Stories from the Coral Coast, part 1

The corrugated road to Natures Window,  Kalbarri National Park 

When you feel the pull of a triple stacked semi trailer passing, you know you're in Western Australia. Our rented little Nissan Micra was no match to the energy the road trains; but on the long, dusty roads that cross Western Australia, you find camaraderie among the fifty meter machines. They are your lifeline to civilization if a wheel goes flat or the engine light starts shouting in anger.

Tonto, our little rented Micra, no bigger than a go-kart, was not built for these roads. We longed for our reliable Ranger who should have been leading the charge into the remote western region. Somewhere between the dusty roadhouses that dot the Western Australia highways, we were rolling along in a go-kart hoping to make it to Denham by nightfall. That's when Tonto's engine light started its threatening glow. With a nary a home in sight and barely any reception, we were urged forward by the rental agency.  One hundred and sixty-five kilometers doesn't sound far, unless you are puttering along in a dying Micra unsure that you'll make it to the next roadhouse let alone to Denham, where the small-town mechanic will return tomorrow. He'll look at your car then.

It was an uncomfortable journey.


This is the first in a meandering series of short stories and pictorial posts about our recent trip to Western Australia's Coral Coast. 









happy travels, amy badskirt.