Way Out West

Wow the last two days have been a treat.

Off Road driving, sand dunes, rugged cliffs, carpets of wildflowers, crystal clear waters, whales, turtles, fantastic fish and the most westerly campsite in Australia. Where are we and what have we been doing? (P) no mention of good company Judith!)?

We have taken our rooftop tent-“penthouse” and travelled to Steep Point, the most westerly point on the Australian mainland. About 100 km of off road sand tracks and approximately 100 km of gravel roads to get to the off road area. Four hours of slow driving with tyre pressures down to 25 PSI on the sand. Most of the off road was single lane so extra precaution when vehicles are approaching. One vehicle just has to find somewhere to get off the track. But at the end of the track our campsite awaits. Sitting on the cliff top just 400 metres from most westerly point In Australia. Standing on the cliff edge ( not too close for me) we could watch fish swim off the reefs edge. Lots of fishermen dangling a line but no evidence of fish caught. Luckily we saw several whales off shore. As tonight’s sun sets we are sitting in the most westerly campsite on the Australian mainland!

A highlight for me has been the mass of wildflowers carpeting the sand dunes and roadsides. Purples, yellows, pinks and whites and multiple shades of green are everywhere we look.

After a peaceful night listening to the sea roll in along the cliffs and a nice feed of bacon and eggs for breakfast we head back down the track to stop at some cliffs where we try to spot some more whales. Alas, no luck this morning. We did spot a huge turtle though drifting close to the breakers along the cliffs.

The Zuytdorp Cliffs run for 150 kilometres from Steep Point south to Kalbarri. The cliffs are named for a Dutch East India ship that was wrecked along the cliffs in 1712. At the highest point they are 250 metres high. Again we enjoy the numerous wildflowers along the track. Unfortunately our photos don’t do justice to just how spectacular they are.

We also have a stop at Shell Beach where the entire beach is made up of trillions of tiny cockle shells, in some areas 10 metres deep. The sea water at nearby Hamelin Pool and Shell Beach is twice as salty as normal sea water. This causes a lack of competition and predators for the cockles, leading to incredible abundance of this species.

(P) – Another destination now ticked off the bucket list! We have now been to the four compass point extremities of our awesome land. Pure luck and a lack of planning gave us camp # 3 at the “Ovens” campground at Steep Point booked at 9pm the previous evening where we were fortunate enough to experience this great area! (J. We now understand why it is called the Ovens. It’s the hottest spot we have been in around here, sheltered by cliffs, on rock and sun shining back off the sea. It holds the heat very well. Luckily it’s not 40 degrees or we would have melted).

Seafood abounds here also (as well as protected marine parks). The bucket full of fresh whiting caught this morning will be enjoyed for dinner this evening I am sure! Whilst we would like a little more warmth than the 21-23 degrees here Sharks Bay/ Denham has been a great 5 day stay. Tomorrow we are heading north, looking forward to warmer weather, more seafood and hoping to catch a Rodeo or two to throw into the mix of nature, mining, bush camps and whatever we can find of interest- Northward bound to destinations unknown)!