Apr 15-18: Gibb River Road

I have spent the last 3 days driving across "the Gibb".

It is a 600km stretch of highway from Derby to Kunnunura that shoots directly across the northwest corner of Australia. If you're going from Broome to Darwin, this is one of two routes available. Road conditions vary heavily over the course of a season. The road is currently only open to 4-wheel drive vehicles below 7 tonnes, because there is still quite a bit of water on the roads. It has been an interesting trip. My first night, I ran into a pair of dutch guys that I met in Exmouth. We had a couple of good laughs, due in part to the fact that I had forced them to take some mp3 audiobooks to help pass the driving time - including Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus.

Though the vast majority of the drive was remarkably uneventful, there are a couple of very noteable exceptions.

At the midpoint on the second day I hit a bump so big that it broke the mounts for my roof rack, sheering its feeble steel legs. The cage above, complete with full gas cans and huge spare jug of water came crashing down on the roof, giving the truck a somewhat appropriate set of battlescars to remember the trip.

The morning of the third day I came to a river. Up to this point, there had been a number of water crossings over small streams, creeks and floodways. The operating manual for the Pajero says she can safely cross something up to 60cm deep, so to this point the water crossings were more of a novelty than a concern. Until I came to the Durack river. It was there that I met a German fellow standing next to river driving a little all-wheel drive car... swearing in German. We inspected the river several times. I walked through the 20meter track I would drive and carefully measured the depth of the water. 58cm. Half of my engine would be submerged, along with the exhaust. After about a half hour of deliberation I decided to throw caution to the wind and give it a go. Worst case scenario, we could just push it through if I got stuck.

And I made it. The truck made a little wave when it hit the water, and I ambled along slowly in its wake trying to match the same speed. The German fellow held his breath the entire time. Once I'd crossed we tried to sort out ways to get his car across. He ended up turning around, guessing that the water would engulf the computer in his car, effectively parking it for good. Probably a wise choice...



But the real drama came when I came to the second river crossing. The Pentecost river is right at the end of the Gibb road. About 100 meters across, it looks daunting from the start. It doesn't help that there are "beware of crocodile" signs posted everywhere to keep you from testing the water. Previous reports I had seen had listed the depth of the river at 50cm, though it was tough to tell given the width. A very helpful Australian couple who had just crossed in the other direction decided to stick around with me in case I didn't make it.

If I decided I didn't want to cross it, I would have no choice but to return 500km in the direction I came and then go an additional 1000 km detour around the whole region.

I decided to risk it. The parting words of the helpful Australians as I left the west bank of the river were "If you get bogged, don't get out of your truck. There are crocodiles in the river. We'll go for help." Not exactly reassuring, considering the last sheep/cattle station was at least an hour back.

At the first quarter marker, the water was already well over the height of the hood of the truck. Instead of the rumored 50cm deep, this was more like 90cm in depth. I winced as I continued onwards in terror, dreading the possibility of an engine stutter. If the engine stalled I would be screwd. Trudging through the mucky water, jerking wildly as I bounced over the unseen rocks below, I could see water start to pour in around my feet from under the doors. Please keep going, please keep going. By the halfway point the hood was back above water, and truck was still plugging away. When I finally creeped out onto the east bank of the river, I parked for a minute to let the water drain from the truck and some of the adrenaline work its way through my system. I shouted a thank you across the river to my would be rescue team, and continued onwards. So far the truck seems to be running perfectly (or at least as well as it was running before) save for one curious issue... Instead of burning oil, the running engine smells like sugar cookies.



This is easily the most reckless and irresponsible choice I have ever made.
And oddly one of my proudest moments. What a blast!

Apr 13-14: Broome

With just over 12,000 people, Broome is likely the biggest town I'll see in the month of April. I'm aiming to take a few days to psych myself up for a big decision.

There are 2 roads leading to Darwin.
- The Great Northern Highway
- The Gibb River Road

Cutting through the heart of the Kimberleys, the Gibb River road is supposed to be one of the last untamed adventures in Australia. It is currently open only to 4wd vehicles, though those restrictions relax in the dry season. There are a handful of river crossings required, along with a couple of steep hill climbs.

I am just on the cusp of the wet season and dry season, so my decision will depend heavily on the depth of the water, the weather forecast, and how brave I'm feeling when I hit the fork in the road.

Apr 11-12: Karijini National Park

Tucked in the heart of the Pilbarra region, Karijini National Park is a national treasure. Deep rocky mountain gorges plunge into the earth, showered with cascading waterfalls, and punctuated with swimming pools of cold spring water.

As we push into the Australian fall, the temperature here as dropped to a sweltering 35 (gasp) degrees celsius. Every time I get out of the air conditioned truck, it feels like I'm melting.

Apr 5-11: Exmouth and the Cape Peninsula National Park

Exmouth is the gateway to a series of campsites along the Indian ocean (kind of like Jasper is to the Rocky Mountains). There are a handful of different beachside locations up and down the coast, all of which give you immediate access to beach and the ocean. I spent my time at the picturesque Osprey bay.

This is a shared campsite, where you get to spend your time with a handful of other campers, and a small group of kangaroos. The first one to approach me was a female with a heavily laden pouch, who came up to me while I was sitting down and put her front paws up on my knee. How do you deny a pregnant mom food? I gave her a carrot. She and some of her family came to spend the next few days with me.

I spent HOURS in the water every day, happily snorkelling to and fro, examining all of the curious and wonderful things I could find. There were all kinds of fish, timid giant green sea turtles, and a pair of reef sharks. Swimming alone, 300 meters of the shore holding my tiny plastic camera, when I saw shark that was the same size as me, I decided to hightail it back to shore.

My time in the water caught up with me, and cut short my snorkelling adventures when I got an ear infection. It is probably for the best... I'm not sure I would have ever left this place.

Apr 4-5: Coral Bay

I feel like I've been waiting my whole life for this precious handful of days. The Ningaloo reef is kind of like the little cousin of the Great Barrier reef, equally endowed but far more accessible. The snorkelling off the beach is world class, not to mention the fact that it is one of the few places where Whale Sharks are known to congregate regularily during the coral blooming season.

Whale sharks are the earth's biggest known fish growing to a full size of 18 meters, the size of a school bus. Unlike whales, they have gills and do not need to surface. They eat plankton and other tiny marine life, and are generally indifferent towards people.

I must admit I gagged just a little to hear that a whale shark tour was going to be $390. Choking a little, reminding myself it is a once in a lifetime experience, I decided to suck it up and go for a ride. For the price of admission, the boat takes you out to see, waiting for a small plane above to spot a whale shark. Once spotted, the captain immediately takes you to shark. Your group hops in the water somewhere in front of the shark. As the whale sharks comes past, you swim (more or less as fast as you can) alongside it for 2 to 3 minutes. Then boat scoops you up, and ferries you ahead of the shark again another couple of times. You also do a little bit of reef snorkelling before and after the tour... but really you are paying for about 10 minutes in total with the shark, who doesn't really care that you are there to visit with him.

It is worth every penny.

I got in the water the first time with a group of 11 other snorkellers. As the whale shark approached, our guide gave us a quick set of directions, and then we dunked our heads underneath and started swimming madly in the same direction in the open water before an enormous wall of green with white spots snuck in front of us. It was only 30 seconds or so before he started to dive and we lost sight of him in the depths.

When we got in the water the second time the group was split so it was a more intimate team of six swimmers. Prepared for the exercise this time, I was thoroughly delighted to find that when I dunked my head underwater, the enormous whale shark was bearing directly at me, and I barely had enough time to get out of its immediate path. I swam next to it for maybe 3 spectacular minutes until, utterly exhausted, we gave up the pursuit.

My third dunk was more hilarious than adventurous. Based on the choppy conditions, I think I drank about 3 litres of salt water through my snorkel. Laughing, swimming, choking, and still swimming at full speed, I was determined to make the most out of my precious whale shark time.

It is such a magnificent and splendid creature, peaceful and serene. With better publicity, these guys would easily restore the broken reputation of sharks everywhere. I met some great people, I saw a huge shark, and I even got some exercise. Just another amazing day in Australia.

Apr 2-3: Monkey Mia

I've been trying to do as much of the trip as possible on personal recommendations as opposed to sorting through all the various promotional devices. Upon asking Western Australians about spots to visit on my way through, I was surprised to hear several people tell me to skip Monkey Mia. As part of Shark Bay it is part of a World Heritage protected area, where you can visit a living working colony of stromatalites.

There was no way I was going to miss the stromatalites. A thin layer of cyanobacteria just under the surface of the water, these organisms are the first living things we know of on the earth. They perform a primitive sort of photosynthesis and are responsible for converting our atmosphere from being primarily noxious and to oxygen laden. This is one of the only places in the world you can see a living colony of them. As they die off, their bodies calcify and produce these lumps of stone in the water, often likened to cauliflower.

On a slightly more popular note, that put me within an hour of Monkey Mia about an hour before sundown, making it one of the only reasonable spots to camp for the night. I decided to park there to see the morning dolphin feeding. Every morning, a group of wild dolphins come in to shore to visit with the tourists. Despite my reservations and the anti-recommendations, I'm glad I stopped.

Mar 27-Apr 1: Perth

I finally made my way to Perth. This will be the last big city I see for about a month. My first night here, I met a fellow named Billy who was staying two campsites over from me. Billy, a former fisherman had slightly more teeth than fingers, thick glasses and had constructed what he called "the Taj Mahal" - a veritable tarp palace - where he had been staying for a couple of months. Recent storms through Perth have caused an estimated $300 million dollars. The Taj Mahal was unaffected. We had a beer and some laughs, as he told me all about the places I should be visiting over the next few months.

Later I got a chance to meet the Impeys - friends of friends from back home. I was nice to hear some Canadian accents, and to get to know some new friends.

I'll be somewhat less accessible over the next few weeks, as I make my way through and into the bush up towards Darwin. This is the part of the trip I've been looking forward to most, snorkelling off the Ningaloo reef and diving with Whale sharks. I'll post something as soon as I'm able.

Mar 25-26: Bunbury to Rockingham

On my way north towards Perth, I made a couple of pitstops. The first was at Bunbury, where you can watch the dolphins come in to feed. Unfortunately, I got there a little late and missed the show. I did, however, run into Fergal, one of the fellows from the wine tour two days prior... in fact, the fellow with whom I shared the Witchetty Grub experience. It is hard to describe how strange it feels to run into someone you know, when you are on the other end of the world.

I made my way to Rockingham and met up with John and Leony, whom I had met a week earlier on the Nullarbor. They decided to take me out to the town's best pub... the Swinging Pig (in Rocking-Ham... clever...). They had just bought a new house and I had the distinct honor of being their first official house guest.

Mar 23-25: Margaret River

After driving between 6 and 12 hours a day almost every day for the last two weeks, I decided I had earned a break. I was starting to go a little batty without social interaction, so I decided to stop in at a hostel to meet a few new people.

Hostel can mean anything. It could be anything from simple or plain, up to rat-infested or party crazed. I bunked in at a place in downtown Margaret River - the only spot left was a single bunk in an 8-bed room share. Throughout the night, there was constant traffic in and out of the room, lights coming on and off until 4:30am. It was hilarious. 18 and 19 year old guys and girls, too drunk to see, giving each other life advice. There was even a little bit of romance going on the bunk below me. The first alarm clocks went off at 5:00am, as berry pickers got up for the early shift. While I didn't get a solid night's sleep, I would still score this place high based strictly on entertainment value.

The wine tour the next day was stellar. Loads of great people, and some lovely wines. At lunch time, I was one of two lucky souls (readin: one of only two volunteers) who got to try a witchetty grub which tastes surprisingly nutty. Good times had by all :)

Mar 20-23: Esperance to Albany

Esperance is home to some of the more picturesque beaches in the country. The beaches are sheltered by a set of small islands, covered in pristine white sand, and are blessed with calm waters. Pity, my time in Esperance was primarily marred by scattered showers. I took advantage of the downtime to catch up on my reading.

Eventually I made my way down towards Walpole to visit the Tall Trees exhibits.

Mar 19: 4x4ing to Wave Rock

I have a GPS system that I've nicknamed Carmen the Garmin. Carmen has been good to me. Especially helpful in big cities, she seems to know the way most everywhere, can find most anything, and rarely leads me astray.

Except today.

The road to Hyden from Norseman is a wide gravel road, heavily corrugated with loose rock. Huge road trains (trucks pulling two or three huge trailers) fly by at full speed, showering you with an impenetrable cloud of red dust that makes the road temporarily invisible. Somewhere along this dodgy - but relatively good road - Carmen decided to lead me down a shortcut. I use the term shortcut loosely. She suggested I make a left turn off the gravel road onto two tire tracks leading directly into the bush.

Peaches the Pajero (my semi-reliable truck) got her first real taste of 4 wheel driving. Confident that Carmen would steer us right, I veered off road and shifted into gear. We went through sand tracks, across a dried up salt-lake bed, and through several small sets of bushes before rejoining another dirt road roughly an hour later. Save for the strong smell of burning that I have yet to identify, it was a successful adventure.

The Wave Rock was awfully impressive. Whether it was worth the 500km detour is debateable... but it does make for some fun surfing photos.

Mar 17-18: The Nullarbor!

Driving across the southern end of Australia, travellers invariably have to cross the Nullarbor Plains. Famous for having few trees and exceptionally straight roads, it makes for long and uninteresting driving. The driving isn't exactly tough - the hardest part is paying attention.

Doing the drive alone is particularily unsafe. I had prepared myself for the trip with a handful of audiobooks. I got a chance to listen to:

A Short History of Nearly Everything (kept me in it for 8 straight hours),

A Brief History of Time (worst reader ever),

the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (always good for a laugh) and

Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED).

I found the last one so interesting that over the course of my three day crossing, I listened to the hour and a half episode 6 times.

There were two highlights of the trip worth noting.

First, I met John and Leony, a South African couple who live near Perth who were returning from a motorcycle tour of Tasmania. I planned to meet up with them later as I toured through to Perth. Second, while stopping in the bush to see a man about a horse, I came across a shingleback (or pine cone) lizard.

Mar 15-16: Tastes of the Outback

I decided to head up to the Flinders Ranges, an outback mountain range on the southern end of Australia. It was my first real experience with the interior... the red dirt, and the pounding heat. I spent a couple of nights in Hawker, and did a really interesting hike up through a place called Wilpena Pound. "The Pound" is a rock formation that looks a little like a mountain that was hit by a meteor - it is a ring of mountains that circle a shallow valley.

This was my first experience with Australian flies. More persistent than the ones back home, these guys will swarm around you looking for any sort of moisture. They will land on your mouth, go in your nose, even land on your eye. Over the afternoon of the hike, I managed to trap two flies accidentally: one between my ipod earbud and my ear, the other up my nose.