One Year of Australia: Kalbarri Trip

Day 348 Mon 03/25/2013

PWC Work

Mike from Liverpool & Mike from Tennessee

“I worked with Brendon & Mike again today for People Who Care.”

It’s unusual for me not to have taken some pictures of us having fun at work today. We must have worked so hard there was no time to take any photos. OK, completely untrue. I just searched the hard disk a bit further & found pictures dated from today of the three of us down in the ocean at Scarborough Beach. We took our lunch here & ate today. If we are working yards over this way we always come down to the water for a dip. Good times! Working with these two blokes has never felt like work, even in yards needing much attention.

Don't let the hi-vis jersey fool you, Brendon is NOT working

Day 349 Tue 03/26/2013

Tryall Shipwreck

2 Anchors on Tryall Wreck copyright Alan Robinson

“At work today one of the lovely old ladies really took care of us with delicious sweets & coffee. Her husband, David, was a diver from back in the 60’s & 70’s. She pulled out some old photographs his friend & dive buddy, Alan Robinson, had taken of the Tryall (sp) shipwreck years ago. We were so distracted by the photos we started to drive away without filling out any of the proper paperwork for the job.”

I just searched for the Tryall in Wikipedia. It turns out this little old lady is sitting on some history here. There are no photos on the website, but according to the story I found her husband “Dave Nelley” & his friend “Ellis Alfred (Alan) Robinson” are part of the original dive team that found this shipwreck, which is stated to be the first Australian shipwreck in history. So these pictures she has might have never been seen by the public before. This wreck was dated back to 1622. The first wreck in Western Australian Maritime history was thought to be that of the Batavia in 1629.

Mike is English, so he LOVES tea & biscuits

The British East India Company owned East Indiaman ship Tryall, under the command of John Brooke, hit rocks (most likely reef) off the north-west coast of Western Australia in 1622. This is Australia’s oldest known shipwreck, & this crew might have been the first Englishmen to see the land of Australia. Her cargo consisted of silver for trade along with gifts for the King of Siam (now Thailand). Brooke, his son & nine men escaped in the skiff, while Thomas Bright & 35 men were able to salvage a longboat. Both boats eventually made it 1,800km to Batavia. 93 of 143 men perished at the wreck site.

The site was not discovered until 47 years later, in 1969. For some reason I took pictures of the pictures Mrs. Nelley was showing us. I took a photo of the backside of her frames so I had the name of the shipwreck to look up later. I couldn’t believe what I was reading when I see Alan Robinson’s name in the article as part of that first dive team in ’69. Then I notice a Dave on the team as well, and I assume this to be the elderly lady’s late husband showing us the photos.

It turns out Robinson was charged later with illegally excavating the site using explosives that damaged the wreck. He had previously been apprehended for other crimes regarding illegal removal of artifacts from various other wreck sites. According to what I have read Robinson hung himself in prison serving time for unrelated charges.

OK, now where is my Kate Hudson? ;) Just kidding! It would be much more rewarding if I actually had to go research in old libraries & search old records just to make this trivial connection with names, but thanks to the Internet it took 15 seconds to Google then Wiki the few names I had. This was still very exciting for me. Now I want to dive the wreck. I can only assume the wreck is completely destroyed. There might be an old frame of a ship on the ocean floor at this point. I cannot find any more information on the current status of the wreck site other than it is federally protected by Western Australia.

The Batavia in Fremantle, WA

Alan Robinson’s name comes up on multiple websites regarding early ship wreck discoveries off the coast of Western Australia. He was credited with find the remains of the Vergulde Draeck (Dutch for Gilt Dragon) in 1963. This wreck, along with that of the Batavia, was heavily looted. Robinson was part of the five man free diving team responsible for these acts according to research. The remains of the Batavia are on display in the WA Maritime Museum of Shipwreck Galleries, which I had previously visited when I first arrived in Oz.

http://www.museum.wa.gov.au/maritime-archaeology-db/wrecks/vergulde-draak-draeck-gilt-dragon

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tryall

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batavia_(ship)

http://museum.wa.gov.au/

“Tonight Ali came back over to Leah’s house to cook dinner for us. Her & I went to the store & bought ingredients to cook a chicken curry dish. It was incredibly delicious. I was supposed to do the cooking, but Ali took over. She has cooked for me so many times before on the Anaconda III. I just had to let her go. You do not want to get in her way in the kitchen. I know I have told the story of James, our dive instructor on the A3. Anyways, dinner was great & it was not too spicy for Leah. We spent most of the night with some drinks & stories from our short time in Airlie Beach, the Whitsunday Islands & the Anaconda III.”

Ali, you text me later reminding me of the time James cut the cucumber too thick & you made him cut every cucumber in half. You are brutal in the kitchen. This is why I stay the hell out of there. Walk by, catch a glimpse of you in your “cooking attire” & run before getting in trouble.

Day 350 Wed 03/27/2013

North Beach Babes

“Today while working with Mike & Brendon we were able to take a nice break down on North Beach for lunch. There were hotties jogging everywhere on the footpath. There is eye candy everywhere in Oz!”

Day 351 Thur 03/28/2013

Cactus to Thumb

This picture deserves a repeat!

“Lots of events took place today at work. On the first job of the morning we are clearing out some Bougainvillea & I impale myself with on a cactus spike. Immediately after the initial jab I couldn’t bend my thumb. I ripped off the glove Laza had been so kind to give me to assess the damage. Then Daniel called me. We had a good chat about the short amount of time it would be until we would see each other again.

After our talk I attempt to get the bard out. I can only assume it is still in my hand due to the pain & immobility of my thumb. It turns out there were multiple smaller spikes all in my arm. The guys finished up everything in this yard while I sat.

In the second yard I just helped by doing the mowing, & then decided I needed to have my thumb looked at. In the end there was no barb in the joint. I just couldn’t move it & it hurt like hell. Hopefully this is all I have to worry about with this injury.

We saw an awesome yellow older Toyota Hilux today as well. Yea, I write down vehicles I see in my journal/diary. It was bada$$.

I have agreed to do some pool sessions for Dive Ski & Surf, but the commitment is interfering with travel plans up the coast. Britt & Joyce understood when I told them I had only 2 weeks left in Perth. I told them if they couldn’t find someone else to help out I would sacrifice my trip in order to stay in good standing. At the end of the conversation I was allowed to bail on them. This was my last chance to go camping with Leah & friends, so I was very happy to be allowed the chance without angering any employers or mates. Thanks DSS.

There was some drama tonight regarding out camping trip up the coast. Leah, Ori, Laza & I are driving north tomorrow morning. Our final destination will be Kalbarri, Western Australia. It is Easter weekend & every campsite is booked up the coast. Ori came over tonight to eat with us & discuss plans. Leah doesn’t figure we need to book anything. Laza was very adamant about making sure we had a place to stay.”

It was great to talk with Daniel this morning. He was worried about the cactus thorn jammed into my joint, but it turned out to just be an in & out injury. The thorn and gone directly into the joint, but come back out. It left some swelling which inhibited movement, & of course there was pain. Brendon was kind enough to drive me out to the hospital to have it looked at. Thanks for the ride budro. We also picked up a few crates of Emu’s for his trip he was taking up the north coast tomorrow as well. His mates were going diving & camping not too far from where I was going with Leah & crew. We talked of meeting up.

Nice Toyota Hilux!

I felt like the dive shop made me out to be the bad guy. I would stand behind my word when it came to working over the holiday weekend. However, there would be no holiday pay. OK. They ended up moving the dive training to another weekend. I am pretty sure they made no attempt to find a replacement for me. In the end all was good (I hope).

There was more drama involving the camping situation than the dive work. I actually agreed with Leah on the “play it by ear” method of camping. Laza was much more experienced when it came to road tripping in Oz though. He was very adamant about having a place lined up otherwise we were illegally camping or SOL altogether. I kept my mouth shut as Leah, Ori & Laza discussed the options. Laza knew with it being a holiday weekend everyone would be having similar trips to the one we had planned. I forget the final outcome. I think Leah had a mate up the coast offering her front yard for camping as last resort near the first destination town. Sounds good to me.

Day 352 Fri 03/29/2013

Jurian Bay & Dongara

Laza & I leaping from the pier (Laza NUTZ FIRST)

“It’s Good Friday! Ori has sky diving planned for 10:30AM in Jurian Bay 222km up the west coast. Laza has had a long week of training in the mines. He has been enrolled in a course to become an instructor of Mining Rescue & Safety, so he has requested a few extra hours of sleep before the trip. Ori & Leah are leaving around7AM. Laza said he would pick me up around 8AM. I think he pulled into the driveway around 11AM. Maybe 11:30AM. I figured this was all good. Ori had sky diving, which should take some time. So we thought.

I swear Laza had enough gear in his Land Cruiser to hit the bush for a month. He did! Maxx trax, eski (fridge), stoves, propane tanks, chairs, a table, a tent…… We met the girls in Jurian Bay at the beach after Ori’s jump. Laza & I immediately go jump off of the pier. Leah got a great photo of us in action. After we surfaced from the jump Laza informed me of the “ball slap” that had just taken place. If you look at the photo it is fairly apparent he landed balls first in the water. He was still all smiles through the pain. Hilarious!

Mini Penguins! No, shithead gulls.

Leah took many wicked pics this trip. Then we had a nice walk on the beach. Not with the girls. Just Laza & I. Leah & Ori had a laugh at us strolling down the beach together. I wanted some pictures of this old pier we had spotted down the beach. It turns out there were miniature penguins on it. “Little Penguins!” They did look just like little penguins. They were some gull though.

Did I spell Laza wrong all this time?

We went to the IGA for our dinner. I drove from here to Dongara 196km. We had to go through a police checkpoint. This was not fun. I had to blow through the breath-o device. It was a pretty good looking female copper though. (I just knew Laza was going to say some shit to get us in trouble).

When we arrived in Dongara we were allowed to camp on the town oval for a minimal fee paid to the Park Ranger. By town oval I mean large field for recreational sports & other events. It will do. Leah nailed it. There was no need to book anything. In fear of Leah one day reading this I should just write “Leah was RIGHT, we didn’t need any reservations at all.”

Tent on Roof = Baller!

This was Ori’s first time camping EVER. She took over the camp cooking that I was previously in charge of. Actually she gave me some orders to stop rolling the sausages which kinda ticked me off, so I let her have full control. She did great though. Dinner was excellent.

We found 3 Aussie gals right next to our campsite who were playing music & circle of death (card game) using the dumbest rules. They had an awesome on top of the car tent setup. Awesome description! We took many stupid photos with them including many timed photos with long exposure writing silly stuff with our torches, head lanterns & cell phones. GW!”

Cards!

I thought Leah was going to kill Laza & I for being so late. She had to wait solo while Ori sky dived first thing. Laza did have a great excuse for catching up on sleep being at training all week in for mines. We all powered through the tension created from the separate travel groups, delays, miscommunications, different rates of travel (the girls are speed demons) & general gender related differences. I was just waiting for emotions from either side to ensue. Laza did not want to deal with any drama. If things exploded I was sure he would go on a separate camping trip & I would have to choose between seeing Leah these last few days in WA or telling her & Ori I’ll catch up with you back in Dianella. I was worried. Either choice was wrong. Laza & I would crush beers & raise hell together. We are guys. It’s not work to travel with guys. Leah is my best friend, & if it weren’t for her support, both moral & financial, I would have never made the initial trip here or I would have flown home already. Also, I love hanging out with Ori. I do wish her husband, Mo, could have joined as well.

Fortunately it all worked out today. I felt so lucky. The campsite was fine. There were restrooms nearby & plenty of room. Our girls were not so happy about the 3 Aussie rowdies pulling up semi close to us. I really bit my lip when Ori stood over my shoulder on this sausage deal. If I continue on this path I might even make a good husband someday. She did do a good job on them though, so I couldn’t say anything.

"Goodnight" -Laza

After dinner Laza & I were ready to let loose. The ladies next door were jamming tunes, so we joined. We managed to get Leah & Ori over with the group for a few, but the overall vibe at camp next door was much rowdier than the mood we were in. Our travel mates cashed in early while Laza & I stayed up playing cards & making noise.

At the end of the night we had to be told to shut up as we were getting into our sleeping bags. We had woken Leah up. There is no telling how loud we were. Based on photos we were raising the dead I am sure.

The oval here in Dongara at night from our tent

Day 353 Sat 03/30/2013

Geraldton to Kalbarri

“Damn if Laza’s stereo picks up NO radio stations out here. He has no CDs. He has no mini jack audio IN. He does have a USB port! I have a lappie (laptop)! He has no USB stick. We are SOL. We talked instead. The girls blew our doors off today. They were out of sight in minutes. We stopped in Geraldton to find a USB stick for tunes. We took in the War Memorial here as well. “Lest We Forget.” Anzac Day Memorial.

Maybe instead of keeping a journal like this next time I’ll just write more post cards home. I have done a terrible job with this. I hope no one thinks I forgot about them. Two way street though.

Ori at an Indian Ocean overlook

Our final destination today is Kalbarri. We did stop to jump into the water & take a photo of the yellow submarine here in Geraldton though. Once we met the girls in Kalbarri we realized everything here was full. Laza had pointed out a fishing camp earlier outside of Kal maybe 20km. He had stayed here a year ago for a bachelor party. Leah had already called there & booked the place by the time we arrived. Great job! So we hit the IGA in town for some more food & supplies. Then we went to the bottle shop for some drinks for later.

Laza & I in Geraldton
These are actually restrooms

I drove us back to the fishing camp with the girls following. Laza’s tent was hell setting up with the strong sea breeze. The gals only needed help getting their stakes into the hard ground. We cooked some pasta consisting of mince meat, onions, red sauce & garlic Laurence had prepared 2 days prior. It was very tasty. After a few drinks we were knackered. First Leah & I had a laugh about Chubby Bunny. This is a game she taught me back during our YMCA counselor camp out in my parents’ backyard years ago. Only 5 counselors showed counting Leah & I.

Laza & I at an Anzac Memorial

Basically Chubby Bunny requires each player to jam marshmallows into your mouth one at a time & say CHUBBY BUNNY until you cannot say it any more. After about 10 marshmallows it starts to get very interesting & difficult. I am thinking around 15 it becomes impossible for the average mouthed person to say CHUBBY BUNNY. Leah has these USA made Rocky Mountain Marshmallows. In fear of wasting all of them we didn’t play the game. However Leah did look at me at some point & say,

“If I didn’t want to eat this marshmallow so bad I would throw it at your face.” Eventually she couldn’t resist the urge to pound me in the side of the head with the sugar loaded bullet of a marshmallow. Laza soon took sides with her & launched another soft missile with laser guided precision right at my face. I was completely unarmed & too lazy to go fight some ammo from Leah, who was in control of the weapons cache.”

Day 354 Sun 03/31/2013

Sunset on the Indian Ocean

Tent FAIL

“This AM our tent was a complete wreck. It was practically laying on us. What a pile of crap. It was a very nice tent as long as there was no wind tearing it down. It was too big to handle wind this heavy. We had to take it down & leave it inside the ladies tent, which was still standing STRONG. Leah pointed this out as well.

On our way to Kalbarri we stopped at multiple overlooks & cliffs looking out to the Indian Ocean. There were many photo opportunities. At one spot we had noticed a small beach off in the distance in the mix ox huge cliffs. “I am running down there. Will someone take my picture?” I asked. I was the only person up for this task this early in the morning. It only took me 3 minutes to get down there. I jumped into the water. The rip current here was massive. I only felt comfortable going 2 feet into the water due to the riptide & huge cliffs on either side. Once I had wet thongs on getting back up was fairly difficult getting back to the group. It took more like 6 minutes.

After our sightseeing we hit the pub in Kalbarri for a meal & drink. A cold cider really hit the spot. Then we took more beach photos. As we left Kal we ran into a road block. Laza was fairly sure he would pass a breath-o test. He had 3 ciders & one stubby over the course of 3 hours. To be sure though he pulled into a side street & parked. He got out & proceeded to walk down to the roadblock. On foot he told the coppers, “I’m at my uncle’s house just around the corner. I had a few drinks earlier & I’d like to just check myself.” Well played. He was 100% fine. There was not even a trace of alcohol. I had a buzz! Nice work, broo!

Tonight we drove down to the beach from the fishing camp. The scenery was like nothing I’d witnessed before. As the narrow path through the sandy dunes opened up there were more rolling dunes galore. What a sight! We turned & drove south down the beach. I spotted a few good flat rocks that mimicked tables, so Laza pulled up next to them. This would be our spot to watch the sunset & cook dinner.

The party was on after dinner & sunset pics. BOOM! Music & drinks, we let loose. Ori wants to know the name of the artist & song playing as Laza & I danced around like fools (I still don’t know which one it was Ori). In this moment Laza smashed my tripod where it was setup over in the darkness. Whoops. It was a cheapo. I figured it was now just one more item I don’t have to worry about carrying back to the States. We had already taken turns writing with our headlamps during the long exposure pictures anyways, so we really had no use for it.

Ori, the songs playing during this time were Stone Temple Pilots & John Butler Trio. If it was JBT then the song was his live version of “Betterman.” If it was STP then it had to be either “Unglued”, “Trippin’ on a Hole in a Paper Heart”, maybe “Crackerman”. OR Pearl Jam, but you seem to know your PJ fairly well I think.

We all saw at least one shooting/falling star. This was another moment reminding me of how I imagined Australia before I came over. Right here, now. If I’m going to travel this land I must have a 4x4.

We cooked the rest of food (steak & sausage) & took the girls back to camp. Now it was time for the beach 4x4 sesh. Laza & I set off from fishing camp. As we fly through the narrow dune trail back towards the shore kangaroos are jumped across our headlights ahead. Laza was not slowing down for any roo. I get behind the wheel & drove far south down the coast until we were much past the point where we had watched the sunset. Damn fun! After half an hour Laza took a turn. He headed back north. We saw some headlights up in the tunes. It was a nice little climb to get up there.

In fear of meeting the other vehicle on the hillside of a single track path we hoofed it up beer in hand. Two mining blokes & a gal had buried the company yute in the side of a dune. We were able to put down the Maxx Trax for them to get out. These ramp looking devices are sometimes the only way to get traction on sand. They are a must out here.

Eventually we had our share of wheeling & we returned to camp. Thanks for letting me drive your awesome 4x4 Land Cruiser, Laza!”

Day 355 Mon 04/01/2013

Pinnacles Park & Lancelin

“Ori needed to get back to Perth quickly today so the girls rocked out as Laza & I broke camp. We took out sweet time all day. We hit the Pinnacles Park. This was a very picturesque area with rolling dunes in every direction. Most of this is drivable as well. Lancelin is the name of the town. This is also where Brendon & his mates had come to camp days earlier. People we gathered here at this place sliding down the dunes on cardboard boxes & homemade boards. This is where we took photos of each of us standing tall on the Land Cruiser.

We went & had a pint at the local pub overlooking the water where we watched the sunset. Eventually we made it back into town (Scarb) & went down to the marina for fish n chips (Laza, what was the name of this place?). We were so knackered afterwards. What an awesome trip it was. Thanks Leah, Laza & Ori.