After leaving the outback we flew to Perth and picked up a camper van, first heading north to Shark Bay and then south-east via an inland route to Albany, before following the coast west then north to Perth.
After landing in Perth we took a taxi to the Kea depo to collect our 2-berth Ford Transit-based camper. After an introduction to the vehicle and completion of paperwork, we bought supplies from a local supermarket and hit the road proper around 2pm. This put us in the Pinnacles Desert near Cervantes just before sunset, an ideal time to catch the evening light and long shadows cast by limestone pillars up to 3m in height. Our caravan park was right beside the Cervantes beach, itself festooned with seaweed.
Pinnacles Desert near Cervantes
Passing through Jurien Bay and Dongara we took the Chapman River Scenic Route north of Geraldton, enjoying the wild flowers and rolling crop-covered inland hills before entering Kalbarri National Park. Within the park we viewed the coastal features of Island Rock and Natural Bridge (noting also the off-shore whale spouts) followed by the less remarkable Grandstand Gorge, Shellhouse Gorge, Eagle Gorge, Pot Alley, and Red Bluff. We spent the night in the resort town of Kalbarri.
Natural Bridge in Kalbarri National Park
In the morning we drove to Hawks Head and Ross Graham Lookout on the Murchison River, still within Kalbarri National Park. Leaving the park to join the North West Coastal Highway, long stretches of straight road took us to Shark Bay, where we visited the stromatolites (limestone rocks created by colonies of cyanobacteria) and shell quarry (small cockles deposited by storms over the last 6000 years, glued together by calcium carbonate to form a soft limestone called coquina) at Hamlin Pool, calling at Nanga and Shell Beach before stopping at Denham. The beach at Denham was covered in washed-up seagrass, the food supply for dugong.
Stromatolites are considered "living fossils"
Little Lagoon briefly interrupted our getting to Monkey Mia, a small resort built around in-shore dolphin visits and a jetty for boat trips. We took the cat "Shotover" for a 3 hour wildlife cruise, sighting dolphin, loggerhead turtles, and a significant number of dugong before returning to Denham for the night (and the worst fish & chip meal in a long while).
Dugong feed on seagrass in Shark Bay
By lunchtime we'd got as far south as Mingenew, then took the Midlands Road (with fewer wild flowers than anticipated) passing through Three Springs (and the waterless Yarra Yarra Lakes) to Moora. From there we turned off to New Norcia but arrived too late and too tired to visit the incongruous Benedictine monastic complex. The scenic drive between New Norcia and the caravan park at Toodyay was, however, one of the best in W.A.
Wildflowers along the inland Midlands Road
After a cold night (setting the pattern for the rest of the holiday) we woke to fog, which finally cleared by the time we got to historic York, about 80km east of Perth. The Great Southern Highway took us most of the way to Albany and we were grateful for the help of the GPS in finding our park at Emu Point. Once again we donned our thermals in preparation for the night chill.
Colonial architecture is preserved in York
The morning was spent in Torndirrup National Park, waiting for breaks in the cloud to photograph Cable Beach, The Gap, Natural Bridge, the Blowholes (not performing despite the chop), Salmon Holes (a surf beach), and Frenchmans Bay with its white sand and turquoise waters. In the afternoon we went to Porongurup National Park intending on doing some walking, but found the walks closed due to the risk of falling branches following a recent wild fire; only the pathetic "Tree in the rock" was accessible. We thus decided to drive further inland into the Sterling Ranges, completing only part of the scenic 3-4 hour return Bluff Knoll walk due to a late start. We got back to Albany just after sunset, thankfully without hitting any roos (they are most active at dawn and dusk; some locals apparently avoid driving at night to avoid collisions).
Frenchman's Bay was perhaps the nicest in the South West
Our journey to Nornalup National Park (near Walpole) encompassed visits to the beaches at Mutton Bird Island (on a Sunday, a popular secluded surf spot) and Cosy Corner, then Greens Pool and Elephant Cove (very picturesque) before entering the Valley of the Giants. In the said valley the Treetops walk took us up to 40m above ground into the canopy of the tingle and karri forest, while the Ancient Empire walk provided a ground-level perspective. The red tingle (Eucalyptus jacksonii) can live for up to 400 years and grow to over 60m; karri (Eucalyptus diversicolor) are the tallest trees in Western Australia and not related to NZ kauri trees. We continued to Coalmine Beach on the Nornalup Inlet, whose waters were stained brown by tannins. Pelicans roosted on the remains of the jetty, and we took an hour to walk the 5km Knoll Scenic Drive to Walpole Inlet and back before dinner.
Treetops walk in the tingle & karri canopy
The rain curtailed our visit to the Gloucester Tree and Beedelup Falls in the vicinity of Pemberton, both of which struggled to justify the $10 viewing fee ($10 per vehicle applied in National Parks; a $35 holiday pass should result in a saving). Disinclined to stay locally, we continued on to Augusta, taking an evening walk along the beach at Flinders Bay to the mouth of the Blackwood River. Most W.A. towns we passed through seemed to be in various stages of death, and Augusta was no exception.
The beach at Flinders Bay
We drove out to the lighthouse at Cape Leeuvin, electing to forego the $10 charge to climb it and instead took a short but breezy costal walk from the lime-encrusted waterwheel nearby. We did however pay the $17 entrance fee for the Jewel Cave, the first of a number of caves along Cave Road leading north. Having been in some pretty stunning caves across the globe, we hadn't before seen tree roots penetrate 12m of rock and then span the cavern as here (karri tree roots can apparently go as deep as 60m) nor had we seen helictites (horizontal growths that "almost" defy scientific explanation). Continuing north we had a winery lunch on the Voyager Estate before wandering around the overrated Margaret River township where a slip at the barber's shop dictated a new look for Bruce.
The "Organ Pipes" formation in the Jewel Cave
Leaving Margaret River we returned to Caves Road and turned off at Canal Rocks to photograph the heavy seas smashing into said rocks. We called briefly at Yallingup (not getting out of the van) and Sugar Loaf Rock before taking the "Whale Lookout" walk in Cape Naturaliste National Park (we saw seals aplenty, but no whales). Checking out the beaches at Bunker Bay, Eagle Bay, and Meelup Beach we then continued to Busselton, known for its extended jetty ($2.50 entry) and underwater observatory (closed due to poor visibility). Numerous traffic lights and 250km later we arrived in Fremantle.
Wave action at Canal Rocks
Walking into the centre of Fremantle from South Beach took us past the various harbours and Arthur Head to the mouth of the Swan River, where we boarded a ferry for an hour-long cruise into Perth ($29 pp return). The banks of the Swan included some prime real estate, including a huge mansion currently for sale at $85,000,000. Spending a couple of hours in Perth was easy, but we wanted to spend the afternoon walking the streets of Fremantle before the shops shut for the day. Fremantle's shopping precinct includes some well-preserved turn-of-the-century architecture, and the "Cappaccino Strip" offers gelato good enough to enjoy even in cold wet weather!
The shopping precinct in Fremantle
After exploring the Fremantle Markets in the morning we returned our camper with 3677km added to the odometer and took a taxi to our central hotel in Perth. A lazy afternoon concluded with window shopping and food (sushi then Mexican) and a movie. The following sunny day (the first in a week without rain) after a Swan-side breakfast we walked upriver and crossed to the south bank via Heirisson Island, then ambled around Perth's well-presented zoo. Our last day was again overcast for the most part, but we walked to Subiaco for brunch and then to Kings Park where a wild flower festival was being held.
Perth cityscape from Kings Park
It's hard to say exactly why we were unimpressed by Western Australia. It could have been the desire to get back to the UK to make new plans or (in the south) the extended cool, wet, and grey weather. Maybe it was because the towns and facilities seemed tired and neglected. Maybe we've now travelled too far and wide to be easily impressed.
So what do we think of campervans? It sure beats camping in a tent, especially in the wet as the "floor" is not at ground level. It was great not having to unpack/ repack daily, and handy to have electricity for the laptop or hairdryer. All those storage compartments and the fridge did, however, encourage eating (e.g. morning and afternoon tea became obligatory!). Not being a 4WD vehicle we felt restricted in our ability to sight-see, since many brown tourist signs pointed down forbidden unsealed roads (we could go up to 5km unsealed only). Although happy with the camper, you still have to interact with other campers: why can't some people flush after evacuating their bowels? Jandals (a.k.a. flip-flops or thongs) are a must for the shower/ toilet blocks—again, especially in wet weather.
Our well-appointed Kea camper
Continued from here.
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Reading about your W.A. travels brings back lots of memories - we enjoyed fish & chips twice at Dongara, so had better luck than you - we are keen to go back to W.A.