Today we went snorkeling with our friends Tyala and Brayden.
The Kellam and Mawle Children
Then we had a pool competition. ( Who could dig the biggest pool out of sand )Then we all went and joined in in Fish Feeding. After that Tyala and I went in the pool with our friends when they got back from swimming with the whale sharks.
Today I met another new friend! Her name was Tyala and her brother’s name was Brayden. Daddy and I went snorkeling again and saw lots of fish and sea creatures. Meanwhile the girls from Holland were snorkeling with Manta Rays.
On Monday I made friends with some girls from Holland, called Merite, Lotti and Frederiek. Later in the afternoon I went snorkeling and my dad and I saw some clams! After that we went back to the campsite and I went in the pool and played with my friends.
Today we went to the beach for our first day of snorkeling at Coral Bay. We went where they said the best snorkeling was and drifted back down the beach (we didn’t see much).
Today we left to drive to Coral Bay (it was a long journey!) Seven hours! In the evening we went out to a restaurant called Reef Cafe at the campsite.
On Monday May 20th we left Perth several tonnes lighter and headed north. Also, after quizzing some experienced Grey Nomads, I had put a lot more air in the tyres, so our fuel consumption was much improved.
We stopped for a night at Jurien Bay and then at Horrocks Beach before reaching our first significant stop at Denham in Shark Bay where, on the first night, we fell asleep to the croonings of some slightly intoxicated fishermen. The words; “I wuz only twenny-four owwers frum Tulsaaahhh!” are still ringing in my ears.
The next morning we were awakened before sunrise by what sounded like a jet engine with a faulty silencer. Initially I thought it was a plane getting ready for takeoff from Shark Bay airstrip. The noise got louder as the minutes passed and eventually the birds gave up their silence and made an early start on the dawn chorus.
When it was light enough to see, I wandered through the campsite towards the noise which seemed to be coming from the sea front. It turned out to be a road sweeping truck slowly making its way along Denham’s main street. My first thought… no, second thought was why? OK, so Denham is the most significant settlement for about 200 kilometres in any direction, but New York it is not! Denham does go to sleep (well it does after the fishermen have run out of steam), and there is no morning gridlock on its roads. So why on earth does the road sweeper need to start at night? Why not start after everyone is awake? Anyway, that day was spent pottering around Denham and doing some school work with Emily and Oliver.
The next day we were informed that Denham was to be “Fogged” in the afternoon and that we should zip up our windows and doors. “Fogging” is done periodically to kill the mosquitoes. So after lunch, we zipped everything up and went for a walk at “Little Lagoon” which is just a few kilometres drive out of Denham. As we drove back to Denham we could see the clouds of “fog” drifting inland across the town. Presumably, if we had looked very carefully, we would have also seen clouds of mosquitoes, just ahead of the cloud, belongings tucked under their arms, making a hasty escape into the hinterland (perhaps that was the Denham rush hour).
On Friday, May 24th we drove to Herald Bight which is up on the east coast of the Peron Peninsula. Twenty three kilometres of the drive was off-road along a sandy track – parts of which got quite deep, so we were glad we followed the Park Ranger’s advice and let some air out of the tyres.
We went for a walk along the beach, had a picnic lunch then retraced our journey along the track to the main road and along to Monkey Mia which is well known for its Dolphins. We arrived too late to see the Dolphins being fed but we did see them just offshore whilst we had a swim. Monkey Mia really is a beautiful spot for swimming.
The next day we got to Denham and stayed in a campsite called Denham Seaside Tourist Village. The next day we went to a place called Little Lagoon. On the Friday (our last day) we went off-road at a National Park and had a picnic at the beach called Herald Bight (which used to be where they collected pearls).
Today we packed up and moved to Jurien Bay for one night. The next day we packed up AGAIN! and we stayed at Horrocks Beach for one night which was quite nice.
We’re back in Perth taking a breather before heading north. Also, Emily was in the school play on Thursday (Midsummer Night’s Dream); she shared the role of Helena with her class-mate Maria. Hats off to Mrs Monday who directed, coached and motivated the little ones.
It’s was a good idea to go south and return to Perth before heading on the “Big Lap” around Australia as it’s given us a chance to put all the non-essential stuff into storage and pick up the stuff that we should have taken in the first place.
We’re camping at Karrinyup Waters which is about 10 minutes from Perth CBD. It’s like a little Oasis just off the Mitchell Freeway. The facilities are very good and it’s set around tree-lined lakes.
On Monday, as well as taking stuff to the storage unit, I fixed the trailer plug; it wasn’t ideally positioned, hanging down below the rear bumper just waiting to get bashed – which I did when reversing up a grass bank. So I’ve straightened out the bent bracket and repositioned the plug higher up.
On Tuesday Emily and Oliver went to school. They were keen to see their friends before we head off on the “Big Lap” and it gives Charlotte and I a chance to get everything prepared.
I’ve bought a second spare wheel for the car (we will need two for the Gibb River Road). I was very pleased to get a new steel rim with an excellent second-hand tyre for $260.
Monday 20th May
Left Perth and headed north. We stopped at Jurien Bay and Horrocks Beach on our way to Denham, which is in Shark Bay. On one day we drove off-road and daddy let me drive!
