Lightening over the ranges and the miracle of Talyurup Peak

In order to continue the mothers day celebrations, we decided to stop at the Bremmer Bay pub for lunch. Upon entering and sitting at a white clothed table, we suddenly became very aware of our  filthiness. With smudged clothes, greasy hair and the traces of the morning's vegemite toast upon our cheeks we sat alone in our camping fug. But we decided to not care and enjoyed a lovely lunch - but felt a bit of sympathy for the well-groomed older couple on the next table!

As we left Bremmer Bay we watched black clouds gather on the horizon. Soon we were driving through hail and oohhhing and ahhhing as great forks of lightening struck ahead of us. We were heading for the Sterling Ranges but as we neared the campground the sky was so dark and threatening that we decided to go easy on ourselves and found our way to the Sterling Ranges Retreat where we booked into a 'chalet' for two nights. The 'chalet' sounded pretty fancy but actually consisted of a 2 bedroom, lino floored, 70s style timber cabin - complete with fungi-themed artwork. But to us it felt like the lap of luxury! We slid around the floors in our socks, had long hot showers and climbed around the bunk beds in celebration. 

After a lovely long dry sleep, we woke and found that the rain had sort of stopped. The Sterling Ranges is known for fabulous hiking up incredible mountains, so we consulted our hiking guide and chose to climb Talyurup Peak because the guide claimed it was a 'rock hoppers paradise' and that's our kinda thing. It was a steep slippery climb up to sensational views. Talyurup Peak is a truly special place. As usual the kids outdid us with their agility but on the descent we all slipped over dozens of timeS. It was truly the miracle of Talyurup Peak that we did not have to pull out the bandaids out once! Kate was keen to climb all the other peaks in the ranges, but we could not justify a longer stay at the fungi cabin, so next morning we packed up again and drove south through the beautiful damp ranges to Albany.

 The 'chalet'

Thwarted by local politics, snakes in the toilet and the sweetness of peanut butter slice...

It was now high time to say farewell to the city lights, so we packed up and headed west. We were all longing to get back to a night sky full of stars, the freedom of scrambling along empty beaches and to falling asleep to the sound of crashing waves.

So when arrived (late as always) at Hopetoun (a small and very pretty town through which you enter the east side of Fitzgerald National Park) we were somewhat disappointed (to put it mildly!) to discover that half the roads into and around the park are closed for ‘improvement works’. According to a friendly local at the town’s playground, a grand improvement plan for the national park has become stuck fast in messy political battles between the local government, traditional landowners and commercial interests. As a result, large chunks of this fabulous national park have remained inaccessible for THREE YEARS… And we thought Hobsons Bay politics were bad… Hopetoun locals are understandably unimpressed because tourism into the national park has always been an important source of income for them. Fortunately (I suppose…) a nickel mine has opened up just down the road which has led to the town tripling in size in just 18 months. So maybe they won’t lose too much sleep over the road closures…

We were disgruntled but threw our shoulders back and followed our noses to  a free campspot next to a local beach. Here we cooled our heals, ate massaman curry and slept peacefully through another rainy night. Next day we headed to the west side of the park, stopping again in Hopetoun to take full advantage of their fabulous playground, good coffee and picnic tables for lunch and school. Eventually we found our way to Pt Ann (or St Mary’s Inlet) and it was well worth it – another beautiful spot with wild beach and quiet inlet. The camping ground is inaccessible to caravans so there were only 2 other tents there and they were right down the other end so we felt like we had the spot to ourselves. Heaven. We were also impressed with the drop toilets here (despite the appearance of a small black snake on the second day) – the building was made of such a strong and lovely smelling wood that all not-so-lovely toilet smells were almost completely overpowered. Ingenious! On the indelicate subject of pit toilets, Sash has developed a fascination with shining the torch down the toilet during after-dark visits and giving us lurid descriptions of what he spies - kind of funny for us but perhaps not so amusing for any other folk who are unlucky enough to overhear!

During our first day at Pt Ann we spent a lovely afternoon fishing, running around the beach and building the biggest sandcastle ever (forgot to take a pic so you’ll have to take my word on this). Next day, Kate and Sash walked to Pt Ann and around the point. The walk goes along the rabbit proof fence and then to several windy lookouts at which we ate apples and muesli bars and tried to stop eachother from blowing over the side. We eagerly scanned the horizan eagerly for whales but knew in our heart of hearts that it was too early. We have heard since that had we been in Pt Ann in about 3 weeks time we would probably have seen about 40 whales at this spot! A lovely walk even without the whales. Sash is quite keen on spotting wildflowers and will not budge until Kate takes a photo of each and every one. Hence, the pace is sometimes slow but we both enjoy our rambles and chats.

Meanwhile back at camp, Zara and Bill wagged school because they were busy preparing Mothers' Day surprises for the next day… Peanut butter slice adorned with an ‘M’ made out of cereal flakes (we have to use what’s available…), a heartbreakingly beautiful card and poem, Zara’s famous homemade lemonade and plenty of cuddles! What more could a mother ask for? Their loveliness was particularly sweet on a day when I can't help but feel the loss of my own amazing mother. 

We could have stayed much longe in this glorious spot but the Karri forrests of the South West were calling...

Circus tricks, pirates and an end to gender confusion

We arrived in Esperence, wet and weary. We were ready for some town living so we set up at a caravan park close to the centre of town. Within 5 minutes of arrival, one of our neighbours came and gave us a bag of fish that her husband and kids had caught that afternoon. An excellent beginning.  While we set up, the kids hit the play equipment and soon discovered Jeff and Debbie and their kids (golf-playing friends from Eucla and Cocklebiddy). We chatted to our fish-gifting neighbours who told us they were from Geralton, North of Perth, but had fled to Esperence 2 months ago after their 2yo daughter had only just recovered from Meningicocal. It was a big scare and they were clearly shaken. They had chosen to settle in Esperence and the older kids had found jobs in the local shops while the younger kids were attending the local school. However, being a large Aboriginal family, they were having a tough time securing rental accommodation and so were forced to live at the caravan park in a trailer. They were a lovely, quiet, friendly family and it seemed very unjust.

That night, we put on our glad-rags and headed for the circus! But first we had to get some dinner and our hankering for Asian food led us to the local Chinese restaurant. It was a good thing that the circus turned out to be great, because dinner was dreadful! We have now vowed to never eat Chinese food on the trip again (we also tried in Hobart and had some awful dumplings) - Australian Chinese food away from the big cities seems to have evolved to taste like cardboard. However dinner aside, we had a great night - the circus was a smaller, more intimate performance than the usual Circus Oz style thing we have seen in Melbourne. The highlight of the night was a group of Kenyan acrobats who performed mind-blowing acts. Zara was on the edge of her seat for the entire show - but most particularly when the star of the show - 12yo Americas (yep, that's her name - ah showbiz parents...) did some amazing hula hoop work. The girl's spangled costumes, perfect poise and amazing talent was enough to have any 6yo girl drooling with envy! During the intermission Sash chatted up the local girls on the tea-cup ride and Zara trotted around on the circus ponies (led by the one and only Americas - to z's delight!). After the circus, we went home happily in the rain but Bill still went off to catch us some squid for our next night's dinner...

Next morning, we discovered that many Esperence tourist attractions are closed for the off-season, but we still found a pretty cool park and were soon joined by Debbie and her kids. In the afternoon, we continued living it up by going to the movies and eating choc tops whilst enjoying The Pirates. Later that night, the kids and Kate played on the jetty while Bill pulled in squid. We have discovered that jetties are very social and pleasant places at around 5pm when all the locals and tourists come to fish. Granted, much of the conversation revolves around fishing (ie. have you had any luck, what colour jig did you use etc etc - enough to make Kate's eyes glaze over), but every now and again you get beyond fishing-talk and hear some interesting stories. On this particular jetty, we met a dapper old fellow who had migrated to Australia from Germany shortly after the war. He had lived all around the country and was pretty happy to share many intreresting stories with us as the sun set over the bay.

Next day, we turned our mind to more mundane tasks such as taking the car in to be serviced and stocking up on groceries. With no car, we utilised the excellent bike paths around the town - including right along the foreshore. We also decided to stop confusing and horrifying our fellow travellers with Sasha's unruly mop of hair which had been home-cut unto a very girly bob - none of us mind  that he gets called our daughter on a daily basis (although Zara is a bit keen on gender clarity), but it really embarrasses other people because they think they have upset us... Even the friendly hairdresser herself had to tentatively inquire whether Sash was a boy or a girl... And even Kate admits he looks good with his new snappy cut. So with the children tidied up, their genders clearly defined by their haircuts, Kate and the kids grabbed bikes and bathers and headed for the local pool. The kids were so beside themselves at the discovery that the pool has a whirlpool in it, we stayed for a couple of hours and then took Bill back the next day so he could experience the mega-fun that is the Esperence pool!

Another Esperence attraction that is worth a mention is the local museum. It is run by volunteers and only open for a couple of hours a day - but it has never ending rooms full of fascinating and random stuff. Kate and the kids spent an hour in there before one of the volunteers loudly rang an old cow bell to tell us in no uncertain terms that it was time to leave. Bill came in shortly before closing time and we all wished we had longer to wander amongst the old telephones, steam trains, ye olde toys, farming machinery, tales of shipwrecks, maps, coins, photograph, shells, shark teeth and so much more... 

Le grande beaches, sand cafes, motorised parachutes and rainy nights...

In hot pursuit of fruit and vegetables, we bumped down the rough old road and into Esperence where we guzzled pies and pasties in ‘le hot bread café’ before stocking up on everything at the local Woolies. Then we turned on our heal and drove for about an hour to Cape Le Grande National Park. It was a slightly drizzly Monday and nowhere near school holidays so we were confident of getting a good spot. We decided on Lucky Bay campground but were surprised to find it crowded with grey nomads. We did get a spot but it was pretty cosy. We set up in the dark, surrounded by kangaroos and offers of assistance from friendly neighbours (who seemed a bit taken aback that we would cook outside with headtorches - one guy even offered to shine his car headlights on our stove!). 

Next day we realised why the place is crowded. It's just a beautiful spot. A series of totally stunning beaches with white, white sand, rockpools, clear turquoise water... The sand was so sort of gluey that we could make the best sandcastles ever. We even saw a sandman (like a snowman but made of sand...). The kids had a glorious time making sand cakes, sand ice-creams and sand pancakes for a sand cafe they set up on the beach. Hours of entertainment. 

Sash and Kate headed for Frenchmans Peak for a mountain climb in the afternoon. It was a steep but fantastic climb, past caves and bee hives to spectacular 360 degree views at the top. There was a cave near the top which felt like a pretty special spot (and indeed we met an Aboriginal man later in Esperence who told us his grandfather was born in that very cave). Sash loved this mountain so much that we did the climb again the next afternoon with Bill and Zara, then he begged to do it again every day until we left...

Everything was perfect except that Bill wasn't having any luck fishing, despite numerous attempts in different conditions and in different spots. So we all knew we couldn't stay there forever. 

We got to know our neighbours, Kurt and Irene, who spend their lives working overseas then traveling around Australia in between contracts. They had a powered parachute on the back of their trailer - a hobby which takes them to airstrips and open paddocks all around Australia. It turned out that Kurt remembered Bill's dad from a long ago work connection. Kurt and Irene copied lots of episodes of the French series Miniscule for us to watch on the laptop. Thus we spent a few rainy evenings being enchanted by the antics of bugs.

Another neighbour was an 85 year old fellow from NSW who told us that he spends more time away from home touring Australia in his old caravan, than time at home sitting in flowery armchairs watching telly. He was a bit melancholy because he felt that it might be his last trip. However, when Kate and Sash were resting at Thistle Cove after a relatively strenuous hike, they were rather surprised to see their 85yo neighbour appearing down the walking track, slightly out of breath but otherwise intact. So we think he has probably a few trips left in him!

And then the rains came. Everything was wet and muddy, so we wrapped ourselves in blankets and snuggled down in the trailer to watch Red Dog. Zara has long been fascinated by this story and has been reading the book on this trip. Although he couldn't follow much of the movie, Sash was intrigued by Red Dog's death by poisoning, as well as the scene when Red Dog's farts cause the evacuation of the bus. Death and farts have now become two constant topics of questions and endless discussions for our nearly 4yo Sash...

Tea on the verandah and more retirement plans...

Next day, we backtracked a bit to drive 20kms off the Nullabor to the Eyre Bird Sanctuary. Although it was a bit of a trek down a rough 4WD track to get there, we were happy to lower our tyre pressure and have a look as it had been highly recommended by some folk we had met back in SA. It was totally worth it. What a magical spot. The sanctuary is at the site of an old telegraph station that was closed in 1930, fell into disrepair then was re-opened in 1977 as a bird sanctuary and weather station. It feels totally wild and isolated and is managed completely by volunteers, couples who come for three months to record bird activity, send off weather reports, look after visitors (day and overnight) and tend the veggie garden. They were so friendly and welcoming - giving us a tour, telling us all about the place and then chatting over tea and homemade biscuits on the veranda while we kept an eye out for birds. They gave the kids milo and colouring in sheets of rare bird species (Zara completed hers perfectly with all the correct colours and Sash decorated his with lots of 5s and Ws). We did a short walk around the area and out towards the dunes before fossicking around in the museum which was full of old whale bones and stories of the last manager of the telegraph station – a man recognised for his courage in the face of great white sharks, long-distance running and nasty habit of beating his 12 children until they bore life-long scars. As we left, a massive flock of Major Mitchel Cockatoos flew over our car, which was kind of a relief because we wanted to love the place but felt that the lack of birds was going to make it hard to rave about the bird sanctuary. Nonetheless, Kate and Bill added ‘volunteer at Eyre Bird Sanctuary’ to their list of retirement plans (Kate suggested doing it when the kids are teenagers until Bill pointed out that 3 months of isolation and counting birds would be most teenagers worst nightmare… fair point).

Back on the highway, we headed for Balladonia then turned south on a 4WD track towards the Cape Arid NP. We pulled over and spent the night on the side of the road, in a spot that had a gazzilion ant holes but apparently no ants. We ate a veggie-less meal which was a bit weird but did the job. It was lovely to not have anyone else around – the kids could make plenty of noise, and we were accosted by no-one!

Mother's darlings, father's buggers

Later that day we pulled up at Cocklebiddy roadhouse. By this time we were heartily disoriented due to the time differences and lack of fresh fruit and veg. We decided to set up camp in the dusty paddock of a caravan park so we could have a hot shower and grab a meal at the roadhouse restaurant. It probably won the title of ‘least scenic campsite yet’ but the showers were sort of hot and the washing machines worked… We were warned to have dinner early because they had a busload of folk coming for dinner at 7pm. They arrived early, shortly after we ordered, and we were surprised when an elderly fellow suddenly launched himself at our table, pointed a gnarled finger at our children and announced, ‘mother’s darlings, father’s buggers’, before threatening to get rid of Bill’s beard in his shearing shed, then shuffling back to his table apparently pleased with his effort at social engagement. We quickly finished our unappetising meal then slipped back into our tent before we could be accosted again.

Next morning we awoke unreasonably early due to time differences and were nearly ready to hit the road by 9am (a miracle for us - the original slow starters...). Of course we were still the last ones to leave the caravan park. Just before we left we were pleased to see some old friends (i.e. we had chatted to them for 10 minutes in Eucla) pull up to play the Cocklebiddy golf hole (there is a golf course that runs the length of the Nullabor - quirky idea but a somewhat transparent ploy to give people something to do on the Nullabor crossing apart from complain about the lack of sites and long distances). They had been on the road since 7am so we stopped being smug about our 9am start and hit the road in silence.

Nullabor security patrol...

And then off we went across the Nullabor in earnest – to engage another mad fruit/vegetable eating frenzy before the WA border and to spend the equivalent of our combined annual income on fuel. We stopped at the whale-less Head of Bight to torture ourselves by reading accounts of the fabulous things we could have seen had we been there in July/August – but the cliffs were pretty spectacular so things weren't all that bad. On our first real Nullabor night we stopped at one of the numerous rest areas to camp. It seemed that we were alone there, but as we were putting out the campfire and starting to get ready for bed, a man suddenly leapt out of the trees yelling ‘nullabor security patrol’! We soon regained our composure when we realised he was a harmless odd person, travelling across the desert with his wife (although we never saw her...). They had set up camp on the other side of the rest stop and he was pretty desperate for some social interaction. He told us that the Nullabor was a happening and busy place compared to where they were from (WA wheat belt – near Hyden). He stood and told us funny stories of his life in a slightly manic manner before apologising for not asking us anything about our life then disappearing into the night again. We went to bed slightly bemused and just a tad apprehensive… 

At Border Town, we dutifully admired the big kangaroo and the sign that tells you the distances to various parts of the world, while we ate carrots, parsley, cucumbers and raw broccoli until we were green in the face. We crossed the border into WA and pulled up in Eucla where the kids played happily on a playground that had not been updated since the 1960s (hugest, most dangerous see-saw we have ever seen, a painted old metal tractor and a squeaky swing). Fortunately, they both survived. Bill purchased a lettuce and 2 tomatoes for an exhorbitant price – little did we know that they would be our last fresh veggies for a long time… The kids and Kate were keen to visit the nearby ruins of the old telegraph station (the kids keen because it’s where the Are we There Yet? family eat sandy sandwiches, and Kate because she visited the site with her family many moons ago and got in big trouble for dropping her new sneakers down a chimney of a sand-buried house). Ruins were kind of cool, no sign of Kate’s sneakers but we just stopped Sash from dropping his sandals down the same chimney as a mark of respect for his mother.