Committed Travellers

There was no rain today, but a large slice of WA is subject to a severe weather warning from late tomorrow. This will affect where we go tomorrow.

We stopped to have coffee with our Jurien Bay friends, before heading north. We drove through Dongara where the boat ramp was unusable because of seagrass washed up due to the large swell. There is a free camp in Dongara, but it was too wet and unattractive. Bluey blended in with the colour of the sand.

There is a free RV site near the port in Geraldton, but all of the five overnight spaces were taken. There were dozens of spaces for boat trailers next to the boat ramps.

We are staying at the Sunset Beach Holiday Park on the northern side of Geraldton. The mural beside the pool is good. Tilly was a big hit with our adult neighbours and a group of children. Blue hid from kids inside the Bushtracker.

Bluey had a fun run on the beach with this lovely girl. She crouched in the sand inviting the game. Several ships are waiting to enter the port. Two are in front of our caravan park. The sunset became more intense over the next half hour.

There are more than 6000 varieties of WA wildflowers. There is a tree outside our park that has fruit like grapes or olives, but is neither, and a tree with large gum nuts.

The forecast rain started at 8.30am and was a major disincentive to get out of bed. I made an AeroPress coffee which was drinkable but I need lots more practice. I took Bluey out during breaks in the weather. Fortunately he enjoys sleeping in.

We went to the Lobster Shack for lunch so I put Bluey in the car for a change of scenery – he is much happier staying in his crate in the car in the rain, than he is being left in the van. Outside dining areas could not be used because of the rain. There were still plenty of undercover areas, even after a bus load of Chinese tourists arrived.

After lunch three of us went to the Pinnacles – Anita preferred to stay with the critters and read her book. We visited the Pinnacles in 2019 but it was just as impressive on our second visit, and there was a break in the rain.

There was a rainbow over the road on our drive back to the caravan park.

The wind was strong enough to damage at least one caravan awning. The park has been busy over the weekend as it is only 200kms north of Perth. Some visitors were in the heated pool even when it was raining.

I found some interesting wildflowers at the Pinnacles and by the roadside.

We enjoyed another rare sunny day, except for the wind. As at yesterday there was no forecast of strong winds, but this morning there was a wind warning. I quickly put our awning down.

Friends live in Jurien Bay so we drove 20 minutes for a visit. The wind ruled out sitting by the beach so we headed to a cafe. We had Bluey with us so wanted outdoor seating. It was unpleasant in the wind so the helpful staff let us carry him through to the closed alfresco area.

We refuelled in Jurien Bay before heading back to Cervantes to have lunch at the Lobster Shack. Poor Tilly was desperate to spend time out of the van, so I took her walking and let her have time outside in her playpen.

I drove one of our friends to the local service station to get a gas bottle refuelled. Other than the beach and ocean, Cervantes doesn’t have attractive scenery. The water and telecommunications towers are at least functional.

Before sunset six of us gathered by the water for a drink and to watch the sunset. Clouds formed so the sunset was not as impressive as the last couple of evenings.

There was no opportunity today to view wildflowers, but I did spot this lovely specimen in a garden. The grasses grow by the beach.

Today was sunny and warm which was fortunate as it was washing day. I was checking the washing hanging from our awning when a couple of our Roadie friends drove into the caravan park. We haven’t seen Pam and Ray since before Covid, so it was a lovely surprise. After they set up camp we all walked to the Lobster Shack for lunch.

Lobster Shack is a misnomer- the restaurant is huge with large indoor and outdoor dining areas. We sat outside under the shade overlooking the ocean enjoying our meals and catching up.

The clothes lines are long and narrow, with gaps between the lines that are too small. This results in washing taking a long time to dry, even when the sun is shining. We kept having to rearrange our clothes on the lines to get everything dry.

We drove to nearby Lake Thetis to see the stromatolites. This type of organism first appeared on earth 3.5 billion years ago. The water today was not very clear so I found a better photo of the stromatolites in a google review.

This shingleback lizard was slowly sauntering along the path to the lake, where we also found more wildflowers. The first flower is tiny, only the size of a sesame seed.

After a short drive on a gravel road we walked the steps up to the Hansen Bay Lookout. It was lovely to have sunshine all day!

The full moon had already risen when the sun was setting behind the swimming pool.

I let Blue and Tilly have five minutes off their leads on the oval, but had to stop Blue playing with her because she rolled over on to her back on the wet grass.

I walked to the New Norcia Roadhouse for a decent coffee from the Salvado Roadhouse Cafe. This photo on display at the cafe shows Bishop Rosendo Salvado with other monks. Salvado was the driving force behind the growth of the monastic town for over 50 years.

I then visited the Museum and Art Gallery. Most of the items on display had a religious theme, but plenty of paintings and donated items did not, such as this 17th century clock,

We decided to stay on minor sealed roads and not drive the coastal route to Cervantes. We paused outside the Emu Downs Satellite Farm to photograph wildflowers, and drove past the nearby Emu Downs Wind Farm.

We are staying at the RAC Cervantes Holiday Park for four nights to catch up on washing, minor chores, and to hopefully enjoy food from the Lobster Shack.

It was wet and muddy this morning at York. We bought take away coffees from Botanicalia which also sells great scarves, beanies and socks. The house next door to the cafe has a wonderful mural along the fence.

I tried to see the interior of the magnificent York Town Hall, but the Visitor Information Centre was not open when we were ready to leave York.

Our first stop was Northam only 36kms north of York. Anita found acceptable cat and dog food in Coles, while I did a quick tour of the older part of town. The town hall is impressive but needs attention. The positioning of telegraph poles and other infrastructure in front of these buildings spoils their appearance.

We refuelled and and drove along the Avon River which is wider in Northam than it is in York. There in annual 100kms kayaking event that starts from Northern. We had brunch at the Riversedge Cafe then gave Blue and Tilly a short walk before driving 107kms to New Norcia, the only Australian monastic town.

The Benedictine Abbey was founded in 1848 and continues to be home for a small group of monks. We are parked on the oval because the caravan parking area is too wet and boggy. Visitors can freely walk around the outside of most buildings, but there is a $15 entry fee for the museum which I will visit tomorrow. Bluey walked with me and most of the time I left him off his lead.

The clear blue sky did not last for very long. This woodland is next to our caravan park. I let Bluey have a run chasing his favourite glove, then walked Tilly.

We parked in town and I bought coffees, a small quiche and slice of cheesecake, while Anita went to the IGA. The sun soon disappeared and for most of the day it rained. When we reached the town of Williams there was a break in the rain and we stopped for lunch. A large man wearing a singlet, shorts and boots was walking with large packs and a stick. It was a bizarre sight on a cold day.

The 1850 Williams Hotel is a striking building with intricate decorative features. We were driving on the Albany Hwy but failed to turn right onto the York Williams Rd. There was nowhere to turn around but we knew there were other roads connecting the Albany Hwy to the Great Southern Hwy.

We missed a second turn near roadworks. We didn’t want to tow the van on wet slippery unsealed roads, so drove further to the sealed N Bannister Wandering Rd. We drove an extra 60kms but the scenery and old towns were more interesting than the highway. We had a short stop at Pingelly.

It was still raining when we drove into York. We are stopped for the night at a muddy free camp beside the Avon River. I took Bluey for a walk across the suspension bridge and along Avon Terrace past several historic buildings. The Town Hall is my favourite and we should be able to see the interior tomorrow. The clouds cleared for a while. The post office has an impressive clock structure on the roof.

The post office is connected to the Courthouse, now used as a gallery.

This police trailer was parked outside the Community Centre. The wrecked vehicle is presumably parked there as a reminder to motorists to drive carefully.

Tilly needed entertaining and played with an emery board. She had effectively removed Bluey from my lap so she could sit there.

After breakfast we drove to Mt Barker town centre, starting at the bakery. We then drove around the small town as Toyota tourists, not wanting to get wet in the intermittent rain. The Plantagenet Hotel is an impressive building with a wide top floor veranda.

We had a booking for lunch at Plantagenet Wines only 200m from our caravan park. Meal service was very slow due to a staff shortage, but it was worth the wait. Four of us shared a vegetarian pizza and a gourmet platter.

While the others did wine tasting and buying, I drove to the Mt Barker Historical Precinct next to our caravan park. There are convict era buildings and other artefacts. The last photo shows a convict-made small slab fence enclosure. The Bushtracker is in the background just above the “S” on the sign.

I had time to drive about 5kms to the Rotary Lookout on Mt Barker Hill. There are three telecommunications towers on the hill, the tallest of which is 184m high, and four large satellite dishes.

In 2019 three of us walked up to Granite Skywalk at Castle Rock in Porongurup National Park. We could see the peak from the lookout, the granite outcrop on the left.

Anita was awake very early so she made banana hotcakes for our breakfast. It was cold outside so I put Bluey’s coat on him. He resists but it was too cold for him to not wear it.

We drove through a couple of small villages on our way to Mt Barker, stopping at the largest Katanning for coffee, fuel and Woolworths. At the bowser diesel was $2.02 per litre, and we thought that was good! We are used to paying much more per litre.

The former flour mill is now a hotel and Dome cafe, and the 1924 power station is an office for an engineering company. I bought coffees from Dome and had to navigate my way around historic equipment retained in the building.

Katanning has many historic buildings and is a town where we could spend more time if we ever return this way. This first building has lots of interesting architectural features, but Westpac Bank has ruined the elegant portico by using it for an ATM.

We drove past this lovely mural so I made Bluey walk back there with me while Anita was shopping. It is on the side wall of an old shop.

At Mt Barker our first stop was the famous bakery to buy sourdough bread and other treats. Our caravan park does not allow us to use our own washing machines, but we didn’t want to use the tired machines in the laundry. The reason given is an inability to cope with the grey water, but that could be rectified.

When Anita booked for this park by phone, the owner said Tilly had to stay indoors because of wildlife. The brochure requires “pets” be kept on leads, so I chose that option and walked her on her lead. She is much better behaved if she has time outside and a walk.

We drove past Tarin Rock Nature Reserve which has a large collection of wildflowers. A researcher published a book documenting 624 plant species identified in the reserve.

We stopped beside the reserve in a parking bay along the Dumbleyung Lake Grace Rd. I think these are all wildflowers not weeds. Unfortunately there was a lot of rubbish among the plants, and a pervasive urinal smell!

These flowers are all small, the tiniest the size of a sesame seed. The purple flower is the size of my finger nail.