Issue 3 April 2018
Brodie’s next 15,000 klm
On th e road again
Blog page at issuu.com/janandkeithtravels
Woorlba Homestead
d RA 132km W of Caiguna
We were planning over nighting at Caiguna Roadhouse, but as we gained 2 hours crossing the border we thought we would head for Fraser Range C/park but driving into the sun proved too much and this free camp with dump point, toilets but no water proved ideal. A bit of rain woke us early so we set o, refuelling and water at Norseman and then straight through to Esperance. While shopping in Woolies we bumped into 2 couples that we play trivia against in Maclean back home .... small world! Being the end of Easter caravan spots were in short supply so we ended in one a few k out of town ... not really suitable.
An early morning shot of the Pink Lake, named because it used to have a distinctive pink colour, unfortunately continuous salt mining and the introduction of a lot more fresh water changed the ecosystem to more of a white colour. While I was taking this photo the drone lost contact with the controller causing a few anxious moments until I was able to land it manually.
The Pink Espera
k Lake ance
Twiligh
Looking over Twilight Bay, unfortun they are the breaks. We headed o Grand.
We had been told there were no arrived someone pulled out and metres from the beach and protec showers and ushing toilets !!! all fo
ht Bay
tunately the cloud cover not eaded o to Maccas and then
ampsites available but just as nd we ended up with a great nd protected from any wind, it g toilets !!! all for $21 including
Cape LeGr
Bike ride to
Lucky Ba
rand Beach
ay
Our site
Jan making her fortune
Cape Le Gran No drones but some awes
d National Park s allowed! some scenery
HellďŹ re
Cape Le
e Bay
eGrand
We left Esperance just as the rain started, it was mainly drizzle but lasted for the next couple of hundred ks. We decided to stay at the Wellstead bush camp, just $10 including hot showers .. another bargain. There were a few things, due to the weather, we didn’t get to enjoy, a full size complete replica of Stonehenge, how it would have been, cut from huge granite stone. Unfortunately we couldn’t get any decent photos... maybe next time. We had been recommended to see Bremer Bay .. maybe due to the weather., but we couldn’t see its attraction. So it was a quiet night in Wellstead before heading for Albany.
Wellstead
The Rosegar at Emu
Emu Point
rden RV Park u Point
Albany great views, lots of bike track and lots of hills. This morning we rode mainly by bike track from Emu Point into Maccas in Albany, about 35klm round trip. The bike track was fairly hilly but we decided we would ride up to the Anzac Memorial, I remembered from a previous visit it being fairly steep but compared to the adjacent Mt Clarence it was almost flat.!! After taking a few photos at Convoy Lookout, a coffee at the Anzac memorial we decided to tackle Mt Clarence, up to the carpark wasn’t too bad, but from there to the summit was really steep, I was in bottom gear, turbo battery, pedalling and breathing furiously as I crested the summit to the rousing ovation and congratulation on making it from a group of old people that had been bussed to the top .... no I didn’t tell them I had a little help from a battery .. I just accepted their praise on been so fit.
View from Mt Clarence Albany
Walk at the Valley of the Giants A bit of problem leaving Albany , we were ready at 8am but the office didn’t open till 9. We had a $30 deposit to pickup, unfortunately when we got to the main gate ..so did 6 others .. so we joined the queue. It turns out we were very lucky, the two vans opposite us were inundated with ants and both were leaving a day earlier to get away from them ... no refund!. We had seen a lot of the coast with Ron and Mary a few years ago so we thought the Valley was on the agenda. The walkway was built of steel,450 metres in total and reached 40 metres into the canopy. Walking on it could be unnerving as it gently swayed and bucked as people moved along it .. abit like jumping up and down in a lift the floor would come up to meet you or drop from where you expected ... it was very slight but had Jan pulling a few faces. Probably not something we would do again but interesting for the 20 minutes it took.
Shannon Bu The day ended at the Shannon Bush Camp, this was an old town that changing fortunes turned to a ghost town. Eventually all the buildings were moved and it has been turned into a camping ground with room for 65 vans toilets and showers. The showers are heated by a chip heater, I thought I could light it in the morning but during the night I realised it was one of my jobs as a kid was to light the chip heater when I got home from school, as it took many hours to heat. I wasn’t getting up at 3am to light it so we showered in the motorhome ... when I checked it before we left no one else had tried to light it either ... it was 12 degrees when we woke must have been some cold showers for the Whizz bangers.
ush Camp
Hameli Hamelin Bay is known for the number of Sting Rays and Eagle Rays that cruise the shallows hoping for a feed from the tourists. When we got there the rain had just stopped and the sea was very choppy, we noticed a group of young girls throwing feed into the sea ... the sea gulls grabbed it straight away. . I showed the girls that they had to hold the bait under water and sure enough the screams and shouts indicated the rays had found them. One of the rays would had a 6ft wing span and when it got caught in a wave it almost knocked me and one of the girls over. ..... amazing how soft they were but BIG!!.
in Bay It was a lot of fun with the rays but we had to find the campsite for the night, the GPS took us to the wrong place ... when we finally found it there wasn’t a camp host you were supposed to book online! What a great idea especially when there is no internet reception nearby. By the time we managed to get internet we were far closer to our next nights accommodation and decided to head there. We got the second last site along the “Holy Roller” strip, so called because all the parks are owned by various religious groups. We are in the Grace camp .. the one used recently in my favourite TV show “Travel Guides” ....I wonder if that influenced my choice?
Our home for 3 nights, set amongst the trees we were in shade but the beach was amazing when the sun shone. Jan tried a bit of metal detecting but just found the ususal rubbish.
Camp G Busse
Grace elton
Busselton Bike Tracks
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Ja
s t e e nm
M
se s u B r
Busselton is really bike friendly with tracks everywhere, each morning we rode into Busselton about a 30klm round trip. You be suprised to find that we found a Maccas as a refreshment stop ... Jan enjoys her free cup of coffee while I have to finish off the hot cakes. Jan’s neck had been playing up and we went looking for a Chiro, we found one about 4klm out of town but there was no one home. On the ride back we found another one and they said they would ring us if they got a cancellation. Not long after we got back to the motorhome they notified us of a 530pm appointment. We realised we would be riding back in the dark so we went in early and bought some lights and then attended the appointment. Riding back in the dark wasn’t fun, the lights only showed people where we were, not where we were going. (note to self .. use the good lights from home!) Its amazing how many people go for a walk in the dark wearing dark clothes! if only they realised they are invisible! We have ridden over 100klm within and around Busselton, it is a really nice place but the cost of living is much higher than home. ie Chiro at home $52, Busselton $92
Night Bik
ke ride
The Trip
p so Far
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