” which was in fact directly toward the shark. That pretty much ended our snorkelling session :) (And for those of you who want to tell me that rays are not dangerous, I have two words for you: Steve. Irwin.)

Besides the marine reserve, the land is also protected as Cape Range National Park and we spent many more hours exploring the land based beauty of the area. Although it was not whale shark time, it was, in fact, turtle nesting time and we spent over 3 hours one night waiting patiently for the turtles to make their way to shore, dig their nests, and lay their eggs under the cover of darkness. Disappointingly we went home without a single sighting, and had to settle for snorkelling with the turtles during the day instead- not a bad consolation prize.

We covered the 1300km return trip between Exmouth and Perth with a stop in Coral Bay, and another in Geraldton after squeaking through a road closure caused by further flooding in the Gascoyne River and Carnarvon region. We spent our evening in Geraldton wandering the impressive (and impressively pricey) waterfront promenade and marvelling at the close interaction the public could have with the active industry there- lobster tour anyone? Thesis topic anyone…?


After spending one last day in Perth to take care of random chores like haircuts and laundry we said our final goodbyes to the Tunnicliffes and headed out again, this time with our sights set on Melbourne and our clock ticking toward February 4 when we must return the van and meet Cam’s parents who are joining us there to tour the eastern half of the country.

We followed the coast from Perth around the south-west “tab” of Australia and found ourselves in a region that Lonely Planet labels as one of the Top 10 Regions to visit in the entire world- and it’s easy to see why. Crammed into a relatively small area, by both Australian and Canadian standards, are a series of amazing beaches, stunning forests, and brilliant “attractions” for people of all ages- wineries/cideries/meaderies (pick your poison), cheese and chocolate factories, arts and crafts galleries, caving tours, bush walks, and the list goes on. The beaches, although not always “swim-able” for the average joe (ie: us), are gorgeously rugged with postcard coloured sand and water and are often mostly deserted (due, most likely, to the not-so-swim-able factor). And of course there are enough beautiful swim-able beaches to keep everyone happy as well. The forests are expansive stands of old growth karri, marri, and jarrah trees- eucalyptus trees that have been the cause of all too familiar “the environmentalist vs. the forestry worker” battles. Luckily for us, in many cases the trees won, and the government has made excellent parks around them which allow for beautiful drives and bushwalks. One highlight is the Tree Top Walk where a 600m suspended boardwalk runs through the tree tops, 40m high in some places, and sways in the breeze to give you the sensation of being “one” with the trees. This walk was marginally less scary than the other highlight of the forest region- climbing the forest fire spotting trees. These are giant karri trees into which spirals of steel spikes have been hammered into the sides creating perhaps the most amazing spiral staircases you’ll ever see. Originally these trees were used as lookout points to spot forest fires in the surrounding area, and now are open to the public to climb with nothing more than a “Climb at Own Risk” sign casually placed at the bottom. We climbed the biggest of the trees and after scampering up to the first level (perhaps 20m off the ground) we began to question whether or not we could reach the top. We persevered, and were rewarded with wonderful views and unfortunately an even scarier descent! With gems like these to find, we spent hours driving the Forest Explorer roads, and wandering the coastlines, never able to turn back because the views and experiences kept getting better and better with every step. One unifying theme in it all, and in all of Australia so far, is the colour. The colours here are more bold, vibrant, and saturated, than anywhere else we’ve ever seen in the world. For that reason alone, we can easily add Australia’s south west to our own personal list of Top 10 Regions in the world to visit.

Leaving the south west behind we headed to our final stop in Western Australia- the ‘come hither’ beaches of Esperance. We’d heard from almost everyone that Esperance was home to Australia’s best beaches- quite a claim for a country of over 7000 named beaches. Arriving in the late afternoon we did a quick 30km Great Ocean Drive loop to check out the claims and it was immediately clear that they were well founded. There are at least 10 beaches within a 15 minute drive of the town center that are all jaw droppingly beautiful. Huge arcs of turquoise water lapping onto pristine white sand, none overcrowded, and not a palapa or tacky souvenir shop to be seen. We spent the next day at Twilight Beach because it was voted “Most Popular Beach in WA” (and because I was hoping to find Edward in Jacob’s body) and then, in case the in-town beaches weren’t enough, we headed 50km east into Cape Le Grand National Park where the beaches get serious. Lucky Bay is officially (scientifically, even) the “Whitest Beach in Australia”, and it literally glows white, Hellfire Bay is surrounded by amazing granite rocks, and Thistle Cove has sand so soft it squeaks like cornstarch under your feet- you simply cannot believe how amazing these beaches are… Easily the best beaches we have ever seen anywhere in the world, far and away. I’ll have to leave it to Cam’s pictures to really tell the story… Aside from the beaches, the rest of the park is gorgeous and walking sections of the 15km trail that connects the beaches feels like walking through a botanical garden from the Jurassic era. It goes without saying that we’re sad to drag ourselves away and head to the hot, fly infested desert of the Outback. But something tells me that Uluru might just be worth the effort… after all Australia hasn’t disappointed us yet…

And now a section called “Oz by numbers” for those who are interested in these sorts of things:

As of January 18:
Trip odometer: 5638.8km
Fuel price, $/L (min/max): 1.22/1.73
Total spent on fuel: $1027
Number of times I don’t get a blank stare when I say “gas” instead of “fuel” or “petrol”: 0
Average fuel economy of van (with full a/c): 7.73km/L
Average nightly cost for a campsite (with power): $28.66
Cost of McDonald’s meal for 2 people: $16.75 (cost of equivalent meal in Canada: $12)
Cost of a National Park pass (unlimited access for 1 month, state of Western Australia only): $40
Average distance between exceptionally clean public toilets: not significant enough to worry about
Cost of kangaroo steak: $15/kg
Cost of avocados, grown approximately 3km from the store: $2.25 each
Cheapest price found for a 600mL Coke: $3.50
Number of times per day you’ll be asked “How ya goin’?”: exactly equal to the number of people you meet
Number of jugs of milk that will go sour before you figure out your fridge can’t handle the heat: 2
Approximate distance between kangaroo carcasses on the roadside: 600m
Largest wingspan of ray spotted while snorkelling: no idea, but it was F.ING.HUGE.
Number of boats named “FishinFarkinDrinkin”: 1

Until next time…
K and C.