Kalbarri turned out to be a fun, quick stop for a last taste of the incredible rock formations in this part of the world. The park is actually split into two parts–there’s an inland part where a high escarpment has huge gorges carved into it by a river, and then a section where dramatic cliffs zigzag along the coast. I met up with a friend there and we first went to take a look at the cliffs, which were really beautiful in the afternoon light, and then to go for a nice refreshing dip. The next day we headed inland. It was pretty hot for the hike, but not bad compared to the temperatures I’d been getting up north. It kind of felt to be a bit like a mini Karijini, and going in without any real expectations was perfect. We did a couple of short-ish hikes, had a nice refreshing dip, and checked out a couple of cool viewpoints.

After a chill evening there was nothing left to do but keep heading south, down to the big city of Geraldton. With a population a bit under 40,000 it was the most populated place I’d been in a long, long time. I spent a couple of days just kind of kicking around, took advantage of the honest-to-god restaurants in town to get a couple of nice meals, and filled up on water and groceries. Geraldton provided the first substantial cloud cover I’d seen in a long time, and I took advantage of the incredible light one evening to play around with my camera. After a few days I left town and went to check out the pinnacles, an area where the desert is pierced by hundreds of rock pillar things. There wasn’t much to do besides languidly stroll around, but it certainly makes for an unusual landscape.

I spent that night parked in the driveway of a friend’s house in the little town of Cervantes, and as it happened her mother in law was unexpectedly up at the house for the weekend, so in the morning we had a nice long chat comparing notes on coffee preparation and such. And then… Perth! The only city on the west coast. Freeways! Traffic! Neighborhoods! Trees! It was certainly a bit of an adjustment getting here after several months in various degrees of the middle of nowhere, but luckily I had friends to help me make a soft landing.

I’ve been staying with Luciana and Peter, friends I met in Cabo San Lucas way back in the beginning of 2020. As always happens when I mooch my way into a comfortable situation I’ve spent the past week largely sitting around the house doing nothing, watching sports, and zoning out. Perth… doesn’t seem to have too much going on, though in fairness I haven’t looked very hard. Everyone I’ve asked about things to do has helpfully pointed out that “Perth has the best beaches”, as if I didn’t know where to find the beach when I’m in the mood for it. Unfortunately, while I love the ocean, I don’t find it overwhelmingly interesting to just sit at the beach for hours, especially alone. On top of that, while the temperature is lower here than up north, the UV index is somehow even higher, so you really cannot be sitting out in the sun for too long.

Anyway, I’m moving on from Peter and Luciana’s place tonight, and I look forward to that being the kick in the pants that I need to start looking for more interesting things to do. I’ll be hanging around town this coming week, getting a couple of new tires and an alignment, and waiting to hang out with a friend who’s coming down from Broome. Next weekend Luciana and I are planning on SCUBA diving down in Busselton, a couple of hours south, so that should be fun. It’ll also begin my exploration of the southwest, which is supposed to be really beautiful. So hopefully lots of surfing and hiking are in my future!