August 20, 2023 – National park hopping along the west coast

After all the experiences at Ningaloo Reef, it was time to continue our journey along the west coast. We wanted to take it a little easier because the last few weeks had taken a toll on us. The long car rides, the exciting experiences, we were a bit “tired” overall. In order to relax and put the car keys aside for a few days, we thought about spending two weeks in one place and swapping the tent for a real bed. I'll tell you exactly what that looked like in the next blog post. In any case, we still had around three weeks left until then, which we of course wanted to make the best possible use of. Our first destination after Ningaloo Reef was Francois Peron National Park, which is located about 550 kilometers from Coral Bay at the northern tip of Shark Bay on the Coral Coast. The national park is best known for the great contrast between the red sand, the white sandy beaches and the crystal clear water. As beautiful as the whole thing sounds, even the most beautiful landscape isn't particularly inviting when it's raining and strong gusts, especially when all the campgrounds are right on the beach and the wind drives the waves right up to the car. For this reason, we unfortunately had to end our stay early after just one and a half days and get back in the car. The journey continued to the next stop, the Kallbari National Park, 350 kilometers away. Weather-wise, we had much better luck here. Divided into two days, we were able to explore the most beautiful places and go on some hikes. The beauty of this national park is that it extends into an inland area and a coastal area, so you can explore very diverse nature. The highlight was certainly the almost 18 kilometer long hike along the coast, which took us to beautiful cliffs and spectacular bays. We spent the next three days relaxing at a cozy campground right behind the sand dunes not far from the Kallbari National Park.

After the short break we continued south via the coastal town of Geraldton. The last stretch before Perth offers a number of smaller national parks that are good for a day trip. Here we were first in Lesueur National Park. The park is best known for its wildflower meadows, which bring a bit of color to the landscape in early spring. After the last few weeks, in which we mostly moved around dreary landscapes with red sand, visiting here was a real treat. Finally lush green meadows and colorful flowers again. After hiking two short tracks here, we continue our drive to Nambung National Park in the afternoon. However, this visit was more of a fulfillment of duty. The national park is often touted as a must-stop, but we had already heard in advance that it is on the one hand very touristy and on the other hand not all that spectacular. Of course we still wanted to form our own opinion. And what can we say, you can do it, but you don't have to. A desert-like landscape made of limestone has developed here over millions of years. Over time, various weather influences have created columns, some several meters high, which shape the landscape. What was particularly fascinating was how much the landscape can change within just a few kilometers. First blooming green areas in the Lesuer National Park and then, less than 70 kilometers away, dry sandy desert.

And because two national parks in one day aren't enough, we drove another 140 kilometers in the late afternoon to get to Yanchep National Park. Whether we are crazy, maybe a little. However, it should be mentioned that the park is already part of the Perth catchment area and we were actually only here to spend the night. By chance there was a small premiere that evening. While the kangaroos have actually been accompanying us since the start of our road trip through Australia, the second animal symbol of Australia, the koala, has always hidden from us. Our wish would come true in Yanchep National Park. Although koalas are not actually found on the west coast, the national park has been home to a small koala colony since 1938.

And suddenly we were in Perth, the first megacity since Sydney last May. The first day was once again dedicated to the basic supply runs – gas station, supermarket and Ikea (wool blankets for the cold nights). On the second day, our car went to the workshop for a service check and we went to the Western Australia Museum in the heart of Perth. We also had time to see the city and visit the botanical garden. The third full day began with a reunion. Our travel friends from Fraser Island, Julian and Marlena, were also in Perth. Over a delicious breakfast, we exchanged travel stories, memories and plans for the coming weeks and months. While Julian had to work in the afternoon, Helene and I went to Australian football. Before the game began, the final minutes of the World Cup quarter-final between the Australian and French women were broadcast in the stadium. Australia's victory guaranteed a good atmosphere at the football game. And then they were over, our days in Perth.

After the big city we went to the suburbs, to Fremantle. A small coastal town that is ideal for strolling, with a beautiful city center and many small shops.

After all the (big) city flair, it was time for a national park and lots of peace and quiet. That's why we went to Wellington National Park, 180 kilometers away. It's actually completely unspectacular and doesn't offer any real sights, but what it does offer is peace and a lot of it. We stayed there for four nights and did nothing except a few short walks. By the way, in the picture of the dam you can see what is supposedly the largest mural in the world, so maybe there is a little highlight in Wellington National Park after all.

The last stop of far too many stops in this blog post should be Busselton. Here we looked at Busselton Jetty, the longest wooden jetty in the southern hemisphere at 1,841 meters. We took a small train to the top where we visited the Undewater Observatory. Over 300 different sea creatures can be observed through the submerged windows.

So, that was a brief summary of our 1,500 kilometer road trip from Coral Bay to Busselton. The next blog post will be a little more compact and clearer, I promise.