Monday 17
Up early to beat the wind, I had last nights washing up to do. The bush kettle was on the flames while we sat and ate breakfast. Just as I got into the daily chore that I cannot escape from, a ute pulled up. “Ohh shit babe it’s the ranger!” Cath said in a worried voice. He came around to the side of the ute and started chatting to Cath. Hands deep into the washing up at the back of the ute I stuck my head around the side and said ‘hi’. He wasn’t worried about us being in this spot and merely told us that a permit was needed to be here. Cath explained that we had tried ringing to get one but none had answered. “What are you doing around there?” He asked me. My head still leaning from around the ute as I was still washing up. “Washing up mate”.
“Ohhh I thought you were having a piss”, he said in a Welsh accent as he walked towards me. We chatted about the motherland for a while. Then another while went on. I was trying my best to be polite and engage him, yet I could feel the water getting cool. It was a struggle chatting and trying not to be rude and do the washing up – after all, I did not want a fine for not paying for the camping. The Welsh ranger was the type of friendly guy that could talk under water. At times I can be too, but this morning I really wanted to just get the dishes done. Then all of a sudden he said he had to run and “nice meeting you”. That’s when Cath asked him about Steep Point, well that opened up another hot topic for him to rant about. A nice guy, but after an hour I was totally ready to make way. “So you should get a loaf of bread in town, anyway I have to go. Nice to meet you both”. He said. We shook hands and he finally left us alone.
“Beautiful babe, no permit and no fine! Free camping is the best camping. How lucky were we haha” I cried.
Steep Point was a fair hike away and we had a bit on the itinerary to do today.
It didn’t help talking to the kind sheep lover for most of the morning, yet we were underway and ever optimistic that we could fit it all in.
Steep Point is most western point of mainland Australia. It was something we wanted to do on the trip. Make for the most easterly, westerly and central points of Australia mainland. It was a four-wheel drive track the whole way out to it. We weren’t expecting anything too hard and out of the ordinary – weren’t we wrong about that! The place was absolutely stunning. We scaled over the first tall sand dune in Eden NP. There was a sign at the bottom giving advice to those who take the track on to let their tyre pressures down to a minimum of 20psi. We were already down to low psi levels as the track in had been a gravel road for ages. The group in front of us wasn’t – crawling over the corrugations at 30kph it was painful to follow at such slow speeds. As always, they did not have their two-way radios on and were not responding to our request to pass them. But as we got to the bottom of the first dune they jumped out airing down, allowing me to race past and straight up. I gave it a right foot-fall as I passed covering them in dust. Some people really do have a lack of four-wheel driving etiquette and I was here to tell them.
Our rig powered up the sand dune. The suspension giving us great traction and the re-map from Doctor Diesel in Sydney was making the engine sing as it took on the dune, all wheels spinning. We climbed and climbed and climbed, weaving our way up. It felt awesome behind the wheel really seeing what the trusty Steed can do when needed. As we reached the top, the most spectacular site of gigantic sand dunes took over the horizon. It reminded me of the Sahara Desert in Morocco that I had recently visited before our trip. “Wowee” we both said in unison. “Jinx” I said as we zoomed down the other side. The track weaved in and out of the edge of the dunes, the track had plenty of steep ascents and descents. We both agreed that it would be sensible to put on our 3 metre sand flag for safety reasons. We found a safe place to pull over and out she came. The rig finally looking complete with its very own white flag to match its white body. “We definitely look the part now, ey babe haha!” I said with a big grin on my face. I live for this stuff.
The track climbed and weaved through dune after dune.
Finally spinifex grass held back the sand and we dropped down near the ocean. The views were something incredible. Turquoise green water and reef stretched out nearly back towards the other peninsula where we had just come from in the far distance. Deserted pristine beaches accompanied by inviting un-touched transparent waters beckoned us near. Yet we would roll over another hill and were met with an even more stunning view of similar proportion. Bay after bay after bay of un-inhabited shoreline continued. This spot, honestly is absolutely 100% gorgeous. We were shocked by how little amount of people we had seen. It really is an untouched, un-spoilt part of Australia that everyone should see. It will blow any expectation you have of it in your mind out of the water. We made our way past a few campgrounds, with limited spaces. Probably at maximum seven plots allocated, sheltered from the wind and right on the beach with views that could be stared at forever. We later found out that these particular spots are booked out a year in advance. I can honestly understand why.
The desire to reach the most westerly point was calling. I could feel emotions getting the better of me as we saw the lighthouse standing on the end of the peninsula. Hairs standing up on my neck we pulled up to a sign that read, ‘The most Westerly point of mainland Australia’. I could feel myself holding back a happy tear. I had only ever experienced a true happy tear a couple of times in my life before. Once on my wedding day and the other when I crossed Australia for the first time on my own. It was crazy to think we were finally here. The view building up to it didn’t help my emotions being that stunning. We wondered around and took selfies and took in a minute to embrace the accomplishment we had just done together. “Holy crap darl, we head east from here. Not sure if I’m an east kind of guy haha. We can actually say we are on our way home now” I said.
“I know its horrible to think that”.
“Don’t forget we have a lot to still look forward to though darling. A lot still to see and conquer”. I said. We cuddled for a while until we were nearly blown over. The wind was getting beyond mad. Huge swell in the ocean was bringing in huge waves that were crashing into the cliffs below creating a fine salty mist. The waters here were dark and scary looking. A gigantic contrast from the calmer water just the other side of this peace of land we were standing on.
The adventure is never over – if one ever thinks that then it is a sad day. My life so far has been full of so much adventure and without it, with the experiences and places I have seen, I do not believe I would be as happy as I am today. Life and the desire for money can fog our vision and take away our clarity for balance. I am definitely guilty of doing it. It can become so easy to want the materials things in life such as a big house and nice car – you can fall into becoming complacent of thinking that this is what will make you happy. For me, I now know that my life needs more balance, and that I need to set my life up so it will work so more adventures can happen. I am so grateful to working hard and getting the opportunity to travel for the last couple of months. Every now and then everyone needs to get down to the basics in life and hit that reset button. I am very aware that both of us have hit ours. I am extremely grateful.
Another spot on the agenda was a blowhole. With high swell and a strong wind to suit, we assumed it would be the perfect conditions for her to blow. Upon arrival we were met with great disappointment. Not only did the wind nearly rip off the ute door when I opened it, the top of the blow hole was completely dry. I think it was because the wind was coming directly from the south, blowing across the caves face below and preventing the needed upward velocity to lift and carry the water out. “Ohh well next time I suppose” Cath said reassuringly, as I scrambled my way back to the car amongst the hurricane wind.
The last place on today’s agenda was Hamelin Pool – one of only two places in the world to have ‘living fossils’. It was a fair hike away still and it was getting on towards being late afternoon. It was going to be a race to beat the sun. We raced back through the park and finally after a couple of hours we were back on bitumen – time to air up again. With the skin of our teeth, we just made. The pool claims to have the oldest ‘living’ fossils. It makes no sense to me. How can a fossil live? Anyway, the plaque went on to explain that it was tiny minuscule micro-organisms that would grow half a millimetre a year. Dying on top of one another and forming a rocky substance. Apparently they had been doing it since the first micro-organisms had been formed on Earth how ever many billions or millions of years ago. Sorry I forget the exact details, you’ll have to google it for more information. I do recall however the sign saying that these organisms actually created the oxygen that forms 19% of the air we breathe. Interesting.
The sun dropped a golden orange in the wing mirrors as we drove east into the bush.
Camp for the night was a small clearing in a dense jungle of shrub bush trees that were as tall as the RTT. The wind was still blowing, but we were slightly sheltered which made a world of difference. The couple of nights spent up in Shark Bay had been gale-force, and today had been no different.
As much as I liked the ocean views, the bush feels like home to me – it makes me comfortable, a place I recognise. Cath thinks opposite, her calling is the ocean, but she is slowly getting more used to the bush and enjoying it as much. Especially when we can sit around a fire and watch the flames dance. It has its perks and can have incredible stories locked in its red dirt.
I have to finish by reiterating that Steep Point is a must do on the west coast. We were both in awe with the beauty and charisma the place had to offer. Shark bay, you blew our minds!
The Cooks.
TotallyCookd. 