Actually, posting the full blog is going to be a bit long winded without the photos to break it up a bit, so I'll post up the detail alongside that growing collection I have on the travel websites. I think I'll just cherry pick a few highlight and stories for this one.... just to keep the folks back in the cold of home satisfied but keen.

Now where did I leave off? Nambung National Park? Well, we can start there anyway:

03/12/10

On a quick scan of the full bus, the crowd was pleasing; it was an eclectic mix of nationalities and age ranges without being overbearing at the same time i.e. not overloaded with overexcitable youngsters, but not spoil-sport golden oldies either. Like I say, a fair mix to keep it interesting. Apologies from here on in, but I may have to refer to people without introducing them.

Our first major stop off was at the Nambung National Park to see the Pinnacle Sands. I’d seen these interesting limestone pretrusions before, but was interested to go back.
The Aboriginal dreamtime stories amused me somewhat, but I do wonder how much of the imaginative fabrication came in more modern times from a culture well known to have drug and alcohol problems. I guess that is the fuel for a good story still these days.

In all honesty, what excited me the most about Nambung was the possibility of chucking myself down a sand dune on one of those boards as I’d heard good things from many sources who had been, and, of course, that is exactly what I did. Lactic burn verses adrenaline rush…. When the balanced tipped in favour of pain reduction I had to stop, but it was great fun. Our overnight stay was in the tranquil, but highly popular Horrocks Bay.

04/12/10

Oh my god that dude can snore! I got the best part of no sleep, and an iPod on full blast could not nullify the arrhythmic roars of Mark. F***ing hell - honestly, I wasn’t even mad; I was impressed! The 6-bed dorm laughed it off quickly and it gave us a common conversation and joke from then on in, however, it is not an experience I ever want to repeat. The foetal recoil and following kick-out to the adjacent bed violently put an abrupt end to the previously worst encounter of a snorer back in Borneo a while ago, but we have a new record holder now! Anyway, we all got over that and dotted sleep on the bus to Kalbarri helped us all out. What was worse was the fact that after eating some toast I was informed the ravaged pack had been left out to show us that a possum had gotten a feed the previous night. Well that vermin flavoured toast was now resting in my stomach! I chose not to think about it too much.

Once again, similar to the Pinnacles, I had seen Kalbarri before, but in by no means was I disappointed to return. We arrived via the stunning Red Bluff and got to see our first dose of the friendliest of fish. I refer the dolphins which can be found in great numbers in the area. It was quite exciting for most of us children of all ages.

Once in Kalbarri, we walked up to the aptly named Nature’s Window for the well photographed view of the Murchisant River before hiking along the Z-Bend. Kalbarri, put simply, is a stunning National Park. The sleepy town of Denman was to be our base for the night.

05/12/10

Denman is just a 30 minute drive from Monkey Mia, so getting to Monkey Mia on-time for its most notorious attraction wasn’t a problem. The denizens of the area had all gathered on the beach expecting their morning feeding alongside the opportunistic herons and emus. The dolphin feeding is a MUST to see in the area and just to be in the mild water with them swimming around you is highly enjoying. I would recommend a visit to anyone.

We took a couple of stop off along Shell Beach and Hamelin Bay (famous for the collection of Stromatolites), and a very abrupt emergency stop to photograph a lizard, I kid you not, before reaching Coral Bay for the night. I played in the Twister competition, and still feel a bit hard done by. I was wiped out twice on route to the final few, but I doubt I’d had beaten Sue anyway who is highly accomplished in yoga. Good fun none-the-less.