More rocks, spectacular coastline and more rocks...

It's 3 weeks since we left Perth. Our first stop was at the small seaside town of Jurien Bay. Lake Thetis is one of only a few places on earth where living marine stromatolites – the oldest living organisms on the planet - exist (3,500 years old).

Just a few kilometres south of Jurien Bay is the area known as The Pinnacles, an alien landscape of aeollian-limestone pillars. They were only discovered in the 1930’s when sand dunes shifted revealing the structures, and they cover an area of approx. 400 hectares. There are still debates about what caused these fascinating structures and whether or not they are the remains of a petrified forest.

We also saw a family of emus walking through J

On up to Geraldton, and the site of the memorial to HMAS Sydney II which was sunk in 1941 with all men lost.

Kalbarri was our next stop and has such a varied landscape from beaches

to coastal cliffs

and the spectacular and rugged scenery and gorges found in the national park.

(unfortunately there was no one there to take a photo of the two of us together)

The Murchison River flows through here and there are many gorges.

On up to Denham in Shark Bay where we saw a family of emus out for a stroll after Sunday lunch

and then to Monkey Mia to feed the dolphins

and keep out of the way of the resident emus (we spotted 4 walking around the resort)

A visit to Hamelin Pool and more stromatolites, much older and larger than the ones we saw earlier in the week at Lake Thetis as they only grow 0.3mm a year.

We carried on up to Carnarvon where we stocked up on provisions and swapped wine for water L as its very precious the further north we go. Through Coral Bay and on up to Exmouth for a few days of snorkeling the Ningaloo Reef (which was lovely) before we hit the red interior of the Pilbara. 

We did the Rio Tinto iron ore mine tour at Tom Price.

If you look closely at the above photo you can just see two very large trucks on the road up the hill. Everything is all the same colour, and so were we. When I washed my hair, the suds were orange. I guess if you're blonde in this country, you don't stay blonde for very long!

After Tom Price, we spent a couple of days in Karijini National Park. The gorges were fantastic, 

as were the waterfalls and rock pools for swimming in after a hot day on the road - we walked down to this one:

and it was well worth the trek down.

We are now in Broome for a few days before we head inland and towards the Bungle Bungles and the Northern Territory.