April - To Hamelin Station

22/4

Long day – left Drummond Cove around 8.30. Up to Nottingham then to Kalbarri via Port Gregory. Nice drive. Salt evaporation ponds at the port inlet I think. An old colony at Lynton where an indigenous labour force was held. Love the stone buildings. Such a dry hard bit of country though.

Only had a look at one ‘gorge’ as I would have had to dump the van to see the main ones and couldn’t be bothered. Kalbarri very pretty – probably a good place to holiday sometime. Long drive from there to Hamelin Station Stay but good roads and not too much traffic.

Expensive fuel at Billabong - $1.81 – only $1.69 30 km up the road at Overlander – did Ray tell me that????

No power or water here at Hamelin Station #449, but $15 per night – have booked for 2 so I can go to Monkey Mia etc. tomorrow. Finally had to use the gas – took a while to sort that our but fridge going and have boiled the Kettle. Shells everywhere and fabulous new facilities. Great kitchen, BBQs etc. and a couple who look after it do all the cleaning. The artesian bore pumps at a regular strong rate that runs the generator and the overflow forms the lake. Not enough power for us to run our toasters etc. but all gas appliances in the kitchen. It is a huge working station with sheep and goats and the shearers use the refurbished shearers quarters when they are there.

23/4

Denham is a lovely seaside fishing village. Could retire there I think! Seems to be mostly apartments/motels along the front and houses tucked up the hill a bit. 

A few 100 live there? 100 km but really good roads. Cute little shop with lotto, cards etc., presents, jandals, clothes. A chemist and PO at the back. Went to the Museum – really good and very modern. Great bakery also.

Monkey Mia – why bother – it is a resort and you have to pay to get in the gate even if you are booked to stay there. They let me in to have a look so I drove through the car park, took a photo of the ocean and drove out again. I gather the dolhins are pretty popular but the emus are getting too tame and are taking food off the tables. They like sitting in the water also.

Called in to Eagle Bluff – great walkway around there and gorgeous looking water – way out of reach below, but a good thing I guess as  the sharks like visiting.Went in to the Aquarium but didn’t feel like paying $17just to see them feed sharks.

 

Shell beach – well – amazing but where are all the big shells I saw on the post card????  Seriously tiny cockles – the same as the stuff all over the roads at the station. They are almost smaller than your little fingernail! The station has their own quarry and built the original house out of calcified shells – they stick together and can be cut in blocks.