We left Perth and drove 590km to the seaside town of Kalbarri which is midway along Australia's Coral Coast. The town is located at the mouth of the Murchison River. We stayed at the Murchison Caravan Park which was right on the beach (although we were located in the back corner; I think when you book in with four children they often put you in the furtherest spot away!).
We ended up leaving Perth later than expected due to a surprise visit from a friend from home who was in Perth for work. We have decided that on big travel days, we really need to get away by 8:30am. It's our preference to finish our daily driving by no later than 4pm. It's not ideal driving on dusk with the threat of kangaroos and other wildlife and also arriving at a location at dinner time is an awful time to unpack with four hungry children and two cranky parents. (As you can probably guess, this is based on previous experiences)!
A few hours into our drive it became evident that we were starting to get very isolated. As I left Perth, I began my normal routine to find a coffee. I placed $10 on the dashboard and said to Matt as soon as we see a coffee shop; here's my money and I am ready to jump out and get one. Well the $10 should've stayed there all day. There is not much north of Perth. Each little town (aka petrol station/roadhouse on the side of the road) we drove through I searched for a coffee but to no avail. Nothing. No coffee for eight hours. Until I read a sign that said..."Real coffee beans". I was so excited and made Matt stop so I could run inside and order my coffee. My excitement simmered when I saw the barista (I'm using that term very loosely) make it with powdered milk....At this stage I couldn't say no and kept the coffee walked outside and tipped it out (with 'almost' tears in my eyes...)
After arriving late (with still no coffee) we unpacked, had a 'get at it' and went to bed. In the morning we left for a run and were inundated with bugs, bugs and more bugs so much so, we had to abandon the run! I was starting to get nervous on whether I would enjoy Kalbarri fortunately the day improved after we toured Coastal Cliffs and Kalbarri National Park.
In the morning we visited the Coastal Cliffs (6/10) and did the 1.2km return Natural Bridge Walk and then we went for a swim at Blue Holes. It was great after the drizzly weather in Perth to finally hit the beach.
Coastal Cliffs at Kalbarri - it was getting hot (and the flies.....)
After lunch we went to Kalbarri National Park - driving through the red sand with our 4x4 Landcruiser 2000 series car ( I have no idea what that means but I have had two old men comment to me about my car - they seemed impressed so I have used the terminology sense). We did the Nature's Window (7.5/10) which was great and the walk was better. It was only about a 1.5km trek but it was over/under rocks. There looked to be a couple of good hikes in the region and for a moment (a very fleeting one) I thought it would be great if we didn't have the kids and could do the walks!
Nature's window...
On our return we hired a paddle board (our family's new hobby) and spent the remainder of the day at the Kalbarri Beach.
The day was masked somewhat with a little incident. Not mentioning any names (Matt) but someone flooded the caravan and we had no power..... fortunately the power returned just over 24 hours later.
The highlight of the night was attending the Rainbow Theatre, an outdoor theatre set amongst the Coastal Cliffs. We watched Kung Fu Panda 3. There's nothing more entertaining than an outdoor movie in the middle of nowhere listening to the kids giggling.
After our two nights in Kalbarri we drove 375km to Shark Bay (Denham). We thought we had 590km to drive so we got up early and set off only to realise it was only 375km. It was a pleasant surprise. Shark Bay satisfies all four criteria and is listed as a world heritage area. On our way to Shark Bay we stopped at Hamelin Pool (6/10) to see the oldest living organism - the stromatolites. Thomas was a bit disappointed as he was expecting dinosaurs.
Hamelin Pool at Shark Bay
We wanted to stay in Monkey Mia but it was all booked out due to WA school holidays. So we stayed 20km down the road at Denham. People say Denham is better as it is cheaper and still close to the Dolphins and that Monkey Mia is too commercialised however I would've liked to have stayed at Monkey Mia - I thought it was great. The following morning we got up early to see/feed the dolphins at Monkey Mia. Feeding the dolphins was a great experience (9/10). We fed the dolphins after they swam about an arms length from us. Every person who got picked was able to bring a friend. Bella got picked (after standing up the front with the biggest smile) and once picked said: "but I have three friends and they are my brothers and I can't pick one." They therefore all got to go - who could say no to that?? The dolphins, although not trained, swim in each day for a free, easy feed anytime between 7:30am and 11am. Apparently they have only missed five days in the last seven years.
Bella and her three friends.
After the dolphin feed we went on a cruise with Acriscrat 2 (8/10) and had a great day. We weren't expecting to go on a cruise but it looked so good as it sailed in and we had a great day. It was so calm on Shark Bay (but beneath the surface is a different story).
We first went out to tour Blue Lagoon Pearls. The pearl industry is fascinating with the owner telling us that just over five years ago the bay just died overnight and he lost everything.
Blue Lagoon Pearls
After the tour of the Pearl Farm we went on the search for the mysterious Dugongs - and we found them! They are funny, ugly little creatures as they pop their heads up every minute or so for a breath as they munch away at the seaweed they lies on the ocean floor. They are not as social as dolphins and pretty much just act like teenagers - unsociable creatures that eat and sleep all day. They are hunted by sharks and therefore need to be alert so sleep only a minute at a time. They turn half the brain off and take a nap (and remember to breath) and then they swap over and let the other side of the brain sleep. Half a brain at a time. If I was a dugong it would annoy the shit out of me just as it did when I was breastfeeding never knowing what side I was up to!
For our boat tour we chose Aristocrat 2 (which was a little bit more expensive) because of the option to hang off the back of the boat in a net (not sure if it has an appropriate name.) And it was well worth the extra. We all had a great fun hanging off the back (although I recommend not wearing bikinis). Bella and I had an amazing moment near the end when it was really only the two of us and there were dolphins swimming alongside us. Besides the fear of getting a dolphin fin up my bottom it was really quite soothing.
Tom clinging on; Nick playing the normal protective brother and Bella..... well what better time than to take a selfie!
Next stop is Ningaloo Bay Reef which includes Carnarvon, Coral Bay and Exmouth...
From the Stevens' x
#makingmemories