TRAVEL WESTERN AUSTRALIA by FACTS4YOU.NET

written by Admin

Sunday the 26th April was a perfect Autumn day for a long drive north.  Clear blue skies, no wind….excellent. We had packed our bags the day before. All we had to do was load our gear into our new Mazda 3 sedan,  & head north on our 600 kilometre drive north to the fun holiday coastal town of  Kalbarri.  We had 7 exciting nights accommodation booked in Kalbarri…& we were really looking forward to the holiday.

We got away a bit late; 9.15 a.m.  instead of the planned 8.15. However we were in no great rush & intended enjoying the drive north along the Brand Highway.

From our home in the northern beach suburbs of Perth,  in order to connect with the major road artery to get to our north west, we drive north along Wanneroo road to just north of Moore River. We then take a crossover road to the east which joins up with the Brand Highway. The Brand is an excellent major road artery  that leads to the midlands city of  Geraldton & is suited to fast travelling…with great care at all times.

Now we have undertaken this journey numerous times. This trip we fell for a trap. On our last trip upto Lancelin we noticed a road that headed east just south of Lancelin. Being in an adventurous mood I decided we would drive north past our usual turnoff just past Moore River. Big mistake. We travelled an extra 40 k’s north past our usual turnoff, only to discover the more northerly turnoff actually ended up heading back south for a similar distance. We ended up back on the road we normally would have taken.

Lesson …..check the map prior to wandering off onto unknown country roads!

Having wasted the best part of an hour driving on one of the loneliest roads on the planet, we eventually connected with the Brand Highway & headed northwards. The Brand Hwy passes through several extremely isolated, very small townships.  Cataby, Badjingarra & Eneabba are the main road stops on the way north that finally culiminates in the city of Geraldton.  These  road stops contain just one or two road houses & very small populations. Out here you really get familiar with “isolation in the great Australian outback”.

I can see for miles & miles…. Driving north along the Brand Hwy around Eneabba

Wind Farms – Badgingarra region – Approx 205 kilometres north of Perth

To the west of the Brand hwy, in the Badgingarra region,  I was amazed to see numerous wind mills on the hills, forming part of an enormous wind farm that extends for many kilometres towards the coast.  I dont recall seeing this on our last visit north to Geraldton. We were to fully experience the enormity of this wind farm project on our return journey along the coastal road.

We decided to push on north until we reached Eneabba where we would stop at the one & only roadhouse for lunch. Normally the Brand hwy is very busy with lots of articulated semi trailers, numerous grey nomads holding the traffic up with their slower caravans, & sadly, some crazy drivers trying to break the sound barrier.  However on this Sunday morning the road was very quiet.

Wow…there are other people out here! Typical country around the Brand Hwy on the trip north to Geraldton. Eneabba region

We pulled into the Eneabba road house around 12.15. Now there is not much of much whatsoever in the little township of Enabba. I think the town mainly services some mining facilities further inland. The first thing I noticed when getting out of the Mazda was the temperature was somewhat higher than back down south, even though we were now only some  280 kilometres north of Perth. In addition the flies were numerous!

After enjoying an excellent egg & bacon roll & coffee we continued north, feeling much refreshed. The drive north of Badginarra & the Eneabba region, while mainly somewhat flat & boring, does contain some spectacular high, flat topped “Messa” style ridges. Otherwise the country is harsh & dry. Not an area to break down in or wander off the main road without plenty of water. Because out there you wont find any H2O…& that can be fatal due to the average very high temps.

Travelling the Brand the maximum speed limit is 110 KPH. We sat on our 110 KPH which feels like one is crawling along after half an hour or so.  Within another hour or so we passed through the large town of Dongara. Now from the Brand Hwy the impression one gets is that there is not much to Dongara. However, if you have time to deviate off the Brand into Dongara, you will find a most pleasant town. And only a few k’s  to the southwest there is the delightful town of Port Dennison. In fact Dongara & Port Dennison are top places to enjoy a quiet holiday by the sea!

We didn’t have time for too much sight seeing on the way north. We still had some 250 k’s to Kalbarri. On the way home we did deviate into Port Dennison. More of that later.

Finally, after passing through Dongara & seeing the strange horizontal growing trees between Dongara & Geraldton, we by-passed the city via the ring road system. Trees grow almost horizontal in the region due to the constant, strong westerly winds that blast the Geraldton region most of the year round.

Geraldton is a delightful, large town on the coast, designated a city. We reached Geraldton around 2.30 pm. We still had another 170 k’s to Kalbarri. We wanted to be there by late afternoon so we pushed through Geraldton, refueled some 15 k’s north of the city & continued on our way through the very scenic hilly country to North Hampton.

Fuel stops are few & far between in the northern regions. For that reason it is always wise to top up the fuel tank regularly!

That’s it for now. The next part of the story will be about Kalbarri & surrounds as we found things. Fantastic scenic photos. Great place. Great fun!  If you are thinking about enjoying your own holiday to Kalbarri dont miss the next segment. See you shortly.

Copyright C 2009 . Facts4You.Net  is the copyright owner of this article & all photographs. No part of this article, or any photo may be reproduced in any form whatsoever without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.

Popularity: unranked [?]

Tweet This Post