Mikkira Koala Park (near Port Lincoln) to Carrickalinga

Just west of Port Augusta we could see the southern Flinders Ranges which we didn't visit this time around because of time and the 40 degree temperatures in the ranges!!

Leaving Makkira Koala Park to head across to Carrickalinga for our week camp with Adelaide fellowship we passed through the coastal town of Tumby Bay where we had excellent yummy cornish pasties and pies from the local bakery

Just a short stroll from our camper we came across this 'mum and junior' koala - just cute we thought!!

Just outside Port Lincoln we stayed at Mikkira Koala Park. We were told about this place back in WA and it was as good as we had heard - there were Koala's everywhere. We even hand fed one some young leaves which it enjoyed...

Streaky Bay to Port Lincoln

No, Joey and Sam haven't been sent to Easter Island!! This is along the Elliston coastline and the small carvings were placed by locals...

Along this route you pass through a beaut little town called Elliston. It has some good cliffs along its coast area....

This little guy was on the roadside near Talia Caves. He's a Shingleback Lizard, and up close the back end looks similar to his front - a last resort defence - better to lose your bottom than your head, I suppose...

Further south we stopped for lunch @ Talia Caves. This shot is of the coastline nearby, very pretty...

Leaving Streaky Bay and heading towards Port Lincoln we stopped at some sight-seeeing areas, this first stop was at 'Murphys Haystacks', a group of unusual rock formations in the middle of a wheat growing area!! Erosion of the softer surrounding rock revealed the harder granite rock...

Streaky Bay Areas SA

Here is a shot of the princess at another nice location along the loop - Sceale Bay (pronounced Scale)...

From the lookout this is what you will see - lots of lazy loafers (Sea Lions) lounging around the waters edge. They are quite big the males can get to 400kgs!!

A half day trip from Streaky Bay will take visitors to the only mainland sea lion colony at Point Labatt about 50km south of Streaky Bay and back along some rugged Eyre Peninsula coastline. This family photo was taken at the lookout at Point Labatt...

Combined with the local Shell petrol station is the tourist information area. Inside you will find this replica White Pointer Shark which was caught on a 24 pound fishing line in 1990. At over 5m long it is supposed to be the biggest caught by this method....we have Joey, Ollie, Josh, & Bailey giving a comparison of its size...

We managed to 'fluke' the Christmas procession at Streaky Bay which was really well done considering the town has only about 1400 people. The community feel here is quite good...

The campsite we had at Streaky Bay was right on the foreshore - a beautiful spot!! Whilst a bit cool we missed out on some of the wild weather that other parts of Australia have had, for example Carnarvon in WA is currently flooding and two months ago was completely dry when we were there!!!

Crossing the Nullabor Plain

Just West of Ceduna we stopped for lunch at this local church. It's name is a little unusual for a church - Denial Bay Lutheran Church. A cute little stop, except for the 3,000,000 flies that swarmed us!! It was a quick lunch and on to our stop at Streaky Bay!!

This shot is of the Nullabor Plain 'proper'. The treeless plain is actually all in South Australia and goes for about 150km...it's the boring part...

There is quite a drop off the cliffs into the chilly Southern Ocean waters and the signs along the edges are quite clear about the dangers of falling cliff edges and to keep back....

We stopped along the roadside a few times to check out some more Australian Bight Cliffs. These cliffs make up the longest cliff face in the world and are quite spectacular!!

Finally, the SA border!! Here travellers into WA have to stop and hand over fruit and veggies. Those going east (us) have until Ceduna about 200+km away to eat what they can before handing over. (Seems like a cheap lunch for collection officers)...

The Nullabor isn't as boring as one might think. It has several areas where the visitor can turn off and check out the coastal cliffs...here the Princess is doing lunch assisted by her little elf Sam...

This is a typical view of the straight section...and on, and on, it goes...

One section of the crossing in WA in recognised as the straightest section of road in Australia - all 146km of it. Lee drove this section of road...

We left Kalgoorlie for the 'big trip' across the Nullabor into South Australia. The trip went well and we were 'accosted' by the Norseman Police doing licence checks (or was it Santa in disguise as a policemen?). Anyhow they were good fun and doing a good job...

Kalgoorlie-Boulder & KGCM 'Superpit' Open Cut Mine

Everything about this area is like other areas of WA. Very large scale!! This pipeline that was constructed from Perth to supply water went a long way to relieving the early miners problems with disease such as dysentery due to poor quality water and food..a major project for 1903!!

The ingenuity of the early miners is also on display at the museum!! With limited tools and materials this pushbike was constructed. It's a ripper!!

We visited the superpit a couple of times - once at night! On this occasion we caught the blasting of the bottom floor...

This brief overview will possibly give an idea of the size of the superpit...

No visit to this town would be complete without seeing the massive 'Superpit' open cut mine which is a mere 400m from the towns housing area. The scale of operations is really amazing...

This view is taken from the mining tower built as part of the museum in the Kalgoorlie section of town. Inside the museum is a first class memorial of WW1. It's theme of lest we forget speaks not only of the brave men and women that fought in the war but of the futility of war itself. The casualties went into the decades to follow with rehabilitations and compensations....very sobering place. Another area is dedicated to the Gold mining that is the town heartbeat...

We arrived into Kalgoorlie-Boulder and had a couple of days exploring before the long drives across the Nullabor. This view of the town area is from the Mt Charlotte lookout. There were more trees than I expected. The day before we arrived it was 43 degrees! Glad to miss that one!!

Cape Le Grand NP & Twilight Bay - Esperance WA

On the top of this rock in the bay is Leeanne and Tom. We made the swim across and scrambled to the top of the 'cave rock' which was bigger than first thought. Well worth the effort thought...

We had a great day out at Twilight Bay and actually had a swim in the chilly waters!! The boys had some fun with new found buddies, Ollie, Josh & Bailey from Townsville QLD...check out the colour of the water!!

Back a few km West of Esperance CBD is Twilight Beach, voted best beach in Oz in 2006 (by whom, again, I don't know). Amazing colours in the inner water areas and more like a tropical setting than SW OZ!!

An unusual feature of the Lucky Bay area is the kangaroos that come right down to the beach for an inspection of the visitors!! There's one at the right of this photo...

Here are the boys at 'Wind Rock' named because of the queer sound made by the constant sea breezes whistling through the gaps in the granite rocks...

This shot is of Lucky Bay which apparently has been voted the whitest sand beach is OZ... (don't know by whom)...anyway it's quite pretty.

About 50km East from Esperance CBD will bring visitors to the Cape Le Grand NP. Very scenic area and hard to believe this is the southern ocean with the light blues in the sea...

Esperance WA

Inside all of us there resides that 'little boy or girl'. Here's Lee showing off here at the swings in Sunseeker Caravan Park with our little buddy Josh Cullen of Townsville...

In case you thought this 250kg beast was dead here's a shot of him sitting upright. As soon as he hits the water it's amazing how fast this guy can move!!! (Might be the food factor??)

Another major drawcard at Esperance is Sammy the Sea Lion. He's looking sleepy here but as soon as he gets a whiff of the fishermen filleting fish he comes alive 'cos it's snack time for Sammy!!!

Here's a short video of the Ocean Drive that we were all impressed with...

It's hard to capture the beauty of West Beach with a camera. Awesome colours and outlook...

A highlight of Esperance for tourists is the 'Ocean Drive'. The route takes visitors along the Western Beaches and back via a 'Pink Lake' (that wasn't very pink!!) Esperance has many small rocky islands surrounding the region.

Bremer Bay @ Fitgerald NP WA

Despite the lovely beach settings along this coast the weather wasn't exactly hot...about 20 degrees... cool by QLD standards!! The water temperature of 18 degrees wasn't too inviting either!! So we opted for some beach gymnastics instead! The style and grace of a Gorilla I hear you think!!

Our campsite at the National Park. This is fairly typical of the set ups in these bush camps....complete with 'drop dunnies'...

Our stop for a couple of nights!! Pt Ann at Fitzgerald NP. In winter months the visitor can see Southern Right Whales calving in the sheltered bay here. Beautiful colours...

Leaving Albany we headed East and stopped at Bremer Bay for lunch. This coastline is fortunate to have many white sandy beaches similar to the picture here at Bremer Bay.

Albany Tourist Drive

Salmon Holes Beach area is found in Torndirrup National Park and is supposed to be named after the Australian Salmon that seek rest in the shallower waters away from predators such as sharks.

So endeth the day trip around Albany....

The 'Natural Bridge' is also part of Torndirrup National Park. Quite hypnotic watching the water smashing into the rocks below...

Here's the princess at The Gap. The size of some of these rocks is quite remarkable. This section of coastline is supposed to have been joined to Antarctica at one time and made up part of the 'supercontinent' called Gondwana!! (Dunno' a bit before my time actually)

Just outside the town area lies the Torndirrup National Park. Rocky shorelines and features like this one - The Gap - are very impressive indeed...

WA seem to be 'leading the way' with regards to alternate energy sources. This wind farm similar to the one at Geraldton can supply up to 65% of Albany's requirements. That's a town of around 35,000 people. Good work!!

We took the shot just before the shower hit!!

A portion of the magnificent scenery from Mt Clarence. On a clear day this would look awesome!! Beautiful bays and greenery abound around Albany. That explains why it is WA's top destination for holidays...

Also within a few kilometres of the Albany town centre is this impressive memorial to the ANZAC's. It is found at the peak of Mt Clarence...

An unusual feature in town is this 'Dogs Head Rock'. A solid granite rock that is just behind a shopping centre!! The addition of the painted collar adds to the effect!!

The replica ship 'Brig Amity' is situated near central Albany.

Averaging 22-23 degrees in summer Albany has a temperate climate. The weather while we were at Albany wasn't the best, however it didn't detract at all from the natural beauty of the area. One of the nicest towns in WA. Natural Harbours (Princess Royal & Oyster) and inlets are a feature. Rugged coastlines and both protected, and unprotected beaches pounded by the southern ocean. This shot is of the town area from across Princess Royal Harbour.