-
B. Campbell and J. Baker-Edwards, White Ford Falcon Station
Wagon, Somewhere in Australia | 0401 514 832 |
[email protected]
"
The Adventures of Pen and Jane
March 2015 Issue Number: FiveBen Campbell
and Jade Baker-Edwards
White Ford Falcon Station Wagon
Somewhere in Australia
TELEPHONE 0401 514 832
328 SKX
Despite the undeniable beauty of Australias west coast,
relatively few backpackers get around to travelling the sparse
landscape between Broome and Perth. Perturbing logistics coupled
with a general underrating of Western Australia causes many to
instead favour the prominence of the east coast, believing it to
encompass the entire essence of backpacking in Australia. I
throughly enjoyed the care-free atmosphere and unforgettable
experiences of the east coast, yet I cannot help but disagree with
this fiercely marketed concept. I argue that the real adventure and
the true Australia can be found not in the bustling streets of
Byron Bay or on the standardised trips and tours but in the middle
of the outback with the road stretching out infinite and empty; the
confused horizon blurred from both the constant mirage and the
layer of insects splattered and hard-dried on the windscreen. It
rides alongside as your own
stupid confidence vibrates you along windy and risky dirt roads,
taken in hope of finding the sight of a secluded somewhere that
will make you forget to breathe. Its accepting the macabre feeling
of being the only people within screaming distance and learning to
be self-sufficient because of it. Its eating out of tins, drinking
tea-temperature water and peeing in bushes more often than toilets.
Its a great shame that so many backpackers dont make it out this
far, however their loss was our gain as the lack of backpackers and
tourists in general is a crucial part of WAs charm. The absence of
footfall goes hand in hand with WAs ability to stay relatively
pure, untouched and natural. Whilst the west is already less
touristic than the east, this feeling was amplified by our choice
to leave Broome in the middle of summer. After having become
acclimatised to working in the extreme heat in Broome, the trip
down was enjoyable despite 35oC+ temperatures. Our timing enriched
the entire experience because it meant that we consistently had
waterfalls, swimming holes, beaches, reefs, gorges and campsites
completely to ourselves.
Lady Margaret and her River, come hitherOur three week
road trip from Broome to Margaret
River - in convoy
Circular Pool, Dales Gorge, Karijini National Park
Shell Beach, Shark Bay
mailto:[email protected]
-
The Adventures of Pen and Jane PAGE2
" B. Campbell and J. Baker-Edwards, White Ford Falcon Station
Wagon, Somewhere in Australia | 0401 514 832 |
[email protected]
"
Junction Lookout, Karijini National Park
Awesome rest area with 360 views in the outback
How it came about We first met Shogo at Pinctada Resort where
Ben and I were both working when we first arrived in Broome last
July. At that time he was living in Kimberley Club Backpackers but
later moved in with us in our share house. Shogo was the main
instigator of the trip who rallied up the troops and pulled
everyone together. Essentially, we know everyone else through him
and for that we will be eternally grateful.
Dynamics It was interesting to see how the dynamics of the group
developed over the course of the trip. We had never met Laetitia,
Miri or Jonas before and had only seen Fifi and Max a handful
of
times. Three weeks is not a long time to get to know someone,
however in our very intense
situation where we would spend every waking moment together, we
became very comfortable early on. Our shared
experiences bonded us into a family where silences aren't
awkward and whose inside jokes should not be repeated in
public.
The Convoy of the NinjasShogo- The legendary ancient Japanese
warrior lu re s you in w i th h i s p e r m a n e n t s m i l e a n
d generous heart. Fuelled solely on energy drinks and laughter.
Convoyed in his loud White Subaru. Miriam/Miri- Majestic G e r m a
n h e r b a l i s t , specialising in cabbage-on-foot application.
Convoyed with Shogo. Fifi- Beautiful Taiwanese Goddess, master and
teacher of the Fifi Booty ShakeTM. Convoyed in her Red Car.
Laetitia/Sha Sha/Leti- Tanned French ear th princess destined to
show you the world from a d i f f e ren t pe r s pec t i ve.
Convoyed in Blue Car. Max/Matt/Monty- The ever-optimistic
Australian rapper, recognised by his distinctive jumping style and
questionable card tactics. Owns Blue Car. Jonas- Expert German
camp-chef with a taste for destruction. Aint no car g o n g e t i n
h i s w ay. Convoyed in Red Car.
Knox Gorge lookout, Karijini National Park
Logistics Once we set off, Ben and I quickly found ourselves
in
navigator roles and we were positioned at the head of the pack.
We had the following to aide us.
The Lonely Planet helped me plan our stops. The app Wikicamps
allowed us to find free camp sites,
showers, drinking water etc. The app Maps with Me meant that we
could navigate
using GPRS - no internet connection needed. Our previous
experience and knowledge meant that
we were well prepared and qualified to be honorary leaders.
mailto:[email protected]
-
The Adventures of Pen and Jane PAGE3
B. Campbell and J. Baker-Edwards, White Ford Falcon Station
Wagon, Somewhere in Australia | 0401 514 832 |
[email protected]
"
Ben and I have been to our fair share of national parks in
Australia and we can honestly say that Karijini has been the best
one by far. Our time here will forever stick in my mind as a
highlight of not only this leg but of Australia as a whole.
Karijini has it all. Stunning lookouts where you can see for miles
around, adventurous walks involving swimming, rock climbing and
spider-walking, not to mention refreshing swimming holes with
waterfalls and ledges at convenient cliff-jumping height.
On top of everything else, we saw very few people during our
visit. We even spent two hours at a swimming hole half way along a
popular gorge walk and didn't see another soul! It was a perfect
three days with amazing company and atmosphere.
The gorgeous Fern Pool
Our Adventure
Kermits Pool, Weano Gorge
Kermits Pool at the end of the Weano Gorge walk
Cliff jumping into swimming hole at Knox Gorge
Fortescue Falls
Knox Gorge Walk
Oxer Lookout
Tempting fate at Oxer Lookout
Oxer Lookout
Knox Gorge walk
Behind the waterfall at Fern Pool
Karijini National Park
mailto:[email protected]
-
The Adventures of Pen and Jane PAGE4
B. Campbell and J. Baker-Edwards, White Ford Falcon Station
Wagon, Somewhere in Australia | 0401 514 832 |
[email protected]
"
Exmouth and
Ningaloo Marine Park Bundegi Beach
Beautiful bright blue fish
Miri trying to tell us we were swimming towards a shark
Swimming in the fishy superhighway
Chasing a family through the coral Diver Ben
Bright coral and an array of fish
Shogo and Ben at Turquoise Bay
Fish of all sizes
Fish feeding on the coral
Emus on the beach at the aptly named Turquoise Bay
Ningaloo Marine Park near Exmouth was another major h igh l ight
. There are three particularly amazing snorkelling sites in the $12
per car per day park: Lakeside, Turquoise Bay and Oyster Stacks (in
this order of increasing magnificence). We swam with turtles, rays
and even saw a reef shark that was 1-1.5m long.
For me, the most impressive thing was the how close to shore the
reef is. On the east coast you have to pay for a tour boat to get
out to the reef. Whereas, in Exmouth the reef is just metres from
the beach and we found the coral more colourful and the fish more
varied and abundant than in Upolu reef (east coast).
mailto:[email protected]
-
The Adventures of Pen and Jane PAGE5
B. Campbell and J. Baker-Edwards, White Ford Falcon Station
Wagon, Somewhere in Australia | 0401 514 832 |
[email protected]
"
Bay I had heard of Shark Bay
before arriving in Australia, but I had always presumed it was
one beach. As it turned out, Shark Bay is a whole area which
encompasses a multitude of beautiful lookouts, beaches and scenery.
Shell Beach (where the sand was made up of billions of tiny shells)
and Eagle Bluff Lookout were particularly notable.
Wild Dolphins
Eagle Bluff Lookout Pelicans chasing the one with the big
catch
This is how close to the dolphins we came
Shell Beach Dolphin Laetitia with dolphins and pelicans
Huddled under the only shade we could find for lunch
Pelican with a huge fish in its mouthStromatalites- living
fossils descended from organisms that lived 1.9 billion years
ago
Nia Unless you have a
4WD, Monkey Mia is the end of the line on the Shark Bay
peninsular. We spent an entire day in the Monkey Mia reserve where
we came within a metre of wild dolphins which spent the day
swimming the length of the shore. The resident pelicans shocked us
all with their gracefulness and the emus tried to join in our game
of cards and steal our food!
mailto:[email protected]
-
The Adventures of Pen and Jane PAGE6
B. Campbell and J. Baker-Edwards, White Ford Falcon Station
Wagon, Somewhere in Australia | 0401 514 832 |
[email protected]
"
O t h e r s t o p s
Eighty Mile Beach was our fi r s t s t o p a s a convoy.
Absolutely deserted, we had ten miles of beach each. Cloudy but
pretty.
Wittenoom Ghost Town was an asbestos mining town that was
deserted in 1966 when asbestos was found to be poisonous. Or so we
thought A woman in her 70s approached us and informed us that she
still owns and lives in the buildings here and is plagued by
visiting backpackers setting things on fire and smashing
windows.
I loved the small seaside town feel of Coral Bay, a prime
example of how even prestigious parts of WA have remained
relatively untouched. The reef here rivalled Exmouth with huge fish
2m from shore. Its a worthy alternative to Exmouth which is farther
out of the way.
We found the best pink lake we have seen just outside of Port
Gregory. Pink lakes are formed by algae and bacteria which
accumulate red pigments.
Kalbarri is a p r e t t y t o w n s u r r o u n d e d b y
natural beauty. A variety of lookouts and rock formations dot the
coast, whilst inland the National Park boasts gorges and walks.
Red Bluff Lookout, Kalbarri
Natures Window, Kalbarri National Park
mailto:[email protected]
-
The Adventures of Pen and Jane PAGE7
B. Campbell and J. Baker-Edwards, White Ford Falcon Station
Wagon, Somewhere in Australia | 0401 514 832 |
[email protected]
"
Knox Gorge Walk
The view from one of the awesome rest areas we stayed at
The dirt roads of Karijini National Park Attempting the slack
line in Denham
Oxer Lookout
Another amazing place we camped Weano Gorge Walk/rock
climb/swim
Food and card stealing emu, Monkey Mia
The Pinnacles Desert
In order to catch Sarah (from Matsos) on holiday in Margaret
River, we had to leave the pack in Kalbarri after an amazing three
weeks. We met up with Shogo again in Perth (who fast-tracked down
from Kalbarri to renew his passport) and spent three days there
with him. We soon had a reunion with the rest on our last night in
Perth as they arrived.
We had such an amazing time with the convoy, it was very sad
when it had to end. Occasionally travelling with so many people was
frustrating as many things took much longer than if it was just the
two of us. However, the pros far outweighed the cons; I wouldnt
have changed the trip for the world. We have made the kind of
friends where you can start up a conversation after a year and it
not be awkward. With such a multicultural group its unlikely that
we will ever all be in the same place at the same time again, but
we can hope.
All Good Things Must End
At the lighthouse in Exmouth
mailto:[email protected]
-
The Adventures of Pen and Jane PAGE8
B. Campbell and J. Baker-Edwards, White Ford Falcon Station
Wagon, Somewhere in Australia | 0401 514 832 |
[email protected]
Blind juvenile red kangaroo The ducks that acted like
dogsHand-feeding tiny colourful birds
Ben amongst the red kangaroo and emu families Hand-feeding baby
emus
Ben feeding the birdsFeeding meat to the dingo family
The chickens in the Chicken Plaza
Hand-feeding a grey kangaroo
Waminda Wildlife SanctuaryAfter we left the group we spent the
day in
Geraldton, the most developed place we had seen in weeks.
Through word of mouth we had heard of a wildlife sanctuary that
allows you to camp amongst the wildlife for a donation.
Waminda is run by a generous man, Ian whom keeps the place open
mostly out of his own pocket. All of the workers were volunteer
backpackers doing their regional work and all of which spoke very
highly of Ian and appreciated how lucky they were to be able to
complete their regional work in such a special place.
In the morning we went on a feeding tour around the property
where we discovered that all of the animals are very well looked
after and the cages are absolutely huge! Ian optimises the skill
sets of the backpackers to create and build innovations to keep the
animals occupied and safe.
After helping with the feeding, we sat down for breakfast with
the crew which included Lucky the 10 month old joey with a broken
leg.
Hand-feeding tiny colourful birds
Holding Lucky, the orphaned joey with ta broken leg
mailto:[email protected]
-
The Adventures of Pen and Jane PAGE9
B. Campbell and J. Baker-Edwards, White Ford Falcon Station
Wagon, Somewhere in Australia | 0401 514 832 |
[email protected]
Margaret River is a scenic area surrounded by vineyards, beaches
and caves. The town itself is small but what it lacks in size it
makes up for in character. Character that is epitomised perfectly
by the graffiti on the sign entering the town: Margaret River - now
gluten free!. Full of health foods, charity shops, coffee shops,
wineries and breweries, Margs is the perfect place for hippies,
retirees and backpackers alike.
We spent the first two weeks spending time with Sarah and the
convoy (minus Jonas). I really enjoyed the lovely hot days and cool
nights which was such a nice change from Broome where it only went
as low as 28oC at night when we left!
Welcome to Margaret River
- now gluten-Free!
Whilst on the road I was in contact with Silvia, a lady on
gumtree who was offering accommodation in her caravan in exchange
for two hours of housework per day.
Silvia is an interesting German lady with refined ideas about
the psychology behind childrens learning. She taught Laura (5) how
to use hand signals to communicate before she was old enough to
talk! She is currently starting up a business to help parents
enhance childrens learning abilities in the magic" years of
0-6.
Laura and Holly eat very naturally and healthily. Silvia does
not buy any packaged foods and it has been enlightening to he lp w
i th cooking and preparing nutritious foods such as sushi, vegan
fruit and nut balls (as an alternative to sugary snacks) and
healthy pizzas made using quinoa tortilla bases.
We do general housework like cleaning and laundry and have even
been nannies when Silvia has been called in to be a relief/supply
teacher.
After a few weeks we decided to be proper backpackers and signed
ourselves up to a grape picking agency! We lasted two shifts.
Whilst it was nice to work outside, the repetition, the 5am starts
and the late notice of shifts were definitely not offset by the
piece rate pay which equalled around $13 an hour (minimum wage
$18). When I worked out how much we had made after our first shift
I felt utterly violated! Apparently it is possible to earn up to
$25 an hour (if the pick is very good) but considering the shifts
only last 2-6 hours, its pretty much impossible to earn a living
wage. It seems as though the system is taking advantage of
backpackers trying to do their regional work. Im very glad that we
did ours on the farm.
Instead, I found a job at Wise Winery overlooking the gorgeous
Eagle Bay. Though its 45mins from Margs, Im able to get 25-30 hours
per week by only working Friday to Sunday. We offer a la carte
breakfast and lunch and hold weddings Friday, Saturday and Sunday
evenings.
Accommodation Finding Work
Surfers PointThe caravan kitchen
Reef Beach
Silvia, Laura and Holly
The houseVegan fruit and nut balls
The garage and caravanHomemade Sushi Rolls The view from the
restaurant
mailto:[email protected]
-
B. Campbell and J. Baker-Edwards, White Ford Falcon Station
Wagon, Somewhere in Australia | 0401 514 832 |
[email protected]
The Adventures of Pen and Jane PAGE10
Lake Cave
The steps leading down to Lake Cave
Calcified waterfall in Jewel Cave
Lake Cave
The path in Giants Cave >Mammoth Cave
Floating columns, Lake Cave Mammoth Cave
Straws in Lake Cave
Mammoth Cave
Caves Numerous show caves dot the South West. Ben and Shogo took
me to spectacular Jewel Cave on my birthday for an informative
guided tour. Self-guided Mammoth Cave was huge and looked
prehistoric; it was like travelling back in time! Photogenic Lake
Cave was my personal favourite because of the columns that appear
to float due to the change in the water table since they formed.
The most adventurous of them all was self-guided Giants Cave.
Jewel Cave
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]
-
The Adventures of Pen and Jane PAGE11
B. Campbell and J. Baker-Edwards, White Ford Falcon Station
Wagon, Somewhere in Australia | 0401 514 832 |
[email protected]
We have had a great few months in Margaret River being
influenced by the laid-back lifestyle of the region. Usually when
we settle in an area, we aim to make as much money as fast as we
can. We have taken a different approach here which was aided
greatly by our accommodation situation. With no rent or bills to
pay, we didnt need to worry about getting full time jobs (which
would have been hard anyway considering our short stay). Instead we
have spent our time going to the beach, visiting caves and spending
time with friends.
Having time for myself has been liberating as I have been super
productive regarding my own projects. This newsletter has turned
into the most visually appealing one yet, my youtube videos which
were 6 months behind are now up to date and I have researched and
planned our trip across to South Australia. On top of this, I have
earned enough to cover our costs in Margaret River, the costs for
the next leg of the journey and enough for some seed money which I
have invested in the Foreign Exchange market (my newest hobby). In
addition, I have been exercising every day and eating wholesome and
healthy foods, so I feel great in myself. Embracing Margaret Rivers
culture has been wonderful for my body, my mind and my soul.
We are pleased to announce that we have been asked to go back to
South Australia to manage
the Willalooka Tavern! The Tavern is a pub, restaurant, motel
and service station which is right next door to the farm that we
worked on last year. We will live on site and manage the place by
ourselves until our visas run out in July. This is obviously a huge
opportunity for us and we are very thankful to Annie Johnson who
recommended us to the owners of the Tavern, Catherine and Shannon.
Not only does this mean guaranteed income for the rest of our time
here but it also means that I can feel less guilty about having
travelled for so long. By choosing to stay in Aus for another year
we chose the chance to earn more money over the chance to start a
career. Against the odds we have been lucky enough to have the best
of both worlds. Becoming managers at 24 whilst backpacking says a
lot about our characters and will hopefully give us a bright
future.
What Next?
The convoy at Sugarloaf RockThe Convoy plus Danny in
Yallingup
Sugarloaf Rock
Happy Birthday 2/4 Jade in tea lights from convoy
Sugarloaf Rock
Alisha, Bronte, Sarah, Karlie and us before a night out
Mind, Body and Soul
TheAdventuresOfPenandJane.wordpress.com
youtube.com/user/jadeworksout
travellerspoint.com/member_map.cfm?user=JadeWorksOut
Thanks for reading. See links below for related media.
Blog
V
ideo
s Tr
avel
M
aps
Ben is currently in Willalooka for 2.5 weeks learning the ropes
and flies back to Perth on the 29th March where we will both meet
his sister, Abi who is coming to see us on a two week trip! It will
be amazing to see her again and the timing means that we can make
the most of her holiday by taking her on an awesome road trip and
showing her what backpacking Australia is all about.
mailto:[email protected]://TheAdventuresOfPenandJane.wordpress.comhttp://youtube.com/user/jadeworksouthttp://travellerspoint.com/member_map.cfm?user=JadeWorksOuthttp://TheAdventuresOfPenandJane.wordpress.comhttp://youtube.com/user/jadeworksouthttp://travellerspoint.com/member_map.cfm?user=JadeWorksOutmailto:[email protected]