We left Perth on Saturday morning for a trip to Mt Lesueur National Park and a bit of exploration around Jurian Bay. The plan was to head north via Brand Hwy to Badgingarra, make a short stop for a coffee break and then turn off-road and follow Hill River Track along Hill River.
Hill River road was well maintained with a quite nice scenery to enjoy.
At the end of this road, we turned right into Munbinea Rd which was sealed but only for next 5 km. After crossing Jurien Rd we continued north via Cockleshell Gully Road which was quite corrugated at times but running 24 PSI and keeping speed above 60 kmph smoothen up the vibrations enough.
As soon as we entered Mt Lesueur national park there was a right hand turn off for an one-way scenic drive around Mt Lesueur. Although all access roads to this place were dirt this one-way road was sealed.
Mt Lesueur is 313 meters high, circular and flat top elevated area
It was time to stretch legs and walk to a near by lookout.
Niki was determined to spot an eagle
Further down this road we came across a plateau with a another cool view
After lunch we continued north toward Stockyard Caves.
Cockleshell Gully road turned into a sandy track shortly after crossing Woolmulla road.
A half of an hour later we reached Stockyard Caves, something Niki was looking forward to explore.
We parked at the official cave exit and walked through the cave twice. It was easier and more fun than return via the top. The exit was very rocky and not kids friendly but we appreciated the fact that the cave hasn't been altered from its natural appearance.
There was a beehive right at the entrance above our heads. We tried not to disturb them.
Niki was thrilled by the lack of light in the cave. In the middle of it, without torches, it was absolutely no light at all.
The next destination was Lake Indoon which at this time of year, is dry but we wanted to check out surroundings and the camp facilities.
To get there we had to continue north via a narrow overgrown soft sand track. The progress was very slow and it took us few hours to travel those 10 km and reach the lake.
The camp at lake Indoon was nice but with no visitors. It's not a surprise as without water this place misses its major attraction. There were lot of nice shady camp spots around the lake.
After a short rest and airing up tyres we headed south to Sandy Point, a recreational area just north of Jurien Bay. We took Coolimba Eneabba road east and then turned left into Indian Ocean Drive. An hour later we turned off the main road into Sandy Cape Rd which led us to the main camp area which was packed. As we got to the end of the camp there was a surprise right in front of us. A young couple from Nederland bogged their Suzuki Vitara and seemed quite happy seeing a well equipped FJ Cruiser. We winched them out of soft sand and suggested they would be better park that car there and walk the beach instead.
At that point we were just few hours from dark so we thought it was better to continue down to a narrow track along the coastline hopping to find a nice spot for an overnighter.
After half an hour of slow drive trough soft sand and limestone rocks, the effort has been paid off.
As evening approached weather worsened and wind picked up the speed but our roof top tent still looked fine hidden behind a sand dune.
There were a couple of light showers over night but nothing that would ruin a good night sleep.
Early morning we packed up and decided to head off to Jurian Bay for a breakfast.
On the way to Pinnacles we stopped to check out the lake Thetis near by Cervantes
A couple of local Emus met us at the entrance of Pinnacles drive
It doesn't matter that we visited this place so many times before, it's always fun and we had a good time again.
Video highlights of the trip coming soon...
