We arrived at Fitroy Crossing Resort last night and I was a bit put out when my Mastercard wouldn't work. I rang them this morning and was asked if I'd bought air tickets to Singapore recently? No! So the card has been cancelled, I have to sign before a JP and then I'm no longer responsible. It was a bit of a bummer yesterday but a huge shock this morning.
The resort is really nice-lovely big shaded sites, a lovely pool and cheap drinks in the bar at Happy Hour. Washing of cars and vans is encouraged on your site, so this morning we spent a couple of wet and enjoyable hours turning our red and dusty van back into a beautiful white one again. Our neighbours are really friendly. They are from Adelaide and Heyfield in Victoria. The couple from Heyfield had to be towed into town last night and will have to stay here until parts arrive and work is done on their van. It's hard to know just how long all that will take.
Last night as Russell went up to the toilets, he ran into a woman (Wendy) we have met in Malloy, Denham, Broome and now here. Like us they are heading to Kununurra next.
After the van was washed we went into town to the little supermarket. I wanted a lettuce, but couldn't bring myself to pay $5.25 for a tiny iceberg lettuce which had seen better days. I wanted a zucchini, but a smallish one was $3.50 and the asparagus was $28 per kg. It was packed in trays around 400g for $13ish. I am really pleased that our freezer and can cupboard are pretty full.
This afternoon I'm off to the pool and tomorrow we are going out to Geike Gorge first thing in the morning for a river cruise.
Monday, July 30, 2007
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Horizontal Waterfalls, Talbot Bay and Buchaneer Archipeligo
Starsand
We are just home after 4 days/3 nights out at the amazing Buchaneer Archipeligo. I was a bit concerned at the cost of it, but have come away thinking it was well worth the money.
Mudflats and Tidal Creeks
On Wednesday morning, we were collected early by taxi and taken to the tiny airport of Derby where our seaplane was waiting. I love the fact we had no tickets, no boarding passes, and the pilot had no shoes! He gave us a great low (between 500 and 1000 feet) flight out to our yacht over the extensive mudflats, creeks and the Kimbolten Ranges. It was a perfect morning for flying, the scenery was stunning and our 9am landing on Talbot Bay spectacular (had enough superlatives yet?). It was one of the rare times he was able to bank and take us right over the lakes and then between the chasms that form the horizontal waterfalls before putting down in the bay at a pontoon beside the yacht. It certainly made my heart pound as it was more exciting than any amusement park ride I’ve been on, but I loved it.
The yacht is a million dollar job with a crew of three-on our trip, a new host (Brenton) had just started as help for the existing (and very hard working) one Leone. The owner of the boat was away and we had a fill in skipper Justin. He was lots of fun. As the falls were flat and no other tours were coming out, we also had the jet boat operator Ian along for his first trip around the archipelago. All very nice, hard working, fun people who live on the yacht for one month on, one week off in the most remote circumstances you can imagine. There were 10 passengers.
It’s a nice yacht, but not well set up for charter work. Sleeping arrangements were not great and only one toilet and shower for 14 people a bit of a trial. Still, we came for an experience, not a toilet or great bed and the experience was amazing. We were to share the tiniest 4 berth cabin with another couple, but opted to take our bedding up and sleep on deck under the stars for the three nights-the best decision we made for the trip. I think our sleeping arrangements were the envy of all in the end.
Sunset on Starsand
The scenery was amazing-the archipelago is said to contain more than 1000 islands. The varying colours of the rocks and water at different times of the day was fantastic and the sunsets can only be seen to be believed. Our first day was spent cruising about 5 hours, stopping for lunch in a pretty bay. We moored around 3.30ish and set about getting to know each other.
The Waterfall at Crocodile Creek
The following morning we cruised a little further, then moored in Crocodile Creek and went by tender to a fresh water waterfall and swimming hole a couple of miles up stream. We spent a few hours there swimming, barbecuing some sausages and a very good sized fish one of the men caught. It was a great way to wile away a few hours. It was onto the boat and on to another mooring at Silver Gull Creek for the night.
"Hermits" Phil and Marion and Chris
After breakfast, we headed up the creek to visit Phil and Marion who have squatted up there for 13 years since dropping out of the rat race. They are one of the very few people who live out in the area apart from an aboriginal community, a former station now used by the army and a few mines on various islands. They get their supplies dropped at one of the nearby mining islands and then collect them. In the dry season, they have many boats calling in and are usually called up to see if they need anything. They trade home grown veg for stuff the boaties bring in to them. It was a bit scary to be met by Phil wearing his undies-apparently he lives in them and was even married in a new pair when they married 3 years ago! Marion makes jewellery from local pearls and corals, stones etc and I think she makes a good living from that. The block has a warm spring which they run into an old tank and we were able to have a great splash and relax in that.
Swimming in Phil and Marion's Springfed Tank
While they call themselves hermits, it’s hard to see it when they have all the people calling in over the dry and I think they are pretty savvy business people making a pretty tidy living in a location that suits them. Phil hasn’t been into town (Derby) for 9 months! We had to make two trips out to them in the tender and I was in the last group to return. Phil and Marion walked up to a cliff to wave us off, and then mooned us!!!
After our visit with them, we returned to the yacht and made our way back to Talbot Bay where we’d originally landed. We arrived there around 6ish and it was wonderful to sail at sunset! Not so much fun trying to find our buoy in the dark though. We enjoyed a nice dinner of kebabs, prawn sticks fresh caught fish and salads. The new crew member kept us entertained for a long while trying to take underwater photos of a large sleeper shark that circled the boat for a couple of hours. He strapped his underwater camera to an oar and set the timer. Russ threw fish to the shark and he tried to get shots. He got the jet boat prop, the yacht's hull and finally, one fin of the shark. Still it was all very fun to wonder what photo he’d get next or whether the shark would eat his expensive camera!
Horizontal Waterfall (at Lowest Tides)
This morning we were up at 6am (as usual), had our breakfast and packed up. Then finally it was our turn to have a ride through the horizontal falls with Ian. The falls were pretty flat, but it was still fun to go out in the jet boat and particularly pretty in the early morning. Our plane arrived at 7.30am and we headed back into Derby exhausted but very happy we’ve done the tour! The pilot gave us a great trip home starting with a figure 8 over the falls and Talbot Bay, then a flight at 4500 feet back with a good commentary on all we were seeing. The higher flight gave us a good perspective of the area we had crossed so low over the other day.
Horizontal Falls from the Air
Three of the four other couples on the boat were really good fun. We especially enjoyed two of the couples company. I would have like to throw one woman to the sharks or crocs, but there was enough others to avoid her most of the time. We have laughed, joked and got to know each other very well in the confined conditions on the yacht and all got off wishing it had been a couple of days longer
We are just home after 4 days/3 nights out at the amazing Buchaneer Archipeligo. I was a bit concerned at the cost of it, but have come away thinking it was well worth the money.
Mudflats and Tidal Creeks
On Wednesday morning, we were collected early by taxi and taken to the tiny airport of Derby where our seaplane was waiting. I love the fact we had no tickets, no boarding passes, and the pilot had no shoes! He gave us a great low (between 500 and 1000 feet) flight out to our yacht over the extensive mudflats, creeks and the Kimbolten Ranges. It was a perfect morning for flying, the scenery was stunning and our 9am landing on Talbot Bay spectacular (had enough superlatives yet?). It was one of the rare times he was able to bank and take us right over the lakes and then between the chasms that form the horizontal waterfalls before putting down in the bay at a pontoon beside the yacht. It certainly made my heart pound as it was more exciting than any amusement park ride I’ve been on, but I loved it.
The yacht is a million dollar job with a crew of three-on our trip, a new host (Brenton) had just started as help for the existing (and very hard working) one Leone. The owner of the boat was away and we had a fill in skipper Justin. He was lots of fun. As the falls were flat and no other tours were coming out, we also had the jet boat operator Ian along for his first trip around the archipelago. All very nice, hard working, fun people who live on the yacht for one month on, one week off in the most remote circumstances you can imagine. There were 10 passengers.
It’s a nice yacht, but not well set up for charter work. Sleeping arrangements were not great and only one toilet and shower for 14 people a bit of a trial. Still, we came for an experience, not a toilet or great bed and the experience was amazing. We were to share the tiniest 4 berth cabin with another couple, but opted to take our bedding up and sleep on deck under the stars for the three nights-the best decision we made for the trip. I think our sleeping arrangements were the envy of all in the end.
Sunset on Starsand
The scenery was amazing-the archipelago is said to contain more than 1000 islands. The varying colours of the rocks and water at different times of the day was fantastic and the sunsets can only be seen to be believed. Our first day was spent cruising about 5 hours, stopping for lunch in a pretty bay. We moored around 3.30ish and set about getting to know each other.
The Waterfall at Crocodile Creek
The following morning we cruised a little further, then moored in Crocodile Creek and went by tender to a fresh water waterfall and swimming hole a couple of miles up stream. We spent a few hours there swimming, barbecuing some sausages and a very good sized fish one of the men caught. It was a great way to wile away a few hours. It was onto the boat and on to another mooring at Silver Gull Creek for the night.
"Hermits" Phil and Marion and Chris
After breakfast, we headed up the creek to visit Phil and Marion who have squatted up there for 13 years since dropping out of the rat race. They are one of the very few people who live out in the area apart from an aboriginal community, a former station now used by the army and a few mines on various islands. They get their supplies dropped at one of the nearby mining islands and then collect them. In the dry season, they have many boats calling in and are usually called up to see if they need anything. They trade home grown veg for stuff the boaties bring in to them. It was a bit scary to be met by Phil wearing his undies-apparently he lives in them and was even married in a new pair when they married 3 years ago! Marion makes jewellery from local pearls and corals, stones etc and I think she makes a good living from that. The block has a warm spring which they run into an old tank and we were able to have a great splash and relax in that.
Swimming in Phil and Marion's Springfed Tank
While they call themselves hermits, it’s hard to see it when they have all the people calling in over the dry and I think they are pretty savvy business people making a pretty tidy living in a location that suits them. Phil hasn’t been into town (Derby) for 9 months! We had to make two trips out to them in the tender and I was in the last group to return. Phil and Marion walked up to a cliff to wave us off, and then mooned us!!!
After our visit with them, we returned to the yacht and made our way back to Talbot Bay where we’d originally landed. We arrived there around 6ish and it was wonderful to sail at sunset! Not so much fun trying to find our buoy in the dark though. We enjoyed a nice dinner of kebabs, prawn sticks fresh caught fish and salads. The new crew member kept us entertained for a long while trying to take underwater photos of a large sleeper shark that circled the boat for a couple of hours. He strapped his underwater camera to an oar and set the timer. Russ threw fish to the shark and he tried to get shots. He got the jet boat prop, the yacht's hull and finally, one fin of the shark. Still it was all very fun to wonder what photo he’d get next or whether the shark would eat his expensive camera!
Horizontal Waterfall (at Lowest Tides)
This morning we were up at 6am (as usual), had our breakfast and packed up. Then finally it was our turn to have a ride through the horizontal falls with Ian. The falls were pretty flat, but it was still fun to go out in the jet boat and particularly pretty in the early morning. Our plane arrived at 7.30am and we headed back into Derby exhausted but very happy we’ve done the tour! The pilot gave us a great trip home starting with a figure 8 over the falls and Talbot Bay, then a flight at 4500 feet back with a good commentary on all we were seeing. The higher flight gave us a good perspective of the area we had crossed so low over the other day.
Horizontal Falls from the Air
Three of the four other couples on the boat were really good fun. We especially enjoyed two of the couples company. I would have like to throw one woman to the sharks or crocs, but there was enough others to avoid her most of the time. We have laughed, joked and got to know each other very well in the confined conditions on the yacht and all got off wishing it had been a couple of days longer
Monday, July 23, 2007
Derby
Boab Tree, Derby
We arrived here 'round lunch time on Friday. By the time we'd set up, we figured we'd spoken to more people in this tiny park than we spoke to in just under two weeks in Broome. It's proven to be a great choice of parks-small, friendly, and well run by the couple who just bought it.
We have a can recycle bin right by our van and spoke to a man as he dropped a couple of cans in it. It turns out he grew up in Warragul (his parents owned the Orient Hotel for many years) and he and I knew a lot of people in common. He is also really good friends with my last boss at the Vic Hotel in Warrnambool Graeme Welsh, so we gave him a ring to tell him we'd met! The two of them worked together in Consumer Affairs in Melbourne for 18 years.
Windjana Gorge
Saturday we took a tour out along the Gibb River Road to Windjana Gorge and Tunnel Creek. We were collected at 8am and arrived back at 7.30pm, so it was a big day out. Tunnell Creek is 184ks from town and 120 of that was along unsealed corrugated road in one of those trucks they convert into a bus. I was lucky to travel up front with the driver in a well sprung seat so got the best view and the comfiest ride! It was a fantastic tour-both places are incredibly interesting and very pretty. The gorge is just that-a gorge, but the colours in the rock are beautiful and we spotted lots and lots of fresh water crocs along the creek banks.
Only A Freshy, but Wasn't I Brave?
Tunnel Creek is a 750 metre long tube through the ancient reef It has limestone formations on the roof where flood water doesn't reach and scour them away in the wet. We loved the fact it's a bit of a climb over huge rocks of jasper into the cave, then it's unlit throughout. We had to carry torches and wade through the creek so it was lots of fun and really beautiful, but really unspoilt. The bus company provided morning and afternoon tea and a pretty good lunch and lots of drinking water, juice tea and coffee so it was a good day out. 4 couples from this park went along, so we've met plenty of the 20 couples staying here.
Tunnel Creek
Yesterday we had a lazy day sitting chatting to Brendan and Karen in the morning, then taking a stroll around the jetty to check out the huge tides in the afternoon. We finished the day with a drive out to the prison boab tree and a wander around the old town common. Last night we barbequed our dinner and sat out eating with a few people. Honestly it is so much friendlier than our park in Broome was!
Derby Jetty
Today we are off out for a look at May Creek then after lunch we are going to go looking for mud crabs.
We arrived here 'round lunch time on Friday. By the time we'd set up, we figured we'd spoken to more people in this tiny park than we spoke to in just under two weeks in Broome. It's proven to be a great choice of parks-small, friendly, and well run by the couple who just bought it.
We have a can recycle bin right by our van and spoke to a man as he dropped a couple of cans in it. It turns out he grew up in Warragul (his parents owned the Orient Hotel for many years) and he and I knew a lot of people in common. He is also really good friends with my last boss at the Vic Hotel in Warrnambool Graeme Welsh, so we gave him a ring to tell him we'd met! The two of them worked together in Consumer Affairs in Melbourne for 18 years.
Windjana Gorge
Saturday we took a tour out along the Gibb River Road to Windjana Gorge and Tunnel Creek. We were collected at 8am and arrived back at 7.30pm, so it was a big day out. Tunnell Creek is 184ks from town and 120 of that was along unsealed corrugated road in one of those trucks they convert into a bus. I was lucky to travel up front with the driver in a well sprung seat so got the best view and the comfiest ride! It was a fantastic tour-both places are incredibly interesting and very pretty. The gorge is just that-a gorge, but the colours in the rock are beautiful and we spotted lots and lots of fresh water crocs along the creek banks.
Only A Freshy, but Wasn't I Brave?
Tunnel Creek is a 750 metre long tube through the ancient reef It has limestone formations on the roof where flood water doesn't reach and scour them away in the wet. We loved the fact it's a bit of a climb over huge rocks of jasper into the cave, then it's unlit throughout. We had to carry torches and wade through the creek so it was lots of fun and really beautiful, but really unspoilt. The bus company provided morning and afternoon tea and a pretty good lunch and lots of drinking water, juice tea and coffee so it was a good day out. 4 couples from this park went along, so we've met plenty of the 20 couples staying here.
Tunnel Creek
Yesterday we had a lazy day sitting chatting to Brendan and Karen in the morning, then taking a stroll around the jetty to check out the huge tides in the afternoon. We finished the day with a drive out to the prison boab tree and a wander around the old town common. Last night we barbequed our dinner and sat out eating with a few people. Honestly it is so much friendlier than our park in Broome was!
Derby Jetty
Today we are off out for a look at May Creek then after lunch we are going to go looking for mud crabs.
Friday, July 20, 2007
Derby
We left Broome this morning and travelled the 220ks to Derby. It was one of the first times leaving a park that not one of our neighbours came and said goodbye! We just didn't meet anyone in the park. As Russ was returning the gate thingy and ensuite key, the woman behind the desk asked where we were from and where we were going, how long had we been travelling (today is the start of our 18th month!) and as he said, she knew more about us than anyone else in the park.
The trip to Derby was OK, we started to see lots of boab trees which are pretty amazing, and the one lane bridges we'd been warned about. Also passed lots of wide loads today which was fun on the built up roads we travelled a lot of the way on. Lots of burning off along the way too-at one stage it was fairly ferocious and right by the road.
We booked into a little park this time-only 20 caravan sites and 12 units. The owners are friendly and our neighbours either side have already been over for a chat! Lunch and then a drive round town proved it's not a very exciting place but it'll be a nice change from Broome. It was amazing to take a drive down to see the wharf and boat ramp-the water is coffee coloured and the current looks so strong. Derby has one of the biggest tides in Australia and the world. Tonight it will be 10.2 metres! There should be plenty of crabs in the creeks (if we can avoid the crocs!).
I just booked us a tour out to Windjana Gorge and Tunnel Creek which we'll go on tomorrow or Monday (depending on seats available) then on Wednesday we leave the van here and fly out to go sailing for 3 days on the archipeligo.
The trip to Derby was OK, we started to see lots of boab trees which are pretty amazing, and the one lane bridges we'd been warned about. Also passed lots of wide loads today which was fun on the built up roads we travelled a lot of the way on. Lots of burning off along the way too-at one stage it was fairly ferocious and right by the road.
We booked into a little park this time-only 20 caravan sites and 12 units. The owners are friendly and our neighbours either side have already been over for a chat! Lunch and then a drive round town proved it's not a very exciting place but it'll be a nice change from Broome. It was amazing to take a drive down to see the wharf and boat ramp-the water is coffee coloured and the current looks so strong. Derby has one of the biggest tides in Australia and the world. Tonight it will be 10.2 metres! There should be plenty of crabs in the creeks (if we can avoid the crocs!).
I just booked us a tour out to Windjana Gorge and Tunnel Creek which we'll go on tomorrow or Monday (depending on seats available) then on Wednesday we leave the van here and fly out to go sailing for 3 days on the archipeligo.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Last Night in Broome
Tomorrow we're off to Derby. I won't be too sad to leave Broome-two weeks was too long. It's very touristy and pretty expensive and we have spent our tourist dollars on the cruise we'll be taking out of Derby so it's been a quiet time.
Tuesday night we gave the pizza man at Beth and James' CP a second chance. I'm glad we did, because we had the best night sitting eating wonderful pizzas by the pool! We all voted the Blue Pumpkin (roasted pumpkin, blue cheese bacon pine nuts, rocket) the best!
Yesterday we did our shopping to move on with and then last night we went down to Cable beach to watch another Broome sunset. It was 31c yesterday and a beautiful evening.
Today we had our farewell lunch with james and Beth in town and a wander around Chinatown.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Fishing with Jeff
Yesterday a workmate of Blair's took us out fishing. Jeff has lived in Broome for the past 12 years and flies in and out of Sunrise Dam above Kalgoorlie (via Perth)week on, week off. He and his wife have two small children and she works two days a week. The youngest was in day care as normal and as he normally looks after the older one around kinda times on two of his days off, he had to get her looked after while we fished.
We'd never met so arranged to met at the port boat ramp-he'd be driving a green twin cab/blue boat, us in our dirty silver twin cab! What a nice guy he turned out to be and what a good day out we had. It was a bit rough on the way out (15 miles), but settled to a nice few hours on the water. We didn't catch too many fish (I caught two and Russ one) and we had a few hook-ups of mackerel trolling on the way home, but didn't manage to land any. Didn't loose any of Jeff's expensive lures though so it wasn't too bad.
It was very exciting for us to spot a whale just cruising along and to pass within about 30 metres of it. I saw lots of turtles, sea snakes and jelly fish too-more reasons never to swim in the ocean again I reckon.
I think Jeff would have liked to go fishing again today (Tuesday) but it would have meant finding more baby sitters. Maybe we can catch up again when we are up this way in a couple more years!
We had a nice suprise yesterday as we were getting ready to go out fishing-Mike Shaw (who we met in Port Smith) knocked on our door and suggested we catch up in the next few daays before we all move on. Mike and Mary are a couple my age. She's a nurse and he is a turner and fitter and now their two boys are grown, they are travelling. They left QLD 4 years ago and have been travelling and working when they need too. They are over in the Roebuck Bay CP, so we will probably pop over and see them today.
We'd never met so arranged to met at the port boat ramp-he'd be driving a green twin cab/blue boat, us in our dirty silver twin cab! What a nice guy he turned out to be and what a good day out we had. It was a bit rough on the way out (15 miles), but settled to a nice few hours on the water. We didn't catch too many fish (I caught two and Russ one) and we had a few hook-ups of mackerel trolling on the way home, but didn't manage to land any. Didn't loose any of Jeff's expensive lures though so it wasn't too bad.
It was very exciting for us to spot a whale just cruising along and to pass within about 30 metres of it. I saw lots of turtles, sea snakes and jelly fish too-more reasons never to swim in the ocean again I reckon.
I think Jeff would have liked to go fishing again today (Tuesday) but it would have meant finding more baby sitters. Maybe we can catch up again when we are up this way in a couple more years!
We had a nice suprise yesterday as we were getting ready to go out fishing-Mike Shaw (who we met in Port Smith) knocked on our door and suggested we catch up in the next few daays before we all move on. Mike and Mary are a couple my age. She's a nurse and he is a turner and fitter and now their two boys are grown, they are travelling. They left QLD 4 years ago and have been travelling and working when they need too. They are over in the Roebuck Bay CP, so we will probably pop over and see them today.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
More of Broome
Roebuck Bay Near Crab Creek
Thursday we had our antenna connection to the van fixed by a local repair man. He did a good job, and after a new TV, Antenna and connection it should all go just fine for at least a while! Someone we met suggested we really don’t need TV, but like I explained to them, this isn’t a 4 week beach holiday. We need to keep in touch with the world sometimes!
After lunch we went down and spent a couple of hours in the local museum. It focuses mainly on pearling, the bombing of Broome in WW2 and Aboriginal inhabitants. It was quite informative but on the costly side for small local museums.
Another Sunset!
At 5 o’clock we packed our chairs, a nice bottle of champagne and a few nibblies and went out to G Point to watch the sunset. It’s a bit of a Broome tradition on Cable beach, but our end of the beach was less crowded with 4WDs, camels and people. It’s the same beach we are about to go and launch the boat off right now and I love it. I’ve never walked or driven on more solid sand. Anyhow, it was a very pretty sunset over the water and rocks of the point and as usual, I took too many photos!
On Friday we had another go at Fishing off Gantheume Point and once again caught nothing. I love fishing until I've had a couple of days like that-there isn't even little fish to be caught-it's just fished our round here I reckon.
James and Beth at Broome Races
On Saturday we caught a bus at 11.55 and went to the races. The moment we arrived, we grabbed a table and chairs under a big tree, beside the bar, toilets and mounting yard. James and Beth arrived shortly after and we settled in for a very pleasant afternoon. It wasn't particularly busy according to Beth and James, but it was good fun. No one one much money (but very little was lost either). Country meetings are hard to pick at the best of times. As we were waiting for the bus, a woman said to Russ that she recognised him from Denham (they were camped beside the fish cleaning tables). Once she said that, I knew they had been camped across the road from us in Malloy too. Small world.
Today we put the boat in at the port boat ramp and tried our luck fishing for a third time. Once again no fish! It was very hot out there so we gave up after a couple of hours, came home and had lunch. After lunch we took a drive out to the very beautiful Crab Creek about 30ks out of town. You can launch boats off the beach out there, so we are going to have one more try on Tuesday. It's a bit more remote, so hopefully not as over fished as the other two spots we've tried so far.
Roebuck Bay Near Crab Creek
Tomorrow though I'm very excited as we are going out with one of Blair's workmates Jeff. We are meeting him at 9 am and will head out about 20 miles to try our luck-let's hope this trip is sucessful. He's going to show us some good spots to take our tinny and give us some crabbing tips too.
Thursday we had our antenna connection to the van fixed by a local repair man. He did a good job, and after a new TV, Antenna and connection it should all go just fine for at least a while! Someone we met suggested we really don’t need TV, but like I explained to them, this isn’t a 4 week beach holiday. We need to keep in touch with the world sometimes!
After lunch we went down and spent a couple of hours in the local museum. It focuses mainly on pearling, the bombing of Broome in WW2 and Aboriginal inhabitants. It was quite informative but on the costly side for small local museums.
Another Sunset!
At 5 o’clock we packed our chairs, a nice bottle of champagne and a few nibblies and went out to G Point to watch the sunset. It’s a bit of a Broome tradition on Cable beach, but our end of the beach was less crowded with 4WDs, camels and people. It’s the same beach we are about to go and launch the boat off right now and I love it. I’ve never walked or driven on more solid sand. Anyhow, it was a very pretty sunset over the water and rocks of the point and as usual, I took too many photos!
On Friday we had another go at Fishing off Gantheume Point and once again caught nothing. I love fishing until I've had a couple of days like that-there isn't even little fish to be caught-it's just fished our round here I reckon.
James and Beth at Broome Races
On Saturday we caught a bus at 11.55 and went to the races. The moment we arrived, we grabbed a table and chairs under a big tree, beside the bar, toilets and mounting yard. James and Beth arrived shortly after and we settled in for a very pleasant afternoon. It wasn't particularly busy according to Beth and James, but it was good fun. No one one much money (but very little was lost either). Country meetings are hard to pick at the best of times. As we were waiting for the bus, a woman said to Russ that she recognised him from Denham (they were camped beside the fish cleaning tables). Once she said that, I knew they had been camped across the road from us in Malloy too. Small world.
Today we put the boat in at the port boat ramp and tried our luck fishing for a third time. Once again no fish! It was very hot out there so we gave up after a couple of hours, came home and had lunch. After lunch we took a drive out to the very beautiful Crab Creek about 30ks out of town. You can launch boats off the beach out there, so we are going to have one more try on Tuesday. It's a bit more remote, so hopefully not as over fished as the other two spots we've tried so far.
Roebuck Bay Near Crab Creek
Tomorrow though I'm very excited as we are going out with one of Blair's workmates Jeff. We are meeting him at 9 am and will head out about 20 miles to try our luck-let's hope this trip is sucessful. He's going to show us some good spots to take our tinny and give us some crabbing tips too.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Broome
Remains of the Petrified Forest Barred Creek
Monday was spent shopping for bits and pieces we are always seeming to need. It's amazing how fast things wear out in the salt air we live in and with being constantly used.
We had to buy a new TV antenna as the other had a little piece fall off quite a while ago and is probably suffering from that salt air. We also had to buy ourselves another two new chairs-left home with 3, bought two more and now these. They get run over, break and just wear out! Fishing gear is always being broken or lost on the rocks and reefs so more of that too.
Tuesday we launched the boat off the beach and headed out for a few hours fishing. The tide was pretty strong and fish very limited where we were prepared to go. I would say Broome is all but fished out unless you have a big boat and can get miles out. We've been offered just that with a work mate of Blair's who'll fly in Saturday. I'm hoping he feels like it as it would be great.
Tuesday night we went over to James' and Beth's Park for pizza. They have a pizza man visit every Tuesday with his wood fired oven and all. We arrived 5.30, sat and had dip and drinks until 6pm then went and ordered only to be told he'd run out of dough! 6pm!! Sooo we rang a Chinese restaurant only to hear on the message they were shut Tuesdays (in the Dry Season!), then rang the Old Zoo Cafe (yes we could have a table at 9PM) then Eagle Boys could deliver in 1 1/2 hours. Finally ordered Eagle Boys and picked it up 15 minutes later. The town is mad with tourists.
Quandong Point
Yesterday (Wednesday) Russ and James had planned to go out fishing, but the tides and wind were really wrong for it. Russ and I packed up a picnic and headed out to Quandong point then back to Barred Creek and Willie Creek. Quandong is a beautiful and quite isolated camping spot, Barred Creek a mangrove swamp with the remains of a petrified forest overlooking the sea and Willie creek at low tide is amazing. A creek runs through sand dunes out to the ocean, but you can see where the tide was going to rise and all would be under water.
Willie Creek at Low Tide
Last night it was a bit chilly (down to a cool 19c) when we were getting dinner ready. I can't tell you how much we enjoyed a roast chicken on a coolish night ;-)
Monday was spent shopping for bits and pieces we are always seeming to need. It's amazing how fast things wear out in the salt air we live in and with being constantly used.
We had to buy a new TV antenna as the other had a little piece fall off quite a while ago and is probably suffering from that salt air. We also had to buy ourselves another two new chairs-left home with 3, bought two more and now these. They get run over, break and just wear out! Fishing gear is always being broken or lost on the rocks and reefs so more of that too.
Tuesday we launched the boat off the beach and headed out for a few hours fishing. The tide was pretty strong and fish very limited where we were prepared to go. I would say Broome is all but fished out unless you have a big boat and can get miles out. We've been offered just that with a work mate of Blair's who'll fly in Saturday. I'm hoping he feels like it as it would be great.
Tuesday night we went over to James' and Beth's Park for pizza. They have a pizza man visit every Tuesday with his wood fired oven and all. We arrived 5.30, sat and had dip and drinks until 6pm then went and ordered only to be told he'd run out of dough! 6pm!! Sooo we rang a Chinese restaurant only to hear on the message they were shut Tuesdays (in the Dry Season!), then rang the Old Zoo Cafe (yes we could have a table at 9PM) then Eagle Boys could deliver in 1 1/2 hours. Finally ordered Eagle Boys and picked it up 15 minutes later. The town is mad with tourists.
Quandong Point
Yesterday (Wednesday) Russ and James had planned to go out fishing, but the tides and wind were really wrong for it. Russ and I packed up a picnic and headed out to Quandong point then back to Barred Creek and Willie Creek. Quandong is a beautiful and quite isolated camping spot, Barred Creek a mangrove swamp with the remains of a petrified forest overlooking the sea and Willie creek at low tide is amazing. A creek runs through sand dunes out to the ocean, but you can see where the tide was going to rise and all would be under water.
Willie Creek at Low Tide
Last night it was a bit chilly (down to a cool 19c) when we were getting dinner ready. I can't tell you how much we enjoyed a roast chicken on a coolish night ;-)
Monday, July 09, 2007
Broome-the Halfway Point?
Winter in Broome on Cable Beach
According to my Brother-in-law Pete, they considered Broome to be about halfway. If that's the case, we'll be about 18 months more!
Broome is a fairly sizable place with about 15,000 residents in the shire in the wet season. The population swells to about 45,000 in the dry. The wonderful winter weather makes it a popular tourist destination. It's a very important place to the local aboriginal groups and in the 1880s pearling began, so it's full of interesting history.
We arrived here on Saturday and are staying in a large and crowded park in a back alley surrounded by permenants. It's a bit of a shock after the quiet of Port Smith. I started to feel like I wasn't going to enjoy it, but decided it was only for two weeks and I better like it! Saturday afternoon after setting up, we headed to Woolworths and did our shopping-it was as busy as the night before Christmas, but the shopping is now done. It was nice to run into Mike and Meg-a couple of New Zealanders we had met in Exmouth. They seem to be having a wonderful holiday too.
Sunday we headed to the local market only to find it's much bigger on Saturday! Then we went out to Cable Beach and on to Gantheaume Point where we discovered a lovely lookout back over Cable beach and a boat launching area over the very firm sand (which will make a nice change after PS and the fine silt there!)
Gantheaume Point
Feeling much happier, we came home and made up the trailer, took the boat off the car and are ready to go fishing and siteseeing today. Then last night we took the bus to town for the Grand sm of $4.30 combined and met our friends James and Beth at the boutique brewery Matsos (overlooking Roebuck Bay) for a very good curry night. It was great to catch up with them and nice to think we will have lots of opportunities to see them again in the next two weeks. Tuesday we are going to their park as they have a pizza man visit everyweek dragging his portable wood fired oven behind him to the park. Saturday we are all off to Broome races and Sunday I think we are going to the Crab Races and $12 roast with them.
Town Beach and Boat Ramp at Low Tide(be careful of the resident croc!)
This morning, we bit the bullet and booked a three day cruise around the Buchaneer Archipeligo. We leave Derby and travel by seaplane via Cape Leveque out to a 65 metre yacht moored in the archipeligo near the Horizontal Waterfall. The trip is restricted to 10 people and at the moment, 6 of us have booked. We had been toying with the idea of a week in Bali from Darwin, but we might never get back to Boome whereas Bali should still be there! The tour was double the cost of the half day one and has all meals included with drinks at reasonable prices.
According to my Brother-in-law Pete, they considered Broome to be about halfway. If that's the case, we'll be about 18 months more!
Broome is a fairly sizable place with about 15,000 residents in the shire in the wet season. The population swells to about 45,000 in the dry. The wonderful winter weather makes it a popular tourist destination. It's a very important place to the local aboriginal groups and in the 1880s pearling began, so it's full of interesting history.
We arrived here on Saturday and are staying in a large and crowded park in a back alley surrounded by permenants. It's a bit of a shock after the quiet of Port Smith. I started to feel like I wasn't going to enjoy it, but decided it was only for two weeks and I better like it! Saturday afternoon after setting up, we headed to Woolworths and did our shopping-it was as busy as the night before Christmas, but the shopping is now done. It was nice to run into Mike and Meg-a couple of New Zealanders we had met in Exmouth. They seem to be having a wonderful holiday too.
Sunday we headed to the local market only to find it's much bigger on Saturday! Then we went out to Cable Beach and on to Gantheaume Point where we discovered a lovely lookout back over Cable beach and a boat launching area over the very firm sand (which will make a nice change after PS and the fine silt there!)
Gantheaume Point
Feeling much happier, we came home and made up the trailer, took the boat off the car and are ready to go fishing and siteseeing today. Then last night we took the bus to town for the Grand sm of $4.30 combined and met our friends James and Beth at the boutique brewery Matsos (overlooking Roebuck Bay) for a very good curry night. It was great to catch up with them and nice to think we will have lots of opportunities to see them again in the next two weeks. Tuesday we are going to their park as they have a pizza man visit everyweek dragging his portable wood fired oven behind him to the park. Saturday we are all off to Broome races and Sunday I think we are going to the Crab Races and $12 roast with them.
Town Beach and Boat Ramp at Low Tide(be careful of the resident croc!)
This morning, we bit the bullet and booked a three day cruise around the Buchaneer Archipeligo. We leave Derby and travel by seaplane via Cape Leveque out to a 65 metre yacht moored in the archipeligo near the Horizontal Waterfall. The trip is restricted to 10 people and at the moment, 6 of us have booked. We had been toying with the idea of a week in Bali from Darwin, but we might never get back to Boome whereas Bali should still be there! The tour was double the cost of the half day one and has all meals included with drinks at reasonable prices.
Saturday, July 07, 2007
Last Day in Beautiful Port Smith
The Road Out of Port Smith
Today is our last day in Port Smith-I’m going to be very sad to leave and move on to Broome. I’m wondering how we’ll enjoy it after the peace and quiet and friendliness of this park.
We had some people pull in behind us (Perry and Julie) and have had a really good time with them. They are from Penrith near Sydney and although they are going North like us, they’ll be moving on today, doing it a bit faster and often free camping so the chances of catching up are a bit unlikely.
They have a boat, but only put it in the water once. The fishing disappointed them, so they put it back on the car and planned to move on. It’s funny because that day Russ caught a couple of decent sized Golden trevally (one on his bait hand line) and I caught the biggest fish I’ve ever landed on my bream line! While we were out fishing, a couple of quite large dolphins passed us and one went right under the boat-beautiful to see in the clear water of the lagoon. Russ had only said the day before that there mustn’t be dolphins around here-it was almost like they were saying “yes there are”!
Anyhow, Perry and Julie were told about a nice spot 12 ks out of the park where they would be guaranteed to catch fish from the shore. They drove about 70ks trying to find the place (into the community at one stage) but eventually did. Perry was very happy to catch himself a metre long cod!
Perry's "Secret" Spot
Yesterday they took us out there (by the short route!) and we all managed to catch a few fish (no metre long cod this time though) but we returned all but a queen fish Julie caught. There is only so much fish we can eat! It was a beautiful place and we spent a really enjoyable day watching the tide go in and out changing the mangrove flats into to a lagoon. As usual, we saw plenty of turtles (and the remains of a fire where the aboriginals had cooked one), we saw brolgas, a pair of very beautiful (but poisonous) lion fish just floating in a pool below us, a blue spotted ray, reef shark and any number of big fish too well fed to bite just swimming by! We managed to bog both cars in the sand at different times which added to the excitement!
Bogged to the Axles!
Last night the park put on Thursday dinner. We had fish and chips (not fish again!). I was very impressed that they managed to cook beautiful fish and chips for about 170 people in about 1 ½ hours. All this was done with 3 small deep fryers and a couple of large saucepans in the camp kitchen. The park owner and workers supplied a lot of the fish, but many of us donated fish too. The three big Golden Trevally we caught went to the dinner. An Aboriginal singer (Gentleman Jim Reno) played for us last night and while I didn’t enjoy his endless Elvis songs, he was pretty good. An interesting group of Aboriginal ladies came in from an out post past the other communities. They have been abused and decided to make a life on their own. They are fencing to keep out wild cattle and growing their own vegetables. One of them took her children to Perth for a year to see what it’s like then brought them back as none of them enjoyed it and found it too cold. One of the best parts of the night was when a guy got up with his African drum and played alongside GJR and his didgeridoo. It really was amazing.
So, on to Broome tomorrow. I really hope we leave all the sandflies behind as we are both being eaten alive fast!
Today is our last day in Port Smith-I’m going to be very sad to leave and move on to Broome. I’m wondering how we’ll enjoy it after the peace and quiet and friendliness of this park.
We had some people pull in behind us (Perry and Julie) and have had a really good time with them. They are from Penrith near Sydney and although they are going North like us, they’ll be moving on today, doing it a bit faster and often free camping so the chances of catching up are a bit unlikely.
They have a boat, but only put it in the water once. The fishing disappointed them, so they put it back on the car and planned to move on. It’s funny because that day Russ caught a couple of decent sized Golden trevally (one on his bait hand line) and I caught the biggest fish I’ve ever landed on my bream line! While we were out fishing, a couple of quite large dolphins passed us and one went right under the boat-beautiful to see in the clear water of the lagoon. Russ had only said the day before that there mustn’t be dolphins around here-it was almost like they were saying “yes there are”!
Anyhow, Perry and Julie were told about a nice spot 12 ks out of the park where they would be guaranteed to catch fish from the shore. They drove about 70ks trying to find the place (into the community at one stage) but eventually did. Perry was very happy to catch himself a metre long cod!
Perry's "Secret" Spot
Yesterday they took us out there (by the short route!) and we all managed to catch a few fish (no metre long cod this time though) but we returned all but a queen fish Julie caught. There is only so much fish we can eat! It was a beautiful place and we spent a really enjoyable day watching the tide go in and out changing the mangrove flats into to a lagoon. As usual, we saw plenty of turtles (and the remains of a fire where the aboriginals had cooked one), we saw brolgas, a pair of very beautiful (but poisonous) lion fish just floating in a pool below us, a blue spotted ray, reef shark and any number of big fish too well fed to bite just swimming by! We managed to bog both cars in the sand at different times which added to the excitement!
Bogged to the Axles!
Last night the park put on Thursday dinner. We had fish and chips (not fish again!). I was very impressed that they managed to cook beautiful fish and chips for about 170 people in about 1 ½ hours. All this was done with 3 small deep fryers and a couple of large saucepans in the camp kitchen. The park owner and workers supplied a lot of the fish, but many of us donated fish too. The three big Golden Trevally we caught went to the dinner. An Aboriginal singer (Gentleman Jim Reno) played for us last night and while I didn’t enjoy his endless Elvis songs, he was pretty good. An interesting group of Aboriginal ladies came in from an out post past the other communities. They have been abused and decided to make a life on their own. They are fencing to keep out wild cattle and growing their own vegetables. One of them took her children to Perth for a year to see what it’s like then brought them back as none of them enjoyed it and found it too cold. One of the best parts of the night was when a guy got up with his African drum and played alongside GJR and his didgeridoo. It really was amazing.
So, on to Broome tomorrow. I really hope we leave all the sandflies behind as we are both being eaten alive fast!
Port Smith
5 nights have passed very fast at Port Smith. We have both loved it here as much as anywhere we’ve been so far! I’m not saying this would be the place everyone HAS to visit, but if you don’t mind the 20k drives in and out again on the dirt, don’t need shops, a pool or many facilities, this is a great place. We are amazed that people will drive in; stay hitched up and drive out in the morning without ever getting the feel for the place. Much easier to overnight at one of the roadhouses on the highway.
It’s not a big park-there are 95 powered van sites and we reckon they have only been just over half full all the time we’ve been here. The sites are large and shady, but on red dirt. The boat launching area is 600 metres down a red dirt track passed the bird park. The caravan park and bird park are a little island in the middle of 3 aboriginal communities and there is nothing else here.
Port Smith is actually a large tidal lagoon, but was used in the early days in bad weather to keep the pearl luggers from 80 mile beach safe, so they called it a “port” At low tide it is amazing to see the small channels amongst the sand, amongst the mangroves. As the tide rushes in through the entrance, the sand and channels disappear creating a beautiful lagoon for a few hours until the tide leaves again. Fishing is best done a couple of hours before and after high tide- if you leave it too long, you risk not being able to retrieve your boat!
Fishing at Port Smith
One of the nice things about the park is the mix of people. It’s mostly out-of-staters and mostly people travelling on their own. We have found parks where the people “have been coming here for 30 years” with their same group of friends to be not so outgoing. Right now we have Victorians over the road and are surrounded by NSW and Queensland couples this side. Russ reckons it must be a park rule that you have to speak to everyone at least once during your stay. I think it’s because everyone is here to fish and are so interested in what everyone else has caught. It’s really nice that the park managers, staff and everyone else is happy to tell you where and how they caught whatever they got too.
Launching the Boat Through the Mangroves
The park is full of tinnies as you would struggle to launch anything bigger and if you don’t have a boat, the park operates a “ferry service”. Every two days, they take groups of people by inflatable dingy to one of the islands. 4 hours later they go down and collect them. All of this is done for $2 per person which is then donated to the RFD.
We have been catching enough fish for a feed although Russ is doing better than me so far. It’s fun to see different types of fish and we’ve had a lot of fun catching fairly decent sized Gold Trevally and Russ caught a couple of Queen Fish yesterday. They both tasted good in a curry last night and the trevally smokes really well. Gold Trevally is considered a better eating fish than most of the other trevally species which we think make very good bait Mike and Mary across the way from us caught themselves two enormous flathead yesterday! They were fishing about 100 metres from us when they got them! Another couple Chris and Nicole were about 50 metres the other way when their son caught a small shark. It’s amazing the variety of fish in such a small area.
It’s not a big park-there are 95 powered van sites and we reckon they have only been just over half full all the time we’ve been here. The sites are large and shady, but on red dirt. The boat launching area is 600 metres down a red dirt track passed the bird park. The caravan park and bird park are a little island in the middle of 3 aboriginal communities and there is nothing else here.
Port Smith is actually a large tidal lagoon, but was used in the early days in bad weather to keep the pearl luggers from 80 mile beach safe, so they called it a “port” At low tide it is amazing to see the small channels amongst the sand, amongst the mangroves. As the tide rushes in through the entrance, the sand and channels disappear creating a beautiful lagoon for a few hours until the tide leaves again. Fishing is best done a couple of hours before and after high tide- if you leave it too long, you risk not being able to retrieve your boat!
Fishing at Port Smith
One of the nice things about the park is the mix of people. It’s mostly out-of-staters and mostly people travelling on their own. We have found parks where the people “have been coming here for 30 years” with their same group of friends to be not so outgoing. Right now we have Victorians over the road and are surrounded by NSW and Queensland couples this side. Russ reckons it must be a park rule that you have to speak to everyone at least once during your stay. I think it’s because everyone is here to fish and are so interested in what everyone else has caught. It’s really nice that the park managers, staff and everyone else is happy to tell you where and how they caught whatever they got too.
Launching the Boat Through the Mangroves
The park is full of tinnies as you would struggle to launch anything bigger and if you don’t have a boat, the park operates a “ferry service”. Every two days, they take groups of people by inflatable dingy to one of the islands. 4 hours later they go down and collect them. All of this is done for $2 per person which is then donated to the RFD.
We have been catching enough fish for a feed although Russ is doing better than me so far. It’s fun to see different types of fish and we’ve had a lot of fun catching fairly decent sized Gold Trevally and Russ caught a couple of Queen Fish yesterday. They both tasted good in a curry last night and the trevally smokes really well. Gold Trevally is considered a better eating fish than most of the other trevally species which we think make very good bait Mike and Mary across the way from us caught themselves two enormous flathead yesterday! They were fishing about 100 metres from us when they got them! Another couple Chris and Nicole were about 50 metres the other way when their son caught a small shark. It’s amazing the variety of fish in such a small area.
Karratha, Sandfire Roadhouse and on to Port Smith
Sunday morning in Karratha was one of the only windless days we were to have, so we bolted our breakfast down and headed out to Dampier with the boat. Last year we couldn’t get out once in a week, so we really wanted to put the boat in the water and have a look around as I suspect we may never stay any length of time in the place again!
I think we launched off the wrong boat ramp (we used the private one at the yacht club) but no one shot at us, so it was OK! We got in about 4 hours fishing-it was slow for the first 3, then on the change of tide we caught 3 types of cod we’d never seen before, a stripy sea perch, bream, yellow fin bream, and bald chin gropers so it was pretty interesting. Our freezer is full, so we kissed them and put them all back!
It was so nice to drive back into the park after fishing and see my BIL Peter walking to the office. After a shower we spent a nice afternoon catching up, then cooked a yummy dinner of tuna we caught in Denham and had been saving for them. Glenda and Pete are travelling in the opposite direction to us, so have come down through the Kimberly and Broome. It was good to hear their recommendations of parks to stay in and interesting places to see!
Monday, we all changed bed linen and did our washing, then headed out to Dampier and the Burrup Peninsula. Burrup Peninsula is famous for Aboriginal rock art. Last year I read 40,000 paintings had been catalogued, now I hear it’s 5000000! Whatever, it’s very interesting. We took a wander through a little valley along a creek and found heaps. The iron rich rocks lay in huge piles looking like leftovers from the mining process and the art can be found like early graffiti on many of the rock faces. We could see turtles, boats, kangaroos, fish, people etc. After a walk around them and a drive to the lookout over Dampier, we headed down to the pub for lunch. It was windy, but still pleasant to sit out (by ourselves) in the beer garden overlooking the harbour. Back in Karratha, we went up to another lookout then did a bit of shopping before heading home. We had dinner at Glenda and Pete’s that night.
Glenda, Pete and Russ at Burrup Penisula
Tuesday we took Glenda and Pete’s car and went out through Roeburn to Cossack. Cossack is a ghost town with a few buildings, the cemetery and a tiny museum remaining. It’s got plenty of signs recalling its history though and is a nice walk around. On then to Point Samson where we had lunch at one of the two cafes in town. Afterwards, we took a walk down to the beach and a drive to the boat harbour. It’s such a pretty place. Pete had a van tyre repaired for a slow leak and had to pick it up on the way home. Glenda, Russ and I left him at home fixing that and headed back into town to do some shopping for dinner and the move on to 80 mile beach and Port Smith. Karratha was established about 40 years ago for the mining industry and has a pretty large and good shopping centre. We especially needed to stock up as the next two stops we planned to make are in quite remote locations.
Wednesday, we headed North (planning to stay 4 nights at 80 mile beach) and Glenda and Pete were off to stay at Exmouth for a couple of days.
The Road out of Karratha
About a month ago, I called 80 mile beach CP to be told they don’t take bookings, but they had plenty of sites and all would be fine!! We drove just under 500ks, then turned off the highway and down a dirt road-not a whole lot of fun with our strictly onroad van! We arrived to find that they only had un powered sites left and would put us on one of those, then we would be able to move onto a powered site when it became vacant (probably in the morning). We can’t do that, we need power, so we walked out, went back up the dirt road and headed another 40ks to Sandfire roadhouse for the night. The 80mile beach CP had a sign at the start of the dirt explaining pricing of various accommodation, facilities, no dogs etc. I think it would be a courtesy to send someone out to the sign to put up a notice when all powered sites are gone. Grrrrr. I have been told they don’t take bookings due to too many no shows, but I would have happily paid in full. Who looses out then if we don’t show up?!
Sandfire roadhouse was a scary looking place-the actual roadhouse burned down 13 weeks ago and they were using transportable offices. We camped out the back behind all that and had a really nice quiet night-even though we counted 26 geese, at least 60 peacocks of various sizes, a huge Brahman bull, two horses and a friendly chook! The ablutions block had seen better times and was in need of a clean, but I can live with that for a night. We were booked in at Port Smith 3 nights later, so gave them a call about arriving early-which we did yesterday.
A Spacious, Shady Site at Port Smith
What a pretty place this is at the end of 20ks of red dirt road. The van made it in fine with only one cupboard open and a few things upended in the fridge when we arrived! We’d made it in time for the dinner they put on every Thursday, so no need to cook tea that night.
A camper trailer followed us in along the dirt and we said hello to the couple down on the beach later on. I saw them again at the dinner and they sat and joined us. Russ had gone back to get our chairs when they asked what he did for a living. It turns out Mark is one of his former Chemical Users Course attendees that he (Russ) did for TAFE. Mark and Leah are from Hamilton on 4-6 weeks holiday to do the Gibb River Road. This is the second time we’ve met someone who did the course-the first time was on day one of this trip in Mt Gambier (that seems a long time ago).
Dinner was well attended by easily 100 people. The park put on chicken and veg soup followed by a sausage sizzle. They had raffles and games and a local band that played almost non-stop for 3 hours. The local band was called the Shoveller Family Band and came from the Aboriginal community about 40ks away. It consisted of dad, son (maybe 25), son (almost 14) and nephew (almost 13). The 7 year old sister Peta sat with us and got up and sang about 4 songs, the other sister Lalaine just watched and chatted a little as they didn’t bring her piano. Dad is a music teacher at the community’s High School and father of 7 children. He wrote a lot of the songs they sang and they sang a lot! The teenage boys break danced; they played pipes for didgeridoos and all in all put on a wonderful show. It’s nice to see kids with such high self esteem. Mum wasn’t there as she had taken her mother into Perth for an operation. Perth is 2000ks away now, so quite a drive!
Today we went out fishing on the lagoon. It’s quite amazing to see everything under water as we saw it last night when the tide was out. We are in the areas of large tides now and it was about 6 metres higher than we saw yesterday. Tomorrow it will be 7 metres difference and by Tuesday it will be 8 metres. The tides go out very fast and there is only a fairly narrow window of opportunity to retrieve your boat. If you leave it too late, you just leave the boat and get it as the tide starts to come back in. We had put the car into 4WD and let a lot of air out of the tyres to get the boat out of the water.
All that was very interesting, but the lack of legal sized fish was a bit of a disappointment! We caught many cod, but had to throw them all back. It could be to do with the full moon tomorrow night, we’ll have to wait and see and hope it improves. At least we have enough meat, fish and chicken in our freezer to survive!
Tonight Leah and mark are coming over for a drink and chat before dinner, and then Russ and I are having a curry.
I think we launched off the wrong boat ramp (we used the private one at the yacht club) but no one shot at us, so it was OK! We got in about 4 hours fishing-it was slow for the first 3, then on the change of tide we caught 3 types of cod we’d never seen before, a stripy sea perch, bream, yellow fin bream, and bald chin gropers so it was pretty interesting. Our freezer is full, so we kissed them and put them all back!
It was so nice to drive back into the park after fishing and see my BIL Peter walking to the office. After a shower we spent a nice afternoon catching up, then cooked a yummy dinner of tuna we caught in Denham and had been saving for them. Glenda and Pete are travelling in the opposite direction to us, so have come down through the Kimberly and Broome. It was good to hear their recommendations of parks to stay in and interesting places to see!
Monday, we all changed bed linen and did our washing, then headed out to Dampier and the Burrup Peninsula. Burrup Peninsula is famous for Aboriginal rock art. Last year I read 40,000 paintings had been catalogued, now I hear it’s 5000000! Whatever, it’s very interesting. We took a wander through a little valley along a creek and found heaps. The iron rich rocks lay in huge piles looking like leftovers from the mining process and the art can be found like early graffiti on many of the rock faces. We could see turtles, boats, kangaroos, fish, people etc. After a walk around them and a drive to the lookout over Dampier, we headed down to the pub for lunch. It was windy, but still pleasant to sit out (by ourselves) in the beer garden overlooking the harbour. Back in Karratha, we went up to another lookout then did a bit of shopping before heading home. We had dinner at Glenda and Pete’s that night.
Glenda, Pete and Russ at Burrup Penisula
Tuesday we took Glenda and Pete’s car and went out through Roeburn to Cossack. Cossack is a ghost town with a few buildings, the cemetery and a tiny museum remaining. It’s got plenty of signs recalling its history though and is a nice walk around. On then to Point Samson where we had lunch at one of the two cafes in town. Afterwards, we took a walk down to the beach and a drive to the boat harbour. It’s such a pretty place. Pete had a van tyre repaired for a slow leak and had to pick it up on the way home. Glenda, Russ and I left him at home fixing that and headed back into town to do some shopping for dinner and the move on to 80 mile beach and Port Smith. Karratha was established about 40 years ago for the mining industry and has a pretty large and good shopping centre. We especially needed to stock up as the next two stops we planned to make are in quite remote locations.
Wednesday, we headed North (planning to stay 4 nights at 80 mile beach) and Glenda and Pete were off to stay at Exmouth for a couple of days.
The Road out of Karratha
About a month ago, I called 80 mile beach CP to be told they don’t take bookings, but they had plenty of sites and all would be fine!! We drove just under 500ks, then turned off the highway and down a dirt road-not a whole lot of fun with our strictly onroad van! We arrived to find that they only had un powered sites left and would put us on one of those, then we would be able to move onto a powered site when it became vacant (probably in the morning). We can’t do that, we need power, so we walked out, went back up the dirt road and headed another 40ks to Sandfire roadhouse for the night. The 80mile beach CP had a sign at the start of the dirt explaining pricing of various accommodation, facilities, no dogs etc. I think it would be a courtesy to send someone out to the sign to put up a notice when all powered sites are gone. Grrrrr. I have been told they don’t take bookings due to too many no shows, but I would have happily paid in full. Who looses out then if we don’t show up?!
Sandfire roadhouse was a scary looking place-the actual roadhouse burned down 13 weeks ago and they were using transportable offices. We camped out the back behind all that and had a really nice quiet night-even though we counted 26 geese, at least 60 peacocks of various sizes, a huge Brahman bull, two horses and a friendly chook! The ablutions block had seen better times and was in need of a clean, but I can live with that for a night. We were booked in at Port Smith 3 nights later, so gave them a call about arriving early-which we did yesterday.
A Spacious, Shady Site at Port Smith
What a pretty place this is at the end of 20ks of red dirt road. The van made it in fine with only one cupboard open and a few things upended in the fridge when we arrived! We’d made it in time for the dinner they put on every Thursday, so no need to cook tea that night.
A camper trailer followed us in along the dirt and we said hello to the couple down on the beach later on. I saw them again at the dinner and they sat and joined us. Russ had gone back to get our chairs when they asked what he did for a living. It turns out Mark is one of his former Chemical Users Course attendees that he (Russ) did for TAFE. Mark and Leah are from Hamilton on 4-6 weeks holiday to do the Gibb River Road. This is the second time we’ve met someone who did the course-the first time was on day one of this trip in Mt Gambier (that seems a long time ago).
Dinner was well attended by easily 100 people. The park put on chicken and veg soup followed by a sausage sizzle. They had raffles and games and a local band that played almost non-stop for 3 hours. The local band was called the Shoveller Family Band and came from the Aboriginal community about 40ks away. It consisted of dad, son (maybe 25), son (almost 14) and nephew (almost 13). The 7 year old sister Peta sat with us and got up and sang about 4 songs, the other sister Lalaine just watched and chatted a little as they didn’t bring her piano. Dad is a music teacher at the community’s High School and father of 7 children. He wrote a lot of the songs they sang and they sang a lot! The teenage boys break danced; they played pipes for didgeridoos and all in all put on a wonderful show. It’s nice to see kids with such high self esteem. Mum wasn’t there as she had taken her mother into Perth for an operation. Perth is 2000ks away now, so quite a drive!
Today we went out fishing on the lagoon. It’s quite amazing to see everything under water as we saw it last night when the tide was out. We are in the areas of large tides now and it was about 6 metres higher than we saw yesterday. Tomorrow it will be 7 metres difference and by Tuesday it will be 8 metres. The tides go out very fast and there is only a fairly narrow window of opportunity to retrieve your boat. If you leave it too late, you just leave the boat and get it as the tide starts to come back in. We had put the car into 4WD and let a lot of air out of the tyres to get the boat out of the water.
All that was very interesting, but the lack of legal sized fish was a bit of a disappointment! We caught many cod, but had to throw them all back. It could be to do with the full moon tomorrow night, we’ll have to wait and see and hope it improves. At least we have enough meat, fish and chicken in our freezer to survive!
Tonight Leah and mark are coming over for a drink and chat before dinner, and then Russ and I are having a curry.
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