With a 9 hour drive ahead of us and a 2 hour sleep behind us, the 6am alarm was not welcomed too well.
Normally we jump out of bed with eager anticipation when we know the alarm is ringing for the first day of vacation. But this time the past week had really taken it's toll and the only thing we really wanted to do was sleep the whole day away. I had been unwell all week with some weird throat virus (I clarify that it isn't Covid19!) that had me feeling lethargic already but I also had a loss of appetite and was very dehydrated as I was unable to keep fluids down for a few days in a row. We had a last minute rush on Friday to get our Pilot show recorded in Noongar Radio station for submission and this took many more hours than expected. We arrived at 5 and didn't leave till after midnight. When we got home we had to pack for the trip, clean house, and finish off some other stuff so it was 4am by the time I got to bed feeling really sick, tired, cranky, and over it all.
We had planned on leaving by 7am but by the time we changed bedding for the housesitter and did last minute packing and sorting it was about 10am when we finally left.
Leaving all the shit behind, the House of Underhill was FINALLY on the road and on their way to a lovely vacation, YAY!
This was a very different drive than normal. Usually we go north during April/May so it is straight after a long hot summer has dried everything out. This time it being the middle of winter the landscape is a lot greener. Normally I feel like I am familiar with the scenery on this route but this time I looked around with renewed interest. Going through Greenough was so mesmerising because all the canola fields were like an ocean of brilliant yellow. I made Hobbit stop so I could get some photos. I really wanted to jump the fence and run through the field like a kid running through puddles after a first rain but I thought I'd better respect that this crop will likely end up on someones food so best not to contaminate them lol!
It was so tempting to run through the middle of this sea of gold.
Greenough is a really interesting town. It is a typical Aussie town in that if you are driving through you can blink and miss it. The tell tale sign that you are there is the bendy trees. Being a windy location the trees grow in the direction that the wind constantly pounds them, so they are a spectacular archway, some almost parallel to the ground. The town knows of this unique call card so there are some park spots along the road where you can jump out of your car and take souvenir photos. In a past vacation we stopped here and checked out all the historical sites and there really is so much to soak up. There is an abandoned townsite that is part of the founding of the area, it is a worthwhile tour and very informative. Unfortunately that trip was before I started blogging so I don't have records of that adventure. I wish I had of started years ago, we have had so many wonderful trips and it is lovely to look back.
Our first stop was Dongara which is a place we simply can't drive past. We absolutely LOVE the food they have at the little cafe next to the BP petrol station, it is exactly what you want roadhouse food to be - fresh, home made, bountiful, and a bit naughty. Now as a couple of pie fiends, we have literally sampled pies from all over Western Australia, and this place wins hands down! The pies are a beautiful home made golden pastry with that delicious buttery melt in your mouth texture and a perfect thickness to encase the plump filling which does not hold back on volume nor ingredients. They have loads of varieties but today Hobbit chose the Pepper Chicken and I chose the Chilly minced beef. We packed those to take to Denham and bought other food to eat for lunch. We decided to stretch our legs a bit so took time out to go check out the giant lobster which we've always wanted to climb but never got around to.
Sometimes you just gotta forget about being a grown-up and play in the park.
We parked the car and approached the giant red/orange crustacean, feelers reaching high in the sky and curling back towards its tail, legs holding its cumbersome body up and tail outstretched behind it, as if it was laying on a sea bed calmly. This was one impressive piece of art, I love it. When you drive by you sorta go 'Yep, giant lobster' and keep going. But to actually stop and touch it you get a much better appreciation for its size. Apparently this is a tribute to Dongara's reputation as the Rock Lobster Capital of Australia. I also researched a bit and found out that previous to colonisation, the area was initially inhabited by the Wattandee people. The name ‘Dongara’ came from the Wattandee ‘thungarra’, meaning ‘sea lion place’. I wonder what those people were like? Where they aware that they were happily dwelling in a place where the seas where rich with red rock lobsters that would fetch a hefty price from a cashed up diner in a fancy restaurant? I doubt it. The original inhabitants lived with the land instead of exploiting it, only taking what they needed having a much better respect for and understanding of ecosystems.
The park also had a beautiful garden with some lovely Bougainvillea displays. Couldn't help myself, had to get some snaps of that too.
Splashes of colour from a beautiful Bougainvillea always makes you feel happy.
Back in the car, I continued to doze in and out but couldn't really sleep. I'm not one to try and sleep on road trips, I always feel like I am going to miss out on seeing something. The Ipod plugged along with a random selection of Hobbits and my music. From Anthrax to Bette Midler, from LA Guns to Cliff Richard, and then from Amberdown to Prince. A very unusual mix, but it works for us.
We passed through Geraldton, a really intriguing town that I have a new appreciation for having stayed there in my last vacation. I always thought it was just a 'Bogan' Hick Town, but it is clearly evident that the town has really made an attempt to clean the slate and refresh its image over the last few decades. Many beautiful areas and arts about town now, and lots of budding brewers, growers, and touristy attractions, it is now worth a stop over. We drove past the ocean just to have a look and to check out the awesome glass sphere, and then made our way back onto the Brand Highway.
Another town we drove through regretfully was Northampton, the gateway to Horrocks Beach, it is a place that we hold dear. It is so tiny but so quaint. The beautiful old tavern and convent are a proud display of the older architecture, and the little cafes and shops all proudly display their home made wares. I hate passing through without stopping for a gander. I love their 2nd Hand shops, there is always a little treasure to dig out.
Our next stop was Billabong Roadhouse, well known for being the halfway point between Perth and Exmouth (7 hours out of Perth, Exmouth is a 14 hour drive, a common overnight stay for travellers to the north who don't want to do long drives. You can see it coming with the internet tower standing tall in the usually blue sky as a warning that there is something coming. As you go down the road your next view is a spray of beautiful pink Bougainvillea (a popular plant of choice up north as it grows with little water and has a lovely carpet of radiant coloured flowers) and a tiny little scattering of buildings which make up the whole site. Two petrol stations, a restaurant and tavern, and behind them a few blocks of small donga like accommodations where you can sleep comfortably for a night to rest your weary travellers head. Here we just had a restroom stop, grabbed a drink, and walked a bit and had a stretch. As it was raining and getting dark with the clouds overhead we didn't want to dordle too much because there was still about three hours to go before we hit Denham and we don't like driving in the dark as a lot of wildlife are more prevalent on the roads when the sun starts to set. Back in the car and off we go, excited that the next time we would stop would be our destination.
The sky had darkened over way before predicted mainly due to the rain clouds. The rain didn't stop, it seemed to get worse the closer to Denham we got, not a good sign. By the time we passed Overlander Roadhouse on the Brand Highway (the last stop before Denham turn-off) it was almost night. It is a 1 hour and 20 minute drive from Brand Highway down Shark Bay road to Denham, but it goes quick because it is such a beautiful drive. Not as much so when you are driving slower than usual and you can't see much because it is dark. Despite that, our anticipation grew as we passed some familiar sites. Hamelin Pool, home of the stromatelites. Shell Beach, all the little beach turn offs such as Whalebone and Ocean Park Aquarium. We look forward to driving back and checking them out during the days. Every time we saw a suspicious shape we would slow right down, both of us with out old age eyesight squinting saying 'is that a roo? emu maybe?' nope, not one bit of wildlife was seen, all ended up being oddly shaped shrubs! hahaha. Better safe than sorry though.
We arrived in the darling town of Denham at 6.45pm and turned left to find ourselves right at the door of our accommodation for the week: Bay Lodge. Not too sure what we were going to get as the price was exceptionally cheap at $100 a night, and the tripadvisor reviews being a mix of good and bad, we were a bit dubious. A note on the office door told us that we were in room 9, the door was open, and our key on the table. We drove around and found our little room in the very back corner of the property. I opened the door and was washed over with glee as I saw how beautiful and clean the room was. It is fully decked out with a kitchen, full size fridge and oven, and a lovely new looking bed and furnishings. The bathroom is a bit dated but definitely clean and no where near what the images on the tripadvisor photos showed (which resembled what we experienced in Dampier Mermaid EEEWWW). YAY, a lovely comfortable place to stay for the week, a great first day.
We unpacked the car dodging rain and muddy red dirt and set up our little room. I love that there is lots of cupboard space and corners to pack away your belongings. We watched a movie on the telly to unwind and had a bit of a bevvy. Hobbit cheers'd us to the first night of vacation with a beer and I had a watermelon vodka udl.
Checking my phone I had received a lovely message with photos from our house sitter who had settled in beautifully and was getting along really well with the cats. This gave me the last bit of peace of mind I needed to drift off into a much needed heavy restful sleep. Even the springs poking into my back from the aged motel room bed didn't stop me from sleeping like the dead.
Some photos of the beautiful accommodations at Bay Lodge (taken by me in daylight)
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