Western Australia

Kalbarri, Geraldton, Mullewa, Morawa, Perenjori,

Watheroo, Northam, Chidlow

September 29 to October 9, 2025

We missed peak wildflower season by about a month.

However, the wildflowers were still bloomin' amazing.

Kalbarri was our first stop on the wildflower circuit

My favourite: Mangels Kangaroo Paw

A day exploring Kalbarri National Park and it's stunning gorge

Amazing new viewing platforms.
G marvelling at the engineering involved

That's me ... the tiny dot on the distant platform

There were so many peeps waiting to have their photo taken in front of Nature's Window
I gave up and took a rear view ... with no peeps in sight!

From Kalbarri we moved south to Geraldton,

stopping at Port Gregory and the Pink Lake on the way.

The lobster boat was coming in as we arrived at Port Gregory

G intrigued.
Fifteen boxes each weighing about 50kgs each.
Not a bad haul :)

The Pink Lake contains the algae Dunaliella salina,
whose pigment produces the striking pink hues

It was amusing to watch young peeps dressed in
flowing white frocks posing for the camera.
It's all about the photo!

Hey Ewes: hand-painted sheepies at Northampton

Why has this pup dog got a broken heart?
Perhaps the sheepies are refusing to be herded?
Ewes never know!

Geraldton is one of Australia's busiest regional ports,

facilitating the export of huge quantities of iron ore, wheat and ... lobsters!

G spends hours watching the tugs push the monster ships into place

Lobster tails for dinner! Yum!

The HMAS Sydney 11 Memorial honours the 645 sailors who lost their lives
in a skirmish with the German cruiser Kormoran in 1941

The bronze sculpture of the Waiting Woman was installed in 2001.
When HMAS Sydney 11 was finally located in 2008,
she was looking precisely at its final resting place. Eerie

Horizon 2013 by Lucy Humphrey has won many Sculpture By The Sea awards.
Geraldton bought it and placed it on the waterfront.
Intriguing how it inverts the landscape

Upside down cyclists

The last West Australian sunset we'll see over the water for sometime

We decided to head inland to get away from the coastal crowds

... and check out more wild flowers!

G checking the wheat harvest first ...

... as the iron ore road trains roared past

First stop was Mullewa ...

... and The Church of Our Lady of Mt Carmel
designed and built by Monsignor John Hawes

The same John Hawes who designed Saint Francis Xavier Cathedral in Geraldton
(this is not the cathedral ... it features in a post 10 years ago!)

The Wreath flowers near Mullewa are quite rare and very beautiful

Along the way there are hundreds of steel artworks depicting the life and times of the area.
This one is called The Curse of Salinity, telling the story of inappropriate water use
... and the devastating consequences

They are planting salt-resistant Oil Mallees in an attempt to stop the rising salt levels

A carpet of colour

Overnight camp at Gutha Hall and I found a fire pit

Yay! First fire for a while

Bilya Rock. The clouds are massing overhead

A soggy G atop a motorcycle ingeniously made from recycled materials

We gave up touring that day as the rain had set in and there was a cold wind blowing

We took refuge in a caravan park for the afternoon

The sun was back on duty the next day.
We started with a hike up Buntine Rocks

Parts reminded me of Wave Rock

A fabulous steel sculpture paying homage to the local Indigenous peeps

Stunning grevilleas

Camping beside Watheroo Pub

Purchase a few beers and you get free power, water, shower, loo ...

... and a camp fire. Fabulous!

New Norcia was up next.

It's been home to a community of Benedictine monks (only seven today)

since it was founded in 1847.

Quite extraordinary buildings albeit decaying badly

St Ildephonsus' College

The Abbey Church

Priceless art work.
Behind the curtains the frescoes are being destroyed by rising damp.
The quote for repairs is over $1 million

One of only two large Moser organs ever built.
It houses over 2000 pipes

Rare sgraffito works. The artist John Kucik applied three layers of different coloured plaster
before carving out the images for the Stations of the Cross.
Check out the mob observing the fallen Christ!