As we started into the area around Northampton, the scenery really starts to change again. We say goodbye to the red dry dirt and low lying scrub with a very rare tall tree, and welcome the profuse wildflowers, soft, rounded green hills with a spattering of black-faced sheep and lush farmlands of patchwork crops, often in bright yellow or white. Northampton is the oldest settlement in WA, and has the most beautiful stone buildings around the town still in use. They are all very cute and full of character. In this area, you could easily think you were in some wee Scottish village somewhere.
On Tuesday, the rain prevented us from doing too much outdoors in Northampton, but we did manage to see some of these gorgeous old structures. The temperature is definately cooling, but still more like the cool, clear spring days in Victoria, rather than winter, so we can't really complain.
We moved just down the road to Geraldton on Wednesday, where the old buildings are just as remarkable and the scenery still as spectacular. We have camped just out of town on the Chapman Valley Road, and have our own private views of the lush, green hills and wildflowers at our doorstep at Fig Tree Crossing Rest Area. After a chilly night, the blue skies are back and on Thursday we head back into town to explore Geraldton.
We start at the HMAS Sydney II Memorial which is built on top of a hill with amazing views of the shoreline below. The memorial tour was brilliant, with the guide bringing the devastating story of Sydney II (645 navy men lost on one ship just off the Geraldton shores in WWII) and the symbols of the memorial to life for us and the kids. Our next stop is the Maritime Museum of WA, part 2 of our schoolroom for the day which was really well done, especially the Shipwreck Gallery. A picnic on the foreshore and a look at a magnificent cathedral on our way home ends a day in Geraldton.
On Friday we enjoy a relaxing day in our pretty spot before heading back to the coast on Saturday. We visit the Greenough Leaning Trees and wind farm on the way, where over 40 wind turbines are scattered along the farmlands which power all of Geraldton! A fantastic sight to see! If only more of our country could harness this amazing use of energy! We stop at North Cliff Point for the night at the northern end of the Indian Ocean Drive to Perth. It is literally a drive with the bluest of oceans on one side of you and hills patchworked in wildflowers, banksias and native grass trees on the other side. Much more scenic than the inland route and no oversized vehicles this way either!
On Sunday, on our way down to Moore River, our next night stop, we drive through Jurien Bay and Cervantes, then take a short diversion into Nambung National Park where the Pinnacles Desert is situated. A unique landscape of yellow desert sand with thousands of limestone rock spires or pinnacles rising out of the sand greet you as you drive into the park. It almost feels like you are wandering over another planet or land as you explore this fascinating landscape.
On to pretty Moore River for the night among the tall trees and banksia flowers before driving into Perth the next day. We will spend some days exploring just a little bit of the big city before moving further south.
No comments:
Post a Comment