Day 66. Parry's Beach

A day spent with new friends

This morning was very relaxing. Even Scarlett didn’t wake until about 8:10am. The morning was spent relaxing by the van and doing very little…

At about 10:30am, Scarlett wanted to visit her new playmates, so Bec took her down to see if it was OK with the other two families we have hooked up with. I decided to do a little housework while they were gone, which suited me just fine, as I had the van to myself – finally some peace and quiet.

Bec was gone for ages, so I assumed she must of stayed there and got talking – as girls do, but before I know what is happening both Bec and Scarlett are back and giving orders and getting changed. We are apparently off to ‘Greens Pool’ for a swim!

The next 10 minutes is bedlam. There’s Scarlett getting changed into swimmers, Bec making lunches and snacks ready for a day out, and me doing what I’m told to do!

(What happened to the peace and quiet I was experiencing only moments earlier?)

Elephant Rocks

We pack the car and jump in for a quick 15 minute ride to the choice of location, however we decide to check out ‘Elephant Rocks’, another quiet hideaway just around the corner from ‘Greens Pool’.

A short walk later and we arrive.

From a distance and with a little imagination you can see how this place got its name. The water is crystal clear, and the rocks huge. If we hadn’t arranged to meet our friends at ‘Greens Pool’, I’m sure we would have tried a little bit of snorkelling here.

Greens Pool

We finally tear ourselves away and head for ‘Greens Pool’ which is on the other side of the headland. We arrive and gear up, and before we know it Scarlett is playing with the other kids and Bec and I take the opportunity to go snorkelling together by ourselves – something we don't get enoughg time to do anymore since we hit the road.

The snorkelling is great, and we see lots of marine life. There are puffer fish, huge catfish, trevally and garfish. We were hoping to see some stingrays or weedy sea dragons; but today isn’t our day. We return to the beach, and have some lunch while talking to our new friends.

We get chatting and learn that we are all heading the same way so we decide that we will travel together for a few days as the kids are interacting really well. I think it’s good for all of us, as it’s nice to just sit back and talk to other like minded adults while the kids are playing. Bliss!

On the way back, Bec and Scarlett talk me into stopping at a local produce farm where they make their own toffee and icecream. (Like that was ever going to be hard - really). The icecream was devine, and I almost wish we weren't leaving so I could go back! Yummy!

Yummy icecream!

We return to the van and start cleaning our gear. We even do a quick clean up around the outside of the van as the weather has turned a little grey and the wind has picked up and there are spits of rain. I take the opportunity to pack away some of the gear and furniture to make our departure tomorrow flow easier.

As there is a total fire ban due to the weather change, I bag up two full bags of freshly bought timber to be used another time during our travels. It’s now all snugly secured on the roof rack, ready to be used when we break out our camp oven for a great stew or roast when free camping in the not too distant future.

Mmm… Roast…

posted by Shane

Day 65. Parry’s Beach

A day to relax...

Today we decided to soak in the atmosphere at this great campground, and just hang out here and relax all day. We had pan fried ham and cheese toasties for brekkie, and multiple cuppas outside just watching the world go by was our morning. Shane had to catch up on yesterday’s blog, so Scarlett and I decided to go for a walk and explore.

We checked out the honesty box fruit and veg stand, as I was hoping for some sweet potato. Instead we found the biggest pumpkin we had ever seen. Scarlett got me to take a photo of it for the blog, as it was just so big.

Honesty Vegie Box



Biggest Pumpkin ever!












We also checked out a stand outside one of the grey nomads vans selling all kinds of brick-a-brack. We are finding you can get some really unusual stuff at these stands, and they pop up everywhere. This one had magazines for 20c, pot plants, handmade necklaces and a myriad of other wears. A lot of grey nomads have these little stands to help with the pocket money, there is also a great one next to our van with handmade cards and second hand books.


Grey Nomad's Stall

Next we went for a walk along the beach and we found some fisherman who had just pulled in their nets. They caught 8 x nice size salmon. This area is big for salmon fishing, but they aren’t the Atlantic pink kind though; these are white fleshed Australian Salmon. There was a heap of weed on the beach and a lot of sand flies so we headed back to the van.

This campground is dog friendly; so Scarlett has to stop and pat every single one of them. I think she misses Rhett; her dog we had to leave at nana and grumpy’s. I’m totally in love with our neighbour’s poodle cross maltese terrier, she is so cute. I wonder if I could find one at the pound when we get back as a mate for Rhett.

The afternoon was filled with much craft and art again. Scarlett has started a ‘Field Journal’ and she is cutting out and sticking in pictures of places she has been along with all her art work. It has become a real little masterpiece. Aunty Jo-Jo bought her a flower press for Christmas, and we have been pressing flowers and putting them in too.

Shane and Scarlett went and got another load of fire wood meant for this evening; but Scarlett managed to swindle her way into the wheel barrow for the ride back. Unfortunately we aren’t lighting the fire this evening now, as Scarlett is in trouble for reaching out and trying to touch passing cars in the campground as they drive pass. She has now been confined to quarters for the remainder of the evening.

 We were meant to have curried chicken this evening for dinner but when I went to get the chicken out of the Engel in the back of the car I was devasted to find 1.5kgs of chicken and 1kg of mince had gone off! So it was vegetable curry for dinner instead….

Day 64. Parry's Beach

Valley of the Giants.

Triceratops (and Scarlett)

Ouch! I woke up with a 'slight' headache this morning. I'm sure it had nothing to do with me mixing my beers with the large glass of Jamison's Scotch that I was given by our new fireside friends last night. Oh well, I guess I need to suck it up!

After a slightly late start due to pass-a-bys dropping in for a chat about our travels; including questions about our Jayco Expanda, we were off heading towards Walpole to do some serious exploring!

First stop was the Denmark Dinosaur World, Parrot Jungle Bird and Reptile Park. This place is a family run business from home and is a great little stop off. Scarlett was amazed by the Dinosaur fossils and statues, however she was disappointed that there were no animatronics making the dinosaurs move and roar! It must be hard being a kid and having all these expectations! Most of this collection has been collected from China, but that didn't worry Scarlett, as her favourites were here: T-Rex, Velociraptor, and Triceratops.



T-rex, Bec and Scarlett! (all very scary)

 Next we met the local reptiles and spoke with the owner about his personal collection of snakes and lizards. I think after meeting a Simpson's Python up close and personal, both Bec and Scarlett have decided that this is the next snake for our collection. 

Rebecca and male Eclectus parrot







The bird collection was amazing, and Bec and I fell in love with the Eclectus Parrot. I think Bec is starting to come around and enjoy birds in general, as she made the comment that she now wants to own a male Eclectus Parrot!

Scarlett and Sun-Conures

 Next we visited the Valley of the Giants, where we explored the 'Tingle' forest floor while doing the Ancient Empire Walk, and then we ventured into the tree tops after lunch when we did the Tree Top Walk. We even checked out the Wilderness Discovery Centre where we saw models of large insects of the forest.



Ancient Empire Walk



We ended our day exploring by going to a lookout on the side of a mountain, visiting the 'Giant Tingle Tree' and then the 'Circular Pool'. Everyone was getting tired by this time so we started to head home as Scarlett was hosting a movie night and we needed to get back and start preparing for her night of fun and friends!

'Meeting' some extra large Bull Ants

When we returned to the van, Scarlett helped me buy a wheel barrow full of hard wood for $5. I started a small camp fire so the adults could sit around a enjoy a few drinks while the kids (all 6 x of them) could watch a DVD on the TV (as I had it set up outside the van). Bec prepared heaps of popcorn for the night, Scarlett brought out her glow sticks and bracelets for all the kids.


Tree Top Walk - Walpole



Giant Tingle Tree

Needless to say the night was a great success! The kids started by cooking marshmallows over the fire (yummy), then sat down a watched 'Home Alone 2' while digging into heaps of freshly popped popcorn (even more yummy). The kids laughed all the way through the movie, and when it was finished, they all played with Sparklers that Bec dug out of some hidden recess in the caravan.

The parents enjoyed having some time off; not having to worry about their kids, and Scarlett and kids all had a great time. They even asked if they could come back tomorrow!

It was a big day, but we all survived and as Scarlett commenteed "We all stink from the smoke!" Bring on tomorrow! Posted by Shane. (I don't know why it says Bec - I thought I logged on as me!)

Our camp at Parry's Beach

Day 63. Albany to Parry’s Beach

OMG - the Ants!

It was pack up day today, and time to move on from beautiful Albany. We have had a lovely 5 days here, and could easily have stayed for another 5 days. It was a big pack up, so straight after breakfast, Scarlett moved two caravans down to play with her little friend and Shane and I got stuck into it.

While I was making Scarlett’s bed, I noticed a million little black ants on her wall. We have had a few ants since Bremer Bay but nothing like this, there were heaps of them. I got Shane in to help me pull down Scarlett’s bed while we sprayed, cleaned them all up, and surfaced sprayed. Lucky Scarlett wasn’t here she would have freaked out.

First stop was now Bunning’s, where I got one of everything to try and get rid of these little pests. I got a tip to use the ant baits that they eat and take back to the colony, that hopefully then kill the queen. I bought more surface sprays; including one for use outside we can spray around the caravan legs. I will rid myself of these dammed ants, if it’s the last thing I do. If anyone has any good tips, please feel free to pass them on.

It was only about 40min down the road to Denmark, where we hit the visitors centre to find out what there is to do and see around here. Apparently there is an Alpaca farm just down the road some other travellers we are following visited; they said their kids had a great time there so we decided to check it out. We were also very disappointed to hear from the lady at the visitors centre, the campground we had decided to stay at for a few days called ‘Parry’s Beach’ would not take our size caravan. Apparently it is really tight and not suitable for caravans, only tents and camper trailers. OK so now we needed a new plan for tonight.

When we got to the Alpaca farm Scarlett was told to go to the first paddock and check out the new baby alpaca that was just born last night. Little did they know Scarlett is very experienced after staying with Andrew and Liane at their farm back in Finley where she played with heaps of baby alpaca’s. There were so many alpacas here they scared Scarlett by all coming at her for food at the same time.  The farm was huge.

There were highland calves (so cute and weird at the same time), goats, sheep, emu’s, a bison, horse, ferrets and so many more. Scarlett has a real thing about farms at the moment. She has this grand master plan of putting together her own at nana and grumpy’s house. She spent so much time in the guinea pig and rabbit cage, putting them all together on the seat and feeding them. Scarlett had the best time here; sometimes you just need to take her to the simple things, they bring out the biggest smiles.

As the weather had warmed up, we decided to head to the beach for a dip. The most famous around here is the ‘Greens Pool’, it seems everyone also had the same idea. When we got there it was full of families all enjoying the protected bay, with shallow clear water. There were more people here at this beach, than all the other beaches put together so far I think. Don’t get me wrong to be packed out here in W.A. has nothing on Sydney’s packed out. There were probably only about 100 people, with still plenty of room.

Green Pools

While watching Scarlett play with the kids, we spoke to a couple that were staying at ‘Parry’s Beach’. It turns out they have a big van, and they were able to get it in with relative ease. There is a 3mtr height limit but they thought we would be OK. The campground is really full though, they recommended we do a walk through and leave the van outside first as it can be really tight to get back out if there are no spots.

Green Pools

So we headed over, and with a huge amount of luck we found a spot vacant that would fit our size van. The van did fit under the boom with 10cm’s to spare, and it was a slow careful drive to get the van in and into our spot. We were incredibly lucky, apparently the people in this spot literally just left and it was the only spot left in the campground we would have fit in.

‘Parry’s Beach’ is a very popular campground for the more laid back camper. There’s no power or water, but they have solar showers and it is right on the beach in a dense bush setting, and only $7 a night. Apparently ‘John Butler’ the singer was here a week or so ago, I’m spewing we missed him.

We had a great night around the levely couple we met at ‘Greens Pool' camp fire. The kids played and we met and talked to the nicest people. They were all cooking dinner in the coals. They had wrapped in foil potato, onion, sweet potato and pumpkin, turns out you can buy it all here at an honesty box system out front from a local farmer. I can see us again settling in, and not wanting to move on AGAIN!

Day 62. Albany

Roar!

Today we did almost nothing! Almost...

The phone started ringing at just after 7:15am this morning! Why am I not surprised? We missed the call, but there was a message on Bec's phone saying it was DOCS, although the voice sounded remarkably like "Grumpy", Scarlett's poppy. Grumpy and Nana were calling to check on their precious grand-daughter and to see if she survived the night under the care of her mum and dad after yesterdays incident. Mmphf! Scarlett wanted to call them straight back on SKYPE to not only tell them her story, but to show them her battle scars! Funny little bugger!

I'd like to say it was a relaxing day, but we had loads of washing to do, so that took up most of our morning. I took off for an hour or so late morning to do some 'Bunnings' shopping, and Bec did a similar thing when I got back to get some much needed groceries - ready for our trip heading further west tomorrow.

The afternoon was all about Scarlett; and a surprise that she has been waiting for for days now. Today, the ERTH's Dinosaur Petting Zoo came and performed in Albany; and luckily I ordered tickets weeks ago as apparently it sold it very quickly. I knew Scarlett would love the experience, so I only ordered two tickets; Bec wanted some time to herself as well as using the time to do some things around the van without Scarlett and me in her hair.

First a little about what the 'Dinosaur Petting Zoo' is all about:

It's a petting zoo, but not as you know it!

Scarlett (Blonde) patting baby dinosaur

Meet erth’s awesome prehistoric creatures, from cute baby dinos to teeth-gnashing giants. Ancient life-like dinosaurs come alive and are mostly friendly in this fun, educational and unique performance event. The Petting Zoo is a unique show that allows interaction for children and adults while they travel with the erth performers on a journey through prehistoric Australian history with an amazing selection of dinosaurs and creatures. Children will have the opportunity to help feed, water and care for these prehistoric marvels. (Scarlett did all of these things today). Get up close and personal with an amazing array of creatures from bygone eras. Meet a menagerie of insects, mammals and dinosaurs that once roamed free around the southern hemisphere and are now in residence at The Petting Zoo daily. You can pet, feed and interact with them in a once in a lifetime imaginative experience. Children of all ages can watch wide-eyed from a safe distance, or dare to get right up close to the creatures. “Dinosaur Petting Zoo is a visually spectacular performance event with a wonderful use of puppetry and design elements. The interactive nature of the performance allows parents to have a fun and entertaining time with their children.

Scarlett was amazed, and ended up on the stage a couple of times, however due to no flash photography allowed, my photos really didn't turn out that good so I've included a few from other sources found on the net - just to give you an understanding of what Scarlett experienced today. She had so much fun and has a real of love of dinosaurs, so why wouldn't she? Now that Scarlett has a taste for dinosaurs (even more so than before); we are going to take her to Dinosaur world in Denmark in the next day or two as it holds the only T-Rex fossil in Australia, which I know for a fact will make her 'scream' with excitement.

Day 61. Albany

Thar be whales... (and a little bit of drama on the high seas!)

Our morning view


This morning we bid farewell to our new grey nomad friends who have left for Denmark - before working their way up to Perth. We had a good night last night sharing stories with our friends (Bec also helped them with their own blog pages), and afterwards Scarlett, Bec and I went spotlighting and found a couple of bandicoots running around the caravan park. (They are back again tonight - the bandicoots that is!)

Today we went exploring in Albany's Whale World - a former Whaling Station that closed down in 1978, and we didn't return to the van until 5pm this afternoon. We learnt about the whaling industry of Australia's recent past, and also a bit about whale conservation in the process. Although some of the films shown were a little graphic; which we ensured Scarlett didn't see, there was a really good 3D film experience about whale species in general that Scarlett loved.

I wont go into any details, but whaling really was a gruesome business that I for one am glad has been banned in this country. The information provided, the guided tours, the displays and the working machinery were a real eye opener. Bec and I really enjoyed the day, although there was one major incident that almost ruined the day for everyone.



Scarlett and I had just boarded the ex-whale chaser 'Cheyne IV', which has been restored and placed on display, and what should happen; Scarlett tries to go ahead and go down a set of ladders by herself to the deck below. (I think she felt comfortable doing this as she had done a similar thing on the Brig 'Amity' a day or two ago).

Bec with a skeleton of a 'Pygmy Blue Whale'



How cool do we look?

Unfortunately this is where everything went horribly wrong! Scarlett slipped and fell from the top of the ladder all the way to the deck below - head first! All I could see was her hanging upside down as her right foot had somehow gotten caught in the hand rails and she was left dangling! Scarlett was screaming, and I was beside her in a flash to take her weight, help her out and release her foot! A guide soon arrived and assisted me in checking her out to see what damage there was, and luckily she has only suffered bruising and scratches - but I'm guessing by tomorrow she will have some serious bruising on her lower right jaw, and her right ankle! She also had a bump to the head, but she has since bounced back remarkably! I was calm and very reassuring during this incident, which I am sure Scarlett picked up on as she handled the whole situation very bravely, but afterwards I think I went into a little bit of shock as it all hit home that something terrible could of happened to my little girl! I never want to go through anything like this again.

Just a little sore...

Bec wasn't with us when this happened, as she was getting our lunches from the car at this time, but as soon as she returned I carried Scarlett over to Bec and told her the whole story. Bec was beside herself, but 'mothered' Scarlett (as you would expect) and was very understanding... I couldn't believe how quickly Scarlett bounced back. I was probably acting a little over protective by now, but Scarlett was running around in no time and playing in the playground with another little girl! She promised not to run - yeh right!

Anyway, after we got over it all, Scarlett wanted to visit the wildlife park that is part of Whale World, so we all went for a walk and checked out the animals! Afterwards, we all grabbed an ice cream from the cafe and then slowly made our way back to our van at Middleton Beach Caravan Park.



We stopped off at a couple of lookouts on the way back - and saw 'The Blow-Hole' that wasn't really working at all, checked out 'The Gap' and viewed the 'Natural Bridge'. All very spectacular, but we were getting a little weary and tired by now as we just wanted to lay down and relax.

The Gap

To save Bec cooking again, I decided to stop at 'The Squid Shack' where we have discovered some fantastic local seafood. We had salt and pepper squid, snapper fillets, and fresh squid rings with a side serve of chips. Fantastic! Bec thinks she has now found a rival to the Narellan Town Centre salt and pepper squid! the seafood here is delicious!

The Natural Bridge

This evening, Scarlett is playing with 3 x other little girls from a van a few sites across. She is having so much fun that we couldn't say no. Other than a few battle scars, Scarlett is acting as though nothing happened today! I wish I could say the same...

Towards the end of the day...