March 4th - 7th: Labour Day Weekend (long weekend!), Western Australia

Silka sitting on a Whale's Skull on Wedge Island

Parked on the beach at Wedge Island
with the 4x4's

Saturday we got up, got packed as quickly as a family of four can and got on the road to go up north. We hadn't ventured north yet and we thought this long weekend would be a good time to go. We bought a cheap 4-person tent this week and felt it needed a test run. Our original destination was Wedge Island just north of Lancelin on the coast. We managed to get away at around 10 a.m. and we hit Lancelin at around 11:30 a.m. We shopped for some provisions and asked for directions to Wedge Island (only 10 minutes up the road).

Tom and Rein snorkelling at Sandy Cape

Silka swimming at Sandy Cape, north of
Jurien Bay

Silka walking amongst the dunes and limestone
at Sandy Cape

We forgot to fill up with gas and we were somewhere between a quarter of a tank and empty. We thought we would be OK. We started getting nervous when the 10 minute ride up the road turned out to be 20 minutes or more. The car's computer kept beeping "low fuel" at us. We finally reached the cut-off to Wedge Island and were soon amongst many shacks and four wheel tracks that head to the beach. We stopped for directions at a shack that sells maps, ice and has a book exchange. There wasn't anybody there but we were soon joined by some locals that were able to give us directions. They assured us that we will be OK with two wheel drive on the beach's packed surface. We found our way and anxiously drove onto the beach and headed towards a group of other parked vehicles hoping we would have the same success. We were the only ones without a 4x4. We made it, parked and stepped out onto the fine white sand. The kids immediately got changed and jumped into the ocean. Tom and I worked on setting a tarp up with limited success - the wind was strong and our rope supply was insufficient. A local fisherman parked beside us and offered up his truck and trailer to tie off our tarp - much better success. We ate some lunch and then walked to the end to try a bit of surfing. It was fun but none of us got up to standing yet. We decided that camping there wouldn't be ideal because it was unsheltered and so windy.

Walking the boardwalk on Sandy Cape's dunes

We packed up and drove further north past Cervantes and Jurien Bay to Sandy Cape Recreation Park. We arrived there at around 4:30 p.m. and it was packed - FULL! We managed to squeeze into a spot just before the 4x4 beach access. Tom thought it was a campsite but I was pretty sure that it was just a parking spot - a topic of lively debate... Of course, a ranger didn't come along and kick us out, so, I had to humbly apologize to my Grizzly Olvet-Adams (minus the bushy hair). We had a great weekend of just relaxing, swimming, snorkelling, and enjoying afternoon cocktails by the beach.

Rein's Sandy Cape mates, Connor and Hilton

Our campsite 

Dusk shot of dunes 

The Pinnacles, Cervantes, WA

There was a throng of kids there so Rein and Silka made fast friends with them and played from sun-up to sun-down. Rein was sad to leave his new buddy, Connor, and asked if he would see him again. He lives north of Sandy Cape so he may have to settle for corresponding by email. On our way back to Perth we stopped in to see the Pinnacles - they were fabulous. We opted for the 1.2 km walk through them instead of the drive-through version. It felt like we were walking back into ancient history like we did in the Mammoth caves. However, there was also a very strong spiritual presence woven amongst the limestone pillars. We were there during midday when the sun almost at his highest. Seeing them at dawn or dusk would be even more dramatic. We will try to time it right next time we pass through.

Standing amongst the "spirits"

We also stopped at a rest area on the side of the highway around Lancelin area to get a closer look at the huge sand dunes that blew us away on the way up. Struggling to climb up them and getting sandblasted at the top quickly made us realize how fast you would perish if lost and without water or protection from the sun. This all-encompassing version of nature envelops you in its sandy whorls that




























flick off the tops of each dune and beckons you to your knees and all you want to do is reverently bow to it. Well, we got the heck outta there before any of that started happening....
When we arrived back in Perth we headed for Trigg's Beach to give some more surfing a whirl. There weren't any opportunities while at Sandy Cape. Tom went out first and came back with a pulled muscle in his back and a bruised ego. He went further out to try to catch some bigger waves and got seriously thrashed......he must have forgotten about the stage where you are able to stand on the board!?! He scared himself and luckily came out fairly unscathed. I then went out and kept close to shore and just worked on paddling to catch waves and get to a kneeling position. That was good enough for me. The wind was strong and the waves were mushy (coming from all directions). We headed home, unpacked and ordered in some pizza. Tom will be hurting tomorrow...

Desert dancing

Mammoth Dunes at Lancelin