Great Northern Highway

The Fremantle prison is a great place to stay, they haven't really changed anything here since its closure in 1991. Main improvement is two cells have been knocked into one to accommodate bunk beds for two people and thats it, windows, doors, landings and walls all remain the same.
The prison itself offer lots of different tours but we decided to do the Tunnel Tour which takes you 20 meters below the prison to a labyrinth of tunnels dung by the inmates to get fresh water into the prison. The tour lasts 2.5hrs and it's quite tiring up and down the ladders and creeping along the narrow tunnels, we even paddle in small boats along the flooded tunnels.
As the van is parked quite away from the prison we walked down to check it was ok and to get some stuff from it, as its parked at the beach we opted for a beach walk and a pub lunch.
Wanted to head into Perth so we got the train as it would be easier than messing about with the van and trying to park. Perth has three free bus routes around the city which is great and they run every 10 minutes. We did the Royal Mint tour and watch a gold bar being made, that was fascinating to watch and of course had to buy a gold coin as a souvenir. Perth has the huge Kings Park which overlooks the city and a great place to explore and relax. While walking back to the station there was a Christmas show going on with singers and dancers, kinda put you in the Christmas spirit.
Christmas Eve we stayed in Fremantle and went to the San Churro Chocolateria for bunch, nice but had better. Fremantle has a huge harbor and the Ecuadorian navy was in town with their training ship Guayas which is a 5 mask sailing ship and they took as on a guided tour of their ship. Great tour with really nice sailors and very proud of their ship and loved showing people around it.
That evening we headed out o a pub crawl which started at the Little Creatures Brewery then the Monk and finished off at the National Hotel.
After our chips from the local kebab shop we went to midnight mass where a lady fainted and the service carried on around her and at the end the priest throw out chocolate Santa's to everyone, very bizarre service.
Christmas morning we opened our presents wrapped in plastic bags and it's amazing what $20 buys you. Off to the beach where thousands of Aussies were also but still room for us, once a bbq was free I cooked our huge steaks that we had for our dinner. We had a really good day but I did manage to burn my shoulders at the beach first time I've burnt on this trip. We had our Christmas pudding and cream waiting for us back at the prison. Was good to FaceTime the family that night which is their day, first time I've felt homesick.
Not good news for us as our house sit in Perth has fallen through due to the chap being rushed into hospital so now we are rethinking our plans and where we are now heading.
So Boxing Day we left Fremantle and Perth to start our great journey north.
The Great Northern Highway links Western Australia's capital city Perth with its northernmost port, Wyndham. With a length of almost 3,200km its the longest highway in Australia and we were going to drive the whole length of it.
Just inland from Perth is Swan Valley, a smaller and not as fancy as Margaret River but still lots of wineries, cheese and chocolate places to visit. Due to it being Boxing Day a lot of the area was closed but the police were out in force setting up road blocks. I was called into one for a breathe test but all was good and we were sent on our way. We made it to a small coastal town called Lancelin where we needed fuel so we also stopped on the beach for a light lunch.
Due to the remoteness of Western Australia you have to rely on the free 24hr camps along the road, some are very poor maintained but others are better than some sites you pay for. We headed for Point Louise at Billy Goat Bay where there was a great site right at the beach, brilliant camp.
We made our way to Geraldton and found a beach with free showers, it was so hot driving we quickly got changed and headed for the water, ah it was lovely. Although the showers are meant to be cold they are always warm due to the heat, very hard to find cold water here unless it's in a bottle. So nicely refreshed now we head to the HMAS Sydney memorial, this is monument to the 600 sailors who lost their lives on that ship in WW11. Geraldton has the amazing St.Francis Xavier cathedral which has a Spanish feel to it due to the priest who designed it being from Spain. So after an ice cream from Mc Donald's we head off along this massive highway. Got to Galena Bridge free camp by Ajana River quite early which meant trying to find some shade and get away from the flies. Tent was pitched by the river among the trees which was cool and quite until a mad man started shouting and throwing stuff out of his tent and truck, very strange and a bit worrying.
Finally made it to Denham which is the hub of the national park and where the information center is, again Denham is a small place with really just one road and a few shops. After chatting with the lady in the center we decided to go out to Monkey Mia and camp there. Wow very busy place and only one camp site but as we got there by lunch time we got to pick our spot but later in the day tents were all over the place. Went for a swim but the sea had a really strong currant but it was nice to be in the water. It was a nice place but just too busy with everybody wanting to see the dolphins in the bay.
Quite a windy night and not as hot as the night before so only needed the sheet over us. We set the alarm for 7am to see the dolphins but awake like the rest of the camp around 5.30ish. With my cup of tea and a biscuit we head for the beach and at 7.20 there was 3 dolphins in the bay waiting for their breakfast. The rangers are strict and will not feed them until 8am and they only get 4 fish each, this is so they don't rely on this feed as their main source or lose the skill for hunting their own food. So about 300 people all stand at the waters edge and only 8 people are chosen to feed the two female dolphins, " the lady in pink tee shirt" that's me, I was the first one to be chosen and like the gentleman I am I let Sally feed the dolphin while I took the photos. It was a real experience to see this as I have seen on the television many times but I must say the beach didn't match what you see on TV. Once the show was over we went for breakfast and left the camp for the 20km drive to the Small Lagoon just outside Denham. They call it small but it's a big round shallow lagoon with lovely clear water. When leaving 5 Emu's just walked out of the bush and casually crossed the road. Staying in a camp on the beach front in Denham and once the tent is up we grab our snorkel gear and head for the beach. I was expecting something great but the water was a a bit of a let down with few fish and sea grass everywhere, but still we paddled for an hour then headed to the cafe for a coffee and plate of wedges.
Very windy night and it kept us awake and we were up at 6am packing up and ready to move on.
On route out of the park we stopped at Eagle Bluff which is a cliff top walk way which over looks a massive bay which if your lucky you will see sharks, turtles and rays but as normal we were not lucky today. From there it was Shell Beach which as the name states is made up of tiny shells and the water there is twice as salty as normal sea water. You could swim or float but as there was no showers there we decided not too. Hamelin Pool is another nature reserve as the bay is covered by Stromatolites which are basically small rocks formed millions of years ago, very impressive. You are not allowed to swim here which is a shame as the water was crystal clear and we were very hot. Lunch time and driving along the North West Coastal Highway and we are melting in the heat but still have 200km to go before we reach Carnarvon.
Carnarvon is a large town with 8 camp sites but the place is dead and everything has been closed since Christmas but we got booked in a site and found a garage to do our oil change. This place is famous for its mile long jetty and it's OTC dish and that's about it. Jetty was a nice walk but the thing is falling apart with the boards loose or missing. Found the only shop that was open and it's good old Woolworths so did enough shopping for the next few days as we are going to be isolated.
The town has a memorial to the Sydney that was sunk in WW11, it's a stretch of road with plaques along the edge which we believe to have the names of all that were lost at sea in that battle. Every single plaque has been taken maybe they were bronze and worth something, such a shame.
Had a really nice meal in camp as we were the only ones we had the kitchen to ourselves, shame the TV didn't work. So up early to get the van into the garage for its 5000km service, while this was being done we went and had breakfast in the bakery opposite and one hour later van was ready to go. On our way out of town we stopped at the OTC dish which was pretty amazing thing to see up close. It was a hard drive to Coral Bay due to it being so hot and it being one of those endless roads that goes on and on. Coral Bay has only two camp sites and both were fully booked so we were going to stay on the beach that night. The little town of one road and can be walked in 10 minutes and for a small place I have never seen so many people in one place. Surprisingly the beach wasn't that packed so we got our kit on and dived in. The water was really warm as its a lagoon and you have to swim out quite away to reach deeper water. Not many fish in the shallows but did see two blue spotted rays in the sand. As the camp sites were so busy and no one really cared we just walked in and had a shower for free. We parked the van up in the car park right by the beach and had some dinner then a nice walk up the sand dune to watch the sun set for the last time this year. While sitting on the beach with our bottle of pop and some chocolates the police turned up doing their patrol and we got chatting as one of them came from Liverpool.
We heard the pub do the count down to midnight and 10 minutes later I was in bed asleep. Awake at 7.20 to yet another beautiful day and the tide was out a really long way and like a mill pond.
We put our wetsuits on as we were going to snorkel in deeper water and being out for over an hour you can start to feel cold also they protect you from the sun. Amazing reef but not a lot of fish except parrot fish eating their way through the reef but still a great morning. Once again into the camp site for a free shower and wash the kit out ready for the off to Exmouth.
It takes a couple of hours to Exmouth and we check into a site around 3ish and decide to stay a couple of days as the reef here is meant to be the best. The site as well as the town has Emu's wondering round freely, they seem to be ok but you have to be on the look out for them all the time.
Had a nice evening in the camp as the kitchen area had sitting and a tv with air con.
Called into the info center to buy the park entry ticket and decided to do the Yardie Creek cruise at 12.30. Headed off into the park which has a sealed road for about 100km then it stops at the creek but all the way driving through are fantastic beaches which we will visit on route back. The cruise lasted an hour and the guy was very knowledgeable about the area and we even got to see some rock wallabies. On the route back we stopped at Turquoise Bay which is meant to be the best one and it was beautiful there. Went snorkeling for a couple of hours as the water was very clear but not much fish life around but did see a blue spotted ray. Finally dragged ourselves away from the beach around 5.30 as we wanted to stop at the lighthouse on the way back, also they have a turtle beach here where now is the time for them to be laying. We sat there for 2 hours in the dark, saw a couple of turtles in the waves but they didn't come in and then as we were going to leave one tried to come ashore but couldn't get past the rocks so returned to the sea. While driving back to the camp loads of kangaroos were on the road side but thank god done decided to run out into the road.
We had one of our longest drives of 555km to Dampier, no real reason to go there but the further north you go you have to stop in these remote places as there is nothing else out there. Dampier is an iron mining town and that's it, nothing else just mining but we did find a camp site in the dock area that was only $20 so cheap but very basic. What I did find out was that Red Dog was from here and there was a monument to him in the town so he deserved a visit. The next town Karratha again was built up from iron and gas mining industry but it did has a supermarket and a Mc. Donald's for a coffee. We also found the leisure complex so Sally went for a swim while I sorted out my videos with a latte. Leaving town at lunchtime we didn't have a long journey Port Hedland about 2hrs but the heat was unreal again but we got there and booked into a miners camp site called Black Rock, we were the only campers. Nothing in this mining town apart from the salt mountains and the turtles. Once the tent was pitched we headed for the turtle beach and to our surprise there was half a dozen flat back turtles either dragging themselves up the beach, down the beach back to the sea or were digging their holes ready for their eggs to be buried. I had never seen this before and just sat there for hours watching these creatures and amazed by their struggle to preform this yearly task. The town has volunteers that look after the turtles and advise the public on what to do, was chatting with the lady and she said that around 7am the hatchlings start their way down the beach to the safety of the sea and we could help to keep the seagulls away from them.
7am we were there and sure enough there was only one tiny hatchling heading for the sea so we helped to keep the birds and crabs away and the little thing made it to the sea. Made my day seeing this and when you are told that only 1 in 1000 make it I wonder if our little guy was the one.
We left Port Hedland at 9am as we had a 600km drive to Broome and we really wanted to do it in one day. Very hot and such a boring road with only 2 road houses for coffee and fuel stops but we made it and at 4pm we were in McDonalds drinking a latte. The camp sites here are all $40 plus so we had a look at the hotels to see if the prices were much different. We found the 5* Kimberley Sands Spa and Resort for $30 more than a camp site so we thought what the heck and booked in for 4 nights of luxury. A massive bed, our own bathroom with a stand alone bath, a shower, a tv and we don't have to share any of it, we even had a plunge pool in our court yard, heaven.
As we still had some meat to cook we headed for the beach to cook it up from the cooker in the van, so still slumming it.
We booked a tour to see the stub tail dolphins in Roebuck Bay which is the only place you can see them but unfortunately we didn't see any. It was a nice morning on the boat and we did see lots of bottle nose dolphins, turtles and a sea snake.
Went to the town beach to watch the sunset and see the camels that give sunset walks along the beach. Cable Beach is 23km long sandy beach but been told not to swim due to jelly fish so we just had a paddle instead. The beach was named after the cable that is laid from there to Java.
Alarm goes off at 5.30am as we are booked on a flight tour, picked up at 6.20am and taken to the airport where our light air craft is waiting, our first stop is Cape Leveque where a hot breakfast and fruit is waiting for us. Once breakfast is finished we head for the beach for a play in the surf but was warned that salt water crocodiles have been seen in the area, we still went in and it was great.
Back on the plane and we head out to the Buccaneer Archipelago to view the Horizontal Falls, all the islands of the archipelago are incredible against the turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean. The flight back was a bit rocky and I felt really sick so I missed most of it as my eyes were shut but it was overland so not as impressive as the flight going over the sea. Once we had landed I couldn't wait to get back to the hotel for a lay down which I did for a couple of hours. Once I had rested I felt better so spent the rest of the day at the pool.
Saturday morning sad to leave this lovely hotel but felt rested and ready for the 1,000km we have in front of us up to Kununurra. Before we left town we went to the local arts and crafts market at the old court house. Another very hot day but we managed to drive 500km in very lush surroundings, the land is quite mountainous but very green due to it being the wet season. No kangaroos to dodge on this road just very large lizards, lots of cattle that just stand in the road, goats and even a few horses. Fuel prices were up and down but generally it was expensive, very much like when we were on the Stuart Highway. We spent the night at a 24hr rest stop at the Ngumban Cliffs on the Mueller Ranges with one other van. Lovely place to stop but far too many flies and they drove us insane, we slept in the van but it was so hot we didn't really sleep that good. I woke with the sun rising at 5am so got out the van and in minutes I was smothered in flies. Kettle on for some water for a quick wash and by 5.30 we were driving as you just couldn't stay there.
We arrived at Kununurra by lunch time and got checked in the a camp for a couple of nights.
As this town is the gateway for the Kimberly's and as they are closed so does the town close down with only the food shops open but we didn't mind as we just spent the days around the pool. The first night here it was so hot and humid the tent was unbearable and you just laid there in a paddle of sweat, by midnight I had enough and left the tent and just sat in a chair, a bit cooler. At this moment I'd had enough and hated Australia and just wanted to go home then a cockroach landed on me, after that I sat in the van and cooked but did sleep for a couple of hours. Today went into town for a look around but only brought some food and then headed back to pool, tonight is a bit cooler and there is a little bit of a breeze. I'm getting a bit grumpy now with this heat and just continuously dripping with the humidity.
70km outside Kununurra is Lake Argyle which was formed when they dammed the Ore River, there is only one camp site there and it has an amazing infinity pool which over looks the lake. They allow you to buy a day pass if you don't want to stay overnight and at $10 it's well worth it. We finally left around 2pm which was a little late but was having a great time in the pool.
Knowing we wouldn't make it to Katherine we headed for Timber Creek where there is a road house we could camp at, I don't like the road houses as they are very rough with bad facilities but sometimes you have no choice.
After another crap night in the tent where you just lay in a puddle of sweat all night and when you leave the tent the flies attack you. Even after a cold shower you still feel dirty as by the time you leave the shower room you are dripping in sweat again, I've had enough. So we reach Katherine where the lady in the information center informs us that due to heavy rain all the parks are closed and not worth staying in town. After a coffee and something to eat we leave town and head to Darwin and hope that on our return the parks will be open. We make it to Pine Creek which is a one street town with nothing in it but 2 camps. We stayed in the Railway Resort, named because of the old railway that used to run through town, we were the only ones there surprisingly. The best thing about this camp was the fruit bats that live in the trees and at sunset thousands of bats flew over us. Just outside the camp are the towns power cables and a bat must of hit one of the lines as it was like a fire work display with the cables arcing. Woke to everything wet from the drizzle we had in the night so we laid the tent out in the sun to dry while we had breakfast. It's only a couple of hours to Darwin and we have decided to find a hotel and chill for a few days before flying out to Bali. Found a hotel in the center of town and cheap too as out of season at the moment and funny as I think we had the place to ourselves. Darwin is no different to all the other cities here just hotter and less people due to who would want to live in this heat. The hotel had a bbq in the pool area so we could still cook and not have the expense of eating out, also we got breakfast in the price. Due to the salt water crocs and the box jelly fish you cannot enter the water so by the beach there is a wave pool area. £3.00 for as long as you like riding the waves, great fun but did feel a bit out of place with all the kids in the water. When Darwin was bombed by the Japanese they dug oil storage tunnels by the harbour as their above land storage had been bombed. Only 2 tunnels remain now and for a fee you can visit them, they weren't very successful as they leaked, fumes were bad and the war had finished by the time they were finished. We also finally booked to go to Bali for 10 days from Darwin as it's very cheap and very close to get too. The suburbs of Darwin seem more alive with local markets (Parap) and nice parks to walk (Fannie Bay and East Point)
Qantas had an hanger just outside town that was used prior the war and after they sold it to the NT car enthusiast who display and work on anything old. As everyone kept telling us about the storms up at the Top End we were surprised we hadn't had any but we did get caught in a heavy downpour one afternoon. Along the coast line is Bicentennial Park which overlooks the ocean and has lots of monuments to the people that lost their life's when Darwin was bombed.
Our last day after we checked out we headed out of town to NT biggest shopping mall and spent a few hours strolling around the shops. Also there is a cinema so we went and watch The Revenant and it's a very good film that lasts 2.30hrs From there a quick bite to eat and off to the airport and Bali here we come.