- The Nullarbor
- Esperance
- The Great Southern
- Lovely Freo
- Rottnest Island and the Quokkas
- Holidays down under
- Perthday and Housesitting in Mandurah
- Mandurah to Yanchep National Park
- Lancelin & The Pinnacles
- Pink Lake & Kalbarri National Park
- Shark Bay
- Francois Peron National Park
- Quobba Blow Holes
- Coral Bay
- Exmouth & Cape Range National Park
- Working in Hyden
- Whale Sharks
- Karijini National Park
- Dampier Peninsula
- El Questro
- A Sun-Soaked Adventure: Unveiling the Best Beaches in Exmouth, Australia
Our car was fixed, and we set off towards Hopetoun with a heavy heart. This job opportunity came sooner than expected, but it seemed like our “ideal” workplace. We could do this job together and have accommodation in exchange for rent, and it was along our route to Perth.
We arranged to meet at the supermarket around 2 p.m. and were warmly welcomed. Everyone already knew us, which we found a bit strange. We were also given a tour of the house where we would stay. That’s when our spirits sank a bit. It was a very old house with many dehumidifiers, and to make matters worse, we were assigned a room without a window. I’ll spare you the further details, but it felt like we had stumbled into a “horror” scenario. We were expected to pay $150 each weekly for rent, while our roommate paid the same amount for a room with a window. As the cherry on top, we were working without a contract, only scheduled for work twice a week on different days. As quickly as we had arrived, we found ourselves back in our car. Neither of us could imagine staying there. We have/had great jobs and a nice roof over our heads back home. We felt we were a bit too old to work and live in these conditions. We thanked the lady and decided to continue driving. We quickly concluded that many backpackers, much younger than us, are underpaid or live in appalling conditions.
Feeling a bit disoriented and already quite late in the afternoon, we continued our journey. The next town we came across was a bit of a dump, and the campground had seen better days. I really didn’t want to stay there, so we kept driving. It wasn’t very smart of us to leave in such a hurry because we forgot to refuel. At home, you could say you’ll top up at the next town. It’s a bit different here, as the distances between towns are vast. To make matters worse, the road was extremely hilly, almost mountainous. We anxiously watched our fuel gauge as it steadily decreased. It was a make-or-break situation. Ely felt good about it but wasn’t 100% sure. It was undoubtedly a suspenseful moment. I could already picture us stranded next to the highway late at night. We had a guardian angel because we made it and didn’t encounter any kangaroos jumping in front of our car. We arrived in Jerramungup, a small and quiet campground. We quickly had a bite to eat because we didn’t feel like cooking much and then fell asleep quickly.
The previous day’s events were still weighing on my mind the next morning, but we decided to make the best of it. Another work opportunity would present itself. We headed to Wave Rock, a large rock formation resembling a wave located more inland near Hyden. We passed many remote towns along the way and tasted the “outback” feeling again. We were a bit disappointed that we had to pay an $11 entrance fee, but it was definitely worth it. The rock formation was shaped by erosion from wind and water. We walked around and on the rock, treating ourselves to impressive views. We also visited the Hippo Yawn, another rock formation shaped like a yawning hippo. Finally, we looked at Mulgas Cave, adorned with Aboriginal Art. We started heading back toward Albany, but it was getting late. Along the way, we also came across a Pink Lake, which appears pink due to algae. It creates a beautiful effect. We chose to spend the night at a free camp spot. It always feels great and liberating to be utterly alone in the middle of nature. We made a “one-pot spaghetti,” which is very convenient when you only have one stove, and went to bed early.
We slept blissfully at our free campsite. It’s always fantastic to be alone and wake up to silence, nature, and the sun (although we’ve also had a lot of rain 😉 ). We continued our journey toward Albany and arrived around noon. We had a picnic in the park and took a free shower in the city center. We had heard much about Shelley Beach, which was on our to-do list. We visited Cape How National Park and chose to camp at Shelley Beach, surrounded by incredible green nature, mountains, the beach, and the ocean within walking distance. Swimming was not allowed due to the extremely dangerous currents and waves. Our alarm went off at 4:30 a.m. Way too early, but we wanted to witness the sunrise over the sea. Fortunately, our tent was strategically positioned so that we could see the spectacle through our window.
We dozed off for a little while, got up early, packed our belongings, and were ready to leave. Another shower in the city center felt refreshing. We drove to Denmark, and upon arrival around 10:00 a.m., I was stopped for a breathalyzer test. Everyone had to pull over and blow into the device. That’s another experience we’ve had here! Of course, I blew a sober result.
At the information center, they gave us a bunch of brochures to visit various bays and beaches. We visited William Bay, The Elephant Rocks, and Greens Pool, among others. Such beautiful nature, stunning! The only downside for me was the presence of many children, oopsie! 😀 It’s the start of the summer vacation here, which means two months of many children everywhere. We decided not to swim and took a short walk on the rocks at Elephant Rocks when Ely suddenly said, “Inez, watch out!!” I was scared to death by a giant snake emerging from the bushes towards me. We also took a scenic drive in Denmark and stopped at the Cheese Farm. They make all the cheeses on-site. We ordered a delicious cheese platter and enjoyed the beautiful view with a glass of wine.
Unfortunately, the post-enjoyment was short-lived. It started raining early in the morning, accompanied by intense lightning and thunder. We decided to move on because there isn’t much you can do in that kind of weather. We arrived at the Valley of the Giants. This ancient forest is located in a National Park near Denmark. We walked the ‘Ancient Empire Walk’, which took us along several old and super giant trees. We learned about the reason many trees are hollow at the base, which is due to a fungus they contract. To prevent the spread of this infection, they burn a portion of the trees.
We were once again getting a lot of rain. We made a brief pit stop at Circular Pool and ended up in Walpole in the afternoon. There wasn’t much we could do there due to the bad weather. We decided to book a room because the forecast for the next few days was also rainy. We found a cozy accommodation in Pemberton. We drove through many national parks and beautiful green forests along the way. It felt like a (wet) fairy tale. We could often smell the eucalyptus from inside our car. This area is known as the ‘Karri Forest’ and is famous for its different eucalyptus trees. Arriving in Pemberton, we were amazed by the beautiful estate. For the first time, we had a real Christmas feeling, like in the Ardennes (maybe also because of the rainy weather?), with kangaroos grazing on the grass in front of our room all day long. We also saw a giant male kangaroo for the first time. When he stood upright, we were truly amazed by his size and muscular arms. We fully enjoyed two days there, with a delicious breakfast, drinks at the bar, tasty dinners, a jacuzzi in the room, and a wonderful night’s sleep.
After two days, the desire to continue our journey grew again. Who would have thought that I would look forward to sleeping in a tent instead of a comfortable bed?! :-O The weather was still not great, but we decided to skip some stops and drive more toward Perth and the warm summer weather. Along the way, we visited Injidup Natural Spa, but there was a lot of wind, and we didn’t feel like searching further, plus swimming wasn’t possible there. A brief visit to Canal Rock Bridge and Busselton Jetty didn’t really excite us about ‘The Great Southern region. Let’s be honest; the South-West coast is beautiful, but the weather has dampened our experience. We were longing for dry and warm weather. We felt that there wasn’t much that impressed us. Maybe we’re feeling a bit tired of traveling? Yes, believe it or not, it can happen! 😀 We have already driven about 10,000 kilometers ourselves, and after four months of non-stop traveling, fatigue is starting to set in. We decided to conclude our ‘Great Southern trip’ with a free camp spot in nature, without any reception. We were fully recharged for our journey toward Perth.
X Ely & Inez
- albany
- australia
- busselton
- circular pool
- denmark
- elephant rocks
- great southern
- greens pool
- hopetoun
- hyden
- jerramungup
- mulgas cave
- national park
- Oceania
- pemberton
- shelley beach
- slang
- valley of the giants
- wave rock
- western australia
- william bay
Nog altijd supertof om te lezen! ????????
Dikke zoen Alizée, Titi, Inge
Amai prachtig kan het geloven wakker worden op het strand met de zonsopgang. Eens een paar dagen genieten op één plek want oppassen dat jullie niet overwerkt geraken hé! Hihi. Geniet nog met volle teugen! Zullen jullie wel missen aan de Kersttafel! Veel liefs moekie
Misschien moe maar ik zie toch twee blijde gezichten op de foto’s wat toch het belangrijkste is. De slangen zie ik ni graag
Weeral heel mooie foto’s. Voorzichtig en op TIJD gaan tanken !!!!!!!
Vader
Hey inez,
Kerstavond vieren zonder familie zal wel wat vreemd aanvoelen…In elk geval voor jou en Ely een bijzondere kerst gewenst, waarschijnlijlk onder een prachtige sterrenhemel…En op Kerstdag met een mooie zonsopgang wakker worden, met zicht op adembenemende natuur!
Wederom mooie foto’s en die uitgeholde boom zou wel een sprookjesboom kunnen zijn ;-).
Verlies vooral de moed niet rond het vinden naar een tijdelijke job. Er komt wel iets uit de bus. Vertrouw er maar op.
Veel liefssss, Astrid.