Pearls On Wheels

As we ride out of geraldton we see ominous clouds. A quick stop and we put our wet weather gear on. We miss the rain which is the first we have seen since Cape York Peninsula 5 weeks ago. Blue skies appear.  We ride through extensive cultivated wheat lands. Huge paddocks -some 150acres.  The flat land has some sandy hillocks to the west-presumably sand dunes.  It is unlikely we will miss this...  we don't.  The sun comes out and we ride to GinGin for lunch. Dick was quite determined about this venue. The lovely cafe at the park was worth the short detour .  Eeek, Traffic on the motorway. More traffic than we have seen in weeks. Dick copes well but I don't enjoy the proximity of so many vehicles or the slow speed.  Fremantle capuccino strip near our destination for the night at the Esplanade.  We taste test the hot chocolate in anticipation of sharing our discovery of Theobroma Cafe wit...

We are at the Carnarvon Jetty, the western-most point of our  journey in Australia.  The Carnarvon Jetty stretches 1 mile out to sea.  We ride through three hundred km of arid land. Riverbeds are dry.  Our lunch stop - the Wooramel roadhouse. The first with a sealed forecourt. The newspaper carries a full page advertisement discouraging people smuggling.  Shrubs and trees appear. Then near Northampton cultivated fields appear. So do some clouds.  The fire danger rating is low today.  We ride through extensive croplands. Predominantly wheat and oil seed rape. A warm and friendly welcome at the Geraldton Visitors Centre leads to a comfortable bed for the night.