Powells Travels: PowellyFamily 2016 AUS TRIP

Heading to the southern area of the Margaret River region, we camped at Conto Springs for a couple of nights. Conto, a great national park campground, back to basics, no power, no water, long drop toilets (or "drop offs" as Cody calls them ) and fires at night. With the weather looking good for the weekend, we spent most of our days exploring the beaches, as well as the town of Margaret River. The self guided caving adventure in nearby Giants Cave was a lot of fun, very different to Ngligi as we had to climb up ladders and rock walls and squeeze through some tight sections. With no lighting other than our torches.

Conto Springs Beach

Joel took a liking to chopping wood.

Spent each afternoon watching the sun set.

Giants Cave

The boys cheered as we turned the corner at the bottom of WA and headed east (homeward bound). Stayed the next couple of nights amongst the Karri Forests at Pemberton. At the Bicentennial Tree, an old fire lookout turned tourist attraction, T climbed the 75m to the top 😩. Boys gave it a good go too much to Mum and Dad's horror, it was not safe!! Timber town in Manjimup with the biggest slippery dip we've ever seen, a hit with the boys. Mum getting everyone lost in the Karri forest turning an afternoon 45minute stroll into a strenuous 2hr walk was not a hit! 😆😂

Locals at our Pemberton campsite

Bicentennial Tree

Can't believe they let people climb this with no safety harnesses.

That platform above is half way.


Super Slide

Only a couple of hours down the road to our next stop at Peaceful Bay, as the name suggests a sleepy little picturesque bay with really lovely camping grounds and great fish and chips. More forest exploring from here including the Valley of the Giants Tree Top Walk, amongst the Tingle Treetops. The walkway which is up to 40m above the forest floor was a little hairy especially when it swayed in the wind!!

Wildflowers

Conspicuous Beach

Valley of The Giants Tree Top Walk

This actually swayed in the wind.

The Grandma Tree, can you see the face ?

The Giant Tingle bases.

After his epic climbing at the Bicentennial Tree, Cody fell from the very non epic tree at our campsite hurting his wrist. After checking into the caravan park in Albany the next day, we spent the afternoon in emergency thinking that his wrist may be broken. After an X ray, Thankfully just a bad sprain.

Mandalay Beach

Elephant Rocks

Peaceful Bay and the tree Cody fell from

Whilst in Albany, we spent a day at the whalers station - very interesting history yet somewhat grotesque. Thankful that AUS is no longer involved in this horrible industry. We also had a great day climbing to the Granite skywalk and a sobering morning exploring the National Anzac Museum.

Granite Sky Walk

The boys man the harpoon on the whaling boat.

Blue Whale Skeleton - It was huge and it was only a small one.

This was a boxing/kicking/wrestling Kangaroo

The Gap. Albany. It was blowing a gale.

Anzac Museum

From Albany we travelled to the beautiful seaside town of Esperance renowned for its turquoise waters and white squeaky sand. Unfortunately just too cold for swimming. The boys did brave the water though during our stay at Lucky Bay in Cape Le Grand NP just east of Esperance. The first time the entire trip the boogie boards have come out! Lucky Bay lived up to its name, also the first time we caught fish (not that we've had too many goes at it though). We also climbed Frenchmans Peak, another walk that freaked mum out. We made it all the way to the top for great views and mobile reception.

The Great Ocean Drive. Esperence

The boys watch a pod of Dolphins.

Kangaroo on the beach at Lucky Bay.

Drove up the beach to experience the beautiful water of Lucky Bay

Frenchmans Peak

View from the top.

Back to Esperance to restock and then begins our adventure across the Nullarbor. First stop is Fraser Range Station, an outback cattle station with the usual outback hospitality. Awesome roast dinner that night and buffet desert bar - heaven!! It's here where we notice that one of the van tyres has worn through to the ply on the inside edge and so we replace it with the spare. We are a long way from any tyre service centre and we have 2 reasonably good tyres - surely we'll be ok to get across the Nullarbor, it's just blacktop after all. WRONG!!!

Fraser Range

The next day we drive to Eucla without incident and stayed on top of Eucla Pass overlooking the Nullarbor Plains and Great Australian Bite. After a bit of sight seeing around Eucla the next morning we push on. After 3 months in WA, we cross the border into SA. We pull over to view the spectacular Bunda cliffs which rise 90m from the Southern Ocean. Here we notice we have a flat on the van. It's blowing a gale, we're on the edge of a 90m cliff in the middle of no where and there's no phone service. Oh shit!! After blowing the tyre up, we only make it another 10km to a rest stop, at least we are away from the cliffs but still 50km to the nearest roadhouse and phone reception. We leave the van to try and sort out a new tyre or a tow but it's late and no luck with either. After spending the night in the van we return to the Nullarbor Roadhouse and find some truckies who try to help us repair the tyre. There's been a two truck road train accident further east closing the road, so there is no chance of a tow or getting through to get tyre replacements. We manage to limp the van the 50km to the roadhouse but too dangerous to go any further. After many more attempts to fix the tyre again that night we push on the next morning only for the tyre to completely blow out 25kms up the road. No choice but to ditch the van leaving it on the side of the road and do the 500km round trip for some new tyres. Argggghhhhh!!!!!

Old Telegraph Station and Jetty at Eucla

Bunda Cliffs looking a lot like a bite.

Poor old van left on the Nullarbor

One upside of the flats was we got to camp out in the middle of nowhere on the Nullarbor

Did plenty of this trying to repair this tyre.

After finally making it to Cactus Beach Desert Camp, we spend the next few days rolling and boogie boarding down the nearby sand dunes and exploring the coastline.