Thursday 22^nd May Alexander Bay

Cold night was followed by cold morning. But not so cold – I still put on shorts. And the day became warm and sunny, for the most part. Before heading off, we waited for it to warm up; it was nearly 11am before we set off on a long beach walk to the east.

The walk could have gone on indefinitely, because that's what the beach did. White sand, blue and green sea, blue sky..... it was very nice. We walked up to, and crossed, the Alexander River (brackish water, and very little flow) and soon after came across a couple camped just above the beach, with their 4WD. Fishing. So we stopped and chatted for a while; they hadn't caught anything much, but were well equipped – even with a drone which was used to carry the line, with the bait and hook, way out over the breakers and drop it in the water.

We walked a bit further, stopped for lunch; a couple of 4WD's drove along the beach, stopped and got out their fishing rods... we decided we'd gone far enough, and walked back – with a little walk up the river on the way.

The day was still sunny, but clouds started moving in. We walked a little of yesterday evening's walk, but in cloudy conditions it just wasn't the same. Rain is predicted tonight / tomorrow. I feel fortunate to have had the good weather here that we have had.

There are many more people here tonight – perhaps six other sites occupied (none very close to us). We're the only vehicle like this – all the others are 4WD's.

Friday 23^rd May 11 Mile Beach, near Esperance

The rain which was predicted, came. It started with a sprinkle ~5am, but soon got much heavier. We got up, had a shower and breakfast, as usual; and I went outside. I had thought the road here would handle rain, and was dismayed to find the ground quite soft and muddy.

What to do? We didn't want to stay here for a day in the rain, so out we went. I thought the first bit of track, out from the campsite, was the iffiest – but I was wrong. We got to the main track with no problem. The track out was mostly yellowish, with a stony base, but some sections were red. These sections were not good, and on one uphill red section the van was not going where I was steering it to, and I had to use too much accelerator.

During this, a yellow light appeared on the dashboard; poor traction warning, I assume – but I already knew that! We managed to get to the yellow road again – but it had been a bit touch and go.

Then, there was no problem. After 15km of reasonable gravel we got to the bitumen again. It was pleasing to be on a hard surface again. The rain came and went, very heavy at times; we both felt happy to have driven out from Alexander Bay.

We took another 6km gravel road shortcut to go down into Cape Le Grand National Park. The sign on entry said the campground was full; I was surprised by that, in this weather, but we drove to the beach and it was true. It was bucketing down. I had a wee out the door of the van, in the public carpark, into the pouring rain, and then Alison did too,The park is much more “developed” than it was 32 years ago – it's a little like Wilson's Prom now.

We did little there but make a cup of coffee – the heavy rain came and went, and the ground was sodden. Where to? Back into Esperance, where we refilled our water at Tourist Info.

We went to and parked in the usual spot outside the library, and went over to Cloud Eleven Cafe for lunch. Then, in the library, we did Brain Drain, then uploaded the website and sent some emails; filled up with fuel, and drove out along the scenic coastal loop, in pouring rain. The highest the van's thermometer recorded today was 12º.

By now, it was after 4pm, and we had less than an hour of daylight left. Where to for the night? We've ended up down at 11^th Beach, out of town, on bitumen, where you're not really meant to camp. But.... pouring with rain and no-one else here.

We are comfortable and warm inside, but heard a drip – which we found was coming from the air conditioner on the roof. Now's not the time to investigate, though. After we've had dinner the rain has lightened, but we are being buffeted at times by very strong winds.

We used the diesel heater again, both for warmth and to try to dry out.

Saturday 24^th May Bush Camp near Munglinup Beach

Last night was not the best; leaking roof, and rain on and off all night, but the buffeting died down. Being camped right in front of a “No Camping” sign didn't make for a good night's sleep, either. So we woke early, to find a car parked a few spots away in the carpark. So early on a wet morning?

So we got up, dressed, put the bed away, and drove out before 7am. We continued around the Ocean Drive to the Pink Lake Lookout, where we stopped and had breakfast. And wondered about what to do next.

We decided to go back into Esperance, which was just a few km away. So in we went, for the third time this trip. We parked outside “Dome” Cafe and went in for a long morning coffee, reading the paper and making more plans – and improving our moods. We've booked ourselves in to a campsite in Fitzgerald River National Park for Sunday and Monday nights.

Before we left town, we went for a walk – and found a tiny stall next to a park selling good sourdough bread! The best bread we've had since leaving home. We'd nearly given up on bread in Esperance.

We drove out. Down the South Coast highway for 100km, and we turned off on the road to Munglinup Beach. We found a pleasant spot to stop for coffee next to a bridge; a good possibility for overnighting, too.

On to Munglinup Beach. More tidied up and ordered than when we were here 32 years ago, and one other vehicle only here. We stopped in the Day Visitor part, and went for a walk on the beach in very strong wind. (But no rain!).

Back for lunch, and each of us ate too much bread. It was so good!

Then, maintenance. One of the catches on the bathroom window was stuck, and needed to be completely taken apart to make it work again; and the roof leak. I looked up through the hatch and suspect the broken TV aerial is the problem; so its broken base is now wrapped up thoroughly in duct tape. I hope it's the end of that problem, till it's home again and I do something more definitive.

Another walk on the windy beach, and we drove out; halfway along the corrugated gravel road, to a turnoff down to the estuary. We've parked in a big open, but secluded, spot, on our own. And went for a walk down to the estuary and then along a disused Nature Trail for an hour, seeing masses of kangaroos.

Back at dusk, and a shower before dinner. We're in a much better state than last night!

Sunday 25^th May Fitzgerald River NP

It was a better night, but there was strong wind and a lot of rocking of the van. We were expecting more rain today; and it came, as we were getting ready to eat breakfast. Light sprinkles.

But then, it got much heavier and we thought we should drive out. A good idea, but we'd used the levellers last night, and Alison had to go out in the pouring rain to remove them after I'd driven off them. She chucked them in the van's foot well, and off we went.

There was no problem, this time, in driving out; but when we did, there was water everywhere – between the corrugations, beside the road, in sheets over paddocks. And despite our being a bit paranoid, now, about water inside the van, the duct tape on the broken TV aerial seems to have worked well. Not quite 100%, but close to.

We drove to Hopetoun. It was raining there too. But they had a cafe, and we went in for a coffee and cake, sitting inside in the warmth. Then into the nearby national park, where we'd booked into the campground for two nights, at Four Mile Beach.

We're in Site 4; flat, sheltered, and no risk of getting stuck by wet roads. We took the levellers over to the camp kitchen to wash off some of the mud, and leave them to dry. Had lunch. Walked down to the beach, around the estuary, back home on the road. The strong winds have not abated, though the rain has.

We did brain drain in the van, then went and had a shower. It is a good shower here. And Alison went and cooked dinner in the camp kitchen – no-one else there, it was quite cold – and we ate there. Better than sitting in the van again, though it's warmer inside. We watched a fairly dreadful DVD and went to bed.

Monday 26^th May Fitzgerald River NP

I was not in a happy state this morning. While we were protected from the wind, it rained heavily on & off last night, too much for the duct tape on the roof. In the middle of the night, I got up and wiped the wet floor, and put the bowl under the main drip. As well as this, I found the red light was on, on the fridge – the gas had run out. We'd been expecting this but the timing was not great. I turned the fridge off, and changed the gas bottle as soon as I got up in the morning.

After that, the day improved. We didn't see the sun, or more than a glimpse of blue sky, but we didn't see rain either. (And – at last – the weather forecast is for two dry days, which will enable me to silicone the roof and hopefully fix the problem.)

So... we drove a little further into the park; a lookout for royal hakeas, then to Cave Point - good views from a high cliff, and lots of wildflowers and plants quite different from others we've seen elsewhere; hakeas and lots of others.

Next? We may as well walk up East Mt. Barren now. No sunshine now, but... there wasn't any later in the day, anyway. It was cold. I had 5 layers on my top half, but put on shorts; a good idea because, despite no rain, we were walking through sodden vegetation and my jeans would have been soaked. My shoes and socks were soaked. But it was a good walk with a fair amount of climbing over boulders and rocks; we didn't go the final 10 metres which was all rock climbing. Probably could have, but don't want injuries, thanks.

We drove along to the Barren Lookout and did Brain Drain; then returned to the campground where Alison made French toast, bacon, and eggs for lunch. Unusual and yummy,

Then down to Hamersley Inlet, at the end of the sealed road. We walked along the 1.7km track through dunes to the beach, and then back along the inlet. A good walk. We drove home to the campground near dusk and went and had a hot shower.

Now, it's not as wet as it's been, and not as cold, either. And I am happier.

Tuesday 27^th May Ongerup

With a night free of wind, rain, and drips, I slept really well. We went over to the camp kitchen for breakfast, where we did speak to one woman we'd met yesterday; where were all the others here? This has been a feature of this trip, being in places with other vans, and not a soul being in any of the communal areas.

We packed up and left, and drove the 50km to Ravensthorpe. An interesting town; a large new Community Service Centre / library, but the large supermarket had closed, along with the other shops in its complex, and the town really looked like it had seen better days.

But having said that, we spent quite a lot of time here, and enjoyed it; brain drain in the library, coffee in a tiny cafe (here we chatted with a couple going a long way in an old MGB, after driving it previously from Capetown to Cairo in Africa, and who knew Jim Thompson in Carlsruhe; and then a youngish Tasmanian widower.) We went to the poorly stocked mini-mart and bought some milk, failed to buy silicone sealant in the Building Supplies store, but the succeeded in the Farm Supplies store.

We lunched in a picnic area just outside town, and continued west. The cloudy sky of the last week cleared to a blue sky by the time we got to Jerramungup at 3.30pm.

We stopped here for a coffee, and to repair our roof with the silicone sealant. Alison went aloft, removed all the duct tape, cleaned it all, and then I went up and siliconed it, using aluminium foil over the missing bits. Now we have to keep our fingers crossed that it's fixed.

We continued, looking for a place for the night; it was after sundown when we got to Ongerup, where we've moved into the old and basic, but absolutely fine, caravan park. On power. I've turned on the split, and the water coming through it during the last week seems not to have affected its functioning. Some others staying here came over and had a tour of our van.

We turned on our electric hot water and stove hotplate, as we had power – we've never done this before. And the split heater ran for most of the evening.

Wednesday 28^th May Stirling Ranges NP

Ongerup was a good spot for the night. After a long hot shower, we drove on to the Stirling Ranges National Park, and took the near immediate turnoff to Bluff Knoll – an 8km drive up to a carpark with no resemblance to the one when we were last here, 32 years ago.

I went up and applied more aluminium foil and silicone to the remains of the TV aerial – nothing more to do now, except wait for more rain and see if it still leaks – and then had a coffee before putting on shorts, jumper, and jacket, putting my down vest in the backpack, and setting off for the 3km / 1½ hour each way walk to the top of Bluff Knoll.

It was a steep 3km, with lots of steps. Something over 1,000, I think, over the 650m rise. The weather was fine and cool, but we got hotter. A rest after an hour, and then on to the summit. Spectacular views all around; we spent over an hour there, having a snack and then talking bushwalking with a group of Tasmanians, and then with a couple of ladies from Perth.

It was quicker going down, but my legs (quads and knees) got a very good workout, and they were quite relieved to get back home. We had a coffee, and when the ladies from Perth (Christine and Linda) got back, Alison invited them in for a cup of tea.

And so it ended up getting to 4.30pm before we left the carpark. An hour of daylight left. Where were we going? The only NP campground here is closed, so we've driven 23km along the (gravel) Stirling Ranges Road, to Central Lookout. Not a campground, but it's isolated (a bit) and it was dark when we got here.

We've closed all the curtains and are trying to be incognito.

Thursday 29^th May Off Mawson Road, north of Albany

Incognito we were; we saw not another soul. But we had a very poor night, thanks to strong gusty winds all night, rocking the van, dropping down to nothing, and then coming up again. I even considered (but didn't act on) getting up and driving to a more sheltered spot.

So we got up early, soon after the red sky at dawn. I went out for a wee, directed the stream downwind and down, and a gust of wind blew it into my face! This is a first, for me, in 73 years.

We walked up the 400m to Central Lookout – a good view – had breakfast, and left. We continued on Stirling Ranges Drive, past more mountains, under the impression that there were 16km more of gravel road; but it turned out to be more like 40km. I think I've seen enough of the Stirling Ranges, now. Eventually we got to a bitumen road, and drove a bit further into the town of Mt. Barker.

This is a little town (though it's the biggest one we've been in since Esperance);We went to Tourist Info, had a little walk, supported the local economy by buying a coffee, and drove out again. Across to Porongurup National Park, some 25km away. Up to the “Tree in a Rock” picnic area, where we walked up to the tree, and then had lunch, before driving on to Castle Rock.

This is the site of the park's biggest attraction, the Granite Skywalk. It's another uphill walk, 2km each way, with lots of steps (>750), but much easier than Bluff Knoll yesterday. By chance, we had the Skywalk (a cantilevered walkway on the side of a massive granite outcrop) all to ourselves. It was nice.

Back down we went. It was near 3pm, and our big aim today is not to be looking for somewhere for the night at dusk. So we drove down to a spot in the Camps Book 25km from Albany, but didn't like it much. Close to the busy road, and nowhere too level to park. So off down a nearby good gravel road, where we found a little track off into the bush on one side, and here we are. Both a bit tired.

Friday 30^th May Albany

Our little track was a great spot for the night! Quiet, and at times we heard the wind, but we never felt it shake the van. So we both slept, of course, much better.

There was no rush to get up; but, even so, we got to Albany about 9am. This is a big town – bigger than anywhere we've been on this trip. With traffic!

We followed the signs to Tourist Info. Parking outside was easy, and the lady inside very helpful. Where to stay? We knew it was a long weekend, but added to that there is a big classic car event here as well. Everything likely to be booked out. I got on the phone to the only caravan park within walking distance of town, and we got a site.

It was still early. We went up to a good bakery, bought some bread, and had a coffee. With a paper to read, again! Perhaps with the minimal covid lockdown WA had, cafes never stopped having papers; unlike Victoria, where they stopped papers and 90% of cafes have not resumed them. A pity.

We did some stocking-up shopping, filled up with fuel, and drove out to the park. We have a grassed site with power; it's a bit on the pricey side, and the pricing quite opaque. But it is a very peak period and is close to town.

We did the washing, and hung it out to dry. Rain was predicted for today, but it turned out to be very minor; we had to put some stuff in a dryer when the rain came, but mostly it dried on the line.

After lunch, we walked into, and around, town. The centre is quite compact; down to the seafront, and around. We bought a bottle of Prosecco to have with our dinner tonight, and got home just after dark. And had a nice dinner in the camp kitchen.

Saturday 31^st May Albany

Today started off well. A sort of sleep in, breakfast in the camp kitchen, and a walk into town. Rain was predicted, and we walked in jackets, but there wasn't much in the morning. A coffee in “Dome”, reading the paper, and a walk home to lunch on a particularly delicious fruit loaf.

But then – another little fall of water from the air conditioner. Gloom! We need to take this further. Alison got out her computer and started looking for solutions; I got up and started looking at it more. There was poor communication resulting in her going out for a walk.

But eventually, we managed to remove all the internal parts of the unit; to find the sealing felt around it was soaked. No surprise, really. But with it off, it appears that the broken off TV aerial, which I'd assumed was to blame, had nothing to do with it; the leak appears to be on the other side.

Lots of internet advice blamed blocked drainage holes in the external unit; I went and made sure they were open.

We'd been going to drive and go for a walk this afternoon, but with all this it didn't happen. We walked back to town in the late afternoon to go to the supermarket, but got there just after 5pm, when they closed. So we walked home again.

We used the oven in the camp kitchen for dinner; while there it rained again, which enabled us to localise, to a degree, the area where the leak is coming from.

It's all a bit frustrating!

But – not the end.....

When I got back from cleaning my teeth, ready to go to bed, Alison had lowered the bed and found – wet doona and sheets! From a leak in the skylight / vent above. So – she went over and put things through the dryer, I removed the inside part of the skylight to find that it didn't appear to be tracking from the other leak – it was a new one – and then put it on again. We stuck our collapsible bucket, and other bits, to the roof with duct tape, to catch and more drips; covered the bed with a waterproof poncho; and went to bed. After midnight. To be woken when the bucket fell down.

Neither of us slept well. Though we were very fortunate that there was no more rain during the night.

Sunday 1^st June Mistaken Island, near Albany

After last night, it wasn't a morning for sleeping in. Up, a shower, and back to try to sort everything out and pack things up. While we were doing this Alison spoke to our neighbour in the caravan park, to apologise for possibly disturbing them last night.

Serendipity! Denise is an employee of Apollo, who made our van; used to be in Melbourne, now in Perth. She rang people – including Sam, the workshop director there (in the middle of a long weekend!) and various others as well. The upshot? All these problems – and the lost TV aerial – are covered under warranty. And while it's reasonable for us to try to effect a temporary fix, the van should go in for them to fix it definitively.

This had not crossed my mind.

This lifted our moods a bit. And to do it further, we left the caravan park, drove gtowards town, and went to “Dome” for breakfast on their balcony. The cafe was full this morning, lots of them petrol-heads here for the Car Classic; but a good breakfast.

Then, it was off to Bunnings. Silicone sealant, methylated spirit, plastic sheeting. Fortunately it was still not raining; I drove over to a rubbish skip next to a closed Goodyear Shop, to use it as a platform so we could access the van's roof. It was a good choice as it has a stack of pallets next to the skip, two of which we used to gain even more height. We cleaned what we hope are the problem areas and applied more sealant. Will it work?

We drove out to Torndirrup NP, to the south, to go for a walk; and chose one to Uredale Point and Possession Island. It's outside the National Park, but was a good walk for a couple of hours partly along a beach with lots of shells. Alison came back with her pockets full!

There were no “No Camping” signs here, and it was quite a nice spot; but not very level. So we drove to nearby Mistaken Island, and we are going to stay here instead. Sheltered, level, alone. We will get to bed early and there's no more rain predicted till later tomorrow.

(It crossed my mind – last time in Albany, 32 years ago, it was very wet too. We had to use the dryers in the caravan park then as well, including for Louise's teddy Brown Ears.)

Monday 2^nd June Kalgan River, near Albany

We managed to stay awake til 9pm last night, then got a good solid 10 hours sleep and woke up in a much better state. A walk on the beach, a diversion to a couple of other beaches, a think about a 6 hour walk out to Bald Head (which looked similar to Cape Brett in Bay of Islands, NZ), and we made some phone calls.

Apollo not very helpful – we need to email them details of the problem, then take the vehicle to be assessed; the assessment sent to their office, and then the problem can be fixed. Standard practice, I'm sure, but rather impractical in our situation. RACV? No help at all, because the vehicle hasn't broken down.

So we drove back to Albany, and went to “Dome” for coffee, again. What next? I was thinking of going up to Perth to get is sorted, but now think – if the siliconing we did yesterday has worked, we'll leave it all till the van's back home again. If it hasn't, we'll call into the Albany Caravan Repair tomorrow, and see what they think.

(We'll find out tonight, when rain is predicted).

So we drove out of town, to one end of the 6km Luke Pen walk, by the Kalgan River. A broad river, such as we've not seen for quite a while. It was a pleasant walk along the river for 1½ hours, each way, seeing a lovely pelican and a bandicoot; the carpark at the far end looked a better spot for the night. So after getting back, near dusk, we drove down there.

A few drops of rain had started. The first thing we did was rig up a bucket over our bed, with plastic sheeting attached to the roof to channel any leaks into.

There were a couple of other cars here when we arrived, but they've gone now.

Tuesday 3^rd June Cosy Corner, between Albany and Denmark

It was another good sleep. But I woke early, and considered the roof leak; I suspect it's been there for ages, and was only revealed in the exceptionally heavy rain in Esperance. Anyway – it was a lovely spot next to the Kalgan River.

We drove back, again, to Albany; this time across to Albany Caravan Repairs. While we'd already sort of decided that our best option was to get it fixed when we got home, the man there confirmed it. He's booked out to August anyway. He did tell me that the air conditioner shroud needed to be reattached – even if by only two screws – before driving.

OK. Back into our usual parking spot in Albany; we did brain drain in the library, then walked up to the corner, in nice sunny weather, bought some bread, had coffee at the nice cafe there; drove down and refilled our water, and drove out. Alison tried to get us onto the Lower Denmark Road, but we ended up on a road the other side of the railway line, which took us to the road we didn't want to go on. But there was no way of crossing the railway line, so it was ~10km before we found a road to get us back to where we wanted to be.

We drove into threatening weather, and headed for Cosy Corner campsite – a bush campsite managed by Albany council. We found a good level site and then put one of the plastic sheets we'd bought at Bunnings over the roof at the airconditioning unit.

Then we had lunch, just before a thunderstorm hit – with some hail at times. A lot of water came down, but none of it came inside – such a nice change! After it all settled down we went outside to see the rainbow and walk on the beach here – though as so often lately, it was high tide and there wasn't a great expanse of sand to walk on.

Before dinner we sent off an email to Apollo telling them of the van's problems, with some photos. There's nothing more to do now, for the moment; tomorrow, we slowly continue on with our original plan.

Wednesday 4^th June Coalmine Beach, near Walpole

We were in no hurry this morning. After replacing the air conditioner shroud, and removing the plastic sheeting from the roof, we drove off into Denmark. Hoping for no rain.

It's not far from Albany, but the change in vegetation was obvious; lots of big trees appeared. Denmark wasn't very far; we stopped next to the river, and went out for a walk around. It's a small town, and is quite twee. Wellness centre, massage, trendy cafes and health food shops; a small version of Daylesford, in a way.

We went to the library, to find that it didn't open till 1pm on Wednesdays. So we went to have a coffee, walked up to a couple of op shops, a woodturning co-operative, tourist info; then back to the van and Alison made savoury muffins for lunch.

We returned to the library, to find that their internet was down; so we couldn't do brain drain there. They directed us instead to the Community Resource Centre, so we went and did it there. Then, time to drive out of town; there was little to keep us in Denmark.

We had been lucky, and there had been no significant rain.

We drove a little further, to Parry's Beach; we thought we'd camp there for the night. Rain began as we approached the campsite; to find that there was a 2.75 metre height limit. We are 3.2 metres. So no go. So, we had to continue – in the rain. No choice.

We ended up going quite a way, nearly into Walpole, looking for somewhere. Denmark is not a very RV-friendly town; there are “No Camping - $1,200 on-the spot fine” notices everywhere. Vastly different to Albany, where it was easy to find a lovely secluded spot. We checked out a couple of bush tracks – not appealing – and called in at a “hip camp” (has to be pre-booked online, through the council); and have ended up at a caravan park. It's a nice caravan park, well separated sites, set in the bush.

So we began by putting the blue plastic on the roof again, then went for a walk by Nornalup Inlet, next to the park – where it started raining again. Back home. Lots of light, as we're plugged into power, and hot water; but we can't use the split on the roof because it's covered in plastic sheeting. So we went and had a hot shower before getting into bed, but had to run back home because it was raining again.

Thursday 5^th June Coalmine Beach, near Walpole

Rain squalls came and went all night, but we were dry and warm. We opened the roof hatch as normal when we woke up, but soon had to close it again because of rain. Today, up to 9mm rain is expected; so we decided to stay here, with the plastic sheeting over the roof leak. And after breakfast set off, wearing poncho and carrying umbrella, for the little town of Walpole, ~ 4km away. The walk there was off-road entirely, along part of the Bibbulman Track. Quite pleasant walk, which brought us to Tourist Info.

There are two service stations in town; one houses a good cafe, the other houses the supermarket. We walked up a back lane to the op shop for a look, then considered - the bakery or the service station cafe? We opted for the service station, and it was a good choice.

The library here is closed on Thursdays, and the Community Resource Centre wanted to charge $5 for ½ hour computer time. So we delayed brain drain until we were back at home in the afternoon.

A visit to the supermarket, where we just cannot shake off being skinflints – buying reduced price food nearing expiry date. There's an oven in the camp kitchen so we're having chicken wings and sweet potato chips.

We had sort of thought that we'd buy lunch out today, but nothing was very attractive, and we'd seen enough of the little town; so we walked back on the Bibbulman Track around Nornalup Inlet. This needed some climbing around large puddles, and in places half the track was beneath the water of the inlet.

The weather looked as if it was drying out; but just when it looked promising, another rain squall would come in. It went on like this all afternoon, but at 4.30pm we thought we'd better go for a walk anyway, around the knoll – a peninsula covered in bush. It was a good walk and it didn't rain!

Friday 6^th June Blocked Bridge near Fernhook Falls

There was more rain overnight. I am so over rain! It looked like it was clearing up in the morning, but I still got sprinkled on my way back from a shower, and it was sprinkling when we removed the blue plastic from above the van, and drove out.

Into Walpole. We were going to do the little 2km walk around Horseyard Hill here, but the rain was still there. But while we were thinking about it, it stopped! So off we went, Alison carrying an umbrella for security. It turned out to be a very good walk through tall tree forest – tingles, karries, and marries. I was very glad to have done it.

We retired to yesterday's service station / cafe for a coffee – and Alison was quite taken (and very reasonably so) by her mug; one of many made by a friend of the proprietor. So we left with two new mugs to use at home and remind us of Walpole.

The rain was still managing to stay away, so we opted to drive back the way we'd come, and up to the Giant Tingle Tree and the Circular Pool. I am glad to have done this, as well; tingle trees grow only in a limited area around Walpole, and the bush here is magnificent.

By now it was 2pm. We drove back to next to the Caravan Park and had a roll and pumpkin soup, heated up in their camp kitchen; then on to the Tree Top Walk. We walked first around the ground level route there, before going on the elevated walkway which rises to 40 metres above the ground. It was good – but if I left something out of today, it would be this.

After a coffee in the carpark, we drove back through Walpole for the final time, and out west, towards Shannon. I'd though we'd go to Fernhook falls for the night, but when we got to the turnoff a sign said - “Road Closed – Bridge Out”. After driving past, Alison did a quick U-turn and we drove 5km down to the closed bridge. We are parked in the middle of the blocked road, well off the highway, no-one else around...

The rain has held off, but the ground is very wet everywhere and I am very happy to be parked on a decent bit of gravel road.

Saturday 7^th June Big Brook Arboretum, near Pemberton

The closed road was a great location for the night. As quiet as could be. And, despite our being in bush next to water, hardly any birdsong in the morning. Much less than at home in Castlemaine.

We decided to walk down to Fernhook Falls, which were ~1½ km away across the closed bridge. We found a large campground with good facilities and no-one in it, a bridge of unusual construction across the top of the falls, not much water flow despite the recent heavy rainfall and the ground still being quite wet everywhere, and a large pool in the Frankland River.

We walked back, and drove back out to the highway, and up to Shannon – the site of an old timber town closed in the 1950's, with the buildings all relocated. Then a bushfire swept through it in 2015. A nice large open area in the bush, with 68 campsites, of which one only was occupied. Lots of pink flowers in the grass. We had our morning coffee, wandered around it, looked in the cabin the girls stayed in in 1993, and then drove down to nearby Shannon Dam for lunch.

Then a walk – a loop through the bush, with lots of massive tall karri trees; up to Mokare Rock, a large expanse of granite on the side of the hill with views over.... lots more bush. We returned down with a detour down to Smeather's rock, with an underwhelming view over... more bush. Apparently in the past you could seen the dam and the town site from there, but the trees have grown.

We continued up the highway and then down into the small town of Pemberton, getting there 15 minutes after tourist info closed at 3pm. We found the supermarket (not a nice one) and bought some vegies. We're nearing the end of the trip and Alison is doing a great job of running us out of food.

There was nothing to keep us in town. On a Saturday afternoon, the town was dead. We found the road out to Big Brook Arboretum, where we had good memories of staying in 1993; but now there's an official camping ground, which is nowhere near as nice. But we'll spend the night here.

A little walk up the road before darkness fell.

Sunday 8^th June Windy Harbour

The camping ground at Big Brook had little to recommend it; and I certainly am not going to pay $20 to National Parks for using it. We decided to drive out and have breakfast in the real arboretum, where we stayed before; but we found it, not only with “no camping” signs, but very overgrown and neglected. So we ended up driving back into Pemberton, and going to the bakery there, well frequented by locals, for breakfast of coffee and a danish pastry.

Over breakfast, we wondered – where to next? We've had our fill of tall trees for the moment, and decided to go down to the coast, 60km south, at Windy Harbour. The weather forecast is for a sunny day.

And we've had a lovely day. We stopped at Northcliffe for morning tea (tea, after coffee for breakfast) and then drove down to Windy Harbour. A little fishing village, with an expansive camping ground. With only two other vehicles here, we have a large grassed area in front of the camp kitchen; hot showers; and a sunny day. All for $1 more than Big Brook wanted last night.

We had a relax in the sun, put the doona out to air, had lunch of pies from the bakery this morning; then set off on a 2½ hour return walk along the cliffs over Point D'Entrecasteaux to a lookout at Tookulup. Back home by 4.30 to check in at the camping ground and enjoy being settled in place well before dark – something we aim for but often fail to achieve.

Monday 9^th June Rest Area on Brockman Highway

A clear and cold night, and a hot shower, needing to push the “on” button every 10 seconds or so. But a good shower. We went for a walk on the beach – not a long one – before driving out, and stopping at the Bicentennial Tree just outside Pemberton.

There was no-one else there. So we went up to the 1^st stage – which was as far as you were allowed; work being done further up, and pegs removed so you couldn't get there. But 1^st stage, at 20 metres, was high enough anyway, really.

We stopped in Pemberton at “our” cafe, and went in for a decadent morning coffee and (as yesterday) to see where to go to next. Then walked up to the library to do brain drain there, but it was closed on Mondays. So we returned to the van and did it there instead.

We drove out of Pemberton, on the Vasse Highway, as far as Beedalup Falls. We ate lunch there with splendid fairy wrens hopping around us, then went for a walk around the falls (a huge amount of boardwalk and steps had been made there) and then around Beedalup Lake, through the RAC Karri Valley resort – which didn't attract us much at all.

We continued, across to the Brockman Highway towards the west coast. Alison found a picnic area ~ 1km from the intersection, which had, as well as the “No Camping” sign, another one saying RV's could stay for 24 hours. So we've put ourselves in the only reasonably flat spot. It's close to the highway, but the road seems not very busy. And it has better facilities than Big Brook Arboretum!

Tuesday 10^th June Dunsborough

I was woken at 4.30am by rain on the roof; a thunderstorm; and was naturally quite apprehensive about roof leaks. In the end, none were evident; I got back to sleep again and woke to a dry roof and floor.

The rain kept going, off and on, all morning; we were in no hurry to leave. We drove along to the Bussell Highway, turned north, and drove to Margaret River.

We parked behind a supermarket, visited tourist info, had a coffee in a cafe, and went to the library for brain drain. (We also picked up a stack of free DVD's.) A walk up to the op shop (I bought a shirt) and we had lunch in a pub in the middle of town. Back to the van, and we continued north of Caves Road – nearer the coast, but never in sight of it – past masses of vineyards and cellar doors. And a brewery or two, etc.

Down to the coast at Canal Rocks. A strong blustery southerly wind was blowing, the waves were high; I sat on the rocks there and they felt like they were moving, the wind was so strong! After being blown around, we continued on into Dunsborough and found (with some difficulty – none of the roads are straight – Roxane and Keith's house.

We've parked in the driveway. They have a high carport, but not quite high enough for the van. And talked, and talked, and gone out to dinner at Wayfarer's; and tonight, we're sleeping inside, in a bed with an electric blanket.

We can see why Roxane and Keith have moved here; a fine not-too-big house, in a good town, in a lovely part of the world, on a dead-end street.

Wednesday 11^th June Dunsborough

We had a fine day today; good for doing the washing, drying things out, etc. Keith went off to work early; Alison and Roxane went off for a walk, while I started on things needing doing in the van. Change the gas cylinder; wash sheets, take out mattress and doona to air, remove the fascia from the air conditioner. As expected, the wadding in it was soaked; the only reason we got no water in from the thunderstorm yesterday morning was that it was all soaked up by the wadding.

And I gave the outside of the van a rinse after it was sprayed with salt while parked at Canal Rocks yesterday.

The girls returned, and we all walked down into town – all of five minutes away – and had a coffee. They went to a clothing shop, and I returned. More washing. Three loads were done today.

After lunch, Roxane went off to work (at Liquorland); I got out the ladder and taped the blue plastic all over the problem area of the van's roof. It has to stay like that for three months – I hope it does the job. At any rate, I'm not replacing the fascia, which only hides any water getting in.

And we've emptied our things from the van, Alison's done a lot of cleaning. And we're well on the way to being packed for our flight back to Melbourne on Friday. We all had dinner together when Roxane returned from work, at Liquorland, at 8pm.

Thursday 12^th June Dunsborough

I thought, in the night, had I done enough in trying to waterproof the van? But in the light of day, I think I have. You can always go further, but I think I've gone far enough.

This morning, after Alison had cleaned the van, we borrowed Roxane's car and drove into Busselton, ½ hour away. Past lots of church camps on the beach side of the road – Anglican, Catholic, Baptist, Christian brethren, etc. It was rainy and windy; we had a coffee at “Dome”, and read the paper, then headed down to the pier – 1.8km long with an underwater observatory at the end; but the observatory was booked out, and walking out the pier in these weather conditions not appealing.

So we went to the library and did brain drain; then went to Bunnings (for stickers to put on their glass door, which twice I have walked into) and then came home for lunch.

Keith had made some suitable bits of wood to bolt the air conditioning unit onto the inside of the roof with; so they're installed, and the van is as ready as it can be to be left here.

Then, we had the afternoon. Everything is reasonably done; better than having to rush before our flight tomorrow, but Alison was feeling disgruntled and bored. Having to hang around. We walked along the beach and back through a lot of expensive houses, none of which had water tanks and only one with any solar panels. Surprising.

The weather had improved and I even put on shorts for a while. In the middle of June!

I moved the van onto the front lawn. I have a very big bag to check in tomorrow (a World Expeditions India bag) but it seems to be within the weight limits. Keith is cooking fish for dinner.