Australia Adventure: West Coast Story Pt 1

All great journeys begin with saying goodbye.

It was a few days after the BBQ, and Hus and I had organized ourselves to undertake an ambitious drive up the West coast of Australia. We knew the route, we knew the attractions, and we were ready to begin. We had decided to leave the morning of April 29th, allowing us one final weekend in Perth. All that was left was to bid farewell to our hostel and the people that we had come to call friends during our stay there. Our plan was to be back in Perth in a months’ time so it was more of a ‘until we meet again’ scenario. Nevertheless, the goodbyes took place over a week of partying and drunken conversations, and a final goodbye wave.

The morning of our departure, Hus and I packed the van with our luggage and set off to pick up fuel, supplies and food. It took us a while to buy everything so we didn't end up leaving Perth till 2:30 in the afternoon. But after picking up beer, rum and some McDonalds we climbed into the van and hit the highway. An adventure was unfolding and I was the protagonist.

Our Beast of a van!

As I mentioned in my last post, Hus had purchased the van we were traveling in. As a retrofitted prisoner-transportation vehicle, it made for perfect home for our month away. The driver-passenger compartment was segmented from the rest of the vehicle by a metal divider and what we can only assume was bulletproof glass. The engine sat beneath the seats of this Mazda e2000 and the van featured industrial sized air conditioners on its roof. The middle compartment of the van featured a mattress on top of a wooden frame that acted as a storage area. There were built in cabinets towards the back and curtains across the window for some privacy when needed. The rear compartment of the van had been transformed into a kitchen/pantry which we used to store our considerable food supply. The van had come with various kitchen utensils and a sink attached to the back swing door, which was secured by a padlock. All in all, I think we were suitably equipped to survive a likely zombie apocalypse, and appropriately ready to begin a drive up the coast.

We drove a few hours to the town of Cervantes where we decided to set up camp for the night. Unfortunately, the camping ground wanted a $10/person fee and we were having none of that. So we decided that we would come back to it later that night and stay in the parking lot. We needed no tents (as we could sleep in the van) so we felt we were justified in our decision. While we waited for a later hour to return to the lot, we drove to the beach and had some dinner. Dinner of course consisting of a bowl of Froot Loops cereal! We were both tired and didn't care to make a fuss over our first dinner on the road. While we were downing our cereal, we ended up meeting a couple who was also traveling up the west coast. Vivianne was from France and Alex was from Germany, so Hus and Alex of course had some bonding to do. We discovered that they were going to do the same thing as us in regards to parking and camping for the night. We bid them good luck and drove on back, both of us sure that we would meet them again.

The rest of the night passed and we woke early to hit the road. The general rule for road trips here in Australia is to drive till dusk, turn in early and rise with the sun. This way you get to make the most of your day. And make the most we did. Hus had previously met two German girls (Anne and Tabea) who were also on a West coast trip, so he wanted to catch up with them. They were about two days ahead of us, so we drove fast to reach them. Unfortunately, fast for our van was 90 km/hour. Any faster and we felt we were going to burn out our engine [foreshadowing]. We also felt the engine heating up and the temperature gauge was reaching 80%.

We passed through Geraldton and on towards the Hutt River Province where the girls would be. The Hutt was a small bit of land whose owner had managed (through technicalities) to designate as a separate territory within Australia. And as such you could get your passport stamped as if you had exited the country. So once we located the two girls, this is exactly what we did!

Anne and Tabea had been traveling Australia for the past few months, driving from Adelaide to Perth. Both were young, curious and excited to travel. We enjoyed our time with them in the Hutt and decided to drive up the coast together. They had their station wagon which served as their bed at night, and a roof rack that held a great deal of supplies. As we began our journey it was not difficult to see the connection between Hus and Anne. It would seem that a romance was blossoming.

Shell Beach Baby!

The next few days took us to Shell Beach, an area whose beach consisted solely of shells! No sand whatsoever, just beautiful bivalves. We also saw stromatolites (remnants of ancient algae matts) along the way, including still living ones! We took a drive through Denham and onto Monkey Mia, a resort on a peninsula. Here we took a kayak trip along the beautiful bay, landing on a sandy beach and basking in the warm sun. Later that night we were accosted by pesky emus who succeeded in stealing two of our bread rolls!

One of the most immediate benefits of having Anne and Tabea as travel mates was the improvement in cooking. They took over the daily cooking rituals and created amazing meals of pasta, salads and mix-mashes of all sorts of food. Hus and I compensated for this by becoming the dish washers. A fine trade off if you ask me!

Pesky Emus!

The next morning we woke up early to see the dolphins. They did not disappoint, as they came up to the shore and entertained the crowd while enjoying the reward of fresh fish. After having our fill of the dolphins, we drove on up to Carnarvan. It was during this drive that our van began to overheat, the temperature gauge hitting 100% heat. We checked with a mechanic in Carnarvan and he figured that we needed a new viscous fan hub. The problem with the van was that the cooling fan had separated from the crank from the engine and was no longer turning with its revolutions. This meant big problems for the cooling system. Unfortunately, this part had to be shipped up from Perth, would cost $200 and would take four days to reach Carnarvon. This we could not do. So Hus decided to keep pushing ahead and maybe search for a used part in one of the other towns.

We left the town late and drove north in search of a free campground. Unfortunately night descended on us and we found ourselves driving in the dark. Night time driving in Australia is not a safe option for travelers. Kangaroos are out and about in abundance (much like our deer’s in Canada) and wandering cattle are a definite issue. Even more unfortunate was the discovery that the girls’ headlights had burnt out, causing them to come a few metres to hitting a large cow. Hus and I took the lead in the van and cruised on till we found a decent area to camp for the night. We could tell from the sound of waves and the unforgiving wind that we were by the ocean. After a quick dinner we hopped in the van and watched a movie before calling it a night.

Morning Sunshine!

Waking with the sun in the morning, I lifted back the curtain to see what lay beyond our van. I stared in awe at the ocean, waves crashing against the limestone rocks that buffered the bay. We were only about ten metres from the water, a perfect backdrop for breakfast. After enjoying the beauty of our late night refuge, we made our way to the camping ground we were in search of the night before. The day was spent snorkeling around the coral reef in the bay and mingling with our Ozzie neighbors.



After this rejuvenating experience, we made our way on to Coral Bay. This is where we would swim with whale sharks! Unfortunately, our van was not as excited as we were and we had to stop several times to let the engine cool. Hus decided that we needed that fan hub and we made a call to have it ordered up to the town of Exmouth. Upon reaching Coral Bay, we drove into a caravan park and booked a site for a few days. One of our neighbors was an older Ozzie hippie named Shayne. He had many great stories and was traveling in a retrofitted Banana bus. Later that night, Tabea went to bed early and I could tell Anne and Hus wanted some time alone so I took a walk down to the beach. It was dark outside and the Milky Way was perfectly visible. I threw down my towel, stuck in my earphones and put on some deadmau5. Listening to the phenomenal vibes of this Canadian DJ while staring up at the vast expanse of our night sky brought me closer together with the universe. The hour that I lay on that beach was a transcending experience and I came away with a feeling of calm.

Rescued!

And then came the whale sharks. We set off early on a Tuesday morning on a boat with about 20 others, sailing north up the coast into deeper waters and darker weather. We were all suited up in wetsuits and snorkel gear and enjoyed our first stop where we got to snorkel around the Ningaloo reef. I was excited to be snorkeling around this amazing coral reef and took off on my own away from the group, diving as far down as I could before the pressure affected my ears. We climbed back on the boat and continued on our search for the sharks. The company we had booked with had two spotter planes in the sky, flying a grid across the reef searching for their prey. On the way, we spotted a stranded bird in the water. One of the guides managed to dive into the water and rescue it, bringing it aboard. Its wing seemed to be broken and we gave it shelter in a box until we could deliver it to Coral Bay at the end of the day.

Ready to Snorkel!

Hours went by and there was no sign of a whale shark. The absence of the beasts and the presence of cloudy skies made for a degrading atmosphere on the boat. You could hear the grumbles breakout around the boat and sour faces made for poor company. And then came a shout from the captain. A whale shark had been spotted! The boat went into super speed mode and we were rocked back into our seats by the sudden propulsion. Smiles crept back onto faces and the harsh tension that permeated the boat only seconds earlier was replaced with hope and excitement.

Stunning!

We furiously whipped on all our equipment and made our way to the back of the boat, awaiting the order to dive into the water. The captain stopped the boat and we waited in silence, watching the hand of our guide for the signal. Suddenly it was given and we dove into the blue depths. I managed to get on the right hand edge of the crowd and tried to get away from the mass of flippers and thrashing bodies. I whipped my head to the right in frantic search of the beast and was immediately rewarded. A whale shark, at least eight metres in length was swimming away from our group. The sight of this giant fish hit me hard, sending feelings of awe and respect through me. It must have only been milliseconds, but I froze in the water for what seemed an eternity. And then I moved. My body was propelled through the water in rapid frantic bursts of excitement and fear that I would miss my chance to swim with the beast.

Wassup Posse!

I kept my arms cascading in front stroke, full speed ahead to keep up with the shark. It began to dive and I stayed above it looking down as it slowly disappeared into the depths. Its body sheltering a small posse of smaller fish and its tail waving goodbye to the spectators above. As we climbed back aboard the boat, it was hard to miss the excitement of everyone on board. We quickly regained our seats and began another journey to find another whale shark.

We had two more sightings that day. And on the third, I came closer to the shark than is recommended. We are supposed to stay at least four metres away, mostly due to the danger posed by the tail of the shark. One hit from this fanning tail and you would be sent spiraling down in the water, possibly unconscious. I was at this recommended distance from the shark when it began to turn. The momentum of its turn pulled me closer to it, bestowing upon me a spectacular view of the beast. And then I was quickly yanked back by my guide in a flurry of bubbles and smashing flippers. That was my last view of the whale shark, but I left the water that day feeling immensely fulfilled and satisfied with the endeavour.

It began to rain that night so we offered Anne and Tabea the comfort of the van while Hus and I camped in their tent. We awoke around midnight to the sound of thunder and the flash of lightening. The entire sky was lit up and the heavens were pouring forth fountains of water, cascading down from the grey clouds above. Our tent was safe and dry inside, yet Hus decided it would be safer to sleep in the van with the girls. I thought about joining them but I realized that it wouldn't be very comfortable with four people sleeping in there. Besides, I was having too much fun! The experience of a lightning storm in a tent was too much for me to pass up, so I remained. I consider it the perfect end to what had been an amazing day.

The next day we packed up, dried off and made our way to Exmouth, where I shall pick up the story next time.


Check out Australia Adventure: Phase I!
                 Australia Adventure: Phase II!
                 Australia Adventure: Phase III!


Join the Facebook Group!