We started the month off still in the lovely city of Albany as we waited for the car to be fixed.
There’s plenty to do here and while we were here for nearly three weeks, we still didn’t get it all done. We spent time at the ANZAC centre and explored the Whaling museum – both places are awash in history and are equally as confronting as they are fascinating. They were great conversation starters for us and the girls as we discussed the pros and cons of war and whaling.
Albany has some spectacular coastal locations to visit including the The Gap, blowholes and the windmill farm.
We spent more time with Glenda and Roger and the family and the kids finally started Distance Education!
Albany Library became a great spot for us to camp out on wet days and get things done. The girls even spent one afternoon at Lego Club!
From Albany we took a couple of day trips out to Denmark (loved it!) and Walpole – both fabulous little towns that punch above their weight. We definitely didn’t spend enough time at either of these places.
The ANZAC Centre in Albany was fantastic. — at National Anzac Centre 
We stumbled on the Bush Mechanics exhibition in Albany, it was so interesting. We’ve since watched all the episodes – one to add to your list! The irony of the episode where they made a clutch out of wood was not lost on us! — at Museum of the Great Southern 
One of the bush mechanics cars in the exhibition. — at Museum of the Great Southern 
One of the pluses of being in one place for a while – Movie Day! — in Albany, WA 
Albany from Mount Melville – this little lookout is well worth a stop when in Albany. — in Mount Melville 
Emily decided she would sing the whole time we were on this walk. People coming back actually called her “the happy girl” as they could hear her all the way! — at Torndirrup National Park 
Misery Beach – so named because the beach was red with blood from the whaling station when it was in operation 🙁 Its since been named Trip Advisors Top beach in Australia – it is STUNNING — at Misery Beach 
The water is just so clear! — at Waterfall Beach 
We loved Waterfall beach! Most people stopped at the main sights but we had this one to ourselves! Zoom in to see the amazing layers of sand here. — at Waterfall Beach 
Elephant Cove is a must stop — at Elephant Rocks 
See the heard of elephants? 
We had plans to return the next day to swim and snorkel – this place was stunning! The weather had other plans though 🥶 so this was our only visit. — at Green Pools, William Bay WA 
The giant Tingle trees are incredible – we definitely want to come back and explore this area more one day — at Walpole-Nornalup National Park. 
So big! And this one type of Tingle Tree (there are three) is susceptible to fire in the base – but they keep on going. — at Walpole-Nornalup National Park. 
We had to stop and get a Denmark pic for the 🇩🇰 family 
Oh this walk was magic! High up in the trees and the monsters still tower over you. Valley Of The Giants Tree Top Walk. 
Valley Of The Giants Tree Top Walk. 
Distance Education begins! We ❤️ Albany Public Library (and it’s excellent Wifi!) 
Another day of school and Mum catching up on life Admin 
When a break from school work means a cosy spot to read
After leaving Albany we headed towards the Margaret River region. We loved our farm stay here and enjoyed exploring Augusta, Margaret River, Hamelin Bay and Busselton.
From here we headed north, due to the delays with the car we decided to make this part of the trip pretty quick – so we headed to Mandurah for a couple of nights (because.. giants!) before skipping around Perth and settling in Moore River, camping off grid with a couple of frisky emus!
We spent a few hours at the Gravity Discovery Centre and Observatory, home of the How Ridiculous tower (school science) on the way to camp and then explored the Pinnacles and Cervantes thrombolites the next day. What an experience!
A note on the Pinnacles: This place was so bizarre! Driving here you come through low scrub land, all the lovely dark greens and the amazing banksia forest. In the surrounds are super white sand dunes. And then, as you come through the National Park and turn into the Pinnacles you are presented with the most yellow sand you will ever see and these strange mounds that no one really knows how they were formed!
Geraldton was next – lots of school catch up here in the library as we had a battery upgrade done in the van, plus some time of the beautiful waterfront, a visit to the HMAS Sydney Memorial (a must) and a good Aldi stock up (last one until QLD – not sure how we will survive!!).
Just north of Geraldton is Hutt Lagoon – one of the most photographed pink lakes in Australia. It didn’t certainly didn’t disappoint!
Kalbarri was next – oh my, Kalbarri – we’re definitely putting this one on the list of “places we could run away to!” It has it all – spectacular coastlines, snorkelling, a crystal clear river, and gorges that take your breath away. We love how all the development is back from the Coastline, showing the east coast how it really should be done!
We were so privileged to experience the magic of Kalbarri National Park and the gorge in the misty rain. Such a magical experience and so different to the “post card” pic you usually see! — at Kalbarri Skywalk 
The beautiful moodiness of the misty rain — at Kalbarri Skywalk 
When in Kalbarri one must make it to Natures Window! — at Nature’s Window Kalbarri 
Nature’s Window Kalbarri. 
Ok – so everyone goes to the Skywalk and Natures window but we are here to tell you NOT to miss the Z-bend. The most spectacular views are from here! — at Z-Bend River Trail. 
This sneaky, somewhat hidden viewing platform was the 💣 — at Z-Bend River Trail. 
Honestly this was incredible — at Z-Bend River Trail. 
We couldn’t resist the opportunity to get down by the river and get our feet wet! — at Murchison River 
Second day in Kalbarri and we swapped the gorges for the coastal wonders. After a windy start we came across this… — at Pot Alley, Kalbarri 
And then the whales put on a show! — at Pot Alley, Kalbarri 
Blue holes was a bit chilly but wonderful for a beach afternoon on the sand! — at Blue Holes Beach Kalbarri.
Up next was Hamelin Station and the delights of Shark Bay! We had a magical first night sitting on a small beach made entirely of shells, watching the sunset over Hamelin Pool and the stromatolites before happy hour with some new friends (from Lithgow!). We spent the next few days exploring the Peninsula, culminating in a day lazing around Monkey Mia, watching dolphins and turtles, swimming and generally chilling out.
After a top up of water and groceries at Carnarvon we headed off to Quobba Station – we loved watching the sunset from the dunes, even spotting whales on our second night. A morning of school was rewarded with a visit to the blowholes, a surprisingly good fish and chip lunch and an afternoon of snorkelling at the Aquarium.
Keeping up with the cracking pace we headed north again to Yardie Creek Homestead Caravan Park at Exmouth. This place is heaven! We spent days snorkelling among the fish, turtles and reef sharks – and loved every minute.
May was certainly a big month! The month of Station stays, we covered a lot more of the state than we had originally planned to in the short timeframe, and have a whole list of places to come back to see another time. It’s easy to see how people spend months exploring WA alone, what an amazing state!
Let’s look at the numbers for this month (and total in brackets):
- 4,520 kms travelled (30,134kms) + approx 860km on the Spirit of Tas!
- Fuel bill for the month: $1,267 ($9,544)
- Cheapest fuel: $1.73 (we love you Albany!)
- Cheapest fuel: $2.19
- Most expensive campsite: $71 per night
- Accommodation costs: $1,677.57 ($7,898.83)
- States & Territories visited: 1 (7)
- Pools / splash parks: 3 (20)
- Natural waterholes/beaches swum in: we’ve lost count!
- ParkRuns completed: 1 (13)
- Playgrounds visited: 10 (94)
- Big things: 2 (17)
- Harry Potter audiobooks listened to: 7!!!
- Other audiobooks listened to: 6.5 (all Roald Dahl!)
Highlights
M: Moore River Ranch, Big Valley Campsite farm stay, Hamelin Station Stay, Monkey Mia, Exmouth and Kalbarri – oh and the gravity centre!
G: Denmark, Valley of the Giants, Giants of Mandurah, Jewel Cave, Moore River Ranch, Kalbarri National Park (those gorges!), crossing the Tropic of Capricorn and so many others!
E: Monkey Mia, Margaret River, Gravity Centre and the How Ridiculous tower, Moore River Ranch, Geraldton, Pink Lake, Kalbarri, snorkelling at the aquarium and Exmouth.
H: For me the highlights this month are all about the environment – finally spending good quality time in the ocean, experiencing the magic of Kalbarri’s incredible gorges, the massive trees in the Valley of the Giants, the southern coastline around Denmark and Albany, the Giants of Mandurah, not one but two beaches made of shells not sand, ancient stromatolites and thrombolites and staying on stations in some of the harshest country and learning about the families that care for this land.
Lessons learnt
The delays, thanks to the car issues, are starting to bite on our timeline now – while we have loved the extra time exploring many places, it means there are parts of WA we have missed or only scratched the surface on. We’ve learnt this month to roll with the disappointment of missing things on the list and to embrace creating a list for another holiday down the track!
Also – WA is in line with east coast prices. After SA and Tas it bites the budget a little (although the fuel prices in Albany were excellent!)
Best buys
Sandwich press, frisbees and new batteries.
We’ve been crushing on these frisbees since Ballarat so when we spotted them at Woolies for three bucks (usually $20!) they went right in the cart! They are going on my “must pack” list for anyone asking. Perfect for getting the kids moving after a long travel day.
Hayley wanted to bring a sandwich press from day one but ours was too big and bulky. We finally gave in and grabbed one on a Big W order and it’s been the best “investment”. It’s small, lightweight, low on energy use and makes lunches (particularly for Emily) so much easier.
Our old AGM batteries were doing great off grid until they wouldn’t start the heater anymore. It might be warm in WA during the day but she was a bit fresh out on those stations some mornings without the heater! So out with the AGMs and in with a Lithium battery – it really is great addition to the rig.
(Plus now we can use the sandwich press off-grid!)
Knee Deep Travels 