DAY 69 - HALLS CREEK

7 May 2008

DAY 69 Pilbara – Kimberley Trip


HALLS CREEK

I keep forgetting to mention the weather. Three nights ago in the evening the weather suddenly changed and it became quite cool. Last two nights we’ve had our summer doonas on for the first time on the trip. The days are very pleasant though still feel quite hot during the afternoon. The mornings during the last couple of days have been in the mid 20s and then the temperature has risen to mid to high 30s.

Since Broome there has been a change in the type of people we are meeting. Up till Broome most of those we met were German, Swiss and Dutch tourists in Britz vans or sleeping at the back of station wagons regardless of age or those who have sold up their homes and have spent several years on the road. Now we are seeing more of the grey nomads. They are not all a happy bunch. Some are really nice and friendly but there are quite a few grouchy ones in the mix. They arrive and immediately organise to wash their car and clean the outside of the vans. Out come the 3 step ladders and off they go. About 4.00pm they come to a stop and have a happy hour but very few of these mix with neighbours. Then they cook dinner as it starts to get dark, often with a head torch on (regardless of how much light there is) as well as their outdoor light. By 7.00pm they retire to their vans and by 7.30 there is not a light to be seen except at our van. We were asked by some Germans why does everyone go to bed so early. We couldn’t give them an answer. Then at 6.00am they are all up and ready to be gone by 7.00-7.30am. We don’t seem to fit the mould.

Today we made our way from Fitzroy Crossing to Halls Creek. The road felt long, probably because we were a little tired. There were some ranges intermittently.

There was kilometre on kilometre of termite mounds. Termite mounds seem to be springing up absolutely everywhere but there were no signs of boab trees.

We stopped at the lookout at Ngunpan Cliff. It is a nice area and would be great to spend the night.

It was windy during part of today with a easterly blowing. It was strange that it was not an westerly as we are used to in the east. We stopped at Yiyili Aboriginal Community so see the gallery there. There were lots of very lovely works hung in the large well lit exhibition space. The gallery is at the community school. Enterprising students have made very interesting postcards to sell through the gallery.
Spinifex was making a big appearance on the landscape and we’ve seen an increase in the number of road trains on the road but comparatively still very few. We continued on to Mary Pool but decided that it was too early to stop here. A lovely campsite. We continued on to Halls Creek. I was surprised by the height of the earth/mud levies by Landrigan Creek. It must really flow after the rains.

The landscape changed between gibber plains with grasses and spinifex, to rocky outcrops, boulders or rolling single hills.

We checked out Halls Creek and stopped at the Caravan Park as we decided we did not want to drive any more today. A very noisy town to say the least.