Day 18
Tuesday 15 May 2018
Lucky Bay to Jerramungup
Up betimes and on our way from Lucky Bay back westwards through Esperance making yet another stop at the magnificent Esperance dump point; - a standard "Dump-Ezy" appliance complete with a well-maintained hinged lid and cleaning hose with adjustable flow. A real delight to use. In some ways, the Prop wishes he had had more bowel movements in the immediately preceding days to do this facility justice! - 4 stars!
THE ESPERANCE "DUMP-EZY" - OR ONE VERY MUCH LIKE IT.
Who knew broccoli was a fast food?
THE MUNGLINUP ROADHOUSE - AN OUTSTANDING BAIN-MARIE
Refreshed (and not a little bloated) the Prop aimed the Cane Toad towards the clean, friendly and peaceful Jerramunjup Caravan Park at which an uneventful - one might even say "clean, friendly and peaceful" night was passed.
JERRAMUNGUP CARAVAN PARK - THE SIGN SAYS IT ALL
Nearly perfick!
Day 19
Wednesday 16 May 2018
Jerramungup to Peaceful Bay
Had a quick look about but were unable to find any whales at all - let alone any historic ones. Turns out quite a lot of whales were killed here earlier last century. Indeed, as a young lass, Mrs P visited Albany in the early 1970's at which time the whaling killing industry was still in operation - you could tell by the smell apparently!
The Prop was surprised to find the brig "Amity" in "dry dock" near the foreshore but the redoubtable Rear-Admiral Kimber was nowhere to be found. We were told he had taken a party of soi disant "medical professionals" on a cuckoo spotting day cruise on the MV Kenkesey.
THE BRIG "AMITY" IN DRY DOCK AT ALBANY
Nearby to the Amity the Prop found a memorial to a Captain G. Vancouver. Never heard of him!
THE G. VANCOUVER MEMORIAL. WHAT DID HE EVER DO?
The Prop also paid a courtesy visit to the offices of Albany's biggest mega law firm, Liz Hamilton T&L Lawyers at their new offices but was not well-received - so we left before the bill exceeded $500.
THE NEW OFFICES OF LIZ HAMILTON T&L LAWYERS, "WC CHAMBERS"
Left Albany in the Cane Toad (as well as in high dudgeon) and headed to Denmark. Not the one in Europe but the one in Western Australia that is famous for being the home of the Bert Bolle barometer - the world's BIGGEST barometer.
For the Prop, this was going to be the the undoubted highlight of the week.
Not the Big Galah, not the Big Windmill, not even the Big Wombat can compare with the Big Barometer! The sheer audacity of Bert Bolle to conceive of - let alone to construct - the world's largest barometer! And no mere aneroid barometer. This thing is the real deal - a 40 foot high water column barometer. Talk about atmosphere! Talk about pressure!!
Learn more here
THE BERT BOLLE BIG BAROMETER - WHAT A WHOPPER!
Unfortunately, the Big Barometer was so difficult and expensive to maintain it was removed from the Denmark Visitor Information Centre in 2011.
THE DENMARK VISITOR CENTRE
FORMER HOME OF THE BERT BOLLE BIG BAROMETER
Bastards!
Dejected, and now in even higher dudgeon, we made our doleful way to Peaceful Bay.
A less than perfick day!
Day 20
Thursday 17 May 2018
Peaceful Bay
Another lay-day!
Say no more!
THE CANE TOAD - AT PEACE
A peaceful day at Peaceful Bay.
PEACEFUL BAY, PEACEFUL BAY
Perfick!
Day 21
Friday 18 May 2018
Peaceful Bay to Greenbushes
Up betimes having spotted a very highly rated free camping site at a little place called Greenbushes.
(Not able to ascertain how the town got its name - curious!)
Turned out to be a sort of car park next to the local soccer ground at which young kiddies and their bleary-eyed parents began to arrive at about 7.45 am ready for a 9.00 am kick-off.
The Prop has never before woken up from a good night's sleep only to find that he is part of a crowd at a soccer game. Unusual but not highly-rated.
Somewhat less than perfick!
Still, it WAS free.
Day 22
Saturday 19 May 2018
Greenbushes to Yunderup
Up betimes and headed for Walpole. Not the one just north of Dover in Tasmania that no-one has ever heard of but this one.
Infiltrated the local IGA to negotiate the vending of some fromaginous and non-formaginous comsestibles and were treated to an impropmptu bouzouki recital by a travelling troupe of Greek cheesemongers. As a result we quickly curtailed our Walpoling activities and headed for the delightfully-named Yunderup
Intending to patronise "Tathams Caravan Park", as a result of a navigational infelicity, the Cane Toad entered the adjacent, and deceptively similar, "Murray River Caravan Park".
What stroke of luck! Had we gone where we intended we should have ended up somewhere up the back in among "the permanents". As it was, we were directed to a site with an absolute river frontage complete with water fowl, dolphins and all-day sun.
THE YUNDERUP DOLPHINS SHOWING OFF FOR THE VISITORS...
AS WATER FOWL WATCH ON WITH INTEREST
YUNDER UP, SUN DOWN
Perfick!
Day 23
Sunday 20 May 2018
Yunderup
Yet another lay-day!
THE CANE TOAD TAKES IT EASY
Still perfick!
Day 24
Monday 21 May 2018
Yunderup to Wembley Downs (Perth)
Up betimes and straight to the rather disappointing Mandurah dump point!
Like the Esperance dump point, this too is a "Dump-Ezy" appliance but the lid is difficult to operate and there is NO water hose at all so "spillage" can be a real problem - 2 stars.
On to Wembley Downs to a small private facility operated by friends who were, surprisingly, pleased to see us...or said they were!
Perfick!
Day 25
Tuesday 22 May 2018
Wembley Downs
Up betimes to take the Cane Toad for a much-needed fixed-price service complete with attempted "$450 up-sell" ("Your A-frame might be busted - best put in a new one to be safe") The Prop skillfully resisted these false entreaties - but now worries that the Cane Toad's A-frame may indeed be busted!
Then to Ratsnest Island for the day. Very pleasant indeed.
SEAL WATCHING ON ROTTNEST ISLAND
THE PROP HAS NEVER FELT SO SELF-CONSCIOUS!
Perfick!
Day 26
Wednesday 23 May 2018
Wembley Downs
Up betimes to go and collect the cane Toad. The little men at Auto Bahn had even washed and polished the Cane Toad - but it was making a funny noise. Could it be the A-frame?
Went on a longish stroll to Scarborough Beach to inspect the $150 million redevelopment of the foreshore. The Prop can only guess but reckons about $148 million was spent on building a BIG car park [Why didn't they call it "The Big Car Park"?] and about $2 million building a swimming pool next to the beach. Apparently there is nowhere else to have a swim because the car park is so big!
THE SCARBOROUGH BEACH SWIMMING POOL - $2M AND NO ARTIFICIAL BEACH!
Paid a visit to Mrs P's aged aunt and enjoyed a variety of baked goods including giant lamingtons.
A RELATIVELY SMALL LAMINGTON - BUT YOU GET THE IDEA
Home for dinner - lamb curry, dahl, bad puns, rice and strawberry sponge cake which, with the exception of the bad puns, were all made by the aforesaid Monsieur Bibendum.
Even more perfick!
Day 27
Thursday 24 May 2018
Wembley Downs to Cervantes
Up betimes to head north and out of the metropolis of Perth.
The weather forecast was not promising. After 10 days of mid 20's and clear blue skies, warnings were being issued for torrential rains and "destructive winds". Winter is coming the locals kept telling us!
And so it was.
DESTRUCTIVE WINDS AFOOT!
Slow going into a stiff headwind obliged the Prop to feed extra flies to the Cane Toad to keep him going. As for the A-frame - so far so good.
Arrived in Cervantes in the early afternoon. No Don Quixote and no windmills as such although there is a sizable "wind farm" about 100 klms south of Cervantes, so you never know!
As the Prop writes, the cane Toad is being buffetted by boisterous winds, occasional heavy rain and the alarming sound of gum nuts falling on the roof - or is it the Cane Toad's A-frame cracking?
The Prop is a little concerned that the Cervantes Caravan park is at sea level and 8 metre waves have been predicted!
THE SEARCH FOR A CYCLIST MISSING IN THE BAD WEATHER CONTINUES. WHERE CAN HE /SHE BE?
If this turns out to be the last despatch, the reader will know why! (Alternatively it could be because, once again, this blog gets so far behind that the Prop gives up.)
Day 28
Friday 25 May 2018
Cervantes to Cliff Head
Up betimes to find that we had survived a very boisterous night - weather wise (Are you with me?)
Got under way from the [Miguel] Cervantes Caravan Park before at least one other traveller.
However, the Prop was obliged to stop to take a photograph of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza and while he was doing so that other traveller whizzed past and reached the Cervantes town boundary before the Cane Toad.
A defeat perhaps but only a very technical one!
DON QUIXOTE, SANCHO PANZA AND A VESSEL - WHAT CAN IT MEAN?
Reached a very attractive free campground at Cliff Head (not his real name) by 12.30 pm after fighting more headwinds all morning. Still windy with occasional showers but an ideal opportunity to get this Blog up to date.
4 comments:
Impressive report on the Dump Ezy. I expect they are American registered invention.
I liked the dump easy report too. and can relate to your interest.
Thanks for the feedback. More Dump-Ezy news shortly. I think that "chemical toilet humour" is a neglected genre.
Probably right Bob. Maybe you should think about stocking them, although they would only appeal to a niche market - chemical toilet enthusiasts. I could be interested in one - at the right price!
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