Day 125 - 127, The Nullarbor ( Thur 29th Oct - Sun 01st Nov )

The Nullarbor

We left Esperance without too much of a plan in regards to where we would stay across the Nullarbor, we would just play it by ear and see how far we would get each day.

Fraser Range Station Caravan Park

Our Camp At Fraser Range Caravan Park

Our first stop crossing the Nullarbor was Fraser Range caravan park, we had been told that it was a pretty good stopover, it was about 300 kl from Esperance so not too bad a drive for our first day seeing as we had headed off pretty late due to the bad weather.

We arrived at the caravan park at about 1600 hrs, its not far off the main road along what looks like an all weather dirt road.

The staff there were very nice and booked us into an non powered site right near the amenities and only a short walk to the camp kitchen and dining room, pretty cheap at $30.00 per night.

That night we decided to take up the offer of a three course meal which was only $30.00 for adults and $10.00 for the kids, the meals were just delicious and it was cosy in the dining room with the open fire going.

The dining room caters for guests and for the station workers, the meals are great, cooked by a proper chef who is a bit of a character as well.

We did get a little visitor into the campsite which the boys thought was pretty good.

A python with a belly full of something, possibly a rabbit of which there are plenty around the park.

The next day we headed off along the Nullarbor, which for the most part was long and boring, its not until you get towards SA end and the Head Of The Bite that the scenery starts to get good.

Border Village

A long drive today through very uninteresting terrain along way from the coastline, to Border Village where we were going to do an overnight stop.

We got there pretty late in the afternoon to find a very average camp ground at the back of the roadhouse, the sites were rocky and uneven, and the scenery was more like a dump than a camp ground.

We decided in stead to stay in one of the cabins there, I must say we did enjoy the luxury of proper beds, showers, and toilets, but it was not cheap by any stretch of the imagination, I thin like everywhere across the Nullarbor they have the monopoly on everything and charge what they like.

After leaving Border Village it was only a few kilometers until the road meets the ocean, from this point there are numerous spots to stop and view the amazing cliffs of the Great Australian Bight.
The first parts of the Bight that are accessible are beaches, as we traveled further East we got to the amazing cliffs.

Beaches Of The Great Australian Bight

The Head Of The Bight

View of The Bunda Cliffs.

The Head Of The Bight is probably the best viewing platforms, with views of the magnificent Bunda Cliffs to the West, and at the right time it is the best place for whale watching.

An entry fee is payable, which gives you access to the information centre and the various viewing platforms.

Penong

Our next stop crossing the Nullarbor was a small town named Penong, we stayed there overnight before heading towards Port Lincoln.

The only caravan park in Penong was pretty good, we got the only bit of grass in the park to set the camper up.











Our drive across the Nullarbor was interesting but long, its was difficult to find good camp sites for the camper, and the scenery for a long way was pretty boring, luckily the magnificent cliffs made up for that.

Day 122 - 124, Esperance ( Mon 26th Oct - Wed 28th Oct )

Esperance

The drive to Esperance was pretty easy, when we arrived we headed straight to the Aclaim caravan park, which we though might be as good as the Aclaim park in Kalgoorlie.

The park was nice, a little way out of town and smallish but the amenities were pretty good and we had a large grass site.

Our Camp At The Aclaim CP Esperance

Unfortunately the weather was not on our side in Esperance, we arrived and set up in the rain, it rained most of the time we were there, and it rained while we packed up, never the less we still enjoyed esperance.
Its a nice little town, with a very nice foreshore, lots of nice eating places and some amazing scenery not to far away.

Cape Le Grand National Park

Lucky Bay At Cape Le Grand

Cape Le Grand NP is about 45 minutes from Esperance, its famous for its amazing beaches and coastal landscapes, there are fantastic places to swim and fish, walking trails, and amazing scenery, unfortunately when we were there it was cold and overcast, but still beautiful.

Kangaroo On The Beach At Lucky Bay

While at Lucky Bay we were lucky enough to see what is apparently a common visitor to the beach.

So many coastal views to be had, the scenery around Esperance was just amazing.

There was so much more to do in Esperance but the weather just did not allow it for us, its definitely on our list of places to return to though.

Day 119 - 121, Kalgoorlie ( Fri 23rd Oct - Sun 25th Oct )

Kalgoorlie

Arriving at Kalgoorlie i was surprised, I did not expect such a large town, I dont know why but I expected a little old mining town.

We decide to stay at the Aclaim caravan park which is just a little way out of town, its a very nice park and reasonably priced with all the facilities we need, we got a site near the Camp kitchen was is always a bonus.

Kalgoorlie Tram Car

To see the sites around the town we decided to utilise the tram car that picks you up at the caravan park and goes to all the major sites, you can get on and off as you please so its pretty flexible.

Two day pass costs $80.00 for a family of four, pretty good I thought.

Kalgoorlie Buildings

As we drove through the town it was amazing to see the number of beautiful old buildings, a lot of them happen to be pubs as there was a lot of pubs operating in Kalgoorlie in the old days.

Kalgoorlie Clock Tower

The clock tower in town is one of the many beautiful buildings, the golden top is actually real gold, shows how much money there was in the town.

The British Arms hotel, not operating except that it is part of the museum which you can see in the back ground.

No body seems to know why it is so narrow considering it has a lot of room around it.

Hotel Foyer

An example of a foyer in one of the old hotels, all the ones we went into where like this one.

York Hotel Kalgoorlie

The York Hotel in Hannan street, built in 1901, now heritage listed and operating as a hotel and restaurant.

Kalgoorlie City Market

WA Museum Kalgoorlie

The museum showcases the Eastern Goldfield and the city's mining history, admission into the museum is donation only.
The museum was great, well worth a visit, and a drop off point for the tram.

Kalgoorlie brothel workers tools of the trade.

Brothels

Kalgoorlie Brothel

Along with pubs, brothels played a big part in the history of Kalgoorlie, they arose from necessity because of the fact that in the town men vastly out numbered women, some of the "Tin Shed" brothels still stand and there are still some working brothels.

A lot of the brothels have been turned into back packers accommodation.

One in particular runs tours in the afternoon before opening for business of another kind later in the night.
They say that the tour is suitable for all ages but we decided that the boys didn't really need to learn about the workings of a brothel just yet.

The Super Pit

The "Fimiston Open Pit", or the "Super Pit"is actually up the road at Boulder and not in Kalgoorlie, it is Australia's largest open cut gold mine, 3.5 kl long and 1.5 kl wide and 750 mt deep.

The mine produces 28 tonnes of gold per year.

From the lookout you get a pretty good view and an appreciation of its size when you see the trucks which are gigantic looking like match box cars.

Kalgoorlie Super Pit

Trucks In The Pit

A Photo For Scale

Hannans North Tourist Mine

Hannans North Tourist Mine is just out of town, there you can learn all about open cut mining in the old and modern times.
There is mining equipment to climb into, and other various displays around the site.
Entry fee was $30.00 for the family.

You can see the size of these loaders when you step into the bucket of one.

The wheels of this 793C haul truck are huge.

Within the site there is a very nice Chinese garden to walk through.

You will also see recreations of prospectors camps and huts, and see how they lived back in the 1800's.

We had a little go at panning for gold in the man made creek that runs through the site, surprisingly we found no gold but never mind they do sell small nuggets at the kiosk just in case !


Hannans is worth a visit, but when we were there a lot of attractions within the site were not operational, also if you go on a Sunday there is no food available.
Another word of advice, you are better of going there in your own car not the tram, as the time you are left there is a bit too long.



Kalgoorlie was a great stopover, we all enjoyed the attractions and the town history is fantastic.

Day 118 - 119, Hyden (Wave Rock) ( Fri 23rd Oct - Sat Oct )

Hyden "Wave Rock"

Wave Rock Selfie

Driving to Hyden to see Wave Rock, which is the only thing to see there meant a significant detour, to get there and then back to Esperance meant a 700 kilometer detour, we were not sure about it but decided to go and see it regardless.

We decided that the best plan would be Hyden to Kalgoorlie, then Kalgoorlie to Esperance, from there back up to Norseman and onto the Nullarbor.

At Hyden the choice of accommodation is limited, there are two caravan parks one in the town and one at the Rock, we decided to go to the one at the rock.

Arriving at the caravan park it was stinking hot, the flies were almost unbearable and the camp site on offer was poor to say the least, the site was very small and dusty with no shade, it was looking like our decision to stay at Hyden was a bad one.

After a family discussion we decided to stay in a cabin for one night instead of staying two nights, we were there pretty early so still had a few hours in the afternoon to see the rock and the other small attractions around Hyden.

Wave Rock WA

Wave Rock was fairly impressive, not Ayres Rock impressive but pretty good.

The advantage of the caravan park at the rock is that it is only a couple of hundred meters to the rock.

The Usual Wave Rock Surfing Photo

Other attractions in the Area.

The rock formation known as Hippos Yawn which is right near Wave Rock.

The cafe which is very nice, good food and and free from flies.

At the cafe you can also see the "Toy Soldier" and "Lace" museums for a fee of $5.00 pp.

Both of those were pretty average.

At the caravan park there is also a small museum which we did not see but it looked pretty much like the other two museums.

The staff at both the caravan park and cafe were very nice.

Hyden was OK, not really sure if it was worth the detour though, definitely a one day stop only. 

Day 114 - 117, Albany ( Sun 18th Oct - Wed 21st Oct )

Albany

"Happy Days" Caravan Park Campsite

I have to say arriving into Albany we were not impressed as we drove into town, it was not what we had expected having been told how fantastic this place was, what we were seeing as we drove in was just another ordinary town.

As we drove further towards the main CBD things started to improve and by the time we were in the main street down by the port we had changed our minds and were feeling much better about our choice of stopover.

Riverside Campsite

Not having booked in advance we drove around the various caravan parks to see what was on offer, the usual Big 4 and Top Tourist parks were there plus a few others in town, typically the Big 4 was ridiculously expensive and the Top Tourist was average to say the least.

Consulting Wiki Camps we decided to head out of town a little and take a chance on a smaller park, "Happy Days" caravan park is about 5 kilometers out of town towards Lake Grace, it is privately owned and very small.

Happy Days turned out to be a great little park, green grass, site right on the river, good amenities, very friendly and helpful hosts, cheap to boot.

Albany CBD

Albany is the largest permanently settled town in WA, predating Perth and Fremantle by a couple of years, the population is around 36,000.

The main street in Albany down near the port is very nice, lots of colonial buildings, a legacy of the first European settlers that landing in WA, there here are cafes and restaurants,and a variety of shops, also down that way is also the information centre where you can find out about everything there is to do in and around Albany.

Albany Anzac Centre

National Anzac Centre Albany WA

In late 1914 over 41,000 Aussies and New Zealanders left Albany to fight in The First World War, the National Anzac Centre is dedicated to honoring those Anzacs.

There is so much to see and do at the centre I wont even try to explain it all, you could easily spend a couple of days there reading letters to and from the Anzacs, watching old movies, using the interactive displays, walking through the museum, visiting the memorials, the list goes on.

Interactive Table

When you enter the centre you are given a card with a picture of a random Anzac on it, if you place the card on the interactive displays around the centre you can view details of your Anzac, you are able to follow his or her life through the war and see where they ended up.

An amazing feature we thought.

An example of information displayed  on the interactive tables in the centre, showing a picture of the Anzac and a letter written by a visitor which you are able to do.

When you touch the screen you can see more information.

Wonderful statues and sculptures at the centre like this one of a Light Horseman and his horse. 

At the the centre there are displays of anti air craft guns, missile systems and other weapons which were interesting and a bit of fun for the kids.

From outlook you can see King George Sound where 36 ships carrying 30,000 troops moored before departing Albany.
Here there is a information board that shows the names of the ships that were moored.

The view from this point is amazing.

We loved our visit to the centre, both of us and the boys learnt a great deal about our part in the war, I would definitely recommend a visit here,such an amazing place.

Albany Historic Whaling Station

Albany Whaling Boat "Cheynes IV"

The Historic Whaling Station is located on the southern coast of King George Sound, Australia's last operating whaling station, it is now a unique attraction where you can learn about whaling history.

There is a 40 minute guided tour after which  you can move around the station at your own pace,or visit the animal enclosures or botanical gardens which are inclusive in the cost.

The "Cheynes IV" Whale Chaser is beached at the Historic Whaling Station and is a major attraction at the site, you can go into the boat and enter almost every part of it.

Aboard The Cheynes IV

The Harpoon Gun

The centre has a very good display of whale and Dolphin skeletons, its not until you stand next to the skeleton of one of these whales you realise the size.

Standing between the bottom jaw bones of a Blue Whale.






















The Historic Whaling Station was great, we spent a good 4 hours there and enjoyed every minute, there is also a nice restaurant and gift shop.

The Brig Amity

The Brig Amity Replica

The Brig Amity sailed from Sydney on  9th November 1826 with orders to form a settlement in King George Sound, they reached Albany on Christmas day.

The Brig Amity replica was built in 1975 by local boat builder Stan Austin, the replica allows visitors to see what life on a brig of this type would have been like, there is a self guided tour available with an interactive audio system.

Admission fee also gives you access to the museum and art gallery.

Brig Amity Replica

On the deck of the Brig Amity.

Brig Amity Sleeping Arrangements

Below deck you get an appreciation of life on this boat, you cannot walk in the majority of areas below deck without stooping, the quarters are sparse to say the least and the storage of food is just amazing.

Western Australian Museum Albany

This small museum located just near the Big Amity was just great, when we were there they had a photographic exhibition called "The Lost Diggers Of Vignacort",it was just amazing the restored B&W photos of diggers were brilliantly displayed and the story of there discovery was just as amazing.

The photos were only discovered a few years ago in the attic of a french barn, and were all restored by hand.

On display is also the old chest in which they were stored in that dusty old attic.

The chest in he background is the chest the photo's were found in.

Interactive photo board for viewing the entire collection of photo's.

Nicholas posing in front of a copy backdrop used when photographing the diggers in that attic, the backdrop was found with the photographs.
















Albany was a great stopover, the history of the town was amazing, and there isso much to se and do there, we would recommend Albany as a holiday destination for sure, the few days we spent there were great but you could easily spend a week or more seeing all the sights.