Australia Adventure: To the Top End!

It was the morning of May 23^rd and I was leaving Broome on a drive up to Darwin. This trip would span about 2000 kilometres and take me from Western Australia to the Northern Territory. I woke early and began packing my bags and removing everything that I had brought with me from Hus’ van. I mailed a few postcards I had written up and settled financial accounts with Hus and the girls.

I was to meet Camila and Mela at Woolworths for 10am, so Hus drove me to the store. It was to be our final drive together so we tossed on our theme song and rocked out to Robyn one last time.

My New Ride!

I met the girls in the parking lot, scanning the surrounding vehicles for our rental car. They walked me over to what would be our ride, a green Holden Cruze CDX. This five seater car would be perfect for our trip, having enough space to seat us three and hold all of our luggage. The only drawback was the lack of a four wheel drive. This would mean that we would have to skip the Bungle-Bungles, a 4WD-only national park that featured cool geological structures. C’est la vie, there are worse things in life to miss!

Hus and I then bid each other a final goodbye. We figured it might be the last time we would see each other in Australia and left open invitations to visit in our respective countries. It had been a good trip up the West Coast and I thoroughly enjoyed traveling with him.

And that was that. One chapter of my travels had just finished and another chapter was about to begin. The two girls and I spent a few hours filling our car with supplies and left Broome at 2pm, driving a few hours before finding a rest stop to camp in. That first night was spent playing rummy and getting to know one another. We did not have a propane stove with us so our dinner consisted of bread, lunch meat and cheese! This was also the first time that I would be sleeping in my own tent, as there was no room in the car like there had been in the van. This would mark the beginning of a tent trend in my travels.

Geikie!

The next day we drove past Fitzroy Crossing and stopped at Geikie Gorge National Park. This small park had a short river walk and was our first chance to see a crocodile! We had entered croc territory so naturally we were all very excited to find one. But not a single croc did we find. We spent over an hour on the walk and didn’t see any of them. O well, we would have plenty of more opportunities, so we drove on past Hall’s Creek, stopping at another camp ground. We bonded that night over a few beers, two episodes of Modern Family and some cereal!

We made it to Katherine the next day, stopping at their information centre in order to figure out which national park to visit before making it to Darwin. There are two famous national parks in the Top End, Litchfield and Kakadu. After talking to the information guide, we decided Lithchfield would make more sense for us time-wise. Kakadu was much bigger, needing at least four days and a 4WD to experience it.

Awww yeah!

After refuelling and resupplying, we left Katherine and hit the road up to Darwin. We found a camping ground (full of Aussies and their camper vans) and decided to pitch our tents there. We had decided to make this night our party night, so we had purchased more beer in Katherine and some red solo cups and ping pong balls. Yep, we were going to play beer pong! We had a great picnic table for the game and we started it up. Mela had played before and considered herself a pro, while Camila had never played this drinking game. Being Canadian, I obviously had some experience in the game of beer pong. However, this night I failed. I was awful, I rarely sunk a ball. It was a terrible night to be a Canadian. Camila, however, did great! She surprised us all by winning most of the rounds.

It was during one of these rounds that we were approached by an aboriginal, absolutely drunk out of his mind. His name was Allan and he was adamant that he wanted to be our friend and join in with us. It was not difficult to see the longing looks he gave the bottle of rum that sat on our table and the looks he was giving Mela, even extending his hands to touch her hair. This was getting uncomfortable so I decided to try to lead him away from our table and back over to his friends on the other side of the camping ground. It was actually a difficult task, as Allan tried to sit down and stay at our table, but with the help of an older Australian traveler, I managed to convince him to return to his friends. Crisis averted!

I returned to the table and we switched games over to California Kings! We enjoyed the rest of the night and capped it with some Modern family.

And then it was on to Litchfield National Park! I had a good feeling about this next stop and was excited to reach it. Our first visit was the termite mounds. Giant, magnetic termite mounds. Australia is rich with termites and we had seen smaller mounds all up the west coast and on the drive to Darwin, but these ones were different. Reaching up to five metres tall, these mounds housed millions of termites, and displayed magnetic characteristics. They were also aligned in a north-south direction in order to shield one another from the harsh rays of the sun at midday. An impressive feat.

Termite Mounds!

Next, we made our way to Florence Falls. This was to be the start of my weekend adrenal rush. Florence was a beautiful waterfall, standing at twenty-five metres tall, and featuring a dual shower of cascading water into a large pool. Unfortunately, we had to share Florence Falls with other swimmers. About thirty others in fact. It was the weekend and it seemed like everyone had driven down from Darwin to experience Litchfield NP. Families, students, teenagers, and tourists had flocked to Florence and coloured the water with their bathers. Mela, Camila and I swam around the pool, enjoying the cascading water of the falls upon our heads. I saw a few people jumping from cliffs around the falls and I immediately wanted in. I climbed a little ways up the falls and dove into the water. Such a great feeling. I then followed some of the crowd up a cliff wall, hanging onto a tree that had squeezed itself into the rock, and flipped off the ledge there.

Florence!

There was a taller ledge on the right side of the pool and I had seen a few people jump off that so I made my way up and found a girl sitting up there, afraid to jump. And to be honest, she had good reason to be afraid. There were rocks visible in the water that would definitely inflict some damage on a jumper. So I climbed further up and to the right. I saw a spot in the water that seemed to be a decent place to land, and began to psych myself up for the jump. Before jumping, I paused and enjoyed the view from the top. Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. And then with a final look down, I jumped from the ledge. As I fell, nearing the water with every passing millisecond, I saw a mrock that was way too close to where I would land. I entered the water, my eyes focussed on the large rock that was only a metre away. I was lucky I had missed it. Way too close for comfort. However, this did not strike the fear of God into me, and I surfaced, excited and looking for my next jump. I found it by looking up at Florence Falls herself. I had seen a few people jumping from the twenty-five metre height, so why not me.

Oh hi!

I climbed up the falls, taking care to place my feet and hands in solid grooves and using the occasional tree root to pull myself up. I made the top in good time and took a look around. Just like the previous ledge, the top of the falls offered a spectacular view. As I looked down, I noticed I had the attention of the other swimmers in the pool. I knew then that I couldn’t disappoint. I spent a few minutes judging the water below, deciding the best place to land. This was the tallest height I had ever jumped from so I needed extra psyching to let go and jump. I switched my position on the ledge, threw my arms back three times, paused, and dove. As I descended, I flipped my body in a somersault and landed in the water feet first. I plunged deep, dragged down by the momentum of my jump. I remember looking up at the day light through the water and reaching for the surface. I broke through the water and took a gasp of air, my face breaking into a smile. I had just flipped from Florence Falls and I loved it! Fortunately, I had gotten Camila to film my jump so I have a record of all of this which I have shared on my Facebook.

We left the adrenalin rush of Florence and spent the evening at the Buley Rockhole. This was a nice calming way to end the day, relaxing in the rock pools. At the camping grounds we met our neighbours and shared their fire. They were from South Africa and we enjoyed conversing with them about their country, their travel experiences, politics, science and the universe. It was an interesting evening.

Tolmer Falls!

We begin the next day with a trip to Tolmer Falls. This waterfall was much taller than Florence and the pool below was closed to visitors due to its sensitive ecosystem. The three of us took the walk around the falls, leaving the recommended path near the end and making our way into the river. Mela and I continued through the rock outcrops and the water on towards the cliff. We discovered an arch that extended over the river at a height of about ten metres, and I immediately wanted to make my way onto the middle of it. I slid across the rock and hung my legs over the edge of the arch. It felt cool to be sitting there, enjoying the surrounding view. The adrenalin rush had begun.

Wangi Falls!

Next up was Wangi (pronounced Wong-guy) Falls, a spectacular dual stream waterfall with a swimming pool. Unfortunately, a crocodile had been spotted in the water, and the pool was now closed to visitors. We walked the trail up to the top of the falls and enjoyed the view our effort had given us. As we walked back down, I stepped off the path to get a picture of the falls from a different angle. I was in my swimming trunks and felt my leg snap a spider’s web. I froze and looked down. There, sitting on the left leg of my trunks was a golden orb spider. I freaked, yelled a little and sent the spider flying with a swipe of my hand. I did not want to get bit! I later found out that the golden orb will leave you with a nasty bite, but it is not that dangerous. Phew!!

Das Golden Orb!

Camila began to feel the heat of the day so she stayed at Wangi Falls while Mela and I drove on and explored Greenant Creek and Tjaetaba Falls. We then moved onto the Cascades, walking up to Curtain Falls. As we sat in the pool, Mela removed two beers from her bag, Toohey’s Extra Dry. It was a great way to experience the falls.

On our way back to the car, we began collecting firewood for the night. After storing it all away in the trunk, we reached for the car doors. They were locked so I looked to Mela to open them. She stared back, and then the realization dawned on me. The keys were in the trunk. The same trunk that we had stored all the firewood and subsequently closed just seconds ago. This was not good. We had no spare key, we were about thirty kilometres from Camila back at Wangi Falls, and darkness was soon approaching. I knew exactly what I needed to do. Springing into action I alerted two other travelers in the parking lot and they offered to drive me to a place to make a phone call. I knew the ranger’s station was not too far away and would have both internet and phone service, which is what I needed to secure our safety. Mela would stay with the car while I went with the tourists, a couple from France. Upon reaching the ranger, I explained the situation to him and he let me use his office. It takes me three phone numbers, but I finally reach someone who can help us. They arrange for a guy to drive down from the nearest town, however he would arrive later that night probably around 9 or 10pm. I say probably as they had only succeeded in getting his answering machine. So, I had no idea if he would truly be coming to help us tonight.

I left my information with the ranger, who was incredibly helpful. He was actually a former geologist so we talked a little about rocks and the industry.

The French couple drove me back to Mela and I thanked them for their help. I decided the best thing to do was for myself to remain with the car for the night and for Mela and Camila to go back to the campsite where our tents were. I waved down the last remaining tourists at the Cascades and got them to take Mela and pick up Camila along the way, dropping them off at the camp. I learned that the tourists, a New Zealander named Dean and his girlfriend, would be driving back in my direction on their way to their camp. So I convinced him to bring back my tent, so I could camp out in the parking lot if it came to that.

I waved as they drove off, leaving me in the dark. Alone. This was the first time I had been truly alone in a long time. And I mean isolated. There was probably not another human around for fifteen kilometres. It felt weird. I began pacing back and forth, waiting for Dean to return. The surrounding forest was filled with the sound of night. Crickets chirped and lizards crushed leaves beneath their feet. I began attributing louder sounds to snakes and crocodiles, pacing faster and faster. And then I stopped. I looked up at the sky, and yelled into the night. It was not a yell of anger or fear. It was simply a yell to establish my presence in the darkness.

It felt great.

Over the next thirty minutes I would continue to yell at the sky. I protested the injustices of the world and of my life. I decried the shortcomings of humanity, our mistakes and my own. It was just me and the universe, and I was showering as much abuse as I could upon it.

It was all very therapeutic.

Dean returned with a flash of his headlights, my tent in tow. As he helped me put it together, he shared a few stories of his own. It seemed like Dean was quite the character and had been through his own fair share of crazy events. Once I was all ready for the night, Dean bid me farewell and good luck. I watched his car lights disappear around the corner and begrudgingly let the darkness take me again. I knew I would be seeing perhaps two more car lights tonight. The rangers would drive by the Cascades to do their nightly check and the second pair of lights would hopefully belong to the guy who was going to unlock the car.

I decided to hop in my tent, zipping it shut. As I sat there, I heard more and more ominous sounds coming from the bushes. And then I heard the dingo’s. Their howls penetrated the night, sending shivers down my spine. A lone dingo was no problem but if I was stuck in the middle of a feeding frenzy of several of them, well I would be in some trouble. I remained in my tent for an unknown period of time (my phone was dead) until I heard a vehicle approaching. I stepped out of my tent in anticipation. I knew it had to be the rangers and I was right. They pulled up to my tent and asked me if I intended to wait it out in the parking lot. As I began to reply, a second pair of lights came around the corner. This had to be the guy! But, in fact it was Dean! He had returned as he and his girlfriend were concerned when they heard the dingo’s. He offered to take me back to his camp ground where I could tent until the morning or until the guy came to unlock the car. Unsure of what the night had in store, I agreed. The rangers took note of where Dean was staying and said they would alert me if they heard anything.

I traveled back with Dean to his camp where his girlfriend had just prepared spaghetti for a late dinner. I joined in, appreciative of their generosity. Sitting around their fire, Dean and I shared a few swigs of scotch and traded stories. It was a great way to spend an hour, and I was happy with my decision to join them. And then we spotted the car lights. This car seemed like it was searching for someone, so I ran over to them and it turned out to be the rangers! The guy had arrived and was waiting to unlock the car. Oh happy days!!

I drove back with them and met the guy who would save the night. He was quite pleasant for being out in Litchfield National Park at night and quickly made progress, pushing back a corner of the driver’s door to allow room for a coat hanger. After a few failed attempts, he succeeded in unlocking the door. Unfortunately, our vehicle did not have a button to unlock the trunk. So he went through the back seat, pulling it forward and reaching into the dark trunk. He exited the car less than a minute later, keys in hand. A wave of relief surged over me and I thanked him profusely for his help.

I pushed the keys in and turned. Ignition! I slowly drove into the night, aware of the dangers darkness tends to hide. I returned to Dean’s camp, retrieved my tent and thanked him for all his help and generosity. My night may have gone very differently if not for him.

It took me half an hour to return to my camp, driving slow and sending vibrations of deadmau5 into the night air. It had been an exhilarating day and cruising along was a nice way to cap it.

I arrived back at camp at ten thirty and alerted the two girls of the success. We would be driving to Darwin tomorrow and I wanted one final swim at Florence Falls so I convinced Mela to wake early with me. I set up my tent and fell asleep, glad to finally rest my head.

Florence in the Morning!

The next morning, Mela and I drove to Florence Falls and made our way to the pool. I realized that we were the first people to visit this morning and stressed the importance of keeping an eye out for crocodiles. This freaked out Mela a bit, but we both wade into the water. It felt great to be there without the throngs of tourists and I climbed up the rock wall to have one final jump.

After having my fill of Florence, we quickly drove back to get Camila. She had been worried yesterday when there was no sign of Mela or myself for hours. But she was glad everything had turned out ok and we began our drive to Darwin. There was only one problem. We needed to be in Darwin at 9:45am to return the car and not incur a penalty. It was now 8:20am. This was going to be tough.

As soon as I exited the park, I began speeding. Most of the ride was spent driving at 160km/h with the occasional stretch of 180km/h. It was not safe, and yes there were some close calls. Perhaps too close. But we reached Darwin with ten minutes to spare!

On our way to Darwin, Mela had called to book us a hostel, and we were told that there were plenty of rooms left and that we did not need to make a booking. However, this was not the case upon our arrival. The hostel we had called was full. So we went to the next hostel. Full. How about the next hostel? Fully booked as well. We raced down the street, a feeling of anxiety creeping over me. We made it to the YHA and asked if there was space. And by a stroke of luck we were rewarded with a room!

We breathed a collective sigh of relief. It had been one hell of a weekend, a continual adrenalin rush that never seemed to end, but finally we could rest. We were now in Darwin!

Check out Australia Adventure: Phase I!
                 Australia Adventure: Phase II!
                 Australia Adventure: Phase III!
                 Australia Adventure: West Coast Story Pt 1
                 Australia Adventure: West Coast Story Pt 2


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Australia Adventure: West Coast Story Pt 2

And so we swam with whale sharks.  It was an amazing experience and capped our time in Coral Bay.  We continued north to Exmouth where the van was to be fixed.  The viscous fan hub had arrived and the part was replaced.  The van was back in action!  With this new part, we found that we could drive upward of 100km/h comfortably.  And then we found the overdrive button.  This button acts as a fifth gear for automatic vehicles, reducing the RPM and increasing its fuel efficiency. And we discovered it almost two weeks into our trip!  With overdrive, we could now speed along at 120km/h, almost reaching the highway speed limit of 130km/h. And speed we did, beginning the day with the song that had become the theme song of our road trip: Call Your Girlfriend (Kaskade edit) by Robyn.

Turquoise Bay!

Vivianne &Alex!

We left Exmouth and continued along the peninsula to Cape Range national park.  This park is home to the famous Turquoise Bay and we wasted no time getting to the beach and snorkelling in the waters there.   It was here that we saw Alex and Vivianne (the couple from Cervantes) again.  And then when we returned to our camping spot, our neighbour turned out to be hippie Shayne!





We stayed a few days at Cape Range, basking in the sun and exploring for cool shells.  One morning while we were making pancakes, Shayne came over to join us.  I learned that he was part aboriginal and we talked about his people and the issues aboriginals face in Australia.  It was a very interesting discussion that lasted a few hours.

We left Cape Range on a cloudy day and made our way inland a bit to Karijini National Park.  This is one of the most famous parks in Australia, being the object of internet fame.  A quick Google image search will suffice for understanding why. We arrived at the park at 4pm and decided to chill at the camp grounds.  The girls decided Hus needed a haircut and set about chopping away at his jet black hair.  He was pleased with the result, and I was pleased with how squeamish he was during the whole process!

Help Me!

We woke to rain the next day.  We stared out the window of our van as we slowly drove to the visitor centre to check the weather forecast.  Rain, rain, and more rain.  Luckily, the probability was much lower for the next day so we decided to chill at the camp ground. On the way out we ran into Alex and Vivianne again!  They were leaving Karijini but we agreed to meet up in Broome for Alex’s birthday.

Back at the van I finished my book, ‘How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe’ by Charles Yu.  It was a good read, but it felt unfinished. Like the end chapters had been left lying on the cutting room floor.    After finishing the book, I began to feel restless.  I couldn’t sit in the van all day, and then sleep in it all night.  So I decided to wander off on an adventure.

Fortescue Falls!

We were a short walk from Dales gorge so I set off by myself, rain jacket on, and camera in hand.  I began at Fortescue Falls, looking down at the water cascading across and down the layers of banded iron that constituted the geology of the area.  I walked past it and over to the Fern Pool, a heritage site that featured a small waterfall and a large pool.  The rain was still pouring down and I was quite wet, but I decided to keep on going.  I walked along the edge of the gorge in a large circuit that took me back to the camping site.  The sky was cloudy but the views were fantastic.

I returned to the van and my travel mates.  I was damp, that’s for sure, but I was happy that I ventured out.

Weano Gorge!

The next day we drove to Weano Gorge.  The sky was still full of clouds waiting to drop their hoarded water on us at any time, but we persisted.  We walk down into the gorge and walk through the forested crevasse.  We were surrounded by walls of banded iron, its horizontally striped appearance creating an illusion of infinity.  Our group made it to a pool of water that seemed to be blocking our path.  On a warmer day we could have swam though it and ventured on.  Today, however, was not a warm day.  Looking at the path ahead, I was determined to make it across.  I scanned the walls of the gorge and my eyes settled on a no climbing sign.  I looked up again and saw another such sign a few metres away, and another one a little further.  It was if they formed a path for me to climb and I accepted the challenge.  It was not a difficult thing to do, as banded iron makes for a great rockwall.  It took a few jumps and a swing or two, but I made it past the pool and kept on moving.  I kept close to the wall and climbed around to the very end where I saw the handrail pool, aptly named due to the handrail that assists visitors down to the pool.  I marvelled at the beauty of the gorge, exhilarated by my journey.  I was completely alone until two girls dressed only in their underwear ventured to the pool.  They had decided to brave the cold water and make their way to the end. Respect.

Hancock!

I returned to Hus and the others and we continued onwards to Hancock gorge. We encountered a similar scenario with another pool of water, but this time Anne climbed along the walls with me.  We made it to a beautiful rock slide/waterfall and enjoyed the success of our venture.  We both heard a sound behind us and turned to see Hus wading through the water, dressed only in his boxer-briefs.  He was shivering from the cold but his excitement came though his smile and his yells.

The next morning was sunny and we decided to explore Dales Gorge.  We began with a walk through the gorge, ending at Fortescue Falls where I had been two days before.  We made it to Fern Pool and I climbed on top of the water fall, keeping my body close to the rocks as it was a nasty drop if I fell.  I considered jumping from the falls but the rocks below dissuaded me from this.

Fern Pool!

And that ended our time at Karijini.  It was an amazing national park and a highlight of my trip.  Exploring the gorges was like my geological job to me.  It had all the fun attributes of my work without any of the responsibility.  Awesome!

Our next stop would be Port Hedland, a mining town, where we would refuel and resupply.  We spent the night at a rest spot halfway to the town.  These rest spots are mostly used for truck drivers to take a break from driving for a few hours before going back on the road.  We were ok to camp there and settled down for the night.  I knew that we would be hearing a lot of traffic, so I popped in some ear plugs and went to sleep.  The next morning Hus and I were treated to quite the story from the girls.  It turned out that there had been an accident further down the road and the police were rerouting all the trucks through the tiny stretch of a rest stop that we were in.  The girls counted at least one hundred trucks passing through, and Hus and I didn’t hear any of them!

Cable Beach!

After stopping in Port Hedland and driving for many hours past it, we made it to Broome!  And in the visitor centre we bumped into Alex and Vivianne!  We agree to meet up that night to celebrate Alex’s birthday.  After getting some information from the centre, we stop at McDonalds!  It was the first time I had been to the Golden Arches since departing Perth and I was hungry!  A double-quarter pounder meal, 6 nuggets and an ice cream cone later I was satisfied.  We settled into our camping ground and tried to figure out what to do next.  The humidity decided that for us.  It zapped our energy and we ended up swimming in the park pool and chilling by the van.  Later that night, Alex and Vivianne dropped by and we partied at the nightclub Oasis.  A good night was had!

Unfortunately the cloudy weather we had left in Karijini had found us again and we were swamped by rain.  It seemed the wet season had returned with a vengeance. Much like our first day in Karijini, I got bored sitting around and went on a walk down Broome’s Cable beach.  It was raining slightly but I felt like I could survive in my rain jacket and swim trunks.  I got about a third down the beach before the lashing wind and torrential rainfall made me turn around.  It had become a storm and I wasn’t about to be caught up in the middle of it.  I made it back to camp completely drenched but with a smile on my face.  This was fun!

Camels!

Stunning!

The next day changed the course of my road trip.  We were three weeks into our month-long journey and we were just in Broome.  We had wanted to make it to Darwin and down to Alice Springs before returning to Perth.  But this would take weeks!  And Hus didn’t have this time as he needed to work.  He was considering going back to Perth or looking for work in Broome.  Either way, it seemed like our road trip together was at an end.  I thought of all my options and placed an ad on Gumtree (the equivalent of Kijiji back in Canada) for a ride up to Darwin.  I had never used Gumtree for the purpose of finding travel partners, but I had heard good things and decided to give it a go.  While I waited, I decided to take a drive with Hus to look for work with him.  As we exited the parking lot, I could feel that the van was sluggish.  As we turned onto the highway, the van stalled causing us to pull over to the side.  It wouldn’t start and we were unsure why.  I ran back to the camp and got the girls to drive to us in order to jumpstart the van.  It worked, for a short while.  The van stalled again but we managed to steer it into the parking lot.  We called a mechanic and waited for his arrival.  He was going to be a few hours so I took a walk to the beach.  It was sunny today so I wanted to enjoy the sun while I could.  It was then that I happened upon a caravan of camels!  They were being led down to the beach for the afternoon walk and enjoyed watching the procession.

While walking back to camp, I saw Hus driving along in the van with another man.  I could only assume that he was the mechanic and that the van was fixed!  It turned out that an electrical wire had been frayed and just needed some electrical tape wound around it.  That night, I ventured down to the beach for the sunset.  Spectacular.  Absolutely spectacular.  Broome had definitely delivered.

Jerry the Jellyfish!

The next day I decided to walk the span of Cable Beach down to southern point.  I strode past countless shells, stranded jellyfish, shy starfish and scores of snails.  I made it to the point and checked out the moulds of dinosaur footprints (the real ones are only visible at very low tide) and the blowholes around the sandstone cliffs.  On my journey back to the camp, I received a reply to my Gumtree ad from two girls.  They were renting a car and driving to Darwin.  I was intrigued and agreed to meet them later that night.  As I made it back to my camp, I looked at the time.  I had been walking for six and a half hours.  No wonder my legs hurt!

I met with the girls, Camila from Italy and Mela from Austria, and they detailed their plan to me. We were to make it to Darwin in five days time, stopping at one of the national parks near the city.  This sounded like a great plan to me.  It was a long drive to Darwin but there was a severe lack of places to visit and things to do in between so five days seemed like a good timetable.  They were picking up the car in the morning and we would meet at the local Woolworths grocery store.

I returned to the camping ground and broke the news to Hus and the girls.  I think we all realized our time together was at an end.  Hus had accepted a job in Broome and the girls were actively searching for work.  I had no interest in working yet, and wanted my road trip to continue.

I went to sleep that night not knowing what adventures the morning would bring.  All I knew was that I was on my way to Darwin!


Check out Australia Adventure: Phase I!
                 Australia Adventure: Phase II!
                 Australia Adventure: Phase III!
                 Australia Adventure: West Coast Story Pt 1


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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!


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Australia Adventure: Phase III

And so with the advent of field work, phase three of my journey began!  It was January 2nd and I was meeting my fellow coworkers at the Perth airport for our travel to the worksite.  The company I had been hired by was called Panoramic Resources Ltd and I was going to be working at their Gidgee Gold project.  The same company had in fact bought out Magma Metals in Thunder Bay, so I happened to be working for the company that owns a project right next to my hometown!

Pillow Basalts!

The flight from Perth took about an hour and a half, landing in the small town of Meekatharra.  From here we drove another hour and a half east to the Gidgee Gold site.  This gave me plenty of time to gain an introduction to a few of my coworkers and the project at hand.  Panoramic had acquired the Gidgee project in 2011 along with a tenement package containing a resource of 1.16 million ounces (Moz) of gold.  The project is located in a greenstone belt, with the geology consisting of layers of mafic conglomerate, dolerite, and ultramafics.  Most of the exploration had been carried out in previous years and our task was to carry out a resource drilling program to increase the value of the project.  I learned that I would be part of an eight person exploration team consisting of two Canadians, one Scotsman, a Dutchman, a Frenchman and three Australians.  The rest of the people at the camp were support staff and drillers.  

My regalia of sorts!

Upon stepping out of the ute (utility-vehicle; similar to a truck back home) I was hit by a wave of heat.  It was the middle of the Australian summer and we were going to be working in 40+ degree Celsius weather!  This had implications for everything we did, including the way we packed our lunch (coolers and ice packs), kept our water cool (5L and 10L insulated jugs), and the duration of our work day.  The mining industry standard in Australia for the work day is a twelve hour shift.  In order to make the most of this shift, we were starting work at 5am each morning.  This allowed us to beat the heat.  However, we found ourselves working to 6pm most days, racking up thirteen hour days and sometimes even more.

Working as a field assistant (Fieldy for short or JAFFA - Just Another Fucking Field Assistant), my duties varied from drill operations (sample collecting, quality control, magnetic susceptibility readings), rehab, re sampling, and cord-yard tasks (core orientation, cutting, sampling).  In the beginning, our drill program consisted of two RC (Reverse Circulation) drill rigs.  These rigs would pound the rocks and smash it up into dust or pieces a few centimeters in diameter.  These pieces are then sent back up to the surface and then logged by the geologist.  These rigs were soon joined by a few diamond drills (which I am more familiar with from my previous jobs in Canada).  These rigs churn out solid rods of core which contain great structural information along with lithology and alteration.

 

RC Drill operations son!

Along with my fieldy duties, I also had to learn to drive stick!  The utes were all manual, and since I had only driven automatics back home, I needed a crash course in switching gears.  Riding the clutch slowly came along and shifting gears soon followed.  I also had to get used to driving on the left side of the road.  Having my Western Australia driver’s license (which I acquired when I first landed) was necessary as most of the areas where we needed to drill were a twenty to thirty minute drive from camp.  The project had been worked upon since the 1970’s (mined for iron ore) so there were many large open pits for us to explore and observe. 

Bungarra on its way to a big meal!

The rocks weren’t the only things to see and look out for though.  The Australian outback has plenty of animals, birds and insects that add some flavour to the orange-red landscape.  There are cattle stations located near the project and we were always on guard for a wayward bull or cow crossing the road.  Bungarras and goannas (lizards of one to two metres in length) were also very common around camp and the pits, although they posed no threat unless we were to provoke them.  The biggest danger came from kangaroos hopping across the road.  They are most active at dusk and dawn (more or less when we are driving to and from project sites) and had an unfortunate habit of jumping in front of our utes when we were driving upwards of 100km/h along our gravel roads.  It was common knowledge that when you saw one roo there was another one not too far behind.  One day while I was driving with Ryan (the Scotsman), a few roos decided to cross the road in front of our vehicle.  He slammed on the break just in time to avoid hitting them, and then from the left came this giant kangaroo.  We were sure to hit this one when Ryan swerved to the right.  We came so close to this beast that I could see the roo’s eyes bulge in what I can only assume was a mixture of terror and realization of its end.  If roos wore pants, this one would have shat them.  It was lucky that Ryan’s swerve was enough to miss hitting it. 

Giant feather duster.

Not to be forgotten were the emus.  These birds (which look like giant feather dusters) did not cross in front of us, but preferred to stay off the roads.  I remember driving alone back to camp once and seeing three emus off on the side.  Not having a photo of one yet, I decided to stop the ute and approach them.  They sensed me coming and sprang into action, strutting across the desert until reaching a brisk run.  So I decided to run after them, camera in hand and steel-toed boots on foot.  I must have followed them for just a minute but they took me far enough from the ute to leave me gasping for air.  And I didn’t even get the photo!

Unlike Canada, where the danger to your physical wellbeing comes from large predators such as cougars or bears, Australia features dangers of a much smaller kind.  Spiders and venomous insects own the outback and a bite or a sting from one of them can leave you in agony.  I was fortunate enough to see (and not get bit by) a huntsman, a few redbacks and a wolf spider.  I also saw a 20cm long centipede (they cause painful bites) and a small scorpion.  Whereas Northern Ontario has to deal with swarms of mosquitos, the main source of frustration in the outback are the flies.  However, these insects don’t bite but instead like to get real friendly with you by exploring the grooves and cavities on your face such as your eyes, nose, ears and mouth.  I managed to build up a psychological immunity to the flies while on drill duty, which entailed just letting the flies sit on me.  It worked in the sense that I was rarely bothered by their presence, but it meant that I would have a fair amount crawling all around my head.

Mining work in Australia is often termed FIFO, as in Fly-in/Fly-out, which for me meant a rotation of two weeks of work and one week off for a break.  On my week off I would return to stay at the hostel and meet up with friends old and new.  I also thought my week off would be a good opportunity to go visit the rest of Australia.  Marlis, a friend from Tbay, had just moved to Melbourne so I decided to go visit her!
 

Melbourne

It took a three hour flight to get there, and since I was heading East, the time moved forward by three hours, so I arrived in darkness to Tullamarine airport.  After a bus and a taxi ride, I made it to the hostel I would be staying at in St Kilda.  Over the next few days I would tour the city with Marlis and visit cool parks and attractions.  I could see why Melbourne was consistently ranked at the top of the world list for best city to live in.  Its city contained numerous green parks for its citizens to take their lunch in and enjoy their afternoons and weekends.  The transit system seemed quite efficient and the city enjoyed a bustle of pedestrian activity along its main roads and walkways.   

Staying true to Aussie culture, Melbourne also had an abundance of pubs and restaurants to spend your evening and night in.  One such restaurant was ‘Naked for Satan’ in which we enjoyed some drinks and food on the rooftop.  We also made it up to the top of Eureka Tower, which rises 297 meters above Melbourne and offered us a fantastic view of the city.  I decided to get a taste of the nightlife in Melbourne and found the clubs fantastic to party in.  I was also able to make it to the Crown Casino and had a fun night of roulette and socializing there.

Also living in Melbourne was a family that we had kept in touch with from our days in the Middle East.  John (the son) and I decided to meet up for an ‘Above and Beyond’ concert.  We both didn’t remember each other (as we were so young when we last met) but enjoyed the night together along with a few of his friends.  I had actually never listened to any of Above and Beyond’s music before the concert, but their trance mixes entranced me and kept me spellbound for the night. 

Stunning!

Before leaving Melbourne, Marlis and I did a day tour down the Great Ocean Road.  We visited a few parks and beaches, but the most exciting part came at the end when we landed at the ‘Twelve Apostles’.  These are parts of limestone cliffs which have been eroded and left as single-standing structures along the coast.  They totalled twelve when they were first discovered, however there is only seven and a half now due to increased erosion.  Seeing these cliffs juxtaposed against the ocean and the evening sun was breathtaking.  You certainly didn’t have to be a geologist to appreciate the beauty of these structures.

And then it was back to camp and work as usual.  The temperature was still quite high, and reached an unbearable 54 degrees one day!  Aside from the rare days of 50+, I was getting used to heat in the forties.  What surprised me most was actually the temperature contrast between Australia and Canada at that time.  On the day it was 54 deg in the field, it was minus 40 at night in Thunder Bay.  That’s a 94 degree difference!

Unfortunately, I was working in the field for Australia day. It would have been nice to attend the celebrations, I heard they were quite ruckus.  I was also working on my twenty-third birthday, but my coworkers and the chefs were nice enough to bake me a chocolate cake which we all thoroughly enjoyed.  I should also mention that all our breakfasts and dinners were prepared for us at the camp, which was fantastic!  As per usual, I had my TV shows which I watched at the end of the day as a great way to wind down.  I got through all the seasons of Entourage, and am up to date with Arrow, Suits, and Once Upon a Time.  And then Game of Thrones season three began and I was entranced again by the troubles of Westeros and the battle between the stag and the wolf.  Plus Daenerys Targaryen is too stunning not to watch.

Aww yeah!

It was in camp where I received word that ‘Our Canada’ magazine was going to publish a photograph I had taken in the Yukon.  I was thrilled about this and was pleased with the two page spread of the photo.  I consider it an honour.

Back on my breaks in Perth, I was again busy gallivanting around town with my hostel crew, checking out the Perth zoo and the beautiful beaches.  I picked up my surfboard in the first time since my December lesson and cruised on some waves.  It wasn’t an overly successful venture, but fun nonetheless!

I was in town for St Patrick’s day and celebrated by going to the beach!  I returned to the hostel to see a rowdy bunch of Irish in full celebration, beers in hand and all decked in green.  It was a fantastic evening of boozing.  I then decided to go to the Crown Perth casino with a few others and lost a bit of money on the roulette table there.  Upon returning to the hostel, I learned that a fight had broken out.  And when the Irish have a fight, all hell breaks lose.  Chairs and tables broken, glasses shattered and blood spilled.  Damn Irish.

Staying in a hostel is a sure way to meet new people.  But after staying at One World Backpackers for so long, I also had to say goodbye to many of those I had come to call friends.  It was always a sad moment to say goodbye but you always departed with the hope of meeting up again.  I was told once by my former hostel roomie, that every backpacker meets at least twice.  I hope he was right.

In the beginning of April, Marlis came to visit Perth.  She had bought tickets to see the Script in the city so we spent the first night together at the Perth Arena...surrounded by hundreds of screaming teen girls.  As we were waiting to enter the hall, security warned the crowd not to run.  So what does everyone do?  Run of course!  And we run with them!  It was a great concert and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the Script perform.  You could tell how appreciative they were of how far they had come in their music career.

Wineries!

Over the next few days we visited Freo and took a day tour down to Margaret River to see some wineries and the surrounding area.  We also did a tour of the Swan Valley wineries, which consisted of a morning river boat cruise and an afternoon of wine tasting, capped by a visit to a chocolate factory!  We were joined in this adventure by Ruth, another Canadian who stays at the hostel.  It was during the tastings that I gained an appreciation for wine.  I had never enjoyed drinking it before, but this tour changed that for sure. 

So after Marlis’ visit, I went back to work.  The RC drills had packed up in March, and only one diamond drill was operating so we were spending our time at the core yard.  Orientating core is not really an exciting task but it was part of the job.  It was during this shift that the price of gold on the market index dropped almost $100 over the weekend, and the Australian share market shed $15 billion dollars.  This was not good. 

On Tuesday I was given a letter indicating the end of my contract with Panoramic, and on Wednesday I was on a flight back to Perth.  And just like that, my exploration job came to an end.  It was sudden, but I understood the reasons behind it all.  I soon learned that many other companies had shelved their projects and that there was a new wave of geologists looking for work.  I appreciate the opportunity that Panoramic gave me and enjoyed working with everyone at the camp.

It was strange walking back into the hostel after just one week of being away.  I needed to collect my thoughts and figure out what was next.  Travel of course!  I had wanted to travel up the West Coast and into the Northern Territory for some time, so I figured that this was to be my next journey.  Now how was this all going to come about?

Beach Bonding!

While I was waiting for an answer to that question, I decided to party.  So I spent the next week and a half in and out of clubs and bars, travelling to the beach and chilling with my hostel crew.  One day, a group of us decided to go to City beach and BBQ up some steaks.  Along for the ride was Adam, Matt, Liam and Hus, and we jumped in Hus’ newly purchased van and drove to the beach.  We picked up some steaks along the way along with a bottle of Jim Bean and enjoyed the evening, pausing for a spectacular sunset.  

It was during this outing that I learned Hus planned to travel and was looking for a partner to journey up the coast with him.  This was just the opportunity I had been waiting for!  I quickly jumped at the idea and just like that a deal was struck.

And so ends Phase three of my Australian journey.  It came sooner than I expected, but its ending gave me the opportunity to change things up and begin a trip that I am still currently on and very much enjoying.  So stay tuned for the next leg of my Australia journey!

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

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