Along the west coast of Australia
The sand is too white, the sea is too turquoise, the sky is an endless promise. I pinch myself to test if I'm not dreaming by accident. After all, dreams do not smell like salt water, sunscreen and wild rosemary. In dreams, no waves spill over my back, while tropical fish nibble on corals below me. I am in Salmon Bay in the Indian Ocean and enjoy what feels like unreal beauty. On the cliffs, seals from the breeze let the fur dry, gulls squawk, only wind and waves disturb the silence. Rottnest Island is eleven kilometers long and half as wide, has 63 beaches but no cars.
The perfect spot to take another deep breath for my private road movie through Western Australia. I want to drive about 2000 kilometers through Down Unders largest state, mostly along the coast, with my friend, surfboard and mask. I have planned for three weeks. Pink cockatoos are picking fig berries from the cobblestones, children are biking in front of the Rottnest Bakery, everyone is moving at a slow pace. "This island belongs to the holidaymakers," says Pam, who we meet on the way to the pub. "Housing is only allowed here, who is needed: waiter, nurse, policeman."
West Coast of Australia: Perth looks like a mirage
The capital of Western Australia is PERTH, with 1.4 million inhabitants, the fourth largest city on the continent. Here, even in midsummer, a light breeze blows.
And the priest. Monsignor O'Shea completes the limed village church, which he has looked after for 30 years. That makes him, he grins, the "longest-serving islander" - not counting the Quokkas. Actually it should be called Quokka Island, not Rottnest. When a Dutchman first saw the little gray-brown marsupials with button eyes, he thought he had landed in a "rat-nest".
Too many rodents, Captain de Vlamingh found in 1696 and turned off. The Quokkas stayed. On the horizon Perth looks like a mirage, while the skyscrapers of the capital are barely 25 kilometers away. Glad we do not have to go back in the evening. Behind the "Rottnest Lodge" the evening sun dips the Garden Lake in orange, Quokkas dig in the sand, even the bicycle bells have a break. We sit on our lodge terrace, inhale warm, salty air and decide to stay here today. My travel companion brings fish and chips from the restaurant and beer from the bar, to which we hear strange, whistling birds in their night song. Incidentally, we think about what is better: the perfect here and now or the curious curiosity on the next stations? The round ends in a draw.
From vineyard to stalactite cave: wander around Margaret River.
At least two types of human beings get bright eyes when they hear the words "Margaret" and "River": surfers and wine lovers. I am both. "Do not we want to go north?", The man in the back seat doubted the feminine sense of direction, "Margaret River is south." Sure, but what are a few hundred kilometers detour in a state that is endless anyway? 2.5 million square kilometers, to be exact, the size of Western Europe. Caves Road leads us into the storybook, winding past stalactite caves, eucalyptus and olive groves, crossing lakes and vineyards. We end up in front of a "Cellar Door", one of over a hundred tasting rooms on the many wineries in this region. "Nowhere is it so easy to make such excellent wine," says Virginia Willcock. She points to the ripe grapes on the hillside, she has to know: for years she traveled the world as a "flying Öno-login". Back home, the Australian brings in the traditional Vasse Felix award-winning drops in the barrels. "The soil, the location and the breeze from the sea are ideal", she enthuses and lets us taste Shiraz: the deep red wine is spicy and soft, reminiscent of wild berries, herbs and earthy wooden barrels at the same time. Divine good.
Along the west coast in Australia - high time for the board
The next morning green-blue parrots squeak in the giant trees above the cottage. It smells of forest and salt water. Between old Karri trees open from the slopes of breathtaking views over the cobalt blue ocean. Beyond the mouth of the river, the first surfers wait for waves at sunrise. High time to finally grow the board. From the sea, the coast is untouched, neither fences nor houses disturb the wild nature on the cliffs. The sea extends in front of me as a gently rolling carpet. I dive through a few waves and paddle further out to sea. It is peaceful, the noise of the spray mixes only the cries of the ever-awake seagulls. Sitting on the board, I let my hands and feet circle in the cool water. Suddenly I see a gray fin, barely 15 meters away.I jump on the board in a flash. "Dolphins," a surfer calms me next to me and grins. The sun blinks over green slopes, the swell rolls steadily into the bay. Behind me, a wave is building up. Finally. And I hunt with a cry of joy to the beach. But this adrenaline rush was worth the detour.
Pinnacles - magic in the desert: author Julica Jungehülsing at the Pinnacles in the Nambung National Park.
In the Nambung National Park, I am very quiet. The top of the rocket Towers are standing next to knobbly turtles, there is a bellied port wine bottle in XXL, a wandering ghost family - all made of yellow lime! Pillars stick out of a hill, as nicely riffled and potholed as if Gaudí had practiced here before starting with Barcelona's churches. We trudge through powdery sand and feel the sometimes mirror-smooth, sometimes harsh figures. Are we really still in the same country, on the same Indian Ocean? It is getting cold. In the evening light, the rocks shine orange, then pink and purple until the sky runs out of color. Only a dozen tourists still turn around, amateur photographers drill tripods in the sand.
Someone has bothered and counted the pinnacles - and given up at 150000. No wonder. We sink into the sand with a glass of white wine from the cool box and agree: This geological uniqueness, created through millennia of leaching, wind and erosion, is the craziest sculpture exhibition in the world. Two kangaroos stretch their ears over a bush, behind which a three-quarter moon slides out of the mist. Too bad that you are not allowed to sleep under stars here. We have to go to the only nearby town, Cervantes. There it smells of algae, in front of the jetty the lobsterfish fleet floats. Anyone who lives here knows more about rock lobsters than Don Quixote - the name of the nest after a stranded ship. The choice of accommodation is small: motel, campground or "backpacker lodge". Although we are not a backpacker, the corner room with sea views in the lodge is wonderful for the night.
Main thing, fish! Pelicans are foolhardy fighter pilots when it comes to their food.
Orange flowering Banksia trees line the road, the asphalt pulls us like a rope towards the horizon. The longer we drive, the farther the sky appears, the brighter the light. No one pushes or honks on the lonely highways, so even driving can relax.
Our next destination is Kalbarri, a national park full of canyons and red sandstone. It is beautiful for painting - and infinitely hot. Kalbarri is the oasis between the river and the sea. Instead of stifling outback drought, we suddenly breathe lukewarm ocean air, the temperature drops by a good ten degrees from "hot" to "nice and warm". Anglers throw their lines from the jetty over undulating whirlpools, in which salt and fresh water mix. At the jetty, the "River Queen" is waiting for us, an old-fashioned paddle wheel boat. For "Sunset Cruise" we plow through the Murchison River and bump into the deck with ice-cold beer. Pelicans fish for prey, black swans land in the shallow mouth. The air tastes of tropical and desert at the same time.
In front of Kalbarri, the cliffs fall dramatically red and glowing into the sea. In the morning we almost have the hiking trail over the picture-book cliffs alone - if there were not about 80 million flies that swarm around us. And how did we make fun of the hats with the attached fly curtain in the souvenir shop! Now we wave every second with both arms. The planned coastal walk shrinks to a one-hour walk. Then we run to the water in Pot Alley Bay and jump into the sea.
West Coast of Australia: I prefer to stay here
For Breakfast Fish: Rangers feed dolphins at Monkey Mia on Shark Bay.
On the way north we turn off to Shark Bay, a group of bays separated by peninsulas. Here you will find rare manatees, shell beaches and dolphins, rare plants and huge seabirds. I would like to stay here. I would filter sand with my toes and wait for a turtle to stick my head out of the sea. Or secretly feed pelicans. Walk over beaches that we only share with seagulls and hermit crabs. Watch the dolphins feeding at Monkey Mia Resort in the morning and take the most kitschy sunsets in the evenings. Do not drive anymore. But my friend interrupts my endless holiday dreams: "The whale sharks are waiting." And of course he is right: just a few hundred kilometers further north, the world's largest fish are passing the Ningaloo Reef. We fill up one last time and give gas. Ningaloo, the little brother of the famous Great Barrier Reef in the east, has one big advantage: it starts right on the shore. Neither boat nor tour is necessary, even a few swimming moves beyond Coral Bay I am floating between tropical fish over colorful coral gardens - until I freeze despite 25 degrees in the ocean.
Welcome to the Quokkas: The cute kangaroo species lives on Rottnest Island.
Sand and sun heat up for the next round in the underwater paradise, the discoverer's happiness is limitless and free.What's wrong with the whale shark expedition in nearby Exmouth - Eco-friendly, spy planes, motor boat and crew have their price, but no matter: After all, it's about the biggest fish in the world! The team of "Ningaloo Blue" explains the behavior of the often up to 13 meters long journeymen - then we jump with fins and diving goggles into the sea. Our whale shark has white dots in checks on a black-blue body, an approximately meter-wide mouth, and I almost swallow my snorkel. I was prepared for "big", not so gigantic. Like a tadpole, I feel beside this giant, like one of the pilot fish sucking plankton under its belly. I hope he remembers that he's a vegetarian, shoots through my head, then I find my rhythm and follow the whale shark. About ten minutes later, he dives as majestically as he came: a few blows with the huge caudal fin - he already seems like weightless to fall into the depths. The captain discovers five whale sharks for us - every dive trip a deeper jump into an unreally beautiful world. I slide with these colossi by the ocean! Above me sky and glittering sea surface, below me blue depth. My friend pinches me from the side in the arm. Dream control, for sure is safe.
Travel information for the West Coast in Australia
travel time Perfect for this part of Western Australia's coast are the months of March to July. The whale shark season at the reef lasts from mid-April to July.
If you prefer to go up in the air, book a helicopter flight, for example.
Fly & drive Qantas flies z. B. daily from Frankfurt via Singapore to Perth (from about 600 euros). In three to four weeks, the described tour is good to create. It is about four hours from Perth to Margaret River. For the good 500 kilometers from the Margaret River region to Cervantes you should plan at least one day's travel. Another 400 kilometers from here to Kalbarri, for a break is the coastal town of Dongara suitable. The stage to Monkey Mia is also about 400 kilometers long, but the lonely roads here tire easily, so plan many breaks. From Denham to Exmouth (700 kilometers) you should not drive in one day, possible stopovers: the orchard town of Carnarvon or the Farm Quobba Station (www.quobba.com.au) on a wild coast. A few days on the way north, you can spend well in Coral Bay at Ningaloo Reef. - Rent a car or campervan in Perth, drop in Exmouth and fly back to Perth. This one-way rental is more expensive (eg www.europcar.com.au from 1700 euros for 21 days), but saves time. If you have more time, you can continue the route to Darwin and fly back from there.
Accommodations Hotels, holiday houses or Bed & Breakfasts are z. For example, you can spontaneously book through the Visitor Centers (open daily from 9am to 5pm), which are available in almost every location. If you want to book in advance, you will find accommodations in the booklet "WA Accommodation & Tours" (www.staywa.net.au). The brochure will also be sent abroad.
Read A useful travel companion is the "Lonely Planet Perth & Western Australia" (14.95 euros). - "Australia", a travel book by Freddy Langer (12.95 Euro, Ellert & Richter Verlag).
Info Route planner, links to accommodation, tours and attractions (also in German) on the tourism website: www.westernaustralia.com, for the whole continent at www.australia.com.
