Thomas River, Cape Arid National Park September 16 - 19 2024
 
  Ever eastwards. Towards Ravensbourne.

Another variation on grain storage.
     
  Cycling long distance into a stiff, cold, breeze, is not our chosen mode of transport.

Fortunately.

But we can admire those who do.

We are reminded of a Swiss and French couple we met in Thailand, early in our travels. We thought it would be nice to travel more slowly. They thought it would be better walking.
     
  Grain storage before the cover installed.
     
  We have no idea what these hills are.
     
  Nor the flowers when we stop overnight at Mason Bay.

About 40km east of Hopetoun.

Not the Masons Bay on the west coast of New Zealand's Stewart Island.
     
  I heard the persistent squeak while in the middle of a phone conversation.

A young bird, perhaps a Grey Currawong, probably hungry, about 2m from our back window.

When I went outside, carefully, with the camera, it flew off.
     
  Next morning, the first day in a few weeks without a wind on the ocean.
     
  Oystercatcher finding it easier to feed.
     
  Unsure whether the purple is cultivated or wild. There's only one paddock.
     
  Even a closer look doesn't inform us.
     
  Nor does looking back. Presumably the sharp line between yellow and purple is because the yellow, canola, is cultivated.
     
  We are finding driving through farmland a bit tedious. Cows and sheep and grass and canola.
     
  Through Esperance, a food and fuel stop. A very big Woolworths.

We are headed towards Fisheries Road which becomes Fisheries Track. Which leads to Israelite Bay. The road is open.

We'll stop first in Cape Arid National Park.

Some of the road names are marked on our map, others not.

It seems more information is required to interpret the sign.

But its better than the Parks alert map which talks of burning off in the park.
     
  We take a punt. Phew. We now know where Thomas River Road is.

And put together with the big yellow sign we can probably reach Thomas River, and Belinup Campsite.
     
  And so it is. The campsite to the left of the river below us.
     
  Only one other vehicle camped. We choose site number one. The shortest walk to creek, to see the osprey, and the beach.
     
  Just after we'd set up, which only takes 5 minutes, an enthusiastic ranger arrives.

There are whales off the beach, and in the next bay along.

So we lock up and race (more like hobble) to the beach. Onto the rocks at the western end.

An adult and calf - Southern Right Whales.
     
  Perched on the rocks we can look east, across Yokinup Bay.

If we drove about 5km along the beach we could camp anywhere in the next 20km or so.

Has to be at low tide ...
     
  A flock of birds sat on a rock, disturbed when I pointed the camera at them.

Terns and seagulls.
     
  The rock ...

All gneiss.

It looked like granite to us. Gneiss is metamorphosed granite, shale or schist.

We suspect from granite because of the domed shapes of an intrusion rather than metamorphosed sedimentary rocks.

     
  A couple of oyster catchers.

Like us, taking advantage of a lack of wind.
     
  In the creek a couple of pied oystercatchers.
     
  Next day, we follow the coast east and south.

Towards Dolphin Cove.

We probably won't reach Tagon Beach.
     
  Stopping for flowers along the way.
     
  Not long before we see whales.

Humpbacks are described as "more acrobatic" than Right whales.

Perhaps this is a young whale.
     
  Tagon Point in the distance.
     
  Below us, between 50 and 100m away, a tangle of whales.

It takes us some time to think of calves feeding.

     
  A mother and two calves.

Southern Right Whales.
     
  Mostly submerged.

This close we don't have to imagine how big they are.

Right Whales because they were the right ones for the whalers to catch easily.
     
  While later looking at the pics Ali realises perhaps the mother is on her back, two pectoral fins out of the water, supporting a calf as it suckles.

We think the father further out, he'd lagged, caught up, then we lost sight.
     
  We move at about the same speed as the whales.

With a brief stop while the goanna, a Rosenberg's Monitor, decides to vacate our path.
     
  And a look back across the bay.
     
  We try to make out features.

Imagining we can count the barnacles, so close are they.
     
  I imagined an eye through the camera, but really its under the water.
     
  Confused because the drawings and info at the campsite don't show a neck.
     
  The gneiss is perfect for walking closer to the edge.

A calm day we can mostly ignore the safety signs for fishers, advice on how to tie themselves to rock anchors provided. Even instructions on tying a bowline knot.
     
  Dolphin Cove.

The whales have rounded the headland and are resting in the calm water.
     
  We divert to looking at flowers.
     
  Including pig face, and a nectar hunting bee.
     
  A bit of red, in the shade, among the brighter colours.
     
  Our way to the beach is an avenue of flowers.
     
  With some rocks to scramble over.

Ali's knee and foot beginning to hinder.
     
  On the way back more whales.
     
  Definitely Southern Right Whales.

They blow out of two blowholes, humpbacks only have one.
     
  Easy walking.
     
  Lots of flowers.
     
  A close up of a couple, among many on a bush.
     
  The terns and gulls settled on the beach.
     
  A competition between pics taken with phone and pics taken with camera. To see which best reproduces the pink.

The camera (or at least the camera operator) won.

Catching the right light is taking us a while to master, and perhaps we never will.
     
  The pink flowers are on small bushes.
     
  Next day a walk up Balinup Hill. Inland from the campsite.

The flowers on almost all the banksias (southern plains banksias) we've seen have wilted, and fruited.

This one still flowering.

     
  It will eventually fruit.
     
  There are bare patches on the gneiss hills.

A couple of red kangaroos enjoying the cloudy day.
     
  These flowers half the size of a 5 cent coin. Close to the ground.
     
  The emu strolled nonchalently out of the bush.

Saw me.

And just as nonchalently strolled back into the bush.
     
  Looking east across the bay.
     
  More flowers.
     
  A detour into the second campsite. Yokinup Mia Mia. It was closed due to burning off when we arrived.

Surrounded by banksias, with a few still flowering.

It seems the habitat for New Holland Honeyeaters includes banksias and grevilleas.
     
  The truck is parked to the left of the pic. A short walk, 20m, through thick bush to the river.

I take the opportunity to fit the engine fan belts purchased in Esperance. The old belts had begun to slip, unchanged in 15 years.

We also checked engine water, we've had to fill it frequently, though the quantity required reducing. Heating hot water with the diesel heater for a shower I realised the space heater was working. It failed us when we needed it at the start of the trip. I didn't want to disturb hose connections so far from home. I suspected an air lock or a blockage. Now I think air lock which has slowly cleared. Either way, nice to have a heater again. We may need it before we reach home.
     
Point Malcolm September 20 2024
     
Gateway
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