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We took an unguided hike right from our tent. We headed north past the lodge to the parking area at South Mandu then out and along the road. We crossed a dry wash and near North Mandu we took a turn east away from the sea. This why dry chaparral with tough looking plants spaced apart and dotting the dry soil. There were signs of running water, most likely episodic.
We've seen drier country. There were leaves on the plants and even a few trees taller than the lower plants around them. There were birds and flowers as one might expect in early spring. We made it to the Mandu Mandu parking area and started along the trail a bit. According to the maps, the trail would soon descend, and we were not keen on descending. We were getting tired, and descending meant that we would have to climb back out. We took the easy version of the walk. Those more adventurous might have headed up the river at Mandu Mandu, but were were more than satsified. |
 The scene |
 Some birds |
 More birds |
 Some flowers |
 Chaparral |
 Signs of erosion |
 That's the dry wash, dry now but a river during the rainy season. |
 River canyon wall |
 Even some trees |
 Even more flowers |
 More of the scene |
 More of the canyon wall |
 Tribbles |
 A bush tribble |
 Springtime |
 Yet another bird |
 A lizard? |
 Dry country |
 Another flower |
 Surprisingly lush for a place so dry |
 More of the scene |
 Almost lush |
 A flowering shrub |
| July 2024 | August 2024 | September 2024 |
| We woke up with the sun on our last morning at Ningaloo Reef. We had a few visitors. There was a cockatoo with big blue eyes and a whale breaching right off shore. We hadn't gone out on a whale watch, so it was nice that a whale had decided to make a house call. Walking to the lodge for our pickup, we solved a mystery. Often, while walking back from the lodge to our tent after dinner, we noticed little glints of light in the sands. It was dark, so we had no idea of what we were seeing. Were they sand crystals, some creature or something even more mysterious. On our last morning, we saw a few glints. There were pale spiders, almost white, in the sands. It's just as well we stayed on the boardwalk. |
 Morning sky |
 Sunrise |
 Morning glow |
 The tents around dawn |
 Mystery solved - spiders! |
 Another spider |
 Goodbye to the reef |
 A morning visitor |
 Another morning visitor |
 More of the show |
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 Waving goodbye |
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The shuttle bus dropped us off at the little landing strip near Exmouth. While we waited for our plane to arrive, a lone hiker strolled along the runway. Our plane arrived a few minutes later and we took off for our connection in Learmouth. We did a bit of whale spotting. There's a symbiosis. The whale watch tours rely on small plane pilots to report whales. In return, pilots can spot whales on scenic flights by watching for whale watch boat activity.
We spotted a whale or two and circled about for better views. Then we headed south and then east across the peninsula to the big airport, the one with amenities like a terminal building and drinking water. |
 Cleared for takeoff |
 A whale being watched |
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 Another whale |
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 Probably North Mandu |
 Ningaloo Reef |
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 Sal Salis, where we stayed |
 Dry landscape |
 Chaparral |
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 A seasonal river |
 Red land |
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From Perth, we drove to Yallingup in the Margaret River region. It's noted as wine country, but there's a long coastal hiking track that runs from Cape Leeuwin to Cape Naturaliste that we hoped to explore. Unlike some wine areas, the wineries are spread out, and there are other farms with cattle, deer, sheep, hops and the like.
Our first hike on our first day started at Redgate, a wild sandy beach south of where we were staying. The scenery was spectacular, but we only got so far. There had been recent rains, so the little stream that ran over the beach and met the tides was in full flow and too deep for us to wade. We backtracked, and our guide turned to plan B. |
 The wild beach |
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 Old stone |
 Redgate Beach |
 A man of war jellyfish |
 An oystercatcher |
 Signs of erosion |
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 Signs of life |
 That's a cuttlefish blade. |
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 Red rock |
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 Ice plant |
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 Looking north |
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08/27 - Plan B: Canto Campground Our guide's plan B was an inland hike near the Canto campground. The hike started in brush country and followed a track through a valley and then up and further inland into a forested area. The vegetation was both familiar and unfamiliar. Were those spiky plants palmettos or something else entirely? There was a purple wisteria like vine growing on various bushes and tangles of trees and branches. The trail was easy going with its ups and downs.As we made our way inland, we climbed a bit, then the heavens opened. Rain poured. The pattern we observed in West Australia was for very intense rain starting suddenly then slowly tapering off and and ending. We had a very wet five or ten minutes. Luckily, we had our raincoats. We trudged on through the rain. The ground grew wet and puddles formed. Then the rain lightened and turned into a drizzle before stopping completely. |
 A piece of the trail |
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 Inside one of those palmetto-like plants |
 The forest |
 Those palmetto-like plants |
 Tangled branches |
 More forest |
 More trail |
 A wisteria-like vine |
 Uphill on the trail |
 Through forest now |
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 Further inland |
 Eucalyptus berrries |
 Wet trail |
 A mushroom |
 One of the few birds we managed to spot |
 More signs of rain |
 More forest |
| Our first two dinners in the Margaret River were at Lamont's, a restaurant not far from the Injidup Spa Resort where we were staying. The food was excellent. We had sea scallops and slow cooked lamb, whiting tempura and brussels sprouts, and we enjoyed every bite. The real treat was the Plantagenet. The restaurant had purchased a close out lot of Plantagenet wine. This included some older wines like the 1997 cabernet sauvignon we ordered. The prices were sane, so we tried one. We can't say enough good things about it. It was an excellent wine in excellent shape, and there is no way we will ever find another bottle of it. We had two bottles, one at each dinner, and that will have to be enough. |
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Like many wine producing areas, the Margaret River area has a lot of limestone underground. This means caves, and we love to explore caves. We aren't spelunkers, so we aren't going to crawl around in narrow passages. We go for the tourist caves with safe walkways, handrails as needed and electric lighting. We loved the Naracoote Caves near Koonawara, so we had to see a cave on this visit.
Lake Cave was one of many, but our guide the other day, among others, recommended Lake Cave. We bought our tickets online and at the appointed time began our descent into a big hole in the ground. We walked down staircase after staircase, supposedly about 380 steps. We could look up and see the forest above, but we could also see stalactites along the edge of the hole. We got our briefing, then we went down yet another set of stairs into darkness. There was an underground lake in the cave. There was a walkway with handrails, so we made our way along the edge of the lake. There were stalactites and stalagmites in fantastic forms all around us. We stopped to admire and let our cave guide explain things for us. Then we went further into the cave. There was a moment of darkness and then a light show with colored lights. Having seen our fill, we returned to the surface climbing step after step from deep underground to forest level. There are at least six caves in the region, but we only had time for one. Next time. |
 Looking into the hole |
 Forest and eroded limestone |
 Stalactites |
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 Looking up |
 In the cave |
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 The lake reflecting light |
 The lake again |
 Colored lights |
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 Back along the walkway |
 Then up the stairs |
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08/24 - South From Injidup on the Cape to Cape Track We woke up to a clearing sky and bit of a rainbow far out to sea. We decided to take a walk right out of our hotel rather than driving to a distant trailhead. We headed west and then joined the Cape to Cape Track and headed south.It was scrubby country with bushes and shrubs and views of the waves crashing on the shore below. We made our way to a crescent of a sandy beach. The trail tracked above it, so we had a good walking surface. Walking on sand can be exhausting. We made it to the end of Injidup Beach, but we weren't up to hiking out on Cape Clairault. We know our limits. We considered backtracking, but we headed up and inland and walked back along Cape Clairault Road to our hotel. |
 Good morning! |
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 The track |
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 Injidup Beach and Cape Clairault |
 A jetty |
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 Climbing out towards Cape Clairault Road |
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 The twisted forest |
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| There was a lot to see on our Injidup Beach hike, so here are some more pictures, some artier than others. |
 Bush and shrub country |
 That jetty again, presumably man-made |
 Cape Clairault |
 Beachcombing finds |
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 A cuttlefish blade? |
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 The twisted ghost-like forest |
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08/22 - Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse Before an excellent lunch at Vasse Felix, we headed north to hike around the Cape Naturaliste lighthouse. We couldn't see the lighthouse from the parking lot, so we headed down one of the trails through bushes and twisted trees. We couldn't see the ocean either, but we continued.Then we got our first glimpse of the lighthouse. We headed onward and took a turn towards the Whale Watch lookout. We didn't expect to see whales, and we didn't see any. We descended along long wooden ramps and staircases. Then we saw the sea, angry and active beneath us. We hadn't realized quite how high up we were. We didn't make it all the way around the lighthouse. We were a bit hiked out by now. If nothing else, every hike had included a lot of stair climbing, and some of it involved crossing sand. Still, we felt we had earned our lunch. |
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 A glimpse of the lighthouse |
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 A walkway to the lookout |
 The waters below |
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 The lookout |
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 A view from the lookout |
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08/21 - North From Injidup and Farewell We took a walk from our hotel north along the Cape to Cape Track before heading back to Perth. It was our last morning, and we were tired. Still, we would be in the car for a bit, so it made sense to get a last bit of fresh air and exercise before the drive.We didn't get all that far, but we did get to say good bye to the amazing Cape to Cape Track. The trail passed through now familiar country, perhaps with a higher rock to shrub ratio, with great views of the wild coast. |
 The view from our room |
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08/20 - Bondi to Coogee Beach to Beach Walk The coastal walk from Bondi Beach to Coogee Beach is one of the great walks in Sydney. Perhaps even more than Los Angeles, the city has a focus on its beaches. We started at Bondi and made our way south. Bondi has the air of a beach town with its broad beach, restaurants and surf and beachwear shops.The trail had a lots of ups and downs. It heads up along bluffs and then down to a series of beaches, some open, sandy crescents, some in rock walled canyons. They all have well maintained facilities. It's a wonderful walk with the waves smashing into the rocks or gently rolling up the slope of a sandy beach. |
 Early morning in Sydney |
 Bondi |
 Rocks below |
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 Some of the trail was closed for repairs |
 Looking south |
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 Part of the trail |
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 Looking north to the cemetary |
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 A shady section |
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 Boats stored at one of the beaches |
 Coogee |
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After our hike from Bondi to Coogee, we went to dinner at Quay. There was a fireworks display across the harbor, probably at the amusement park there. Later, there was a laser light show. It was a short walk from our hotel. The evening light was magical.
For a short movie of the bridge sparkles, click here. |
 Sunset light |
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 Later that evening |
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 Laser sparkles |
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| After our Bondi to Coogee walk, we needed a rest day. We didn't do much. We got massages. We sat around and relaxed. We went out to eat dinner at Manta in Wollongong. Our hotel was near Circular Quay with the Opera House and ferries running in and out. Our dinner was on the wharf at Wollongong in the next harbor over. There was still a small boat marina there, but the wharf had been completely renovated. We ate seafood outside and watched the fading light. |
 Trees seen under the harbor bridge |
 Wollongong Wharf |
 A happening neighborhood |
 Twilight |
 After dark |
 A view of the CBD (central business district) |
 Restaurants as far as one can see |
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08/17 - Spit Bridge Towards Manly On our previous trip to Australia, the concierge at our hotel suggested we take a walk from the spit bridge to Manly. We expected expectoration, and our hike started behind a row of trash cans. This time, we capitalized Spit Bridge correctly and started descending flights of stairs down a hillside to the waterfront. The bridge itself was nearby, but we headed west.We had forgotten how much climbing up and down the trail entailed. At some points, the trail passed through an ordinary urban park. At others, it passed through wild country along eroded cliff faces above tidal flats and isolated beaches. We didn't make it all the way to Manly. We gave up at the petroglyphs, about halfway. It had been a great walk, but we could only do so much. We made our way to a suburban street and there hailed an Uber. Amusingly, there was another pair of hikers there also waiting for their Uber. We were obviously at a popular end point for those unable to make it all the way to the Manly ferry. |
 Marina near the Spit Bridge |
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 Stairs, lots of stairs |
 Stone |
 A tidal flat |
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 Even more stairs |
 More stone |
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 A bush turkey |
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 Petroglyphs |
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 A view of downtown Sydney |
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08/16 - On To Lord Howe Island We flew from Sydney to Lord Howe Island. It was a two hour flight on a turboprop Dash 8. It had been years since our last turboprop flight and with the extensive warnings on the Qantas web site about flying to Lord Howe Island, we weren't sure of what to expect. We had repacked our bags and checked one in Sydney to meet the limited baggage weight requirement, and we weren't surprised when our gate at the airport led out onto the tarmac where we boarded a bus that took us to our plane. The flight itself wasn't bad. It wasn't full. Since the flight is near the upper range limit of the aircraft, they had limited the load. This explained our limited baggage allowance as well as why a number of the rows were kept empty.Most of the flight was over water since Lord Howe Island is north and east of Sydney. We approached the island at low altitude. There were steep hills to the north and south. The lone runway ran east to west across the flat mid-section of the island. There isn't all that much flat ground on Lord Howe Island, and the short runway also limited our plane's landing weight. The airport at Lord Howe Island had a small terminal building where we were reunited with our bags and boarded a golf cart to get to our hotel. The island speed limit is 25 kph. This isn't a big problem since the island is pretty small, and golf carts provide excellent transportation. Once we settled in to our room, we headed out from our room and explored south along the coast. We followed the limited low lands that skirted the steep hills. There were birds and beaches and a cow or two. It was an interesting walk to say the least. |
 Approaching Lord Howe Island |
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 Good snorkeling perhaps? |
 The steep hills of the south |
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 Hiking south |
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 Looking north |
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 That kingfisher |
| We had hoped to go snorkeling, so we headed out on a snorkeling tour on a glass bottom boat. The idea was that we'd get some nice views of the coral and fish from the boat then we'd snorkel for a bit and get another look. As it turned out, there was a pretty solid wind. The water was choppy. We had a nice tour of the area, but when it came time to snorkel only two of us aboard actually went into the water. |
 Heading out |
 Looking down |
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 Low hanging cloud |
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 A small island off Lord Howe |
 Some cooperative fish |
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 Choppy water |
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08/13 - Original Settlement and Neds Beach We signed out a golf cart a the hotel and did a little exploring. We drove out to the Original Settlement Beach. Saying "drove out" makes it sound like we did a lot of driving, but this whole journey was maybe 5 to 10 kilometers. Our golf cart didn't have an odometer. We drove past the main town and then a fishing port. We reached the end of the road and took the trail over a bridge and along the beach past where the original settlement had been established.It was a pretty beach with some interesting birds, and the hills behind it were lush and green. The trail climbs inland and heads up into the northern hills of Lord Howe Island, but we turned around after having climbed one of the stair cases. We drove on to Ned's Beach on the east side of the island. It's another lovely beach with a little shack where you can grab fish food if you want to wade out and feed the fishes. We weren't up to wading, but we did head out on the rocks and checked out the tide pools. There were no anemones or starfish, but the whole scene with the crashing waves and the exotic forest above us more than made up for it. |
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 Some mist |
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 The beach near the original settlment |
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 On the beach |
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 The little bridge |
 The stairs where we turned around |
 Ned's Beach |
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 A kingfisher which might explain why they served kingfish at every meal |
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 Tide pools |
 The forest |
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08/12 - Last Day on Lord Howe Island Our flight back to Sydney was late enough in the day that we could grab a golf cart and head out for a short adventure beforehand. We chose a nearby hike, one starting at the airport turnoff, that headed up and towards the east side of the island. It was a steep climb, and we didn't get all that far, but we climbed up past the open fields and into the twisted maze of forest above.There were steps on the early part of the climb, but then the trail was relatively level. We had one or two glimpses of the ocean, but for the most part our scenery was green. |
 The green maze |
 This is not great bushwhacking country. |
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 The trees grow every which way. |
 A natural formation? |
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 Our glimpse of the ocean |
 Two amorous birds |
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 More steps |
 A view from the fields |
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 Some flowers |
 More flowers |
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We had one last day in Sydney. We have long been fans of Neil Perry who ran the restaurant Rockpool, one of our favorites. He recently opened a new restaurant, Margaret, which has wonderful seafood in a neighborhood, Double Bay, we had never explored. We had trevally and coral trout wings and big eye tuna. We had hispi cabbage which seems to be a coming thing down under, and since we were down under, we even had an excellent pavlova. It had vanished from menus, crept back on disguised as "Eton mess" but is now out front and center as pavlova. The Australians should be proud of it.
We had taken a taxi to the restaurant, but our waitress suggested we could just take a ferry back. Indeed, the ferry terminal was just a few blocks away through an upmarket shopping district, and there was a ferry coming in soon. We had a beautiful sunset cruise through the harbor with spectacular views of the Sydney skyline and now familiar landmarks. It was a great last evening before our long, long, long flight home. |
 Margaret |
 Near the ferry dock |
 City |
 City and harbor |
 Sunlight |
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 Evening glow |
 Landmarks |
 Sunset |
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 Skyline |
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| July 2024 | August 2024 | September 2024 |