Travel all over the Countryside with the Bakers: Guilderton to Geraldton 6/6 to 13/6

Finally we feel like we are heading northwards. We’re travelling along the Indian Ocean Drive and now we feel that we really are on our way to Broome and beyond.

Moore River, Sea & Caravan Park at Guilderton

Anyone for a dance?

We stayed for two days at Guilderton, a sleepy seaside town during the week, however on the weekends, because of its proximity to Perth it is usually full to the brim. Old seaside shacks have given way to modern villas overlooking the sea or the inlet. The town’s name was derived from Dutch guilders which were found in the area, due to the shipwreck of the ‘Vergelde Draeck’ (Gilt Dragon) in 1656. The Moore River flows into the sea at Guilderton, however it only flows through the inlet after a deluge. At present a sand dune about 20 metres wide lies between the sea and the river. The caravan park in which we stayed is situated right on the inlet. Metal sculptures around the township make for interesting bike rides or walks. For those golfers, Guilderton also has what we have been advised is a ‘superb’ 9 hole golf course, for which you pay $10 for either 9 or 18 holes of golf. A town well worth a visit if you are travelling this way.

From Guilderton we travelled to Cervantes, a town based on crayfish farming. On the way we stopped at:

View from lookout at Seabird

Seabird (a tiny seaside village)

Beachside Shelter - Ledge Point

Ledge Point (a very go-ahead and scenic town noted for its windsurfing. Lots of building going on and a brand new caravan park);

Lancelin Jetty

Lancelin (Cray fishing village with lots of boats and a well used jetty);

and

Pinnacles

Nambung National Park noted for The Pinnacles. The Pinnacles are thousands of limestone pillars that have been formed by the wind blowing the sand away from tree roots, which resulted in the solid limestone rock appearing. They are about 80,000 years old and the tallest Pinnacle is 4m. There are about four thousand jagged, sharp edged pillars rising out of the desert floor. These amazing structures really blew us away. It reminded us of a lunar landscape and these limestone pillars seemed to appear out of nowhere.

Hansen Bay, Cervantes

Prospector in Cervantes

Cervantes is on the mainland east of the Cervantes Islands. Originally thought to be named after the Island Chain, it was later realised that the chain itself was named after the shipwreck of ‘The Cervantes’ which occurred in 1840. (Amazing how history reinvents itself after a while) This shire has banned free camping, meaning that the caravan parks are very well used or caravanners choose to bypass it entirely. This town relies on rock lobster fishing for its survival. Live lobsters are transported to other centres for export overseas.

Cervantes Sunset

After leaving Cervantes we continued on the Indian Ocean Road towards Dongara. On the way we stopped at what had been described in the tourist brochures as ‘blissfully relaxed fishing villages’, however the new road from Perth has seen a dramatic increase in the population of these towns. In each there were large new housing estates and wonderful new amenities on the waterfront. These included parks, gardens, bbq, walking and bike tracks and playgrounds. The councils must be very happy with the increase in population.

Beach at Jurien Bay

Our first stop was Jurien Bay which has one of the newest Marine Parks in Western Australia. It is sheltered by a string of islands and reefs and approx 20% of WA’s sea lions live and breed in this area.

Dynamite Bay - Green Head

Then we visited Green Head. Had lunch at a new pavilion overlooking Dynamite Bay. This was a picturesque little bay that would be ideal for swimming and snorkelling.

Leeman

Our next stop was Leeman which was another town that had a large fishing fleet. Obviously the western rock lobster season has not closed there yet!

Campsite - Cliff Head North

Sunset & Gas Platform

We finally reached our stop for the next few days at a freestay called Cliff Head North. It’s about 35km south of Dongara, on the Indian Ocean Drive. We’re only about 15 m from the beach, sheltered by a cliff and sheoaks with the best view of the ocean. We were surprised to see a gas drilling platform and a patrolling navy boat out to sea in this area. It was great to be able to enjoy a campfire again after staying in caravan parks lately.

We enjoyed a wonderful two days at Cliff Head North, but as there was a gale force wind forecast for Geraldton in a few days, we decided to head there earlier than planned and ensure we were set up before the onslaught! On the way we stopped at:

Irwin River & Sea - Dongara

Dongara- Port Denison, twin towns which are separated by the Irwin River. Enjoyed a stroll through the local museum which started its history as a police station, courthouse and jail. Ironically, even though a new police station has been built next door, because of overcrowding they often hold court proceedings in the old museum.

Leaning River Gum Greenough (Direction of prevailing winds?)

Greenough was a farming community and no land had been set aside for a township. After a Government Building was built at ‘Stony Hill’ in the early 1880’s other buildings sprang up! This area is now known as Central Greenough and is a historic settlement run by the National Trust. We spent an hour learning about the history of this area. Mark was taken back to his childhood when we found the cane in the schoolhouse. It brought back quite a few memories. We were also pleased to hear that both the Anglican and Catholic Churches still hold services in these buildings and that the hall is still used for local celebrations.