Don't say the C-word

So we've made it up to Monkey Mia this afternoon where in just a few hours we had a ball with wildlife: there's emus wandering around with groups of chicks following behind and the dolphins and reef sharks put on a late afternoon display down on the beach.

Only a slight problem, we've been put on yellow alert (get ready to leave) for Tropical Cyclone Olwyn which is due to hit Exmouth, a few hundred kms north of us tonight. It's highly likely we'll be evacuated tomorrow and will have to head back south down the highway. And I've already paid for the accommodation here - bummer!

I'm not sure if the Cyclone has even made news on the east coast, but in case it has, we are safe and we'll be leaving ASAP if it's not safe to be here.

Eagle Bluff & the Murchison River - Kalbarri NP

The highlights of our trip up north (which we may get to relive if we have to backtrack south again!) included hitting the true WA desert country in Kalbarri National Park and finding shell beach - it's a beach made up entirely of tiny white shells, up to 9 metres deep in parts. In the past, a quarry was setup to cut blocks of the solidified shells (which apparently can be done with just a basic saw) for building construction.

Max loving the tiny shells

This is what the whole beach looks like close-up

The undulating 'shell dunes'

And how's this for a clever idea - there's a feral animal fence that you drive over on the way to Monkey Mia. As well as the usual cattle grid and electric fence, there's a motion-activated sensor that sets off a recorded barking of what sounds like a very angry German Shepherd. Max said it was 'too scary' so if it keeps him away, I'm sure it will work wonders for the feral animals!

Feral animal fence

The white post in the foreground barks at
anything that approaches it!

Geraldton - fun in the sun

Big news - Geraldton has crept past Bright in Victoria as Dylan's favourite town so far! We have all loved our few days there and here's some of the reasons it rates so highly:

• The leaning trees on the way into town - gotta love a bit of natural curiosity

• The water park - perfect for the hot days and fun for everyone. It's right on the foreshore and therefore right next to the beach and hence Dylan's favourite vote. The beach was the best swimming we've done so far, beautiful temperature and easy swimming.

• These may be the best looking public toilets in all of Australia - certainly the best we've seen!

•  The artwork - there's some great sculptures along the foreshore area (including the toilets above) that are interesting to explore. We also visited an indigenous art cooperative and the regional gallery to cast our vote in the people's choice award for the 2015 mid-western art prize. Very cultured!

• The HMAS Sydney II memorial. This ship was sunk with the loss of all 645 men in 1941 with the wreckage not discovered until 2008. The memorial is very large and prominent on a hill in Geraldton and quite stirring.

• The classic red-and-white-striped lighthouse. It's a lovely sight and made even better by a bit of humour injected in the beach park across the road - a mini version that's a shower!

Leaving Perth

Our stay in Perth was extended for a couple of days as Suzy Q needed a bit of a check over and ended up getting six new tyres and a wheel alignment to set her up for the journey across the top half of Australia.

It was a bit of a shame really, as hanging out in the industrial areas of Perth for a couple of days took a bit of the shine off the otherwise lovely time we'd had exploring the city.

We got on the highway heading north and had quite a nice day doing short trips with a bit of exploring in between. Gingin had a lovely park where we stopped for lunch and just down the road was West Coast Honey where we saw some honey production and enjoyed the sweet tastes.

A stop at the Gravity Discovery Centre (a strange sort of science hall in the middle of nowhere) provided us with some fun experiments and playthings.

Climbing a steel replica of the Leaning Tower of Pisa to drop water balloons was slightly odd but fun.

After an overnight stop at a farm-based caravan park where the kids got to feed the animals, we headed for the Pinnacles.

None of us really knew what to expect: we knew there we some rocks in a desert, but that's about it.

You can't see the Pinnacles as you approach by road and even the short walk into the desert is basically low-lying scrub. And then suddenly the bright yellow sands of the desert appear along with hundreds of limestone 'fingers' poking out of the ground. It is a truly amazing sight and one that makes you just stop and say wow.

After our hot desert experience, a swim was in order so we found a lovely free beach campsite at Billy Goat Bay.  Driving in was fun, there were huge white sand dunes on either side of the road. We swam and beach combed the afternoon away.

And a lovely sunset topped off a great couple of days.

The love affair with WA continues

WA is still proving to be brilliant. Although we realised the other day, as we sat in the information centre staring up at a giant map of the state, just how huge it is and wondered if it could all be as great as it has been so far.

View from King's Park

We've had a few lovely days in Perth doing city things: going to the rugby to watch the Western Force get smashed by the Hurricanes (Dylan was disappointed as he bought a Force hat but noted that it was probably good for the Brumbies); touring the Perth Mint (all about gold and fascinating); spending a day in King's Park (spectacular); visiting the Aquarium (fun).

The only down in all of that was a sporting injury sustained by Lukas. Well, I say sporting but really it was a viewing injury. We were seated behind the goal posts at the rugby and as the Force were doing their practice kicks, one came sailing right towards us. Lukas put his hand up to stop it hitting him in the face and it hit his wrist and bent it back. All I can say is that those guys kick hard! We spent the first 10 minutes of the game at the first aid station applying ice and bandages. It was nicely swollen and they think sprained. Despite managing to fall on it another two times in the last couple of days it seems to be getting better so we've still managed to avoid any trips to doctors or hospitals as part of our chaotic adventure and that (touch wood) is an achievement in and of itself!

Salmon Gum at Wave Rock

A short side trip saw us head East for a couple of days to visit Wave Rock. The drive through the wheat belt and salmon gum forests was lovely and Wave Rock itself was simply stunning. We all agreed that it was a highlight of the trip so far, and definitely worth deviating inland for.

Evie, Max (and baby!) at Wave Rock

Lukas showing just how huge Wave Rock is

A less-visited site just north of Wave Rock provided an equally amazing wonder - Mulka's Cave.

A short walk through a small opening in an overhanging rock reveals a cave filled with ancient aboriginal art, mostly in the form of hand stencils.

The sense of sacredness was strong and there was a definite grounding in the spiritual presence of the space.

A portion of the rabbit-proof fence provided an educational stop along the highway, although I have to say that my fascination was probably not equally shared by the kids who, correctly, observed a broken fence with a lot of rabbit poo on both sides!

York, just 100km from Perth, is a really impressive old town that provided us with a delicious lunch on the way back East and some beautiful buildings to stroll around.














So we're now back on the coast and will start the journey north shortly. Will this be as amazing as the southern regions? Only time will tell!

The Teddies Visit Rottnest

The Teddies were super excited a few days ago to pack their bags and take us all to Rottnest Island. It was a real, as you can't take vehicles onto Rottnest, so Suzy Q the motorhome was left behind in the dockside carpark.


We caught the Eagle Express to and from the Island. The trip was about 25 minutes and ok on the way there but very rocky on the way back.

Teddies packed and ready to go

The main form of transport on the Island is bikes. The teddies got in plenty of practice, doing a bit of their own riding and being ridden around by others.

There were also bus and train trips to help us see more in the few days that we were there and give the teddies' little legs a break from riding all the time. The teddies got to hang out the window but were a little jealous when Lukas was allowed to drive!

The train took us to Oliver Hill where we did a tour of the Battery. Two 9.2-inch guns were installed in the 1930s as part of the defence of the port of Fremantle. It was really interesting seeing the artillery and walking through the old tunnels.

The history of Rottnest is really fascinating and quite troubling at the same time. As well as the military history, Rottnest island was a devastating place of incarceration for Aboriginal men from the 1830s. It is a history that sits somewhat uneasily with its portrayal as Perth's island playground.

The teddies tried their best to absorb all of this at the museum and various historical sites we visited on our bicycles.

Of course, there was wildlife aplenty: pelicans, stingrays, sea lions and of course the famous quokka.

We were all pretty excited to see our first quokka (they're actually everywhere) and happily snapped away.

But then it all turned bad.....Lukas reached down to one and was bitten.....hard, very hard. So the next time they saw one the teddies played dead.

The teddies loved watching the sea lions rolling about in the ocean with their fins in the air to keep themselves cool.

Seals below, they're definitely there!

And of course there was time for the teddies just to do a bit of relaxing....swimming in the pool...hanging out in the sun....looking at beautiful scenery....

Yes, it's a pretty good life for these lucky bears!