Kalbarri

                                                            Hawks Head Gorge

                                                         Trying to make a fast getaway!

                                                                     Bush Tucker

After my face resumed its natural pink colour (from the sickly green shade of illness), I was able to climb back onto the bike and continue peddling northward. The passing scenery on the way towards Kalbarri was diverse and interesting. From red desert sands to monocultures of grass-trees. From panoramic ocean views to the unfenced boundless shrubby station farms. It was often changing and very often beautiful.
When I arrived in the small town of Northampton (located at the turn-off to Kalbarri from the highway) wearing the heat of the powerful mid-day sun I was able to eat, fill my water and shoot through. The road ahead was long and hilly into very strong head-winds, and I had a deadline to meet. I had been told to visit the Wagoe Chalets where I could set up my tent with stunning views of the beach for a very reasonable price.
The hills were rolling and the wind relentless, but I pushed on in good spirit. By-passers stopped to offer me food and water. One lady insisted that I take a bag of fruit, a large rock mellon, tins of baked-beans and a bag of tomatoes. I had tried to refuse this over-load with logical reasoning (way too much weight and space!) but she would not listen, insisting that I looked sickly thin. Sadly after her car was nothing more than a dot in the distance I ate what I could and turfed the rock melon and tomatoes into the bushes. An unforgivable waste but I could not haul these added items up and down endless hills.
I had never seen so many caravans on the road. I had conjured pictures of paddocks filled with caravans paying top dollar when I arrived in Kalbarri. I was becoming very excited to arrive.
Eventually I did reach my destination at Wagoe beach and it was as special as the tales that had reached my ears. A stunning sun-set high above a crashing beach from a grassed plateau on which I was the only camper in sight. In addition to this, after reciting the details of my cycling trip, the chap in the office gave me a 'Wagoe Chalets' cap free of charge. I was very pleased with this offering.
From Wagoe beach it was only a short ride into Kalbarri. I woke fresh and enthusiastic to race into this geological and biological oasis. 'Natures window' and the z-bend gorge were famous for their beauty. Sadly I came to learn that the road into both of these attractions was dirt and painfully corrugated. I dared not attempt such roads on my bike. So instead I checked into the busy caravan park and chatted to passing tourists. I had a fantastic site complete with a pick nick table and tall trees surrounding it. But try as I might I could not find any tourists heading into the national park to the destinations I wished to visit. Most people were just old retired folk taking shelter from the complexities of life within their social caravan park bubble. I enjoyed their company all the same.
Due to my disappointment in the inaccessibility of the famed gorges, I decided to book a canoeing tour down the second largest river in W.A: the Murchison River.
The tour was almost full and I was excited to have the chance to meet many more people.
However, as I boarded an awesome off-road bus, I found that the other 10 passengers were all mentally challenged, plus two carers. I have absolutely no problem with spending the day with these enthusiastic, lovely people, but it was an expensive tour, and I found that we spent much of the time covering basic technique, which left very little time on the water. It was a great day none-the -less and we enjoyed some true bush tucker (bacon and egg rolls with baked-beans). The instructor was very informative and I had ample one-on-one time to learn. As one can imagine, the challenged participants had the time of their lives falling out of the canoes and splashing about in the crystal clear water. It was great to see.
My last night (3rd) was spent camping on the Murchison House Station. It was extremely cheap and an amazing experience. I would recommend this accommodation to anyone travelling in the area. Here I met Lee and Steph, a young couple travelling around Australia in search of virgin rock-climbing territory. Lee was incredibly enthusiastic about rock-climbing and Steph fussed over my diet and well-being. They were great people. They were working a few hours each day on the station in return for free accommodation and food. A great way to live close to the gorges begging to be climbed!
The station was alive with animals both farmed and wild, and I had an amazing time camping on the river watching fish jump and birds dive. It had been an amazing experience.
But now the road ahead was long, hot and begging for my blood and sweat. It was time once again to move on.