Caravan Capers

Canoe safari (including cooked breakfast) this morning. Had to be at the Kalbarri Boat Hire place by 7.45 and actually made it with a moment or so to spare, after walking from the caravan park. Set off with four other hopeful souls in a very rattly bus towing the canoe trailer behind. Suspect the suspension was a bit dodgy because we bounced mightily around through the sand and dirt to get to our launching point up the Murchison River. Gilly (our guide) got us sorted with our canoes (double) and told us where to go. Lots of thick, sticky mud at the launch site caused much squelching and swearing. He then promptly set off in the bus downstream to our breakfast spot to “boil the billy” for our arrival, leaving us to fend for ourselves in the very shallow river. Had to portage across several sandbanks and paddle backwards a number of times when the canoe struck unexpected shallow patches, but made it to the first stop in good time.

Breakfast was substantial, with cereal, fruit, bacon, eggs, hash browns, toast and coffee or tea. Had to wonder if launching of the canoe would be possible with the extra weight but managed it without any major displacement of river water and headed further downstream another few km to the next stop. Saw a couple of kangaroos, lots of cormorants and egrets and a bunch of black cockatoos. Next stop was for a quick dip in the river and water bottle top up if required. Very refreshing , although the water was quite turbid compared to some of the crystal clear reef waters we had become used to more recently. Last leg was another couple of km (10 km all up), preluded by Ally & Jeff managing to (somehow?) capsize their canoe and fall in. On arrival at our exit point, dragged the canoes up through more black, sticky mud (very hard to wash off) and climbed back on the bus for another bone jarring ride back into town. All in all very enjoyable, but arms will probably feel it tomorrow.

Had lunch back at camp and then sat there doing nothing very much for quite some time. All that exertion must have taken its toll! Eventually decided to head out into Kalbarri NP in the prado  (which necessitated removing most of the contents of the back of the car to fit the rellies in) to have a look at the gorges. Showed the cheapa campa crowd how to drive over corrugations properly (they were going very slowly in the cheapa campa, although can probably understand why, as suspension looks shot and ground clearance is pretty minimal). Viewed “The Loop”, then drove on to the Nature’s Window car park and walked the 500 m in for a look at “Nature’s Window”. The gorges here are much more open than those at Karajini, and I think, not as impressive. They also get quite hot in the height of summer, with temperatures reaching up to 10 degrees more than in Kalbarri itself (50 degrees or more possible). Probably mid 30s on our trip. Although flagging a bit by the end of this walk, we pushed on to “Z Bend” – another 1.6 km (round trip) walk to the lookout over a part of the gorge formed into a “Z” shape by fracturing of the rock and subsequent action of the water. Bit cooler by this time (about 5 pm) so not too bad.

To celebrate surviving the trip, we treated ourselves to Magnum Whites back in town, followed by take away pizza (instead of cooking a risotto as planned – perhaps tomorrow night?).

Ally & Jeff had mapped out a plan for the next few days while we waited for the wind to pick up (forecast was for virtually no wind until at least Monday!). Today was biking to Blue Holes Beach and snorkelling and tomorrow a canoe expedition of some sort. Also needed to shop (yet again). Slow start to the day, as had some other “family” business to take care of first. Ally & Jeff hired bikes from the Palms Resort next door and we set off for Blue Holes, which proved to be not too far out of town. Didn’t look like the best spot for snorkelling, with a lot of exposed rocks and waves washing in over a small reef but thought we’d have a go anyway. Water was quite cold but surprisingly there was quite a good variety of fish swimming around, possibly not the same tropical types as further north, but still enjoyable. Probably spent about 45 min in the water then got out and sat shivering on the beach for a while. Eventually dried out enough to head back to where we’d left the bikes and head back into town. Following a quick shower, left the others to book the preferred canoe trip for the morrow and wandered off to be pampered at Leanne’s House of Hair at 2.45 (still needing to jump start the engine and almost didn’t start at all, but possibly trying to juggle too many things, like phone, keys, starter, etc  – slightly concerning). Quick shop just before closing on the way back. Found that Ally & Jeff had taken their bikes out again as far as Red Bluff and a new development called “Eco Flora” that was currently in receivership, while Chris had spent the afternoon beavering away in the van (or possibly doing sudoku).

Up at the crock of sprow again to beat the heat packing up. Actually set off before the Cheapa Campa at 9.30 am and stopped at the road junction for a quick mobile fix. Passed by the Cheapa Campa at this point, on its way to view the stromatolites. Stopped to refuel at Billabong roadhouse then pushed onward to Kalbarri, munching along the way rather than stopping for lunch. Arrived Kalbarri bit before 2 pm and settled into site 10 at Tudor Caravan Park while awaiting the occupants of the Cheapa Campa. Investigated the Tourist Info centre for ideas on “what to do” in Kalbarri, given that the wind appears to have tragically died for at least the next several days.

Dinner out tonight as we couldn’t be bothered cooking – Finlay’s Fish BBQ – good old Aussie abuse and great BBQ’d red emperor (Jeff had the “main attraction”) with salad and chips in a converted fish factory just down the road. Very filling!

Chris had been quite keen to spend only one night at Nanga after the previous afternoon’s fly interaction but seemed to have been soothed overnight and given that we had to try to pick up our post in Denham and get back to some mobile coverage, albeit briefly (none at Nanga Bay) we set off about 10.30 am, leaving Ally and Jeff to snorkel in the bay and then kite if the wind picked up. Initially planned to ring the post office when we got some coverage 3 km back up the road at the junction with the main road into Denham but then decided to just head in as mail doesn’t get sorted until 12 pm anyway. Mail had arrived and gave us the opportunity to sort through it in our favourite Sunset Cafe next door over coffee and cake…….. followed by lunch (calzone and caesar salad)….. then more emailing, etc and eventually the trip back to camp (about 2.30 pm). Wind didn’t look that strong in Denham but turned out that it had picked up ~ 1 pm at Nanga and the rels had been enjoying a good couple of hours of kite surfing without us. Oh well! Ally ran into a couple of German girls kiting there, one of whom she knew from Margarita in Venezuela where she and Jeff normally go to kite. She used to be a pilot with Condor and flew out to Margarita. Had a quick swim and Chris almost got to have a go on the board with Ally’s kite but the wind died completely, so we had to go and hot tub again instead. Shame!

BBQ’d steak for dinner tonight, except Chris who wasn’t feeling the best and had to have dried fruit instead. Few extra campers tonight as well.

Long trek to our next stop today – 50k down the road to Nanga Bay Resort (beach is a recommended kite surfing beach). Ally had to clean the campa first (one wonders why, as it will only get dirty again, and still way cleaner than the prado and Colin). I dashed into town (while Chris packed up boards, etc, having araldyted the cracks in my poor board the previous night) to pick up some fresh fish from the fish factory (very small whiting fillets – started with an order for 4, then upped to 8 and then 12 when noted how VERY small they were), then to the butcher for some nice fillet steak, the bakery for some fresh bread and the IGA for a grocery top up.

Stopped off at Eagle Bluff on the way down to Nanga. Boardwalk set high on the bluff overlooking a shallow bay with seagrass further out and a haven for marine life. Saw a number of reef sharks, rays and birds. Other wildlife not so welcome was the swarm of flies. Interesting as this is only 20 km south of Denham and there were no flies in evidence there. Had a relaxed lunch at Nanga on arrival (in the van as flies make Chris quite grumpy) then wandered off to the beach to check out the wind situation. Not much as it turned out but cross on to the shore (had been offshore that morning) and enough to get us all going and picked up by early afternoon. Died off fairly quickly but kept me amused going back and forth from the beach and even managing to sail upwind.

Tested the advertised hot artesian spa – bit slimy and lots of leaves floating in it but quite pleasant after an afternoon of exercising various muscles. Nice meal of 11 (!) BBQ’d whiting fillets with salad in the deserted camp kitchen. We seemed to be the only ones camped in the caravan park. Ended with a musical evening of guitar and recorder playing, with Chris falling asleep on one of the benches (clearly not into musical appreciation). Flies seemed to have dispersed by then.

Up at the crock of sprow to see the dolphins! Arrived Monkey Mia Resort a bit before 8 and then waited around for a while for them to show up (you think they’d stick to the timetable!). Although quite touristy (as expected), it was still an enjoyable experience and a privilege to see these fantastic creatures at such close quarters. Lot of calves frolicking around in the water, being quite sociable. Noticed a few uninvited guests at one of the later interactions (while hanging around drinking coffee and checking out the various gift shops), when a couple of emus wandered in and several pelicans decided they wanted a piece of the action (all those fish wasted on dolphins!). Lost Ally and Jeff briefly but discovered them enjoying another video in the theatrette (several different docos showing at different times on dolphins, the ocean, etc).

Back to camp for lunch and then back to Little Lagoon for some more kite surfing, although the kites seemed to spend more time struggling to maintain air then powering along and the wind well and truly died by 4. I went for a swim and tried a little email on the beach while Chris took advantage of the light wind to catch up on some work. Dinner at home tonight – snags and chops on the barbie next to the Cheapa Campa.

Still needing to jump start the car on occasion, especially after a longer trip towing the van…….

Restless night (too much red wine probably) and woke early. Sat around most of the morning and chatted, but eventually made it to the information centre before noon and bought day passes for Monkey Mia for the next day so we could go see the dolphins (sounds very touristy but you have to do some of these things before passing judgement).  Ran into some of the local residents in town, who Jeff was very keen to meet. Obviously this was all pretty exhausting so stopped in to the same cafe for coffee and cake (or muffin in our case) before making the decision to head out to Little Lagoon for some sailing, particularly as the wind was picking up again. Little Lagoon is almost landlocked, with only a narrow winding channel connecting it to the bay, and is a haven for young whiting. Also a good place, apparently for kite and wind surfing. Had a great afternoon whizzing about (afternoon in a very general sense, as by the time we got our boards rigged and ready to go out, it was nearly 4 pm). Managed to stay upright and sail the board, although this was accompanied by the usual cursing, as arms were dragged out of there sockets on uphaul. Very shallow for quite a long way out and managed to fin plant on the far side, causing rapid halting of forward momentum and semi-catapulting with me and boom hitting the board and then the water (what there was of it). Sadly, this probably is what caused the crack and dent in the front end of the board! My JP joins Chris’s F2 on the wounded list.

Ally and Jeff had fun kiting and Ally took me out with her to body drag with the kite at the end of the afternoon. the wind was a lot lighter by then and it was pretty hard work keeping the kite aloft, but very useful to try to consolidate some of the stuff Mick had taught us.

Arrived back at camp by 6.30 pm – bit late to rebook for another night (given the early start the next morning to get to Monkey Mia (28 km) for the first dolphin interaction and feed at 8 am – but fortunately Jim and Cheryl were sitting out on their verandah so were able to confirm the next night and arrange to pay up the next day. Consensus for dinner was fish and chips so walked into town ~ 7.45 pm. Decided to try a different place tonight but their kitchen was due to close at 8 and they weren’t doing any more dine in. Slunk away and went back to our original cafe, which also had a closing time of 8 pm listed, but they were very happy to serve us and the humungous plate of fish and chips (after a complimentary serve of garlic bread) was wonderful. Seemed very pleased to see us come back again. Definitely recommend the Sunset Cafe. Blown away again on the walk home (the wind really is coming in at the wrong time of day!) but definitely ready for bed again (aches getting worse – getting old really sucks).

Ally’s birthday today. Packed up (well behind the Cheapa Campa crowd) and set off towards Denham and Monkey Mia by 10 am. Stopped to fill up at the local Caltex and then we’re off. Cheapa Campa well in front of course. We were cruising along about an hour and a half into the trip when the radio crackled unexpectedly to life with a request that we join Ally and Jeff for morning tea at the roadhouse we had just passed. After a quick U turn (if any manoeuvre  can be quick with caravan in tow) we found them boiling the kettle in the camper. These poms seem to boil the kettle for a cuppa at very frequent intervals, but it did provide the opportunity for a loo stop and a magnum (in addition to the never ending supply of cookies in the camper, obviously needed just to keep Jeff going). The rels tootled on ahead again after this and we lost them completely when we stopped at Hamelin Pool to view the stromatolites – living fossils that are essentially limestone accretions created by cyanobacteria that are extremely old (millions of years). Car battery starting to be a little dodgy – required jump starting from the dual battery (lucky we’ve got a spare – perhaps some jumper leads could be useful at some point?)

After visiting Stumpy stromatolite and his numerous relatives we moved on and pulled into Nanga Bay, as had discussed possibility of coming here for the kite / wind surfing but no sign of the Cheapa Campa. Just on the way to see what the beach had in store when a woman in a station wagon rolled up and asked if we were looking for some people. Slightly warily replied that “we might be”??? and were then informed that our rig was expected and that the people in the Cheapa Campa had been and gone, now on their way to Denham. Finally caught up with them at the Denham Seaside Tourist Village. Wind was certainly getting up and was blowing quite a gale by the time we were venturing out in search of dinner (dinner out for Ally’s birthday). Denham’s not very big and there are limited dining options but we plumped for the Sunset Maru Maru Cafe who had a 3 course roast special that night. Turned out to be really delicious and the apple crumble for dessert was obviously made in house. Friendly staff as well. Rather tired after this so bed looked pretty good.

Had organised to meet Mick for another 2 hour lesson at 1 pm. Phone call this morning changed the plan to a 3 hour lesson from 12 pm. Some doubt about our capacity to endure 3 hours but went for it anyway. Covered a number of things today including self rescue, powering and depowering the kite, more body dragging (Chris with board, me without). Managed the self rescue quite well – involves releasing the kite with the quick release then rolling up the lines and climbing onto the kite and “sailing” it back to chore downwind. Unfortunately after this my kite relaunching from water went downhill and had to practice until I got it right! Wasn’t “caressing” the kite and lines enough and was too impatient trying to get it back in the air – apparently you have to be gentle and wait for the kite to be ready to launch in the right place. Chris made it as far as trying to get up on the board (closest I got to a board was standing on on one on the beach).

All in all a very useful 3 days (6 hours tuition total) and Mick was a patient and organised instructor. Ally and Jeff had some fun too but the wind lightened towards the end of the afternoon, making things a little less interesting. Dithered about whether further lessons were in order over a cup of coffee at the Coffee Stop at One Mile Jetty, but given the wind forecast (for much lighter winds), decided to forego more lessons and push on south the next day. Would highly recommend Mick and Kitemix if you want to learn to kitesurf.

And so our overnight stop in Carnarvon draws to a close….

Another early rise but quite lazy morning, not helped by the discovery of hundreds of little ants crawling around various bits of the van. Ant baits acquired at Woolies and deployed in strategic locations in the hopes of heading them off at the pass. Grateful for the conversation about ant control in caravans with the couple we met on the beach in Point Sampson. They had tried various options to get rid of their persistent ant problem and felt that baits had worked best. We’ll see!

Kite surf lesson revised to 1 pm back at Pelican Point. Greeted on the beach by Customer Relations Officer Miracle Dog (aka MD, BD (Beautiful Dog), etc) and escorted down to the office. This time we were flying a 4m and a 6m kite, again getting the feel of kite control and learning how to relaunch the kite once it crashed into the water (which I’m afraid it did with dismal regularity with me). Did reasonably well (Chris was powering along, as expected) until had to try to body drag with the kite pulling me along, at which point things turned pear shaped. Apparently you aren’t supposed to be swimming to assist the kite, and it definitely isn’t helpful to forget about the kite and accidentally pull too hard on the bar. This seems to result in kite overpowering and leaping forth in the wrong direction to impact with the water somewhere it shouldn’t…. not good really. Oh well, perhaps things will improve in tomorrow’s lesson (12 pm for another 2 hours). I’m to be relegated back to body dragging again though, presumably until I get it right. We will both get to do something called “self-rescue”, which sounds like a useful skill to have. We shall see…..

Woolies BBQ chicken tonight……