G'day all,

As promised here a just a few of the 276 photo.s we took on our 2 week trip.

I hope you enjoy this small selection.

Best Regards and Safe Travelling.

John

-- Edited by JRH at 17:36, 2008-09-29

John, well done mate, great shots and fantastic memories, I'm going to have to cool my heels for a while before I get to see them again, but I tell you I am green with envy, you are living at the very footpath leading to heavens gates, and yet you managed to keep it down to just 276 HAH!! HAH!!! thats about what I squeeze on to 1 cd and I have got dozens of them as well as miles and miles of video, god we are so damn lucky to live in such a beautifull and bountifull country as ours, and yet a lot of people never see it, good job john, keep it up, fantastic!!!!

G'day Dave,

Thanks for the kind words, I didn't want to put too many photo's on the site, I don't want to bore anyone.

You know the Garden of Eden has been given a new name, it is now called Australia and I live in paradise, not just Western Australia but the country as a whole.

I was looking at the whale through binocculars and quite frankly I was so in awe of what I was seeing I didn't even think about taking a photo, all that was going through my mind was what a magnificent creature this was and remembering that some people still hunt and kill them made me at first very sad and then mad as hell and yes like you I had tears in my eyes.

In the photo's, the second last one was the view west from our caravan site and to sit outside at the end of the day and watch the sunset was absolutely wonderful.

Best Regards and Safe Travelling Friend.

John

In one word John, SPECTACULAR.....Both the subjects and the photography. I found birds the most dificult thing to photograph, a bit like flying a helo, which is like ballancing a ping pong ball on a biro tip while walking on your hands. Birds always seem to avoid being photograped by me. The scenery is breathtaking too.....

where is Kalbarri ? Some of us still have a lot of Aus to discover

-- Edited by Pam at 15:46, 2008-09-29

Basil Faulty wrote:

---

In one word John, SPECTACULAR.....Both the subjects and the photography. I found birds the most dificult thing to photograph, a bit like flying a helo, which is like ballancing a ping pong ball on a biro tip while walking on your hands. Birds always seem to avoid being photograped by me. The scenery is breathtaking too.....

---

G'day Basil,

Thanks for the kind words, I reckon you're correct about the difficulties in photographing birds or any other wildlife for that matter, I believe it is about 1% skill, 1% patience and 98% luck. 

On this last trip I had one rotten bird turn it's back on me, lift it's tail and proceed to relieve itself, didn't really make for a good photo.

I will put some more pics on when I get them all sorted but as I stated in a previous post I don't wish to bore people, I can remember visiting friends and having to sit through their holiday snaps, "and this is me and Annie at the Tower of London", well I can damn well see that from the photo, what am I some kind of an idiot, but protocol and good manners dictate I sit there and ooh and ahh at the appropriate moment.

Best Regards and Safe Travelling.

John


-- Edited by JRH at 15:56, 2008-09-29

G'day Pam,

Kalbarri is about 650 k's north of Perth in Western Australia.  The nearest city is Geraldton about 150 k's south, if you ever get the opportunity to visit  please do so I am sure you will be very pleasantly surprised by the pristine beauty of the area.

Best Regards and Safe Travelling.

John

John we have a couple of people on the forum that I am sure would be fascinated in the area you live in, they are coming from victoria and heading your way, a bit of your knowledge about the area I think would be much apreciated

Hi John

Your photos are fantastic.  I love how you got the birds to pose for you, they must have liked your company.  Well done!  The rock formations around the hole in the rock completely blows me away, love it.   I am a landscape artist and I could sit there and paint that scene over and over again. 

What are your thoughts on the scrubby scenery from Gin-gin up to Geraldton?  I always found that stretch of road quite boring but I am thinking now that perhaps I just needed time to wander and explore and find what is really out there.  You see nothing speeding by in a car. 

I look forward to exploring.

Well done on your trip and good to see you back safe and sound.

Cheers
Frank

G'day Dave,
I will be only too happy to give whatever info I can, maybe you could get the couple from Vic. to contact me or put a message on the forum indicating where their interests lie.  For instance which way are the entering WA, from the East or down from the North.  Assuming they come in across the Nullabor then from Norseman they could head up to the Goldfields, Kalgoorlie and Kambalda where they could tour the Super Pit and the Hannan's North Historic Mining Reserve, Broad Arrow Road, just to mention a few.

Alternately from Norseman they could head South on the Esperance - Norseman Highway and spend a little time in Esperance, Cape Le Grande National Park offers some great scenery and camping at Le Grande Beach or Lucky Bay, both are fine for caravans and most of the roads are bitumen. From Esperance they could then head towards Albany, which is a very pictuesque town with plenty do do and see, there is Whaleworld, the Natural Bridge, the Gap, Salmon Holes and the Blowholes out on Frenchmans Bay Road.  A little out of town is the John Barnesby Memorial Lookout on Melville Drive, Mt. Melville just to name a few spots of interest in that area.  Denmark, 50 k's from Albany is a sleepy little village on the Demark River, Mt. Barker 50 k's along the Albany Highway towards Perth is close to the Stirling Ranges and also has some winery's for the wine buffs.  If fishing is the go then Rest Point CP at Walpole is a great place to spend a few days and there is the treetop walk not far South of Walpole in the Nornalup National Park where one can walk above the Giant Tingle trees.

Closer to Perth is My hometown of Rockingham and Penguin Island where they rescue and rehabilitate Fairy Penguins and well worth a visit as is Mandurah and Pinjarrah.  To be honest my friend there are so many places here that I could still be typing this time next month.  May I suggest a little info on the areas they would like to visit and their timetable.

Frank.

Many thanks for the kind words re my photos, I can agree with your sentiments regarding the hole in the rock (Natures Window) in all honesty a photograph simply cannot do it justice, one really needs to be there to absorb the atmosphere and to stare in awe and wonderment at the spectacular beauty of it all and to speculate on the forces of nature that have sculpted it over the years and will continue to do so for as long as this planet exists thus ever so slowly creating an ever changing scenario.

As for the road between Gin Gin and Geraldton I would assume it would depend on the time of year as to what was available to see and as you so rightly say "you see nothing speeding by in a car"  slow down and if something looks just a little interesting then stop and investigate you will be surprised at what can be found in an otherwise boring looking area. 

Please don't take this the wrong way but I have found most people suffer from white line fever, meaning they see only the white line down the middle of the road, usually because they are driving so fast they have to concentrate very hard on their driving and when they reach their destination they are usually tired and bored stiff, slow down and enjoy the drive, I realise as a retiree I have more time than a working man so my holiday starts the moment I get behind the wheel.  So I have not found the road from Gin Gin to Geraldton boring at all. 

I remember when I was a lot younger and working full time my holiday did not start until I reached my destination as time was at a premium, now I have as much time as I need, depending on him up above of course.

Best Regards and Safe Travelling.

John

Thanks JRH
I am one of those people heading your way for the fist time as Dave06 mentioned from Riverina NSW ( almost VIC)
Hubby and I have a camper trailer and hope to cross the Nullabor next April then head down to Esperance. We like to stay in Caravan Parks,( sorry Dave) and will be away from home somewhere between 5 and 10 weeks.
thought we would take our time and just leave ourselves a week to head home from where ever we end up. At this stage the furtherest West we have been is Yorke Peninsula SA.
We both love to bushwalk and do the things that don't have hefty entrance fees.
Have attached a couple of photos from our last trip.

G'day Pam,

Great photos, I must admit to being a bit of a landscape nut and can look at other peoples photos for ever.

Pam to save me a lot of time as I forgot to copy my post to Drongo & Wendy, could you please take a look at my reply in Question Time.

I hope the info there is of some help to you and please if you have any questions do not hesitate to ask.

I am sure you will enjoy your trip to WA and I can assure you that you will not have time to see it all so maybe another trip at a later date, we will be happy to see you.

Best regards and Safe Travelling.

John

-- Edited by JRH at 16:04, 2008-10-01

Thanks JRH. I know we won't see much of WA next year but when Hubby retires in 2-3 years we will get serious about seeing this lovely country. Forgot to tag my photos. The sunset is at Berri SA and the jetty is Port Germain

oHHHH!!!!! pam you wound me with your wayward non free camping ways, surely a free camp along the bight may just be in the offing HMMMM!!!, you do realise that I will get you in the end, you will see the error in your ways, I looked at that damn photo and didnt realise it was my backyard, I didnt realise it was our little port germein. 5 - 10 weeks, HAH!!! you wouldnt even see the bight in that time, never mind couple of years then you will see everything, most things worth seeing in w.a. is free, I dont personally like the state but I guess someone has to go there, LIKE HELL TRY TO KEEP ME AWAY!!! hey john!!

G'day Dave,

What can I say, WA a major part of the best country in the word, I have lived in WA since 1975 and I havn't seen one tenth of the place yet but I am trying, oh so very trying I know.

Best Regards and Safe Travelling Friend.

John

-- Edited by JRH at 22:58, 2008-10-01

It's a pity work gets in the way of taking long holidays. I walked along the sand beside the jetty at Port Germain as the tide was rolling -well creeping in and made it to the next set of steps just as the water hit them. Next time I may have the sense to walk out along the jetty and back along the sand but then again I wouldn't have had the fun of beating the tide if I had done it that way. Dave I would pass you a bandaid for your wound if I could.

pam many a time I and my family have walked that jetty ladened with crab nets and various other devious paraphanalia for feeding fish (cant catch em) and then had to struggle back with 4 - 5 dozen big blue swimmer crabs plus crab nets and various superfluous paraphanalia which could have been left behind for all the good it did me, I will accept your emotional bandaid for I realise that to which you do not as yet understand will in full time become apparent, and if you understand that please tell me what it meant? any way you will discover free camping and you will wonder what you were doing for all those years, you do know that working really interferes with leisure time, time to give it up, HAH!!! wish we all could!!!