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Bec & Kev's Big Lap
  • Kevin Dinn
  • Rebecca Dinn
  • Kevin Dinn
  • Rebecca Dinn

Bec & Kev's Big Lap

A 363-day adventure by Kevin & Rebecca Read more
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  • Bec & Kev's Big Lap
    The cattle were our constant companionsAnd other cute creaturesExploring the old homesteadIt was basically built with logs and mud!

    Mount Elizabeth Station

    September 2, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    Mount Elizabeth Station is a working cattle station you can camp at.

    It is legendary for it's steak dinner which you have to book in advance because it is so popular.

    It is also notable for some of the sites within its huge property including a couple of amazing gorges (which were quite challenging to get to!) as well as the old, original homestead.Read more

  • Bec & Kev's Big Lap
    2One of the locals sending us off on our trip1The road in was full on four wheel driving!Lumpy!1Then there was the 1.5 k hikeThe dogs walked most of the way!Drinks break!At the topThe the climb down into the gorge1But it was worth all the effort, check this out! And we had it all to ourselves33This is a video1And the most amazing rock art6On the way out we noticed the wall we had to climb was full of these snakesA big day for all

    Wunnamurra Gorge

    September 3, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    Wunnumurra Gorge was the most spectacular so far, and by far the hardest to get to!

    It involved 10 km's of full-on four wheel driving through water crossings, very bumpy roads, loose sand and boulder fields. To give an idea of how cautious you have to be the 10 ks takes about an hour, i.e. average speed 10 kph for a solid hour!

    But then you have a 1.5 km hike through quite arid and (literally) snake infested land. Some of which we had to carry the dogs :-)

    Then you have to climb down into the gorge with a 5 foot drop you have to negotiate in and out.

    Anyway, it was all worth it as you can see in the photos and videos. It includes a beautiful waterfall into a pool, also it had the most amazing indigenous wall art.

    In all it took us 6 hours in, having an awesome time there, and out again. The dogs were real troopers but were exhausted at the end. They hardly stirred over all the rough roads.    Read more

  • Bec & Kev's Big Lap
    Not many people hereShorthorn cattle wandering around the campsite. Glad we're not in a tent!There was a wide variety of travellers from big caravans to people on motor bikes and bicycles!"It's behind me isn't it"2The river next to the campground was amazing, like a postcard... and we started to see clouds for the first time in weeks.21And a large boab. We love these trees, they each seem to have such character2The instructions, and warnings (see the red bit!), for the trip to the gorgeEncountered on the track, a rare Gouldian finchAnd snake tracksAt the gorgeWe named this "Bo Rock"It was up to 37 in the shade, we didn't have AC so we wrapped the dogs in wet shirts2It worked a treat, Bosley was even more funny lookingThe dogs having a cuddle on the drive out"What?"

    Manning Gorge

    September 4, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    We stayed at the Manning Gorge campground, which was full of a great variety of travellers as well some local cows!

    From there you could walk 2.5 k's to picturesque Manning Gorge, but not before you swum across the river! Another variation of the challenges faced if you want to see the sites.

    It was worth it though, as you can see from the photos and videos.    Read more

  • Bec & Kev's Big Lap
    Finally! Water diesel and a limited selection of very expensive food!
    Mt Barnett Road House. Gateway to Manning Gorge2Expensive diesel $270!The queue for water!

    Mt Barnett

    September 4, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    Mt Barnett was a welcome "roadhouse" in the middle of the Gibb River Road.

    These roadhouses are dotted around the outback to provide much needed fuel, groceries, and an often quite decent sausage roll (because they're generally home made).

    This is so you can travel the, at times, vast distances between towns.

    They also often provide camping facilities.    Read more

  • Bec & Kev's Big Lap
    Finally we are on the last third of the Gibb River Road
    Imintji campgroundSurrounded by stunning sceneryOnly 2 campers here tonight!1Nice environment to catch up on emails.

    Imintji camp

    September 8, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 34 °C

    Coming to the end of our Gibb River Rd adventure we stayed one night at Imintji Aboriginal run camp ground. It was one of the nicest and cleanest we have stayed in. Very quiet and peaceful surrounded by the Wunnamin Milundi ranges.Read more

  • Bec & Kev's Big Lap

    Fitzroy Crossing

    September 13, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C

    Wherever we go we like to find at least one unique appealling feature. We struggled with Fitzroy Crossing :-)

    We took a day trip to it from Derby (2.5 hours each way) as we had been hearing of it for some time. It is a critical crossing of a major river in the Kimberly and the main bridge was washed away in the recent flooding. This resulted in traffic having to add over 1,000 ks of detour.

    They set up a temporary bridge to get traffic flowing, and are in the process of fixing the main bridge.

    We got to see the visitors center and the temporary bridge. Other than that there wasn't much happening at Fitzroy Crossing. The most picturesque place we could find to have lunch was the carpark at the local football field! But at least the local Whistling Kites put on an aerial show for us.    Read more

  • Bec & Kev's Big Lap
    We left Imintji and headed through the last section of the Gibb River Road towards Derby
    3Past amazing scenery like Queen Victoria rock 😁and Cranky Man Rock 😁😁Finally making if to the west end of the Gibb RRLucky enough to have visited most of these gorgesSet up camp at Dumbarra Burru Aboriginal owned and run siteSeveral Aboriginal children helping us walk the dogs on the jetty. They loved the dogsThey wanted their photo taken and loved looking at it on my phone (mum was there so i checked first)Relaxing at a surprisingly fabulous and quirky pizza cafePrison Boab tree. Historically Aboriginals were chained and imprisoned in the belly of the tree ☹️Sculptures on the Marsh. Commissioned to showcase local Aboriginal artist. Stunning at sunsetStingrayLovely cafe at one of the local galleries.Dessert roses. Lots of these at the cafeMango's.......lots of them.Another Boab. Our car is on the right for size comparison. (Kev and i love the crazy Boabs)Derby jettyLow tideHigh tide

    Derby.

    September 15, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    Derby surprised us. We were warned not to go there due to the high crime rate but we were glad we did. Only had positive experiences. Nearly 50% of the population is indigenous so we were able to indulge in fabulous Aboriginal art galleries (we bought a painting of course) and street art.

    The Aboriginal people especially, found the dogs particularly funny and we had old people, young children and cars full of families stopping and laughing at Bosleys “squashed face” or just chatting. The dogs were a great conversation starter.

    Derby is also know for its amazing high tides. It has the highest tide range in the Southern hemisphere.    Read more

  • Bec & Kev's Big Lap
    1Coconut Wells tidal lagoonFrom the lagoon to the Coconut Wells beachAmazing rockpools at low tideAnd caves to exploreRunning free.

    Coconut Wells

    September 15, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    We stayed for 3 days just outside Broome to explore the area around Broome. Stayed in a very quiet pet friendly campground with a dedicated dog run which was great. Drove to the tidal lagoon at Coconut Wells which was stunning and on to the beach and explored rock pools at low tide. The dogs loved exploring.Read more

  • Bec & Kev's Big Lap
    Town Beach and Jetty. Broome has the 2nd highest tides in the world (after Nova Scotia)
    We were lucky enough to get a waterfront site overlooking Town Beach. A stunning location1Fabulous siteHigh tide. Tides here get to over 10 metresLow tideListen to Kevs explanation about the tides1Broome also has stunning scenery1Our lovely friend Fiona came out from Sydney to spend a week with us in Broome.Fabulous sunsets over Cable BeachCable Beach faces West so the sunsets are amazingTrue coloursAboriginal pearl shell monumentTribute to Aboriginal pregnant women who were kidnapped and forced to skin dive for PearlsMonument acknowledging Broomes pearling history and Indiginous history (shell + boomerang)Benches in Broome are carved with riddles used in a historical Chinese lotto type gameThe Broome museum provided a great insight in to Pearling, dinosaur history and multiculturalismWe took a historical walk, talk, eat and drink evening tour. The still working cinemaNew friends and old friends at the Broome brewery. Kevs happy!Bosley and Bo love the freedom of Cable Beach. We could drive for 22ks. Our car in the backgroundBosley loved his cuddles and play with FionaI love these bright cheerful dessert roses. They are everywhere

    Broome

    September 18, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    We really enjoyed our stay in Broome. It's a lovely quirky town with a rich and interesting history of Dinosaurs, Pearling, WWII multiculturalism (Chinese and Japanese during the pearling period) in a stunning location.

    We stayed 10 days and would have stayed longer if the park wasn't fully booked!    Read more

  • Bec & Kev's Big Lap
    Taking off over Broome1The 12 year old flying the plane :-)Don't judge the hair, I had a vent blasting down on me!We saw some spectacular scenery and coastline on the way1This is the tide about half way outNotice the tide surging through this gapThe falls from the side, the middle lake is enclosed so the water gets forced all the way throughThe pontoon the tour was based from3Our planeOff to see the falls! We had our friend Fiona with us, she flew up for the week1Going through the wide gapUp close to the thin gap, that is a 2.5 m wall of water dropping into it1

    Horizontal Falls

    September 22, 2023, Indian Ocean ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    The Horizontal Falls is a spectacular and unique feature of the Kimberleys.

    The region has one of the most extreme tidal ranges in the world. We saw that every day at our caravan park when the high tide was just below us, but at low tide, the edge of the water could be 500m away.

    The horizontal falls is a land formation where this immense tidal range is pushing water through two gaps. One is 20m wide and the other is 7m. As a result, when the tide is changing, you get a huge surge of water through these gaps.

    We went on a tour of the falls where we took a seaplane from Broome to them and then a jetboat tour through the wide gap and right up to the thin gap.    Read more

  • Bec & Kev's Big Lap
    A pearl shell alter
    A cross with aboriginal painting1Wandering dogs were ubiquitous in the communities, even in churchThis guy was in the aquatic exhibitionHe liked a good shell scritch in the right placeA "Pencil" sea urchinNemosEmo nemosA pearl shellThey used to supply a large percentage of the world's buttons from the regionAn aboriginal cultural use of the pearl shellA demo of the pearl growing and extraction processThen there was an interesting educational session about how pearls are graded by shape, colour, etcThen we went on a boat ride around the areaInteresting rock formations and colours

    Dampier Peninsula

    September 24, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    We took a day tour of the Dampier Peninsula.

    The whole area has a long history of pearling. Both pearls as well as pearl shell.

    We saw an inidigenous community with a quirky church with an alter covered in mother of pearl. We also stopped at a local aquatic research centre which had been transformed into an exhibition of local sea creatures.

    And finally, we visited a pearl farm, and Fiona extracted a pearl!    Read more

  • Bec & Kev's Big Lap
    17klms off the main road and 3 cattle gates
    Cliff top. (almost!) Short walk to the beach1Steps down to the beachBilly! Goats on the station.The lost city of Barnhill!Exploring the 'lost city'. Amazing group of rock formationsAmazing plants and animals left at a super low tide3Not sure what this is! Very wet and slimy ?sea spongeLove the patterns left in the sand and contrasting sea grass

    Barnhill Station

    September 27, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    Barnhill station is part of the half a million acre Thangoo working cattle station on the Pilbara coast. It’s located in a stunning position cliff top and has a wonderful set up with a small country bar and homemade pizza. We stayed 3 nights and enjoyed exploring the rocks and reef as the huge tides descended.Read more

  • Bec & Kev's Big Lap
    Sand fire roadhouse
    Quirky bar serving food and beer!1Camel hovering around!Dogs are entertained by many birds including geese and peacocksKangaroosRoad train sunset

    Sandfire Roadhouse

    September 30, 2023 in Australia ⋅ 🌬 32 °C

    Only a 1 night stop (that was plenty) to break up a very long drive, at this quirky, vey hot, dry, dusty, fly ridden park at the back of the roadhouse.

  • Bec & Kev's Big Lap
    3The "Staircase to the moon"
    Our site backing on to Pretty Pool creekPretty Pool tidal creekSunset over town from the vanThe view across to the industrial town at sunset with bats flying acrossPretty Pools. Beautiful tidal pools a short walk from the vanSalt mine1Kevin had his birthday, Rebecca was very good and made it special as usualTrain going through the emptier. Notice the shockwave go through when it get pushed along (unmute)Video of the 3km train at 10x speed (it was 6.5 mins). Smaller train going the other way at half wayA first for us at a caravan site, chains in the ground to tie your van down in a cyclone!2Ships, tugs, cranes, trains....he couldnt be happier

    Port Hedland

    October 3, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 34 °C

    Port Hedland was quite different to the amazing natural wonders we've been seeing over past few weeks but it was awesome in its own way.

    It is very industrial being the biggest bulk export port in the world! That means there were a lot of big trains (3 km's), boats (360m), and machines in general. Kevin was in his element!

    They mainly export iron ore but also other rare minerals as well as salt, which they generate at a massive salt mine in the town.

    As well as that though, they have a nice, historic town centre and some beautiful beaches. One was right next to the caravan park where we went for the full moon rising over the low tide to get some photos of the "Staircase to the Moon".    Read more

  • Bec & Kev's Big Lap
    Enormous machines scooping up the enormous stockpile. These are controlled from Perth (1600 ks away)A ship coming in, zoom in to see some of the waiting ones in the backgroundLoading a shipVery good tugsThe port layout and which company owns which dock. Notice all facing outA big, empty boatTugs getting ready to take a boat out, notice how much lower a full one is

    Port Hedland (Port)

    October 5, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C

    We went on a boat tour around the harbour. The boat, run by the "Seafarers Centre" (a charitable group) does regular circuits of the port picking up and dropping off seafarers who want to come to shore, as well as delivering groceries, medicine and other supplies.

    The enormity of the boats and machines servicing it became very apparent once you got up close.

    Some interesting facts:
    - They bring boats in on the low tide
    - They take boats out on the high tide - approximately 8 per day unless there's a particularly high tide when they can take 10
    - They turn them round to face out of the port when they are empty, as they can't do it when they are full
    - There's about 20 boats waiting off-shore for 2-10 days to come in
    - Tug boats are a most vital resource, they cost $29m and the captains are paid $500k
    - The train engines "only" cost $6m, and as they ship $1m of ore every 15 mins, if an engine breaks down and it looks like it is going to be 1.5 hours or more to fix, they just push it off the line and get a new one!    Read more

  • Bec & Kev's Big Lap
    Karrartha town from a lookout. The big brown building is an art centre resembling a Pilbara hill
    Red dog. The Pulbarra wanderer. Watch the movie its great3Red dogs storyAboriginal rock art on the Dampier PeninsulaHistorical port town of Cossack. Lovely morning teaThe old Post Office buildingThe original courthouse. Now an Aboriginal art galleryHearsons cove. Drive on beachCossak original port

    Karartha including Dampier, Port Samson

    October 6, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 34 °C

    Karratha is a young town, only 54 years old growing up as a result of mining, mainly iron ore and salt. Its trying to be cosmopolitan and has a very young population but really it’s just a port and industrial town. It felt a bit like what we imagine Canberra was like in its early days. It’s also very hot (39/40 degrees most days) and dusty!
    We found some interesting spots and had a nice dinner in town with live music. and a nice pub lunch.
    Dampier peninsula and Point Samson where nice little towns close by and Cossack an old historical town was really lovely.    Read more

  • Bec & Kev's Big Lap
    The long, flat road to ExmouthSome locals to greet us at the caravan parkWe kept a lookout for these locals tooTurtles from the drone1These two "loved each other very much"!The Cape Range mountains behind Exmouth had some amazing gorges and valleys1The submarine radio antennas1Some fun with the dogsWe enjoyed the sea in many different ways26A blue starfish hiding under a rockA 32,000 year old necklace. The oldest evidence of human ornamentation in Australia

    Exmouth

    October 13, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    Exmouth was an eclectic mix of natural wonders and technological icons.

    The Exmouth Gulf is legendary for its reef and wildlife including turtles, whales, dugongs, rays and sharks of all kinds, and a lot of fish! We saw some of these snorkeling, by drone, and just walking along the beach.

    Also, there were land encounters with emus walking through the caravan park.

    The European history of Exmouth is interesting in that it is only about 60 years ago the US Navy decided they needed a base for sending radio signals to submarines in the area so they created the base, and pretty much the town. The radio is still there, but run by the Aust government, and it has 13 radio towers, one of which is the tallest structure in Australia!    Read more

  • Bec & Kev's Big Lap
    The road in was pretty challenging with high sides and soft sand at times(Video) And we got bogged for the first timeThanks to young Kim and his family for helping get us outThe location was awesomeWith wonderful sunsets...2... we could watch every evening1The beach was beautiful....as is my wifeWith turtles popping up their headsThis is a hatched turtle nestAnd also an army of crabs came out at night1It got a bit hot at times, especially with no AC1We wrapped the dogs in wet shirts at times, which sorted them out 😀Happy Birthday Rebecca!1Singing in Zoom is always chaos :-)It was a big week for all!

    Sandy Point

    October 19, 2023, Indian Ocean ⋅ 🌬 27 °C

    Sandy Point was a special destination.

    A stay right on the coast of the Ningaloo Reef was on both our bucket lists, and Rebecca had her heart set for a long time on being there for her 60th birthday. So after many months of planning and organising, that's what we did :-)

    The location was stunning, with just a couple of steps from the van, across the soft white sand to the azure sea.

    Getting there was a bit of a challenge, we got bogged for the first time. Also it got a bit warm and windy at times, but that is common for this area and we took it all in our stride.

    It was all worth it though for the amazing scenery, refreshing waters and the wildlife we encountered. Also Rebecca's birthday with the surprise Zoom call with many friends and family was a highlight.    Read more

  • Bec & Kev's Big Lap
    1
    2Coral Bay was another postcard perfect beach side locationOn the glass bottom boat where we saw turtles through the window ...... and snorkellingLots of fish, and myriad different corals2Waiting for Dad to come back from snorkelling off the beach1We also visited a shark nursery where juvenile sharks gather5There were way more sharks than this. See if you can spot the big, sand coloured, ray1(Added after original post) the sand coloured stingray is quite hard to see, hope this helps1Quad biking11And at the end of the day we came home to this magnificent beast! 🤣3

    Coral Bay

    October 21, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    After Sandy Point, we decided to backtrack a bit to check out Coral Bay, which we had heard good things about.

    We enjoyed a lot of nature and a little adventure. We saw a "shiver" of many juvenile sharks at the shark nursery.

    We also saw the Ningaloo reef in all its glory snorkelling off a glass bottom boat. In that, we encountered turtles, rays, and lots of fish!

    We also had a blast doing a quad bike tour around the beach side roads in the area.    Read more

  • Bec & Kev's Big Lap
    New area of Carnarvon. Taken from across the inletVery hot and windyAnd it looks like it's windy a lot based on the angle of these trees!Carnarvon space snd science centre was really good. Many interactive displays and models.Kev landing a space shuttle. Needs more practice!Going in a simulated launch1A life sized model of the lunar landerSome cool things to play withKev relived his younger days. Still got it!Also, we went to space! (This was a late addition to the footprint as it got forgotten)Cactus farm. Huge cactuses!2This statue of a girl and her brother depicts the forceable removal of indiginous children😥😢The jetty and old train museum. Very run down unfortunatelyThe Aboriginal cultural centre was wondefful. Great stories and informationMangos and bananas growing everywhere. Unfortunately not ripe yet.Beautiful frangipani growing along the roadsidesThis isn't a vast plain, it's a huge, dry river bed.The blowhole was pretty cool

    Carnarvon

    October 26, 2023 in Australia ⋅ 🌬 24 °C

    Carnarvon is a costal town in the subtropical area of WA at the southern end of Ningaloo reef. Known as the “fruit bowl” of WA. Also known for its deep space tracking station used in the moon landing

    Unfortunately the Covid pandemic hit the town hard. Many shops and business for sale including many fruit and veg plantations. Several abandoned tourism projects but still some good ones too but desolately needing investment from government and support from tourists.    Read more

  • Bec & Kev's Big Lap
    Our beautiful site overlooking the oceanThe surrounding region was full of natural wonders including the "Little Lagoon"We went to an aquarium (with the dogs) which was funUgly (and dangerous) stone fishBo was fascinated by the sharksThong shackA crazy beach which was entirely shellsThey even made buildings out of shell bricks. We went here for dinner2It went between windy and very windyAnd it looks like it is very common!When the seagulls are grounded you know it's windyNever seen wind breaks on newly planted trees beforeWe made wonderful new friends1We saw lizards (this is a Shingleback)PythonsEchidna1And an emu familyBosley waiting for check in2The dogs were living their best life as usual4

    Denham

    Oct 28–Nov 4, 2023 in Australia

    Denham was a quiet little town which was easy, modern and welcoming.

    We had a site that was right on the edge of the beach which made for very pleasant evenings watching the sunset over the ocean.

    It was closer to nature than other places we have been and we encountered snakes, lizards, echidnas, kangaroos and emus (with babies!)

    A notable characteristic was the wind, sometimes very strong and always from the South. Judging by how the bushes and trees were bent over away from it, it looks like its pretty continuous too.    Read more

  • Bec & Kev's Big Lap
    1The first family group with a newborn calf.
    1Apparently newborn calfs are clumsy swimmers for the first 2 weeks 😁Hello!2Monkey Mia beach

    Monkey Mia

    November 4, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    We stayed about half an hour out of Monkey Mia. We were concerned it may be too touristy and not good for the dolphins but luckily it was better than expected. A small settlement with a group of dolphins that have been visiting the area for over 50 years. It’s now very strictly controlled (wasn’t previously) and you are not permitted in their cordoned off area of the beach/ocean. They do offer some fish to the dolphins but they didn’t take it and came and went as they pleased. We stayed and had breakfast at the beachside cafe.Read more

  • Bec & Kev's Big Lap
    One of the many beautiful bays. Cattle WellCape Peron tip1Loads of Cormorants having a great life at Cape Peron tipSkipjack point. Watched dolphins swimming below. Drone shotThe Big LagoonThe Big LagoonStunning colours of the Big LagoonSo many of these characters running around. The Golden crabAfter yelling 'shark' we realised this was a Shovel nose ray. 😂It came right up to the waters edge.

    Cape Peron National Park

    November 4, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    Cape Peron National park is the top half of Shark Bay Peninsula. It took us about an hour to drive the length of it on extremely sandy and corrugated tracks. The whole area was stunningly beautiful with many beaches and lagoons. We saw lots of wildlife including emus, dolphins, turtles, shovel nose rays and crabs. Fabulous couple of days.Read more

  • Bec & Kev's Big Lap
    Kalbarri was a beautiful town
    1There were a lot of birds, especially pelicans!Which got fed once a day - it got pretty chaotic at tinesIn the national park we hiked down to the Z-bend gorgeIt was a bit of a hike!1A video of the drone heading down it4Nature's windowA spectacular lookoutSome amazing coastline reminiscent of the 12 apostles in VictoriaBlue Holes, a group of beautiful rock poolsBosley didn't get on with one of the locals3He was happy to get back to the couch (really - this is his happy face 😄)

    Kalbarri

    November 8, 2023 in Australia ⋅ 🌬 23 °C

    Kalbarri was another beautiful seaside town on our way down the west coast of WA.

    It had a very pictureque harbour and stunning ocean beaches that were quite a bit more wavy than we have become used to with all the towns protected by reefs.

    Kalbarri was surrounded by some quite spectacular landscapes in the national park, which we loved exploring.    Read more

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