Ellendale Pool
18 – 19 October 2018
Driving south we considered the option
of leaving the coast for a bit, in the hope of getting away from the wind. This
seemed like a good idea, so we drove towards Geraldton, where we turned inland
towards Ellendale Pool. This little campground was part of a sheep grazing
property in the early 1900’s and became a popular picnic spot. Today the
Geraldton City Council looks after it as a picnic area and campground. Campers are
asked to pay $5 per person per night into an honesty box. It’s great value as
the area is very tidy, with flushing toilets and lovely views of the pool and
the cliffs beyond. There are also picnic tables and rubbish bins. Visitors are,
however, warned not to swim when the water temperature exceeds 24
° as it may contain the
amoeba which is responsible for amoebic meningitis. Definitely not worth the
risk.
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| Ellendale Pool |
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| A perfect location for a pair of Peregrine Falcons. |
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| A Peregrine Falcon on top of the cliff opposite the campground. |
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| Rufous Whistler along the river walk. |
We went for a walk along the creek
before packing up and heading south, again staying inland.
Northam
19 – 20 October 2018
The drive through wildflower country
did not disappoint. Even though it was quite late in the season for this part
of the country, there were still lots of flowers in bloom as we drove along. We
stopped for coffee in Mingenew and lunch in the park at Moora before arriving
at Northam. As we were checking into the caravan park, Mick noticed a photo of
the bird he had come here for – the Mute Swan. He was given directions to the
nursery and so, after setting up our camp, we headed to the river. There were a
couple of swans in the nursery area which Mick was able to photograph, and one
further along the river, but too far away for the camera.
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| Mute Swan. There has been a self sustained, breeding population here for over ten years making this bird tickable. |
We visited again in the morning as
we had plenty of time to get into Perth for the night. We had picked up a flyer
for the Wundowie Iron Festival so we detoured there for a look on our way into the city. Strangely,
there were no signs on the highway, or even on the entrance to the town, so we
figured this was one of those things you just had to know about. There wasn’t
much iron work, but quite a few market stalls, and lots of interesting food
vans – shame it was only morning tea time.
Perth
20 – 21 October 2018
We returned to Perth for Saturday
night with friends Mark and Suzy, and to return snorkelling gear we had
borrowed. This was just a quick trip with a few drinks on Saturday night and
breakfast at Hillary’s Boat Harbour on Sunday morning. We also picked their brains for local
knowledge of the South-West and Margaret River region. Armed with lots of
touristy information, we stocked up, fuelled up, and hit the road again in a south-easterly direction.
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| Suzie & Mark looked after us again on the way through Perth. |
