Here we are again still going strong on the road to Melbourne having left jolly old Perth behind us.
   
    We left Perth in the rain and thankfully it didnt follow our route for very long as I for one just hate to camp in the rain, especially when one goes to bed all wet and has to get up wet as well, plus its not good to pack the tent away when its wet, as it tends to smell after a short time. Still thats enough moaning from me for now.
   
    Another long and eventful days drive went by without a hitch. The car seems to be going along very nicely now that it has had a good over haul, fresh oil and new wheel bearings, I wonder how long they will last before the next new set would be required. We stopped for lunch at a road side café but it was no ordinary café as this one specialised in EMU pies and EMU leather which I could not resist "the leather that is" and so we stopped outside and went in to try out an EMU pie each for lunch with chips ! To my surprise it was very nice and tasted a bit like beef in a way, the meat is very dark and full of taste. I know some of you will hate me for that but its just another bird, I dread to think what a drum stick would look like. As we didnt leave Perth until 11 oclock the day went by very fast and so by about 4 oclock I decided I had done enough for one day and so we looked for a camp site in a town called Manjimup. Fortunately there was a site just about eight kilometres out side of the town so we made our way there before it got dark and set up the camp. After dinner we had an early night and were in our sacks by about 7.30pm. For a change the weather is not so hot and even the ground has green grass and another bonus is I can get the tent pegs into the ground without the need of a hammer. Time to go back to putting on the socks and a warm top.
   
    Next morning we got up at 5.30am and were on the road before 6.30 and, by nine thirty we stopped to get petrol and food. Just across the road we went to an information centre where there was a cooking area with a free gas hot plate so we cooked our feast and had tea and coffee, then it was back to driving again.

    Today it was another long drive, though each day it seems to get easier to cover much longer distances. I dont know if this is because the roads are getting better or if I am just able to drive for longer periods of time without taking breaks. We managed to cover 446 miles where we stopped at a really nice seaside town called Esperance and, the camp site was just across the road from the sea. By the time the tent was set up it was dark and as I had already bought the fish for dinner, there was no need for James to go off and catch the fish, only one thing to be done before the Snapper was cooked and that was to go out and buy the chips. I decided by the end of the day I wanted stop over for an extra day to catch up on my diary to sent to the web site so we took it easy this evening and enjoyed our fish dinner.
   
    23-9-99 I have actually done what I wanted to do and that was to sort out my diary, this is always a chore as it takes such a long time to do and I have to have complete dedication to get it finished.
   
    Fortunately James knows this so after he got up and had a cuppa he went out to do a days fishing. Once I had finished which took me around five hours to do I went out to do a bit of shopping and then back to the site. James had returned by this time and he had caught seven smallish fish which were called Skippys, I volunteered to fillet them and we both prepared dinner. That was it really, the day off went by so quickly and it was time to hit the sack once again.
   
    This new day was the start of a long drive, I had heard so many storeys about the Great Australian bite which is the lowest part of the Australian coast and was supposed to be very boring drive according to all who speak of it. We started out by heading North which was the only way out of Esperance and up to Norseman which was about 200k inland where we stopped for a bite to eat and then we got onto the Eyre Highway which is the start of the Nullabor Plane drive and for the next three days drive there are only five little villages or fuel stops to speak of and nothing else in between. As I said before, this first days drive was fairly long and quite hot too as we were further inland and the temperature had risen considerably but never the less we persevered and continued to drive until we got to the first fuel stop called Cockerberry, a place to stop for the night which was situated right in the middle of nowhere and, just as the sun was going down we set up the camp. It is so hard to explain just what its like to be in a dessert miles from any light pollution and all I can say its a very spectacular sight to behold with a million and more stars floating right above ones head and the night so still. During the day there is a constant breeze or even a strong wind blowing but as evening turns into night the wind drops and eventually stops then all is at peace until the sun rises the next morning.

   

    Thats when the dreaded Kangaroos come out to eat the fresh grass on the side of the roads or dart out from behind bushes as you approach in the car, then before you know it one is almost right on top of the car. Can you imagine what a 400 pound Kangaroo would do to a Mini if it hit ! apart from pushing the engine into the boot I think it would be a crash course in flying through the air via the wind screen for both occupants. After a good meal, wash followed by a nights rest we hit the road once again at around six in the morning taking it very easily at first to avoid the Roos and other dangers and occasionally going off road to try and find some wild life deep in the bush. We did get to see a few Kangaroos but not a lot else which was a little disappointing really as I had expected to see a lot more early in the morning and as the day went by nothing else was spotted. As the day went by we covered many miles of flat roads with nothing to see except a few hills in the distance and the odd tree with the suns heat shimmering on the horizon. Later we saw what looked like clouds low to the ground but as we got closer they were in fact sand dunes which were brilliant white and, that meant we were getting close to the coast once again. As we crossed the boarder from Western Australia into the Eastern territory I expected to have the car searched as it was in the North but to my surprise we just drove straight through and later on ended we stopped to look at the coast and a truly amazing sight. We actually saw seven Whales, four adults and three calfs which were very close to the land. We also got to see three Dolphins gliding in and out of the rocky outcrop. What a brilliant sight that was.