The trip itself
In the morning, our 4wd driver, Dave, fetched us from the Sheraton Hotel in Perth. He had just fetched some other travellers from Freemantle earlier. We were introduced to his 4wd vehicle, the Australian- made Oka. It was huge, can seat 13 passengers and was air conditioned.

The Australian-made Oka.

After fetching a few more passengers from some other hotels, Dave went to the railway station where the rest of the passengers were waiting. They were mostly backpackers staying at the backpackers hostel opposite the railway station. After the perfunctory introductions, we set off.

Once in the bush, there were more flies than usual. A bush hat really came in handy to ward of the flies. we had totake care not to leave the doors of the Oka open whenever we stopped so that flies don't get in. Our first stop was at the Pinnacles.

The Pinnacles These structures have been formed through the combined action of rain, weathering and vegetation growth.

These are huge limestone pillars rising out from a desert-like plain of yellow sand. Most of them are taller than humans, and can go up to 4m in height.

At the Pinnacles.

Interestingly enough, a flock of emus seem to be resident in the area and it was a sight to see these huge birds walking about.

After a stop for lunch, Dave took us to a place with lots of sand dunes for a spot of sand-dune surfing. The younger backpackers tried their hand at it and it was like snow-boarding down a hill of sand. Many of them had great fun. Later on, they had some tough times trying to clean the sand out of their hair and ears. Many of them lamented that they should have brought ear plugs to keep the sand out, and string to keep their glasses from falling off. But they enjoyed themselves.

One of our fellow travellers doing some sand surfing. He was really good at it.

The seats in the Oka had sufficient legroom for us asians, but some of the bigger sized westerners found it slightly cramped. In the afternoon, we all switched sitting positions so that some other fellow travellers could enjoy some of the seats which had more legroom. Dave stopped by at a small town so that some of the travellers could buy some drinks for the night. This was a necessary stop for those who could not go to sleep without beer. We then headed for an old empty farmhouse in Chapman Valley where we prepared to stay for the night.

The old farmhouse of Chapman Valley. It had 3 bedrooms, with just sufficient beds for all of us.

We took a walk on the farm taking care not to step in sheep dung. It was a pleasant walk. Did not see any kangaroos, but there were lots of merino sheep and rabbits. Two guys volunteered to do the barbeque and their cooking were superb, earning praises from all of us. At night, we switched off the lights and stared at the stars. There was no cloud cover and without the city smog, the stars shone really bright. The night was cold, and we were glad we brought our thick sweaters. Although the farmhouse was rather spartan, we remembered it fondly.

The next morning we packed up and made our way to Murchison Gorge. While driving along the way, Dave suddenly stopped the Oka, opened the door and ran back along the track for 30 metres. We wondered what the excitement was all about. He then came back with something in his hand. It was the Australian thorny devil, an unusual looking lizard. He then placed it gingerly on a rock so that we could photograph it. As it was only about 20cm long, I marvelled at how Dave could see the creature on the road at the speed he was driving. Dave explained that the thorny devil has to lie in the sun motionless in the morning to warm itself up before it can become active.

The thorny devil, or 'moloch', which Dave spotted lying in the middle of the dirt track. It is a strange Australian desert lizard easily identified by the many pointy spikes that entirely cover its body and tail. It also has got sharp, pointy claws and short, spiky arms. It feeds on ants and is totally harmless(except to ants).

At Murchison Gorge, we were treated to a beautiful sight of the rock formation. A solitary black swan was swimming in the river when we arrived.

At Murchison Gorge.

After the usual photo taking session, we set off again. The scenery changed to that of really flat land. The road was straight for kilometers and kilometers. We stopped by some town for lunch and then proceeded to Shell Beach. Shell Beach was literarily made from mostly little cockle shells. We could not see a grain of sand on the beach. After Shell Beach, it was off again in the Oka to the Monkey Mia Dolphin Resort. We reached the resort in mid-afternoon. Eileen and I got off and registered at the resort office. Dave and the other remaining travellers then set up camp at the resort grounds. The other travellers had booked the 5 day Monkey Mia safari and so they continued their journey northwards with Dave the next day. By travelling 2 days with Dave, we managed to get a taste of what a safari was like, which was what we wanted.

Food supplied
The food supplied by Overland 4wd Safaris was quite simple....mostly salad, bread, some cold cuts for breakfast and lunch. The dinner was a barbeque affair and can be quite pleasant. Travellers are required to help clean and wash up after eating. We all took turns to do the dishes.

Booking the trip
While we were in Perth, most tours were only about half to two thirds full. Surprisingly the Oka had a full load of 13 passengers for our journey. Some of the travellers paid the full price(can't remember the amount). We booked through the internet,(http://www.overland.com.au) which was slightly cheaper. As far as I know, the online booking form form the 2 day Monkey Mia Express does not have the relevant dates so you will just have to email them. Our advice is to book through the website http://www.backpackertours.com.au because it is 10 % cheaper if you booked using a Backpackers Tour Card through this site. The last time we checked, the backpackertours site gives out the Backpackers Tour Card for free. Another possibility is the backpackers hostel in Perth which may advertise tours at discounted rates(but you will have to be there to find out , won't you?).

Returning to Perth via Feature Tours
We returned to Perth by coach, which we had booked our places earlier from Feature Tours(in Perth). The coach is a regular service and shows up at the Monkey Mia Dolphin Resort at around eleven o'clock or more in the morning. It would reach Perth by midnight, and the coach will drop off passengers at the major hotels in town(which was a good thing). Along the way, the coach stopped at Shell Beach and Hamelin Pool to see the stromatolites. Of course we had already seen Shell Beach but the stromatolites were really interesting.

Eileen on the raised walkway that was built over the stromatolites.

Stromatolites are laminated structures built mainly by bacteria. Bacteria building structures? What will they do next? Apparently, the bacteria precipitate or trap and bind layers of sediment to make those short dark structures in the sea. To protect the stromatolites, a walkway has been built over them so that visitors can look at but not touch them. A good explanation on what stromatolites are can be found at this Australian government site.

The coach is actually a tourist coach so it came with commentary on the various tourist spots by the driver, who also doubled up as the tour guide.

Incidentally, Feature Tours often give steep discounts to tourists at the last minute(or rather the last few days before tour departure) in order to fill up their seats. We went on their day tour to Albany(covering Margaret River, Tree Top Walk, Gloucester Tree, wine tasting, natural land bridge) at around 60 per cent of the normal going rate. Last minute promotion prices apply to only certain tours....probably the ones that are not well booked. Don't expect to find this info on their website. Their office is near to the Perth Meridian Hotel.

It was midnight when we reached Perth. The coach dropped us off at the various hotels. Those staying at Freemantle had to take a cab.

Our Monkey Mia Resort commentary can be found here.