Perth

Well, not much to report. Back in the folds of a city and so using technology is as easy as perusing a sidewalk.

We stayed in Hutt River and got a tour from the royals. But spent the first night as illegall imigrants becuase the government offices were shut and we couldn't get visas. Luckilly Hutt River is slightyly more enlightend than our own country and they don't have detention centres (but the prince did say he was friends with Joh Beleki Peterson and was firmly catholic).

We left and got to Geroldton which is a largish town on the relativity scale of the west coast. After some admin etc we went to sandy cape nature reserve and spent the night.

The next day we went to the pinnicals desert. This is a sandy desert with tall limestone formations standing like pillars. I won't go into the geology becuase I don't know it. We then stayed at Yanchepp national park 50km north of perth which used to be an old estate of some rich scotsman. Yesterday we pulled into Scarbrough beach and had a swim and then went to see Broken Flowers in Ludderville.

This morning we got the muffler on the car fixed so it makes much less sound and got the gas tuned so it will run better. We checked out the art gallery and museum and are going to go for a swim at cotto.

Hope your all well, getting to Adelaide on the 1st to go the the BDO on the 3rd and then I have to get my shit together before uni.

Stay well, Have a good Australia day. I say celebrate what makes our country an amazing place and try to debate and raise awareness about the issues and events that make it not so great. Then maybe we can push this country towards a brighter future.

Dirty South, Real Name, No Gimmicks

Hey all, hope that your all doing well.

I last spoke from Canarvorn as we were doing laundry. We left and drove south to Shark Bay a world heritage area. We saw more stromatalites, hypersaline water, the worlds largest sea grass deposits, shell beach and all manner of crazy desert coast (the outback coast).

Now we were on the way to Monkey Mia where tons of tourists go to see dolphins come and be fed. It is a resorty place with heaps of French girls who spend hours every morning doing their makeup before they hit the water. We were going there and then we saw a sign for a place called NANGA on the way. Normally we would have driven past but a swiss guy we met at 80 mile beach said it was really good. We stopped in and it was. It was a run down "Resort" that was also a sheep station. We spent 2 days here playing tennis on the cracked court, swimming in the amoeba filled artesian 38 degree spa and generally kickin back. We walked 2km down the beach and found

A FUCKING SOUTHERN RIGHT WHALE 6 WEEKS DECOMPOSED AND WASHED ASHORE WITH SHARKS HAVING EATTEN ITS HEAD. FUCK FUCK FUCK. It was the most crazy thing I have ever seen.

We went on to Monkey Mia which was touristy but fun, except the only thing to do is watch the dolphins be feed and there are so many people and the constant sound of digital cameras so the zen conection with nature is somewhat lost. We headed back to NANGA after 1 night at MM and went to the whale at night. A dead whale on a desolate beach gave me much more zen than 5 dolphins eaching fish from people who watch a current affair but maybe thats just me.

We drove down today through KARBILI national park and are now in the town with the same name. There was a neo-hippy food cafe with fallafals and the like that we craved but it was shut so ate at a take-away. We are soon going to...
http://www.huttriver.net/

Bet ya didn't know that existed.
Anyway, I'll give you a shout out from Perth which we should arrive at from about the 25th but we'll see how things go.

Peace to all
DHP

Fare thee well tropics

Well, we left Broome after getting the car serviced and a new oil diff (I don't know what that is but ours was burnt out). The muffler is fucked but who cares really.

We drove to 80 mile beach, a wind swept shell covered beach where clouds roll in like trains. We stayed for 2 nights and watched sea turtles come to shore to lay eggs. When we left we entered the roads that had been closed due to the cyclone but they had cleared enough for us to drive over. We stayed at a flooded rest area.

The next night we reached cape range national park NINGALLO REEF. We stayed for 3 nights at the reef (camped 500m from offshore snorkling on the fringing reef) and saw rays, sharks, turtles, parrot fish and a shit load of corral.

We left and drove down to coral bay which is a seaside resort at the base of the reef. We stayed here for 2 nights, one night on an abandoned farm station and the other in a car park next to the "no camping" sign. We had a 6er and a pizza to celebrate 2 months on the road as the sun went down.

Today we went for a morning snorkle (fucking freezing) and left the tropics and are in the town of canarvon doing laundry and other uninteresting tasks. We head to Shark bay to swim with sharks and then to some national parks before going to Perth.

Its fucking freezing and its only 25 degrees.
The west coast is very windy.

DHP

Sunset and Surf

Well we made it to the west coast. More on that later.

So Boxing day we caught the train to Caboulture which took about an hour and then we got a maxi taxi with some other festivians to the site. After searching for shade we camped in a mini forest that others had left becuase they all set up tarps and had cars etc. We wandered around and saw the pre-festival show at the troubadour.

To avoid boredom I'll just run down my best festival moments:
>The Mammals & The Duhks. Fantastic american trad with a twist. Ended up hanging out with them and wanting to marry the fiddle player but I think she was married to the guitarist.
> Eric Bibb. Blues man extroidinare. Didn't get better than his cover of stagger lee.
> Afro Dizzi Act. Psychedelic Funk, Nuff said.
> True Live. Aussie Jazz Hip hop. A six-piece with chello, violin and double bass.
> The Bird. New Years and the crowd was whipped into a frenzy with drum and bass ragas.
> Eugeene Hideaway Bridges. B.B. King screaming blues in a stetson.
> The fact that it was a mass gathering of like minded people who will all change the world for the better.
> Mango Margerhita slushies. Helped to beat the heat.
> The Dirty Three. Magic soundscapes with a trashed frontman and epiphinies abound.
> They keep going but I'll stop with PEGGY SEEGER

The whole 7 days was a magic plethora of good times, good food and good fun.

We left on the 2nd after I had stayed up for basicly 3 days (I had 3-4 hours sleep each night). After the final show (Kristina Olsen), I was walking back to camp in a haze of red wine and rollies when I heard DOOFDOOFDOOFDOOF. Thinking a campsite was partying I found a psytrance night at the trophy bar and doofed till dawn with 2 girls in matching pants. Over comedown chai I found that they were planning an Australia trip so I didn't shut up for about an hour.

When we left we drove to the coast and swam and relaxed. We had 6 in the car and were full of luggage. I needed sleep like nothing else. I got overpriced airport food for dinner and had a terrible flight becuase I couldn't get the sleep I so desperatly needed. The flight was delayed and we didn't get to bed in Darwin till 4am (again!).

On the 3rd we woke at midday and cleaned the granny flat the Bennets had been letting us use (Thank you). We posted some more gear home to make space and left Darwin at about 6pm. We drove till midnight and stoped 200km past Kathrine.

We drove for all of the 4th. The only event was a man with rolling stones tattos made us throw our fruit out becuase of quarintine.

On the 5th we pulled into Broome and scored a beach front camp site at a van park. We swam dispite the stingers (too pretty not to) and I am writing from the Broome Library. We walked the 22km of cable beach, rode camels at sunset, watched the sun slip over the edge of the continent, drank tropical coctails, played minigolf and saw desert child. We think we will leave today or tomorrow and head down the west coast.

I hope your all well and sticking to your resolutions. You can make any changes you want by using your will.

Big ups to OWEN CARROL who has made the wise choice of joining the party in Adelaide and to ANGUS DAVIES and COL JOHNSTON who will also make the pilgrimage.

Peace to all. Lets start this revolution and turn the world the other way.

Just a New Year, A New Moon and Me

Well, In Brisbane Airport, I hope you all had a fantastic christmas. Chrissy in Brizzy was very chilled out and laid back. Woodford was the greatest event in my life with fantastic music and great company and thousands of beautiful people. Arrive in Darwin at 1am and then leave tomorrow to jet to Broome.

I will save the festival recount for a post when I have more time. The best bands were the dirty three, the mammals, the duhks, Afro Dizzy Act and the Bird.

Today we drove to bindge island and swam in the sea. I hadn't swum in the sea since I went to Cape Tribulation in September.

We are going to go to Broome and swim and sea desert child. I hope you guys all get to some form of coast or another because a swim in the sun with the salt water and golden sand reenforced my life lease which woodford generated.

DHP