Western Australia Trip Week 1

Carisbrook – Lindsay Island (Murray Sunset N.P.)
September 21st 2009
Monday - Day 1
For the Carisbrook Quilters, this is a picture of the quilt that I had finished prior to leaving for the Van.

This weekend just past has been a landmark occasion for our family as our youngest son, Cain married his long time partner, Jayne Davies.
The wedding was absolutely fabulous (or awesome as his friends have been reporting on FACEBOOK). Together they planned everything to perfection, from the venue at the Tangled Maze near Creswick, to the magician, long time friend, Barry Govan. A superb job as MC was done by older son, Ryan.

While the two newly weds headed off this morning for a honeymoon in New Zealand’s South Island, Glenda and I headed north then west on the first day of this long visit to the south west of Western Australia. The weather was expected to turn windy and wet and around 1.30 p.m. rain began as we headed west from Red Cliffs.

Our destination was somewhere in the Murray Sunset N.P. north of the Sturt Highway. We were eager to try out our off road camping skills and have bought a number of items including a generator to make this type of camping more accessible, particularly as we will both be retired and on a reduced income later this year. It will be interesting to see how we handle things on this trial.
After a disappointing look at an area on the S.A. border we backtracked about 18 kms and headed in towards Lindsay Island as more sinister storm clouds began to approach. We wanted water for the scenery more than anything but the map of this park wasn’t quite as easy to follow as we thought. As a consequence we ended up on a road called “Circuit Track” which crossed a chalky type of flood plain which had us both concerned if a deluge was going to hit.


Eventually we found our way onto the island by way of an old bridge. From here it was another few kilometres before we reached “The Caravan” picnic spot. In all we travelled about 35 kilometres in from the highway although our route was definitely the roundabout way.
I backed onto a raised area away from the river red gums in case the wind convinced some of these old beauties that it was time to drop a limb or two. The river here is quite pretty but unfortunately the rain, combined with a dust storm came down in all its glory soon after we arrived, making photographs difficult. It didn’t last too long but my fears about the chalky soil have been realised as my shoes will testify. Tomorrow may be an adventure getting out. We noticed that somewhere on our trip the window cover to the front of the van had fallen off. This is the second time this has happened, the last replacement costing $340 as Glenda recalls.
Tonight we tried to sit outside as the wind has stopped and there is no rain. There is hardly a sound, save for a boobook owl, some bats and the inevitable frogs. We’re in for a quiet night… well, peaceful anyway.
Bird Sightings
Fork tailed kite, House sparrow, Red wattlebird, Blackbird, Little raven, Starling, New Holland honeyeater, Musk lorikeet, Red rumped parrot, Superb wrens, Galah, Kookaburra, White backed magpie, Welcome swallow, Crested pigeon, Spur winged plover, Sacred ibis, Common bronze wing pigeon, Straw necked ibis, Magpie lark, Noisy miner, White winged choughWillie wagtail, Wood duck, Diamond firetail, Sulphur crested cockatoo, Black backed magpie, Brown tree creeper, White faced hero0n, Meadow lark, Black faced cuckoo shrike, Nankeen kestrel, Bluebonnet
White plumed honeyeater, Blue winged parrot, Eastern ringneck, Mulga parrot, White browed wood swallow, Faced wood swallow
Chestnut crowned babbler
40 birds SHINGLE BACK LIZARD, WESTERN GREY KANGAROO


Lindsay Island - Berri
Tuesday, September 22nd
Day 2
We had a beautiful night with no wind although some rain fell. We woke up a few times but as we had no real urgency to get away we were able to enjoy dozing on and off without fear of being overtired when we eventually arose.

I got up around 7 a.m. and walked about with my camera in the hope of finding something interesting. I missed the best light which from our van window would have made a nice contrast with the trees. I’ll tune in over the next few weeks! A few birds came by but the Gilbert’s whistler was a first if it proves to be one. Fortunately my photo turned out okay for verification when I get back.[1]
Glenda was up not long after and we had a light breakfast of cereal before heading off around 8.05 p.m. Earlier I had walked along some of the track we had come in on and found a large puddle about 20 metres long which might give us a scare. The soil was indeed a sticky mud with a consistency of glue (I now understand why the conservation park nearby is called the “Gluepot”.)

We took a quick run at it and apart from a small slide sideways we came out the other side okay. Further along was a larger one followed by several more which gave us a nice shower of the sticky grey mud. We reached the island bridge and stopped for a while to try and clean the mud off. A wasted effort, we eventually concluded, a proper job when we reached our camp early afternoon.
But there was more to come! Our fears about the chalky soil and the rain seemed to be manifesting itself the further towards the park entrance we got. The run to the island bridge was starting to look like an entrée to the main course of waterlogged glue waiting up the road. I hammered the car through nearly 60 metres of unforgiving road covered in water, the caravan snaking sideways in response to the sliding movements of the car. Every time we started congratulating ourselves on getting through there were worse conditions waiting around the next corner.

Eventually it had to happen and yes, we slide to a halt in thick mud. Fortunately the automatic stabilizing system on our Ford Territory worked tremendously and with some careful reversing and forward gunning we managed to break clear and keep the momentum going…until the next stop. Glenda had enough food and water on board for at least a week so there was no real panic or fear of being stranded save the embarrassment of having chosen to drive in here in the first place.
The third time the road caught us it had us both humbled. I had tried to avoid the side of the track where deeper and softer ruts had been made by previous vehicles. Glenda was at the side of the road encouraging me on but as I lurched forward from a sludge hole I suddenly slid into the side edge, locking the wheel and sinking down about a third of the tyres’ height. The van was muddied as was Glenda. This one looked bad.

Not for the first time we thanked the Leyland Brothers. Glenda started collecting box thorn and salt bush which we packed between the wheels and in front of the car and the caravan. After several attempts and minute successes we eventually got moving again. Up ahead we could see the rise of what was probably once a lake edge and this gave us hope knowing that once up there we would probably be fine. Oops!
We managed to clear the grey, gluey mud of the plain but now came across equally unfriendly red clay that was not going to be outdone by the grey stuff. Each time we were confronted by a stretch of water we stopped and did the mandatory walk ahead and reconnoitre. We took a chance on the ground to the side of the road and on a number of occasions avoided the rush through the unknown depths and made our own track. This took us quite a way off road but apart from an unamused copper head snake and some scratches it worked.

Enough! We got out and lived to tell the tale. A bitumen road full of clean caravans never looked so good. Only wish we had the presence of mind to take a photograph of Glenda covered in mud, not much less than the vehicles.

We reached the border and the woman at the quarantine check point just laughed. One truckie looked at me and said, “You got some mud on it, mate”. Typical Aussie understatement! We filled up with petrol and moved on to Renmark where the Info Centre directed us to the local car wash. It took LOTS of coins to make a dint on the mud caked car and caravan. We noticed that the car was shaking when we drove over 80 kms / hour so a visit to the Ford dealer in Berri was our next stop.
We booked into the caravan park and I drove back to the workshop to get a wheel alignment and undercarriage clean up. $64 was worth the labour. Seems there was quite the unexpected deluge in the area last night.

Rain began to fall consistently as I waited for the car. I returned to the van where Glenda was preparing to shop for the next week. We have decided that Burra Gorge, with a 12 km dirt road entry might better be put off till another trip. Tonight it’s the convenience of a hot showers and electricity. We can take it”!
Bird Sightings
Yellow rosella, Rufous Whistler*,Black duck, Grey shrike thrush, Richards pipit, Red capped robin, White faced chat, Emu, Coot , Blue faced honeyeater
RED KANGAROO, DROP TAIL SKINK, COPPER HEAD SNAKE
50 birds

Berri – Crystal Brook
Wednesday, September 23rd
Day 3
The wind picked up again today but generally the skies were clear apart from a few small showers. We slept soundly.
I did an early morning walk in the windy conditions along the river track which the town has been developing for a number of years. The track includes many plantings and an area designated for the endangered bell frog. Not much about but a display between two whistling kites was worthwhile if only a brief encounter. That plus a great egret hunting near the shore which I hope I have caught.
We were away around 10 a.m. and heading towards Burra and on to Crystal Brook. I didn’t get much over 80 kms per hour due to the head wind but that didn’t bother us as much as a frustrated double B truck driver who passed and then cut me off. He then hit the gravel at the edge of the road just to get his anger home. Would like to have caught up and discussed it with him but he was obviously on a mission to somewhere fast.
A spotted harrier appeared between Morgan and Burra on that long straight, flat section of country with not much more than salt bush. I always get excited when one of these low flying, majestic birds turns up. One day I’ll be ready and it will be close enough for a definitive photograph.

We reached Crystal Brook around 3 p.m. and after setting up in a cheap ($18) but nice town caravan park headed into the town for a walk through the main street. A community antique store caught our attention with items that brought back some nostalgic moments; maybe the smell of hand knitted teddy bears or old books and tins that struck a chord. It was enjoyable.
I did a walk through the golf course next to the park but generally saw nothing to photograph on this occasion. Tonight will be a quiet but welcome night.

Bird Sightings
Little black cormorant, Great cormorant, Great egret, Whistling kite, pelican, Clamorous reed warbler, silver gull, Spotted harrier, Domestic pigeon, Brown song lark, Dusky wood swallow
61 birds

Crystal Brook – Lake Gilles C.P.
Thursday, September 24th
Day 4
We both had an excellent night’s sleep and the clear, cloudless sky this morning had us relaxed and pleased with our lot. A leisurely pack up after a shower and cereal saw us away by 10 a.m. Our petrol consumption has been poor with an average of 300 kms per tank. We’ll slow down today and see if it helps. To be fair, the head winds have been severe for much of the trip so far.

We stopped at the Australian Arid Botanical Gardens in Port Augusta around midday in the hope of seeing some birdlife that might find this haven an oasis for them. Despite the bad time of day we saw a few new birds for the trip, the chirruping wedgebill being the prize. Unfortunately our walk to the boardwalk lookout took longer than the car battery could handle as we had left the van fridge plugged in to it instead of its own power source. The result was a dead car battery.

Fortunately the garden crew had jumper leads and this enabled us to get away with just a tad of embarrassment. We kept the car engine going at Iron Knob while we ate a toasted sandwich with left over chow mien as filling. The battery was recharged so we pushed on towards Kimba.

About 25 kms out we noticed a track to the left with a sign saying, “Original Site Carradoo Tanks”.

This was in the Lake Gilles Conservation Park. We did a U turn and found it a good site for an off road camp. Locals have used this recently judging by the stones and wood piles so we set ourselves up. We put the generator on and let it run the Waeko fridge for a couple of hours before using it to power the microwave. A bit noisy but it certainly does the job.

While Glenda read I used our compass to do a 45 minute walk deeper into the mallee scrub but came back about 100 meters to the right of our camp. A useful reminder of how easy it is to get lost. The sound of the highway helped me orientate myself back. All was not bad news for I managed to spot a western yellow robin, a fairly common bird but one that has eluded me every time we’ve ventured west.

We dined on quiche and salad by an open fire. God it’s been too long since we’ve done this! It’s hard to capture in words the ambience of an open fire in the middle of nowhere. How special can it get? Both feeling very relaxed. The off road experience so far, apart from the adventure getting through the mud has been all we had hoped for.
Bird Sightings, Adelaide rosella, Singing honeyeater, Yellow throated miner, Spiny cheeked honeyeater, White browed babbler, Grey butcherbird, Western yellow robin, Grey currawong, Yellow rumped thornbill, Chirruping wedgebill, Striated pardalote
72 birds 1 new bird
BEARDED DRAGON, WILD GOAT

Carradoo Tank site (Lake Gilles C.P.) - Ceduna
Friday, September 25th
Day 5
Rain began to fall around 2.30 a.m. but nothing too heavy despite the lightning. I arose around 7 a.m. to a fairly overcast sky with not much wind so I used the time to advantage. A red capped robin that had checked us out yesterday on our arrival was busy guarding his patch of scrub, fighting off at least two rival males. Two females squared off to my amusement while the male looked on from a ringside seat on a branch about three metres from the ground.

The females stood their ground, flinching their feathers and circling like two wrestlers looking for an opening. The male eventually flew between them to break the tension before they all flew off to rouse another intruder. Add to this the lone staccato call of a black eared cuckoo, a definite sighting after three maybes from previous trips and all was looking good. Unfortunately Mother Nature stepped in to reassert her authority.

An 8 o’clock start local time was good with just over 350 kms to Ceduna. Enter gale force head winds adjusting to easterlies. We struggled through several storms which send vicious gusts at us. Visibility reduced suddenly and the temperature dropped from 21 to 9 degrees. We hadn’t been in rain like this for a long time. Caravans outnumbered lone vehicles about 5 to 1, mostly coming towards us as opposed to heading west. A few travellers we spoke to talked in glorious terms about the great trip across the Nullabor with tail winds. “Good on yas”….

We reached Ceduna and “settled” into our site right on the beach. The ferocity of the wind was immediately felt but I had to grin at the guy across from us who had literally tied his small van to a tree! He’d had enough of it as had the couple next to us who had also tied their camper trailer to the fence. During the afternoon I helped both pack up their vans and move to cabins for the night. It is expected that the wind will last all day.

I walked to the town and to the post office where my download cord had arrived thanks to Emily and an $8 Express postage. She sent the package Tuesday afternoon and it arrived this morning… Tonight will be regular checks of the awning and working through Sudoku problems and such. It’s terrible weather but hey, it’s still an adventure.
Bird Sightings
White eared honeyeater, Budgerigar, Brown headed honeyeater
75 birds 1 new bird


Ceduna
Saturday, September 26th
Day 6
The van took a battering last night but seems to have held up okay. Around 7 a.m. the wind changed from west to south west and we had a mild reprieve. I walked briefly along the beach but the wind was too strong to enjoy the scene.

Mid morning we changed van site due to the uneven ground we were on. Another caravaner offered us an extension to our hose as the taps are just that bit too far for ours. A typical fellow traveller. We walked down the street and bought an extension and a new pair of sunglasses for me as my other pair are broken at the nose. After a light lunch we washed the clothes and tidied up the van, domestic chores still have to be done on these trips.

We drove to Denial Bay to buy some oysters and eventually found a small outlet just out of Ceduna. A young Japanese girl was serving and was thrilled when I asked where she was from in Japanese. We talked for a few minutes about where she was from and what she was doing (just enough to cover my limited Japanese conversation). It was interesting that she had spent a year in Cairns, had studied Kendo for nine years but didn’t know there was a Kendo Club in Cairns. A pity because my long time friend Katsumi Kuramochi who founded that club would have made her most welcome.

We returned to the van and resolved to watch the AFL Grand Final. We’re not big football fans but it was a good game; Geelong by two goals in a close contest, the last goal on the siren. A sad moment when I saw Bobby Davis, former Captain of Geelong in their 1963 Grand final take the stand to present a medal. My dad sat with him the year he died in Bob’s VIP box at Geelong. There’s always something to trigger a memory.

Glenda made Oysters Kilpatrick while I ate mine au natural. Been too long since we dined on these! Word came via FACEBOOK from my friend Josh Orth (alias Nuwishas Tail) that he achieved 3rd Dan in Kendo today at the grading in Melbourne. He’s right into cooking and often posts details of his culinary works so I just might send him a photo of tonight’s meal. Another reason to celebrate.
Bird Sightings
Pied cormorant
76 birds 1 new bird