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The campervan, lovingly nicknamed Mothership, has been returned. So many splattered insects to clean off! Can we say protein shake?

Anyway, Levi wanted me to figure out a different way of saying “The End,” so I’ll leave you with a realisation. We travelled to many places around Southwest Australia and one thing is for certain, Grill’d chips are still the best!

“It was 1981, newly married and it was a devastating year. It was a late start to the farming season. Cropping was not using what we use today which is called minimum tillage. In those days it was ploughing and harrow back. This created a dust bowl. Serious erosion around the whole place. We called it a wet drought. It rained but nothing grew because it was too cold and windy. My wife and I also had a bad car accident in 1981. My wife was in between the seats with no seat belt. I had mine on. A young chap, an American that was working for me, didn’t have his seat belt on. A lady had pulled in front of us at an intersection. Made a complete sausage of her car. The American chap went threw the wind screen. There was no markings on him but he died of internal damage. My wife only suffered from whiplash and lacterations. I lost a knee cap and had my nose cut off my face from the windscreen. We couldn’t work physically. The other lady was okay as well as her twin daughers. They’ve changed the interaction since that time.  It was the tipping point in the first year of our marriage. We got a caravan and went on a working trip around Australia for 3 years. We still had a debt on our farm to pay. Those three years enlightened us. The various work I did tour guiding and horticulture operations in the Northern Terroritory. Working and learning from other contractors. I found oppritunities. My touch with the enivonrment was honed in and I was recongized for my work in the Northern Territory. It made me think, do I really want to be a farmer anymore? Our health improved. That was the beginnings of going into a business about revegetation and erosion control. When we returned to Perth, I knew the pathway was for me to be looking after my four children. That was the best move. Hesitant at first to finance it alone but I had faith in my ability to find contract work. I had substantial infrastructure contracts around Perth. I became recognized for the work we were doing in revegetation for the mining industry. However, mining in 1991 was a recession year. The newspaper stories we highly depressive and I knew my work was going down. People were pausing contracts. I thought, I had never travelled to South East Asia. I picked up the newspaper and saw the development that was happening in Indonesia. Most businesses there were Dutch, Candian, Australian or American. I tracked them down. I found someone who would listen to me. He gave me 20 minutes on how I can help on a new construction project on the environmental side for the Batu hijau mine. I got the contract. That was the start of 10 years of doing work there. What I learned from 10 years in Indonesia and other areas from around the world is that we don’t have to be a massive manufacturing plant for our food. Eat local, east seasonally, don’t have fast food shipped everywhere. Sure we need exports for our own produce; but, I think we should be building to a scale that is sustaninable for that landing holding. I see people making the same mistakes like in the 1981 Esperance dustbowl; exposing their soil through large machines and techniques that are not environmentally sound. Legislation can be effective. Look what happened to plastic bags in supermarkets. We don’t have to be tree huggers to make change. Even I have something to learn by honing in my techniques and communicating with experienced people. Especially with Aboriginal groups and their knowledge of the land. Opening lines of communications to better live in a sustainable way.” - Greg Hill

#aboriginal #esperance #dunns #ecopark #greg hill

After pancake Sunday, we drove over to Ngilgi cave( pronounced ‘Neel-gee’ ) for a semi-guided tour.

The local Aboriginal people, from the Wardandi clan, have known about Ngilgi cave for many years. Ngilgi is named after the good spirit of the ocean that watches over the Wardandi people. It’s one of the better caves to explore because of the variety of cave formations. The most fascinating formation is the cave Shawl. Shawls are wavy sheets of calcite that hang from the ceilings and walls. You can determine amount of rainfall and forest regrowth that have occurred over millions of years by looking at the dark and light bands of the cave Shawl( also known as cave bacon ).

Afterwards, we checked out Eagle Bay where a guy we befriended, named Choc, let Levi reel in a heron.

New video by Jason Miller

Levi continued his fascination with people fishing at Bussleton Jetty. We saw a small crowd form around a guy and heard the words "sea snake." Rather than running away we ran towards the poisonous animal. Turns out the fisherman accidentally caught a juvenile, Serpent Eel. They have powerful jaws with sharp teeth and it’s not poisonous. Their heads can been seen protruding from the sand in shallow waters looking for prey while the adults live in deeper depths. The fisherman was careful to remove the tangled Serpent Eel and the hook before releasing it back to the ocean.

#serpent #eel fish #pancakes #busselton #fishing #cavern

We found our limits yesterday on Middle Earth. Middle Earth is a mountain bike trail near Cowaramup, a town that embraces it’s name with many cow sculptures. We did 19km of climbing slippery rocks, leg burning hills, balancing on logs and launching off of jumps. The three hour gauntlet was even tough for me. Levi was close behind the entire time. A few times I heard him cussing with words I didn’t realize he knew. I secretly cracked up but maintained the face of “please use other words to express yourself son.”

At one point there was a Southwestern Shingleback Lizard with his head held up high, we called him Gandalf, in the middle of the bike path. He defied us to pass him. We shall and did pass.

We rewarded ourselves with chips and headed to Redgate Beach to hop some rocks. Levi found a cool shell and we made some friends with the local King’s Skinks hiding in the rocks.

King Skinks eat soft plants but will supplement their diet with insects and the odd bird egg.

At camp, Levi found the largest caterpillar we’ve ever seen. A Gum Snout caterpillar. It’s nocturnal and feeds on eucalyptus leaves. By day it camouflages against the stem of a branch. “If disturbed, the caterpillar rears up its tail and its thorax, tucks its head under the body, displays two pale-blue edged black bands that are normally hidden between segments, and stiffens the two horns behind the head.”

New video by Jason Miller

#caterpillar #mountain biking #middle earth #skink

We spent the morning mountain biking on a track just north of Margaret River called “Compartment 10.” It’s well maintained and very fun with options for beginners and experienced riders. I heard Levi say many times “This is cool!”

New video by Jason Miller

We rewarded ourselves with chips( Dad, these are French fries ) from a shop called Squid Lips.

A couple of geologists were sitting next to us and we asked them how these long lines of rose quartz are caused in the granite rocks we’ve been hopping. They explained that it could be due to a change in heat and pressure 1 billion years ago when the magma was cooling which forms crystals. Ocean water rushes in to mix with the iron to give the crystals a red tint.

We saw more evidence of this over at Rockpool just north of our campsite at Conto Campgrounds.

We ended the day with a trip to Mammoth Cave. It was the first time Levi voluntarily wanted to go into a cave. Three years ago he was too scared of the dark to finish off Jewel cave. I was scared of the dark too at that age. Rock on buddy!

The cool thing about Mammoth Cave is learning that the bones of giant Australian fauna were first found here as well as extinct species like the 3m(9’10”) tall, snub snouted kangaroo. It had longer arms for grabbing onto branches to munch on leaves and one toe on each leg. Scientists are not sure why they went extinct but it coincides with both climate change and human involvement more than 60,000 years ago.

If you geek out as much as I do on Australian Megafauna then check out this web site:

OZ fossils - The Age of the Megafauna - The Fauna - Fauna found at the Naracoorte Fossil site

#mammoth #mountain biking #margaret river #megafauna

We rode our bikes down to the beach from our site at Conto campground. While we were hopping from rock to rock a lady pointed to us a nearby snake curled up on a rock. She didn’t know what kind it was.

On our return from the beach we happen to run into an ecologist and she identified the snake as a Southwestern Carpet Python. They are common to coastal and woodland regions here. They are non venomous. They have special, backward turned teeth for grasping an unsuspecting lizard or small marsupial and quickly wrapping around them and squeezing to cause the heart to stop. They typically get up to 2.3m( 7’5” ) and move very slowly. They’re different from the Boa Constrictor in that Carpet Pythons lay eggs, instead of giving birth to live young, and incubate them by vibrating their muscles to achieve warmth. The mum will not eat and only goes out to warm up on a rock.

#python

This is Doug. He was brought up on a sheep farm for fours years but his owner was going to euthanize him because he showed no interest in herding. Doug was rescued by Gary and Margaret who run Boat Harbour Camp & Chalets. At first Doug was getting out and chasing Kangaroos but he quickly adjusted to the calm life of being a greeter for visitors.

“He’s a good judge of character and will only growl to us privately if he does not like the person who is approaching. We feel safe when he’s around.

He’s really smart. He doesn’t go into the communal kitchen because we told him not to. Our friend has lost several dogs to snake bites but Doug leaves the snakes alone. He understands our routines and is often one step ahead of us. He’s a people dog, not a sheep herding dog. One funny thing he does is he’ll wait like gentleman before I sit down on the couch. Then he will leap right onto my lap and nuzzle me for cuddles. Gary and I laugh every time.”

#kelpie #rescue

Wicked cool trip thus far, gents. Glad to see you two are having a blast. I loved the video of the boat. Levi's getting big! Current question: What has been your favorite destination thus far? Why?

Thanks bro. My favorite place is Denmark because of the lush vegetation, big trees and Green Pool.

Levi would say Tozer’s camp because of the leopard moths.

We had a brief LEGO build and headed off to Denmark to kayak in the calm waters of the Denmark river. We kayaked all the way to the Wilson inlet. There were a few kayakers along the way and some kids swinging on a rope to splash into the river. This time I was prepared when Levi said “Dad, I’m hungry.”

New video by Jason Miller

We briefly stopped by the Denmark Chocolate Factory and had their sampler plate. The area outside is green and well manicured.

But, it felt too touristy so we headed over to Greens Pool a few kilometers down the road.

In the 1930s, Greens Pool was scoped out as being a potential spot for commercial fishing. That was short lived because the fish could easily swim under the nets thanks to the undulating ground. Now it’s one of the best beaches to spend the day at. It has a protected area from the waves where you can snorkel or swim. There are many rocks to explore isolated pools and gain better overall views. Or you could just lay in the soft sand and read a book. I love this place. Poor Levi was too cold from the water and we had to leave earlier than expected. That kid has no body fat on him. Need to plump him up with more chocolate or marshmallows. Speaking of which! That’s what we did when we found out we could have a camp fire!! A few more weeks of nothing but marshmallows and we’ll head back to Greens Pool.

#denmark #marshmallows #legolife

On our way out from Albany we stopped by an interesting and free art exhibit. Darrell Radcliffe is a wood chainsaw artist and his art is on display via drive thru only at his residence on Mercer Road. There are over 100 sculptures. One of my favorites is the cello which took him a week to carve.

#albany #woodcarver

We explored some of Albany on bike starting with the Albany skate park. It was built in 1976 after a group of teenagers raised $3000 in three months. The town council was so impressed that they chipped in $10,000. The skateboard park was built on the scarring of an old gravel quarry. It is thought to be one of the first skateboard parks in the world.

We continued to bike around Mount Clarence and down to Ellen Cove but it was too windy to enjoy. We had a brief play at Eyre Park and found a scenic bike path to Woolies( that’s a grocery store, Dad ).

New video by Jason Miller

In the evening, Levi said goodbye to his second Mothy as it buzzed up into the trees at our caravan park.

In the middle of the night he awoke saying “Dad, I need to turn on the lights.” I covered my eyes and he searched around the wall next to me. Shortly after, he turned off the lights and fell asleep. The next morning I asked what was he searching for? He said he dreamt that Mothy was buzzing against the van wall trying to get out. He was trying to save Mothy. We had a good laugh. It was also enduring at how much he cares for the little bugs.

The next morning we were greeted by a gentle breeze on a clear day on the shore of our accommodation. I tried to capture the tranquility with this 360 view and the ambient sounds. Try to do both at the same time.

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

panorama caravan park morning 360 google

#albany

“I grew up on my father’s farm in Bremer Bay. It was the country life where you travel 250km to play football or to a tavern to chat with mates. I never finished school because I needed to help my father on the farm. I did an agricultural course and sheered sheep. My father left my brother and I 3000 acres each. I continued to be a wool farmer with over 4000 sheep but it was hard work. You would spend $400k a year just to run the farm and sometimes have to borrow money if you had bad years like in the late 1990s when the price of wool crashed. I was 40 years old in 1996 with a young family and worried about the bank taking the farm. One evening, after clearing out a bunch of land, I looked out at the red sunset. That’s when I got the idea of starting my own bush camp for visitors. I set my mind to it. I diversified my crop, subdivided the land, got the permits, wool prices got better and on Boxing Day of 2013 I opened up Tozer’s Bush Camp. 2019 was the first time we could live off of it without dipping into savings.” - Rob Tozer

We arrived at Tozer’s Bush Camp after a four hour drive from Esperance. The next morning Levi rescued four leopard moths from an opportunistic wolf spider near by. Wolf spiders typically live in burrows and go out hunting at night for prey. Their bites are not dangerous to humans.

New video by Jason Miller

Levi kept one moth, named Mothy, safe in a colander while we skipped rocks at Bremer Bay and ate pizza at the Bremer Bay Brewing Company.

New video by Jason Miller

At the start of the night the leopard moth started fluttering it’s wings and buzzed away after Levi cleared it for takeoff. Levi said it was one of the highlights of this trip.

Yesterday morning Levi brought in a friend into the campervan. A leopard moth. A leopard larvae bores into the stems of shrubs and trees, especially fruit trees, to eat the heartwood. Their development takes 2-3 years.

New video by Jason Miller

Levi also had a very fun idea when he saw the 4x4s driving on Lucky Bay. We should ride our mountain bikes. The sand was packed down hard so there was no dramas in slipping on the beach. It was very windy but the reward for riding against the wind was the thrill of feeling like you were part of the wind.

New video by Jason Miller

Right next to Lucky Bay is a camp ground. The campers are not supposed to feed the kangaroos but they have and kangaroos are very tame. A mum and her joey hopped out of the bush to our area. Immediately, a crowd of people snapped photos and scratched the kangaroo’s backs.

In the evening, Levi and I played LEGO games as we enjoyed our last night in Esperance.

Checkout the following link if you want to see a Google Street View of our campsite( it’s better to view it in Google maps ):

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

Just west of Esperance is one of the most picturesque roads for viewing beaches you will ever drive on called Twilight Beach Road. Our first stop was Dempster Head. A granite mound next to a beach. There we found a recently dead Social Huntsman Spider. This spider will share its prey with it’s colony totaling up to 300 members. They move fast and hunt for food, lizards and insects, rather than spinning a web. They are shy around humans and symptoms from bites are very minor.

Next we drove to Twilight Beach and found a tunnel created from vegetation and rocks to dab on. ( Dad, dabbing is a pose that Levi is doing on a rock in one of the pics. )

I stood in one place for 10 minutes trying to take a slo-mo video of a powerful wave hitting the rocks and spraying water high in the air. It was a no show until I gave up. Typical.

We didn’t stop at anymore beaches. Just soaked in the sites as we drove the loop. By the way, Pink Lake hasn’t been pink for thirteen years due to human involvement. The salinity has to be just right to give off a pink hue.

Also, Levi wanted me to mention in the blog how often and how stinky his farts have been. After swimming at the local leisurely centre, he let out a ripper in the changing room in front of a stranger. “Sounds like you’ll need new underwear”, the stranger said and smiled. Grandpa would be proud.

I met Damian at our current accommodation. He is from France. He started off studying advertisement and journalism in Paris. “The problem is you need a network of people to get a job. Plus, I hate Paris because it’s polluted and full of rude people.”

Damian travelled to New Zealand and worked on a dairy farm. He enjoyed being away from the office environment and being out in the country air. He couldn’t stay too long because of visa restrictions so he came to Australia where the pay is better. Damian answered a Gumtree ad posted by Greg at Dunns Ecopark to ground some tree stumps. “It was hard work but I enjoyed it.” He has been working here for two years now doing odd jobs. “I find the lifestyle fulfilling. Always something new. When I’m done, I can do what I want like surfing. I make no plans for the future. I like my freedom.”

Bit of a lazy morning. We chatted with the new campers that arrived. A few of them are avid LEGO fans so Levi busted out his pride and joy, Rover. There was another father there who was about my age geeking out more than his fifteen year old son about the gear box and suspension on Rover.

In the afternoon, we headed 10 mins north of Esperance to “The Piggery.” A group of mountain biking enthusiasts have created many fun trails varying in skill level that total around 15km. Levi loved it. Especially when his bike flipped over him and pinned him like a pretzel. He wasn’t hurt at all, just needed help untangling his limbs. We were there for an hour, not counting getting lost. We even saw a Bardick snake on the trail. “Too bad Grandma wasn’t here” Levi joked. Grandma is deathly afraid of snakes. Funny that her son and grandson live in a country that is home to some of the most deadly snakes in the world. A Bardick snake is typically 40cm, can reach as long as 70cm and is venomous. Partially nocturnal, this snake mostly feeds on lizards.

With all of the exercise we did, Levi crashed pretty hard at bedtime.

New video by Jason Miller

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