We took the coastal road to Cervantes, a crayfishing town, north of Perth and checked into Pinnacles Caravan Park at about 12.30pm ($30 power & water). After lunch at the van we had a look around the town and called in to the Visitors Centre.
That night we went to the Community Club for Happy Hour and dinner. We had been given a voucher at the caravan park for a seafood platter and made that our dinner. It was good value with oysters kilpatrick (1 each), king prawns, fish, chips, a small half lobster and help yourself to salad bar, all for $65 per couple.
The next day we drove out to Nambung National Park to visit The Pinnacles Desert, an area of thousands of limestone pillars, rising from the sand dunes. We walked the loop walk around the dunes and enjoyed this extraordinary area.
We then drove to Lake Thetis to see more stromatolites, but after seeing them at Hamlin Pool a few days before were not very impressed. Pete reckons they are as interesting as watching paint dry!!!
Caught up with our washing in the afternoon and had dinner in the van.
On our last day in Cervantes we took a walk along the beach in front of the caravan park. Lots of crayfish boats moored in the water. It was very windy. We thought we couldn't leave this crayfishing town without trying the local product and went to the Lobster Shack for a late lunch. I ordered grilled Lobster served with salad and chips and it was great. Pete had fish and chips.
We spent the remainder of the afternoon preparing the van for storage in Perth, where we are going to stay with Marg and John. Looking forward to a proper bed and a real inside bathroom!!!!!
We have decided that we are ready for home and when we leave Perth will be heading home by the most direct route. All going well, we will most likely be home around the middle of August.
Cheers
Rhonda (Sam) & Pete
Sunday, 29 July 2012
Kalbarri to Geralton - 25,26 July 2012 - 155km
Hello
It was a pleasant drive down the coastal road, passing the Pink Lake near Port Gregory to our destination, Belair Garden Caravan Park at Geraldton ($32.30 power & water). Setting up didn't take long and after lunch we drove into town where we visited the HMAS Sydney memorial, before visiting Wooolies and the local cinema to find out what was showing. Unfortunately there was nothing on we wanted to see. We had another cold night that night.
Geralton is quite a large town compared to those we have visited on the coast and has a lot of industry. The city centre fronts the ocean, but it too cold to swim at present.
We spent the morning of our 2nd day catching up on things around the van and in the afternoon took a walk down to the beach across the road from our caravan park. We walked over to Fishermans Wharf for a look, but it was an industrial wharf with lots of businesses associated with boats.
Again a very cold,wind night.
Tomorrow we leave for Cervantes, so more blog from there.
Cheers
Rhonda (Sam) & Pete
It was a pleasant drive down the coastal road, passing the Pink Lake near Port Gregory to our destination, Belair Garden Caravan Park at Geraldton ($32.30 power & water). Setting up didn't take long and after lunch we drove into town where we visited the HMAS Sydney memorial, before visiting Wooolies and the local cinema to find out what was showing. Unfortunately there was nothing on we wanted to see. We had another cold night that night.
Geralton is quite a large town compared to those we have visited on the coast and has a lot of industry. The city centre fronts the ocean, but it too cold to swim at present.
We spent the morning of our 2nd day catching up on things around the van and in the afternoon took a walk down to the beach across the road from our caravan park. We walked over to Fishermans Wharf for a look, but it was an industrial wharf with lots of businesses associated with boats.
Again a very cold,wind night.
Tomorrow we leave for Cervantes, so more blog from there.
Cheers
Rhonda (Sam) & Pete
Wednesday, 25 July 2012
Shark Bay to Kalbarri - 22 to 24 July 2012 - 376km
When we left Shark Bay we called into Shell Beach, a beach covered in countless tiny cockle shells, layered over 10m deep and stretching for over 120 km. These shells cement together after rain and can be made into bricks. We saw buildings made up of the shell bricks in Denham.
We also drove to Hamlin Pool, a marine reserve, containing the worlds best known colony of stromatolites (the oldest living organisms on the planet). These rocky looking lumps in the water resemble the oldest and simplest forms of life on earth, dating back 3.5million years and can be viewed from a viewing platform over the water. (Bet you didn't know what stromatolites were until you read this - neither did we!!!!!)
Continued on our drive to Kalbarri, stopping for a roadside lunch at Billabong Roadhouse, and booked into Murchison Caravan Park ($34 power & great water) in the town of Kalbarri. Kalbarri is a holiday town, situated where the Murchison River meets the coast and is surrounded by national park.
for the first time we can receive 7 TV stations, but we still cant find anything we want to watch!!!!
On our 2nd day we drove along Red Bluff Road, stopping to walk to the various points of interest along the coastal cliffs. We walked the Nature Trail that connects Mushroom Rock and Rainbow Valley, walking to the ocean through a gorge filled with wildflowers which were just beginning to bloom. We also stopped to view Eagle Gorge, Shellhouse Grandstand, Island Rock and Natural Bridge, all interesting rock formations along the spectacular cliffs. Saw lots of whales, but they were a fair way out. When we returned to town we decided to have a late lunch and visited a local cafe for an excellent burger & chips.
We awoke the next day to blue skies, sunshine and also cold blustery winds and spen he morning in the van. After lunch we went for a walk along river and then back around the lagoon to the ocean where we saw a whale and her calf. We couldn't believe how close they were to the beach and watched them for a long time. We found out later at the local fish and chip shop that the local boat hire business will ferry people across to the island and come back to get them when they ring the bell. Had we known this we would have gone across and would have seen able to see the whale and her calf from no more than 50 metres away. They were so close to the sand that we thought they might beach. The locals told us that whales often come into that spot to rest.
It was freezing in the van that night and I went to bed in my flannette pj's, thermal jumper, thick socks and woollen hat and thought it would be a good idea to buy a heater!!!!
Cheers
Rhonda (Sam) and Pete
We also drove to Hamlin Pool, a marine reserve, containing the worlds best known colony of stromatolites (the oldest living organisms on the planet). These rocky looking lumps in the water resemble the oldest and simplest forms of life on earth, dating back 3.5million years and can be viewed from a viewing platform over the water. (Bet you didn't know what stromatolites were until you read this - neither did we!!!!!)
Continued on our drive to Kalbarri, stopping for a roadside lunch at Billabong Roadhouse, and booked into Murchison Caravan Park ($34 power & great water) in the town of Kalbarri. Kalbarri is a holiday town, situated where the Murchison River meets the coast and is surrounded by national park.
for the first time we can receive 7 TV stations, but we still cant find anything we want to watch!!!!
On our 2nd day we drove along Red Bluff Road, stopping to walk to the various points of interest along the coastal cliffs. We walked the Nature Trail that connects Mushroom Rock and Rainbow Valley, walking to the ocean through a gorge filled with wildflowers which were just beginning to bloom. We also stopped to view Eagle Gorge, Shellhouse Grandstand, Island Rock and Natural Bridge, all interesting rock formations along the spectacular cliffs. Saw lots of whales, but they were a fair way out. When we returned to town we decided to have a late lunch and visited a local cafe for an excellent burger & chips.
We awoke the next day to blue skies, sunshine and also cold blustery winds and spen he morning in the van. After lunch we went for a walk along river and then back around the lagoon to the ocean where we saw a whale and her calf. We couldn't believe how close they were to the beach and watched them for a long time. We found out later at the local fish and chip shop that the local boat hire business will ferry people across to the island and come back to get them when they ring the bell. Had we known this we would have gone across and would have seen able to see the whale and her calf from no more than 50 metres away. They were so close to the sand that we thought they might beach. The locals told us that whales often come into that spot to rest.
It was freezing in the van that night and I went to bed in my flannette pj's, thermal jumper, thick socks and woollen hat and thought it would be a good idea to buy a heater!!!!
Cheers
Rhonda (Sam) and Pete
Friday, 20 July 2012
Coral Bay to Shark Bay - 18 to 21 July 2012 - 547km
Departed Coral Bay at 8.00am for the long drive to Shark Bay. Once again we drove through unfenced cattle country and saw dead cattle by the road. Also saw several groups of emus close to the road. It was quite a windy day and we could feel the wind buffeting the van.
The Shark Bay Region is World Heritage listed and home to an extensive range of rare marine life, rare plants, mammals and birds. It is estimated that one eighth of the world population of Dugongs live in Shark Bay waters. The coastline has rugged red cliffs, white sandy beaches and clear blue waters.
The town of Denham is built on the beachfront and is a good base for visiting the marine park and Francois Peron National Park, and as most of the coastal towns on this coast has very good fishing.
Our caravan park is situated on the beach and is quite large. It is unusual in that it is built on a hill on 3 levels, connected by ramps. Our site is on the top level and we get good TV reception for a change.
The usual red dust that we have come to expect in caravan parks in this part of the world, has been replaced by finely crushed white shells and is much easier to keep out of the van.
We drove 20km out of town to visit Eagle Bluff where a boardwalk along the edge of the bluff gives a great view of the bay. On the way back to town we called into Ocean Park where we viewed sharks, turtles, stingrays and fish and joined the 45 minute tour by a marine biologist.
We were up early the next morning to drive to Monkey Mia for the 1st feeding of the dolphins. We stood barefoot in the water for ages waiting for the dolphins to arrive. Eventually we had 4 dolphins for the feeding and another small group of wild ones who refuse to be hand fed and just played in the water. The feeding itself was quite brief and our feet felt frozen by the time it was over, so we adjourned to the restaurant for a hot buffet breakfast.
We can feel the weather cooling down since we have been here and had 2 very brief, very light showers of rain yesterday. It is too cold for swimming at present. We are expecting more cold, rainy weather as we head further south.
Cheers
Rhonda (Sam) & Pete
The Shark Bay Region is World Heritage listed and home to an extensive range of rare marine life, rare plants, mammals and birds. It is estimated that one eighth of the world population of Dugongs live in Shark Bay waters. The coastline has rugged red cliffs, white sandy beaches and clear blue waters.
The town of Denham is built on the beachfront and is a good base for visiting the marine park and Francois Peron National Park, and as most of the coastal towns on this coast has very good fishing.
Our caravan park is situated on the beach and is quite large. It is unusual in that it is built on a hill on 3 levels, connected by ramps. Our site is on the top level and we get good TV reception for a change.
The usual red dust that we have come to expect in caravan parks in this part of the world, has been replaced by finely crushed white shells and is much easier to keep out of the van.
We drove 20km out of town to visit Eagle Bluff where a boardwalk along the edge of the bluff gives a great view of the bay. On the way back to town we called into Ocean Park where we viewed sharks, turtles, stingrays and fish and joined the 45 minute tour by a marine biologist.
We were up early the next morning to drive to Monkey Mia for the 1st feeding of the dolphins. We stood barefoot in the water for ages waiting for the dolphins to arrive. Eventually we had 4 dolphins for the feeding and another small group of wild ones who refuse to be hand fed and just played in the water. The feeding itself was quite brief and our feet felt frozen by the time it was over, so we adjourned to the restaurant for a hot buffet breakfast.
We can feel the weather cooling down since we have been here and had 2 very brief, very light showers of rain yesterday. It is too cold for swimming at present. We are expecting more cold, rainy weather as we head further south.
Cheers
Rhonda (Sam) & Pete
Thursday, 19 July 2012
Exmouth to Coral Bay - 13 to 17 July 2012 - 152km
When I booked Coral Bay I could only get 4 nights from 14th July and so when we left Exmouth we intended to drive to Minilys Roadhouse to overnight and then double back to Coral Bay for our booking. As we had to pass the turnoff to Coral Bay we decided to take a chance and call in to Coral Bay to see if we could pick up a cancellation for 13th. Lucky us - we did!!!!
Coral Bay is a tiny community, set on a bay on Southern Ningaloo Marine Park. There is only one street in the town and a beautiful white sandy beach and you can snorkel on the reef just off shore. Our camp site in the caravan park is only 100m from the beach. In the afternoon we took a walk around the small shopping centre and along the beach to familiarize ourselves with the area.
Most mornings when the tide is out it is an interesting walk along the beach and we walked there most mornings. Most afternoons we went to the beach for a swim and snorkel. The sunsets over the beach here are beautiful and people take their chairs and drinks over to witness them.
We wanted to do the swimming with whale sharks cruise but as it is almost the end of the season we were a bit hesitant about booking because of the possibility we wouldnt see them and there is no refund. Anyway we decided to book and hope for the best.
The cruise started with a snorkel at a site inside the marine park, where we saw huge coral bomas (spelling??) and grey reef sharks hovering over a large coral boma where tiny fish come out of the coral and clean their teeth. It was amazing snorkeling. Heading back to the boat against a strong current and heavy swell, Pete developed a strong cramp in his bad leg and I had to help him get back to the boat.
When we left this area we headed out to the open sea and were expecting a 2 hour journey to the area where the whale sharks are usually seen, when the spotter plane contacted the captain to tell him there was a 4 metre whale shark swimming about 20 minutes in front of us. Everyone got excited at this as apparently the day before they didnt sight a whale shark at all and didnt get back to port until 6.00pm that night.
We were split into 2 groups and when we reached the area the shark was in, the boat was positioned in front of the shark and the 1st group jumped into the water and swam towards it in a line. As the shark passed them the 1st group were picked up by the boat and the 2nd group jumped in. We were in the 2nd group and Pete went in, but as it was quite a long swim to reach the shark and because his leg was still bothering him, he swam back to the boat.
I stayed with my group and we swam alongside the shark 4 times. It was only 3 metres away from us and we could could see it very clearly. We could keep up with it as it swam quite slowly and didnt seem bothered by us at all. It was an unforgetable experience and a great day out.
Although the whale sharks have been known to grow up to 15 metres, the only ones that visit this area are young males about 4-5 metres long. On the way back to shore we saw humpback whales, a manta ray and dugongs and stopped for another snorkel in a more shallow part of the reef.
When we got back we were knackered (again) and had takeaway fish & chips for dinner and an early
night. It seems to me we are getting knackered quite a lot lately. Maybe our age has something to do with that!!!!
Our last day in Coral Bay was spent catching up on chores and not doing much at all. We went to Fins Restaurant for dinner and had a very nice meal of Ruby Snapper. The fish in this part of Australia is the best we've eaten for a very long time. It was also the quickest dinner we have eaten for a long time. We arrived at 7.00pm and were home by 8.00pm (unheard of!!!!)
Coral Bay was great but we wont miss the tap water. It was vey salty and not recommended for drinking or washing cars. It was like having a shower in sea water. Drinking water was available to fill small containers. We also had drinking water in the van tank, so no problem.
More blog from Shark Bay, our next stop.
Cheers
Rhonda (Sam) & Pete
Coral Bay is a tiny community, set on a bay on Southern Ningaloo Marine Park. There is only one street in the town and a beautiful white sandy beach and you can snorkel on the reef just off shore. Our camp site in the caravan park is only 100m from the beach. In the afternoon we took a walk around the small shopping centre and along the beach to familiarize ourselves with the area.
Most mornings when the tide is out it is an interesting walk along the beach and we walked there most mornings. Most afternoons we went to the beach for a swim and snorkel. The sunsets over the beach here are beautiful and people take their chairs and drinks over to witness them.
We wanted to do the swimming with whale sharks cruise but as it is almost the end of the season we were a bit hesitant about booking because of the possibility we wouldnt see them and there is no refund. Anyway we decided to book and hope for the best.
The cruise started with a snorkel at a site inside the marine park, where we saw huge coral bomas (spelling??) and grey reef sharks hovering over a large coral boma where tiny fish come out of the coral and clean their teeth. It was amazing snorkeling. Heading back to the boat against a strong current and heavy swell, Pete developed a strong cramp in his bad leg and I had to help him get back to the boat.
When we left this area we headed out to the open sea and were expecting a 2 hour journey to the area where the whale sharks are usually seen, when the spotter plane contacted the captain to tell him there was a 4 metre whale shark swimming about 20 minutes in front of us. Everyone got excited at this as apparently the day before they didnt sight a whale shark at all and didnt get back to port until 6.00pm that night.
We were split into 2 groups and when we reached the area the shark was in, the boat was positioned in front of the shark and the 1st group jumped into the water and swam towards it in a line. As the shark passed them the 1st group were picked up by the boat and the 2nd group jumped in. We were in the 2nd group and Pete went in, but as it was quite a long swim to reach the shark and because his leg was still bothering him, he swam back to the boat.
I stayed with my group and we swam alongside the shark 4 times. It was only 3 metres away from us and we could could see it very clearly. We could keep up with it as it swam quite slowly and didnt seem bothered by us at all. It was an unforgetable experience and a great day out.
Although the whale sharks have been known to grow up to 15 metres, the only ones that visit this area are young males about 4-5 metres long. On the way back to shore we saw humpback whales, a manta ray and dugongs and stopped for another snorkel in a more shallow part of the reef.
When we got back we were knackered (again) and had takeaway fish & chips for dinner and an early
night. It seems to me we are getting knackered quite a lot lately. Maybe our age has something to do with that!!!!
Our last day in Coral Bay was spent catching up on chores and not doing much at all. We went to Fins Restaurant for dinner and had a very nice meal of Ruby Snapper. The fish in this part of Australia is the best we've eaten for a very long time. It was also the quickest dinner we have eaten for a long time. We arrived at 7.00pm and were home by 8.00pm (unheard of!!!!)
Coral Bay was great but we wont miss the tap water. It was vey salty and not recommended for drinking or washing cars. It was like having a shower in sea water. Drinking water was available to fill small containers. We also had drinking water in the van tank, so no problem.
More blog from Shark Bay, our next stop.
Cheers
Rhonda (Sam) & Pete
Sunday, 15 July 2012
Point Sampson to Exmouth - 11,12 July 2012 - 569km
Our drive to Exmouth was a bit of a drag until we left the North West Costal Highway and drove along Burkhill Road, where the scenery changed from drab scrub to the bright red soil, pale cream grass and dark green trees, very similar to the landscape near Uluru. Both sides of the road on the last 150km into Exmouth was lined with grazing sheep and newly born lambs. The road was pretty narrow and there were no fences to keep the sheep off the road. We saw lots of road kill (roos and sheep) in the area, but didnt hit anything ourselves (thank goodness).
Nigaloo Lighthouse Caravan Park ($35 power) was about 17km past Exmouth close to the Cape Range National Park. We had planned to stay in Exmouth for 4 days, but everything was booked out and I could only get a booking for 2 days. We arrived late afternoon and after a lot of manoeuvring up a steep slope of red dust, finally got the van in position with the help of a regular in the van opposite, who told us "they have problems with vans on that site every year because of the steep slope and big concrete curb". The first thing we saw as we drove in the gate was 6 emus strolling through the park. The water in the park is salty and not suitable for drinking, but you can fill small containers with rainwater for drinking.
Because we really only had 1 full day there, we decided to spend it in the national park and drove the 76km to the end of the tarred road to Yardie Creek. Here we walked the Nature Walk and The Gorge Trail, first following the trail along the creek and then climbing to the rim of the gorge where there were spectacular views over the gorge to the ocean and Nigaloo Reef. Hoped to see some wild life, but it didn't happen.
Our next stop was Mandu Mandu Gorge where we ate lunch before tackling the gorge walk, first walking in a very rocky dry creek bed deep into the gorge. We next followed a steep path up into the gorge rim, again enjoying the views of Nigaloo Reef and the surrounding country, before decending down a steep rocky path to the car park. It was a 2 hour hard slog and we were both knackered.
Our last stop before heading back to camp was the Mangrove Bay Bird Hide, where you can observe local and migratory birds in a coastal mangrove swamp from a purpose built wooden hide.
Unfortunately we didnt get to do as much as we wanted to in Exmouth because the place was booked out and we couldn't hang around waiting as we were already booked into Coral Bay.
Next blog from there.
Cheers
Rhonda (Sam) & Pete
Nigaloo Lighthouse Caravan Park ($35 power) was about 17km past Exmouth close to the Cape Range National Park. We had planned to stay in Exmouth for 4 days, but everything was booked out and I could only get a booking for 2 days. We arrived late afternoon and after a lot of manoeuvring up a steep slope of red dust, finally got the van in position with the help of a regular in the van opposite, who told us "they have problems with vans on that site every year because of the steep slope and big concrete curb". The first thing we saw as we drove in the gate was 6 emus strolling through the park. The water in the park is salty and not suitable for drinking, but you can fill small containers with rainwater for drinking.
Because we really only had 1 full day there, we decided to spend it in the national park and drove the 76km to the end of the tarred road to Yardie Creek. Here we walked the Nature Walk and The Gorge Trail, first following the trail along the creek and then climbing to the rim of the gorge where there were spectacular views over the gorge to the ocean and Nigaloo Reef. Hoped to see some wild life, but it didn't happen.
Our next stop was Mandu Mandu Gorge where we ate lunch before tackling the gorge walk, first walking in a very rocky dry creek bed deep into the gorge. We next followed a steep path up into the gorge rim, again enjoying the views of Nigaloo Reef and the surrounding country, before decending down a steep rocky path to the car park. It was a 2 hour hard slog and we were both knackered.
Our last stop before heading back to camp was the Mangrove Bay Bird Hide, where you can observe local and migratory birds in a coastal mangrove swamp from a purpose built wooden hide.
Unfortunately we didnt get to do as much as we wanted to in Exmouth because the place was booked out and we couldn't hang around waiting as we were already booked into Coral Bay.
Next blog from there.
Cheers
Rhonda (Sam) & Pete
Tuesday, 10 July 2012
Pardoo Roadhouse to Point Sampson (Karratha, Dampier) - 7 to 10 July 2012 - 343km
We were awake early so arose at 6.30am for the drive to Point Sampson. The morning was sunny but quite cold. We drove through flat, dusty, boring terraine on good roads. More traffic than usual because of the many mines in this part of the country. We set up the van and then drove about 10km to nearby Wickham, a Rio Tinto mining village where there was a supermarket as we needed to stock up.
Point Sampson is a small seaside town near Karratha and our caravan park is right on the beach.
It is a good fishing spot. There are some homes here and a Tavern, but nothing else. Our caravan site is right on the water and we have a good view of the bay from our van.
The next day we drove into Karrtha and Dampier for a look around, and found Red Dog's statue and of course took a picture of us with Red Dog. Dampier was quite nice as it is situated on the coast, but Karratha is a typical industrial town that supports the surrounding mines. That afternoon we walked along Point Sampson beach. The tide was out and the beach was very rocky with some sandy parts. We joined our neighbours (Elizabeth & Ron from somewhere outside of Perth) for happy hour and swapped stories of our travels.
It was time to catch up on some chores the next morning and we walked again on the beach in the afternoon. Happy hour again with the neighbours before dinner.
TV reception here is garbage, but we can get internet (although it drops out and in) and mobile coverage. There are no touristy things to do here and its great to just go for a walk or sit outside the van with a book and coffee or just do nothing at all!!!
On our last day we spent the morning at the beach, walked by the water again in the afternoon and started to pack up the van (not that it takes very long), so we can get an early start tomorrow morning.
Tomorrow we have a drive of about 560km to Exmouth.
More blog from there.
Cheers
Rhonda (Sam) & Pete
Point Sampson is a small seaside town near Karratha and our caravan park is right on the beach.
It is a good fishing spot. There are some homes here and a Tavern, but nothing else. Our caravan site is right on the water and we have a good view of the bay from our van.
The next day we drove into Karrtha and Dampier for a look around, and found Red Dog's statue and of course took a picture of us with Red Dog. Dampier was quite nice as it is situated on the coast, but Karratha is a typical industrial town that supports the surrounding mines. That afternoon we walked along Point Sampson beach. The tide was out and the beach was very rocky with some sandy parts. We joined our neighbours (Elizabeth & Ron from somewhere outside of Perth) for happy hour and swapped stories of our travels.
It was time to catch up on some chores the next morning and we walked again on the beach in the afternoon. Happy hour again with the neighbours before dinner.
TV reception here is garbage, but we can get internet (although it drops out and in) and mobile coverage. There are no touristy things to do here and its great to just go for a walk or sit outside the van with a book and coffee or just do nothing at all!!!
On our last day we spent the morning at the beach, walked by the water again in the afternoon and started to pack up the van (not that it takes very long), so we can get an early start tomorrow morning.
Tomorrow we have a drive of about 560km to Exmouth.
More blog from there.
Cheers
Rhonda (Sam) & Pete
Sunday, 8 July 2012
Port Smith to Pardoo Roadhouse - 6 July 2012 - 338km
We had originally planned to stay overnight at Port Hedland, but couldnt get a booking at any of the 3 caravan parks there, so overnighted at Pardoon Roadhouse ($30), which was about 150km north of Port Hedland.
The caravan park was in a paddock behind the roadhouse and had power and water connections and 6 ensuite bathrooms. The caravans were lined up quite close together with no room for us to put our our awning. Not that we intended to anyway.
We spent the afternoon cleaning the car and van and trying to get rid of some of the fine red dust that has accumulated over the last few weeks. Surprisingly we could get 1 TV channel (9) and internet, but not mobile coverage. It got cold very early, so we didnt bother sitting outside and had an early night.
More blog from Point Sampson.
Cheers
Rhonda (Sam) & Pete
The caravan park was in a paddock behind the roadhouse and had power and water connections and 6 ensuite bathrooms. The caravans were lined up quite close together with no room for us to put our our awning. Not that we intended to anyway.
We spent the afternoon cleaning the car and van and trying to get rid of some of the fine red dust that has accumulated over the last few weeks. Surprisingly we could get 1 TV channel (9) and internet, but not mobile coverage. It got cold very early, so we didnt bother sitting outside and had an early night.
More blog from Point Sampson.
Cheers
Rhonda (Sam) & Pete
Friday, 6 July 2012
Broome to Port Smith - 4,5, July - 166km
After leaving the Great Northern Highway and driving 23km on a dusty red dirt road, we arrived at Port Smith caravan park ($35 power & water), about 166km south of Broome.
Port Smith was originally a successful pearl farm but after years of operation was forced to close because a virus attacked the pearls. The owner, who still lives on his property near the lagoon, developed the caravan park and a bird sanctuary there. He eventually sold the caravan park to its present owners and closed the bird sanctuary 2 years ago. There is only the caravan park and the former owners property in the area, but it is a very good fishing spot.
On the afternoon of our arrival we walked down the dusty red dirt road to the lagoon, which is between 2 mangrove areas with a clear sandy area in the middle where the tidal ocean flows in and out. We were there at low tide and walked out a long way over the mud flats to the water where we saw a turtle swimming in the lagoon. Its a safe swimming area - no crocs.
The next day we walked down to the lagoon at high tide and spent a few hours enjoying the beach and swimming in the lagoon. Back to the van for lunch and then went back in the afternoon at low tide to take photos of the mud flats and mangroves. We saw a group of wallabies by the road.
Every Thursday night the caravan park holds a fish & chips dinner, where campers take their own chairs, table, drinks, plates etc and sit around campfires. Dinner cost $5 per person and was well worth it as the fish is freshly caught and donated by fishermen in the park and the park management.
Seconds were available for a gold coin donation and all proceeds of the night go to the Flying Doctor Service. There was a five piece Aboriginal band which was excellent and raffles were held with the prizes being huge mud crabs. Unfortunately we didnt win one!!! We joined Willie & Rachel (friends from Broome) and Ken and Chris and their dog Bonny, who were our neighbours at the park and had a top night.
We loved this caravan park. The staff were great, bathrooms were always clean and management charged reasonable prices for everything ($3.80 for a loaf of bread, not $5.40 as we have paid in lots of parks). If we were keen fishermen we would have stayed longer.
Cheers
Rhonda (Sam) & Pete
Port Smith was originally a successful pearl farm but after years of operation was forced to close because a virus attacked the pearls. The owner, who still lives on his property near the lagoon, developed the caravan park and a bird sanctuary there. He eventually sold the caravan park to its present owners and closed the bird sanctuary 2 years ago. There is only the caravan park and the former owners property in the area, but it is a very good fishing spot.
On the afternoon of our arrival we walked down the dusty red dirt road to the lagoon, which is between 2 mangrove areas with a clear sandy area in the middle where the tidal ocean flows in and out. We were there at low tide and walked out a long way over the mud flats to the water where we saw a turtle swimming in the lagoon. Its a safe swimming area - no crocs.
The next day we walked down to the lagoon at high tide and spent a few hours enjoying the beach and swimming in the lagoon. Back to the van for lunch and then went back in the afternoon at low tide to take photos of the mud flats and mangroves. We saw a group of wallabies by the road.
Every Thursday night the caravan park holds a fish & chips dinner, where campers take their own chairs, table, drinks, plates etc and sit around campfires. Dinner cost $5 per person and was well worth it as the fish is freshly caught and donated by fishermen in the park and the park management.
Seconds were available for a gold coin donation and all proceeds of the night go to the Flying Doctor Service. There was a five piece Aboriginal band which was excellent and raffles were held with the prizes being huge mud crabs. Unfortunately we didnt win one!!! We joined Willie & Rachel (friends from Broome) and Ken and Chris and their dog Bonny, who were our neighbours at the park and had a top night.
We loved this caravan park. The staff were great, bathrooms were always clean and management charged reasonable prices for everything ($3.80 for a loaf of bread, not $5.40 as we have paid in lots of parks). If we were keen fishermen we would have stayed longer.
Cheers
Rhonda (Sam) & Pete
Derby to Broome - 29 June to 3 July - 220km
Only a short drive to Broome from Derby and we checked into Broome Vacation caravan park ($45 power & water) about lunch time. Our site was quite small. Lucky we have a small van. The caravan park is about 6km from both town and Cable Beach.
We drove to the Visitors Centre for info and had a walk around Broome town centre before finding a shopping mall and shopped for groceries. It was our 38th wedding anniversary and we had planned to go out for dinner, but decided to postpone it until the next night.
The next day we drove out to Cable Beach and took a long walk along the beach. It is a long flat beach and good for walking. A beautiful sunny day but quite windy. We checked out 2 restaurants and decided to return that night for dinner. We caught the last bus (5.10pm) from our caravan park to the Divers Pub at Cable Beach for a few pre-dinner drinks. We had a guided tour on the bus as the bus driver gave a running commentary. At the pub the Knights were playing Parramatta on the big screen, so we decided to watch the game before walking up to Zanders Restaurant for dinner. We shared an entree of crocodile which tasted like overcooked turkey (not impressed), while sitting at a table overlooking the beach. The rest of the meal was enjoyable and we had to cautch a taxi back to the camping ground.
On Sunday we spent all morning at the beach and then drove to Gantheaume Point to see the Dinosaur Footprints. Didn't get to see them as the tide was in and they were under water. Late in the afternoon we drove back to Cable Beach to watch the sunset.
Our car was booked in for a service on Monday morning so I took it in and then caught up on some chores while Pete went for a game of golf with Willie, a guy we met on the courtesy bus.
On our last day in Broome we went to have coffee and cake with Simone (a friend of a friend) and then went back to Cable Beach with our chairs and books and spent the remainder of the day there. I had a swim, late in the afternoon when the tide was out. It took ages to walk to the water from our chairs.
We really enjoyed Broome, but are ready to move on and will be heading south to Port Smith tomorrow.
Cheers
Rhonda (Sam) & Pete
We drove to the Visitors Centre for info and had a walk around Broome town centre before finding a shopping mall and shopped for groceries. It was our 38th wedding anniversary and we had planned to go out for dinner, but decided to postpone it until the next night.
The next day we drove out to Cable Beach and took a long walk along the beach. It is a long flat beach and good for walking. A beautiful sunny day but quite windy. We checked out 2 restaurants and decided to return that night for dinner. We caught the last bus (5.10pm) from our caravan park to the Divers Pub at Cable Beach for a few pre-dinner drinks. We had a guided tour on the bus as the bus driver gave a running commentary. At the pub the Knights were playing Parramatta on the big screen, so we decided to watch the game before walking up to Zanders Restaurant for dinner. We shared an entree of crocodile which tasted like overcooked turkey (not impressed), while sitting at a table overlooking the beach. The rest of the meal was enjoyable and we had to cautch a taxi back to the camping ground.
On Sunday we spent all morning at the beach and then drove to Gantheaume Point to see the Dinosaur Footprints. Didn't get to see them as the tide was in and they were under water. Late in the afternoon we drove back to Cable Beach to watch the sunset.
Our car was booked in for a service on Monday morning so I took it in and then caught up on some chores while Pete went for a game of golf with Willie, a guy we met on the courtesy bus.
On our last day in Broome we went to have coffee and cake with Simone (a friend of a friend) and then went back to Cable Beach with our chairs and books and spent the remainder of the day there. I had a swim, late in the afternoon when the tide was out. It took ages to walk to the water from our chairs.
We really enjoyed Broome, but are ready to move on and will be heading south to Port Smith tomorrow.
Cheers
Rhonda (Sam) & Pete
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