We decided to spend the night there as it was getting late and it was a lovely place. Next morning we drove to Streaky Bay but the weather was bad so didn’t stay long. Headed towards Ceduna and met up with Island Wanderers Lyn and Ross. They were coming from WA so it was good to talk to them about where to go and what to see.
After stocking up at Ceduna and having a lovely fish and chips meal we headed west for the 1200 Km drive across the Nullarbor (it’s not really the Nullarbor, that is further north). Went to the Head of the Bight and saw some whales in close, Then we found rest areas on the coast that had been blocked for vehicle access, we walked out to one of them and saw more whales and spectacular cliffs.

There was a very strong head wind blowing all the way which affected our fuel consumption but there are plenty of roadhouses to refuel as long as you watch your fuel gauge. There are also plenty of rest areas, some better than others, so it is easy to find a camping spot at the end of the day. One thing to be aware of is that it would be easy to go the wrong way in the morning if the sun wasn’t out, we heard of it happening to a walker after we returned.
Norseman has a very good information centre so we armed ourselves with all the brochures we needed and headed north after viewing the mine workings. Stopped at Coolgardie for a look at the nice old buildings and then on to Kalgoorlie.
Kalgoorlie is an interesting town with impressive old buildings and the mine workings. We visited the Miners Hall of Fame, a flash new building amongst the old workings we spent half a day there, then to the Super Pit Lookout where one can see the mining for gold happening. We also had some time at the museum in town, which was very interesting

After Kalgoorlie we travelled to Menzies, another old gold mining town there is not much left of it, then we diverted off the main road to Lake Ballard where a sculptor has cast 51 figures in metal and mounted them on the dry lake bed. They made a very eerie scene as we walked amongst them.
Spent the night there then on to Niagara Dam, a popular camping site. The dam was built for water for the steam trains that served the mines in this area. Very cold overnight, 0.8 degrees, we were thankful for our diesel heater.
The next stop was Kwalia, a mining town that had been deserted, all the houses, guest house etc. had been left as they were with furniture etc. in them and were open for people to see what life was like 50 years ago. It is close to Leonora so we think most people moved there when the mine closed down.

We had a nice couple of days in the company town of Leinster, the well-kept caravan park is $10 per night with free washing machines and you can go to the mess for dinner for $15 for an extensive cafeteria meal. Then west to Sandstone which has some interesting geographical features to see. Then further west to Mt. Magnet.
Mt. Magnet is yet another mining town, we turned north from there and drove through Meekatharra and Newman. North of Newman we turned west again and went into Karijini National Park for a few days. We had been there before; you can read about it a previous story. The road to Dales Gorge has been sealed since the last time thankfully but the road to the other gorges is still terrible!

Next stop was Tom Price an iron ore town; we had two days there. Caught up with our washing and did the mine tour, it was a bit disappointing because we were not allowed where the work was happening but it was surprising the amount of infrastructure that is there.
After leaving Tom Price, our last mining town, we went to Exmouth on the coast. The camping at Cape Range National Park is limited, the Ranger told us we would have to be waiting at the entrance at 6AM to have a chance of getting a campsite. We stayed that night at a nearby caravan park and got up early and joined the queue.
We were lucky to get into the camp at Osprey Bay, a lovely beach and the other campers were very friendly. The water was a beautiful colour there and we had some lovely sunsets. In WA they have volunteer camp hosts who camp at the grounds, collect the money and look after things, it is quite a good system.
At the southern end of the National Park is Yardie Creek; there is a boat cruise that goes up there with a knowledgeable ranger or you can walk along the rim. We did both, seeing bird life and rock wallabies on the cliff walls. We got caught in a shower of rain and on the way back there were dozens of wallabies on the road licking the water up.

After leaving Cape Range we went back through Exmouth and into the Charles Knife Canyon, which is a surprisingly big gorge up in the hills. Our next stop was Quobba Blowholes, another nice coastal area with some blowholes to add interest. We had two nights there, the camping space is limited but we managed to find two sites together with sea views.
We then went to Carnarvon, an interesting town where there are a lot of market gardens; the river runs underground so all the water is pumped up for irrigation. Our speedo cable broke a few days earlier so we ordered a new one, had to wait a couple of days for it so we went to Rocky Pool a camp ground at a place where the river is above the ground. The only problem was the flies, they were a real nuisance it was the only place we had trouble with insects.
After fitting our new speedo cable we went to Whalebone Bay near Denham, a beautiful camp right on the water. We had a few days there while Ken and Lorraine went to Monkey Mia, we had been there previously.
Galena Bridge is on the Murchison River, not far from Kalbarri National Park. There is a large camping area and an old mine site but the main point of interest is the large areas of wild flowers in the spring. We were there at the right time; there were carpets of flowers with emus wandering among them.

The next place was Kalbarri; it has impressive gorges on the Murchison River and on the coast. Our first stop was Hawks Head and Ross Graham Lookout; the road has been sealed since the last time we were there. It is a great view looking into the deep gorge, as a bonus we found our first orchid for the trip.
It was threatening to rain so we decided to go into town and do the other gorges tomorrow. Moved into a caravan park and visited Rainbow Jungle in the afternoon. This is a bird centre specialising in parrots, a great place to visit; they have a big walk -in aviary where the birds are free to fly.
The next day we drove into the Z Bend and Natures Window, two wonderful sights but the road was terrible. Natures Window is a big hole eroded through a rock that you can look through and see the river way below. Had a nice BBQ there and then went back to town. Met Island Wanderers Tony and Jann in Kalbarri.

In the morning we viewed the impressive coastal gorges then hit the road for Geraldton. Did our chores in the town then went to Ellendale Pool for a few days. It is a scenic camping area with a nice pool and a big cliff in the background, lots of bird life there.
After leaving Ellendale Pool we went further inland to Mullawa to a wild flower show, we are right in the wild flower area now at the best time, the locals said the flowers were the best they had been for 25 years. The flowers are mostly low growing with carpets of colour. We drove to Canna where we saw plenty of orchids and then to Morowa for the night.
We were told to go to Gutha to see the famous Wreath Flower, They grow in the gravel on the edge of the road, we found a patch of about 20 of them in one place, they look just like a wreath as the name suggests. After taking lots of photos we moved on to Miner’s Camp, where there are extensive carpets of colourful flowers. We then went to Miningew where we saw more orchids, then to Dongara.

Did some shopping in Dongara and some sight seeing then headed for the Western Flora caravan park at Eneabba, the park is run by a botanist there is a large area covered in heath type plants. The wild flowers are different now we are further south, you don’t see the carpets of flowers that are further north, but smaller heath flowers, you need to walk around amongst them to see the flowers.
We were taken for an informative hour and a half walk around the park while the owner explained the reproductive cycle of plants and then he took us into a theatre and showed us magnified views of plants on a screen, very interesting. There are also several walking paths around the extensive property.
The next place we visited was The Pinnacles, a strange desert with large rocks standing up in it; there are hundreds of them. There is a road meandering around them, if your vehicle is small enough you can drive the three Km. another spectacular sight.
New Norcia was the next point of interest on our list; it is an old Spanish Monastery town with many large buildings. There is an Abbey, a Convent, which is now a museum, a boys school, a glrls school, which are now used for conferences, a large hotel, a church and many other buildings, most of which are in good order. We did a guided tour of the village, the guide told us that the monks once farmed a huge area of WA and children of many of WA’s richest families attended the boarding schools.

After spending a couple of interesting days there we travelled south to the old town of York where they have an unspoilt main street and a very good car museum. We then went to the capital city, Perth. The wild flower festival was on in Kings Park which is a beautiful park overlooking the city, well worth a visit. Spent the next day looking around the city then went to Fremantle.
The weather was shocking in Fremantle but we managed to see the sights like the Maritime Museum and Round House. We caught a free bus for a ride around the town a lot of the original buildings are still there. There is a similar free bus service in Perth too.
We went to Bunbury where we parted company with Ken and Lorraine for a week, they wanted to go to the south coast, we had been there several times so decided to go inland as the weather wasn’t very good. We took our time and went to Wellington Dam, Collie, Boyup Brook, Kojonup, Kattaning and Cranbrook. Met more Island Wanderers Don and Lorraine at Wellington Dam.
Visited Gnomesville where there are hundreds of gnomes placed in an area beside a roundabout , travellers from all over Australia have left them there, and we wished we had one to leave. We found plenty of orchids in the Boyup Brook, Kojonup area.

After leaving Stirling Ranges we went through Ravensthorpe to Hopetoun and Fitzgerald River National Park for a look, then to Quagi beach, a very nice camping area amongst Banksias then on to Esperance. It is a pleasant town with lots to see and do.
The next day we went into Cape Le Grand National Park, which has some beautiful beaches and low mountains. Ken and Brian climbed Frenchman Peak a steep rock with a big cave on the top, another nice view too. We spent a night at Lucky Bay campsite then headed for north for Norseman.
We filled up with fuel at Norseman then turned east and back across the Nullarbor. Would you believe during the first day the wind swung around so we had a head wind again? We arrived home again on October 8 so we had three months on the road; we had 58 nights in bush camps and 27 nights in caravan parks or National Parks.