Weeks 16-17 – Shark Bay – Monkey Mia – Kalbarri - Geraldton – Dongara

On the way to Shark Bay we stopped at a lookout over the flat, tidal farmland to the East. In the distance was Shark Bay. You could clearly see how flat the land is along this coast.

We stopped at the stromatolites in Shark Bay. These ancient structures are what initially caused oxygen to be released into Earth’s atmosphere millions of years ago.  Formed out of bacteria that clumps together, the stromatolites ingest carbon dioxide and other gases and release oxygen. They grow in shallow, tidal pools and the area around Shark Bay is perfect for them. The water is extremely salty, warm and shallow.

Further up towards Denham we stopped and Shell Beach. Here there are billions of shells from the same type of animal which have formed the beach. The shells can be up to 10m thick in some areas and they used to harvest the shells as building products. They make very good shell blocks. Some buildings in Denham are made from these blocks.

Our van park at Denham was very nice. Right at the end of the main street on the beach. In the main street there is another memorial to the HMAS Sydney II. This part of Australia is unique in that it is isolated from the main part of the ocean by long, narrow peninsulas with very shallow seas in between. There is no swell in this part and the bays are full of sea grasses. 80% of the world's population of dugongs live in this area, as well as multiple shark species - hence the name Shark Bay.

We visited the aquarium where we saw sea snakes and sharks. It was pretty sad to see them swimming around in the tanks though.

The lookouts around here are awesome, with sweeping views over the bays towards Dirk Hartog  Island, and the most westerly part of Australia at Steep Point. Unfortunately, the roads around here are only sandy, dirt tracks and a 4WD is necessary to see most places. The tracks into Steep Point were closed due to the recent rains. The wind here is ferocious and has been blowing for days. It is pretty cold in the wind.

Denham is on the middle peninsula and does have a sealed road to it (and Monkey Mia). We drove into Monkey Mia the next day and lined up with the masses to see the wild dolphins being fed. They only feed one group of dolphin and only 3 fish each per day to encourage them to seek other food in the wild. The volunteers of NPWS choose people from the crowd to feed the dolphins. The area is pretty touristy, surprising seeing how it is so far from anywhere. The first two feeds predictably went to Asian tourists and children. However, after the second feed there was quite a break so many went away to seek coffee etc. Nanna lined up and gave her best smile to the volunteers and was chosen to feed one of the dolphins. It made her day! She absolutely loved it and was buzzing for days.

We explored Francois Peron National Park in the Pathy. They have compressors at the start of the tracks to let down and re-inflate tyres after driving on the deep, sandy tracks. The tracks were great and we found a lagoon open to the sea after driving for 30km through the bush.

The next day we left Denham heading for Kalbarri. As we left the wind finally stopped and the scenery was awesome. Denham is a beautiful place and a fisherman's paradise (as, it seems, is most of W.A.).

Kalbarri is a pretty place right on the beach. Pa was hoping to get some waves at Jakes beach but when we arrived it was flat. The next day however it was huge. There was no way to get out to the waves and the odd local who tried really had difficulty getting back in as the waves break right on the rocks which pass as beaches over here.

We visited the Kalbarri National Park and went on a few walks through the gorges created by the Murchison River. One gorge has a tourist drawcard named  Nature's Window. It sits at the end of a rock ledge and you can see through the hole created in the rock to see a wonderful view down the valley.

Nanna went for horse ride in the afternoon and her horse took her through the Murchison River. At one stage the horse was swimming while Nanna was riding it. She absolutely loved it. Her horse was called Asterix and was an ex-racehorse.

The next day the surf was still huge so we reluctantly headed for Geraldton.

Along the way we passed the pink lake at Hutt River. Pa flew the drone to get a good look.

Geraldton is a port town and quite large. We did some shopping at Woollies and stocked the fridge. We drove out to the wildflower region about 100km east of Geraldton to Mullewa. The drive was through farmland which was bright yellow and greens with canola and wheat crops in the ground. They have had good rain here for months - something the farmers in the east are crying for.

Nanna had a ball visiting lots of different locations to see the wildflowers. They are spectacular to say the least.

We visited the memorial to the HMAS Sydney in Geraldton that afternoon. This is a major memorial and sits above Geraldton with sweeping views across the town.

We next had a short trip to a pretty little seaside town called Dongara/Port Denison. The harbour is the focal point of the town and the caravan park is right on the beach. Our van is 20 steps to the beach. Pa finally got some waves on his short board and was very happy. He even got waves the next day as well but the swell dropped very fast.

We drove along some tracks and along the beach so Nanna could collect some more shells.

We stayed here for a few days and walked along the jetty, went for bike rides and fishing. Pa finally caught our first fish for the trip!

We had a rest day and cleaned the van and car inside and out before we head south tomorrow for some free camping at Sandy Cape before we venture further towards Perth.