2022

Starting at Naracoorte caves for the end of December and all of January.

Here as volunteers we do not have to clean just help out the rangers cleaning by doing a spray for covid protection , around the toilets in the evening.

We check campers in and help them book online if they have failed to pre book.

We got to go on cave tours and and Bat cave tour when they went fully booked.

We walk and drive around the National park a lot.

The western grey Kangaroos were all over and would come into the camp ground as we had to keep the grass area nice and green.

We found a lot of wombat tracks and poo but did not see them. We did see emus though.

Early one morning we heard a car where it should not be . We could see them and they chased and ran down a kangaroo and killed it , threw it in the back of the ute and took off.

Larry managed to get a video which was handed to the police.

One weekend the water stopped it was fine at 5am but 3 hours latter we were told it had stopped. Why no one told us sooner I dent know as they had all been to the toilet, so they were full and not flushed.

The water was pumped from a bore into the rain water tanks for the hot water , so there was hot water which we bucked into the toilets to flush them . The cold water is pumped straight from the bore and it had stopped working.

The Rangers and Larry and some plumbers from Naracoorte had to the pump up from 100metres down keeping the pipe as straight as possible. The pump was clogged as there was not water in the bore . It had not rained much here for a few months. A new pump was connected which was able to pump enough water from the bore until a new bore could be dug.

We left here on Saturday 30 January and started across SA to WA as the border was to open in early February.

The first day we got to Tailem Bend and stayed 3 days in the Caravan park . Its an old caravan park that the new owners are trying to improve. Its on the Murray river.

We walked but did not swim as the weather got cold.

We left there and drove 5 hours to Cowel . We stopped in Port Augusta for fuel and lunch.

Cowel has a van park on the beach but no power. Its the edge of town and not a relaxing or swimming beach.

When we left we looked at Port Gibbon foreshore camp but the road was too bad , we then looked at Arno Bay Hotel where you can caravan park but it all very run down for what they wanted for a nights stay.

We ended up at Lipson Cove next to the beach for 3 nights. You can swim , fish and there is walks. There is a little island which you can walk to at low tide or swim to but you are asked not to as it has a colony of little penguins on it . We could not see any even with binoculars.

We went into Tumbe bay next to see if we could snorkel at the jetty to see the Leafy sea dragons.

We stayed out at the RV park just out of town Pay 2 nights and stay 4 as a special , thats 4 nights for $15 ,no power you have to be self contained but it does have a dump point , so all good. We stayed 3 nights and drove into town every day waiting for the water to get cler around the jetty for snorkelling. There was a strong wind stirring up the sediment so the water was not clear . We have wanted to see the Leafy sea dragons for a while and still did not get to see them.

We did walk around their wetland -mangrove area and got to sea Rock Parrots.

It still not the best weather for early February and there was still no news when WA would open there borders so we decided to go to Port Lincoln. To its caravan park with its own beach front/

it was pretty full but we could snorkel at there jetty if the weather improved.

Well it did not so we walked to next beach -Shelly beach, but still not good weather for snorkelling.

The next day we took the 4 wheel drive track out to Port Lincoln National park. On the way we found a dad Emu with his 6 teenage kids we got some photos. , But not with them all together they were wandering all over.

We stopped at Wanna and found an osprey nest on a little off shore island. Then it was to Surfleet PT and Spalding Cove. We walked around a bit , had lunch then on to Donington Cove. With a stop at September beach. From the camp ground at Donington Cove , on the walk you can see Donington island,which was covered in birds and some brownish lumps. These proved to be Australian sea lions which we did not know until latter as our cameras zoom could not get a good photo. Behind the island were the old Tuna farm enclosures. On the beach we saw a kangaroo.

WE went further past the light house to get a closer look at the island and could see the sea lions.

The photos and video are a little shaky as the wind was blowing us around a bit.

We stopped and looked at Taylor’s landing on the way back but the road got very rough.

The weather did not improve so next day was a big shopping day. Our last day we got we managed a little snorkel , but it was still to murky to see much and Larry broke his mask.Bought new mask before we left Port Lincoln.

We then headed to Coffin Bay National park we have stayed here before. Last time is when I got my first hint of heart problems , which lead to by-pass surgery that year.

The weather has not improved much but after lunch we went up to the lookout, its just over 2 klm.

But it took 3-4 hours. We walked slowly taking photos of everything. It is steep and rocky walking on loose stones and boulders. Its a big loop and you come back along the waters edge.

We found different blue butterflies with one still to be identified, Wasps, skinks-some photos some good some bad.

While we were stetting up a dragon appeared at the back of the van, chased a spider caught it and eat it . We got photos. It was a Peninsular dragon .

We found a mob of Roos in bad condition . We walked the next day between rain showers along the waters edge the other side of the campground. Nothing much to see.

Day 3 was spent dogging showers again but we did part of the walk again and found Black scorpions with babies clinging to their backs under some rocks. We also found a few baby dragons under the rocks.

Larry walked the start of the 4 wheel drive track and found a farther Emu and kids. We had a Roo mum and baby in our campsite every day.

A big thunder storm arrived on the 3^rdday so after the rain stopped we went for a drive to Coffi Bay Peninsula to Avoid Bay and lookout for Golden island. It is mostly bitumen road with dirt pieces of road to lookouts and beaches. The beaches are not sand but mostly rocks dirt and sand.

It was not good weather for photos but took some anyway. We found a sand skink.

After 5 days its was time to move on so on to Elliston .

Elliston 18-19 February.

We went into the caravan park to put power in and charge everything as solar can not work good in rain and cloud.

Walked the beaches and found a painted dragon . This place has safe swimming beach with a pontoon but the weather not that good. We drove the cliff top drive took more photos of Anxious bay and Cape Finniss. And the Artistic sculptures on the cliff top. Found some fossilised cocoons of Broad back Weevils that they say could be 100,000years old. Then we stopped to walk along the jetty .

On the walk to the beach each day we found different baby skinks, dragons but no sign of mum or dad . Just one dead shingleback.

We washed inside and outside the caravan and the WA premier finally came up with a date to re-open the border. The 3 rd of March . We are only 2 night stops away from Ceduna so we pull into Ceduna Caravan park to do shopping to get across into WA.

No fresh fruit or Veg or honey allowed across into Wa so but canned and frozen to get us across and into Norseman or Kalgoorlie to shop again\

I hope this time he does not change his mind and close the border again like he did on February 5.

We pull up the first night at Venus bay

we are crammed in like sardines , the park is more for fishermen , we parked close to the fish cleaning station so all the pelicans were hanging around for a free feed.

Some of the fishermen would get upset with them and chase them , what do they expect they leave scraps for them, not our type of people.

We have been here before and will not come back I don;t think.

The only good thing was the walk out along south head – where you can see dolphins,. There not close because of the cliff but at at least we got to see 3 and we did see seals but some of the locals say they sometimes hang around the boats and take fish.

We went to Needle point lookout and went back to the south past Talia caves.

From here we go north to Streaky Bay and Haslam

We set of from Venus bay with the intensions of pulling up , like a few years ago at Murphy's Haystacks . Very old Stone shapes and rocks that some one thought looked like Haystacks .

Leaving the van and driving down to to Labatt point to see the sea lion colony, and driving back to stay the night.

Well it had changed a lot and was not flat park and so many flies. So we drove the van there insead and got good photos of the colony and then to Streaky bay.

We pulled up at Streaky bay RV camp for $10 a night with no facilities but we only had about 10 vans in with us well spaced apart.Stayed 2 nights.

That afternoon we went west to Smooth pool on the coast to snorkel.

At Smooth pool you have to park and walk across the top of lots of big boulders to get to where you snorkel . The waves hit the rocks but not the pool area . We saw some fish and got some photos but the water too murky to get good photos and it was cold water. On the drive back we stopped in town and checked the jetty swimming area, not clear so could not see much in the water.

The next day we drove the Cape Bauer loop which also looks out on the Great Australian Bight. We stopped a few places for photos then stopped at whistling rocks and Blowholes.. 360 metre boardwalk to viewing platforms .We have been before but the the tide out this time so not so good. Did see some baby dragons and skinks and this time we saw the parents tracks.

Moved to Haslem for the night $10 a night . Again too windy and choppy for swimming walked the jetty part of the beach and sand dunes and back to camp.

At last we move into Ceduna for 3 days to be ready to cross the Nullarbor and WA border .

Its 23 Feb 2022 and the border will open on the 3 march so shop and be ready to move.

From Ceduna on 26^thwe have a few days o get close to Border town by the night before so can cross anytime after midnight. We pulled up at roadside camp to sleep and you could hear people leaving as soon as it got to midnight.

We headed out about 5 am and got in line and waited for our police check of our G2G permits and Vaccination certificate -triple vaccination

Answer a few questions and they check their records for our permit code and then the normal fruit veg quarantine inspection and get given RAT tests and do again in do in 24 hours and report if positive.

Western Australia

3 March 2022

We keep going after crossing the border all the way across the WA side of the Nullarbor into Norseman . There we are met by the police just on out skirts of town checking permit and when you crossed , your name and rego comes up on their computer saying when you crossed the border and they calculate when you should at the earliest get to them . We went the first as some crossed the border at a few minutes after midnight and just kept driving.

Our first night we spent in Norseman at their RV park G2G pass people one side and WA people away on the other side; with ropes and orange tape separating all sites , no body close to each other.

We leave Norseman early and head to Kalgoorlie on Friday 4 March and pull up and leave the van at their RV park while we go food shopping.

Pick up van and head to Menzies Caravan park for the night on power and get hot showers. Its expensive for a little mining place but needed. Its still on the goldfields.

We are still trying to get to Broome as quick as we can , we were due on the 1^stof March.

Next night is just a roadside stop called Albert Tognolini lookout, we usually stop here on the way through. Then Pardoo road house for the first time and I don't think we will bother again.

Then its to Roebuck Plains roadhouse on the turn into Broome. We stay here usually before going into Bird Observatory. It has a great pool we get into as its hot here. You are not far from Broome and shopping and half way between here and Broome is the road to observatory. But they have changed a bit and now you have to book on line to get in but lucky for us they allow us to book on my phone while we are in the office /shop.And there is space for us for the night.

WE contacted the BBO as they have had heaps of late rain which has flooded the road across the plains into here and most of the area. We came through high water with the van to get here,

It was decided we might go into Broome to Parks and Wildlife and wash the van and try to get into town beach van park for a few days to let the water go down a bit ,as at the moment the road into BBO , a sand dirt road ,is under water and closed, even the back way in which we can use is bad.

Parks have closed the road and we get all information while we there washing the van.

While Larry washing van I walk across to van park and get us a place for a few days .

So know we can drive out to BBO and see for ourslves , the Head warden and assistant meet us halfway. It is decided we will try to get in with the van 2 days latter on Saturday.

Back in Broome we swim in at town beach on Wed, thurs and friday as long as the locals are in the water. We were told to wait as the locals know when its safe from stinging jelly fish and from crocodiles.

We also drive to Gutharine point again and walk around for something to do.

Broome Bird Observatory BBO

This time here there are new Wardens , Ben and Olivia with assistant Max and Patric and Carolyn to come latter in the month. The place is closed in the Monsoon season and opens in march. Only a caretaker stays and he does not do anything just watch over the place. This means it needs a lot of work to get ready for the public . 3 months of wet red dirt all over things and lots of growth on walking tracks and campsites. So its straight to work and its hot and humid still. Most days 36-40 deg and nights no lower than 25 deg. Every time you do anything you are soaking wet and sweaty within half an hour.

We found a prickly gecko I think is a Bynoes , baby snaked skinks, and a very tiny baby pygmy snake eyed skink. There are plenty of asian house geckos in the shade-house and lots of the usual green tree frogs and some desert tree frogs.

Because of the heat and humidity we only work or walk in short time frames. It would be nice to get in the ocen but Roebuck bay has a big tidal change each day. So its a big expanse of mud flats when the tides out , which is why the shore birds form China to Russia come here in their winter. There is lots of food for them . When the tide is in and you could take a dip its a bit dangerous as you could come across a salt water crocodile, or a shark and jelly fish.

As we slowly all get the place into shape we are stating to get people in and get busier.

On one of our shopping days into Broome we come across a Frill neck Lizard a rather large one on the back track in through the cattle station.

Its not long after we get a couple of young Frill necks in the campground area between the shade house and amenities, which seem to have taken up residence so we see them often.

Then we have Stimson's pythons appear quite regularly in areas where the frogs are, so these are residents we see each year but there are some younger ones seen.

These up here have been renamed Children's Pythons , not for children but named after the man who first found them years ago.

We also see the occasional King brown or Mulga snake which is really a member of the black snake group . Its one of the largest venomous snakes in Australia. And hunts day and night . We had one last time here in the ladies adventure toilet block looking for frogs.

A lot of green and desert tree frogs have now turned from tadpole to frog in some of the pools and even buckets full of water left out during the monsoon season ,

At last the place looks a lot better ready for our first Bird course to be run for the year. People pay to learn and get see the shore birds while they are here. The birds arrive in spring stay summer and leave about march -autumn .

Included in the cost of the course is their accommodation and all food, so I do some of the cooking and meal preparation with the two young assistant wardens. Both of which are young males 25-26, who do not know much about cooking so I am around to help and explain a lot about food prep etc. The gusts get the normal toast and cereal for breaky, some sort of cake or slice for morning smoko , lunch some fully cooked some salad and with cooked stuff, fruit for afternoon snack and a fully cooked dinner. They are fed well with all dietary requirements met. I am kept busy. While Larry helps with tours and bird things .

Late afternoon until dark for March /April the wardens and Larry set up on the beach and record all migratory birds leaving to fly north. The birds gather in flocks and these are counted and recorded as they leave to fly north.

Another course is held in April but by this time the other assistant warden has arrived an older lady ,Carolyn ,so I do not have to do so much of the dishes and be the cleaning after each meal.

Most people on these course and campers are nice but you do get the occasional one that is not.

We also get some we have met before in previous years.

Each night is bird log held in the shade-house where all birds sited by everybody is recorded and has been for years. At the end the person who can guess the amount of species seen for the day gaes a prise of different things from the visitor centre shop . Some small thing that they have in abundance and is not too expensive.

My good camera decided to stop working and there is no where here to take it so its back to my old camera thats does not take as good photos but it will have to do for now.

We find whip snakes a couple of big green Darwin stick insects and just one sighting of a monsoonal skink.

It has been different being here at this time of the year , I don't think we will be here so early again. It was nice meeting new wardens and assistants, but miss some from times before but have found out they are all doing other things they enjoy.

Its time to leave and head slowly to Karijini national park for June and July.

We have a month so will stop at some of the places we like and can not always get to.