Esperance and Quagi Beach WA

Friday 15th March 2013 - Monday 18th March 2013

We stopped at Karmal rest stop for the night and had a great Jaffle iron dinner over the fire.  That night it absolutely pelted down with rain and in the morning we chucked the kids in the car with the Ipad and Craig and I packed up.  By the time we got packed the rain had stopped but as it was absolutely “Mud City” (as Lachlan called it) and the wheels just spun so we were not going to make it out. When there was a slight break in the rain the Rippons helped push us out and we drove to Esperance. 

 

 As Esperance was one place that Craig really wanted to visit and enjoy we decided to explore the caravan parks and pay for our stay.  We phoned pink lake caravan park, which was only 2 km’s out of town, and enquired about their prices.  It was $44 for a unpowered site or $120 for a cabin with our own bathroom which to us was a big luxury.  Of course we took the cabin option and the kids enjoyed watching some TV programs that they had not seen for a long time.  Craig ventured into town and brought back fish and chips for dinner.

 

Little did we know that the ‘Festival of the Wind’ was on that weekend in Esperance.  We took the kids to the festival in the park where they enjoyed learning about bubbles and watching magicians. 

 

 

 

Kai helping out at the Bubble Show

 

 

That night, which happened to be a Saturday, Craig went out for a few quieties at the local pub.  He came back and reported that if you had to rely on Esperance for a Saturday night out it would be a quiet one. 

 

We left Esperance on the Sunday and after a bakery breakfast went to meet the Rippons at Quagi Beach.  At Quagi Beach we had a great setup where we attached the awning to the covered picnic table and we had a big group dinner.  One night an owl came to visit us while we were watching the stars.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Crossing the Nullabor

Tuesday 12 March 2013 - Thursday 14 March 2013

We took the scenic dirt track along the cliff tops of the Great Australian Bight where we drove quite close to the edge and encountered some great views. 

As we had heard that it was hard to come across water on the Nullabor we did our research on how hard it really was.  After coming to the conclusion that water was like gold we carried extra with us for such things as a showers and dish washing.  We were actually quite suprised to find that water was freely available in big tanks at various rest stops and I was even able to do some very overdue clothes washing.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We stopped at the Nullabor road house for lunch and afterwards we threw out our remaining fresh fruit and vegetables, as we would be crossing the border to Western Australia that same day.  We got through the border check point in about 10 minutes, although we did had to hand in our honey which Kai was quite devastated by.  We headed Eucla Roadhouse and had a coffee and hot chips while we waited for the Rippons to join us. We camped in Eucla behind the sand dunes and that night it was extremely windy and cold so Craig and I put the kids to bed and watched Charlie and Boots in the car with our cheese, bikkies and beer.   That was my extremely healthy dinner that night.

The next day we made our way to Cocklebiddy Caves which is an underground cave more than 6 km long, of which around 90% is underwater and only accessible via cave diving.  The kids went down and had a look at the entrance but that is about as far as they could venture into it.

 

 

Cocklebiddy Caves

 

 

We drove along the longest, straightest stretch of road in Australia which is 145.6 kms long and the Rippons joked over the CB that they were having a great time playing 'Corners".  As we are travelling slowely in order to try and conserve petrol we even got overtaken by a Road Train.

 

 

Our next rest stop was really just a patch of dirt but the kids turned it into a sporting ground by setting up the street tennis, cricket pitch and playing with the frisbee and skipping ropes.  We were also able to have a proper camp fire after all the fire bans we had encountered, which we were all very greatful for.

 

Fowlers Bay Great Australian Bight

Saturday 9th March 2013 - Tuesday 12 March 2013

When we left Perlubie we said goodbye to the high tides and the Egyptian beetles that seemed to love our camper trailer.  There was another Cub camper down the beach which they were also attracted to, where as the Rippons did not seem to get any.  Apparently these beetles were only in SA but are migrating west.

 

 

After stocking up at Ceduna we into made our way to our next camp spot,  Fowlers Bay.  We camped in behind the sand dunes and the kids had a great idea to get the skim boards and slide down them.  They spent hours doing this and had a great time.

 

We took a 4 wheel drive adventure into the town of Fowlers Bay.  After getting stuck in the sand a couple of times and taking a couple of wrong tracks, we were shown the way by a local.  We took the alternative route over some amazing sand dunes and after getting stuck yet again we decided to let our tyres down.  After we did that it was smooth sailing and we made it into the town.  We had lunch and the kids spent an hour or so jumping off the jetty.  We then went back to the camp site for some afternoon drink and nibbles.  As this camp area had one of the best set ups for street tennis the older boys had a great time competing in the father/ son challenge which will continue for the rest of the trip.

 

 

 

Leaving Elliston and Perlubie Beach

Thursday 7th March 2013  - Saturday 9th March 2013

On our way out of Elliston we drove around the scenic clifftop where the locals have constructed "sculptures on the cliff".  We also took a walk along the historic jetty where we talked to a couple who had two days to get to Perth.  As we had 20 days to get to Perth it made our travels look a little less daunting.  We headed out of Elliston to our next camp spot Perlubie Beach.

Sculptures on the Cliff

We watched an amazing storm build up over the ocean at Streaky bay and when we got to Perlubie Beach we watched an amazing lightning show.  Fortunately for us the storm did not hit our camp site.
 

 

We set up camp right on the beach and it was a great little place with some swings on the beach and thatched shelters for shade. 

At Perlubie Lachlan had his first row on the kayaks all by himself and Craig learnt to walk on water.

The big boys and two eldest sons went for a half a day fishing at Hallys beach but  unfortunatley did not catch much.

 

One of the shelters was reserved for a 21^st on the Saturday night and there was going to be a live band playing on the beach. We were looking forward to a beach party and some live music. The night before the party we realised that the tide was going to come up quite high and we were a bit worried that the water would come all the way up to our tents. At 11.00pm the tide was creeping up so Brett built a wall of sand around the tents to keep the water back, if he had not done that we may have been swimming in it. As the tide was going to be even higher the next night we really had no option but to pack up and leave. Unfortunately we missed the beach party and the kids were a bit sad that they were not going to hear some live music.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

Walkers Rocks and Craig's B'day

We headed out to Sheringa where we were hoping to find our next campsite North of Sheringa Beach.  We stopped at the roadhouse where they advertised live bands which was probably quite a big deal for Sheringa seeing as it was so small.  We all got out of the car with the anticipation of maybe listening to a band and having a beer but we all got quite the vibe that this little town was not the most welcoming.  We didn't stop for a drink instead we headed to the beach where we could not find the camp spot we wanted (and no one was very helpful when we asked around) so surely this place was not meant to be.

We decided to head another 40 kms or so down the road to our next choice of camp sites Walkers Rock.  This took us through a little town of Elliston and seeing as it was getting a bit late we decided to stop at the takeaway for a burger dinner.  There was a great park for the kids and everyone was very welcoming in this town.

On the morning of Craig's Birthday I headed into town to get some brunch supplies and a real coffee from the bakery.  We also waited for the pub to open so we could buy him his first bottle of scotch for the whole trip.  That day we indulged in the traditional Bacon and Egg brunch (which was more like lunch by the time we sorted everything) and afterwards we drove along the secluded beach and we all had a refreshing swim.  Lachlan also got his first lesson in cooking sausages on the BBQ. That evening after a dinner of of Steak Dianne we sat on the beach and watched an amazing sunset.



Lachlan helping cook the yummy brunch



 

The boys enjoying a yummy brunch
 

We headed into Locks Well beach which is a well known in the area for catching Salmon.  Brett was talking to one of the locals who had been there many times and had only left the beach once with no fish.  There is a 120 metre wooden staircase (282 steps !) to get down to the beach and of course you must come back up to get back to your car.  All up we caught 12 Salmon with Brett producing the catch of the day. Vanessa and I took the young kids and Jayla back to the campsite but we did not make it past the friendly country pub in Elliston and the boys came and joined us where they enjoyed a well deserved beer.

 

 

Elliston is a great little town and painted on it's  town hall is the largest mural of its type in Australia which portrays the historical life of Elliston and covers more than 500 square metres in area.

Coffin Bay National Park and Vanessa's Birthday

26 February 2013 - 3 March 2013

After a one night stop at Port Lincoln we headed into Coffin Bay.  We stopped at the jetty where the kids watched a guy with a metal detector searching for his fortune.  After lunch we headed into Coffin Bay National Park towards our next camp spot Black Springs.

On our way in we were told by other campers that there was a soft area of sand where a few others had got bogged.  We decided to give it a go anyway and thought if we kept our momentum up we would get through.  It was not to be and although Brett eventually got through we got well and truly stuck.  Our wonderful kids helped us dig the sand out from under the wheels and push the camper trailer from behind to help get us out.  After about 4 attempts and maybe getting 100 meters each time we eventually got there.  A nice cold beer and iceblocks for the kids were well deserved after that.

 

The kids getting their daily exercise 

 

 

Yet again we had this place to ourselves with another great beach in our back yard.  The kids found some overhanging trees and made it into their own little cubby house. 

 

 

 

The kids cubby house which they eventually furnished to make it their own get away

 

 

 Along the rocks there were many star fish and many oysters to be found.  We had paid $15 in Coffin bay for 2 dozen oysters but little did we know that where we were going we could find many for free.  Brett and Craig went for a walk one morning and came back with 45 huge oysters.  So that afternoon we had a feast of nibblies and oysters complimented with some nice wine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We drove along the beach and the kids spotted some fantastic sand dunes to run up.  We stopped and the kids raced up them even though the wind was howling at the top.  They were getting battered with sand but they did not care as it is now one of their favourite things to do.

 

 

We were advised by many locals to go to Almonta beach to get some pippies.  There were thousands of little pippies but not too many big ones, which was a bit dissapointing.  The beach was very rough and you could not swim there but the kids played on the sand and I went for a walk.  We saw an amazing flock of Cape Barren Geese which were just haning around the sand.  There was also Golden Island which you could walk out to at low tide but as it is Great White territory it is not reccomended.

 

Golden Island

 

 

 

We also celebrated Vanessa’s birthday here and Brett cooked up a fantastic brunch including pikelets with smoked salmon, cream cheese and capers accompanied by some sparkling red.  One afternoon Lachlan and I made Vanessa a necklace with a stone we found on the beach.  It had a perfect  hole in it at one end where we could put the chain through.  Using the supplies we had at the time we painted it with pink, purple and red nail polish and we also borrowed a bit of blue and green polish from Jayla.  Lachlan did a fantastic job and Vanessa loved it.

 

 

 

 

 

Lachlan with Vanessa and the necklace he made her

 

 

September Beach, Port Lincoln National Park

Thursday 21 February to Sunday 24th February

We had definitely come here at the right time of year as Summer holidays were over and everyone had gone back to school.  As with the previous beaches we also had this one to ourselves for a few nights.  This was another beautiful beach with calm clear waters and lovely sunrises.

 

 

One morning the boys set their alarm to undertake an early morning fishing adventure.  When they got back they told me that Craig had swum with a Great White Shark.  I was not sure what they meant until they filled me in that the shark was actually dead.  We watched the fisheries guys load it up and take it away and we were told that it was a 4 and a half metre monster. We were also told that the Shark would be taken to the museum to be examined.  What a way to start the day !!!!



There were also many evening fishing adventures with many squid and whiting to be caught.  Yet again we could not be eating much fresher.