Week Four: Eighty Mile Beach.

Very popular Eighty Mile Beach. Note the shells.

We have had a lazy week enjoying the coastline between Pardoo and Barn Hill cattle stations. I was very surprised and thrilled to see the long expanse of white sand that is Eighty Mile Beach. It is very aptly named and is the longest uninterrupted stretch of beach in Western Australia. It is the point where the Great Sandy Desert meets the Indian Ocean. The scenery is breathtaking and we settled into the manicured caravan park for three days of R & R. Very relaxing.

GK with his catch of the day.

We spent our days beach walking, shell collecting and in GK’s case, a spot of beach fishing. Although the wind has dropped (finally!) the fish still aren’t biting so the fishermen had mixed results. A few were catching good size thread fin snapper. GK caught two small whiting, which we gave to an elderly couple fishing alongside us. We never expect to catch anything so just enjoyed the beach and a spot of people watching. 

Eighty Mile Beach is famous for its shells and the beach is literally strewn with them especially at low tide. I collected what I thought was an amazing array of shapes, sizes and colours until our neighbour spotted them and offered me some of hers. They have quad bikes and travel another thirty kilometres up the beach where they collect the most beautiful shells you have ever seen. She brought over two cardboard cartons of them and said I could take what I like as they were her rejects. I was like a kid at Christmas and spent ages trawling through the cartons selecting my booty. Now I have to get them safely home in one piece. It will be a challenge with some of the roads we have ahead of us. Fingers crossed they will survive the journey.

My fabulous shell collection.

The closest GK will get to a quad bike.

The caravan park at Eighty Mile is beautiful with its grassy sites and manicured hedges. It has a mini-mart that stocks everything you need and has different meals on offer most nights. We were disappointed to miss the Sunday night roast with sticky date pudding for $22 per head but settled for the Wednesday night hamburgers at $7. It is a great chance to mix with other travellers and we met two lovely couples from Australind and Warnambool. We were very surprised that people travel from far and wide to spend three months at these remote locations. GK goes stir crazy after three days so I can’t imagine ever staying in one spot for longer than that. He would be unbearable, as he can’t even get a daily newspaper, which compounds his cabin fever. Thank god for fishing and FreeCell.

If I had to go fishing this is my style. Where is the champers?

We are now at Barn Hill Beachside Station Stay on Thangoo Cattle Station for, you guessed it, three days. It is a very rustic nature based park compared to Eighty Mile. Even the showers are roofless! The magnificent scenery makes up for its shortcomings and we once again enjoyed long beach walks and some rock collecting. Apparently the fish still aren’t biting off the beach but the boaties are having some luck. Looks like spag bol for tea again.

 

Sensational colours at Barn Hill.

On Friday night we joined about forty other happy campers and played a terrific dice game called Left, Right, Centre and Keep. We had a hilarious night and asked our English neighbours if they would like to come back to our van to ‘kick on’. We don’t remember much past that but did share our hamburgers with their sausages, several bottles of wine and lots of belly laughs. Next day wasn’t so funny as Jane and Stuart had to drive back to Broome to drop off their Britz van and fly back to the UK. It was our 47^thwedding anniversary and we spent it very quietly crawling from the bed to the recliner and back again. We didn’t even have a toast as we had an alcohol free day. Will we ever learn? 

Barn Hill - I have run out of superlatives.

Today is another glorious sunny day. We have had a long walk along the beach and GK is now settled in watching the Eagles play Hawthorn. We head to Broome tomorrow to spend three weeks enjoying all it has to offer and catching up with some quality time with Kelly and Grace. First stop will be the car and caravan wash where we will restore the Pajero and Cubby de Wheels MK11 to their former spotless condition. Second stop is the caravan repair shop as the element on the hot water system has blown and we can only use gas hot water. Better than none I say. Otherwise everything is Hunky Dory here in paradise. Hope it is the same with all of you. Lots of love and keep safe. 

 

One of the friendly locals at Barn Hill - 10m from our caravan!

Every man and his dog watching the sunset at Barn Hill.

Beach access at Barn Hill.

My rock collection.

One for my fellow pedants. Where is my red pen?

Week Three: Red Dog, Red Dirt and More

 

Famous Red Dog in Dampier

Red Dog, red dirt and more red dirt should be the title of this week’s report. It has been blowing a gale here all week up in the Pilbara and we are over it. There is red dust everywhere and the Cubby de Wheels MK 11 is covered in a fine layer of it. I have given up wiping, sweeping and washing down surfaces, as it is a thankless task. I don’t think I could ever get used to this incessant wind and the ensuing dust but that’s part of life in this rugged part of the country this time of the year.

Not Happy Jan

My aversion to the dreaded red dirt was compounded when we got bogged in the bloody stuff. We set out to enjoy a picnic on the banks of the Ashburton River after exploring the ruins of Old Onslow. The original town was moved 18 kilometres east to its present location in 1925 as the port facilities at the mouth of the Ashburton were affected by the silting up of the river causing problems for loading and unloading of ships. 

We followed the tourist map out to Old Onslow and pulled over to read one of the sign posts that explained what was previously on that site in the old town. It looked a bit ‘loose’ but as it was on the trail we thought it would be all right. Wrong! We decided to not risk it and started to turn around when the back wheels disappeared up to the axle in the red dirt, which was as fine as talcum powder. We tried to dig ourselves out to no avail as the wheels kept spinning, sinking further in the dirt. By chance I found a bit of old tin in the bush, which we placed under one of the wheels and we managed to get out. (Kelly called me ‘MacGyver’). Lesson learnt. Don’t always trust the map.

Ah! The serenity.

We abandoned our plans to visit Old Onslow as we spat the dummy, threw the shovel in the back of the car and literally left in a curl of dust to have our picnic by the river. It is Twiggy Forrest Country up here and we were on his cattle station ‘Minderoo’. It was very peaceful and we soon got over the drama of the ‘bog’ and settled back to enjoy the serenity and read our books.

That evening we decided to celebrate my birthday at the local Mantra Beach Resort in Onslow with a nice meal and a few drinks overlooking the beach. We thought we would have it to ourselves, as the town always seemed deserted when we walked around during the day. Wrong again. When we entered, the restaurant was ‘heaving’ as the kids say. Luckily we had a booking, as every table was full with workers from Onslow Salt and the Wheatstone Liquefied Gas Plant. The manager of the resort later told us that they did over 170 covers that night and it wasn’t unusual to do that many most nights. Who knew?

Happy Birthday to me!

Of that 170 there were only about ten other women apart from the wait staff. Everyone was very well behaved and well dressed. No High Vis to be seen. They were all fed and watered by eight o’clock and got up and left. Shane explained that they could only have two beers without ‘blowing numbers’ on the mine site the next day so they were off back to camp for an early night. It suited us as we had a beautiful meal before wandering back to the caravan park. Another birthday done and dusted.

Beautiful sunrise in Onslow

Fantastic memorial in Onslow.

Onslow is one of the only places in Australia where you can see the sun come up over the ocean at its front beach and set over the ocean at its back beach. I got up before dawn to take a photo of the town’s very impressive Anzac Memorial, which is a stylized Rising Sun which features on the Australian Defense Forces badge. It is placed geographically so you can capture the sunrise through its arch. I joined a dishevelled group of fellow early birds who were as impressed as I was with this patriotic and moving sight.  Well done Onslow. Your memorial is an absolute credit to you and a fine tribute to our Anzacs.

Lovely picnic area in Dampier

Later that morning we packed up and headed to Dampier. The cross winds provided us with a roller coaster ride and a plummeting fuel gauge. It was a relief to pull into town in one piece. We stayed at the Dampier Transit Caravan Park, which is near the port. We learnt the hard way that the port operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We could hear the rumbling ore trains, reversing trucks and the tooting tugboats all night long. The caravan park has a sign that says it has a maximum stay of three nights. I think you would have to pay people to stay any longer, as you would be so sleep deprived.  

Despite our exhaustion we did all the touristy things around Dampier including taking the obligatory photo of the famous Red Dog statue. There have been two movies made about his life and it is claimed this lovable wandering canine was a member of Dampier Salt’s Sport and Social Club, the Transport Workers’ Union and even had a bank account with the Bank of NSW. He was certainly well loved and the statue is one of the most visited in the Pilbara.  

Karratha is a now a bustling city by Pilbara standards and as well as modern entertainment, educational and community facilities, it has the largest and most diverse shopping centre in the Pilbara. It has Kmart at one end and Target Country at the other with a huge range of shops in the middle. We are not interested in retail therapy this trip so just did a huge grocery shop at Coles to stock up before going bush for nine days. I did a big ‘cook up’ back at the caravan park and the freezer, fridge and pantry are well stocked and we definitely won’t starve. Heaven forbid although we could both do with losing a few kilos or ten. 

Headless GK raging at the Whim Creek Pub

Eating pizza at the Whim Creek Pub wont help our weight situation but we had booked in on a Friday night expecting a wild night of country and western music and people watching – two of our favourite past times. We were sadly disappointed as the place was as dead as a dodo. It proves you can’t pick it after our unexpected great night in Onslow to a real fizzer in Whim Creek. We had paid twenty dollars to park out the back of the pub (it is free out the front on the highway) and we had the whole yard to ourselves. On the bright side we had a very sound sleep and were well rested in the morning.

The iconic Whim Creek Pub

We are now at Pardoo Station, which is a working cattle station in the heart of the Pilbara. We stayed here last year, as it is a little oasis in the desert. There are 150 grassy powered sites, bowling green, pool and a restaurant. They light a fire every night so everyone can mingle and swap yarns. We missed it last night as I was glued to Harry and Meghan’s wedding. GK’s points are up for sitting through it with me. He picked up the vibes to remain silent after the initial inane questions like “Who is he?” and “What is that on her head?” They say that over two billion watched the wedding and we were just two Aussies in a caravan on a cattle station in Outback Australia glued to our screen. Well I was anyway.

The store provides a snake bite kit if you need it (!!!)

We don’t know if we will be able to watch telly tonight as a gust of wind has just blown our satellite dish over. GK is once again muttering and cursing trying to set it up again. I am sure some old bloke will stop to help/give advise/get in the way. Ho hum. Nothing is easy. Time to go for another walk and build up my steps. Until next week, stay safe and love to all.

Footnote:
Yep. Told you so. GK's new best

friend helping with the dish. They had no luck and have to watch the footy on the big screen up at the restaurant. I haven't been able to watch the 'post mortem' on the wedding and don't know all the goss. Frustrating. Have to buy the

New Idea this week. :)

  

Week Two: Ningaloo.

Not James Bond (I wish!) but GK snorkelling at Turquoise Bay

We have just arrived in Onslow and I am spending a very exciting Mother’s Day catching up on our washing as we have been off road for three days and everything, including us, is covered in red dust. That’s all we have to whine about as the rest of the week has been fantastic. Oh apart from GK running over his glasses (don’t ask) and our TV antenna being wrapped around a tree at three in the morning in gale force winds in Exmouth. It wasn’t a pretty sight as I wrestled with the tree in my nightie on a stool on one side of the caravan while GK grappled with the awning, which was threatening to wrap itself over the roof of the caravan on the other side. As you can imagine the expletives were flying thick and fast. We managed to batten down the hatches and no harm was done except to our pride in having to parade around the caravan park in our PJs. I must get a longer nightie.

The view from our campsite at Mesa overlooking the Ningaloo Reef

Mesa Bay

As I said, the rest of the week was fantastic. We had the most exhilarating time snorkelling on the Ningaloo Reef at Turquoise Bay and visiting all the other stunning bays along the Ningaloo Coast World Heritage Area. Our camp was at Mesa on the northern end of the Cape Range National Park. It overlooks a small north facing bay which was a life saver as the weather was in the mid to high thirties. It was wonderful to wander over the sand dunes and fall into the crystal clear water when we arrived. At night we watched the glorious sunsets perched on a rock overlooking the ocean. Bliss.

Beautiful sunsets at Mesa Bay

GK at Ningaloo

The Ningaloo Reef is internationally recognized as one of the planet’s last great ocean paradises and we couldn’t agree more. It is among the largest coral reefs in the world and can be accessed from the beach and that’s exactly what we did at the perfectly named Turquoise Bay. The water is the most amazing colour and is once again crystal clear. Perfect for snorkelling. The bay is famous for “The Drift” where the current flows in a northerly direction and carries you over beautiful coral gardens teeming with very colourful tropical fish. Ideal for my second attempt at snorkelling.

It is easy to see why this pristine beach is called Turquoise Bay. 

It has been over six years since my first go at Green Island on the Great Barrier Reef so to say I was a bit rusty, not to mention extremely apprehensive was an understatement. I plucked up the courage to go in and after my initial flailing, gasping and spluttering, I mastered the art of ‘breathing’ with the snorkel and overcame the fear of drowning even when my goggles filled up with water. There was no stopping me once I got the hang of it. It is definitely one of the highlights of our trip so far. I am so proud of myself and can’t wait to go again. Hope it isn’t another six years.

In between swims at Turquoise Bay we had a picnic lunch on the beach huddled under our umbrella watching all the gorgeous young backpackers cavorting on the beach and in the water. Everyone is so friendly and we struck up a conversation with fellow travellers from Victoria. By coincidence their names are Sheryl and Graeme. We gave each other some razzing about the misspelling of their names but they were insistent they were correct. Whatever. It was all in good fun and as we are travelling in the same direction we are going to look out for each other on the track. 

GK at Oyster Stacks on the Ningaloo Coast

We were reluctant to leave the magnificent Ningaloo coastline but had to call back through Exmouth to see if we could get GK’s glasses fixed. A tough call after being run over by the Pajero and the caravan. We found them in three pieces outside the bottle shop (where else?) where he had dropped them as he packed the Engel. He has a spare pair but they are a weaker prescription so it will mean a phone call to Laubman and Pank to have a new pair sent through to Broome. Ho hum. Some mothers do ‘ave ‘em. 

Little Green Bird flowers

Speaking of mothers, the receptionist at the caravan park here in Onslow gave me these two beautiful green bird flowers as a gift for Mother’s Day. Their botanical name is Crotalaria Cunninghamii and they resemble little green birds drinking on the stem of the plant. I think they are fascinating. Isn’t Mother Nature incredible? Another unintended ‘mother’ connection on this lovely day. 

To all the mums out there we hope you are having a wonderful day surrounded by your loved ones. I have had phone calls from the three kids filling us in on their news so feel very special. The washing is dry so I will bring it in, fold it and put it away while GK cooks tea and pours me a lovely chilled glass of wine. Time to put my feet up. Until next week, stay safe and love to all.

Emouth's Big Prawn

We had coffee at Ningaloo Beach Resort in Exmouth. 

Osprey Bay

Week One: Heading North.

After much planning and anticipation we are on the road again on our fourth lap around Oz.  We had a lovely final night with the kids and grand dogs to say our goodbyes (always hard) and had caught up with lots of family and friends the previous week. Our livers have been given a good workout so it’s a quiet relief to be on our way, ensconced in the Cubby de Wheels MK 11 and heading north to warmer climes.

Last night with the family before the big push. Lots of fun as usual.

Our first stop was a free camp at Lake Indoon, which is dry and dusty at present but very peaceful and quiet. There were about fifteen other vans dotted around the edges of the lake so we felt safe and sound and slept really well. We bypassed Geraldton and headed for Kalbarri where we had two lazy days along the banks of the Murchison.

We love Kalbarri but never do it justice. It is an area of stunning scenery and beauty with lots to see and do but we are always heading somewhere else with much anticipation and excitement or coming home from some long holiday, tired and looking forward to getting home to our own bed, home cooked meals and our loved ones. We do the same with Singapore but with jet lag, so we have promised ourselves we will spend more quality time in each location and thoroughly embrace and explore what is on offer.

Nature's Window at Kalbarri.

In the meantime we are so excited to start our new adventure exploring parts of Australia we haven’t seen before. Our plan is to travel north to Broome to spend three weeks with Kelly and then make our way to Darwin in July to catch up with my sister Jenny and brother-in-law Terry who will fly in from Perth. We will ‘do’ Darwin, Kakadu and Katherine with them before they head west and we take off for Queensland. 

It will be familiar territory for us so we will enjoy showing them all the sights although Terry is very methodical and organized and will probably be telling us a thing or two. There is a standing family joke that there are Terry’s Tours(highly researched, informative and accurate) and GK’s Arfur’s ‘Alf Price Tours(on a wing and a prayer with lots of BS thrown in for good measure). Undoubtedly we will have a combination of both with lots of laughter and angst thrown in. Watch this space.

With our semi-off road van we hope to do as much free camping as possible as it not only saves money (obviously) but you get to meet like-minded travellers and enjoy camp fires and less restrictions of the now very expensive caravan parks. They cost on average of between $40 to $50 a night so it all adds up. The free camps are a lot safer these days as there are so many of us grey nomads on the road so there is safety in numbers as they say.

We stayed at Wooramel Station which is a 356,000 acre working cattle, sheep, goat and outback station stay 120 kilometres south of Carnarvon. It is on the banks of the Wooramel River which is an upside down river running on the surface only 2 -3 times a year for a couple of weeks at a time after good inland rains. We met the owners of the station Justin and Rachael around the campfire and they said they hadn’t had any rain for three years and things were looking pretty grim. They diversified into tourism about four years ago and that was keeping them afloat. With two kids at boarding school next year we empathized with them as we were in the same boat in the early nineties when interest rates hit 22%. So glad we don’t have those pressures any more. Banks and overdrafts – say no more. At least they are young and enthusiastic and are on a winner with their station stay. We highly recommend it for a stopover on the way north and the artesian pools are an absolute bonus for those aching limbs and sore muscles.

CK at Wooramel Station on the banks of the very dry Wooramel River. 

We truly feel we are on holidays now as we have arrived at Coral Bay and had our first swim today. It was hard baring the body beautiful (not!) among the nymph-like backpackers but who cares? It was so refreshing and it was lovely to laze on the beach and watch the passing parade of gorgeous young things, families and old farts like us. Just what the doctor ordered. We are here for two days and intend to make the most of it before heading for Exmouth for more of the same. It’s a tough life but someone has to do it. Our Carnarvon prawns are defrosting for tea and the wine and beer are icy cold. Thinking of you all with much love.

The Krazies xxxx                                                                     

First of many swims.