Ningaloo Marine Park and NorthWest Cape National Park 6.10.12.

The trip south from Robe River was through a mostly treeless landscape then up and over and down deep salmon coloured sandhills, one after another until we turned north heading towards Exmouth. We passed Learmonth Airforce Base and at the tip of the Cape, Harold E Holt Navel Communication Station. The skyline is striped with thirteen Very Low Frequency transmitters, one of which is the second highest structure in the Sth. hemisphere. They play a vital role in the operation of the Australian submarine fleet?

Then onwards to Exmouth, gateway to the NP and the reef.

The World Heritage listed Ningaloo Reef has a reputation as one of Earth's last ocean paradises. It is one of the largest fringing reefs in the world, a major breeding area for sea turtles and is accessible straight off the beach. The arid and rugged Cape Range NP is a dramatic contrast to the adjacent coral reef with deep canyons and steep ridges. The area is pristine with abundant wildlife.

We went to the Visitor's Centre where they told us there were vacancies in the National Park, so after restocking our supplies we headed out to the ranger station. The choices were two campgrounds in the far south of the park so we decided to stay the night at Yardie Homestead just outside the NP. Unfortunately we were too late to book the roast dinner.... A severe blow lessened by the knowledge that it was beef, not pork which is our favorite! Then we drove into the park to check out campsites so we could make an informed choice the next day.

We were woken early by the melodic warbling of the butcher bird in the tree above us and headed out to the ranger station by 6.am as advised. We were first in the queue and ate breakfast and read until 8am when the ranger arrived. The system is 'first in best dressed' unless you already have a site, in which case you can transfer to another. We managed to get the site we wanted in Ned 's Camp which had shade and some protection behind the dunes from the wind.

The camp hosts Carl and Bernadette, were friendly, welcoming people who encouraged everyone to go to happy hour each evening which was held around tables overlooking the beach and the wonderful sunsets. We also had an ongoing fishing competition running and each night there was a winner chosen from the entries for that day. Our effort below, 'The Ningaloo Fisherman's Tale Emu Fish' was warmly accepted!

The warm, crystal clear water and the reef which was accessible from the beach made snorkelling an absolute delight and we spent hours in the water looking at the beautifully coloured fish and the extensive coral gardens. The best place for large fish, and the occasional reef shark was Oyster Stacks but it could only be accessed on the high tide when there was enough depth to avoid having our stomachs scratched by coral. The Drift just south of Turquoise Bay was the easiest as the current carried us over the coral with little effort. Turquoise Bay itself was a very pretty bay, with pure white sand contrasting with blue-green water, great for swimming but not much coral.

Turquoise Bay

Oyster Stacks

Today we went to the bore water tap near our camp where we can access water for dishes and clothes washing. There was a male emu there with a young chick and another male being kept at bay by the protective dad. They go there to drink from the overflow from the tap, as do kangaroos and all the local birds. The chick was a fluffy, downy little creature and to our delight, he and dad drank their fill while we watched and photographed them. There was a woman at the tap admiring the emu feathers and saying she had bought some but wished she had more. I offered her some which I'd taken from a dead emu, victim of a passing vehicle, and her response was one of horror at the thought. I wonder where she thinks emu feathers come from!!! There is a lot of wildlife around and so far we've seen two whip snakes, a lot of wallabys plus one in particular which sits and watches us while her Joey tucks his head into her pouch for a quick suckle, lots of emus and the ever present butcher birds which beguile us with their songs.... and fish of course as well as rays and turtles.

As the saying goes, "it's a small world" and the people we meet bring that home to us regularly. After the usual icebreaker questions of "where are you going?...have you been? ..are you from?" we discovered a couple who live in the same street we were in before we went to Malaysia, who know all of our old friends who are still in the neighbourhood. We plan a mini reunion after we get home. Another man from Grenfell knows my sister-in-law Carla and her family and so it goes. Two degrees of separation now with the www!

On our last day we drove down to Yardie Creek which is the only permanent water in the entire NP. There is a sandbar blocking the outlet to the sea, which infrequently breaks through, adding more water to the creek. Both sides are steep and there is a walk along the cliff tops with spectacular views into the gorge and along the magnificent coastline. We could see large fish and rays in the water below as well as canoeists exploring the gorge.

We were sorry to leave the NP and new friends, but we felt we'd enjoyed a fair sampling of the beauty and remoteness of this amazing place. The lighthouse and the wreck of the 'Matilda', are testament to the ruggedness of this coastline, considered the most dangerous in the world.

 

Robe River to Barradale Rest Area.

We camped on the river bank under a canopy of Snappy Gums which have white trunks patterned with ant tracks and old injuries. We were grateful for their shade and the beauty of their leaves shimmering in the sunlight. The river there is dry and sandy so there were not as many birds as the previous night. Again we had the company of familiar faces following the same route as we are. The night breeze had a touch of freshness to it, reminding us that we are heading south.

 

Dampier to Robe River. 5.10.12

The transit Park in Dampier was so pleasant that we had another three days there on our way south from Cleaverville. Yesterday we went to Hearson's Cove just out of Dampier, for a swim. It was a very hot day and Glenn, who had cleaned out the car, was dripping perspiration. The optWions were shower or swim. The choice was excellent! The cove is a beautiful, crescent-shaped beach consisting entirely of shells which shine and glisten against a background of blue green sea and solid blue sky. After an 'exercise' swim we both lazed in the cool water until the sun got to us, then moved up to a shelter over-looking the beach. We had an ice-cold beer out of the car fridge and with every mouthfull, gratefully toasted our Cush and Ad for their very generous gift.

 

Last night there was a sausage sizzle, and talk by a local sea captain for a gold coin donation. It brought the camp community together very effectively around the barbie, sharing experiences and knowledge of great campsites and places to see. It ended in a relaxing night of singing and listening to three guitarists with three very different styles. A night of soft breezes under a clear sky so typical of the Pilbara.

On the way from Dampier (on the Burrup Peninsula) across the causeway to Karratha, there are extensive roadworks where they are widening the road. On either side of the road stretch salt pans, starkly white against the deep red soil and towering power poles. Someone with a quirky sense of humour, has been busy during 'smoko' and has created some interesting sculptures to amuse passers-by.

Loch Ness Monster!

Titanic... NB the circling sharks!

ps. I'll have you know that I risked my life crossing the road for these shots!!

After shopping for fuel and fruit and vegetables we were on our way. We stopped about two and a half hours later for lunch at Robe River rest area, down beside the bridge. There we stayed, under a shady tree beside a large pool of water in the otherwise dry river. The birds had congregated in numbers and the corellas were screeching and shouting, oblivious to the hot, gold hush of noon* rest period. There were a lot of tall reeds providing a haven for finches, ducks and other water creatures and the water was clear and fresh.

At least three lots of people camped there were at Dampier with us the night before. Most seem to be travelling south now the hotter, cyclone weather is approaching, much to the dismay of two Dutch girls who were hoping for a lift north. They didn't have a vehicle and didn't want to pay for the expensive bus.

Today we saw the most enormous wide loads we've ever seen. Two huge trucks carrying what looked like complete gas plants slowly approached the bridge, lined up carefully before crossing and then took up the entire width of the road. The pilot car in front stopped all traffic for the bridge crossing and then waved them all past while the huge trucks were pulled over in a layby on the other side of the bridge. Amazing!

 

 

THE PILBARA...Karratha- Dampier - Cossack - Pt. Samson 24.9.12 - 1.10.12

Our first day in Karratha was spent filling in time with some retail therapy while the car was being serviced. The shopping area was surprising...a large centre in a mining town expected to reach a population of 50,000 in the near future. We spent a small fortune on the car service, bought a few Christmas gifts and treated ourselves to snorkeling gear in anticipation of Ningaloo Reef and it's pleasures. We also bought a fishing book so we can identify the numerous fish we plan to catch.. ( not in the marine park of course)!

Blogger at work.....actually very time consuming. Maybe I will learn to touch type!

We are now in Dampier In the Transit Camp, a pleasant small park which looks straight out to sea. The air is cool and relatively dust free. What a joy!

There is a lot to see around this area. We went to the North West Shelf gas project where there Is a very informative Visitor's Centre explaining how the gas is extracted and from a nearby lookout we could appreciate the enormity of the onshore operation. There is a lot more offshore where Woodside and Partners have another three rigs.

Very large sculpture which stands outside the Visitor's Centre showing two workers helping a third, injured man.

After that we spent a few hours walking through a series of small gorges looking for the petroglyphs cut into the rock faces. There are literally thousands of them there.

Along the roadside were Sturt's Desert Peas bravely flowering right on the edge of the gravel road, and sometimes in the middle of the road. They are prolific at this time of the year and so colourful.

Dampier is also home of the famous 'Red Dog' which has a sculpture in his honor near the entrance to the town.

On our final day here, Sue and Brian, friends from the LadyM cruise arrived. We went to the sailing club for an excellent seafood dinner with a crisp white wine, a beautiful sunset, and a good yarn.

27.9.12 CLEAVERVILLE.

As we were limited to 3 days in the transit park, we drove north about 30kms to Cleaverville, a bush camp managed by the council, overlooking the ocean and widely recommended by fellow travellers, where we paid $7 pn. to caretaker Jim, a friendly, helpful man. The facilities are limited to a dump point and garbage bins, so a chemical toilet was a prerequisite. On the negative side were strong winds, rocky beaches and 'the night of a trillion midges'! On the positive.. interesting company at the nightly happy hour, campfire cooking and shade. At high tide the swimming was great and the shells and stones on the beach very colourful. There were a lot of sea cucumbers on the reef at low tide, a large clam and coral.

Our van was tucked in under the shade of one of the few trees. The coast is harsh and dry.

The entire area is dotted with campers who can stay cheaply for three months until the end of September. After that is the cyclone season and the exposed coast offers little shelter.

COSSACK.

The rebuilt school house.

While based at Cleaverville (there is no 'ville'), we drove further north to the historic town of Cossack, the first port of the North West established in 1863. It thrived for 50 yrs. as a pearling centre and then serviced hundreds of prospectors seeking their fortunes in the Pilbara Goldfields. Eight buildings have been beautifully restored and house informative exhibitions detailing everyday life in the town. The gaol was cool and white-washed and the cells surprisingly large ..and dare I say.. inviting in the heat of the day! The harbour eventually proved unsuitable for larger vessels which transferred to the new jetty at Pt. Samson. Other enterprises moved from Cossack and the town was eventually abandoned completely by the early 1950s.

A highlight of the day was watching a group of young Aboriginal boys, on the last afternoon of the school term, launching themselves from the jetty into the cool channel below. One teacher was videoing them as they leapt and the other was talking to us as he kept a close eye on them as well. One reluctant, chubby boy, sporting jocks with 'HORNY' on the waistband, had many false starts before he finally gathered enough courage to make the leap. All the others applauded him and it was a joy to see his face shine with the achievement. This went on for a good hour by which time they had tired enough to lie on the hot concrete to dry off. Then drinks and lunch and back into the bus. Great entertainment for us!

PT. SAMSON 29.9.12

We drove to Pt. Samson in search of a swim, a shower and of course a large T.V. screen on which to watch the AFL grand final. We found the first two at the pretty beach area and then went to The Tavern for lunch and the game. The crowd was rowdy and well-oiled as expected and the game was great with a 'Swannies' victory. That warmed our NSW hearts of course.

View from the verandah of the Tavern

AFL Grand Final.

The next day we swam while the tide was high at Cleaverville and a turtle kept poking his head up to check our whereabouts while he foraged on the reef for food. It was a beautiful morning. Then we drove into Pt. Samson to watch the NRL grand final at The Tavern again. This time there were about 20 people watching. There isn't the same interest in the west as there is for AFL.

Lamb roast on the campfire for dinner was delicious.

We have been watching the Common Sandpipers as they rush around our caravan looking for food, bobbing their heads up and down. They don't take much notice of us providing we stay still.

More snorkelling today, and the usual campfire gathering. We will be sorry to leave these new friends when we move on tomorrow, but expect to meet some who are travelling the same way south.

 

Millstream Chichester National Park.

There were two options for the trip from Tom Price to Millstream Chichester. One was to follow the permit road which required viewing a promotional video by Rio Tinto and which followed the railway line. The second, more picturesque, was the public road, an equally good gravel road. We chose the second and were rewarded with some wonderful scenery through the Hammersley ranges.

Behind the grader!

We were sadly disappointed on our arrival to find that the Crossing pool campground no longer allowed caravans... A pity as it was shady and peaceful and had a welcoming, deep swimming place. We moved to the next option which was Milliyanha campground which was hot and dusty and as we drove in we were met by the camp host who suggested we not unpack anything as he was on evacuation alert, due to fires in the area. There was a lot of smoke about so we decided to move on to Karratha and then Dampier.

 

 

Tom Price 21.9.12

We spent two days at Tom Price, a small mining town, surprisingly green after all the red dirt. We were impressed with the water misters which spurted fine spray into the air above head height as we walked down the main street. Very refreshing!

This very gigantic ore truck is parked at the intersection as you turn into Tom Price. It weighs c.98,000 kgs unladen and moved 23 million tonnes of ore in its lifetime.

The campground (the only one in town), was full of kids who'd come for the BMXRacing or for the T-ball competition. There were lots of expensive bikes, uniforms with team names like 'Red Sox' and very excited kids camping in all kinds of tents with their families.

We did some shopping... Another $150 for a bag of groceries.. and moved on.

 

Hammersley Gorge. 23.9.12

We spent a few hours at the Hammersley Gorge after a very picturesque drive through the ranges. We walked down into the gorge and found it full of men from the Solomom mine who were building the rail link to the main line to Karatha /Dampier which moves the iron ore. It was an RDO for them and most of them were well primed by the time we got there. They had been bussed out from their quarters, fed a wonderful seafood barbie compliments of the company and were having a great time unwinding. They jumped off the cliffs into the deep water, lolled on truck tyre tubes which they'd thrown from the lookout above and generally had a rowdy, enjoyable time. We spent some time talking to a few of them and met Kevin Borovic who played for the All Blacks in the 80's. He has Maori and Croatian ancestry and told us some very interesting things about working for Brierity, the company building the rail line.

We swam through the lovely gorge and then went in the opposite direction to a pool which was filled from a waterfall which plunged into a tiny, deep, circular and almost completely covered pool. It was extraordinary to be in it.

We left the gorge in the late afternoon and bush camped not faraway. We were joined by David, a man whose job it was to pilot the wide load vehicles. It was interesting to hear about the job and all it entailed and the training he had to do. We had a beer together under the glittering night sky and he was gone by the time we got up the next morning.