28. The one when we found Kookas and koalas

Total distance travelled: 26,455 km (+465 km)

After the vast barren plains and sporadic settlements of the North West, Geraldton was a relative metropolis by comparison. It also had the first Coles supermarket since Karratha, which provided an opportunity to restock our exhausted Kookas biscuit stash - essential for the nightly routine Carolyn and I were entrenched in: kids in bed, us outside chatting under the stars with a warm cup of tea and a Kookas biscuit (or 2... or 3...)! Aside from shopping, we kept our stay in Geraldton brief, taking a walk on the windswept Sunset Beach (at sunset, naturally) before packing up the next morning.

Before leaving town, and after some encouragement from Mum, we stopped at the fantastic Museum of Geraldton. Their collection includes a fascinating exhibit on nearby shipwrecks of the Dutch East Indies including

the Batavia, which has an accompanying story better than most Hollywood movies. Central to this exhibit is an impressive display of 17th century German prefab: a sandstone archway cut in Bad Bentheim (Germany), transported to Amsterdam, then loaded onto the Batavia for its maiden voyage, destined to become the entrance for their headquarters in modern-day Jarkarta, before disaster struck. We were fortunate enough to join along with a guided tour, which brought the arch, cannons, swords, pieces of eight (silver coins) and their stories to life after being exhumed from the sea floor.

In keeping with a similar theme, the neighbouring exhibit focusses on the wrecks of the HMAS Sydney II and HSK Kormoran from WW2, which now lie 2,500m below the surface near Shark Bay. The eerie submarine footage of army boots still lying on the ocean floor, some 80 years later with coral now attached, was a particularly poignant reminder of the 700+ lives lost during that battle alone.

On reflection, our next stop at Port Denison was a mistake, with great free camping areas at Cliff Head just another 30 minutes down the road. With the weather cooling rapidly as we moved south, we were

keen to start free camping again to find some relief from exorbitant caravan park fees. Nevertheless, we enjoyed playing card games together and walking along the sleepy town foreshore until we rounded the point and were assaulted by brutal winds, typical for this time of year. We hastily retreated, and moved on in the morning in search of more budget friendly options.

Our search led us to Sandy Cape, just an hour's drive south. It's easy to see why we'd heard so many people recommend it, with a great bush camp site (complete with cold showers and flushing toilets much to our kids' excitement!) on one side of a sand dune, and a pristine bay on the other. Thankfully we'd arrived early on Thursday, so we still had 2 days of peace before the hoards arrived from Perth as they each weekend. Adding to the enjoyment was unexpectedly stumbling upon, and then setting up camp next to the Cooper family again! The following days here were filled with swimming in the bay, occasionally

spotting the local seal pup, unsuccessful fishing, getting turns on the Cooper's sandboard down the tall dune at the end of the bay, watching sunsets over the ocean, digging and playing in the sand, and generally enjoying the peace and beauty all around us.

The township of Jurien Bay was only a 10 minute drive from our camp site, and had a great new skate park which Josh and Dylan enjoyed rolling around on. Despite his brave and repeated efforts, and Dylan's coaching, Josh didn't quite master "dropping in" on a quarter pipe, but still had a great time.

After 3 nights in the bush, we needed to refill our tanks, so finally pulled ourselves away from Sandy Cape and ventured further south. On the way, we stopped in to see Pinnacles National Park - a strange barren patch of orange/yellow sand with tall natural sandstone pillars dotted around the site. It is only a small area, and completely contrasts the surrounding white sand dunes and coastal scrub. Despite the strange sight, Josh and Acacia barely glanced up from their books as we drove the track. Not that I blamed them; we're not exactly a family of geologists!

The original plan was to end up in Lancelin that night, but the reviews and prices of its campsites had us looking elsewhere. We settled on Ledge Point instead, and were instantly thankful to find a quiet caravan park with immaculate green grassy sites and an inviting pool. It made a perfect rest point to recharge the batteries and refill the water tanks before moving on the next day.

Our last stop before entering Perth's suburban sprawl was Yanchep National Park, a veritable oasis of lush green manicured lawns, gardens, beautiful tall eucalypt trees, koalas, kangaroos, and birdsong that we hadn't seen or heard since leaving the east coast. The "grassy" camping sites weren't quite as lush (more sand than grass), but the amenities were new & clean, and we also had the Coopers nearby again to enjoy it all with. We spent our time here going on bike rides and walks around the grounds. The kids also started a game of soccer while the adults cooked in the camp kitchen, which attracted a crowd of kids that were also camping there and kept them all entertained for hours. Before we knew it though, we were moving once more; this time into suburbia.