In general, WA (Western Australia) is an incredibly remote area, and we were leaving the largest city in the state (Perth). After a few kilometers, we had all lost cell phone reception, and we often drove an hour or two before passing another car. Yes, the dirt was really actually red, and yes, there were kangaroos (and emus, and sheep, and goats, and cows) freely roaming along the roadside. It is advised not to drive after dusk here in WA because drivers can't see the animals wandering out in front of them on the highway. We had a close call with two emus at sunset one night, but luckily no damage was done! :-)
Here's a quick summary of the eight days.
Day 1: Perth to Geraldton
We started the day by picking up Rob from his hostel, and we were off, driving north up the highway.
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| Road trip buddies: Rhonda (Quebec), Rob (England), Izzy (Wales) |
We had a quick stop off at The Pinnacles desert, cool limestone pillars situated at Nambung National Park near the highway.
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| The Pinnacles |
Day 2: Geraldton to Monkey Mia
After saying goodbye to Rob, who stayed in Geraldton to work, we headed out to continue our way north.
We stopped for a little off-roading at Kalbarri National Park. Though we barely had time to scratch the surface of this magnificent place, we enjoyed some lovely views at "Nature's Window."
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| Nature's Window (through the rock) |
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| Arriving at Monkey Mia at sunset |
Day 3: Monkey Mia to Coral Bay
Monkey Mia, a tiny town (not even big enough to be called a town, really), is famous for the families of dolphins that live in surrounding waters. Every morning, the staff at the Monkey Mia Resort feed the dolphins, who usually come around the same time to collect their small fish and show off for the visitors.
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| The tourists lining up to see the dolphins being fed |
From Monkey Mia, we continue north up the coast, stopping off at Shell Beach near Shark Bay, a beach comprised not of sand, but of seashells.
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| This is what we walked on instead of sand. |
Further up the highway, we stopped off at Hamlin Pool to see an example of stramatolites, supposedly earth's earliest known life form. They look like rocks.
Day 4: Coral Bay to Exmouth
We had only one morning in Coral Bay, but we made full use of our time with a few hours of snorkeling. The Ningaloo Reef off the coast of upper western Australia is a world heritage listed site and considered by many to be even better than its east coast counterpart, the Great Barrier Reef. At over 260 k in length, the reef is home to over 500 species of tropical fish and 220 species of coral. We swam with the fish, the sea turtles, and even saw a reef shark right up close to the shore.
Day 5: Exmouth
We spent two nights in Exmouth, enjoying the small vacation town (population less than 2000) and its convenient access to the Ningaloo Reef. Lots of snorkeling, swimming, and relaxing here! Pictures forthcoming, but most of them are on Rhonda's camera!
Day 6: Exmouth to Onslow
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| Izzy & Rhonda |
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| Haha! Random bush on the side of the road that has become a collection of undies! We didn't have any to spare.... |
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| This roadside toilet was luxurious compared to the norm. |
Day 7: Onslow to Port Hedland
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| This is the gist of Onslow |
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| The termite mounds that dotted the landscape from Exmouth to Port Hedland |
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| We stopped off at Miaree Pool, a fresh water pond. The water was a bit chilly for a swim. |
Day 8: Port Hedland to Broome
This was a really long and boring drive.
Aside from a quick pit stop at a camp site/ roadside rest area (above), our only respite was a nice stop for lunch along Eighty Mile Beach. Yes, literally 80 miles of beach. Quite lovely.
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| Picnic on the beach |
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| One of the only kiteboarders I've seen in WA |
We made it to Broome! A nice brunch for our first morning in a new town.If we look tired, it's because we are.... 8 days on the road in the middle of nowhere. :-)
More to come soon....
Awesome!
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