The Kalbarri Report

G’day mates,

Time for the Great Road Trip Report. Since last time, we’ve driven about 4,000 km, moved to a whole different climate and seen and done a few things. We’ve also picked up some Aussie lifestyle, and even cooked up a couple of barbies :-)

So here it goes:

  • From Broome, a 2-day drive in the Kimberley (“the tourist loop”). Prehistoric reefs and freshwater crocodiles.
  • Karijini National Park: gorgeous gorges (hehe).
  • The northwest cape / Exmouth / Coral Bay: snorkeling the Ningaloo reef. Ninga-who? It turns out that in addition to the famous Great Barrier Reef in eastern Australia, there’s a smaller (but still huge) reef on the west coast. “Our” reef is better, because you can step from the beach onto the reef, rather than take a boat like they have to on the east coast. It’s also more pristine and less crowded. We saw lots of coral and fish, some stingrays and manta rays, turtles, even a small shark :-) Also took a quad bike (traktoron) tour in Coral Bay.
  • Shark Bay / Denham / Peron national park: some sightseeing, dolphin games, boat trip to see Dugongs (“sea cows”). 4×4-driving “adventure” through some pretty sandy trails (we made it, barely).
  • Now in Kalbarri, and due to finish the road trip in Perth in 3 days.

Flies

Forget the poisonous spiders, the venomous snakes, killer jellyfish, man-eating crocodiles, great white sharks - the biggest animal problem in Australia are the flies. Not even sandflies, just ordinary flies. As soon as you go out in the open they’re all over you. They’re not particularly interested in garbage; they’re interesting in bothering humans. Insect repellant is candy to them; nothing will stop their holy mission to disturb and harass us until we can’t take it anymore.

Flies are the world’s dumbest creatures. They like to get into the car with us, but as soon as the doors are closed they lose interest completely, and just bang against the windscreen trying to get out. Ron has a Three-Step Method for letting flies out of the car. Dana prefers the more direct Folded Tourist Brochure approach.

Australians (*)

Australians greet strangers by saying “How yer goin’?” We’re still not sure what the proper response is to this greeting.

Australians live outside. This is a huge contrast from Kiwis, who have to live inside because of their wacky climate. That’s why the Kiwis had to invent all sorts of puzzles and card games, and build backcountry huts everywhere. The Aussies have no need for such things. If they get bored, they go to the beach or play sports.

Australians aren’t likely to drive a compact sedan. They’re a lot more likely to drive a 4-wheel-drive vehicle with an attached caravan or trailer (or boat. Boats are even more common in NZ, but they don’t have to be driven around as much).

Australians hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are beaches, fishing, and the pursuit of barbecue. A barbecue is a big sheet of metal that’s heated from underneath by a gas stove. It’s how Aussies usually cook their food, and it’s the reason why cooking oil in Australia is often sold in spray cans.

(*) Actually, this description is probably better suited to West Australians, but it’s such a bother to write “West Australians” all the time.

The Camper

Our vehicle is called a Bushranger, but we usually call it the camper or “hasoos” (which means approximately “the horse”). It’s a heavy duty 4-wheel-drive Holden (that’s an Australian auto company) with a small living area attached. Inside is a huge fold-up double bed (we can rotate our sleeping position 90 degrees if we like), a small table and chairs, a sink and faucet, a small fridge/freezer, inside and outside lighting, a portable stove and fuel, and some closets with just about everything we might need (it all came with the camper). The lighting and fridge are powered from a dedicated battery (charged by the engine’s power), or an electrical socket that we connect while in caravan parks.

We didn’t think we’ll end up renting something like this, but it turned out beautifully, and touring in it has become an important part of the adventure. We’re handing it back once in Perth and taking a small car instead, since the nature of the area south of Perth is quite different (shorter distances, more civilization, fewer dirt roads). But we’ll definitely miss it when it’s gone.

Happy journeys to everyone, and have a great Passover,

- Ron & Dana