Sat. 8th Sept., 2012 - Exploring the area around Exmouth

For the first time in nearly 3 months, we awoke to to a very dark & ominous-looking sky - surely it wasn't going to rain; our itinerary didn't allow for bad weather!  However, like the hardy Victorians & Poms that we are, we packed a picnic & set out to explore the peninsular.

Bob drove us north-west to the Jurabi Turtle Centre, where an excellent display described the life-cycle of the turtles.  Unfortunately, the mating/nesting season is from November to March, so we had not arrived at the right time to experience that.

Coffee Time

Next, we visited the lighthouse near the tip of the peninsular, from where we were lucky enough to see some humpback whale activity in the far distance.  We could just see the whales surfacing & "blowing".  The dark clouds looked very threatening & it became windy, quite cold & showery, so we decided to move on.

View from lighthouse

We called at the Milyering Visitor Centre, where a completely unplanned item turned out to be a major attraction.  A pair of ospreys had built their nest at the top of what appeared to be a communications mast & people were observing & photographing them.  Inside the Centre, there were displays & information relating to the area's marine life, as well as all the usual gifts, postcards, T-shirts, etc. that are laid out to tempt the tourists.

 

By this time, the clouds had gone & the sun was out, so we continued on to Turquoise Bay, which was absolutely beautiful - fine, white sand & turquoise water; idyllic!

We met two couples who were snorkelling & who reported that the fish & the reef were lovely.  However, a combination of no swimming gear & warnings about strong currents & the possible presence of dangerous sea creatures, ensured that we did no more than paddle.  What a shame!  We enjoyed our picnic, though.

Turquoise Bay

The shipwreck is in the rear of the picture not the front

Finally, we stopped to look at the wreck of the SS 'Mildura', which is what remains of a 1907 cattle ship that perished on the rocks.  It is still clearly visible from the shore.



SS Mildura





Fri. 7th Sept., 2012 - Continuing on to Exmouth

Soon after our free camp, we came into a more desert-like environment, where even the spinifex grew sparsely.  What few trees & bushes there were, looked very brown & straggly.  The terrain consisted of vast, flat areas of scrub.

For the first time on our travels, we began to encounter sheep but goodness only knows what the poor things were finding to eat.  How do you get a decent lamb chop from all that scrub? 

We arrived at Exmouth in time for lunch & booked into the Big4 caravan park.  The van needed cleaning, the food cupboard needed replenishing & there was a lot of washing to be done.  Having been allocated a spot that was at some distance from the facilities, I suddenly missed the ease with which domestic chores are normally dealt with at home.  I was also missing family & friends and felt a very long way from either of our homes - I guess home-sickness was bound to happen at some time during a trip as long as this one.  Fortunately, a meal of fish & chips & a good old-fashioned cup of tea soon put me back on track.

Thurs. 6th Sept., 2012 - Point Samson to free camp site en-route to Exmouth

Some squawking cockatoos woke us at about 6am & we left Point Samson soon after 7.30am.  We encountered more industry as we drove out of the area, passing a quarry, some gas plants & several roadtrains.  Although the Pilbara is rich in minerals & contributes substantially to the Australian economy, we were glad to leave its dust behind.

Sunrise Point Samson

 

The relatively barren plains persisted for many kilometres beyond Point Samson, relieved only by low-lying hills, masses of spinifex & patches of the faithful mulla mulla.  We wondered what type of terrain we would encounter next.  We guessed that temperatures would be lower as we moved south & learned that Perth had experienced some very cold, wet weather.  Surely it would warm up before we reached that area ... wouldn't it?  The sweaters & tracksuits are underneath the bed - we may have to give them an airing!

We passed a group of cyclists & guessed that, wherever they were going, they were in for a long ride!  You'd have to be keen (or crazy!)

We stopped at the Fortescue Roadhouse for morning coffee.  The sun was fierce & the cattle had gathered in the small amount of water that remained in the Fortescue River.  I felt grateful for not having to drink water that had been trodden in, but that doesn't seem to bother cows!


View from Fortescue Roadhouse

After another long drive, throughout which there had been very little significant change in the scenery, we arrived at Nanutarra, our chosen stopping place for lunch.  It was another dusty roadhouse, so we didn't stay long & set off again once we had eaten.  An airstrip, for the Royal Flying Doctor Service, was marked out on the road infront of us - we trust that sufficient warning is given to traffic whenever it has to be used.



Nanutarra

Road Markings for Flying Doctor

440 long kilometres after leaving Point Samson, we finally settled in at our chosen free campsite.  The only facilities it had were a couple of toilets & a dump for toilet waste.  It was in a very desolate spot & we could see nothing in any direction, apart from the highway.



Free Campsite



We went to bed when darkness fell & Bob woke up at 10.30pm, thinking it was morning - free camping takes a bit of getting used to!

Wed. 5th Sept., 2012 - Exploring the area around Point Samson

We had a very interesting day.  Charlie drove us to four towns in the area where we were staying - Dampier, Karratha, Cossack & Wickham.

On arrival at Dampier (which is where Tom Price sends its ore for export), we immediately came upon the statue of "Red Dog".  This was erected as a tribute to the dog who hitched lifts in cars, buses, trucks & trains as he travelled the area searching for his master who had been killed in a road accident.  He was well-known in the North-West, as he roamed from town to town & people fed him & cared for him.  A very moving story, which has been made into a film.

Red Dog and his mates

Next we drove to Dampier's Visitor Centre, which is situated in an idyllic position overlooking the bay.  We enjoyed coffee there, sitting on a balcony & taking in the view.



Dampier



We moved on to look at the Woodside Gas Plant, which is the largest operator of oil & gas production in Australia.  It has its own Visitor Centre, which is most informative, attractively set out & with "hands on" items that must be very appealing to the school children who visit.



Woodside Gas Plant



We had lunch at Karratha, then drove to Cossack, which was once a centre of the pearl industry but is now a collection of historic stone buildings.



Cossack



View from Cossack

Finally, we ended up at Wickham, where we did our grocery shopping.

Tues. 4th Sept., 2012 - Port Hedland to Point Samson

We left Port Hedland, having discovered that it did have a nicer side, although we wouldn't choose to live there - industry ruled!

Our journey to Point Samson took us through the type of terrain that we had become accustomed to in the Pilbara - hills, low-growing bushes & spinifex.  The soil was still red (my feet are permanently stained!) & the hills displayed some wonderful contrasts in colour.  Most of the rivers & creeks were dry & cattle were spread sparsely over the land.  Beyond the turn-off to Tom Price,  roadtrains became less frequent & the road felt safer - there were fewer dead animals, too, which pleased us.  Sturt's Desert Pea adorned the verges, along with the purple mulla mulla.

Desert Pea

We reached Roebourne just before midday - it was small but had an historic, stone-built Visitor Centre that had once been a gaol.  There was also a modern prison, which was architecturally far less attractive, but I'm not sure that the inmates of either would have worried too much about the styles of their respective lock-ups!  Mining was still prevalent & it encroached upon all the towns in this area - it was probably their reason for being.



Visitor's Centre



Finally, we arrived at Point Samson & settled in at a caravan park there.  I won't be cooking tonight, as there is a pub right next to the park.



3rd Sept., 2012 - Bea Bea to Port Hedland

We awoke to the very strange call of a bird that sounded like a dog &, when we looked out of the window, we could see a kookaburra on the branch of a nearby tree.  We knew that kookaburras 'laughed', but did they 'bark' as well?  Bob consulted his Book of Australian Birds &, sure enough, the blue-winged kookaburra of Western Australia does indeed make a noise similar to that of a dog.

A bush, next to our caravan, was full of the tiniest birds that delighted us as they darted from branch to branch.  Having studied his book again, Bob informed me that some were finches & others were honeyeaters.  A nest, in the bush, contained one tiny, white egg (Charlie was tall enough to take a peep).

We left Bea Bea at 8.40am & had to stop almost immediately due to road works that were making even more clouds of red dust (I've seen enough of it now & am really longing for some lush, green grass!) 

Flocks of budgerigars flew across our path - they seemed to be everywhere & we guessed that the area must be rich in the seeds on which they feed.  Bob was delighted, as he has wanted to see budgies in the wild ever since we first began coming to Australia.

Suddenly, we were warned of an over-sized vehicle approaching &, before we knew it, a police car was coming towards us on our side of the road!  This forced us on to the verge (lucky that it was sufficiently wide & level!) &, when the over-sized vehicle arrived, its load turned out to be the whole width of the road!  Shortly after that encounter, a bull appeared on the verge, so we had more than our fair share of shocks.  By about 9.30am., we'd already seen at least a dozen dead cows, so it was clear that they posed a very real hazard (if only someone would teach them the Highway Code, or fence the poor things in !)  This was a dangerous road, with a steady stream of roadtrains & we already have four chips in our windscreen.  Personally, I'll be happy to leave "the big stuff" behind.

Cooke's Point, our caravan site in Port Hedland, was very pleasant with hard standing for caravans & cars, plenty of space & laid out attractively with trees & bushes.  We settled in, I did the washing & made lunch, then we went for a drive to take a look at the port.  We saw the enormous ships that carry the iron ore & learned that it takes 36 hours to fill them! 

We met a couple from London who are travelling around Australia on a motor bike.  They're sleeping in a tent & relying on the parks for toilets, showers & cooking & laundry facilities.  They have sold their home & arranged rented accommodation for their three grown-up daughters - a big step to take, but they are enjoying themselves.

After dinner, we went to look at the "Stairway to the Moon", which occurs when the full moon rises over the mud flats & creates the illusion of steps.  We could see it clearly, but our cameras couldn't pick it up (we'll just have to buy postcards, of which there are plenty!)  Another experience that we can cross off our "bucket list".

Sun. 2nd Sept., 2012 - Mine Tour & drive to Bea Bea

The pain, in the thigh muscles, following yesterday's physical exertion, was excrutiating!  What I really needed was a gentle massage, but it was not to be.  Instead, we set off for a tour of the Rio Tinto Iron Ore Mine.

 It was a huge concern & a most interesting visit.  Everything was on a massive scale - vehicles, plant machinery, piles of ore, etc. & the dust was unbelievable!

Hundreds of workers had sold their souls to the Company & were like worker ants, labouring in the dust through 12 hour shifts to make large sums of money.  Work went on 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, as vast amounts of soil were shifted in order to reach the ore beneath.  This was then sorted, crushed & blended by gigantic machines & finally poured into rail trucks to be carried to a port by trains that were 2.5km long!



These Trucks are 400tonnes fully loaded



 Our tour guide was very knowledgeable & was able to to describe all the various processes that took place.  A Swiss couple, whom we had met at previous stopping-off places, were also on the tour so we are still seeing familiar faces.

After lunch, we set off for a free campsite called Bea Bea.  Our route took us through huge hills, exactly like those around Tom Price - they probably contain iron ore, too, & must conceal it carefully if they are to escape the attention of the mining companies!  It's true that mining is conducted more sustainably these days but it is still sad to see a flower that should be shining brightly, being dulled by a covering of thick, choking dust!

We arrived at Bea Bea where there was ample space & yes, you guessed ... plenty more red dust!  However, it was very pleasant sitting outside enjoying our drinks under a canopy of brightly shining stars.

Sat. 1st Sept., 2012 - Trip to Karijini National Park

A local tour group took us on a full day's excursion to Karijini National Park, which included several views of spectacular gorges from Lookout Points.

It also included a visit to the Visitor Centre, walks, an optional swim, a detailed commentary & a substantial packed lunch.  It was a long day & we were tired at the end of it but it was a worthwhile trip, as it gave us an excellent idea of the Pilbara landscape, much of which we would have missed otherwise.

The walks down into the gorges were quite tough, but it was even harder coming up & I managed just one of them.



Fri. 31 Aug., 2012 - At leisure in Tom Price

All was peaceful at the caravan park & we had a good night's sleep.  Despite awakening to the sound of some squawking galahs, it was a treat to realise that we didn't have to get up & could enjoy a lie-in.  Tomorrow will be a different story, as we have booked to go on a tour in the Karijini            National Park - they are picking us up at 7.25am.!

Had a much-needed 'domestic' morning, catching up with washing & ironing (yes, I do just a little but only the bits that show!)  At least the clothes dry in no time at all in this hot, dry climate.



After lunch, we took a little drive out to look at our immediate environment.  Once we left the bitumen & drove along some of the dirt roads, we began to see some very pretty wild flowers.

 

  We also visited a local lake which, although attractive, was apparently contaminated (ill effects from the mining, perhaps?)  However, the birds seemed unaffected & large numbers had congregated there - ducks, ibises, galahs & corellas that should have been white but looked a brownish-pink due to a covering of the interminable red dust that coats everything in the area!  It must be a housewife's nightmare, for it would be impossible to keep it out of the house.

NB:  We've decided that corellas are sadly lacking in the niceties - why else would one have left an unwelcome deposit in Bob's hair (I keep telling him that they object to the 'paparazzi' standing under trees & pointing cameras up at them!)

Finally, we drove up a very steep track to a look-out point from where we could see the whole town of Tom Price spread out below us.