Year off around Australia

This caravan park very central in Kalbarri and we are quite happy with the stay 3 nights get 4th night free offer - this gets it at $36 per night powered. We are allocated a drive through site No. 86, so go and comfortably settle on it. Once we're set up. it's quite warm and we've realised that on a Sunday the Tourist info won't be open (not at this time in their season) - we just relax reading for the afternoon. Roger studies up what we can do while here, then goes for a walk. I go for a walk later, then we met up out the front of the caravan park to watch the sunset. Very beautiful. Time for tea - we don't need much, still recovering from our large lunch - so Roger chops us up some nice salad, he has some leftover cold meat with his. Shower time for Roger, I get myself writing this to be up to date - taking me a while! Time for reading my book in bed. Goodnight.
18/11/24 Monday. Today's our 29th Wedding Anniversary! When we wake up - we thank each other and wish each other a happy wedding anniversary. We haven't worried about cards and presents - we're content to enjoy our day together. On getting up and looking at my phone - dear friends are congratulating us and wishing us the best too. Make porridge for both of us, then get ready to walk across the road for the 8.45am pelican feeding. This is great - the volunteer doing the 'show' is good fun and shares her knowledge on our Australian pelican species. Next we go to the Kalbarri Visitor centre - this is full of lovely touristy gifts and helpful staff. I purchase a cute card for Jordan & Dani re Jackson's arrival and a Kalbarri hat pin. We decide to try and hire some ebikes for the morning/day - staff wish us luck as the operator is difficult to catch up with now it's not peak season. This is the case - we phone, then call at the business shop (sign is out advertising bike hire) - to be told they're not about - try again later! We decide we'll change our plans and go for a drive and check out the south side of Kalbarri. Drive to the Natural Bridge (checking out places of interest along the coastline). There is a walk from here - Bigurda Trial - that I'd like to do, as it's one way, Roger is agreeable that I do it and he'll drive and meet me at the end. It means he'll have some time to wait/fill in - but he kindly doesn't mind. I start the walk at 10.40am and finish it around 1pm. Roger has already checked out the places I walked through. So once he picks me up (at Eagle Gorge) we drive to the next coastline point of interest Pot Alley - and both do the walk to the beach here - another stunning spot. We're more than ready to have some lunch now so we drive back to our caravan. I make myself a couple of open toasties, and Roger makes up a couple of meat with salad sandwiches. We follow this with a cuppa, then drive back to where we were up to and do another walk together called the Nature Trail from Mushroom Rock including Rainbow Valley. We're warm and tired after this - so drive back, quick drive by a couple more spots on our way back, to have showers and I decide to get a couple of loads of laundry going as well. We're having pizzas for tea tonight so Roger prepares our toppings - we're using bought pizza bases. He cooks them (2) one at a time in our BBQ. Very nice! We have 'cheers' to our anniversary - it's been a beaut day. A lovely young lady, Jazz, a camping neighbour, calls by to let us know there's a couple of tawny frog mouth owls sleeping in a nearby tree. Happily get some photos. Now tidy up and relaxing before bed.
19/11/24 Tuesday. Oh dear for all our washing still out on the park's clothesline - during the night we were woken up by loud thunder - with a decent storm started...so when we get up it's wet and miserable. That's the end of our original plans for today - we both agree too wet to go walking about gorges. Mutual decision to just have a relax about camp day - which we do. Food - breakie, usual - lunch, usual and tea, very nice pork steaks (Roger cooks on our BBQ) and boiled vegetables. We did have an outing late morning as Rog wanted to get some grocery items. We went for a drive, poking around Kalbarri township, then 4km out the road to checkout Meanarra Hill Lookout (recommended). As it's still drizzling and wet was a quick look (didn't do the walk or take photos) and back to grocery shop, then camp.
After tea, tidy up, Roger goes and showers and then to bed to read. I stay up way too late sorting my emails, budget books etc.
20/11/24 Wednesday. Still too gloomy and overcast to do the early morning sunrise loop walk we're planning to do - so have a lie in and get up around 7am and have our usual breakfasts. Washing is still on the line, fingers crossed we'll get it dried today - looks like the morning clearing and wind meant to be about later. Decide we'll go for a drive in Kalbarri National Park and see what we manage to check out (the walk we're wanting to do requires people to start before 7am - it's a 9km loop, so we can't do it today). We drive out of camp just after 8am.
Return from our days outing around 1pm to have lunch. We get our washing off the line 1st as yippee it's finally dry (just as well we got it off when we did - as a light shower of rain came along later in the day). We've realised that to do the walk we want to do - we need to book another night here, so we do, this extra night costs $45. Lunch is sandwiches for Roger, open toasties for me. Relaxing afternoon - we find out we've been successful in getting volunteering positions (we don't know what yet - rosters still to be sorted) for The Man From Snowy River Bush Festival 2025 held in April at Corrong VIC. The 'down side' to this lovely news is that they're 'sold out' on camping spaces so at this time we've got nowhere to camp with our caravan. We've let them know we'll need something - see what eventuates...? Tea tonight - we go over to the camp kitchen and prepare and cook tacos (savoury mince, soft tortillas and chopped salad). While here we get chatting with another Victorian couple who are on holiday this way, to catch up with their son - he's FIFO (mining) from Perth and holidaying here with them ❤️ After tea we go have showers, then tidy up dishes. Roger having an early night for our planned 🤞early start tomorrow. I'll just get this up to date and then join him.
21/11/24 Thursday. Early start today - Roger's alarm goes off at 4.15am. Up we get and get ourselves organised - we're heading out into Kalbarri NP to go see the sunrise and do the loop walk from Nature's Window. Leave by 4.45am. Get to the parking area after 5am and start our walk around 5.30am. Back to our ute around 8am. Now time to drive the short distance to Skywalk so we can have breakfast at the Skywalk Cafe (opens 8am). A little disappointed with menu - only banana bread or toasted sandwiches on offer this morning. We had toasted sandwiches and a cuppa. Back to Kalbarri to our van. Relax and do very little. Lunch we make pancakes (Thermomix). Afternoon Roger does maintenance stuff and I catch up with Barb, then Leigh by phone. Barb just back from a fantastic Vietnam holiday - Leigh just sorting himself from his dog Splinter dying last Monday (kidney disease), today he's just picked up a greyhound from a greyhound rehoming organisation. Krispee Kreme is this female dogs name. Roger calls Robert for a chat. After our phone calls we go for a walk to check out a local brewery. Once we get back - I decide to do some cheese and biccies before tea Shortly after this is when we catch up on the news that Tarsh and Will have welcomed Josie Joy to their family (early but all good). I ring Raels for update - such happy news. Roger and I decide we're really not in need of tea tonight we've had enough to eat. Roger has his shower, now we'll be happy for an early night to bed.
22/11/24 Friday. Wake up before 6am so decide I'll go for a run, back at 7.15am. So enjoyed this - along the foreshore then followed the path called the Melaleuca Trail and get to Jakes Bay before returning. I have a shower, then Roger has prepared breakfast- he cooks up the bacon, eggs and mushrooms, while I do the toast and put on the relish, sliced tomato and marinated goats cheese. After tidy up and making sure the vans right to go, we've got time to go and watch the daily pelican feeding again. We do - different volunteer today, so learn some other aspects about pelicans. After a recent incident (31 Oct) of a pelican trying to eat a live seagull and a video going 'viral' - we have our own 'reinactment' today - luckily the seagull eventually escaped itself! Do wonder if this 30 year tradition will be allowed to continue......
Ready to roll, so off we go....leaving Kalbarri via the Ajana- Kalbarri Road (we arrived coming in Horrocks Rd/ White Cliffs Rd/George Grey Dr).Read more