The WA Experience

Is anyone out there still checking for updates?

So sorry for my lack of coordination. It seems I have missed updating for almost the entire duration of Western Australia. Yikes! Well you should be happy to know that it is because this has been the best part of the trip so far. It’s hard to settle down and organize your thoughts into a blog post and pick out pictures to post when you’re having so much fun.
We are about half way around Australia now and also half way through our trip away from Canada. We still have to fit in going straight south to Ayers Rock and back. Then we finish off the Northern Territory, Queensland and return back in Sydney. At that point we hope to sell the truck and take a bus or something to Melbourne. From there we will visit Tasmania as it was too cold when we were in the area at the beginning of the trip. We also hope to squeeze in at least two weeks in New Zealand before we leave for Thailand and Hong Kong. It’s a lot to accomplish in a small amount of time but we are up to the challenge.
We are currently working on the worlds largest Chia farm in world. We are the caretakers at this farm and manage the irrigation system. Which means a lot of priming syphons and checking water levels constantly. We have the entire living compound to ourselves where we have air-conditioned bedroom, kitchen, laundry and bathroom. It is so nice to finally settle down somewhere. Since we left Batlow we have been going non-stop except for a few weeks spent in Adelaide and Broome. We share our bathroom and shower room with little frogs who squeeze up through the drains and leave little froggy poops everywhere. There are crocodiles that live in the bigger water channels here on the farm. Luckily we don’t have to cross those ones when we are watering. Anyway.. More on that later. I shall write a proper post on it in the upcoming week when we have a day off. For now I shall update you on our travels before reaching Kununurra.

I really wish I had written a little bit down everywhere we went but I did not and now its so hard to remember the last while that I will only fill you in on the highlights.

As always we followed the coastline right around to where we are now. Esperance was very beautiful with white sand beaches and light green water everywhere you turn. Unfortunate for us the weather was very bad there. We did the coastal drive in what seemed almost like hurricane weather. The wind almost blew us over when we would get out the truck to attempt to take pictures. When it did let up a little we were able to visit a few local places. The local jetty has a seal named Sammy that just lays around all day in the sun. We were able to get super close and watch him roll around in his sleep like a big sloth.

Francis learned the true meaning of the power of the wind when he was lifted about ten feet off the ground when he was flying his traction kite in the sand dunes. I was lucky to catch this on video but had to cut it short as he started to be dragged across the sand. Not one of our smartest moves. After that we decided a nice day to trip a calmer Cape Le Grand National Park was more safe. We hoped to see the infamous kangaroos lying on the sand but alas they were not to be found. Instead we decided to try to steep climb up to Frenchman Peak Lookout.

Albany was our next big stop. We went on small hikes all around the town. We would see blue tongued lizards lounging around beside the paths and little Australian mice looking creatures with giant ears darting in front of us. Albany boasts their “dog rock” which is literally a big rock that looks like a dog head. Mhmm. The town itself is really nice tough. Its quaint and inviting. Francis fell in love with the wind farm there that is situated right along the ocean and blends in seamlessly into the natural surrounding. The windmills were very impressive in size and we were able to watch the sun go down there while eating a big bowl of Francis’ risotto. The following day we visited another natural wonder there which included a bridge of stone and a blowhole.

We made a little detour for Francis at Point D’Estrecasteaux which happens to be the farthest Francis can be from his hometown on land. We took a picture of him holding up his GPS while standing there. He has now officially been as far as he possibly can be from home so now he just has to visit everywhere in between.
In Walpole we saw one of Australia’s tallest trees, the Tingle Tree, while we walked through the forest. It reminded me of Cathedral Grove back on the Island. There is something very tranquil about walking through trees that old and wide. There were a lot of burls on the trees which reminded me of my Grandpa. I really enjoyed this part of Australia. Maybe because it cured a bit of my homesickness. It was all so familiar. In this area we also visited the Karri Forest which claims to have the tallest of all trees which can grow to be over 85 meters tall and up to 300 years old. It was here that Francis climbed the Bicentennial Tree. I almost had a heart attack watching him. At the tower point near the top he was at 75 meters in the air. The tower itself weighs two tons and can sway in the wind up to 1.5 meters in each direction. Its no wonder there is a limit of 4 people allowed at the top at one time and should only be attempted at optimum weather conditions.

In Augusta we visited the Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse where we were awarded with a pretty awesome surprise. Behind the lighthouse is a small standing area which has a sign indicating that it is the place where the Pacific and Indian Oceans meet. Of course we both took pictures here as it was a great photo opportunity and I think it’s the second ocean I’ve ever stood beside. Margaret River was highly recommended to us but we were there in the wrong season and not in the mood for wine tasting so we passed through quickly. At Lake Clifton we visited some more of our ancestors the Thrombolites. Very fascinating!

We only visited Perth for two days. Deciding that most bigger cities have taken on familiar scenery we decided to spend one day on foot downtown roaming around and one day at the botanical gardens. Perth is where I experienced my first drive in theatre. I was so excited. I definitely loved it even if I slept half way through the second movie. One great thing about Australia is that things like the museums are free (gold coin donations of $1 or $2) for the regular exhibits. The museum there was great.

Wedge Island had to be the most irregular town we have seen so far. It was like a little clapboard village built between a sand dune and the sea. It was a ghost town. I imagine its remoteness would make it fairly hard to bring building supplies out. I was torn between summer redneck fishing town and simplistic living by the sea. The beach there was amazingly gorgeous. It was like a little hidden peace of heaven that this small community called home. We never saw anyone there or any trace of life except one sign that looked to be make of an old board and some old paint with some arrows pointing to a place to buy bait. I never noticed anyplace that looked like a store though. We slept in the truck between some sand dunes and in the morning embarked on a drive that almost cost us our truck.

Its hard to convey the feeling of absolute fear through words. Francis thought that we should take a “short cut” and drive along the beach instead of the road to save time and fuel. Everything was going well and we always enjoy driving along the beach so I thought why not. The tide did look a little high but we were driving up on the bank so we would be fine. Or so we thought. So there we were driving along when all of a sudden the bank gave way and we started sliding. We clutched the sides of the truck as we tipped over towards the passenger side and almost rolled completely over right into the tide that was rolling in. Once the truck settled I looked at Francis and said “I’m scared” and he looked at me and said the same. “Tell me what to do” I said. He just said “I’m freaking out”. Then he quickly gathered his wits and told me to start unloading everything out of the truck and onto the higher bank. I could barely open my door we were so far tipped to the side and everything on my seat fell out. It was the first time I’ve seen the underside of the truck. We set to unloading everything we could onto the beach and Francis dug out the wheels. The tide was a foot away from us and I had visions of it being watched away. Here we are in the middle of no where with nobody to help. I said a prayer as Francis tried to get the truck to move. Finally success as he took off just before the waves caught up to the wheel. By the time he reached a safe place to stop he was about a kilometre ahead. I looked at the pile of all our stuff and sighed. It was a long trudge back and forth with all our things in the hot sun but we were so grateful to have not lost the truck we didn’t complain. Adrenalin rush of a lifetime. I can’t even handle the truck being slightly tipped my way anymore without a pain of anxiety now.

After all that we had a nice relaxing stroll through the Pinnacles. I wish I could tell you how they are formed but there seems to be no explanation for it. Alright then… lol.

In Geraldton we purchased our first Rock Lobster which is Australian code for giant Crayfish. At $22 for one we decided that we could split one for sure. We also decided to pick up some swordfish which was cheap as we had never tried that either. We are determined to try new foods here and its something we don’t mind splurging for every once and awhile.

In Kalbarri we met a really nice French couple that told us about a little hidden place called Hutt River. Definitely something you should Google. If you visit Australia I highly recommend going there. We had to back track to go there but it was worth it. We met the Prince and the Princess who were very accommodating and friendly. The Prince reminded me of my Norwegian Papa and I could have spent a whole day talking to him. Hutt River is not advertised anywhere but is actually recognized as a separate country from Australia and we have stamps in our passports to mark our visit there.

Monkey Mia was a huge highlight for us. One day pass actually allows two days of visiting. Here wild dolphins come to visit the beach in one specific area up to three times daily for a feeding of fish. They just show up whenever they like but we were lucky to be there twice when they arrived. We stood in the water calf deep as the dolphins swam by about a two feet away from us. They were so beautiful and graceful in the water. We were told not to put our hands in the water though as they could mistake them for a fish and nip us. Also, if they were in a bad mood they may slap us with their tail.

On our way back inland we stopped at Shell Beach which is literally a beach made up of tiny shells about 10 meters deep. There are no predators for the animals in that area so they’ve just stacked up there for thousands of years. No sand, just shells. Then we stopped at the Telegraph station where we saw buildings made out of the shell. Also in the area is the Hamelin Pool Marine Nature Reserve which is home to Stromatolites which is another of our ancestors. It’s crazy the things that exist that you have never even heard of before traveling.

At this point we figured we better get back to work. According to our harvest trail guide we should have no problem finding work in Carnarvon. We spent about a week there with no success. There were over a hundred backpackers roaming around trying to find work where no work was available. We tried everything we could think of. We looked in newspapers, tried local job agencies, job boards and of course knocking on doors. Nothing. So we parked the truck on the beach for two days and did a whole lot of nothing besides lay around and fish. We did however score very cheap local prawns and blue mud crabs from the local fishery which we enjoyed on the beach.

Coral Bay will always hold a special place in Francis’ heart. This is where he invested in snorkel gear and jumped right into the ocean with our water proof camera. He was super lucky in the water. Besides seeing a ton of gorgeous multi colored fish everywhere he had a chance to swim with sea turtles and reef sharks. The water there was so clear you could see for miles. The light turquoise water against the white sand was amazing. The sea life is so plentiful I would sit on the beach and see fish jumping out of the water. Francis snorkelled the entire way to Exmouth and back inland again.

We spent another week in Karratha looking for work. At this point we decided anything goes. We filled out a ton of retail applications. Every store there was apparently looking for workers because everyone wants to work the Salt or Iron mines nearby. We tried our best but they were all so slow. We spent time in Dampier taking advantage of the cool sea breeze and free showers. We visited the Iron mine and drove by the big salt mine. We also visited a local Aboriginal site where there are ancient carvings in the stones. Karratha proved to offer us nothing in the way of work so we decided to move on.

Broome was a two week stop. While we did look for work we also enjoyed the town as much as we could. There was just so much to see and do there that the time went by quickly for us. Broome is famous for pearls and they were everywhere. We spent a lot of time parked on the beach at Cable Bay. From there we could see the camels go by three times a day. I fell in love with the local book trade store. The library had a free book swap corner as well so I was able to make away with a load of new books for both us at no cost to our suffering pockets. We visited the Sun Picture Gardens which is the worlds oldest still operating picture gardens. I was able to watch Sex and the City 2 at another theatre in town. We strolled through China Town and down to the jetty. The fair came to town and we were able to catch the fireworks that they put on. We were fortunate enough to be there for the “staircase to the moon” phenomenon. Just on the outskirts of town we visited Anastasia’s Pool and tried to see the dinosaur prints located there but the tide was too high. The only unfavourable part of Broome was getting our truck registration completed there. Many no thanks the mechanic there.

Just as we were down to our last couple hundred dollars Francis’ parents saved us with a loan to keep us going on the trip just in case we didn’t find anything. This was a huge relief because as long as we were in one spot we could survive on what we had for quite some time just buying food but in order to move anywhere new to look for work we worried about the price of gas. Thank you Diane and Claude!

Off to the Kimberly we went. Wolfe Creek Crater was amazing! We had heard all the horror stories about it. There was a sad incident involving some backpackers and a maniac from which a true story movie was made. We have not seen the movie yet but it sounds pretty gruesome. We arrived at night and sadly had to pass through three gates in the dark to get into the park. I opened the first gate but when it let out a big scary squeal I ran back to the truck and vowed not to get out again. Francis said I should be the one to do it because if some mad man did come that he would be able to drive away and get help. Hmm I don’t think so! I was relieved when we finally reached the camping area and found 5 other groups already there. In the morning we visited the crater and it was absolutely breathtaking. Well worth the long horrible drive on the Tanami Road which ate our tire like it was a hungry beast.

On our spare tire which looked more like an inflatable tube to me we ventured the 60km road that is so bad it takes 3 hours to drive. Francis got to test out the truck crossing creeks here. The Bungle Bungle Range is amazing. I especially loved the Domes which are a beautiful rock formation that a lot of local airplane companies fly over for tourists. We also climbed the through different chasms and down to the Cathedral Gorge (not to be confused with Cathedral Grove.)

We were feeling a bit discouraged about finding work but decided to make a go for it in Kununurra. The first day we tried the local job shop where they were no help at all and told us we were wasting our time. We got a list of numbers from the visitor center but nobody was hiring. We met a nice man outside the grocery store who told us not to give up and showed us on a map where to try looking for harvest work. We decided to drive around the next day and look. If nothing worked out we would back track and visit Wyndham and the Gibb river road over the weekend and then come back and try again.

BINGO! We finally found work. Not only did we find work but we found a great job with free accommodation and plenty of hours for both of us. Our employers are incredibly friendly and our coworkers are the same. We will make enough here to complete our trip and probably then some. We will also work long enough to secure a second year visa if we choose to return. Now we know why we had such a hard time finding work… because this job is perfect for us and in the end it all worked out as it should

We love it here. The people, the community and our work. More on that later though. I’m sure you’re almost nodding off to sleep reading this blogs longest post ever!

Enjoy the pictures!