Tuesday/Wednesday 26 & 27 August – Broome

We float along with Broome time and decide to stay another day – a good excuse to walk off the excesses along the beach. The temptation for another sunset photo and drinks of course whilst watching the camel treks.

Its such a popular spot with locals and visitors alike – some folk really should leave their bathers on though – it’s enough to put you off your wine!

Thursday 28 August – Broome –Barn Hill Outstation

It’s been suggested by a number of people that we camp at the popular Barn Hill Outstation (forms part of Thangoo Station), about 100kms south of Broome. The site has its own very small bowling green and if you’re up early enough you can head to the bakery for fresh baked bread (old fashioned style) and vanilla slices! It’s pretty laid back and we find a spot with a view to the ocean. Out with the binoculars as we see whales floating past our back door and the water is lovely. A very low tide and we take a long walk and some beachcombing in the afternoon. Another magnificent sunset, with smoke from the fires at Broome.

  

 

Friday 29 August – Barn Hill – 80 Mile Beach

We’re in two minds whether to stay or continue on and decide to camp at 80 Mile Beach. I haven’t been there for years so it’s a nice surprise to see the park is still there, with grown trees, a nice grassed area in the park and lots of ants! Always something! A drive on the shell lined beach and it’s wall to wall fishermen and vehicles in both directions. We’re walk down later in the afternoon to witness the outgoing tide and it seems to go on forever.

  

Saturday 30 August – 80 Mile Beach – Point Samson

We leave early and call into South Hedland. How much has this place changed – two new overpasses have been opened over the rail lines – the locals tell me you don’t have to sit for hours waiting for the ore trains to pass. So many places to camp and we finally pull into Point Samson – the MOST EXPENSIVE caravan park we have stayed (wished we’d gone to Cleaverville out of Karratha). A long arvo walk with a view to Cape Lambert and many ships at sea waiting to berth and the chef has another night off with dinner at the pub.

Sunday 31 August – Point Samson – Bullara Station

We call into Wickham and then to Karratha – now a city – it’s barely recognisable with multi storey buildings. We don’t stay long – a quick shop for some essentials and I count 30 guys in fluoros lined up at Subway at 10am! (night shift perhaps) We stop for lunch at Robe River (no water in the river but lots of campers with TV satellite dishes). So many people are ‘free camping’ these days and have been there for months complete with vege gardens! Woe betide anyone who tries to squeeze into a spot allocated for friends! Not for us – we’re going to camp at Bullara Station south of Exmouth where we have camped previously. A great spot with friendly people – complete with ensuite and hot water shower and lots of wood to keep the fire going!

Monday 1 Sept – Ballara Station – Warra (Warroora (south of Coral Bay))

We’re told that Warra is the place to camp. Stopping at Coral Bay for a cuppa and a walk to town beach, the water is beautiful with numerous snorkelers and families. One look at the overcrowded caravan park and we off to Warra.

After about 45 attempts at backing the van into a very tight spot (the smallest one on the beach), on an angle so the wind doesn’t blow out the gas, rocks under the wheels etc etc we have a great view of the water and Ningaloo Reef. The water is 20 feet away – geez, who wants to leave here – not me! we could stay for a month. My second swim of the trip and I don’t want to get out of the water – it’s a warm bath. We meet some fellow West Ozzies, one decides to light the fire and bake an Italian damper in the camp oven. It’s (yawn) another fabulous sunset and we actually have a LATE NIGHT (past 10pm)

  

Tuesday 2 Sept – Warra – Geraldton and HOME

Wish we were at Warra but a long drive looms – we’re gone by 8am, a stop in Carnarvon and arrive in Gero around 4.30pm. We spend the next day there catching up with friends and checking out the houses. Pretty keen to turn around and go back to the warmer weather. It’s overcast, around 22 deg here and the jumpers are on.

Unfortunately all good things come to an end – can’t believe we have been on the road for 2 months. We’ve encountered all sorts of weather, great places, many fabulous nights camped under the stars, amazing sunsets, wonderful people, lots of laughs, our great home on wheels (not once have we wanted to pull into a hotel/motel). We’ve had bugs in the bed, didn’t see snakes but did see BIG CROCS. Been in some of the smallest bathrooms in caravan parks, had to use the thinnest toilet paper ever, NO TV FOR 2 MONTHS (and didn’t miss it) and definitely will not be purchasing the popular van accessory (the FLUFFY DOG). … life on the road has been lots of fun with wonderful memories and the people to share those memories.

We are already planning our next trip – home long enough to check all the mail, get the tax returns done do the washing etc.

Hope you’ve enjoyed the blog – I’ve loved doing it!

 

 

 

Broome Time

Thursday 21 August – Kununurra

While in Kununurra we drive out to the Packsaddle and stage 2 on the other side of town past the Research Station and Hootchery to see how much has changed since our last visit 4 years ago. Numerous mango and sandlewood properties abound and acres of sunflowers and chia seed crops. The road has been extended beyond the hootchery to the Keep River with a massive amount of land clearing and new drains built to accommodate more crops and water. All resting within the beautiful coloured rock landscape. As it’s our last night, we enjoy a farewell dinner with Adam & Hayley at the Pumphouse Restaurant.

We’ve decided to be in Broome by Sunday night – so its off to Halls Creek – it’s a beautiful drive, gorgeous scenery and the everchanging colours of the rugged rock ranges. We cross many creek and river systems, some still with water. After a drive around town, we decide to camp at Sawtooth (Sawpit) Gorge about 45kms on the Duncan Road. A very pretty spot and there’s only a couple of others camping here. Peaceful place, lots of birds and blissful.

 

     

Off early the next day and the country really changes, with flat open plains that you can see for miles and very long straight roads. We call into Fitzroy Crossing and decide to continue on. After a few false starts we find Elendale Billabong and decide to camp. This is a nice spot, with plenty of bird life amongst the grazing cattle and we’re under the stars again.

We’re on our way to Broome and hearing reports about fires in the Broome area. We can see the smoke and the fire has burnt right up to the Roebuck Plains roadhouse only days before. There’s a huge wall of smoke as we drive closer to Broome and it’s drifting out to the ocean as we arrive in Cable Beach. It’s visible all around town especially from the port and Gantheume Point.

    

Monday 25 August – Broome

We take the scenic run around and into town and the obligatory drive onto Cable Beach. Nothing has changed with many vehicles parked on the beach and the camel trains doing their daily trek. We’re back a short while later to take in the spectacular sunset with hundreds of other people (and a few wines of course) with Ewen & Carol, some friends from Mandurah.

  

Basil Broome has decided we’ll stay longer and we’re heading off to the beach for a drive and swim. Any more relaxed and he’d be horizontal!

 

Big Barras and even bigger Crocs!

16 August-20 August – Daly Waters – Kununurra 

Leaving early, we head to Mataranka Springs for a warm tub, a good time to stop as most of the park has emptied of tourists. It’s still a lovely place and we really enjoy our swim. A quick stop at Katherine for fuel and lunch and then to Victoria River Roadhouse to camp. The drive is very spectacular and scenic through the Gregory National Park and the Victoria River. After setting up camp, we walk to the river for some croc spotting and the very thick, tall cane grass (with thongs on of course) to the old bridge to admire the view.  As it becomes darker,  some small wallabies or roos who live in tunnels in the cane grass  come out to feed. They are very skittish and race back to their burrows at the slightest sound.

The next morning we’re up early – forgetting about the time difference between the NT and WA. We cross the border and have to hand in all our fruit, veg and honey at the quarantine checkpoint.  We arrive in Kununurra in the afternoon – town is quiet at the moment and the weather is glorious – not too hot.

We have come to Kununurra to see Adam and meet Hayley as they are expecting their first child – Poppy Kim is delighted – another grandchild on the way! We head to the pub for dinner and who should be there but Glenn Jakovich! Still looking very good!

       

On Monday, Kim & Adam go fishing to the bottom of the diversion dam to catch some bait fish as we are heading to Home Valley Station and the Pentecost River on Tues arvo to fish and stay overnight.

Once we arrive and set up, the boys are off to the River to catch some barra – some serious father and son fishing strategies ensue but mainly fingers crossed! Not much is happening, the only fish caught is a catfish which is thrown back. A beautiful sunset and the occasional grunting of cattle on the opposite side of the river and as it gets darker the fish start jumping. Adam spots the red eyes of a croc not far from the bank – time for me to rush off and cook dinner! The boys keep trying; Kim throws in the towel around 11 and Adam about 1am.

     

The boys are up early to have another go – the tide is going out again and the lines are set. It’s a beautiful morning, the river is a glass out and we spot a croc slowly making his way along the other side of the river bank, so effortlessly and without fuss. He’s huge, we reckon about 20′. As long as he stays there, I’m happy!

Still no luck and after a cuppa, we decide to hang in for about 20 mins before packing up – finally Adam has a bite – as it pulls it in, he realises he has a Barra on the line and it’s a beauty. He slowly brings it up the slippery muddy bank and the fish measures 1.136m. He is now a member of the metre + club. He’s rapt!

      

After the obligatory bragging pics, it’s time to kiss our fish goodbye and Adam slowly releases him back into the water. We head home, crossing the Pentecost. The water level is very low and not a lot of water at the crossing.

Sunday 10 August – Normanton – Leichardt Falls – Gregory River

Leaving Normanton, we check out Burke & Wills Camp 119 – their final camp in their efforts to reach the Gulf – it wasn’t to be as they were turned back by the terrain, mangrove swamps and other hardships.

 

 

 

 

 

We cross the very wide Flinders River and stop to check out the masses of brolgas on both sides of the crossing.

     

Basil has the binoculars and we spot a croc just off to the left of the group of brolgas (pic on right if you zoom in). No lunch for him today!

We stop at Leichardt Falls for lunch and continue through very pretty country off the Savannah Way before arriving at the Gregory River – shock horror, vans to the left and right however we find a really nice spot close to the river. We chuck on the togs and cautiously get in the cool water- it’s fast flowing in spots and try our luck floating downstream. A tad of gravel rash on the backside as we bump our way over the rocks but all good fun.

  

Stock & station agent Roger Wilson, estimates we’ve seen 10K head of cattle in our travels today. He’s getting them ready for sale on Gumtree! Retired auctioneer Basil, told him he’s full of it and can’t count. He also gave him a lesson on cattle breeds (ie Brahman vs Droughtmasters) and that Roger should stick to building!

Monday 11 August – Gregory River – Adels Gorge/Lawn Hill National Park

A nice cuppa at the river before driving the 85kms drive arrive at Adels Gorge, passing MMG Mine, one of the largest zinc mines in Australia.

Adels Gorge is not unlike El Questro. We choose to camp in the Grove with the river running behind. It’s a lovely set up however the park info tells us there are lots of snakes (on the ground and in the river), bird life, feral pigs and dingos. We’re off for a swim in the waterhole behind the vans (no crocs here). We head to the bar for a drink and the cooks have gone on strike again so it’s freshwater barramundi and chips for dinner – $64 for 6 large pieces of fish and $10 of chips.

  

Up early in the morning to Lawn Hill National Park to walk to Indarri Falls. Very pretty spot and we skirt over the top and through the Gorge itself before arriving back at the restaurant for lunch (I’m sick of cheese and tommy cruskits). Another swim in the river, the ‘beach’ and finally the rapids. Bird life abounds here (as do the feral pigs) and Basil is out with the binocs once again!

Thursday 14 August – Adels Gorge – Robinson River camp

We part company with Roger & Wendy who are heading to Mt Isa on their way south and we’re heading west to Daly Waters via Boorooloola. Our drive from Adels Gorge to King Fisher Creek (KFC) and then to Doomagee is 120kms but takes us 2.5 hours. ‘Kirribilli’ encounters her first river crossing and we see lovely country before hitting the dust well and truly after Hellfire Roadhouse. The road is very rough and corrugated in spots, we cross into the NT border before camping at Robinson River. We are reminded that this is still croc country with warning signs over creeks and rivers. As the sun sets amongst the trees, Basil and I are enjoying a drink, watching a kangaroo feeding and listening to all the different bird species. There’s not a breath of wind and it’s time to get out the binoculars!

Friday 15 August – Robinson River – Daly Waters (airstrip)

Leaving Robinson River, we have a rough 90km trip to Boorooloola – a short stop for phone calls and messages before heading on Cape Crawford and Daly Waters. After a very boring drive we camp opposite the Daly Waters aerodrome as the pub/park are packed out ditto the Roadhouse 2kms away. We have a nice shower and it’s fresh fish from Karumba for dinner tonight!

 

Fresh Barra at the Gulf

After a couple of days on very bumpy roads and numerous roadwords from Richmond we arrive in Normanton to warmer weather – 31 deg. The town is home to Krys the replica croc – he was shot in 1958 and measures 28 foot or 8.6m – some local kids volunteer to pose for us (on top of and inside his jaws). I hate crocodiles!

     

Sat 9 August – Normanton – to Karumba

We drive to Karumba, 70kms drive from Normanton. The town is located right on the Gulf and we’ve heard it has the best barra around. Parts of the countryside are reminiscent of Broome with plenty of cattle here and lots of full water holes. We see hundreds of brolgas in the open plains and a very large goanna by the side of the road.

Karumba is in two parts – shops in town and out on the gulf, a couple of kms away. This is a very popular spot with the grey nomads and there’s hundreds of trailers parked up and everyone’s gone fishing. We head for Ash’s Cafe – ‘world famous fish n chips’ and for $12 treat ourselves to a feed of fresh barra (crumbed or battered) and chips! We purchase some King Salmon to take back to camp and we are told it’s better than Barra!

      

On the return trip about 30kms out of town we find a pretty camp spot right on the river, complete with croc signs. We stop at the Muttonbird Waterhole on the outskirts of Normanton, and it is covered in water lillies and numerous bird life.

     

Tomorrow we leave to find a bush camp for the night visiting Leichart Falls before arriving in Adels Grove on Monday for about 3 or 4 days camping along beautiful Lawn Hill Creek.

The People you meet on the track!

We’re in Richmond at the caravan park, enjoying our bbq steak, when Basil & I both receive a call from our mate Dave asking where we are? In Richmond, we say.

Well’ guess what – so is Dave (he’s working) and he’s staying at the pub in town, 200 metres away! What a nice surprise. Dave & his colleague join us for a drink and a catch up. Small world!

 

3am Start! – 146kms drive to Winton

We’re had a lovely camp oven dinner against the backdrop of a beautiful sunset. There’s been talk of rain so we have the car and camper ready just in case – you would not want to be at this site if it rained!

Monday 4 August – Darr River – Winton

We’re awake at 1.30am when we hear the first spits of rain, it gets a bit heavier and by 3am it’s all go as everyone drives to the side of the main road. It’s back to bed – but we’re all up at 7.30am, with little sleep. After a cuppa and toast, we all part company after 2 weeks on the road together and the 4 of us are off to Winton.

Winton is famous for the Waltzing Matilda centre – home of Banjo Patterson and the song, Waltzing Matilda. A comprehensive display of the district and well worth a visit.

Tuesday 5 August – Winton

After a slow morning Basil and I head to the bakery for bacon and egg rolls. You soon discover that all of these outback towns have a great bakery or butcher (or both) and very wide streets.

We drive out to the Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum. As we are about to turn off, an empty cattle train passes by on its way to Winton to pick up a delivery of cattle, bound for Rockhampton and we spot a group of 8 brolgas grazing in the scrub.

      

The centre is very impressive from the outside and Roger & Basil undertake a detailed inspection of ‘Banjo’. We do a couple of ½ hour tours – one inside the movie theatre for a talk, movie and ‘showing of the bones’ recovered from ‘Matilda’ & ‘Banjo’ in the Winton region. Another tour to the lab where Roy our guide shows us the numerous dinosaur finds and we see a group of volunteers hard at work looking for dinosaur remains – painstaking and laborious work but they love it. Roy tells us about a meteor that crashed on a farmer’s property and is worth $3K per gram – I’ve told Basil to put the detector away for gems and go meteor hunting instead!  After our visit, Roger has gone from dead set dinosaur sceptic to Dr Wilson, the paleontologist specialist!

      

After a lunch we drive to the Bladensburg National Park, some great camping spots along the River Gums Route. The Shearers Strike Memorial is here and marks the spot where 500 shearers camped here while the town was under martial law and the ALP is formed.

Clouds are building around Winton – the butcher says it won’t happen, but within 2 hours we have lightning, thunder and finally some rain. There’s puddles in the park!

Wednesday 6 August – Winton – Hughenden – Richmond

On the road again – the countryside is in severe drought and is so desolate – 0nly minimal grazing stock in these parts.  A roadside stop at Corfield – home of the ‘Corfield Cup’  (pop about 3 I’d say) –  empty cattle yards and dry land tells the story

    

We meet up with a station manager from the Muttaburra area who’s competing in the Hughenden annual camp draft this week-end – you can tell I love horses! Big week-end for the town. The famous Coolibah tree is here blazed in 1862 by William Lansborough in the search for Burke & Wills.

    

Another visit to the local bakery (we’re suckers for pies) and it’s on to Richmond, where we’re camped up at the local park backing on the lake. Lovely breeze and Roger is cranking up the BabyQ for dinner. Ah, glass of wine in hand, bliss!!!

Longreach (camping on the Darr River)

We arrive in Balcaldine – time for a coffee and look around town. The ‘Spirit of the Outback’ pulls into the station on its way from Longreach to Brisbane via Rockhampton, a 24 hour journey.

The major feature in town is the famous ‘Tree of Knowledge’, a truly unusual and fabulous memorial. The original majestic ghost gum tree (estimated to be 200 years old) saw the passing of seasons, had a couple of termite infestations and bug damage before it unfortunately became a victim of an unknown environmental scandal in 2006 and died. 101 years after the shearer’s strike the tree was listed on the Qld heritage register and its pivotal role in embryonic unionism and Australian politics was recognised in Jan 2006 just before the official death of the tree. The memorial is constructed of over 4913 timber members – the majority of timber coming from redundant phone poles in SA. The root ball was salvaged intact. As the brochure says while the hands of man prolonged its life, it was the hands of man that ended it! A place where old stories were told and new ones created.

        

We head to Longreach (to spend about 4 days with Owen & Cath, before they turn around to head home) and arrive in time for lunch at the famous Merino Bakery. It’s a buzzy town and we decide to camp about 30kms north on the Darr River. It’s warmer and the first night we haven’t sat on top of the campfire all rugged up!

    

Next day we’re doing the tourist bit and visit the Qantas Founders Museum. A guide takes on tour of an original 707 and 747 (the City of Bunbury) explaining all facets of the planes and the 8 of us fit inside a jumbo engine for a pic (Roger & Basil are at the back). It’s a fabulous museum next to the original Qantas hangar and well worth a visit. Basil tries his hand at the Tigermoth simulator – he’s flying upside down (he thought he was pretty clever) and then his accountant phones and he stacks it! Moral of the story, don’t fly with your phone turned on.

 

More of the tourist bit on Sat with another visit to Qantas and the Stockmen’s Hall of Fame – lots of history and those early Australians sure were a tough breed of people. Only in Australia would you see a sculpture of a stockman with the backdrop of a 747 jumbo.

  

We’ve had some lovely sunsets here and seen the space station flying over on 2 nights, usually about 7pm – the sky is so clear.

 Sunday is rest day – however an ‘official’ game of frizzby golf between the ‘young guns’ and the ‘old farts’ takes place and Wendy is official scorekeeper and adjudicator – to keep the bastards honest! Basil goes for the winning shot – but to no avail – the ‘young guns’ take out the title.

       

Tomorrow we’re off to Winton (dinosaur country).

 

We’re in gem country

Tuesday 29 July – Theresa Dam – Sapphire

After chilling out at the dam for a few days, we’re off to Rubyvale and stop for a coffee (the best around apparently) – always interesting signage in these towns!

We drive on to Sapphire – the small and very dry town is contrasted by the cows grazing everywhere (even outside the shops cause they can due to an old law re ‘miner’s rights’) and shops full of sapphire jewellery. We find a nice little grassed caravan park and undertake a serious tour of the shops while Basil goes fossicking for some rare gems with his newly purchased $7.50 miner’s licence! No luck but the guy in the van behind us gives Basil 3 small stones he picked up on the road.

Not a lot of prosperity here and the shops aren’t doing much business however after extensive research by the girls, they manage to cough up some bucks for new bling!

Wednesday 30 July – Sapphire – Jericho

We stop in Alpha for fresh bread and pies at the bakery before heading to Jericho. A nice camp spot is to be within walking distance of town and we set up along the riverbank. The sign at the toilet block says that we are to keep the lids down to stop the frogs (and hence the snakes!). A walk into town after lunch to buy an icecream finds us at an operating outdoor movie theatre, next screening 16 August. There’s 30 speakers and seating under cover.

One of the locals tells us that we are in the Gallillee basin, 3^rd biggest carbon deposit in the world. 69 people live in the town, but everything is up for sale including the pub – all the action is going to be happening over at Alpha.

The boys have thrown in the nets to catch some shrimp for fishing later on. Another glorious evening around the campfire under the stars, toasting marshmellows by the fire.

 

Carnarvon Gorge – Qld

Tuesday 22 July – Beardmore River – Mitchell

The next few days we travel from St George to Mitchell (a nice swim at the local artesian pool and few cold beers and G&Ts at the local pub) before continuing on to Injune. We travel through some lovely country which varies from heavily wooded trees to vast open cattle grazing plains before arriving at Carnarvon Gorge NP to set up for 3 days. Nice park but lots of pesky Currawongs that are ready to dive onto any food that s left around for more than a minute or so. However this is more than compensated by local platypus in the river that runs around the Park. Lots of patience is required waiting for them to make an appearance!

Roger & Wendy discover Ross & Jenny from Augusta are also here and everyone gets chatting around Owen’s cooker (roast dinner tonight) and we meet up with some Victorians camped next door. We are dining in style tonight with tablecloths and candles!

       

Thursday 24 July

Carnarvon Gorge sees us trekking our way to the various gorges on the main walking track. Our walk is approximately 20kms, stopping off at Wards Canyon, Art Gallery, the Amphitheatre and Moss Gallery. All very different and beautiful in their own right. We have a few breaks and a lunch stop but the last few kms are the hardest, as we’re all getting a bit tired and ready to get back to camp for a coldy and a hot shower. The next day is clean up, rest and some washing before heading off to Theresa Dam.