15th November
As we drove into Kalbarri last week we were almost disappointed to see clear cultivated land and wide roads – our first overtaking lane in months. These things were our first indication that the west coast might have a population bigger than the sleepy towns and coastal villages that have become the norm over the past few months, since leaving Broome.
It made us realise that we are not ready for the city and we have not yet tired of beautiful turquoise blue waters and white sandy bays and beaches, so we are in no hurry to rush this last little section of coast down to Perth.
Leaving Kalbarri, we drove just 30 minutes down the road to beautiful Lucky Bay. The campsite was open and spacious with each site tucked into a sand dune. Only $15 a night and the only other people camped anywhere near us were our friends, the Davies, that we met in Red Bluff and have now been travelling with for nearly 2 weeks. You can just see the white of our van in the photo below.
The beach is long and flat, and framed by huge towering sand dunes. It was a great beach for for walking and you can also drive on the beach. At the end of the beach is a beautiful sheltered bay protected from the open ocean by a rocky reef. It would have been perfect for surfing and for snorkelling had the conditions been right.
Unfortunately, we were not very lucky with the weather at Lucky Bay. We got 2 days of overcast weather and our very first rain in over 4 months. When the rain passed, the wind came. We made the most of it between showers and the kids had a blast being towed behind the car on their boogie boards and sliding down the dunes. We could easily have spent a week here, but with the weather the way it was we moved on after 2 days.
Heading south we stopped to see the Pink Lake at Port Gregory. There are a few of these lakes in W.A. The pink colour is caused by algae which becomes trapped in the salt granules. It creates a beautiful display of colours over across the water, from pink to purple and blue.
Our next stop was Coronation Bay. We arrived to find a pretty bay, but it was windy and the campsite really busy compared to what we had been used to. We actually turned around and were ready to drive on, but found out our friends had a saved us a camp spot.
We ended up having a lovely afternoon, with a pretty sunset from the deck and drinks with our friends under a beautiful starry night. This morning the kids had a great time splashing with their mates and skim boarding along the shore. Turned out to be a lovely overnight stop.
The Travelling Dixons 