Kings Park

A cold but sunny morning tempted us to go to Kings Park.

We met Kevin and Yvonne Coate in the bookshop and they told us to go and see the beautiful display of Qualup Bells.

Bibbulmun Track Bushwalking

Our bushwalking group tackled the first part of the Bibbulmun Track today. It was billed as an 11 km walk, but it turned out to be 16!  The weather was lovely and sunny after a week of rain and the spring flowers were starting to appear, the best being the vivid purple hovea.

We had morning tea by the waterfall at Rocky Pool:

Geraldton to Perth

We awoke to a sunny morning and had breakfast in the hotel: this was a new venture for the Ocean Centre, which had been upgraded since our last visit.  We filled up the car and went to buy some frozen prawns at the port.  Then we were on our way. It soon started pouring down, but by the time we stopped for morning tea it was clearing up. We were in a layby just north of Western Flora caravan park, and took some photos of wild flowers in a small area nearby.

At a distance, it looks nothing special.  Inside it was a different matter:

Smoke bush

After this, we decided to have a look for more flowers in Mt Lesueur National Park, even though it is still a bit early in the season. We were rewarded by some beauties, though there was a very cold wind blowing as we had lunch up there.

This one was the most spectacular. It is known as Djanda or Hakea Neurophylla. When you see the sun behind it, the "nerves" in the leaves are visible:

This National Park is a biodiversity hotspot, with many species in a small area:

Prickly dryandra

Petrophile (left);  Hibbertia (right)

We will have to come again later in the season.

Carnarvon to Geraldton

There had been quite a lot of rain during the night, so big pools of water lay on the verges. At one point, there was a flood right across the road. There was no wildlife to be seen, because they have no need to come near the road verges on search of green grass. We stopped on the sand plain near Eurardy Station to look at the wild flowers.

The weather cleared up and it was a beautiful sunny afternoon in Geraldton. We checked into the Ocean Centre Hotel, where J sat out on th balcony for an hour while M went for a walk along the promenade.

For dinner we had take away sushi and white wine on our balcony.

Exmouth to Carnarvon

We left Exmouth in the rain at around 9.30.  The weather remained dull and cloudy all day and it felt quite chilly and wintry on arrival at the Best Western Hotel in Carnarvon.

J wanted to walk out onto the old jetty, so we drove out to Babbage Island to do it, between 4 and 5 o'clock. There was a white heron picking its way across the mudflats.

For dinner, we went over to the Gateway Hotel, where an Indian Buffet was on offer.

Two days in Exmouth

We had a relaxing time at John's place, not doing very much at all. M walked on the beach, but the tide was too high to go very far.

John's Visitors Book has been in use. This is what Ellie wrote last year:

I like John Sinclair's house starting downstairs in the bedroom I like the TV and the woolly blanket and the spa was very nice. Now I'm  heading upstairs. Upstairs I like the barstools, the big table with all the chairs around I like huge TV with all the remotes and the cool room a great idea you can put lots more food in and lastly the view. You can see whales splashing in the calm ocean I like the house. It has been a great holiday this is one of the best houses I've ever been to.

No more to be said!

We went out for dinner at the Whalers Restaurant:

Even John was full up!

Onslow to Exmouth

Sunrise was just before 7.00 am. I jumped out of bed to take this view over the sea, right in front of our cabin:

We were soon on the road heading out of Onslow, past all the brine ponds of Onslow Solar Salt Works. We stopped to look at this pink lake:

We had lunch on Burkett Drive, near the turn off for Bullara Station and spotted some lovely wild flowers just off the track:

We arrived at John Sinclaire's place just after 2.15 pm, unloaded our stuff and had a cup of tea and a siesta. His view is just as lovely as ever, but no whales going past at this time of year.

Sea eagle on lampost across the road

John's house at sunset

John S cooked us a good dinner of fish and salad, together with some rice and garlic bread. Then we all had an early night.