Life in a Humpback

Day 118: Streaky Bay (Day 1)

Today we did a bit more site seeing along the coastal scenic drives. First we headed back out to see Whistling Rock and the Blowholes to see if they were a bit more active (it was closer to high tide). The Whistling Rocks was making a lot more noise, but sadly the Blowholes were still not spraying any water. As a consolation we did see a few dolphins swim by, and there were lots of lizards running around on the sand dunes - it was rather entertaining watching the lizards chase each other around.

Next we made our way to the Westwall Way Loop. Here we stopped at Smooth Pool to spend time searching the rock pools for fish, crabs, shrimp, seaweed, limpets and more. Once we had our fill of the pools we drove further down the coast to Speeds Point and had a quick look out over the bay. To complete the loop we stopped at Yanerbie Sandhill. We found a good spot to get out and have a play. The kids did a lot of jumping down the dunes and climbing back up again until they tired themselves out and it was time to head home.

Day 117: Smoky Bay Rest Area to Streaky Bay

Today we packed up camp and headed the 70km down the coast to the Islands Caravan Park in Streaky Bay. We all agreed that the caravan park had the fanciest toilet and shower setup of any caravan park we have been too.

While setting up camp Theo discovered that Waffle (the crochet whale) had lost an eye. Until we could find a replacement eye Olivia offered to make him an eye patch. He looks pretty good now.

In the afternoon we headed out on the Cape Bauer Loop scenic drive. Most of the drive was on dirt roads, and with the late afternoon heat we saw lots and lots of shingle back lizards basking on and beside the road.

The main stop was at Whistling Rocks and the Blowholes. The tide was a little low for the rocks to be doing a lot of whistling, but we did hear it a few times. We spent a while watching the waves roll in below the lookout and shoot up through the small holes in the rock shelf. The next bay over from the Whistling Rocks had the Blowholes, but the tide was too low for action, so we had to settle for enjoying the view of the cliffs in the late afternoon sun.

We stopped in at the Streaky Bay township on the way home to walk out along the old pier and check out the cage swimming area before grabbing dinner.

Day 116: Bunda Cliffs to Smoky Bay Rest Area

Crossing the WA/SA border yesterday meant that we had a two and a half hour time change, so most of use had a big sleep in. So while it was 9:00am local time, our bodies still thought it was 6:30am! While the other slept in I got up and watched the sunrise.

Once we had packed up and made our way back onto the highway our first stop for the day was at "Scenic Lookout 1" along the Bunda Cliffs. Here the cliffs jutted out from the coast so we could see down to the ocean more clearly than from our campsite. Our next stop was at the Nullarbor Roadhouse for petrol and to have a look around. This roadhouse had the most murals, old buildings, and large fiberglass animals than all the others combined. We even had a dingo walk in front of the truck while we were waiting in line for petrol.

After refueling we continued onto the Head of Bight, which has several viewing platforms to watch the southern right whales in the waters below. We were passing through at the very end of the season and were not really expected to see any whales. The walk provided some great views of the eastern end of the Bunda Cliffs and the sand dunes to the east. While walking along the kids noticed something in the water. Once the sun came out from behind the clouds we could see that it was a whale. We then spent the next hour or so watching a cow and calf slowly make their way along the coastline - diving down and coming back up to the surface. We are having some really good luck with spotting mum and baby animals this trip! The other highlight from the Head of Bight was all the lizards that we saw along the paths. As we stayed at the Head of Bight longer then originally planned we stayed for lunch too before continuing east.

The rest of the day was spent getting as close Streaky Bay as we could. We passed through Penong for a play in the playground (and to see the largest windmill in Australia), and Ceduna for petrol, before making it to a rest area outside Smoky Bay for the night.

Day 115: Baxter Rest Area to Bunda Cliffs

Today we got up early and continued our trek across the Nullarbor. First we finished the second half of the 90 Mile Straight. At the end we found ourselves in Caiguna, the first of many roadhouses that we stopped at today for petrol. A number of the roadhouses between Norseman and Ceduna have a single golf hole - in total there are 18 holes that make up the longest golf course in the world.

During the day we stopped at:

• Cocklebiddy Roadhouse - to see the two rescued wedge tail eagles.
• Madura Roadhouse - where we had lunch
• Mundrabilla Roadhouse - which has some beautiful emu murals.
• Eucla Roadhouse - which was the fanciest of the roadhouses with the best playground, and even a pool!

The Madura Roadhouse was situated just below an escarpment that we followed for almost 200km until Eucla. There were some stunning views as we descended through the Madura Pass and back up again through the Eucla Pass.

Eucla Roadhouse was our last stop in Western Australia. A few more kilometers down the road and we crossed back into South Australia. We stopped at the Boarder Village to see the big kangaroo before continuing down the road to the Peg 51 Rest Area for the night. The campsite was perched on top of the Bunda Cliffs, with the Southern Ocean 90m below us. We arrived in time to see the sunset along the coast, then laid in bed while being lulled to sleep by the waves booming up against the cliffs.

Day 114: Esperance to Baxter Rest Area

Today we started our journey across the Nullarbor. We headed north from Esperance, stopping in Salmon Gums for morning tea and a play in the playground. After leaving Salmon Gums we passed several salt lakes some of which were a bright green colour. We made it to Norseman for lunch, stopping at Phoenix Park. While here we all had a bit of a wander through the park and town.

After filling up with petrol we turned east and officially started our crossing of the Nullarbor. A few kilometers in we ticked over 20,000km since leaving Hobart!

Our next stop was at Balladonia for more petrol, a play in the minions playground, and a look through the museum (Balladonia is the site of the 1979 crash of SkyLab space research station). Soon after leaving Balladonia we reached the start of the 90 Mile Straight - Australia's longest section of straight road that measures 146.6km long. About half way along the very straight road will pulled over at Baxter Rest Area to camp for the night.

Day 113: Esperance (Day 2)

Today was another windy and overcast day with the sun poking through only every once in awhile. We decided to go for a drive along the Great Ocean Drive. This scenic drive leaves from Esperance heading west along the coastline. Along the way we climbed the platform at Rotary Lookout, which gave us views both back towards town and along the western coast. We then stopped at several lookouts - West Beach, Salmon Beach, Twilight Beach, Observatory Point, Nine Mile Beach, 11 Mile Beach and Pink Lake - dodging the rain showers and gusts of wind the best we could.

Day 112: Esperance (Day 1)

Today we woke to blue skies and headed out to Cape Le Grande National Park to the east of Esperance. Our first stop was the Frenchman Peak carpark. We had intended to climb to the top but the winds were very strong and the signs advised not to try in these conditions. Instead we went on a short walk from the carpark to the base of the climb.

Our next stop was Lucky Bay. As we drove over the saddle and into the bay we all exclaimed at the colours of the bay. The water was a very bright turquoise colour and the beach was very white. It was a beautiful site. Once at the carpark we had lunch and then all of us went for a dip in the water. We were told to look out for kangaroos on this beach, but given the number of people there on the day it was not surprising that we did not see any!

Our last stop in the park was at Hellfire Bay - another gorgeous white sand beach with turquoise water. Here we went on a walk around its eastern point so that we could look back into Little Hellfire Bay around the corner. Along the way we spotted a few large lizards.

Back at camp we took advantage of the ice cream truck that rocked up to the park - the kids were keen to cash in their reward from Dad for finding his lost caravan keys. Afterwards the kids headed to the pool for a swim before dinner. Meanwhile I headed to the esplanade to watch the harvest moon rise over Tanker Jetty.

Day 111: Fitzgerald River Rest Area to Esperance

Today we continued our drive towards Esperance. Along the way we stopped in Raventhrope for a quick look around town, and a few rest stops to look at the wildflowers. We rolled into the RAC Esperance Caravan Park a bit after midday, which gave us the afternoon to have a look around town and stock up on groceries. John and the kids finished their day with a swim at the pool.

Day 110: Denmark to Fitzgerald River Rest Area

Today we packed up and said goodbye to our lovely campground by the Denmark River and continued eastward. Our first stop for the day was outside Albany at the Historic Whaling Station. This was the last whale processing station in Australia, which closed in 1978. It was interesting to learn about the history of the industry and how Albany has changed since the 1970s to have a more conservation focus.

We all really enjoyed exploring one of the old whaling ships. The kids struggled with how the whales were killed for their oil but enjoyed the sheds where we got to learn about the whales and learn to tie different knots.

On the way back towards Albany we stopped in at the Natural Bridge and The Gap in Torndirrup National Park. The lookout had one of the most impressive car parks that we have encountered. It appeared to be raised above the surrounding rock, with drop offs along the edges of the road to navigate with the caravan attached. Once parked we walked out to the Natural Bridge and The Gap to watch the waves crashing against the coast. It was fascinating to watch the power of the ocean and learn how it helped to create the bridge and gap.

From Torndirrup National Park we drove through Albany and continued towards Esperance. In the evening we camped on the side of the road at Fitzgerald River Rest Area, just outside the Fitzgerald River National Park. Recently we have been travelling though the more built-up areas of WA, so it had been a while since we have had the chance to free camp. When we arrived at sunset we were the only ones there, but before heading to bed we gained a few neighbours and lots and lots and lots of mossies!!

Just as the kids were getting into bed one of our neighbours came knocking on our door asking if we could help them as their camp stove was on fire and they were worried they might start a bush fire. Armed with a fire blanket and extinguisher and a water bottle John and I went to help. Meanwhile the kids are hanging out windows trying to see what was happening. It was our turn to be the "people who know what they are doing". While initially it looked like a flame from a leaky gas cylinder, it turned out to be a few gumnuts that had caught fire under the camp stove. A few swift kicks to get the stove out of the way (with Crocs™ providing foot protection - no thongs were on hand), a bit of water to dose the flames, and any potential emergencies were avoided. I gave the inexperienced travels some reassurances, and some quick tips on using the dodgy little gas stove, and we left them to reattempt making their dinner.

Day 109: Denmark (Day 3)

We woke up to rain at 6:30am in the morning and it stayed pretty constant all day. Instead of wandering further afield we stayed in town and caught up with some old friends from Tassie who moved to Denmark a few years ago. The kids and I had a great morning hanging out with Emma and her family at the local playground (between showers) and also at the chocolate factory. We even dropped in to see their block of land where they will be building their new home. John hung around camp for the morning - catching up on things and finally getting a chance to fix his hat.

We wrapped up the day and our time in Denmark with dinner at the local brewery with Emma and family. Despite the weather we had a great day hanging out!