Hi there

Greetings from Coral Bay WA. Since our last email "postcard" from Katherine NT we have travelled across the
NT/WA border and visited Kununurra, Lake Argyle, Fitzroy Crossing, Halls Creek, Derby, Broome, Eighty Mile
Beach, Port Hedland, Karijini National Park, Karatha, Exmouth and dozens of other smaller places in between.
In all we have travelled 9000 kms since leaving Melbourne and we are still north of the Tropic of Capricorn!
Until now we did not realise how big WA is! The State is divided into regions such as, the Kimberly, the
Pilbara, the Gascoyne, Central Goldfields, and the South East; each much bigger than Victoria. We drive 200,
300 or 400 kms just to get to the next town, much as we would drive 50, 60 or 70 kms in VIC.

Despite spending a week at a time in several places the pace of travel and hot humid weather has taken its
toll on our health - we are both exhausted and looking forward to staying put for longer periods and more
reasonable weather from now on. The Motorhome continues to travel well at our preferred cruising speed of
110 to 130kph despite a month of unseasonably windy weather in the north which saw our fuel consumption
fluctuate between 16 and 19 litres/100km! While slowing down to 90 or 100kph would save fuel is makes the
long sections of desert very tedious.

The land we have travelled through is mostly dry & barren with little to recommend it other than its
fascinating geological features which are exposed to view because of the desert environment, and the fact
that there are billions of dollars worth of minerals being dug up here. People from these places or Perth or
overseas (lots of European tourists here) rave about the beaches but generally they bear a poor & desolate
comparison with Queensland beaches which in contrast are a lush and green paradise. Fresh water is in short
supply all along the far western coast and the bore water provided is full of salts and chlorine.

Due to the isolation and small population prices are very high, especially at Exmouth and the Coral Coast.
For example, I cannot remember the last time I paid under $2 a litre for diesel and the highest I've paid is
$2.35! However this isolation does have its upside in the lack of environmental damage from poor development
in the past. The modern development projects are very sensitive to environmental and tourist needs. And
therefore the sea-life remains remarkably unaffected by contact with people. For example, Lesley and I were
able to take a day-long tour to swim with a Whale Shark. We also saw Green Turtles, Spinner Dolphins (a pod
of 150), a Humped-Back Whale and its calf and a Southern Wright Whale, all in the one day.

The weather has been good at Exmouth (25C to 30C), however further north it is hot and often humid - and
this is winter! I don't know how people cope in the summer. I'm looking forward to more mild temperatures
(i.e. around 20C) as we head south, and I'm really looking forward to the forests south of Perth in
September & October.

Keep smiling and keep warm.

© Melbourne RVs 2012