Thursday, June 3, 2010

The Way Down (May 23-June 2)


The return to Perth started with yet another broken promise.  For those that do not know, I come from a long line of morning people.  I can still see my Grandpa Itch, standing in his kitchen cooking breakfast in his boxers, singing a little tune at 6AM.  My grandparents on my mom’s side were hard working farmers and adhered to the early to bed early to rise mantra of America’s bread basket.  So I guess you could say that both nature and nurture had a hand in allowing me to wake up most days smiling at the world.  My wife on the other hand, is a different story.  To her, waking from sleep is a fundamental violation of her rights as a living being.  Most mornings it honestly takes well over 15 minutes after waking for her to be able to form coherent words, let along sentences. 


Well, after the dive trip I had promised we could sleep in and take it easy on our first day heading south.  After a bit of discussion however, we realized she sorely needed a work day to catch up, leaving me with a “free day.”  One option was to sleep in and then drive all the way to Monkey Mia (10 hours), where there would be very little to keep my ADHD mind at bay. Or, we could get up at 5am, leave Exmouth by 6 and be in Coral Bay by 8 where I could go diving and snorkeling with manta rays.  To her credit, it only took me 30 seconds of begging before she acquiesced.  So at 5am then next morning the alarm went off and it was still dark out.  We broke down the bed, had a bite to eat, and we were on the road by 6:10.  We had to drive slowly to avoid the critters, but before long we were treated to a beautiful sunrise.


On our way we saw a couple of emus running in the bush and a dingo feeding on some road kill.  We were in Coral Bay by 8.  Lindsay checked into the caravan park and I checked in at the dive shop.  The 2 dives that day were pretty good, but the highlight was swimming with the manta rays.  These huge rays, some of which reach 12 feet across, live in the waters off this part of the reef eating the same plankton that attracts the whale sharks.  The rays have two distinct methods of feeding: “line” and “barrel.”  Line feeding is self explanatory, but the barrel feeding is wild.  These huge beasts do barrel rolls over and over, with their mouths open scooping up their minuscule prey.   We got to see quite a few, but the recent storm had stirred up the water, hindering the visibility.





Once the trip was over, I returned to my working woman in her van and escorted her down to the beach for a glass of wine and yet another out of this world sunset. 


The next morning we slept in a bit (see, I’m not so bad) and hit the road.  This was a big driving day and nine hours later we finally arrived at Shark Bay.  Shark Bay is made up of two peninsulas running parallel to one another surrounding a shallow, warm, hypersaline sea.  These unusual conditions allow not only for exceptional biodiversity but for some as rare forms of life as well.   Our first stop was to visit one of these rarities, the stromatolites.  According to the science experts, these stromatolites are rock-like byproducts of cyanobacterial life, and that bacteria has been in existence for about 2.7 billion years.  This is a staggering and amazing thought…until you arrive.  In 2002 there was a competition in Australia for the most overrated tourist attractions and the Stromatolites of Shark Bay beat out “Australia’s Oldest Pair of Thongs” located in Kuranda and “The Big Jar O’ Vegemite” outside of Sydney.  Okay, I'm making that up, but to me the submerged stromatolites in the shallows were underwhelming to say the least.



Lindsay of course with her geology fetish was enthralled.  We spent our time with the stromatolites and drove another hour to our final destination of the day Monkey Mia.  Monkey Mia (no one is quite sure where the name came from) is a small caravan park/resort in a remote part of the peninsula that exists for one reason: dolphins.  For over 40 years, wild dolphins have been coming to the beach in front of Monkey Mia for some early morning handouts.  There are apparently over 10,000 Indonesian bottle nose dolphins that live in Shark Bay, and every morning as the sun rises, between 2 and 30 dolphins show up to swim in the shallows and get a fish.  


Lindsay was not about to miss an opportunity to get close to some wild dolphins, so the next morning we were up very early and on the beach before sunrise.  Soon we could see a couple of dorsal fins off appearing then disappearing in the distance.  As they moved closer, we discovered this was a female dolphin and her baby.  They both moved right up in the shallows and started looking at the crowd.  The docent/volunteer lady soon showed up and told everyone to step away from the beach because the feedings would be postponed until after 8.  They did this in an effort to prevent the animals from arriving too early.  We were a touch peeved, but as responsible, environmentally conscious individuals, we returned to our campervan to wait the 45 minutes until the feed.  No more than 5 minutes after getting to our van, we heard the sound of a voice on the speaker down by the beach.  We quickly returned to the beach only to find the woman had lied and the first feeding was over.  Well, Lindsay saw red.  Truckers and pirates say nicer things under their breath when they are upset.  I was just glad she no longer cared that she had been forced out of bed so early.



Once Mt. Linsuvius had settled, we hung out on the beach, watched a great National Geographic documentary on the dolphins of Shark Bay, and waited in the hopes more dolphins would return for another feeding.  Then we waited some more…but no dolphins.  Finally, we abandoned our vigil and Lindsay worked in the van while I hung out playing a little guitar.  In the middle of playing I heard Lindsay getting excited and in a pressured whisper she said, "look who's behind you!"  I turned around to find a full grown emu just hanging out next to us in the caravan park.


Once that big bird had left, we packed up and drove to the other side of the peninsula to visit Ocean World, a low budget but thoroughly entertaining aquarium.  There we met a couple of sea snakes, Tina (the only captive tiger shark in Australia), squid, eels, and a host of other critters.


Later we drove to a Eagle Bluff cliff where we could see sharks swimming in the waters below.  Before going to bed that night we decided we would get up early yet again and give it one more shot at the dolphins.  Boy, that was a good idea.


The next morning started the same as the day before.  Same beach, same crowd, same beautiful sunrise.  Only this time, 20 minutes after we got there, there were 15 dolphins slowly cruising in the shallows.  Apparently they have very good above water vision and you could see them swimming with one eye out of the water looking at the crowd.  It was an awesome sight and Lindsay was VERY happy.  We watched for about 45 minutes and as soon as they received their fish, off they went back to sea.




Once it was over, we hopped in the van and continued south down the Great Northern Highway.  This was another long day and it soon became apparent we would not make it all the way to Perth as we had hoped.  We ended up having to stop at a caravan park equivalent to the Bates Motel.  A weather system had moved in during the day so it was windy and stormy as we pulled into the eerie caravan park.  The guy behind the counter who checked us in could have starred in the Australian version of Deliverance.  The park was filled with broken down campers and cars on blocks.  That night as the wind howled and the rain thundered down I triple checked that we had locked the doors.  The next morning, still very much alive, we got on our way early and headed down toward Albany on the southwest coast of WA.
While on the road we were treated to a bit of a drizzle that resulted in some of the best rainbows either of us had ever seen.


In one day we went from the dry, red-desert scrubland north of Perth to some of the most beautiful evergreen forests I have ever laid eyes on.  The drive kept getting better and better and the trees kept getting bigger and bigger.  We ended our southern voyage in the town of Denmark at a riverside caravan park.  After our last big day of driving, we went to bed early again. 





The next morning we set off heading west along the coast.  We had agreed that after the last few days of power driving, this should be a relaxing “cruisy” day.  We started with a nice walk on the beach before ending up at Bartholomew's Meadery, a shop that specializes in all thing made from honey.  They even have a working beehive inside the shop connected to the outside world by a plastic tube.  Very cool.  We did a little mead tasting and bought some award winning wildflower honey.  A few kilometers down the road we stopped in the toffee factory where I purchased some wonderfully bittersweet strawberry cider.  By late morning we had arrived at the Valley of the Giants, a forest containing a grove of tingle trees that reach up to 80 meters high.  In the park there is a walkway set up that takes you 60 meters above the forest floor and a nature trail that weaves around these behemoths.



We stopped for lunch at the town of Pemberton and then proceeded to the town's main attraction, the Gloucester Tree.   This tree is old and tall.  It is so tall that it was once used as a post for fire fighters to look out over the forest and scout for smoke.  When they first started using it, a belt and special spiked shoes were required to climb to the top.  Then, 80 years ago the tree was pegged to allow the firefighters easier access to the lookout hut at the top.  Pegging was a simple process.  Iron pegs were hammered into the side of the tree all the way around, forming a kind of spiral staircase up to the hut 60 meters (180ft) above the ground.  Time passed and ultimately the airplane took over most of the fire-spotting duties.  So now the tree’s main purpose it to encourage 35 year old idiots to tempt fate and climb to the top.  As if on cue I showed up and started my ascent.  Just prior to our arrival it had started to drizzle, which to me fell outside of the “inclement weather” the warning sign at the base of the tree described.  I have done many, many stupid things.  Some of them have been scary.  But this very well may have been stupidest and scariest thing I have ever done.  Half way up (90 feet) the drizzle became a downpour.  To make a long and horrifying story short, I made it up and back down in one piece.  And I can promise you here and now, that will be the last pegged eucalyptus over 50 meters I will ever climb. EVER! 


Once down, Lindsay and I made the executive decision to move on and after two hours of driving through small roads in dense forests, we arrived at Margaret River.  This town and the surrounding area (about 3 hours south of Perth), is Western Australia’s answer to the more well known Barrossa and Hunter Valleys out East.  More than 150 vineyards can be found in the general area along with numerous caves, spectacular surf, and a laid back vibe that both Lindsay and I really fell for.


We had two great days of relaxing, sampling some rippa cabs and savs and taking a break from the mac 'n cheese/canned soup dinner lifestyle we had become accustomed to.  On our first day we charmed our way into a table for lunch at Voyager Estate, and Lindsay proceeded to purchase and drink a $25 GLASS (not bottle) of 2001 Cabernet.



That night we traded the gas stove in the van for a wonderful dinner at the award winning restaurant at Leeuwin Estate.  The next morning we had a short paddle on the Margaret River and visited a few other vineyards and a brewery before shooting north toward Fremantle.





We spent the night in a caravan park just south of Fremantle's city center so in the morning we got up and went right into town.  It was Monday morning so things were a bit sleepy in Freo.  We wandered the streets and visited the WA shipwreck museum which had the remains of the ill fated Batavia.



For those that don’t know, the crew of the Batavia were the first Europeans to ever set foot on the Australian continent.  Back in 1629 the ship was bound for the spice islands when it crashed on a reef in WA.  Once the ship broke up, the captain and a few loyal sailors went out in search of help while back at the wreck one of the crewmen went mad, led a religiously fueled mutiny, and ended up killing over 100 men, women and children.  Crazy stuff.  Before departing Freo, we stopped into the Little Creatures brewery down by the water for a pizza and a pint.  We then drove the 19 kilometers up the Swan River to Perth, the capital of WA.  Lindsay had to work so we stopped the van near a park and I went to see Robin Hood downtown.  After that…you guessed it.  We went to the caravan park and checked in.





The next day in we had a leisurely morning walk around the CBD, a scheduled conference call with Lindsay’s work, a picnic lunch in the sunshine, a beautiful tandem bike ride around the Swan River, and a peaceful early evening in King’s Park overlooking the city.  As we drove back to the caravan park, I noticed Lindsay was quiet.  When I asked her what was up she sorrowfully reminded me this was to be our last night in "the mobile cocoon.”  Yep, that is what she called it.  Her words not mine.  We ate Irish stew and crashed.

The Margaret River Coast



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