Australia‘s most western tracks (we found sharks!) - EP 110
We reach the region of Shark Bay located in Australia's Far Western Corner the least we imagined is to see sharks! Problem: we have no boat and the track going to the area proved to be a proper nightmare... the road is actually worse than most roads we found in South America congratulations Australia! but you know it travel is full of surprises and the drive to get there is what Australians call the useless Loop and it ended up exceeding all of our expectations. We are Nick and Mathilde and we've left everything behind to travel to Seven Continents with our Land Rover Defender the Albatross: Europe, North America, South America, Antarctica, Australia, Asia, and Africa a world tour for real. We want to see it all! Join us for the best, the worst, the Fantastic, the boring, the headaches, the beauty of every single moment of this journey around the world. This is day 766 and we are in Shark Bay Western Australia. This is the Next Meridian Expedition.
So we're on our way right now to Shark Bay an area full of wildlife in terms of sea mammals so we can't wait hopefully we'll see whales hopefully we'll see dolphin hopefully we'll see sharks, turtles tons of fish. In Australia they have these things called roadhouses or stations and it's technically a place where you can fill up on fuel water a bit of snacks things like that and we're at one right now called Overlander so it's really funny so we're at Road House Overlander and we're going to refill with fuel. [Music] We got to look at the map again. All right where are we going? You got to find on this map, the most western point of Mainland Australia. Okay so steep point which is right here. So
we're leaving from Kalbarri National Park which is right here. We're going to drive all around and then make it up to steep point the most western point of Australia: let's go to the edge of Australia. Steep point! This road is called the Useless Loop Road, yeah exactly and it's funny cuz I was looking for a hike to do in the area and there was one called useless hike. and I was thinking: oh okay well I guess people said this place is useless shouldn't go hike there.
And now that we see that the roads called useless Loop we might need to go! [Music] aha Adventure Time! Yeah gravel! time to deflate. Time to deflate. The Park says we need to remove even more tire pressure than the one we've done, it just says it on the billboard so I guess we'll get even lower cuz now we're going to start four-wheel drive tracks. it's going to get pretty rough so I was at 2.5 on the rear I'm going to probably go to 2.
[Music] We leave the concrete behind us and arrive onto the tracks of Shark Bay leading to the Far Western corner of Australia. Although larger than some European nations Shark Bay only has a permanent population of fewer than a thousand people. The traditional name of the area Gathaagudu: "two Waters" refers to the shape of the region. A "W" shaped land delineating two large Bays,
home to some of the most precious marine life diversity. Reaching the edge of this region is a painful drive with high reward but at that point we are not yet aware of it. Okay we stopped on the side of the road here because I have to show you this. It's just insane how the washboards here, the corrugations is really really big. I can show you, oh yeah you can see it better. They're huge! they're really big! driving on these roads the whole Albatross is like ... it's really rough especially on Land Rovers
where everything is so clunky and everything's made of aluminium and it feels like a cardboard vehicle. Everything is shaking shaking shaking and we're going to have to check all the bolts of everything again. Long hours on a corrugated track called "the useless Loop" makes us question why we even decided to take this road at that point we seriously started wondering whether the suffering imposed on the albatross and ourself was worth it... [Music] [Music] bounce bounce bounce around B bounce bounce around. crazy we were laughing with Nick the road is actually worse than most roads we found in South America: congratulations Australia. yeah it's pretty bad... pretty bad two years that we've traveled. the second worse was in Baja California this one is
way worse. it's hardcore Australia's no joke on the corrugations [Music] [Music] [Music] by sunset time in front of the superb lights and amazingly clear waters of the bay the only thing we wanted was a swim until crazy crazy and she even told us you can swim here the guard even told us that she's been swimming here for 20 years and uh nothing ever happens but I hope that's a chill shark then because that looks like a big one did you see the size of the fin let's say we had an instant change of mind on the refreshing swim we set up camp not Imagining the next day we would actually get a closer look at the Sharks woke up in Eden National Park look what the mandatory camping looks like there's like two spots here us and some neighbors and the neighbors are so kind we spend the evening talking to them and they have a boat and this morning they said we can come on the boat with them that's pretty [Applause] awesome I think I got bit by Stingray what I think I got bit by Stingray I mean stung by Stingray H this is the first Beach where the water is warm enough for you for me and there are tons of sharks but what we were told by the Australians is don't go swimming uh after sunset or Before Sunrise now it is 9 in the morning so I think we're okay I hope but I didn't go very far cuz it would suck to be eaten by a shark so early on the trip especially after getting a new engine like that yeah maybe in a few months yeah luckily that morning we did not have to tempt the Sharks by swimming in the water our Australian campsite neighbors invited us to discover the area from their boat meet Amish and Sarah hey what are you chasing sharks you're chasing sharks finding sharks it started as a joke but just 5 minutes after we got onto the boat just as we were getting the fishing gear ready they showed up [Music] [Music] [Music] oh yeah they're following us wow they're huge oh Bron wh big bronze Whalers this is epic we have to thank Hamish and Sarah for this this is so cool thanks a lot guys yeah sharks this keep goinging with tour operators this is so much funner you guys are I feel like it's Christmas right now so you say you don't often see them like this no hello amigo oh watch out yeah yeah I will get out oh holy [Music] [ __ ] sharks in this area got used to approach boats as fishermen triage their catch of the day before going back to Camp some easy food for these big boys Amish and Sarah showed us us around the bay and even brought us [Applause] fishing The Catch of the Day was some Western butterfish there we go almost too easy too easy and honestly like don't save the rod if there's a shark there save the r she like Save The Rock don't go in with the Shar okay wheni tells me oh whatever you do Save The Rock jump in if you have to you buy too much tackle yeah throw the rod in the water we owe that unexpected boat trip to Saha and heish here Captain heish thank you so much guys made our seriously you guys have inspired us I next thing we know like they're on an international travel with their little bir yeah with Donnie we share our Catch of the Day with our new shark friends before heading back to Camp than thanks to SAR Amish we could experience this part of Australia from the water the actual Australian way that afternoon we found ourselves dreaming we could carry a boat around the world tour but that unfortunately might be for another Journey oh my God guys they are so cool oh I love it oh with us always [Music] yay wow if we had known that by just parking on this campsite we would meet Sarah and haish like F I don't know it's crazy yeah seriously and people are so nice all around the world but Australians having very very nice as well and it's it's incredible it's really really good we wish we could stay longer but because we have some plans coming up we have to go but we could have definitely spent an extra night what a what a moment what an experience Australia so now we're going to steep point the most western point in Australia and then we'll go find another spot by the beach we leave our new friends and continue towards our goal the Western most point of Mainland Australia a beautiful track to the edge of this continent [Music] we've arrived to the most western point in Australia that was pretty cool it's very cool most West we could get and now let's try and get to the most East we can get I don't know where that is but we'll find out soon I guess it feels like progress after summer stopping yeah it does and elbow's working super well the road to here was incredible we saw tons of dolphins and sharks and things right out here apparently on the other Coastline the western coastline it's only cliff and it's the road where the whales go up and there's another car coming to also stand on this most western point so I think it's time for us to move because they're going to want the same photo as us glorious conqueror of the western most point of the country we embark on the Sandy and Rocky tracks of the other half of the useless Loop Australian style meaning bare feet very Australian of view of driving without shoes yeah and apparently it's legal in Australia so A+ in France it's illegal yeah exactly so why not why not [Music] [Music] I [Music] [Music] off to the sunset [Music] I've just had my shower it felt so good and the sunset here is so good so I got these two beers one's a ginger beer one's a normal beer and I'm going to go get myti we can sit in the sunset and enjoy a nice beer it doesn't look like it but it's actually pretty pretty chilly uh CU we're right by the coast there's wind and the evening Sands always a little cold but anyway brought your a little beer thank you there you go Cheers Cheers I'm going to actually put you down here while we enjoy the sunset Che you know what I love but this few days what that I feel we're finally traveling again no yeah really after all the drama after the engine it takes a few days and now like we have the sunset the perfect campsite we meet cool people we see animals yeah today we saw a lot yeah today was intense this is the Instagram video of the sunset that anyone on Instagram would have already seen two weeks ago and you're seeing now because mati just filmed it looks [Music] beautiful at last the feeling we travel again the feeling of being surprised by a place called useless the joy of meeting likeminded people from a different culture the amazement of seeing sharks up close in their natural habitat we conclude the useless loop with a lot of emotions and memories mixed but certainly not the feeling that any of that was useless maybe real rewarding travel and exploration is about doing things that seem useless just to let yourself be surprised by whatever outcome toic y we found tomak again after 300 km of washboard 50 bolts lost and uh 100 pieces broken we found tarmy down no I'm kidding I think Albatross is fine but definitely have to check all righty it feels like an electric car now yeah let's go fill up tire pressure and then off we go we leave the western edge of Australia and take the road East for the first time eager to uncover more of what Australia has to offer in Thea of sh there's almost no towns this is just one called denam and that's where we're heading now after steep point we don't need much just a RIT of water tiny tiny bit of food and a bit of fuel let's see what a town at the end of the corner Northwestern corner of Australia looks like one Caravan Park One supermarket one coffee shop one Bakery and a Charming Waterfront denim felt to us like a very nice place to live in before going any further we owe the albatross a bit of care especially after all that hard work completed there we go going to sh is one thing but if you remember we still had a new engine fit in the car just a few days ago and after thousand kilometers driven it's good practice to change the oils of the engine so the reality is that despite the beautiful Shark Bay we do this little stop change the oils dispose of the oil and then we continue so it's a bit hard to find water in the Shar Bay Area cuz it's like so desertic and there's no infrastructures nowhere but there's this little dispenser tiny tiny that works with coins and deliver filtered water so it's like $1 Australian dollar for 20 l [Music] next up fuel all loaded up and elbow taken care of we are ready for more wild tracks next week we find some travel partners and pretty epic roads to continue our way around Australia and the world subscribe to our channel to continue traveling with us [Music] I just want to tell you that go no no no all of my friends say girl you better take care
2024-06-16 15:16
