From Karratha to Millstream NP,..to Hammersley Gorge.

So many days have passed since Karratha and so many things have happened, that I will only gloss over the bits that stand out the most. 

My computer reception at Karratha was sketchy at the best, so I couldn’t upload anything.  I even thought there was something wrong with my computer because Chris could get reception, but me, with the new “ yew beaut” computer couldn’t get ANYTHING.  But, we’re now at a place called Tom Price, which is a large mining town in the Pilbara range area.  I’ve already uploaded all the photos and processed one blog, so here’s a couple more coming up.

Here we go…

After we left Karratha, this was our first spot that we stopped at.  It was inside a riverbed.  The water left in the river is called a billabong.  There was small fish in it and plenty of birdlife around it.

We had a lot of ground to cover across the plains.  We were heading into a national park called Millstream-Chichester NP.

This hill called Pyramid Hill is the forerunner into the national park.

 

These little Zebra finches were fluttering around the campsite.  It was hard to get a good focus on them as they kept moving too fast for the cameraman.

 

And unbeknownst to us, there was an oasis about 500 mtrs from our campsite.  We discovered it by accident.  And it wasn’t too long ago that a cyclone that came through.  The floods flattened the grass around the area and left debris everywhere. There was a homestead here called Millstream and as with most colonial homes, they parked it right next to the fresh water running creek, not knowing that it spreads out during floods and cyclone season!

The sheer beauty of this lagoon made you want to stay and bask in the serenity of it all.  The water was around 4 to 6 ft deep and crystal clear.  You can even see the fish!

This is also where I had my first canoe trip.  It was awesome.  Where we started off, the corellas were screeching and you can hear the people talking, but as we paddled up river, the noise diminished and then you could hear the wind in the trees and the babbling creeks flowing into the Fortesque River.  We only paddled a couple of times into the banks and went aground on one shallow area.  But it was still fun!

We stopped at the cliff lookout to view the sunset over the valley.  Tomorrow, we head out to Tom Price.

 

On the way to Tom Price, halfway down the dirt road, we came across this.  There had been an accident where a truck overturned.  There were 16 people on board.  6 adults in the cab and 10 kids on the back.  A large bull walked out in front of their convoy and they swerved to miss it.  Three people had to be airlifted out.  I was so surprised to see the fire dept., the police dept., and the helicopter  way out here in the middle of what seemed like nowhere.

The dirt road had been lined with cars and people.  It was so sad for the family.  I think Chris unconsciously slowed down a little after that.  You just never know when a roo or a cow runs in front of you out here in the bush until it’s too late.

We stopped here for lunch.  You’ll notice that the spare wheel covers on the back are red, not black.  Once again, there was a bit of dust in the van. (which I spent yesterday cleaning up) Here, Chris was getting ready to tape the door up.  Most of the dust seemed to be coming in from there.

We headed into the Hammersley Gorge area.

 

 

 

As we wound our way through this small gorge we came out the other side to our turn off and our campsite for the night.

 

 

Next stop, Hammersley Gorge….(too be continued…..)

Karratha, a busy little mining town.

We made our plans to start at 8:30 this morning to do our sight-seeing.  We headed out to check the road to Millstream/Chichester National Park.  Chris wanted to make sure that it would be suitable for the caravan..and it was.

So our next stop was to have morning tea by the river. 

 

But there wasn’t anywhere to stop, so we continued on back to Roebourne to visit the gaol/visitor center.

 

Roebourne gaol is one of those gaols that has a sordid past.  Most of the inmates were aborginals, who were brought out from the scrub to act as slaves for the British colonials.  And when the aboriginals rebelled, many were tortured and executed.  Not exactly a glowing history.

 

 

 

We wandered around the town checking out some of the ruins of the colonial buildings that were left.

 

 

When we travelled around the peninsula to Cossack, we discovered another little historical town and so many wildflowers!

 

The colours caught my eyes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cossack, once a thriving pearling town has turned into a ghost town of yesteryear.

 

We stopped in to a little area where we thought it would be good to fish and Margaret proved us right!  She caught two yellow-fin bream.  We also caught some more little ones, but kissed ‘em and threw them back.  And once again, I caught 5 or 6 “Rock” fish and lost more hooks.

At the day’s end, we drove to the top of “TV” hill and looked out across the bay.  It was a pleasant end to a pleasant day.

Tomorrow, we head out to Dampier and the southern peninsula.  Maybe even do a little more fishing.  I think I’m getting into the swing of this.

Exploring Karratha….

Well, we’ve settled in Karratha for the next few days.  We had stopped in to a little place called Onslow, where fishing was the primary sport and the salt mine was the primary occupation.  So there wasn’t too much around to see, apart from those two things.  We were all eager to leave it behind.  Onslow’s boast, were the tall termite mounds, if that gives you any indication to the “wonders” of the area.

After that, we headed up to a little place by the beach called 40 Mile Beach, where we were told that the fish practically jump on the line.  Now THIS was a nice little spot as we parked the vans on the crest of the sand dune overlooking the sea.

We threw our lines in, only to have the fish grab the bait .. and then catch the hooks under the rocks!!  I lost 6 to 8 hooks fishing there.  But the seashells we collected more than made up for the lack of fish.

The following morning we decided to head out to the mangroves to catch some Mangrove Jack.  And while the sunrise was spectacular, and the light was just shining over the horizon, we headed over there to see if we would have any luck.

My knees and hip were playing up, so Chris threw his line in and I took photos from my comfy chair.  As we drove in, you could hear and see the fish coming up to the top of the water, but nothing took the bait.  And there was a few lines that got snagged in the reeds under the water.

We decided to drive further around the point and found these little Sturt Peas.  They’re a wonderful ground cover with very beautiful colouring.

 

We stopped here for morning tea to watch the tide go out.  And after our coffee and biscuits, we needed to make a move to get to Karratha, so we headed back to load the vans up.

I’m really surprised that the National Park group hasn’t claimed this land.  The seashells that are being washed out of the sand and the rocks, I’m sure,  are thousands of years old.  You can SEE where this was an old seabed.  But I’m sure the campers and the fishermen are glad they haven’t claimed it yet.

And on this wide spot in the road, the boys put air back into the tyres and I listened to Vivaldi and played Codewords.  Well, it only takes one person to put air in the tyres, so SOMEBODY (me) needs to keep occupied while they’re busy.

And now that we’ve landed at Karratha, I’ve washed five loads of clothes and took the doona and the flannel sheets off the bed.  We’re heading into tropical weather once again, so the summer wear will start coming out again.  And we’ve restocked the pantry for the van AND the car.

Tomorrow we explore this area and maybe even throw a fishing line here.  We’ve only got a few places left to fish before Broome and then we start heading inland…and home.  And if I can keep my computer working, I might even be able to post this blog!  Darn thing keeps playing up!

Exploring Exmouth

To explore Exmouth, we dropped our caravans off at the Bullara Station.  Like the Hamelin Homestead, it too, is a working station. I’m starting to notice that quite a few stations are taking in caravans and campers to bring in those tourist dollars.  And surprisingly enough, the actual caravan parks are BOOKED OUT along the northern part of Western Australia.  You wouldn’t think that you would have any problems getting accommodation when you travel for miles and miles through bush land and scrub.  But yes, you do indeed have to book ahead, otherwise you’re off to the side of the road for the night.

At any rate, we did have a great time at the station and along the Exmouth peninsula.

We found a nice shady spot under the trees, complete with a campfire area so we could roast that large piece of pork I bought in Coober Pedy.

 

This shearing shed no longer in use, epitomizes the wool industry and country life.  Take note of the motors used for the shears, along with the timbers used.

 

The posts, long ago created by the early pioneers and settlers .  Farmer Tim, no longer shears sheep, he has the breed for meat export only.

And these little lambs as you can see are not the Merino variety, but a long legged breed.

And no station is complete without the outdoor “dunny”.  Although, this one is VERY modern on the inside.

Complete with a flushing toilet and bore water shower.

 

 

 

 

 

We stopped at Exmouth for morning tea and found that square rigger we saw earlier at Monkey Mia.  And there were a few dolphins in the bay as well.

 

I lost a hook to the “rock” fish above, so I decided to throw a line into the marina behind Chris.  And lo and behold, I caught a rather large bream!! Unfortunately, it was the ONLY fish we caught.  I had to get Chris to get the line and fish away from the rocks.  He also cleaned and scaled it for us.

The Exmouth lighthouse was our next stop.  From there, we had 360 deg. views from the top of the hill.

 

This odd looking fellow is a bustard.  I thought at first it was a baby emu, but no.  It’s also known as a “bush” turkey.  They are native to this area.

 

The road stops here.  At Yardie Creek.  We had to wait for low tide so we could cross.  I did step out into and I sank about 6 inches into the sand, so there was no way a 3 ton Scout was going to make it across this.

While it doesn’t look that deep, it was quite deceptive.

 

So in the meantime, Chris and Col headed up the gorge to have a look while Margaret and I made a cup of tea.

 

I’m only sorry that we didn’t make it in time for the tour boat ride up the gorge.  The contrasting colours and high cliffs were beautiful.

 

And as we waited for the tide to get lower,

 

 

 

you wouldn’t have believed me if I told you.  But out here,…in the middle of nowhere,..the lone piper could be heard.  And in actuality, his wife was taking his picture as the sun set.  In full regalia.

I wanted to ask him to play Amazing Grace, but we had dropped the air in the tyres by then and we were ready to make it across.

One by one, we started across.

 

 

Col, being second

 

 

And this lone englishman here on holidays, he too, came across.

 

Next stop was to find a place to camp for the night.  We found a small camp area and quickly set up the tents just on the other side of the dunes.  The winds came up the following morning, so fishing was out of the question.  So we headed south towards Ningaloo Reef and Coral Bay.

The kangaroos were thick through here.  Mingled with sheep and goats, all tried to quickly get out of our way.

 

The colours and sizes of the wild goats was amazing.  Along with some of the horn sizes on the billies.

 

Many sand dunes were interspersed with the scrub and just the other side the beautiful waters of Ningaloo.

Coral Bay, the hotspot in WA.  So many tourists!  We stopped in for fuel and grabbed a quick bite to eat while we watched the swimmers and snorkelers.

Our day ended back at Bullara Station.  We had our beautiful pork roast for dinner complete with roasted vegies and fresh apple sauce.

 

We left the following morning headed to Onslow.  And we’ll be here now for a day and then on to Karratha.

The Exmouth peninsula was nice, but not quite as spectacular at Steep Point Peninsula.  Yardie Gorge was the high spot on that day.

And now we’re off to explore Onslow and it’s surrounds.

Dismal days in Carnarvon

I should have figured it all out when we parked right…at the back…of the caravan park.  Complete with it’s own bowling green.  We unpacked everything and headed straight up to the shops for food and put the cruiser through a car wash.  There was a bowl's tournament going on right outside our door.  Old folks in their whites having a great time.  Even had over the loudspeaker that you can join the boot scootin’ in the hall, or gentle gym.  All of these geared around the 70 + yr olds.  And this place was PACKED with them.

And then the rains settled in for the night and the rest of the day.  We went for a drive around town to see what it had to offer.  Not much.  There were storm warnings out, so even the fishing fleet was grounded.

We wandered around the marina for a few minutes, but with the weather so bad, we headed back to the caravan to settle in for the day.

Today, we basically cleaned up, partially packed up, and took a trip down to the jetty and lighthouse museum.

The weather was still gusty, but at least the rains had stopped.  We wandered around the lighthouse keeper’s house and through the sheds.  And there was a small train trip up the jetty which goes over the mangroves.

After the rains, the water was very dirty at the mouth of the river. 

 

 

But the local birdlife didn’t seem to mind it all.

 

 

 

Well, we’re packed now and ready for an early start in the morning.  We’re headed to Bullara Station, which was recommended by the last caretakers of the last station we stayed at.  From there we’ll explore Exmouth and the peninsula.  i believe more camping and fishing are in order.