Man what a few week it has been for us, firstly we required a new gear box, recondition the transfer case, machine the fly wheel and a new pressure plate for the clutch, all up over $7 grand.
However we are up and running again so it won't dampen our spirits in any way.
Left Carnarvon behind and headed for Shark Bay, the road into False Bay/ blow holes was great until we reached the Ranger station - sign said lower the tyre pressure here. Not for this black duck, I don't drop them until I have to, the road went to absolute crap from there on so we only did the blow holes and gave Steep Point a miss, didn't want to put up with those huge corrugations low tyre pressures generate.
Headed out and visited Hamblin Pool stromatolites, shell quarry where some brain dead cretin had dug their initials into the shell block face. Tootled around the corner to shell beach and were amazed at the size of this place, miles of beach made up of tiny shells the size of a little finger nail, the numbers beggar belief, visited Denham for fuel and then back to the Ocean Aquarium for an educational tour, my mouth watered at the sight of the huge coral trout they were feeding there. Well worth the modest fee charged though. Had a few encounters with the local wild life along this section, first was an encounter with a western brown snake, shifted a shingle back lizard off the road before he got skittled, got some great shots of an echidna having a feed beside the road before wandering off then there was a rather large fat woolamai python crossing the road who didn't take kindly to being moved on, cranky cow had a go at me and the truck, beautiful colours as it had not long shed it's skin.
Left Shark Bay behind and followed the Indian OceanRoad south towards Geraldton, a RV friendly town or so they said, well we didn't feel like 'camping' in a bloody car park or boat ramp parking bays with a 400mtr walk to the closest toilets which were locked at night ! so onwards we sailed, come across a little thorny devil on the road but unfortunately by the time we turned back to shift it, a following car ran over it, dam shame as they are really striking little lizards, We visited Rainbow Jungle Parrot Avery for a few hours, they have a huge variety of birds involved in a captive breeding program as well as the more common species. We spent the night at the Principality of Hutt River where we enjoyed the hospitality of Prince Grahame, a really nice down to earth gentleman in every way, his Dad Prince Leonard in 92 and still going strong but abdicated last year to make way for the next generation. Lazy day with a short drive down to Port Gregory and the Pink Lake, we were both stunned by the depth of colour there, the pink is vibrant and all because of tiny algae, had to put the drone up to get a better perspective o f it. On to 7 Mile Beach free campfire the night, now that was a breath of fresh air in more ways than one, tad cool but the view was fantastic, we ran into a couple we had met in Broome who are also doing the circuit so it was really a great night catching up on each others adventures.
The wild flowers all along the road were nothing short of amazing both in colour and variety, from huge Banksia trees to tiny ground cover, Geraldton wax and 4 different colours of kangaroo paw, the other grevillea has a local name of smelly socks, when it first opens up it has beautiful nectar smell but after a few days that changes to - oh yeah those socks that really need a wash.
At the lookout behind Geraldton we came across an apiarist trying to remove a feral bee hive from amongst the large rocks, down the hole and bringing out pieces of comb and lavae cells, they didn't appear very happy about it so e left him to it.
We arrived in Jurien Bay this afternoon and had a quick look around before heading out to Stock Yard National Park and into the cave, there are numerous bee hives just hanging from the rock face, some in rock crevices but most are just large combs under small overhangs.
The lime stone cave is about 250 mts long but an interesting experience none the less.
Tonight we are back near Jurien Bay before heading towards Cervantes tomorrow.
Thats about it for now, we are both healthy and happy and hope you are as well.
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