Flight to the US via Singapore

 

We’re embarking on an exciting journey to the USA! Our Singapore Airlines Boeing 787 flight is about to take off for Singapore, where we’re scheduled to arrive early tomorrow morning.

West Cape Howe & Wind Farm

Today we had the whole day to explore. The clouds were hanging around which made us a bit unsure where to go. Eventually we decided to go west to West Cape Howe National Park about half an hour's drive from Albany. There isn't much out there unless you have a 4x4, a fishing rod and a solid pair of hiking boots. There's a sheltered bay with a powdery white beach (Coombes Beach) just before you enter the national park. It was all a bit overcast, cold and windy when we arrived, so we didn't stop for long. We did go into the national park as far as Shelly Beach (below).

The dirt road was decent up to the lookout point but any further into the national park was an entirely different prospect. The smart option is to have your 4x4 recovery gear and preferably a second vehicle. We had neither so Shelly BEach is was. What we could see from the lookout was the Torndirrup Peninsular to the East (see top photo). Over that way Harry, see? (photo below). Oddly, the National Park was bathed in sunshine, but back toward Albany was still very much dominated by cloud cover. All Harry could see was the Wind turbines on the peninsular and kept getting excited and pointing them out to us.

We stopped on the way back at a grove when the Bibbulmun Track crosses the road. It seems to criss-cross all over the South West.

It was here that Harry took a bit of a fall, loosing some bark of various body parts and was miserable.

We stopped at sheltered Coombes Beach (above) for a bit of a look with the clearing cloud and cuddles for little boys.

We then made tracks for the peninsular which was in bright sun by the time we arrived. The promise of checking out the wind turbines was enough to snap Harry out of his misery. We started with lunch outside Whale World (below). We did a bit of reconnaissance and decided that Harry was a bit young for it all and decided to put it off until another time.

We did a short stop at nearby Goode Beach which had the same silky white sandy beaches that most seem to have around the Albany area. The water was crystal clear.

With Harry back on track, it was off to Stoney Hill, the high point of the peninsular. It was a relatively short walk up and around the loop track to the summit.

 Why would they call it Stoney Hill you say? No idea....

The view from the summit of Albany and everything to the horizon was brilliant. We could see the national park where we'd been that morning to the west, the Stirling Ranges to the north, and Two Peoples Bay Reserve to the East.

Unfortunately Natural Bridge was off limits due to maintenance works so we continued back toward Albany.

Then it was time to make good on our promise to Harry & go and have a look at the wind turbines. After taking a turn off with a fairly innocuous sign, we found to our surprise, a full tourist set up with pathways, lookouts, information boards and a kiosk. It all allows you to get up close and personal with these electrical giants.

I'm not completely sure about Harry's fascination with wind turbines, but he was ecstatic. What I hadn't counted on was their shear size and the speed of the blades at the tip.

Harry got to hug one but soon after also realized that he didn't like the fast, big and quite noisy blades quite so close to him and that admiring them from a distance was a much better option. He may well have been onto something because they're really intimidating.

The cliffs just near the wind farm are also a popular spot for paragliding.

The peninsular in the background of the photo below is Cape Howe where we'd been this morning.

So that was enough excitement for the day so we went back to our hotel at Middleton Beach. Harry and I spent the remainder of the afternoon at the beach while Kerri went for a walk and bought a few things from the supermarket.

 We did have to make one run to the shopping strip in Albany's main street. Our bad parenting of the previous day meant that we needed to find Harry a spare bear. This is the one he picked out. Meet, Jenny. He was very happy to have a new friend to keep him company at night and when things get a bit much during the day.

ANZAC Memorial - Albany

Three months after our epic New Zealand adventure, we got itchy feet and decided it was time to skip town for a few days. It was short notice, but we booked some accommodation and set off for Albany. Harry proved to us that he's quite capable of taking on a five hour road trip.

We were staying at Middleton Beach (above) in the shadow of Mt Adelaide. After getting settled we set off to have a look around town and pick up some supplies.

The afternoon was drawing to close so we decided to check out the ANZAC memorial on Mt Adelaide. We found lots of military things to see & do. There were big guns that still move.

  More gun turrets that moved a lot. Fun for young & old...

"10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1... BLAST OFF!!"

Lots more to see tomorrow.....

Footnote.
We realized just before bed that Harry had packed his favourite bears in his travel suitcase (that we use for air travel). The problem is that the suitcase was packed away, not packed in the car. We're the worst parents in the world..... We'll have to find a spare bear tomorrow.

Kalbarri - Murchison Gorge

With the weather closing in, we set of early the next morning for the Murchison Gorge. It still falls under the Kalbarri National Park but is set back from the coast along the Murchison River. The access road runs off the main road that heads east to the Brand Highway. It's bitumen for a fair way before turning into a dirt road. About half way along the black stuff something caught my eye in the cloudy conditions.

This little critter is a Thorny Devil. These are my favorite lizards of all time. It was strangely camouflaged against the asphalt. My new spiky little friend gave away it's identity by the way it was standing tall on it's legs, head up and tail pointing straight up in the air.

This was the first time I'd seen one in the flesh. It's such an unusual looking creature all covered in spikes but was very subdued, easy to pick up and didn't mind being handled.

After we'd all had a good look I decided to take it away from the road and release it somewhere a little safer to bask in the sun.

You can see how camouflaged they are against their natural habitat. What a buzz to start the day?!

15kms on the dirt road later we reached Z-bend. A short walk leads to the lookout to the top of the gorge.

A side trail runs down a small valley to the bottom of the gorge.

It was nice to potter around and paddle the feet in the water.

Harry did surprisingly well with the fairly technical short hike that included scrambling over rocks and climbing ladders.

Latter we ventured over to Nature's Window. A rain front howled across the area just as we arrived but were able to get down to the formation, take our photos and get back to the car between squalls  without getting drenched (well mostly). Everyone who visits the gorge lines up for this shot at Nature's Window. On the other side of the window is a significant drop. Toddlers don't necessarily understand the danger.

As the day went on the weather deteriorated. The cars were filthy by the time we got back to the house. Fortunately the rain during the afternoon managed to wash most of it away. By mid afternoon the weather was horrible and was so windy that the panel of the back fence blew down, almost into the pool. We'd managed to see what we wanted to see while we were in Kalbarri so we weren't complaining. The three boys started to get a bit of cabin fever but otherwise things were fine. The following day we set off for Perth reasonably early. We reached Lancelin for lunch and Perth and hour or so after that.

It was a fairly successful trip and a good test to see how Harry would go on a long car trip. Hopefully next year we can start exploring the Southern coast near Albany or Esperance.

Kalbarri - Coastal Cliffs

Travel has been scarce for a while with the toddler in our lives and the economic environment being so unstable. The only escape was a trip to Brisbane for Christmas last year. Good times but not for this site.

My brother, Tim, and I can up with a plan to get out of Perth. Kalbarri is about an eight hour drive from Perth and not too expensive so it seemed like a good plan to get away from a wet winter/spring. We made stops at Jurien Bay and Geralton. Harry handled the trip pretty well which is a good sign that he's ready for more longer car trips. It was pretty late by the time we arrived but the next day we were out and about exploring.

We concentrated on the coastal cliffs. It's a bit like WA's answer to the Great Ocean Road. This one is Natural Bridge (also along the Great Ocean Road).

This is Island Rock, just on the other side of Natural Bridge.

September is the time when the whales start migrating south. We could see them a couple of kilometres offshore breaching and fin slapping. Even with a long lens the photos aren't great.

By lunchtime the sea breeze was in so we packed it in and settled in at the house for the afternoon.

Once Harry was awake from his afternoon sleep we did a little more exploring. Pot Alley was a bit sheltered from the wind.

Kalbarri rarely disappoints when it comes to sunsets.

There were even a couple of very cheeky pelicans to keep Harry entertained.