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LOOPING OZ |
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Pilbara to Perth By Meredith
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Day 49 We left Port Hedland for a quick trip out to Karijini National Park pretty early so that we could avoid the heat that tends to build up on the road from mid-morning onwards. The road out is pretty flat and dull until you get close to the national park and travel through the magnificent gorge just after the Auski road house. It is one of the loveliest stretches of road you can ride through, not just because of the contrast to the preceding flat road, but because it has some lovely winding curves flanked by magnificent red rock buttresses.
We had been hoping to go out to some of the further gorges but found that the dirt road had been well worn by the season’s other travellers and the corrugations (etc etc) on the 46km dirt road was prohibitive for our valiant v7s. So we went to Dales Gorge for the night.
The campsite was fine, and so was the red dust. It got in everywhere and didn’t get cleared out for weeks. The camp site pump had broken down so there was no water available for drinking or showering other than the bottled water available for purchase from the information centre for drinking and the beautiful pools in the gorge itself for washing. Fortunately, being seasoned travellers, we had enough supplies with us that we made it comfortably through our visit to the gorge.
Day 50 The next day was spent exploring the beautiful gorge from one end to the other. Alan being braver than me went swimming in most of the swimming holes, while I was only able to steel myself for one dip in the cold waters. The swimming pools are just beautiful with cool deep waters flanked by groves of ferns and fed by languid waterfalls.
Day 51 We headed back to Port Hedland the next morning, pretty much beating the heat. Strangely, the road back into town seemed less flat and dull than on the way out. Maybe because we’d had such a refreshing day out in the gorges, or maybe just because the elevation was slightly changed.
On the way back through Port Hedland we saw some of the famously long ore trains moving to and from the port itself, and stopped for some happy snaps of them and the salt operations. The rest of the day was filled with domestic and motorcycle chores so that we would be ready to head further south the next day.
Day 52 After a lovely dinner with our friends, Jenny and Al, the night before, we headed off towards Roebourne, stopping at the old Whim Creek pub for a reminisce and a drink. At Roebourne we had a quick look at the old gaol which is now a museum. Alan was particularly keen to see the old gaol as he had worked on it when he was living in the Pilbara. It’s quite amazing that the gaol has been closed so recently as it looks ancient with small and crowded spaces for the inmates and quite inadequate facilities.
We stayed the night at the Fortescue Road House. The landscape surrounding the road house is quite pretty, a fact I hadn’t remembered.
Day 53 We spent a fairly long day getting in to Carnarvon. The landscape along the road was somewhat changeable with wildflowers starting to carpet the ground from time to time. At one point I saw a black mark on the road which I realised was actually a snake as I rode over it. I felt bad about that for ages, if I’d realised it was a snake and not a mark on the road I could have safely avoided it. The extent of the road kill gets a bit sad after a while. I’ve seen kangaroos, cattle, eagles, an echidna, pigs, snakes and lizards. In fact a whole catalogue of the wildlife in the outback.
We also had to get off the road for an oversized vehicle that was carrying some huge structure that went from one side of the road to the other. We can get off fairly easily because we are relatively small and can just pull over on to the shoulder of the road. But I think some of the other vehicles must have quite a problem as sometimes the shoulder is not very wide and I don’t know where the caravans or road trains would be able to get completely off the bitumen. Still, they seem to manage it somehow.
On the way in to town we came across three young boys on their off road bikes who decided to give us an escort into town. I reckon the eldest boy would have been in his early teens and the other two would be lucky if they were even ten. It was a bit of a worry though as the boys were hooting down the shoulder of the road, on the wrong side of the road, even with oncoming cars. Luckily by the time we reached the fuel station there had been no mishaps and the boys turned around and headed back to where they’d come from.
When we stopped in Carnarvon looking for a caravan park, a taxi driver pulled up and was really interested in our bikes. He suggested the Coral Coast Tourist Park, which is where he was living, so that’s where we went. We got ourselves set up at the park and later in the evening the taxi driver came over for a chat. Turns out he is 71 and lives half the year in Perth and half the year in Carnarvon. He showed us his old bike which is a 25 year old Honda Bol D’or. He’d just come back from the inaugural ‘Long Ride’ which had been organised to raise money for the Royal Flying Doctor Service. He, and about 240 others from all over Australia, had ridden from Perth to Darwin over a number of weeks. His bike was the oldest bike and he was the oldest rider. We were impressed!
Day 54 On the way to Kalbarri we had a bit of excitement as we pulled into a road house, and two oversized vehicles pulled into the stopping area opposite. The two vehicles were carrying the two halves of a Terex excavator and they were both enormous. The truck carrying the track part of the machine covered the entire road and the trailer was equipped with pairs of four tyres along the whole length. The driver told us that it weighed over 200 tonnes and that on leaving Geraldton he had an additional truck attached to help pull it through the hilly areas.
When we turned off towards Kalbarri we got a bit excited as the road looked full of potential with a few curves and twists, but unfortunately it didn’t last and the road straightened out again. We popped into the Kalbarri National Park for a quick look at the gorge lookout. While we were eating lunch there a guy on a BMW came through and came over for a chat. He and a mate had come through from Melbourne, meeting up with a Perth mate in SA and heading up to Darwin before coming down the west coast – and they had gone all that way in two weeks. My goodness! That put our trip schedule to shame. We met up with these guys for dinner at the pub and had a great evening swapping bike stories and BBQ recipes.
Day 55 When we woke up the next morning we found that neither of us had any energy for getting up so we decided we’d have a rest day in Kalbarri. We’d been experiencing very windy days since we neared Carnarvon and we’d seen lots of prostrate trees that had been permanently battered by the regular blustery blows. The day we’d come into Kalbarri was no exception, and we thought we’d risk the wind for our rest day and hope nothing important would blow away.
As it turned out, it was a beautiful fine, still day that showcased Kalbarri perfectly. We spent the day walking along the beach and headlands and eating tasty food in stylish cafes. We popped into the local art show and nearly bought some lovely art work until faced with the reality of getting the stuff home. Kalbarri is just beautiful. The ocean is the classic brilliant blue bordered by white sands and deep green landscape. The water is clear and cool and fishing is a popular activity for humans and pelicans alike.
Day 56 We woke refreshed after our lovely rest day and headed out of town. On the way we called in to the Kalbarri National Park Coastal Cliffs section. This area is quite magnificent and there are lots of walks you can do in the area if you have the time. The land meets the sea with dramatic cliffs and gorges featuring white sandstone and red rocks. Away from the edge, the landscape is rolling dark green coastal scrub, and it is not until you reach the edge of the cliffs themselves that you realise that the land has given way. As we were riding in to the area we frightened a kangaroo who went bounding away towards the ocean. I was a bit worried that it wouldn’t slow down in time and would go careering over the edge, but then figured it was a local and probably knew the place better than I did.
When we arrived at Northampton we met up with three guys from Geraldton who were out for a bit of a squirt. We sat down and had a coffee and a chat with them. One of the guys said, “Go and see my cousin in Geraldton. He’s mad about Guzzis. He’s got five.” So we did. He was impressed with our old Guzzis and we were impressed with his stable. (I think it made Alan a bit homesick for the three Guzzis languishing in the shed back home. He’ll be a happy man when the whole family is together once more.)
We left Geraldton late in the afternoon and headed out to Jurien Bay. The sky was starting to get heavy and grey as we set up the tent and we heard some gossip that a storm was possibly expected. We put the tarp over the tents and the bikes and put in all the tent pegs and tucked everything in neatly and went off for tea at the pub. Just as we were finishing tea the storm came crashing down. Great sheets of water poured all over the pub and was blown in under the doors. Over the roar of the storm you could hear the wild crashing of the ocean as it smashed into the shore. We then remembered that we hadn’t zipped up the fly and realised that the rain would be being blown straight into the tent door, and maybe straight onto our bedding.
So we ran out into the weather to dash across the road, through the caravan park and back to the tent. Within a few steps out of the pub we were soaked to the ankles because of the huge puddles that had formed across the roads and the paths. By the time we reached the tent we were soaked to the knees. Luckily the tent itself was pretty dry and there was no water inside to speak of. The rain had eased up a bit so we grabbed our towels and raced off for a warm shower. When we got back to the tent we crawled in, hung up all our wet clothes and tried to settle in for an early night. The wind kept howling and rattling the tent and the rain pounded down but didn’t get into the tent.
We slept on and off throughout the night. Alan woke up in the wee hours concerned that the flapping tarp would be ruining the paintwork on the bikes andtherefore needed to be removed. So he jumped up, starkers, and ran out into the weather to remove it. The wind was still blowing wildly so the tarp turned into a kite and started crashing wildly into the tent. After hearing a few choice expletives from Alan I decided that even though he’d said he could do it by himself he probably actually needed my help, so I crawled out and helped get the wild tarp under control. We stuffed it in a corner of the vestibule and crawled back into bed where we managed to sleep through till morning.
Day 57 In the morning the storm had passed and the sun showed fitfully through the dark clouds that were still hovering around. It was a very windy day but we enjoyed the ever increasing wildflower display and the green and gold paddocks along the road towards Perth. However our dry day did not last and after New Norcia the storm suddenly broke upon us with the same force as the night before. We were riding through a waterfall of rain with wild winds buffeting us across the road. We pulled up at a road house to wait out the worst of it before getting back on the bikes and heading in to the big city. The rain kept falling and the wind kept blowing for the rest of the day. When we reached the city we had a few friendly folk roll their windows down at the traffic lights and have a good laugh at our expense! Mind you, I think they were right to think we were mad.
We finally reached my father’s house, and after a quick hello I stripped off my sopping wet riding gear and dashed for the shower. I was so cold by the time we reached Dad’s place that I had trouble feeling the right temperature of the water – even the cold water stung my fingers. But after a warm shower, dry clothes and a delicious bowl of soup, I was my old self again.
Day 58 The weather continued wet and cold in Perth while we spent the time visiting, washing, eating and doing some work on the bikes.
Day 59 The next day was pretty much the same as the day before.
Day 60 And the next day too.
Day 61 And the next.
Day 62 Just for something different we decided to go over to Rottnest Island for the day and chance it that the weather would stay fine enough for the jaunt. Rottnest is a great little island only half an hour from Fremantle by ferry. When I was a child we’d spent many a lovely family holiday over there. Visitors to Rottnest can only get around using the few buses in place, their feet or the ubiquitous pushbike. Alan and I hired two bikes and went off to see what we could see.
The first stop was the famous Rottnest bakery, which still makes the best pasties! We then went off to check out the various pristine bays, lighthouses and the historical sites from world war two. We had a lovely day only getting rained on twice and with lots of sunny breaks in the clouds in the mean time. We sure discovered that we need a bit more exercise as we were both pooped by the end of the day after all that pedalling. I was delighted to find that even though there were changes around Rottnest with extra accommodation facilities and a few more shops, it was still the same relaxed, casual place from my childhood.
Day 63 We started to get organised for the
road again by doing more shopping, visiting and eating. (What a life!) Tomorrow we will head down south on the next leg of our journey. |
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