KEA Discovery Motorhome on WA’s Coral Coast at sunset

It’s not always practical for easties to drag themselves all the way to WA via roads and tracks. People doing the lap will have it planned out, but for many, work, family, those bits of life we cannot pause indefinitely, get in the way. So we planned a retreat, still with the freedom that a motorhome provides, but without the weeks of travel that are usually needed to reach one of Australia’s most beautiful yet under-appreciated coastlines.

We talked to KEA Campervan Rentals, who operate near Perth airport, WA’s newest Trakmaster retailer and camper trailer rental agent Dirt & Beyond, as well as WA stalwarts, Coromal and marketleaders Jayco about joining us on a 2500km loop north of Perth and back; happily they all agreed.

Our crew was made up of editorial staff and industry individuals sharing life between three caravans and a motorhome for seven days. Yes, only a week.

What we intended to showcase was that you could do it yourself, either as a fly-and-drive or as part of your very own Big Lap. What we got was a new love for the pace of life and remoteness of WA’s mid-coast, and the edge of the red centre.

Four blokes – and none of them would ask for directions

THE ROUTE

Simple as can be: from Perth, up the coast to Exmouth with some time to explore, then inland via Tom Price to Karijini NP and back down the inland route to Perth. Describing it like that doesn’t do the 2500km trip any justice at all. 

Visually, we went from metro Perth, through its high-intensity bordering farmland, the lush wheatbelt to the coastal plains, the ocean oasis that is Ningaloo Reef and to the border of the country’s desert heart, before heading south and inland, roadhouses and all.

GETTING GOING

If you linger in Perth, there’s good food, accommodation, nearby Rottnest Island and options of modern and well-equipped resorts and caravan parks – and of course west coast sunsets over the water, a rare treat for easterners.

Although the wheatbelt extends past Geraldton, it felt like the natural border where unexpected greens turned to imagined reds. None of us expected the farmland 400km north of Perth to be so lush. We could sense the dryness of the land, evident in the dust, the dried-out dead and dying trees and dust, and years of stories to tell.

It was surreal; I talked to our photographer Cam, who was raised in Fremantle. Mallee scrub was what he grew up with as a kid; the wheatbelt and its green hue was not the WA he knew.

Our goal for the day was Shark Bay, the westernmost region of WA and we rambled in as the sun was casting shadows of coastal dunes across the plains.

A glass-bottomed boat suits the claustrophobes

MOST WESTERN

We didn’t make it on to Dirk Hartog Island, the westernmost point of Australia, so our next camp was Denham in the centre of the bays and we decided to stay and experience the popular Francois Peron National Park.

Denham is littered with people enjoying the warmth and long days the latitude affords. There are boats in the bays and history is all around. Take time to head inland, to the Peron Heritage Precinct. You’ll see the hardships of the past, see it in the architecture of buildings designed for fierce weather.

One spot we missed was Monkey Mia, a popular resort-style park popular with families. With dolphin experiences, a well-stocked bar and restaurant and highly recommended by all we met, it proved too popular and was fully booked. Next time.

Onwards to Carnarvon but with a stop at the Overlander Roadhouse at the turning to Shark Bay. Road-trippers are accustomed to refuelling, but once north of the Overlander, it becomes important to know where your next fuel stop is. Stopping here is advised and if you’re using a Hema Navigator, keep an eye out for the fuel stations, and maybe plan around them.

A late-night check-in at Exmouth then a quick skirt of the tip, past  the Harold E Holt Communications station to our eventual rest at the Ningaloo Lighthouse Holiday Park. The park has fuel, a great restaurant, surf shop, powered and non-powered sites and some cool retro cabins. Here, under the Vlaming Head Lighthouse, are some awesome examples of defence against mother nature.

The park’s most popular accommodation is an arc of cabins set high on a hill overlooking the water and their design is almost bunker-like.

Entering the Shark Bay World Heritage Area

WHEN IN ROME

A booking with the Ningaloo Ecology Cruises Glass Bottom Boat’s tour of the Exmouth coast and Tantabiddi reef was time well spent too. Half a day viewing coral, snorkelling and stopping off at the wreck of the SS Mildura costs $80 per person.

A brief halt for rash-suits and the boat heads to the reef. Yes, WA has stingers and some are dangerous, but stings are rare and with the full-body suits, you’re almost assured of safety.

For those not keen on the water, the glass-bottomed boat offers a fantastic view of the reef and the staff are wise and entertaining. The company also offer longer dive days with a chance of swimming with whale sharks.

Travelling inland from Exmouth is straightforward as the mines need access to the coast and roads are well maintained.

We plotted a course to Cheela Station, 90 minutes from Tom Price, the region’s epicentre and accessway to Karijini National Park.

Following Nanutarra Road our eagerness to see red dirt and rocks meant the change didn’t seem as abrupt as the transition from wheat to mallee scrub. When what we could see in every direction had become deep reds, almost purple in some lights, we knew we had arrived.

Pulling in at Ningaloo Lighthouse Holiday Park just before sundown

FARM STAY

I thoroughly recommend farm stays – they’re right up there with campsites for meeting people and sharing stories, but with the option of cooked meals, a bed and some guided touring. We booked two nights at Cheela Plains Station, an active cattle station with private gorges.

Like much of the Pilbara, Cheela, formerly part of a larger station, has seen tough times in recent years. After destocking during the 2009/2010 drought, it has only recently come back to a sustainable number of head. Proprietors Robin and Evan Pensini have actively managed the property to good health through renewable pastoral practices and established the farm stay in 2015.

Using new and existing station buildings and employing some experienced locals, the station is a haven for travellers along the coast.

During our time there, we met many different types, from expedition-ready, Unimog-like truck travellers to backpackers tenting on the watered lawns. We all shared the excellent amenities and told tales of places been and dreams of what’s to come. Nights were spent near the big fire pit or inside talking to the station staff, some of whom were guns for hire overseeing the cattle. All had tales to tell.

We wandered around the station, across its massive plains and were given directions to the private gorges. Guests are welcome to a self or guided tour. If you are day-tripping, be sure to pay a small fee and leave a bond for keys to the gates.

Near the gorges we came across signposted campsites and even the showers, are rain-filled and sun heated. The gorges are wet year-round so they attract cattle and all sorts of creatures: we saw wedgetailed eagles nesting high above scattered boneyards.

We didn’t see any snakes, but care is advised, as is insect repellent for wetter months.

Camping near Cheela’s gorges offers a rare opportunity in the region – campfires. Karijini National Park is littered with campsites, though all have year-round fire bans, but not Cheela.

A cooling swim in Dales Gorge at Karijini NP is a must-do

HISTORIC TOM PRICE

Travel 112km further along Nanutarra Rd (State Route 136) and you reach Tom Price. Still a working mining town, it has seen the ebb and flow of regional economics, as demonstrated in its diverse buildings. Interestingly, Tom Price is the highest town in the Pilbara at 747m elevation and you can feel it. Nights can be chilly with sub-zero not uncommon, but the days, wow, the clear air, bright blue skies and red dirt combine to make it one of the most beautiful places I’ve been.

As the tourism hub for the region and servicing the mines too, there’s lots of infrastructure for the several thousand-strong community: a full supermarket, plenty of engineers and mechanics and good supplies for the off-grid life, as well as helpful guides and info on the many gorges that bring in flocks of tourists, local and foreign.

We were short on time to fully explore the region, stopping only at Fortescue Falls for a swim and lunch. Fortescue is popular with nomads and driving tourists. It has large car parks, easily accessible lookouts and a well-made and safe stairwell into the depths of the gorge.

With more time, the nearby visitor centre is a great starting point, offering insight into the traditional owners’ interpretation of the landscape, its value to them, plus guidance on where to go and what to see. And, for our visit at least, a welcoming cup of coffee. But soon, it was time to return to Perth. We expected this half of the drive to be less visually exciting than the run north, but the Great Northern Highway does have a charm all of its own.

A radial aero engine made using nine 600cc Honda motorbike engines (too much time on their hands?)

WESTERN RUN

We turned south-east, setting the Hema HX-1 navigator for Newman, for lunch. Skirting the town, we saw the contentious Kurra Village, the large prefab sprawl built to accommodate BHP workers flown in and out of the region.

Kumarina roadhouse was our destination – a fuel stop, dinner and overnight location all rolled into one.

Although we didn’t stop, Meekatratha, south of Kumarina is another all-in one roadhouse which has a motel and a Coles Express, should you need space and supplies. We passed by, only stopping for fuel with our sights set on the Swagman Roadhouse for lunch and Dalwallinu for rest. From here, the roads were back to suburbanism: daily commuters and local deliveries.

It was here that the difference the Great Northern Highway has over neighbouring urban and suburban roadways became apparent. Gone were brief delays stuck behind over width mining trucks or slowing to watch some wildlife.

They were replaced with traffic lights and other road users. Red dirt was replaced with concrete, and wide dirt verges disappeared under gutters and footpaths.

Gone were chats about sights and destinations with other travellers at roadhouses, replaced by robotic transactions at fast-food joints.

The pace seemed to speed up even as our road speed reduced; it’s that attitude to the land and what it offers a traveller, which I miss the most when back from a trip away.

Category: Destinations
Written: Thu 01 Nov 2018
Printed: November, 2018
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