Mt Barker to Hyden Week 41

                         Week 41

                 Mt Barker to Hyden

The week began with problems to solve, namely some elderly batteries that were no longer holding their charge. Settling quickly to Mt Barker, we ended up in Albany once again to buy some suitable replacements. Brian is happy with his new additions, but is eager to free camp again to test them out, but I fear the weather gods have other ideas. There are some hot hot days here, with strong winds, so power is going to make life more comfortable.

Near Mt Barker is the Porongurup National Park, a smaller version of the Stirling Ranges, but there is no camping in this park. The walk started in an exciting way when some backpackers cooking breakfast blew up their stove and their breakfast.It created quite a bang.

The direction is up, and up and up, but once you get near the top ridges, it is like walking through a garden, a bush one admittedly, but quite delightful amidst the granite outcrop that signifies the mountains here in the southern regions of Western Australia. A class four, the walk was challenging, but within my fear factor, so all was well.

Moving on, we find ourselves in Kojonup where we intend to sit out the Christmas break. It is very quiet here and they have an affordable weekly rate that suits us. Brian strung out the Christmas lights to lift our spirits and found an ad for a Christmas lunch at the local RSL, the price, a donation. Thus we celebrated Christmas with a lunch with locals of all ages and descriptions and even ended up with take away containers of ham and some fresh vegies and some Christmas cakes for us and our neighbours. Truly country hospitality much appreciated.

Kojonup of course has a grand golf course, but the drought here is causing havoc with the grass. Of course we had to play on the day of the start of the heatwave. We did nine and scurried home to airconditioning and planned to return late in the afternoon. At 4:30 it was still 37C in the shade, but shade and wind helped the last nine to be played more comfortably. I wish I could say our scores were improving, but it is good exercise.

The wind became so strong we were nervous about leaving the awning out so put it away for a few days rest till the wind was all blown away. Ironic that at home the category 1 Cyclone Tash crossed the coast early Christmas Day. Happily no reports of any major inconvenience to anyone we know. Remember being away from one about twenty years ago and coming home to a freezer of food that had gone bad because of the power cuts. Hope that is it for you poor rained out people up there, but reading between the lines, we think there will be more wild weather to come in the months ahead.

It is strange here with everything so dry, the farmers actually now say it will be a bigger disaster if it rains now. They want it in winter closer to seeding their crops. None of us are ever satisfied, are we. That is really my New Year’s resolution - to be satisfied with the way it is and make the most of it - easy to say with our present lifestyle.

Of course life doesn’t run smooth- you’ll laugh when you learn that our latest problem is that the handle on the door has broken inside the van. It has now become an art to open. You have to get the right expression on your face, just the exact pressure in your fingers and a lot of prayer to get out. Brian has been chuckling, but even for him the novelty of coming to my rescue is wearing off. This will be another test for the resolution to see if we can see the good side for another fortnight before we reach Perth and new parts.

While we are here, Brian wanted to cross off Hyden from his bucket list. It is about a four hour drive from here so we left the caravan behind and treated ourselves to a night in a unit. It isn’t even New Year yet and already my resolution is undergoing tests. For the price, it was not the most salubrious of settings, but it was clean and comfortable, and right there at Wave Rock, so in the passing of time, it was fine, not great, but OK.

Treating ourselves further, we had a late anniversary dinner at the Hyden Hotel/motel. We didn’t realize it was a cook your own deal, so I have to admit to a long face for a while as each problem unfolded. I asked for fish and got a long explanation about how it was fresh but had to be defrosted. I didn’t care as long as it tasted OK. Then Brian asked for T-bone X that looked pretty good to him but got T-bone Y which had the good part cut off. Truth is display is not a feature here. Then the house wine. Take your pick De Bortilis, Penfolds, Cooibah etc etc - brand names, but no wine type. A choice on a wing and a prayer and the glass came out half empty - I though of Wim and Wal when a particularly small meal comes out and they wonder where the rest is. Lips firmly fastened I accepted my fate and claimed a table. Brian thought it was too close to the BBQ area, so we moved, only to be joined by a family with 6 kids, so we moved, to a rickety table that threatened to turn topsy turvey every time Brian tried to cut his steak, so we moved - talk about Little Red Riding Hood - at least she stopped at three! Still, resolution practice to the fore, my fish cooked in lemon and cherry tomato foil was great and the salads, disappearing fast were nice. My big win was the chips coming out to the buffet right when they were needed and free coffee. End result, a lovely evening out, thanks you Brian.

Wave Rock is just a small part of Hyden Rock. It is interesting to see, but all over in ten minutes. Walking onto Hyden Rock, there is a wall skirting the edge. It was the town’s way of capturing the water that ran off the rock and diverted into a storage area. Now they have a supply elsewhere, but the wall still is mostly intact.

The main resident here is the ornate dragon, busy bobbing up and down to attract a mate. Life must be hard. Early in the morning we were lucky enough to catch a bird watering on the far part of the rock that hasn’t had the water redirected.

About twenty kms from the Wave is Mulka’s Cave where we were expecting to see cave painting, but after seeing sites at Carnarvon, Cooktown and in Kakadu, it was a bit “Ho hum”. Here we walked the granite outcrop in fierce winds so had a bad hair and hat day. The part that makes it worthwhile is the 360 view of the vast wheat farms, albeit in their driest form. It also helps you appreciate the people who live in this harsh environment, both now and in the past. How lucky we are.

As we drive home, it strikes me that we are long longer in “-up” land, but have moved to “-in”. This is your cue Owen to tell me what this means. We find Kalgarin, Kulin, Kalgarrin and so it goes on. Dumbleyung was thus a breath of fresh air as was Dumbledee. The other day we passed Jellicoe Road, so I am starting to believe the early settlers were very merry when they chose the place names.

We trust you all had a great Christmas and wish you all a very happy new year. The challenge for all all is to send me your favourite New Years Resolution, the one you really want to keep. Brian is going to stop telling young children tales. He told three small boys they could stand on the Hippos tongue, and they believed him. All of you who know my beloved well will know this will probably be the first broken resolution of them all.

Have a good week and enjoy those holidays. Brian is already lamenting that holidays are no longer the same now he is on a permanent holiday. Poor thing.

Cheers

The Nearly New Year Nomads.

Le Grand National Park Week40

                         Week 40

                 Le Grand National Park

Who out there says we aren’t creatures of habit? Of course our last day in Esperance was in the other golf course we discovered. Playing with the birds here is an experience for old ducks like me. It is the first golf course we have encountered which doesn’t end the ninth hole at the clubhouse. By the time we had played twelve and eventually reached our thermos of coffee, we were hanging out big time. Thus we came to understand why this club has one fixed price. Who is going to stop after nine when you haven’t arrived back at your car?

We ended up playing in an unusually hot day and ended up with an old guys whose partner had deserted him because of the heat - no not his wife, his golfing partner. He was a relative beginner who could hit that driver, but had no control over direction. He hit some long long shots, but finding them was a problem.

Thus with long awaited anticipation we headed out for a sojourn at Lucky Bay, one of the campspots in Cape Le Grand National Park. Because there are showers, the price is $9 per person per night, but they don’t guarantee hot water, or indeed water itself, but they do charge you for it. Camp hosts come around about 5 to collect your dollars, so the savy travellers come in at 7 hoping for a spot and a free night.

This indeed was a popular destination and as we edged each night closer to the school holidays in WA, there were more and more campers each night. We couldn’t get over the number of Frenchmen here.

Because I was a squib, Brian had to climb Frenchman’s Peak by himself, but teamed up with some French backpackers and they took some shots for him to show he had scaled the heights. I don’t do steep rocky slopes with bravado so Brian was kind and didn’t pressure me.

We had been for a walk between Lucky Bay and the next cove that was described as an easy walk. After that, I was even more disturbed about attempting a climb they described as hard. Our legs got a good workout on the easy walk. It must be beautiful in the height of the wildflower season, but we are still captivated by the magic of this park.

Many of the bays and coves are deserted and offer idyllic spots to picnic or just savour the surroundings. On the more popular beaches you can see walkers, surfers and kiteboarders or even fishermen driving further to find that perfect spot. But we are in the south, so the water temperature is not enticing, especially in the wind. Still hardy souls are swimming and snorkeling with gay abandon.

Our neighbour was a local here for a few days serious fishing and shared his catch of salmon with us and the van next door as well, so we had an unanticipated feed of fish that was delectable.

All good things must come to a close, and though there are showers here, there is only so long the water in the caravan will allow unpowered camping without facilities. We must learn to be more frugal. I have learnt to do the “bushman’s shower” so it is great when I go to a shower where I can leave it running and enjoy!!!!! So we headed for another long drive, broken by a free camp on the way. Now we can boast we stayed at Needilup, behind the hall, population 1. Camps five let us down, because they promise toilets here, but they haven’t been operational for at least 4 years, but the local populace was friendly and offered the use of their facilities if the need arose.

Our destination is the Stirling Range National Park, but we stop at Ongerup to fill up the tanks and to view the Mallee Fowl information Centre. We are the first visitors for a week, so it is not the height of their tourist season. These small communities are doing it tough, but they still have spirit and good cheer.

So we finally emerge through the dust of roadworks at Moingup Springs campground, our base for exploring the Stirling Range National Park. The mist is so low in the morning the air is wet, but it is not actually raining. 

We didn’t have the best weather, but we did manage to explore. The best was Bluff Knoll, the easiest walk. Most are class 4 and 5 and three to four hours, a bit beyond my abilities and fitness, but we do walk for an hour and get an impression of why people should visit here. On our return the winds whipped up to a mini gale and showed us why you have to be prepared for all eventualities. If the weather had improved, we would have stayed another day or to so Brian could go back and climb to the top, but it wasn’t to be.

There have been searchers here looking for a missing hiker. They searched for ten days but have now given up. It is vast, dangerous, but beautiful. At our camp are white tailed black cockatoos who remind us of flying fox colonies. They screech and squark at first light, jostling for position so sleep beyond 4am is broken.

After a week of unpowered bush camping, the washing basket is full, and the batteries in the van, over four years old have run their course in life so must be replaced. We have also been out of phone and email contact for the week so have missed communicating with the real world. Undecided as to our next destination, we have stopped in Mount Barker, mostly to wash. Brian of course blanched at the price and is now champing at the bit to free camp again to test out his new batteries. Rain is keeping us closeted in the dry and warm but they need it desperately here so we don’t begrudge them a drop. It is interesting to see reports of flooding in Carnarvon, where their river usually runs underground, not a drop to be seen and is the town’s water supply along with all the farms in the district.

It was great to get a message from Carola that she is a grandmother to Emily Kate. Congratulations to Kevin and Rianna and all the family. Another little dancer has entered the world. Wow!!!!

Merry Christmas to you all.

Best wishes for a festive time with family and friends and loved ones to be thankful for a beautiful world.

The peaceful Nomads.

Esperance Week 39

                        Esperance

                            Week 39

Our longest move in quite a while has been achieved this week from Denmark to Esperance. In deference to poor Brian behind the wheel, we free-camped for a night just outside Ravenstorphe. We are really in wheat country here as the rolling fields stretch as far as the eye can see and national parks are fewer and farther between.

Esperance is a pleasant town, large enough to have most services, but small enough not to need traffic lights. It has the feel of Cairns when I was a teenager.

It is no surprise to see several wind farms here. I think the southern ocean breezes blow often and strong. The names of bays and inlets are alluding to the mighty power of the stormy ocean and the havens sheltering the poor sailors.

The beaches here are stunning, but their popularity with bathers is inverse to the number of steps from the road to the beach. Hence, by the time you have walked 150 stairs down to the beach, you hope you haven’t left anything back in the car.

The most popular beach is Twilight beach because you are right there on the sand. It is sheltered and calm and rivals Green Pool for pulling power. 

The Ocean Drive here stops at quite a number of beaches and by the time you have visited them all, your leg muscles have had a work out. Each one has its own magic pulling power and all are worth at least a few moment of your time.

Of course after driving on Monday and Tuesday, we were keen to check out the nearest golf course to our park, only $10 for nine holes and double for eighteen holes. Believe me, nine at a time is enough. It is hilly plus, so pushing the golf cart around as well as striking the ball is hard work. The bonus was the grassed greens, magic after all these months of sand greens. Our exploration of the area has uncovered another course that we shall test out before we move to Le Grand National Park on Tuesday. How many of you have a National park bearing your name? We couldn’t pass up the opportunity of staying a few days out there to cross another one off the bucket list.

We have gone out to Le Grand National Park for a reconnoitre to check it was suitable for our size van. There are lots of opportunities for walking and fishing. 

The signature plant of this region is a brilliant orange wattle that dominates and catches your attention instantly. The other features that dominates are the giant granite outcrops that are almost as prolific as the wattle.

In town there are several jetties. The oldest has been partly restored and is a favourite stroll for families and tourists alike. Here you are likely to come across a walrus or two. Like us they are seeking out the warming rays of the sun. The water temperature here is not for the fainthearted.

On Friday night we had a rare night out, having a meal at one of the local restaurants and then off to a dance. The meal was fine and so was the dance, but those of you in the know, the Merrymakers seemed fast in comparison. Merv would have been impressed with the musicman on the keyboard who played all night, ninety-one years young we were told. We knew most of the dances they programmed so we did in fact appreciate a good night out with some very friendly locals.

I’m sure you are all gathering your resources for Christmas. Enjoy the hurley burley of it all.

Cheers for another week.

The happy wandering nomads