Farewell to Western Australia

We were up early at 4 Mile beach camp in Fitzgerald NP & left by 6.15am our earliest yet I think. We had made the decision to get moving back across the Nullarbor & to try to get down towards Port Lincoln in SA before Christmas. We decided to take a short cut to Norseman via Lake King. The road was excellent until we hit the shire of Esperance sign & it was terrible. It looked like a huge storm had gone through recently & the road was trashed, worse than the road to Kulumburu. It will take the title of worst road in WA for us. 

Short cut road before it got bad

This pothole was tiny compared to some

We finally got back to the bitumen about 50km South of Norseman & grabbed some cheap fuel $1.49c/L & kept trucking. The roads were quiet & the cricket was on the radio so we had a pretty big day. 680km total but over 200km of that was dirt road & we camped on a roadside rest stop not far from Caiguna, only about 80km from the our first camp we did in WA on the way over. A basic set up, a couple of beers, a relax & dinner and it was early to bed to get a early start the next day. Just under 400km to the SA border. 

Roadside stop

We were up early today & hit the road just before 6.30am, the road was quiet but headwind was pretty strong & after getting some fuel at Eucla, crossed the border at 11.15am & gained 2.5 hours to take us to 1.45pm. 

Goodbye WA

Hello again SA

So with that it is time to say a farewell to Western Australia. 

What can we say? We have loved our travels through WA. We entered the state on the 5th of April 2014 & left on the 12th of December 2014, taking out our few weeks in the Northern Territory, that is just under 8 months of travel throughout WA. 

To start being able to do this trip has been a privilege, that took a lot of hard work & savings to achieve.   Not working for this time has been amazing, our stress levels are as low as they have ever been or probably will ever be. WA you have provided us with an adventure, excitement, fun & happiness. We have been able to enjoy being alive, to love & laugh, to have freedom, to have the time to think, to explore, relax, rest & dream. Travelling through WA has been good for the soul & given us a new zest for life, the future feels bright. 

You have provided vast changes in scenery, from the magnificent oceans & coastlines, beautiful gorges, intriguing desert, mountain ranges, forests & escarpments. The sheer size of the state is some thing you have to see to believe. We have seen things here that you won't see in other parts of our great country. From the most remote places to the just truly spectacular it has all been amazing. 

So to WA, we loved you & thanks for having us. We will definitely be back. Most importantly you gave us the freedom to ROAM. 

To our readers, thanks for tagging along on our WA journey we hope you have enjoyed it. There is still plenty more to come from us as we travel some more of SA, hopefully the VIC high country & who knows what else. Lots more recipes & product reviews to come as well. 

Jess & Mat @ Red Dirt Roaming

Fitzgerald River National Park - St Mary's & 4 Mile Beach campgrounds

It was back down to the coast again to finish off our stay on the south coast before leaving WA. We did the Esperance stretch including Cape Le Grand, Cape Arid & Stokes Inlet when we first came into WA off the Nullabour so the Fitzgerald NP finished that stretch off for us. We started on the western side of the park & made our way towards St Marys Inlet camp. As soon as we entered the park it reminded us a lot of the country in Cape Arid, low scrubby bush & huge mountains. The main road in was good gravel & we soon could see the ocean & as we came over the dune were rewarded with another magical coastline. We found the campground deserted & got the pick of the spots. We chose site 13 as it was large & tucked into the bush to protect from the wind. What a great spot. 

Beach at St Marys above & below

The next day we headed into Bremer Bay for a look. Not much here just a sleepy little town on an inlet. We explored some of the beaches & found a lovely little one called Boat Harbour. 

Boat harbour at Bremer Bay

We decided to take the short cut home & found some of the worst roads we have come across. Huge potholes & corrugations & they had some rain recently & there were lots of bog holes. In the end we had to let down our tyres the corrugations were so bad. We finally got back to camp & we're glad to get out of the car. 

Our next few days were great. We did get a bit of rain & wind but most days it cleared by mid morning for lovely days. We visited Point Ann right near camp & climbed to the lookouts for some lovely views. We had long walks on the beach, read, relaxed & fished. Mat caught some very tasty flathead & skippy trevally. In the end we stayed for 5 nights at a cost of $7.50 per person per night. There are pit toilets & gas BBQs. There is no water available. At night we had a Roo & her joey visit each night. The first night we were sitting in the dark & they came in within a meter of us. The next night they were more bold & the joey had its head in the rubbish bag pulling out sweet potato scraps, cheeky buggers. St Marys was a great camp & one of our favourites. 

Views from Pt Ann above & below

We then packed up camp & headed further east in the park. Firstly we looked at the newly developed Hammersley Inlet campground. They have spent a fortune but it's pretty terrible. Long horizontal sites all close together. We weren't impressed so headed further into the 4 Mile Beach camp. Again brand new & pretty average. All the sites were filled with blue metal & badly set out. We managed to find one that was amongst the trees & gave us some protection from the wind which was howling. 

4 Mile camp

We went into Hopetoun that afternoon for a look. Another small town. We had some lunch & then headed back to camp to hide out of the wind & by this time rain. It was a miserable night with the wind flapping the canvas all night. 

More drizzle the next morning & we headed into town to get fuel, some groceries, water & wash Ruby. We had decided to leave the south coast & to finish in WA. That afternoon the sun came out for a bit so we tried to get a few photos for you. 

View down to 4 Mile

Ruby nice & clean

We then packed up camp as much as we could ready for a quick getaway on the morning. The cost of camping at Hammersley was $10 per site & at 4 Mile was $10 per person. They had pit toilets & BBQs. In our opinion the St Marys end was much nicer. 

Plants in the Fitzgerald NP

Stirling Ranges

We headed north from Albany up into the Stirling Ranges, wow these are magnificent. They just come out of nowhere & are massive. We planned to stay at the national park camp, but drove in & it was pretty terrible. There were some tent sites & 4 bays that said carvans only, not sure where camper trailers are meant to camp, it was $10 per person per night. There were 2 other privately run campsites nearby & we went to Mt Trio Bush camp. It was really good, set up in a paddock overlooking the ranges (Mt Trio) & it had hot showers, toilets & an excellent camp kitchen. We set up in a quiet spot, it was $25 for an unpowered site. That afternoon we stayed at camp & even played ping pong/table tennis for a few hours in their games room, Mat won 3 games to 1 but we had plenty of laughs. 

Stirling ranges

Mt Trio bush camp

The next day we explored the ranges. There are quite a few walks to choose from & we went with Bluff Knoll. It was a 6km walk & was almost 1100m high. The walk was pretty hard with lots of steep large step ups. Unfortunately I only made it about half way before having to turn around, I wasn't feeling very well & didn't think it could make it to the top. I was really disappointed, but we did get to see some magnificent views. 

Bluff Knoll above & below

We made our way backdown & then did the drive through the national park amongst the ranges & had lunch along the way. Back to camp & the wind really picked up. It was blowing a gale & some of the strongest wind we have been in, especially inland.  Cooking dinner was a nightmare & took us until nearly 8.30pm at night & when it was ready we had to eat in the car out of the wind. 

Stirling ranges

In the end we decided to pack up the next day & keep heading east back towards the coast & the Fitzgerald National Park. The Stirling Ranges are definitely worth the trip, a beautiful spot & we are told the orchids in the spring time are amazing. Mt Trio is a great option for camping, so check it out. 

Stirling ranges flanked by farmland

Corned Beef & Veggies

Corned beef is a great option for camping that can be done over the fire or gas burner. You get a yummy warm meal but also cold meat for a few days. We did this one while at Shannon's camp & it was really cold, so it was perfect to warm our bellies. There are lots of recipes for corn beef with peppercorns, vinegar, onions & bay leaves added to the water while boiling. These are all great options. I don't bother. I grew up eating home made corned beef that was so delicious it didn't need any additives. It has taken us a while to get used to shop bought corned beef on the road & from habit I just leave the water plain, but it's up to you. I love to have white sauce with my corned beef but Mat doesn't like it & prefers the sacrilegious tomato sauce, if I was making this for more than just the 2 of us I would definitely do a white sauce. 

Corned Beef

Ingredients

- a piece of corn beef to suit, make sure you get a big enough piece for leftovers

- water

- veggies to serve with it, we had mashed potato, pumpkin, green beans & grilled corn cobs

Directions

- remove your corned beef from the fridge about an hour before you want to cook it

- if you are cooking over the fire start it now as well so it has a chance to burn down

- remove from plastic packaging & rinse in cold water

- place in a pot & cover with water

- place over the heat & allow to come to the boil & the reduce heat so that its a steady simmer

- allow to cook for as long as the cooking instructions say, usually 25-30mins per 500g weight, keep an eye on the water level & top up if necessary. 

- remove from the water & allow to rest for 10mins before carving

- serve with your choice of veggies & sauce

Albany

We moved from Parry Beach camp on the 29th of November. It was a Saturday so not ideal for a move, but we decided to chance it. We had heard of some great free camping not to far from Albany & hoped to get a spot there to explore the Albany area. First up we tried Cosy Corner, a great spot but it was really full, there where a couple of spots, but they were much to small for our trailer. Not far up the road was another camp Torbay Inlet, this was a fantastic site right on the water & had room, but it was to shady for us & we would of struggled with our solar power, as the forecast was once again for rain & cloudy weather. The other free camps were a fair way out of Albany on the eastern side so we ended up having to stay in a caravan park. We had a quick look online & most of the ones in town were almost $50 a night. We found one called the Panorama carvan park & it was $35 so we went there. The facilities were very old & most of the park was dedicated to permanent residents, but we got a really good spot right on the waterfront looking across to Albany town. It was a quiet place to camp. 

That afternoon we headed out to the Torndirrup National Park. There is lots of different bit & pieces to see, which mostly revolves around more glorious coastline. We visited Waterbay Point, Salmon Holes, Misery Beach, Fishermans Point & Possession Point. All had amazing views. 

Waterbay Point

Salmon holes

Misery beach

The next day we planned to go to the Anzac centre, but found the roads closed due to an event being on, we decided to go back the next day when it was less busy. We went for a drive out to Emu Point & the harbour & then called into the Boatshed markets. 

Emu Point

These were small but good & we had a yabby pie & a juice & bought some lovely artisan bread. By this time it was still early. We went for a drive down town but as it was a Sunday nearly everything was shut. We decided to go for a drive up towards Mt Barker for a look. It was much drier through this area, and was mostly farming land of wheat & sheep with a few wineries. As we were driving back towards Albany we came across a sign for a Thai cafe that was on a farm that did lunch on weekends, we thought we would have a look. We arrived to a cafe & a nursery attached to a farm house. We went inside & were greeted by a Thai lady & asked if we had a booking? No we just saw the sign. Okay she said we get very busy, but sit sit we will feed you. What ensured was a bizarre hour or so. The Thai lady cooked but her husband or partner was Swiss & he served & chatted happily to us, to our surprise, cars & more cars kept driving in, it started to get really busy. Our food arrived & it was fantastic, no wonder this place was busy. It was easily the best Thai food we have ever eaten. Amazing what you find out in the middle of the bush. We made our way back to Albany not believing our good fortune. The rain came in again & we got quite a bit of rain that night. 

Area around Mt Barker

The next day we had lots of jobs to do around town including getting fuel & groceries, so we got all of that done. After lunch we headed out the the Anzac centre. This is a new museum that was built to celebrate 100 years of the departure of the Anzacs to world war 1. The first & second squadrons left from the Albany harbour & it told the story of this & of the war. It was really good, but for us lacked a lot of cohesiveness, especially in terms of time, we felt it jumped around to much between the years of the war & the layout wasn't logical as to which way you should make your way around the museum. But it is well worth a look. They give you a card of one of the soldiers & you follow their journey through the war, I was given one from a soldier from a farm in Dalby in QLD that is not far from my home town so it was interesting, he did make it back from the war but died a few years later. That ended our stay in Albany. We decided to try to escape the rain for a bit & go inland up towards the Stirling Ranges for a few days. More on that soon. 

Parry beach camp near Denmark

We had heard of Parry Beach camp from a few people. It is run by the shire & volunteers & is only $10 per couple per night for hot showers & flushing toilets, we were sold. We left the camp at Banksia & let our tyres down to get out of the soft sand track & then re inflated them when we got to Walpole. From there we headed towards Denmark. About 20km from Denmark was the turn off & it's a further 6km in on bitumen. We found a lovely beach & great campsite.

Parry beach

 We paid our money for 3 nights & set up camp. As the weather forecast was again not good with the threat of rain, we had to get a site that allowed our panels to work as best they could. We ended up in a long narrow site, but it was up the back & quiet. We set up camp & then headed into Denmark for a look around that afternoon. Denmark is a really nice little town with heaps to explore all the way around it. Back to camp to sit under the awning while it showered all night & the March flies annoyed us incessantly. 

Camp at Parry Beach

The next morning despite the dreary weather, we headed back towards Walpole to the famous tree top walk through the Tingle & Karri trees. It is run by Parks & Wildlife & the cost is $15 person. You walk on a walkway throughout the trees that reaches 40 meters high. It was enjoyable, but the weather wasn't great for photos, the views would be amazing in clear weather. Not sure it is worth $15 though. 

After that we went for a drive back towards the coast to see Conspicuous Cliff which had a steep walk to the top for great views & onto Peaceful Bay a sleepy little community & pretty bay views. 

Views from Conpiscuous Cliff

Peaceful bay, nice weather & yes that's a pesky fly on the camera lense

After that we toured all of the gourmet delights that Denmark had to offer, it was like a little slice of the Margaret River, only less pretentious! We visited a chocolate place, an awesome cheese factory, a winery & on our way home a toffe & cider place for a ice cream claiming to be Denmarks largest ice cream cone. They were in fact massive & made using a cool old ice cream machine that combined frozen fruit & vanilla ice cream into amazing soft serve ice cream, very fun for the kids, big & little!  Back to camp for some more rain showers. They eventually held off for a while & we sat around the fire for a few hours, as we could have a camp fire here. 

More rain overnight, so once again we needed to got for a drive to recharge the batteries & give the solar panels a chance to recharge the trailer batteries without the fridges on them. We had a fantastic day. Firstly we visited Green Pool the most popular swimming beach near Denmark & just beautiful surrounded by big rocks to make it calm. 

Green Pool

Then onto Elephant Rocks, when ever something is named after the shape of something I often think they have taken a fair bit of artistic licence, but elephant rocks stood true to its name, can you spot the elephants in the photo below? There was a set of stair near them that lead between 2 massive rocks & to a beautiful calm bay that would be fantastic for a swim or snorkel if it wasn't so chilly. 

Elephant pool above & below

We then ventured to Mad Fish Bay, one of our favourite spots in all of WA, just magical. We crossed over to some rocks, but were soon turned back by 2 very ferocious oyster catcher birds that were guarding their chicks. 

Mad fish pool

Grumpy

Next we had a look at Ocean Inlet & Beach the coastline here is again beautiful with white sand & blue water. 

Inlet on the left & Ocean on the right 

You wouldn't believe it but Denmark also has a brewery so it was another brewery for lunch & this one was one of the best that we have been to, as you know we have been to many on this trip!  We grabbed a few groceries from the IGA in town & headed back to camp. We had a great time during our stay around Denmark & Parry beach is an excellent low cost campground.