Karratha, Tom Price, Cue

A Nomad Friend has reminded me that I havent posted for a while......
Left Port Hedland rather annoyed that my $44 CP didnt have a shower that worked properly - either hot or cold and lacking pressure. Should complain but....

Headed off  to Peawah camp. Backed up and set up then read for an hour but after a text from friend decided to get further south to meet him at Nanutarra. Thought Karratha roadhouse looked like a good stop – fuelled up then found they don’t allow campers anymore - $100 fine if you stay there so off down the road again. Got to Maitland river and see people under the bridge. Found a spot there for the night. River looks very inviting – lots of water.

Lovely drive – vast areas of very flat green ‘pasture’ with hills in the distance. Roebourne is a very unusual small town = the old gaol museum seems to be the main building.

Down to Robe river camp. Big area, dump etc. again. Read all afternoon. No water in river which is a surprise considering how full Maitland was, and all other rivers at least had a bit of water. Robe has grass growing everywhere!

Fri 12^th  Nanutarra for lunch with friends. Decided I wanted to do Newman after all so headed to Beasley camp for the night. Called in here last year but flies everywhere! Another dump etc. Quite a few here. Cold during the night – had to shut windows. Fuel consumption seems to have gone up rather drastically – 17 – 19 now – that is nuts.!!! Will go slower tomorrow?

Sat 13^th Tootled along at 80 km today - groceries and fuel at Paraburdoo but gas $50 so went to Tom Price = stay 2 nights a Caravan Park. Has gone from $20 to $32 single since last year – ouch again! Still – nice to have a shower, do washing etc. Lovely quiet road – a few coming towards me around 10am and a couple of trucks passed me. No white lines on the new seal all the way to Paraburdoo – and no signs even telling us to be careful – wow!

Mon 15^th – to Karijini - $5 day pass + $5 per night concession. Didn’t realise no phone here and so many places to camp. Sat outside in the shade and read all afternoon. Next day off to Mt Robinson camp – 110km  north of Newman. Went for

a WALK – up the track. Should have put the shoes on and taken hat and water but did go quite a way – for me anyway. Got  a good sweat up. About 10 lots here o/n.Went for a walk along the gorge – pretty neat! Would be lovely when the stream is running.

Amazing how the trees cling to the cliff faces. Cold wind today inspite of the sun. First day since I left Perth that I have had a jacket and sox on all day!!!! Read again – loving that Kindle. Happy hour with Perth couple. Bloke with a couple of kids arrived around 8pm, set up camper trailer – then was gone by 6.30 – so much hurry!!!!

Thurs – a cold night – extra blanket and everything shut! Off to Newman – with Irish and another couple to Kalgan Caravan Park  - $36 with senior discount ($2) Enjoyed the drive through rolling hills with lots of smaller white trunked gums. More big trucks than vans for a change! Heard the pilot say ‘wobbly approaching the corner‘ referring to me! Still windy though. Dinner with the 2 couples - free bus to Capricornia bar & grill. Expensive ($31 for chicken, $8.50 – half glass of wine) but a lovely change.  Heading south - Kumarina roadhouse is only $20  - too many dusty trucks roaring in so got fuel and on to Gascoyne river 64km south. Lovely spots all along the river. WATER in it and birds singing. Will stay a few days I think. Still a cool wind. Another day of big loads but nowhere near as many nomads on this road! Thank goodness for these wonderful road edges so that I can get right out of the way easily!

Sat – Mon What a lovely spot to stay. The neighbour left on Sunday so I move the 50m down by the river where he was. Could stay for weeks!  Chatting to a French cyclist who flew in to Alice then biked across country to Newman, heading to Meekathara and over to Sandstone. He stopped here for lunch. Another kiwi couple in  a bus, others from Perth doing their first free camp – otherwise just reading and taking photos. Bird photographer looking for the Bower bird – his wife makes post cards and sells them. Was sitting out reading this morning and chucked a bit of bread out for the Butcher birds – and had 2 Bower birds visit. Birds are so quiet here.

Tues 23^rd packed up and left reluctantly for Meekatharra! Another nice drive – thank goodness for these wonderful wide roads and floodways where I can get out of the way of trucks. 2 more massive loads today. Have decided to use the radio to listen for convoys now – more trucks than nomads! A carpet of purple got me interested – tiny flowers. Found a dump in town so fuelled up and drove the 20km south to Bluebird camp. The Caravan Park in Meeka is only $25 but decided not to stay – right by the road.  Much more desert on this stretch of road, but still cattle grazing on something – saltbush I think. Scrub rather than trees. A few dead ones also – more cattle than roos it seems. Made me think of elephants 'caring' about their dead - have seen several cattle around a carcase beside the road. Several mines close to the road. Copper, Talc, Gold

 
Wed 24^th Restless night – woke at midnight to hear rain so shifted the van on to the hard road area in case the rain made the camp spot boggy. Several trucks parked there – one with a gen going most of the night. Several vehicles turned up late at night also. Must have finally slept soundly finally – didn’t hear the trucks go!!!! Grey day with spits most of the way to Cue. The park here has had a major make-over in the past 3 years. New power/water etc. toilet…. Only $25 so staying 2 nights. Starting to see more flowers – small yellow and white ones.

 

Kununurra, Derby to Port Hedland

A while since I posted!

Headed off to Mary pool for a couple of nights. Much busier than last year! Lots of cattle grazing the long acre. Had to stop to let a cow cross, and another one on the side shaking her head at me so didn’t get out for a photo! Chatting to an ex-kiwi. Also an elderly couple from Sydney who have been travelling for years – done all the tracks etc. Come to WA for 3 months every year.

More very quiet cattle. Am told the farmers like their bulls to wander around these camps so they get used to people and become calm. Glad we have our uses.

Cooking a casserole for a change – had chuck steak in freezer for ages so filled it with heaps of veg as well. Probably last me a week! Exztremely noisy cockies this morning – must  be hundreds of them over the river. They were going to town in the evening as well. Start at 6am for half an hour then must head off for a feed. 
Stayed a night at Elledale camp - a seal area in several layers. Amazing big moon.

Next stop Derby for a dental appointment courtesy of the government/ hospital dentist! Stayed at Kimberley entrance park - $35 single ($40 double).  Sticky hot even though it was threatening to rain. Rain around Port Hedland causing flooding so may need to rethink the trip past here!

Good dentist – old fashioned, he stood so I didn’t have to lie back with water choking me! Uses amalgum for strength! 50% pension discount. Just can't eat on that side for 24 hours – them were the good old days

Heavy rain during the night and LEAKING again – darn vent. Didn’t sound windy either so how is it blowing in?  Trouble getting the van off the site – tree in the way. Weird as I had backed in beside it OK. Bloke tells me to hook up with the ute on an angle to solve that problem – learned something useful! Same thing at Leycester camp and I hadn't unhooked either, but did manage to get out of there – just!

Off to Roebuck for 2 nights. The o/n rest is closed and decided not to stop at the earlier day rest one even though it was sealed. Met 3 lots of pairs of women in past 24 hours! One lot were sisters – don’t know about the others. Taped up vent!!!! Tight sites and pretty full.

Need to go to Broome for shower hose – mine has cracked. Still don’t know what the attraction is there – other than the beach? White tape along roof edge where trim looks slightly raise. There is water sitting on the roof over the vent so maybe it pools there and then pours down and in?

Seem to be on NT time still – ready to leave by 8.30. Next stop Goldwire camp for 3 nights. Nice spot with 3 new large covered areas, dump and good toilets, just no water.  Quite a lot of water beside the road south of Roebuck on the big flats after the rain and a big mob of cattle also. Chatting to a  hardcase lot for a while. Spent Sunday morning chatting to 2 other couples, gave one the kindle books. Heaps more arriving today – place is getting full. Several bonfires ready for tonight although still windy. Happy hour with a lively bunch. Gave another guy the kindle books – his wife spends all day in the van reading so they were delighted. Probably 40 vans etc. here last night – plus 30 bikers riding to Sydney camping with  their support van.

Gorgeous 1930 Ford and home made teardrop van stopped in on his big loop around Aus. Does 70kph top speed. All spares and tyres come from the States.

Spent a night at Sandfire to do washing etc then off to Cape Keraudren with the bunch from Goldwire. Had 6 days lazing around, watching them fish, eating FRESH fish, chatting around a fire, fighting off mossies each evening and watching the effect of the tide on the stream we were camped beside. It breached a couple of days before I left so the water started to flow again. The camping rule around here is 12m between camps but because there were 4 of us together we were allowed to get closer. Ranger says there were 140 sites on the night I arrived!  Several areas to camp in and well spread out up on the hill. At least 3 toilets and sump points! At $4.50 pn concession a great stay. Lots of Whiting, Bream, little Octopus, and a small shark caught.
The beach is fenced off all along the river mouth as it is a turtle nesting area and vehicles compact the sand too much.

Dragged myself away and down to South Hedland to a CP o/n - $44 -ouch - but not as dear as Big4 - $52! Big stock up of groceries, filled the gas bottle and a big wash! Tomorrow heading towards Karratha.