Chapter IV - Dolphins, Goats, Stromatalites and 'Roos
A little further South was the turn off to Denham and Monkey Mia, we took it. The 1st night was spent at one of a series of 5 or 6 free camps right on the wonderful Shark Bay, all one had to do was call the local Council for a free permit.
The one we stayed in was some 3 k’s off the main road to Denham and was right down in a secluded bay, we enjoyed a pleasant evening walk and play and in the morning were greeted by a pod of Dolphins playing in the little bay – what a lovely sight! I would have liked to go and say hallo but they were too far out in the water for me to swim to.
We wandered in to Denham, which was a nice small fishing town, then out to Monkey Mia just in time for Annie to have a paddle right up close and personal to the famous Monkey Mia dolphins. After that we all went for a bush walk around to the next bay, it was deserted so we spent most of the day there, wandering back to the free camp for the night.
The next day we headed back towards the main highway South, via Shell Beach, a whole beach made up of sparkling white shells that went down as far as one could dig, I know, I tried to find the end of them! A few more ks down the road and we came to a most fascinating place.
First we booked into Hamlyn Pool Caravan Park. It is a very nice park, quiet and old fashioned. Then we went to meet the Stromatalites. ‘What are they?’ I asked Annie. She said they were living breathing rock like things that do a sort of a clean up of the air, a bit complicated for a wee Whippet like me! But basically if there hadn’t of been Stromatalites around a few billion years ago there would not be Clancy, Carlin or Annie now.
After seeing these critters, which were a little bit boring, I mean they don’t actually do anything – just sit there! We had a pleasant evening chatting to some of the other guests at the Caravan Park and then an early night. The next morning we enjoyed an early run on an area of land known as The Common, wild and well wooded country, a Whippet playground if ever I saw one!
There I was playing and running ahead a little when out of the trees came a little white critter about the same size as me but she looked a little different, just another breed of dog I thought....well, she made a funny little bleating noise and hopped right over me, I said I can jump too! and jumped back over her....we played around like this for awhile until her Mum turned up in a right old state....telling my new friend that I was a DOG and she was to come away right NOW, or I would eat her! What rot, I don’t eat my friends; it’s a terribly rude thing to do.
But my new little friend went off home with her Mum and I was quite sad as she was such good fun! I went back to Annie and asked if she had seen my new friend, she said yes and that my little friend was a baby Saanen x goat, and that she wished she had bought her camera along!
Off we went again, stopping at another couple of bush camps and then reaching a magical place called Kalbarri. We stayed at Red Bluff Caravan Park, it is so close to the sea at the southernmost end of Kalbarri, that we could hear the waves crashing all through the nights we were there. At Kalbarri there are some magnificent gorges and Annie did a half day trip in to see them with a local tour company, there are also usually lots of wildflowers to see, but in 2006 the drought had taken its toll. Still, there was the fantastic Wild Flower Centre that had cultivated specimens of all the wild flowers that grow in the area and one could walk around at one’s leisure.
We also enjoyed our walks around the town, which is really quite pretty with the river meeting the sea. The sea here is really wild and dramatic and a couple of times whilst there Annie had to keep us on our leads whilst walking close to the ocean as the waves were crashing in with such force and every so often there would be a really big one!
At our Caravan Park there was a lovely old lady Staffordshire bull terrier, her name was Velvet and she took her role as resident dog rather seriously. Every afternoon she would wander around saying hallo to all the dogs in the Park. As we rather liked her she chose to join us for her late afternoon naps and one night she even wandered over to spend the evening with us, much to the consternation of her special people! They were a little worried she might try to join us for the whole night!
On the way out of Kalbarri, heading for Geraldton, there are a series of Fjord like gorges that the sea has cut into the cliffs, these are stunning! We three enjoyed a long bush walk that joins the first two and then we drove into all the others to take a look, having our morning tea at one of them, which was very pleasant. We called in at a lovely little fishing town for our lunch and a run on the footy oval then on to Northampton, an ‘old money’ farming town to the North of Geraldton. This town was rather pretty with a stunning Church that was designed by Monsignor Hawes.
We camped just outside of Northampton for the night and in the morning went down to Geraldton, a real city with traffic lights, dog parks, parking meters and a vet – It was time Carlin had his yearly shots and I had a sore paw to be looked at. At Geraldton we did many walks taken from a guided walks book that the Council put out (so we met lots of locals) we loved the Museum down by the waters edge, and the river walk was enjoyable too.
Our friend Tahni the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel rolled up at our Caravan Park 3 days before we left, so we had the chance to share a walk or two and our special people had happy hour together. We also went to Greenough Pioneer Village together and enjoyed the old time markets.
In Geraldton we learnt a lot more about Monsignor Hawes who designed and built a lot of religious buildings and churches all through WA, there are several of his buildings in Geraldton alone as well as the Church we saw in Northampton. There is a memorial to all the seamen and soldiers who lost their lives on HMAS Sydney when it was destroyed by the German ship Kormoran, over 600 Australian Sailors were lost off the WA coast here.
The Memorial is rather splendid and there are several other statues in the surrounds, one is very thought provoking, a woman stands looking out to sea, as though searching the sky line for the ship that carries her partner. Only just a few weeks ago in March 2008 the wreck of The Sydney was at long last discovered.
From Geraldton we went to a spot we had heard about, Ellendale Pool. It was lovely here, quiet and off the beaten track with toilets, a cold shower, the pool for a dip, walking tracks and a nearby wind farm to visit. We camped here for 4 nights, all for the princely sum of $1.00 a night! There is a nice little town about 15 k’s away to get supplies and have a drink and a meal at the country pub.
From here we travelled inland a bit still trying to find a few wild flowers but to no avail. We went to Mullewa where there should have been oodles, but none. Still we went to the local Agricultural Show and then camped at an old pioneer well, we were a long way from the road and Carlin and I got to run free here, just as well as I felt as though I might have been putting on a bit too much weight with all these bakeries we were checking!
Next we called in at Dongara – Port Denison, pretty towns with a nice beach that even had a Whippet on it! Well, you should have seen the Whippet rips that happened there! A very nice Blue and White parti - coloured chap, from SA originally.
Once we had done playing Annie took us to inspect another coffee shop, this one was another of those enlightened places that welcomes dogs and we got a water bowl and a home baked biscuit each whilst Annie had her lunch! We were joined by a couple from Perth with their Black Labrador girl.
We bush camped our way further south, visiting Cervantes and a spooky place called The Pinnacles – none of us liked it there very much. We camped off the road back to the highway. Next stop was New Norcia, a Monastic Town, whatever that means. There were Chapels and Churches, an art gallery, two schools a hotel and fuel stop/restaurant – all run by the monks. They also allow one to park for free on the oval, so we did! The next morning whilst we were having our early morning walk we met a monk, he wore a strange outfit but he was a nice sort of quiet chap and he laid his hand on our heads and blessed us all. I think it is a good thing to be blessed by a monk.
Now we were all holy we headed for a place called Bullsbrook where Annie was to meet a lady who had once lived in Victoria and been involved with dogs there. We didn’t know much about Joan except that she was quite elderly. Annie called her up and arranged to take afternoon tea to her place. Joan is elderly but she also lives on a 200 acre farm with horses and cows and a Curly Coat Retriever (a Labrador with a perm) called Breeze and an Irish Setter Called Neve. I think Neve is the nicest dog I have met on my travels....she taught me how to be a Setter and hold my paw up when I smell things, she played with me and she is so pretty with her lovely red coat!
Aunty Joan talked to us a lot and she gave us biscuits for supper, a habit we hoped very much that Annie might adopt. Twice a day we all went for a long run around the property to chase away the kangaroos and to make sure all the horses and cows were still there and ok. I loved being at Aunty Joan’s place. I think Annie did too, as we went back to visit two or three times! Auntie Joan is what Annie calls ‘a character’ and that means Annie really, really likes her!
Then it was time to go to the 2006 National Retrieving Championships at Toodyay, north east of Perth. When we got to the town of Toodyay I could not believe my eyes, in fact I thought that maybe I had taken one too many licks of Annie’s red wine, Labradors and Golden Retrievers everywhere!
We went to the Caravan Park and they were all staying there too, it seemed. I got very worried, you see Black Labradors all look very much alike and whilst I do tease and squabble with Carlin a bit, I wouldn’t want to swap him for another one, as I love him a lot really, he is a very good big brother to have. I got so worried thinking we could go home with the wrong one I just had to have a talk to Annie about all this, she just gave me a hug and told me not to worry, she wouldn’t take a different one home as she loved our one too.
Whilst we stayed at Toodyay we went for a lovely walk each day through a small persons play area that included an extensive miniature railway track, complete with a station, tunnel, bridges and a small dam. Around the dam were several kangaroos, just sitting there. I raced up to them barking and...Absolutely no reaction. I raced up again, barking even louder and telling them I was the famous Clancy and kangaroos flee at the sight of me...no reaction, they didn’t even flick an ear or twitch a whisker. I was taken aback to say the least. I chose to ignore them for a short while then raced in again, even faster and louder than before, still no reaction, luckily for them Annie called me away then and being the good little Whippet I am I went to her.
The next day they were there again, so I did my great roo hunter thing again, still no reaction! I feared I had lost all of my hunting skills, what was to become of me? I was one very deflated little Whippet, again Annie called me away just in time to save the Kangaroos.
This went on all of the time we were in Toodyay until the last morning when we went for our walk. I just happened to turn around and take a look at Annie and Carlin after my first assault on these foolhardy ‘roos, they were both laughing at me...I was very hurt by this, my special person was laughing at me. Annie could see I was quite crestfallen and called me over to her for a hug, then she said ‘heel’ and took me right up close to the ‘roos to show me that (gulp) they were pretend ones, they were made out of metal and painted to look like ‘roos! I felt so embarrassed! I asked Carlin why he hadn’t told me, he said he and Annie were having too much of a laugh at my antics! I am usually a Fawn and Blue brindle but that day I was red!
The next few days were spent roaming around this area and going to watch all the clever Gundogs doing their Retrieving ‘thing’. We were very happy when the winners were mostly dogs and people we knew from Victoria!