From half pelicans – to whole cases.
For a travel lecture, we have heard about Monkey Mia. Funny name, but it should be World Heritage - so despite many kilometers into no man's land - we want to see what it is.
There is not much World Heritage about the trip out onto the peninsula itself. The road is deserted and goes through outback like area. After an hour's drive, we arrive at a toll station. We pay in the belief that now we will arrive at something fantastic. But um…. So there is only one beach and a large campsite. It also costs a small fortune to live here. The glory value is a bit wrong for us as a customer group.
This is the first time we have had to pay admission to be allowed to enter and pay to spend the night. On the beach there is dolphin feeding. However, it is also a bit of a nit. They spend 20 minutes talking about the dolphins and then the 3 dolphins present get 3 fish. Thats it. It must be said to be the 100% tourist trap.
The best entertainment, however, is when a bunch of wild emus come into the campsite and start stealing all the food they can find. Howls and screams echo through the square as the emus work their way forward. They have no inhibitions and like to stick their long necks into the cars and check if there is an unguarded roll of biscuits.
Fortunately, it is also possible to go on a morning walk outside the resort area and have a look at the rich bird life.
We still have plenty of time left on the trip and are starting to consider whether we should sell the car in Perth or take the long trip across the Nullarbor back to Adelaide. Since we are not pressed for time, we decide to go to Adelaide. We know the procedure for selling cars in South Australia - so it will be a long trip back.
Denmark and Bornholm are cities in Western Australia. It can hardly get more Danish-sounding, so we just have to check what it's about. Denmark is a very pleasant city, but we scout in vain for both flat raspberry slices and red porridge with cream. Neither Vikings nor Danish street names hang on street corners.
A man we talk to believes that the city is named after a person and not a country. However, we don't quite buy it, as Bornholm is a stone's throw away. Without finding further Danish references, we continue to Bornholm. To call Bornholm a city seems to be saying too much, here are a few houses and that's all. Well... but now we got to see the two places. Down here in southern Western Australia, the landscape is a bit reminiscent of Denmark, with large agricultural areas, trees and hills.
We begin the trip over the Nullarbor. The navigation is easy, with 1195 km straight before we have to turn left.
The area is very dry and we have to bring our own drinking water.
Water must be conserved in the entire area. There is only enough for the most basic things out here... We can of course buy bottled water and roadhouse food along the way. But it is now nice to be well supplied in advance.
It's a nice trip through the outback. The vast wilderness that stretches as far as it is possible to see on the horizon. No houses or other man-made things to disturb the picture. It is wonderful to experience such nature and not least the starry sky at night.
The season for whale migration to Antarctica is just around the corner. On the way to the Nullarbor, we drive to all the viewpoints – including the Head of Bight centre. Perhaps we could spot some who had swum beforehand - but unfortunately without success. Just a few more weeks to go. Otherwise it would have been crazy to see them. However, the coastline itself is also quite spectacular with its steep cliffs and crashing waves.
We continue to Adelaide, now the last major trip task is to sell the car again. We have set course for a campsite in the south, but upon arrival everything is unfortunately sold out. Try going to Christies Beach Camping - says the nice man at the reception. They often have room for spontaneous bookings.
We drive the short trip there and suddenly the surroundings start to look familiar. By sheer coincidence, we have ended up at exactly the same campsite that we started the trip from in August 2022. It starts to feel like the circle is about to be completed...
