photographyperthwa

Friday 21st March, 2025

Both Friday and Saturday were forecast to be about 35C in Chittering. We therefore decided to go there later in the day on Friday and to return Saturday morning. The event was a more modest ‘dark sky’ meetup, but we were interested to try it out as these are held regularly in this location and it’s pretty close to Perth, just an hour’s drive out on Tonkin Highway and then the Great Northern Highway.

We bought some food at the local IGA on the way. Unfortunately with our local IGA some of the food is not as fresh as we would like. Perhaps due to there being so much competition from other supermarkets in our area. We missed buying yogurt, even though it was on my list, so we drove into Bindoon and went to the IGA there before going to Chittering Acres. It’s a lovely IGA and we wished we had done all of our shopping there. We wanted small quantities of food to fit in our fridge and only needed food for an evening meal and breakfast.

We drove through the gates up to the camping spot with a viewing area. As it was our first time we were glad of the photos that had been posted as a guide because there were several options after entering the gate.

There were only two other cars there when we arrived and we had to guess where to park. We wanted to be away from the viewing area so we could use at least some of our interior lights without causing problems.

Stephen decided not to take his telescope as there was an invitation to use other people’s telescopes. We took the SeeStar and the astronomy binoculars. In the end we only used the SeeStar.

The dark sky area for camping and viewing is in a beautiful setting. There were kangaroos grazing towards sunset and in the morning. 

Eventually there were about 10 cars in a row, with telescopes set up in a line behind each vehicle. Stephen had a good time down with the mostly men and their telescopes and I sat near the Sherwood using the SeeStar.

It was quite a mild night, which we appreciated as we didn’t get chilled being outside in the dark. Although we could hear traffic on the highway there were no lights causing distraction as there had been at Neergabby.

I was tired and went to bed quite early. All of the other stargazers left, many at the same time. They must have agreed on a finish time so that the lights would not cause a problem.

In the morning we confirmed that we were the only stargazers left in our camping area, though there were other people and vehicles around. Chittering Acres is listed on Wikicamps for general camping and you have to book and pay, but as members of AGWA we were able to stay one night for free.

We had parked in shade in the afternoon and had shade from different trees in the morning, but left by about 9.30 a.m. anyway as we could feel that the temperature was going to affect us once we lost our shade.

We went into Bindoon to the bakery. We enjoyed hot/cold drinks, but weren’t tempted by the cakes, possibly because we had a trifle from IGA the night before. It was noisy, as usual, but I saw one little girl helping her mother who walked with a medical walking stick, it was very touching to see. The woman’s husband and son raced off, but this girl of about 8 years old was very helpful. I mentioned it to the mother and she said her daughter is very sweet.

We would have been able to get home in about an hour except that I needed a public toilet. We diverted to Bullsbrook, then back on the highway to home.

We really enjoyed being in the bushland setting. I think it would be even more lovely to be there in slightly cooler weather. 

There is another dark sky event with a different club this coming weekend, and we are in two minds (well, perhaps four minds) about going as we are having an autumn heatwave this week. We are intrigued about the location. The club leases a plot of land near Tammin and they also do some catering for evening meals at their dark sky events. We want to go, but can we cope with the heat?

Friday 28th February to Sunday 2nd March, 2025

On Friday we set off at about 2.00 p.m. and after a fairly slow journey up the freeway arrived at about 4.00 p.m. The Star Party was held at the Neergabby Campground, which incorporates a large area for camping, a small viewing area, a couple of buildings and a large rotunda and permanent toilets/showers.  The also had some portaloos to help with the large numbers of people in tents.

We were advised to go into the camper van camping area. In the end there were only two of us. We didn’t mention that we had our telescope onboard as we wanted to see how things panned out before committing to getting it out.

We had time to set up before walking over to the sausage sizzle for tea. The cooking was well over by the time we arrived, but there were sausages kept warm and someone to serve us. We had three sausages, two in rolls that we ate sitting nearby and one in a slice of bread that we took back to the Sherwood to have with some lettuce. We had been expecting some socialising to be happening, but apart from saying hello to a few people there was not much interaction.

There was a talk in the viewing area (where telescopes were set up) starting at about 7.30 p.m. We took our camp chairs and were in such good time that we were the first to arrive. Then others drifted in and eventually the talk began. We were given information about what we would be seeing after dark and as it became darker the speaker used a laser pointer to point to constellations and stars, very helpful.

After dark we could only use red lights and our little headlamps came in handy. One of the things we discovered over the two nights was that sometimes we would inadvertently switch on the white light. Anyone who did so was berated loudly by the organisers (Mike and Rick).

Stephen had one of his walking poles with him and was stumbling around quite a bit. I helped for awhile, but found standing tiring so had to sit. Curiously, on the second night Stephen was much more able to keep his balance in the dim light. We had to queue to view through the telescopes. Although they were more powerful than our 6” Celestron we didn’t really feel that we had a much better view. Interesting.

Eventually we both wanted to retire and went back to the Sherwood. The other campers had a bright light shining outside, evidently they didn’t get the memo about keeping things dim. They didn’t come back for the second night, so perhaps not that keen.

After a good night’s sleep we woke to a cool and sunny morning. We had a leisurely breakfast, then headed down the the Gravity Centre. We had wrist bands that gave us half price entry and planned to spend the day there attending talks. We were told that the cafe wasn’t open and had made a cheese roll to take with us. There was a bit of a cafe, we were able to get coffees and ice creams, which helped to keep us going through four lectures.

It might seem mad, but we wanted to take full advantage of being there and find out anything we could that would help us with our stargazing.

The first talk was with Rick Tonello, the Chief Astronomer at the Gravity Centre, about the sun, followed by a viewing through a telescope. We didn’t get the viewing as we wanted to go to the next talk on the different ways you could die in the universe. We then had a break, followed by a talk by Rick on Astrophotography, which he calls Astronomy Photographica. I found it very interesting as this is something I would like to do. I’ve experimented with the iPhone and would like to be able to do it with my camera.

The last talk was about using telescopes and this was very interesting for us. The talk was lead by Mike and he offered to help people with their telescopes in the evening when we went back to the campground.

When we arrived at the campground we said that we wanted to set up our telescope and were able to camp close to the viewing area. This had a downside as we had to be very careful with our lights later in the evening when we were getting ready for bed. Some of the folk stayed up until the early hours of the morning using their telescopes.

We decided to skip the sausages and heated up some leftovers we had brought from home. Stephen was able to set up our telescope before dark and Mike came along and helped.

The first event was a talk by Dr Noel Nannup, Aboriginal Elder, storyteller and cultural guide. As we were busy with our telescopes (I set up the SeeStar S50 as well as our main telescope) we didn’t have enough time to hear the full talk, but I wandered over and confirmed that he is a great story teller, so next time I will make sure I have time to listen to him. He works with the Gravity Centre to bring the Aboriginal perspectives on the stars and constellations.

By the time the evening was over, for us, at about 10.30 p.m. Stephen was feeling much more confident about using the telescope. Mike had been very helpful and confirmed that we only need to do a two star alignment, as our telescope only goes to two, although three is recommended.

I managed to get a faint image on the SeeStar, not what I wanted. Mike had given me a helpful hint about how to find out our GPS location as I’ve found the SeeStar doesn’t automatically find it. You use Google Maps, of course.

We packed away all the electronics, but left the tripod out as it’s sturdy enough to cope with the dew. We had to store things in our living space as we couldn’t open the car doors without causing a white light event. As it was, I was taking photos with the iPhone and it sometimes switched on a white light. It will be much better to work with the camera, which actually doesn’t have a flash to be inadvertently triggered.

Again, we had a good night’s sleep and woke up to sunshine. It was promising to be a warmer day than Saturday and we weren’t tempted to linger past about 10.00 a.m. 

We took a little walk to the nearby river, really a small brook that must be spring fed as the water was not only flowing, but was very clear. Amazing to have flowing water at the end of summer. It’s called the Nullagine River and runs through to the Moore River.

We also checked out the toilets behind the main building and found them old, but OK. Nicer than the portables anyway.

It’s always a bit of a job to pack up everything and I like to have a bit of a rest before driving, so we went to a nearby cafe in Woodridge for hot drinks. On the way home I decided to stick with Wanneroo Road rather than taking the freeway and it was a much better drive, slower, and in the northern part, also more scenic.

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Sunday 23^rd February, 2025

We had a relaxing second day at East Bay Campground. It started out still and clear, but by about 10.00 a.m. the wind had picked up and it was really strong for the rest of the day. In the evening we even shut the overhead hatch as the strong wind was lifting it slightly. The Starlink had come in first, then the hatch shut. But, the Starlink still works perched on the hatch blind, but protected from the worst. The hatch has little holes on the back area to allow for ventilation even when it’s shut, so we still had some airflow.

We were sad, as usual, to leave East Bay Campground the next day, but it was cloudy and windy, which certainly made it easier. We took the Chester Pass Road through the ranges and stopped at our favourite viewing place for morning tea. This time it did not disappoint, and we had a good view of the Stirlings, with a bit of a view to the Perongerups.

Stephen drove part of the way, but I found the day of travel tiring and was glad to arrive in Katanning. We met up with Lesley and David again.

It was their first night of free camping without plugging into power. They have two fridges which use a lot of power overnight, otherwise they found it quite comfortable and used their kettle a few times using their inverter. Lesley watched, from a distance, as I emptied our toilet as their first time will be when they leave. I hope it goes well.

They walk their little dog Ollie lots, so were able to get out and explore a bit before we arrived. Then, we walked out and had an evening meal at the Chinese café. We secured a table outside so that we could eat there with Ollie. Unfortunately the lovely Dome café does not have a dog friendly area where we could sit. It’s verandah is completely enclosed.

Tuesday 25 February 2025

After a cool overnight we compared notes on battery usage. I gave our figure, but am aware that it doesn’t reflect the correct battery status because our fridge and the Anderson plug supplying power to the Starlink are not included. I’ve just run Ken Peachey to see if we can get an appointment have it done, otherwise, I might have to resort to going to an auto electrician.

Lesley and David and Ollie were going to travel home, but Stephen and I had chosen a camping spot about 150kms away, so felt quite relaxed about leaving. We had breakfast at home, then went over to the Dome for hot drinks and, for Stephen, reading the paper. I wrote some of this final blog for the trip.

At Pumphrey’s Bridge we set up on the old oval, not too far from the flushing toilets. We didn’t have a phone signal, but were able to pay using our Starlink internet. Stephen scanned a QR code to pay.

At about 6.00 p.m. we rang Matt and he stayed with us during the cooking. But signed off before we ate.

After dark we realised one of the downsides of being in nature! Insects, including tiny ones that had no difficulty getting inside the van. I was using the SeeStar ouside and found it almost impossible to cope with the insects invading my screen, as well as the potential for being bitten. We had, of course, used insect repellent.

The SeeStar was also not cooperating as it didn’t seem to be able to work out our position and therefore it couldn’t locate any objects. Very frustrating. I took a few photos on my phone. But, Stephen was able to enjoy a good night of stargazing with binoculars. We could see the Milky Way very clearly.

I’ve run the SeeStar again at home last night and there are no issues with finding location data. I’m very thankful that it isn’t faulty. I will use an iPad with a GPS chip next time we are out.

We managed to reduce the number of insects inside by putting on our insect repellent machine and closing the van windows. The insect screens don’t work particularly well. As it was cool overnight we were able to have a very comfortable night.

In the morning we hung around for a while. I got a photo of the roof of the Sherwood with the drone which will be useful when deciding where to place the Starlink. We can’t actually see the roof and have to do it by feel. We get a good signal on the roof and don’t have to worry about it getting run over or stolen.

As we were a bit low on fuel we ended up on Albany Highway, going backwards to the roadhouse. It was very expensive, so we just put in about 30 litres to get us home. I had a very tasty pasty and we had hot drinks. When we pulled in a truck was being pulled over by a policecar. Some truck drivers really do push the limits, and as other trucks went past I hoped the drivers were taking note. With so many overtaking lanes on the highway there is no need to take chances.

We had lunch at a rest area on the way home. I was feeling slightly unwell and we had a good break which refreshed me. In fact, when we got home I had quite good energy and unpacked and cooked tea. After that I was very tired indeed and slept well overnight.

Our window blinds and screens are causing lots of problems, and one of them we can’t actually use. I contacted CaravansWA who are a Suncamper Dealer in Maddington and had a phone call back. She confirmed that we can replace the inner cassettes with blinds and screens, without having to replace the windows. We made a booking for next month to have the windows measured up, after that she will order the blinds/screens and we can make a time to have them fitted. Fantastic!

We are also contemplating going to a dark sky event in Gingin on Friday and Saturday nights, but are awaiting confirmation of whether we are allowed to camp there in the Sherwood. It says tents only, no towed vehicles, but what about our truck camper? We could camp nearby if we want to go. It looks like it will be hot during the day, so we could go for one night only.

Friday 21^st February, 2025

On Wednesday Stephen and I went out to Two Peoples Bay (an ungrammatical translation from the French), which is on the other side of the bay from East Bay Campground. Kim had told us that it was worth visiting. We were initially a bit disappointed that we didn’t have a view of the beach from the parking area, but then realised the key to enjoying ourselves was to go for one of the walks.

There were flushing toilets there, but no water for flushing, so not useful after all. After a bit of a walk around we had lunch and a rest. Stephen had worked out a trail for us to follow that lead up to a couple of lookouts, then back along the beach. The climb up to the first lookout wasn’t particularly steep, easy for us anyway. The second lookout had bushes hiding the view.

There was a steep flight of log steps down to the beach. The path back to the main picnic area, which a low tide can probably be done on sand, was a bit of a challenge through dry seaweed. I thought I would end up very dirty from pushing through the bush, then the tramping through seaweed, but my shoes were only slightly wet and not at all dirty.

After a cup of tea and a rest we drove back to the caravan park. They have a food truck three nights of the week and we took advantage of that to order a couple of small meals.

Yesterday morning, Thursday, we were due to check out of the caravan park, with a plan to go and stay at East Bay Campground for a couple of nights. We were feeling a bit tired from the previous day and I checked with reception to see if we could stay for an extra couple of nights. They were fully booked, which made our choice easy.

After we arrived at East Bay and waited for a family to leave we were able to camp right next to the beach, with views over the bay, perfect! The camping area is packed, with far more vans than we’ve seen previously. We are in what we thought was the day area, but the camp host hasn’t stopped people camping here and we like the fact that the edge is reinforced with a stone embankment, unlike where we have parked previously with a crumbling sand bank down to the water. The tide was up when we arrived and we had to walk through water to go for a walk.

It’s as breathtakingly lovely as we remembered from previous visits. Yesterday was sunny with a cool breeze. We woke up to sunshine, but have had a couple of squally showers so far this morning.

We shopped and refuelled on our way here yesterday which means we are well set up for the two night stay.

Tuesday 18^th February, 2025

We took advantage of not having to leave by 10.00 a.m. yesterday to get a few things done, such as writing this blog. It was about 12.00 by the time we drove back into town and went to the IGA. Afterwards we had a coffee, but not lunch as we had just bought some salads and nice bread.

As we were booked into the Rose Gardens Caravan Park at Emu Point we thought it would be a good idea to be nearby for lunch. We spent the afternoon either reading or going for short walks. At one point a rabbit came out of a hole right next to the sea. It allowed me to take some photos and they look quite good when the images are cropped.

We didn’t realise how late it was until Lesley contacted us after 5.00 p.m. to say that they had arrived and booked us in. They had our key to the entry gate as the office was closing. Lesley came to the gate when we arrived to give us the key.

We all spent time setting up camp when we arrived. We had drinks sitting outside their van, and then our cooked meal, whilst Lesley and David took advantage of the food truck to have an easy meal. They were tired as they had driven all the way from Perth yesterday.

We were tired as well and went to bed quite early.

This morning we decided to have a quiet day, just walking down to the Emu Point Café for lunch. We can sit outside with Ollie, their little dog.

Monday 17^th February, 2025

On Saturday we had to move to another location in the caravan park. Our fault for not booking two nights as part of the original booking. We spent the rest of the day there as we felt under pressure regarding getting out to the Whaling Station on time in the evening. Stephen had to be ready dressed in his suit and tie when we left.

As it was, we arrived before the busload of other choristers. They had been given a sort of ‘green room’, open to wind, and it became pretty cold later. They did at least get a hot meal. Stephen was able to come back to the Sherwood a couple of times during the evening as we were parked close by. The main carpark isn’t very large and that meant that the choir and guests coming by buses was a good idea, if you were quite a good bus driver and able to negotiate the turns.

I had an evening meal of left over curry. It was very comfy for me being in the van. I had a view of the ocean in the distance.  I could hear the choir and other singers, but not really well, so eventually I went up to the entrance that the choir used and was able to see and hear them for their last segment. There was entertainment throughout the evening, young singers from WAPPA as well as the choir.

Afterwards we waited for the buses to leave before driving back to the caravan park, about 22kms. I went a bit slowly as whilst I was watching the concert a little possum type creature came to watch as well. I didn’t want to hit a kangaroo or one of those little ones on the journey.

Yesterday (Sunday) we took our time packing up and left the caravan park at about 10.30 a.m. We went to Middleton Beach for a swim and lunch. Stephen was game enough to try nachos, we shared a bowl, followed by an affogato, a first in both cases. I like nachos, but always end up with dry chips at the end, so sharing a bowl worked out well.

We had planned to do some shopping, but I was feeling tired so we just picked up some milk on the Frenchmans Bay Road and then went to the Frenchmans Bay beach. It was quite warm and it was more comfortable sitting outside than inside.

On arrival we were greeted warmly by a fellow motorhome owner who turned out to be quite manic and a little drunk. He had a portable speaker placed outside with loud music playing. After an hour or so when he settled in and light a fire we packed it in and went in search of a better place. I wanted quiet for our Facetime session with Matt and also wanted to cook a risotto for our tea.

Eventually we found a good spot at Goode Beach, not far from our previous park up, with a good view over a white sandy beach with the sound of waves. Frenchmans Bay is very sheltered, a good spot on a windy day, but it good to have the sound of waved. We were a bit late contacting Matt, but he stayed with us during the cooking and the meal and we didn’t hang up until about 7.15. p.m.

On the way out we had booked into the public golf course. We are the only campers and had a very peaceful night, feeling safe. It’s only $15 and just a spot to stay, with a little toilet block about 200 metres away, which is for the golfers. This place got increasing busy when it was on Wikicamps, which I suspect is why they took it off. Now, it’s just people like us who are bold enough to go and ask who stay here.

Saturday 15^th February, 2025

We took our time yesterday morning as there is no requirement to leave at 10.00 a.m. We bypassed Mt Barker to do our shopping in Albany. The drive took about ½ an hour longer than it should because of a delay due to roadworks. It was such a relief to get moving again.

We did make a short stop at Gilberts Winery to buy some of the wine we liked so much last time we were in Albany.

By the time we reached Albany it was lunch time. After shopping at Woollies we shared a plate of chicken and noodles at Jin’s Chinese Takeway. As it was getting late by then, about 2.00 p.m. we didn’t want to have too much food as we were going out to dinner with Stephen’s choir in the evening.

We are staying at the Tasman Caravan Park on Albany Highway. It is fairly central to Albany and we are staying here two nights so that Stephen has the best conditions for getting ready for the concert tonight. We will be driving out to the ampitheatre at about 3.30 as there is a sound check, followed by a rehearsal starting at 4.30 p.m.

We drove down to the Rustlers Steakhouse for the meal. There were about 60 of us, plus the restaurant was busy with other customers. I’ve never had such a good experience of catering for a large group. We have a short menu to choose from with garlic bread and bread dip as starters, and shared bowls of salad to go with our mains. The staff were incredibly efficient at managing the orders, with food arriving at the same time at each table. I would highly recommend them if you are going out with a group. We could also each pay individually, which was helpful as drinks and desert were charged separately.

We headed home at about 9.30 p.m. when most of the others were leaving or had left. It was a good social event for the choir, allowing them to connect with people in a way that they can’t when focussing on singing.

I’ve been a bit lazy about taking photos, so am relying on a few from Stephen for this blog. I’m hoping we had a good sunset tonight which might inspire me to take the camera out.

Friday 14^th February, 2025

It’s time to confess! When I was in the IGA on Wednesday I bought some instant coffee. It can be a bit messy to use the French Press in the van and if we are trying to conserve water we hate wasting on the clean up. It’s a very nice instant coffee with intense flavour and I must admit I cannot tell the difference between it and coffee made in the French Press. Expresso coffee is different, of course. So, I’m climbing down from my high horse about having ‘real’ coffee rather than instant.

We punctuated our trip south with a stop in Woodanilling to dump our toilet. There is a free camp at the recreation centre, so it was an opportunity to check it out. We realised that we have not been to this tiny village before, though have often passed through. It’s quite sweet and does have it’s own school.

Next up was Katanning, where we fuelled up the Hilux, then went to the Dome Café for lunch. We shared a breakfast, not our usual full breakfast, but one of their specials with spicy baked beans, bubble and squeak and eggs, with a slice of sourdough toast on the side and our usual hot drinks.

On the way to Kendenup we took a side road hoping for a good view of the Stirling Ranges. Nothing showed up, but we were able to do a circuit to get back onto Albany Highway.

We have our usual spot at the Kendenup Caravan Park, unpowered for $20 per night, with 24hrs, rather than 20 as you get in a conventional caravan park. It’s only $5 more to be on power, but we like this spot with views over bush and farmland.

I set up the Starlink on a tripod as we have trees to the south and the roof of the Sherwood wasn’t a good spot for it. It was quite a faff, but it was interesting to see how it works. The tripod provides quite a stable stand for the Starlink and I looped the cord around the side mirror and under the step. We have a hole to put the cord through from inside. I was using a new power source, a little Cowfish step up converter with an on/off switch. The step up converter is needed for using the 15m cord. When we put the Starlink on the roof we are using a much shorter cord and it works to just plug it into the Anderson plug.

This morning we are taking our time doing tasks as we can’t access our caravan site until 2.00 p.m. We will do some shopping in Mt Barker on the way. We are going to stay at a caravan park so that Stephen can have a shower on Saturday morning as he is performing that night. And also because we are joining the rest of the choir for dinner in Albany tonight.

Thursday February 13^th, 2025

“the Mock Turtle said: `no wise fish would go anywhere without a porpoise. ‘Wouldn’t it really?’ said Alice in a tone of great surprise. Of course not,’ said the Mock Turtle: `why, if a fish came to me, and told me he was going a journey, I should say “With what porpoise?’ ‘Don’t you mean “purpose”?’ said Alice. ‘I mean what I say,’ the Mock Turtle replied in an offended tone.”

Lewis Carroll: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. 1865

I’m with Alice here, but also with the Mock Turtle. The purpose of our trip is to go to Albany so that Stephen can sing with the WASO Chorus at a special event. We’ve added on a few days to spend with his sister and husband at a caravan park, plus we are hoping to have a couple of nights at East Bay.

Although we thought we had done a lot of the preparation on Tuesday it still took us a long time to get ready yesterday morning. Stephen wanted to return some library books and I wanted to do some shopping for essential supplies at the IGA, so we split up and I drove to the IGA (easier parking than at the main shopping centre) and Stephen met me there once he was ready. It worked out well because he arrived just as I had finished packing away the food.

Leaving at 12.00 was late, even for us. We had decided to go the long way to Albany to save the stress of Albany Highway. This meant travelling on the Brookton Highway to the York/Williams Road, then south on that, into Narrogin and then on to the tiny village of Highbury. Stephen drove the last part from the beginning of the York/Williams Road, which was very relaxing for me, though he ended up with the foot cramp. We need to start using the cruise control.

We made two stops, at Christmas Tree Well for lunch, and a stop to visit toilets and swap drivers in Narrogin. We could have stayed at Narrogin, but they lock the toilets overnight and don’t open them until about 8.00 a.m. at one of the camping places, the one in the centre of town feels a bit dodgy, and we didn’t need power, so the nice caravan park wasn’t necessary.

So, Highbury it is. We are parked by the side of the highway, but it quietens down overnight and it was really peaceful. The toilets are as clean as usual. I would like to visit the historical pub sometime, but as we had food and are not much into drinking we didn’t go there. The lights were on earlier, but it was all dark by 8.30 p.m. There were no cars parked outside, perhaps they didn’t have any customers.

There was a strong wind overnight and I moved our Starlink mini from the roof to just under the hatch, held up by the blind. It still works, though it isn’t at the correct tilt and not facing the correct direction. The internet is slower, but still usable.

It was sunny yesterday, but with a cool breeze during the day. Which, as I’ve mentioned, became a strong and gusty wind overnight. This morning is cloudy, with a gusty wind. It’s not too cold, however. A big change from our last trip to Albany when it was hot.