Cliff Head to Perth

October 2 to October 9

Cliff Head South free camp

Cliff Head is one of the first beach spots at the northern end of the Indian Ocean Drive, the coastal road that leaves Highway One (Brand Highway over here) about 300km north of Perth and tracks the coastline to Perth. This area was settled by lobster fishermen and a lot of the beach shacks are still in use. The sand tracks along the sand dunes run for kilometres at a time and link a number of shacks before feeding to the road. Then further down the road it all happens again, for about 50km.

We stayed at Cliff Head Sunday night then drove to a couple of other free camps to the south on Monday. Again the weather was kind with light winds so we trekked a number of the sand tracks and beaches. Unfortunately the beaches aren’t conducive to fishing as the seaweed from the reef a few kilometres off the beach is continually present and being washed up.

Interesting Wildflowers

We stayed at Cliff Head South on Monday night, a bit more crowded but more protected from the southerly wind that came up in the afternoon. It is still school holidays over here, and we wanted to stay in Jurien Bay for a couple of nights on our way down. With only one caravan park in town, we were lucky to secure a site as I only called a couple of days ahead. Jurien Bay is the main centre of the Turquoise Coast, the 200km coastline from Port Denison to Lancelin.

I should mention again that it is wildflower season here, and this last 400km to Perth is renowned for the diversity and abundance. This has been an exceptional season (apparently, according to the thousands of tourists who flock here), and although this wasn’t one of the planned highlights, we have been really enjoying the amount, colour, shape and variety we have encountered.

More Flowers

We arrived in Jurien Bay on Tuesday. Only about 200km north of Perth, it was surprising to learn that the area wasn’t properly settled until the 1960’s. It is a spectacular bay protected by a chain of small islands and reefs. The water colour definitely lives up to the Turquoise Coast name. You can see why it is now a popular town for holiday makers, retirees and weekend beach houses. They are spending a lot of money rejuvenating the foreshore, and recently installed an artificial reef off the old jetty, a “snorkelling trail” to enhance the experience of the turquoise water. We enjoyed our two days in Jurien Bay, but were glad to leave the caravan park. I swear there were twice as many kids as there were adults staying at the park.

Thursday we drove to Cervantes and visited Lake Thetis. Lake Thetis is a dune locked lake with high salinity and stromatolites growing in the shallows. The sand dunes in this area are migratory, moving with the winds and ocean forces, and can move hundreds of metres in only decades.

The Pinnacles

Fifteen minutes down the road is Nambung National Park and the Pinnacles. The Pinnacles is an amazing landscape where the desert meets the sand dunes. The limestone pillars formed (much scientific conjecture as to how) underground some 30,000 years ago, and have been uncovered as wind and erosion weathered the soft stone and sand from around the pillars. To walk around the park you could be in the centre of Australia, then to see the ocean and sand dunes from a lookout seemed out of place.

You can see the sand dunes and ocean in the background

Just 20km down the road from the Pinnacles we stopped at a parking area for the night. We were pacing ourselves to arrive in Perth on Saturday, to meet up with my brother Mal and his partner Emma, who are over for a few days for Mal’s work.

Friday was a short drive to Lancelin, another picturesque oceanfront town on a bay protected by islands and reefs. I am still surprised how quiet these towns are, only 100 odd kilometres from the capital. We had a great walk on the beach, and checked out the professional fisherman’s catch of shark (destined for the fish and chips shops of Australia).

With Mal and Emma at Kings Park, Perth

We stopped just outside Perth Friday night as the weather closed in. Rain and wind and cold made Saturday a lousy day for sightseeing, so we checked in to a caravan park near the city and met up with Mal and Emma in the afternoon for drinks and dinner.

Sunday was still cold and windy, but less rain, so we met up with Mal and Emma again and checked out the interesting sights around the Perth city area. Kings Park, the Perth Mint and the riverfront region were all worth the visit.