miss ryan

2007-06-04T02:01:00.001+10:00

in the beginning of the 12km bush walk...

rock art sites.

kangaroo.

going up.

thirsty.

the view.

alexi is little.

threesome.

halfway point

2007-06-04T01:57:00.001+10:00

Though we started in the morning, the afternoon was suddenly upon us and it was really, really hot.

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2006-07-04T03:59:00.000+10:00

this was the last of two aboriginal rock art sites on the lengthly walk... this particular area with many many hands stencils drawn over and over eachother are estimated to be over 20 000 years old...

2006-07-04T03:53:00.000+10:00

2006-07-04T03:36:00.000+10:00

the last view of the giant, large, huge rock mass we just finished walking around.

2006-05-21T20:06:00.000+10:00

We arrived in Katherine and chose to visit Nitmiluk National Park. We stayed here at Edith Falls.

2006-05-21T20:01:00.000+10:00

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another sunset, another beer, another swimming hole with waterfalls... we are spoiled regularly.

2006-05-21T19:54:00.000+10:00

and this is Victoria Bridge. This was the one preventing anyone from crossing into the Northern Territory from Western Australia. On the right there is a flood marker. When we arrived in Kununurra and were informed of the road closure, there was 5.83 meters of water over top of this bridge. That's quite a bit more than the sign can indicate.

2006-05-21T19:50:00.000+10:00

Lake Kununurra in Kununurra...we camped here for quite a few days as we unable to cross a flooded bridge about an hour down the highway.

2006-05-21T19:48:00.000+10:00

crocodiles, many many hundreds of crocodiles live in the Lake that we were camping beside for a few days... we went searching for them at night... if you shine a flashlight over the water you can spot their red/orange eyes quite easily. we spotted 15 in about 2 minutes. But they're only 'freshies'.. so they aren't so scary.

2006-05-21T19:43:00.000+10:00

sunset beside the campsite

2006-05-21T19:37:00.000+10:00

At Mirima National Park, we did a short walk through the sandstone moutains and hills.

2006-05-21T19:33:00.000+10:00

the view at the end of the hike.

2006-05-21T19:32:00.000+10:00

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2006-05-21T19:22:00.000+10:00

We went to Broome. We didn't do too much here except relax at this beach. Cable Beach.

2006-05-21T19:19:00.000+10:00

there are many green tree frogs in Broome. they have sticky feet.

2006-05-21T19:07:00.000+10:00

Driving into Karijini National Park. This was the first glimpse of the red rocks and blue skies of the Park.

2006-05-21T19:04:00.000+10:00

Karijini campsite... the red earth of Karijini is red due to its richness of iron ore. according to an aussie we met, in the summer months the sun heats up the earth to such an extent that you would be unable to pitch a tent because the ground gets too hot and can damage your gear... crazy country.

2006-05-21T19:03:00.000+10:00

everything in Karijini is red

2006-05-21T18:57:00.000+10:00

Walking above Dale's Gorge...

2006-05-21T18:56:00.000+10:00

Walking through Dale's Gorge.

2006-05-21T18:55:00.000+10:00

gorge views.

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Fern Pool. This is what was found at the end of the gorge walk.

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rainforest, bottom of a gorge, fresh, clear, water...

2006-05-21T18:46:00.000+10:00

Fortescue Falls. we had the whole place to ourselves for a little while.

2006-05-21T18:43:00.000+10:00

another waterfall/swimming moment.

2006-05-21T18:41:00.000+10:00

another pristine swimming hole.

2006-05-21T18:35:00.000+10:00

We drove into the town of Tom Price at night. We woke up with a view of red red moutains in the morning.

2006-05-21T18:32:00.000+10:00

..also staying at Tom Price Caravan Park...

2006-05-21T18:29:00.000+10:00

parrot.

2006-05-21T18:24:00.000+10:00

On route inland after a fantastic week of ningaloo we encountered mountains for the very first time in a long time....

2006-05-21T18:12:00.000+10:00

sometimes we have to sleep in rest areas at the side of the road. and sometimes these rest areas are home to dingoes.

Cape Range National Park, Exmouth, WA

2006-04-24T01:28:00.000+10:00

Cape Range National Park just outside of Exmouth, may be the most amazing National Park if not most glorious bit coastline in the country. For just over a week a typical day consisted of snorkelling of the beaches around the campsite, lying on the beach, tanning on the beach, eating at the beach, beers at the beach, fishing at the beach, watching kangaroos near the beach, sleeping by the beach, scuba diving off the shores of the beach in Lighthouse Bay...etc. The Ninglaoo Reef is off the coast here so wonderful marine life exists just beneath the water. I wish I could live here.

2006-04-24T01:19:00.000+10:00

And this was where we spent 8 blissful days. The very first morning during a refreshing morning swim (a swim taken each morning thereafter) we saw a turtle, a variety of rays, hundreds of fish and little reef sharks in the shallow water here at the beach.

2006-04-24T01:16:00.000+10:00

Beachside campsite at Tulki Beach.

2006-04-24T01:14:00.000+10:00

Snorkelling then lying on the beach was the major focus of our stay in Cape Range. This was just one of the great snorkelling sites near our campsite, Lakeside. Saw all sorts of things here.

2006-04-24T01:12:00.000+10:00

You could also do a drift snorkel here at Turquoise Bay. Octopus, Sharks sleeping underneath coral, hundreds of colourful fish, etc etc etc were found here while snorkelling right off the beach. The Ningaloo Reef is glorious.

2006-04-24T01:08:00.000+10:00

terrorizing sea creatures.

2006-04-24T01:06:00.000+10:00

kangaroo tracks in the dunes.

Yardie Creek Gorge, Cape Range

2006-04-24T01:02:00.000+10:00

Besides snorkelling, walks were had in this glorious National Park.

2006-04-24T00:59:00.000+10:00

during the walk, Alexi spotted this sleepy kangaroo. typically you only see them at dusk or dawn wondering about, usually darting across the road in front of cars... but apparently they take naps in the afternoon...

2006-04-24T00:56:00.000+10:00

sadly we disturbed him and his friend underneath the bushes with all our carrying on...

2006-04-24T00:54:00.000+10:00

Shark Bay

2006-04-24T00:50:00.000+10:00

Shark Bay. Not as scary as it sounds. Contrary to the terror the name implies, the waters surrounding the Bay are clear, baby blue. and at a high vantage point you can see sharks and rays and all sorts of marine life swimming along. Another beautiful, relatively empty not of coast in WA.

2006-04-24T00:47:00.000+10:00

Little Lagoon near Denham... pristine.

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campsite at Fowler's Bay.

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and in Shark Bay there is Shell Beach. a glorius beach whose sand is made up entirely of shells.

2006-04-24T00:43:00.000+10:00

warm crystal clear water... cannot yet sick of it...

2006-04-24T00:41:00.000+10:00

wonderful pelican.

Monkey Mia

2006-04-24T00:40:00.000+10:00

Monkey Mia Dolphin. It was the first wild dolphin I saw up close and personal.

2006-04-24T00:38:00.000+10:00

over the past 40, 50, 60 years (i wasn't paying full attention to the the dolphins frolicked in front of my feet) a group of wild dolphins have grown used to be fed fish out of the hands of people of the shore of the beach at Monkey Mia...they swim right up to shore, rather close to your feet to investigate pre-feeding.

2006-04-24T00:25:00.000+10:00

dolphin.

2006-04-24T00:22:00.000+10:00

and this is the moment that oh so many tourists wait for... to get chosen amongst the crowd... to be selected to touch a smelly dead fish and have a nice dolphin eat it out of your hand... to interact with the dolphin...it was nice.... though the national park volunteer coordinating MY moment felt the need to continually instruct: "into the water... put the fish into the water... put it in the water... in the water...the fish into.. fish... water.... in the.. fish .... water... put it in the water..."

2006-04-20T23:04:00.000+10:00

Kalbarri National Park. Renowned for the depths and heights of it's red and white banded gorges... no too bad... the water was brown though from the flooding caused by the recent cyclones...peculiar landscape...

2006-04-20T22:59:00.000+10:00

So much colour contrast...

2006-04-20T22:56:00.000+10:00

Nature's Window in Kalbarri National Park... a short walk can bring you to some great places...

2006-04-20T22:54:00.001+10:00

2006-04-20T22:54:00.000+10:00

2006-04-20T22:53:00.000+10:00

2006-04-20T22:52:00.000+10:00

In Kalbarri National Park, the beautiful lookouts were tainted by the presence of thousands of fliess...

2006-04-20T22:50:00.000+10:00

exhibit B

2006-04-20T22:49:00.000+10:00

it's one of those things that guide books and tourist centers do not publicize.... the damn flies... they attack you... head for your nose, ears, eyes... 50, 60 at a time... the 7$ net... what a wonderful purchase....

2006-04-20T22:47:00.000+10:00

To avoid the cyclone ridden northwest coast, we headed inland to what is called the Golden Outback...

2006-04-20T22:45:00.000+10:00

In Cue, we were fortunate enough to be taken on a very exciting excursion. We were exposed to the art of detecting gold... A wonderful couple from Queensland shared their knowledge and lent their very expensive equipment to us... This was the gold hunting site...

2006-04-20T22:42:00.000+10:00

Learning to listen for the sound of gold... The more chatting you do with people in Cue the more you realize that everyone has a Gold story... it is quite addictive. The entire time we were there i scanned the ground for glimmers of shiny rocks... many people have found bits of gold after heavy rainfall just as they were walking through a driveway...

2006-04-20T22:36:00.000+10:00

that's right... that tiny discolouration in Alexi's hand is in fact a piece of gold... very exciting to find gold.... it's like finding money on the ground, accept no one else has ever laid eyes on this little bit before ever... if they had it would have been gone...

2006-04-20T22:29:00.000+10:00

After accepting the fact that some of the main attractions that we came to see in the 'Golden Outback' were impossible for us to get to ...(damn cyclones)... we headed to another tiny town...

2006-04-20T22:26:00.000+10:00

The town of Sandstone... we made it. Yet another town once boasting a large population due to the gold rush and various other types of mining... now I can stand in the middle of mainstreet at 9 in the morning to pose for a tourist photo without the slightest chance of bothering anyone...

2006-04-20T22:22:00.000+10:00

Early morning we headed out to the Heritage Trail of Sandstone... lots of red rocks, breakaways and desert views...

2006-04-20T22:19:00.000+10:00

2006-04-20T22:17:00.000+10:00

and this is what we drove 500+ kms into nowhere to see.... the 350 million year old London Bridge... made from very old stone located in the middle of nowhere really. beautiful view.

2006-04-20T22:14:00.000+10:00

2006-04-20T20:26:00.000+10:00

The Pinnacles Desert in Nambung National Park.

2006-04-20T20:24:00.000+10:00

So, the town of Franklin exposed a Canadian to life on a farm. There were sheep. There were chooks. And there were raspberries. I was only envolved with the latter. Rough work. Tough work. Never had a real sore back until the picking began. i ate alot of raspberries.

2006-04-20T20:20:00.000+10:00

view from the caravan bedroom... too cold... too early....

2006-04-20T20:17:00.000+10:00

farm-shave.

2006-04-20T20:16:00.000+10:00

cold, tired morning picking....

2006-04-20T20:15:00.000+10:00

entertaining myself post-picking. three beers and i was on the floor... it's the whole 5am thing... i became a lightweight... this picture was taken on St-Patrick's Day and is dedicated to my brother who celebrated in Montreal in my stead...

2006-04-20T20:10:00.000+10:00

yes, on a daily basis, we woke up before the sun was up which gave us the opportunity to be privy to some beautiful sites. but these sites can get pretty old, pretty quick. i'm not bitter.

2006-04-20T20:07:00.000+10:00

living quarters... i.e. trailer. i.e. trailer trash. to the left you get a glimpse of the washroom facilities. i.e. outhouse. oh yes, no hot water except during the day if the sun comes out and heats up that black pipe on the ground. either way it's a short hot shower, let me tell ya.... hot hot days, cold nights...

2006-04-20T20:04:00.000+10:00

the regular midday siesta....

2006-04-20T20:01:00.000+10:00

the office.

2006-04-20T20:00:00.000+10:00

Walpole-Nornalup National Park contains the Valley of the Giants... old old very large tingle trees. Some of which are 16 meters in circumference at the base. so they're big.

2006-04-20T19:53:00.000+10:00

not so tall.

2006-04-20T19:52:00.000+10:00

large tree.

2006-04-20T19:48:00.000+10:00

On the way back to Esperance we visited with a local sea lion at the main jetty.

2006-04-20T19:43:00.000+10:00

After too short a stay in Le Grand National Park, we headed back to Esperance to embark upon the Great Ocean Drive. A short 37km loop that exposes you to the beautiful southern coastline.

2006-04-20T19:40:00.000+10:00

endless coast...

2006-04-20T19:32:00.000+10:00

I thoroughly enjoyed the open, empty, white-sandy beaches all along the way...

Le Grand National Park, Esperance, WA

2006-03-24T23:45:00.000+11:00

After the desert, the long driving, the cold winds, the roadhouses and their crummy bathroom facilities, we arrived in Esperance. Said to be the most beautiful chunk of coastline in WA, if not the country... and typically when something like this is talked up, it ain't that special when you get there.
Le Grand National Park exceeded all expectations... Le Grand beach may be the most spectacular beach i have had the opportunity to set foot upon... or more precisely, lay down upon. and i have seen a number of beaches in the past few months...... the white, soft sand... the crystal clear blue water.... the islands that surround it.... the lack of people... all come together here for the greatest of beachside experiences...
and, and it was a 38 degree cloudless day and we had the whole day to frolic and relax and play and do absolutely nothin'.... wish i was there right now...

2006-03-24T23:38:00.000+11:00

oh and at said glorious campsite, you are often awoken by .... wild horses... brumbys, they are called, as the ranger told me.... how f***ing awesome is that ?! sigh... first night there they paid us a visit.

2006-03-24T22:33:00.000+11:00

And just over that sand dune, our tent was set up... Esperance's Le Grand Beach campsite is the most glamourous of National Parks... A beautiful place to start in WA...

2006-03-24T22:30:00.000+11:00

yeah, i just rolled outta bed and went for a morning swim.... Le Grand Beach... i could live here.

2006-03-24T22:28:00.000+11:00

nope... Alexi is not swimming in a pool, it's the glorious ocean water at the glorious beach...

2006-03-24T22:26:00.001+11:00

2006-03-24T22:26:00.000+11:00

Dinner at the campsite.... again, great campsite....