Stirling Ranges, via Beverley & Perth

The Grey Nomad get-together at Beverley, WA, was great!  Vic & Carol picked a lovely spot, Owen & Glenda, Bob & Jane and Ian & Gaye added pleasant ambiance and - in the vernacular - a good time was had by all!  Beverley is a small friendly town with friendly cafes, an interesting art centre, an aviation museum and is a centre for a large gliding club.  Our Grey Nomad Happy Hour tended to stretch into the evening, a lunch at the local hotel was substantial enough to carry one through to breakfast the next morning, if not beyond, an outing to the local Council Peak proved it to be a small volcanic cone and a visit  - with thanks to Bob - to the auto museum at the nearby historic town of Yorke rounded out a great weekend!  A welcome change to not get rained on when venturing forth and have people, rather than trees, to talk to!  I'm glad I went.

Then on to Perth and a visit to my niece and her family.  A whole double bed to myself, indoor bathroom, kettle sitting near the sink - a real test to the nomadic life in a HiAce van!  Having a real kitchen at my disposal, I made a large batch of the famous spaghetti & meatball sauce I learned from Mum and a large cherry pie.  I also took them out to dinner one evening to thank them for their hospitality.  The van got a service, I hijacked Julie to chauffeur me around the City where I bought a new camera and some LED lights to install in the van and to Kings Park, to admire the view and have lunch.  Too quickly I was on the road and at a very lonely freecamp along the way to the Stirling Ranges. 

The Stirling Range is north of Albany and is a mountain range rising up from the flat surrounding country:  In reality, it is the harder rock pushed up when Australia was pushed against other continents.   The Park campsite is a credit to the Park Service and the volunteer hosts, Andrew and Deb; it was spotless and comfortable (tho Allan found it best not to park under the tree the cockatoos roost in).  The highest point, Bluff Knoll, has a walking track (Grade 4) to the top, which track proved tougher than me, as I set out along it but soon became exhausted and turned back.  There are other tracks up to various peaks, all equally or more difficult.  I took the Stirling Range Drive through the centre of the Park, including a short climb up to the Centre Lookout.  Emus raced the van at various places along the road; apparently if chased they will run until they drop, thus it is necessary to slow right down until they turn off.  The weather is again a bit iffy, so getting decent photos is a challenge, especially with a tiny camera. 

Years ago I read in the book "Photographing Nature" (author long forgotten, book long lost) 'No photographer is as good as the simplest camera made' and continued to explain about '..the photographer's eye..'   Thus my preference is for a camera I can carry with me all the time in a small belt case:  Digital editing is also another very powerful tool.  Modern digital technology has produced some very versatile small cameras that can take some amazing photos.  A larger camera, being more cumbersome, is often left behind, so having a small camera all the time allows opportunistic photos (parks with grandchildren, shopping centre scenes - in fact, any candid possibility) can be snapped, even if the photo isn't 'perfect'. 

Rains today keep me close to the van thus an excellent opportunity to update this blog.  From here I'll move south to Albany and drop into the Information Centre to plan subsequent travels.