Esperance to Albany

Hello all,
Still heading West from Esperance I headed to Hopetoun and Fitzgerald River National Park

Fitzgerald River National Park

looking back at Hopetoun

East Mount Barren

While Bremer Bay is nice it didn't  hold much for me, being a non fisherman.

Bremer Bay

I have been told that Western Australian Caravan Parks are expensive, and I have not been disappointed. Parks in Albany start just under $40/night and range to nearly $50/night.......a motel right in town had a sign out the front advertising rooms $85/night.
That is so wrong, no wonder more and more people are choosing to free or low cost camp!
The Caravan Park Industry really needs to have a good look at itself, these prices are what I paid in Cairns and Townsville.
While Albany is pretty and worth  a visit it is outragious prices that are making people like myself bypass or severely restrict time spend there.

So, with the weather breaking and rainy days forecast, I headed to the Stirling Ranges.

Bluff Knoll, Stirling Ranges

Bluff Knoll

Bluff Knoll is the highest peak in Southern Western Australia, at 1095 metres and is one of the very few places in WA where snow occasionally falls.

Stirling Ranges

Bluff Knoll

During the night someone had scheduled thunderstorms, as about every couple of hours another storm would roll through.
The plan now is to head towards Walpole, the forest areas and Augusta.
Bye for now.

Leonora to Esperance and Cape Le Grand

Hello all
Heading South from Leonora towards Esperance gave me welcome relief from the incessant heat since leaving Victoria.

After a couple of days in Esperance doing some Laundry, and getting the vehicle serviced, I stocked up and headed out to Cape Le Grand and it's stunning white beaches and granite outcrops.

Lucky Bay, Cape Le Grand

With only one camp site free when I arrived, I had a choice............Lucky Bay or Lucky Bay.........Le Grand Beach seems to be constantly full. Maybe it's time Parks WA time limited stays there to give everyone a fair go.

Lucky Bay Cape Le Grand

Lucky Bay

Lucky Bay

it's legal to drive on some beaches here

After a couple of nights camped next to a lovely couple from Bellingen in NSW it was time to move on again, back to Esperance again, due to no sites available at Le Grand Beach.

Whistling Rock at Thistle Cove was Whistling

Frenchman Peak

 If you look closely at the skyline there are dots............these are people climbing the peak.

Frenchman Peak

Once back in Esperance I took the opportunity do drive the Coastal Scenic Drive.

Twilight Beach, Esperance

Twilight Beach, Esperance

While the Camper was off the Ute In Esperance, I took the opportunity to check all the wiring on the Solar on the roof. Whilst I was unable to find any problems, I unplugged both panels and reset the Solar Controller. 
I still don't know what the problem was but whatever it was is now fixed. An overcast day at Le Grand and I was getting 18volts from the panels, today, 25c I was getting 21.5 volts, so maybe it was just the extreme heat?
Tomorrow I am heading to Stokes National Park and westward towards Hopetoun.
 Bye for now.

Norseman to Leonora (includes Lake Ballard and Gwalia mine)

Hello all
Heading North from Norseman, it was a quick restock in Kalgoorlie, before heading futher North, trying to beat the heat.

Lake Ballard Sculptures

Lake Ballard

Lake Ballard

These sculptures are by Anthony Gormley and placed at Lake Ballard in 2003. The sculptures were made using scans of local Menzies residents.While they are worth the visit I am puzzled why they weren't  placed on a perfectly good salt lake a few kilometres out of Menzies, instead of 51km along a gravel road.

Lake Ballard

Next day it was off to Gwalia, a couple of kilometres from Leonora. Sons of Gwalia mine operared from 1896 until 1963 and produced over 2.5 million ounces of gold. The mine has reopened and is still being mined underground now.

Sons of Gwalia Mine

Gwalia Mine Museum

Most of the mine workers were immigrants  from Italy and Yugoslavia. Berwick Moreing & Company bought the Mine in 1898 and appointed  Herbert Hoover as Mine Manager, he was later to become the 31st President of the United States.

State Hotel Gwalia

General Store

Guest House

After Gwalia, it was back to Kalgoorlie and the Super Pit.

Super Pit Kalgoorlie

Super Pit Kalgoorlie

Since January it has been a steep learning curve with my Solar. I thought I had solved the issues I was having by mounting the panels on the roof. I partially have but not totally, Parked up in Gippsland, where Summer was a Wednesday, and temperatures just over 20c the panels were putting out over 21volts. Travelling in 39-40c temperatures, with inside camper temperatures  I guess well above 50c, the panels are harvesting 12-13volts. This is enough to sustain my usage, but not charge my battery fully. I now understand that the hotter it is the less efficient the solar panels are.
I  am heading down to Esperence tomorrow, so the cooler temperatures down there will give me a better indication. I am harvesting between 60-85 amp hours but my consumption because of the heat is sky high. In saying this though, camped up with just the freezer running off the battery should be better.
I had forgotten what an amazing place for sunsets Western Australia is.....every night is amazing.
Bye for now

Ceduna to Norseman WA

Hello All,
Upon leaving Ceduna I glanced at my Satellite Navigation and it made me have a chuckle.

Yep, I  need to turn left in 1209 kilometres........................

The bad news is............it is still stiffling hot, the good news is................hot means easterly winds, so I have had a tailwind all across the Nullabour.

Nullabour Links Golf Tee

 The Highway only cuts through about 80km's of true Nullabour Plain (Treeless) so I had to spend a night at Nullabour Roadhouse right in the middle of it.

Nullabour Roadhouse Sunset

 It was off to the most spectacular part of the trip, where the road hugs the Bunda Cliffs.

Bunda Cliffs

Bunda Cliffs

Note the vehicles in the adjacent carpark to get some scale, there are views like this, a few hundred metres off the highway for several hundred kilometres.

Bunda Cliffs

Getting closer to Eucla the Bunda Cliffs finish and a more gentle slope to the ocean occurs.

After stopping for a very thorough inspection at the Quarantine Checkpoint at the Western Australian Border, it was on to Eucla for lunch. The time zones have my electronics totally confused, the first several hundred kilometres of Western Australia have Central Western Time, which is 45 minutes in front of Perth and 45 minutes behind Adelaide.
Crossing the Border my Sat Nav and phone went straight to Perth time.
After a bite to eat, I headed to the old Eucla Telegraph Station.

old Telegraph Station

from there it was down Eucla Pass below the escarpment to Madura Pass, climbing back up onto the Tablelands and on to Cocklebiddy for the night.I have been surprised by how little traffic is on the road, but I suppose it is summer and off season.

Murra-El-Elevyn Cave at Cocklebiddy

Next was 90 mile straight (144.6 kilometres) without so , much as a bend. Although I think the engineer had a sense of humour as, at the Western end there are two bends, just as it finishes for no apparent reason.

90 mile straight, Nullabour Plain

Tonight I am sweating it out at Norseman. Tomorrow I plan to head to Kalgoorlie, Leonora, and Lake Ballard as the weather forecast is for low 30's for the next few days. It was 47c in Leonora today!!
Tuesday, Wednesday next week the temperatures are planned to soar into the 40's again, so that gives me a few days there before heading down to Esperence and Cape Le Grand.
Bye for now.........................