DAYS 24-25 - TOM PRICE

23-24 March 2008

DAYS 24-25 Pilbara – Kimberley Trip


TOM PRICE

It is Easter Sunday and we spent it chilling out at the caravan park at the base of Mt Jundunmunnah, referred to on maps as Mt Nameless – a stunning mountain.


Yesterday evening we painted eggs, I made black bread and got everything ready for beetroot salad, potato salad, herring salad and roasted the meats. No cooking today.


We joined the local community at the Easter Vigil on Saturday. So this morning we slept in and had a very relaxing day. Took time out to wash all the bedding. Most of the day was spent swimming, reading or working on my journal – finally. We observed that all local cars are covered in an ochre colour. Only the tourists have cleanish looking cars. There are lots of birds here and many of them check out the camp kitchen in the morning.

As we had phone reception we caught up with our children. Our youngest rang us from the top of Mt Kosciusko. He had gone up for the day with his wife pushing his little 5½ month old son up in the stroller from Charlottes Pass. We had taken him up to Mt Kosciusko when he was about the same age in a child back pack carrier. It brought back lots of memories.

In the evening we decided to spend another day here exploring Mt Jundunmunnah and Mt Bruce.

After breakfast hubby did the usual checks and decided that the back tyre needed changing as the thread was lifting. What a saga. He had trouble undoing the nuts. In the process he sheared off an extension rod. A few minutes later he sheared off another extension rod. Then he had a go with a breaker bar and snapped that – sheared the end off. Then he got serious and got out the heavy equipment and with a two metre extension rod finally undid the bolts. And finally . . . the tyre was changed.

By this time it was lunchtime so we went into town and restocked on fresh fruit and vegetables and indulged on icecream and mangos. Tom Price is actually the highest town in WA. We went for a drive to see Mt Bruce. It is the second highest mountain in WA. It was too big and too hot to climb.

We then came back and went on to Mt Jundunmunnah. The drive again was interesting from the other direction.


It was a steep and windy four wheel drive track to the top. The going was slow but well worth the effort. We went up in 2nd low. The track was gravely with sharp stones. The 360 degree views were absolutely spectacular.

It is the highest mountain in WA that you can access by vehicle. My camera finger did not stop and I got into trouble when I asked hubby to stop up a sharp incline. Needless to say I got a funny look and he continued on.

Finally we returned to the campsite for a cold drink and to chill out again. Lots of quilt ideas are spinning in my head.

At the campsite today we ran into a Canadian couple that we had met earlier at Exmouth. We believe a comment she made really hit the nail on the head. She described the landscape here as being tired and having given up trying to fight the elements – wind, rain and heat. Yet at the same time it is grand, majestic and colourful.

DAYS 21-22 - EXMOUTH - TOM PRICE

21-22 March 2008

DAYS 22-23 Pilbara – Kimberley Trip

EXMOUTH – TOM PRICE

After a hot humid night we set out to explore a little more around Exmouth. First of all we headed off to see the wreck of SS Mildura. The wreck of the cattle ship that sank in 1907 is visible from the shore.


We then headed to the Shothole Canyon. It was a very impressive drive into the gorges and an awesome sight was to be seen when we climbed the stairs to the viewing point. I haven’t seen anything like it. It was on the eastern side of Cape Range. The range is actually about 100km long, 20 km wide and up to 330m above sea level. We saw a part of it yesterday when we went up Yardie Gorge. Now we were seeing it from another viewpoint. It would be a beautiful place for a picnic but not in summer.


After descending back to the main road we headed south to Charles Knife Gorge. The drive is along the ridges of the gorge. The drive was steep in places and somewhat windy. We went as far as the lookout that provided views of Charles Knife Gorge and the Exmouth Gulf.

From here we started to make our way to Tom Price along what is known as the Wool Wagon Pathway which eventually turned off towards Mt Augustus (which we had visited via a different route) whilst we now continued on to our destination. Again it was hot. At about 3.30pm it hit the magic 40 degrees. We were not impressed.

We travelled via Nanutarra Roadhouse. As it was so hot we stopped for an iceblock and a cold drink. The most expensive place so far! As we travelled east the scenery started to become more interesting, more dramatic.


There were no termite mounds here. The sky was spectacular – it often dominated the landscape.
The colours were sharp and strong – bright blue sky, white clouds some with some dark patches, oranges, purples and vast range of greens. A few striking coolabah trees added to the contrast. A beautiful palette of colours. The camera just did not capture the intensity of the colours.



We spent the night at House Creek Rest Area. Another van joined us. We had an interesting evening sharing stories with three young French Basque people as thunder and lightning circled us and provided a fabulous night spectacle.


During the night it rained a little and the bark owls kept up a cacophony of sounds. It was very humid. The storm that we saw in the distance brought about 22ml of rain in 20 minutes at Tom Price.


As we continued on we enjoyed an ever changing spectacular environment with the most interesting plateaus, gorges, mesas, razor backed ridges and hills, narrow steep sided valleys, low hills, plains.


Spinifex did appear to be very dominant in the area. Whilst travelling I read out aloud the information provided by CALM on “Geology and Landforms of the Pilbara”. It provided an interesting context whilst absorbing the fascinating landscape.



We finally arrived in Tom Price and fell instantly in love with the place. Whilst small it just has character. We saw the Pilbara Iron train within minutes of arriving. They are extremely long and go very frequently.



Now we are going to enjoy just being here. We set up our dining tent and soon we were painting eggs in preparation for Easter.

DAY 21 - WINDERABANDI POINT (NINGALOO STATION) - EXMOUTH

20 March 2008

DAY 21 Pilbara – Kimberley Trip

WINDERABANDI POINT (NINGALOO STATION) - EXMOUTH

The coastline here is beautiful. We’ve enjoyed a few swims as we meandered north today through the 50k of pristine beaches in the Cape Range National Park. The water is beautifully warm.

The road to Yardie Creek was an interesting 4 WD track – some tightish turns and corrugations but nothing strenuous. The Yardie Creek crossing was a bit of an anti climax as we did it very easily. The tyres were lowered to 40 and 45 and this helped as the sand was soft. After crossing the creek the tyres were pumped back up again as it was a normal road from here on to Exmouth.


We happened to be at the creek at just the right time for a cruise up the gorge. Whilst the cruise only went about a kilometre and a half into the gorge there was a lot to see. The highlight was seeing the black footed rock wallaby.



We also saw several osprey, a pair of corellas, flowering Morning Glory, and a Cape Range Kurrajong – a tree native to the North West Cape.

The multi coloured gorge itself was impressive – I loved the rock formations.

We then slowly made our way to Exmouth by going in and out of some lovely beaches. We stopped at the Milyering Visitor Centre and then at the Vlamingh Head Lighthouse lookout. The views from here were as spectacular as described in the literature.

We caught up with Dave and Theresa from Ningaloo Safari, fellow Oka owners. They welcomed us warmly and we spent quite a bit of time sharing information over a glass of wine and beer.

After a swim in the caravan park and a lovely dinner I started to catch up with the blog whilst Min went to top up the oil in the Oka.

DAY 20 -CORAL BAY – WINDERABANDI POINT (NINGALOO STATION)

19 March 2008

DAY 20 Pilbara – Kimberley Trip

CORAL BAY – WINDERABANDI POINT (NINGALOO STATION)

WHAT A DAY!!! That is the only way to describe today.
I am sitting outside listening to the waves gently roll in and break over the not so far reef as, on one side the last rays of the sun disappear into the ocean, and on the other side the distant storm clouds are lit up by the sun over the horizon and an fullish moon high in the sky. Beautiful spot.


Today has had some interesting bits.


We were going to go out in our inflatable up to the reef but decided against it as we were a bit slow in getting going this morning. We relaxed over a cuppa at breakfast on the lovely lawn at the Coral Bay Peoples Park Caravan Village. We went across to talk to the rangers about the 4WD Coastal Access Rd but the office was closed till April. They had a number to ring so we contacted them and got the information we needed. Last night we also contacted another Oka owner in Exmouth and arranged to drop in on Thursday. As we were going to cross Yarde Creek, he said if we don’t turn up by Thursday evening he will come looking to pull us out of the Yardie. Apparently it can be dicey getting across.

Anyway we set out on the 4WD access road and were putting along it enjoying the scenery. The termite mounds looked like hay stacks in a field.

There were lots of little tiny birds. It was a sandy track and only wide enough for one vehicle. Suddenly hubby pulled up on the track. Something is wrong he says and hops out of the car. Something had happened to the power steering and the power braking. A few minutes later a car pulls up in front of us needing to pass somehow. They indicated that they were happy to wait to see what the problem was as there was no mobile reception here. Initially hubby thought that the seal in the steering assembly had gone. He contacted Ningaloo Station on the UHF who by chance was also an Oka owner. They discussed the problem and Phil was going to contact our insurance company in case we had to be towed out. The couple in the other 4WD decided to keep going as we had communication and possible assistance. They went around us in the scrub and we were alone in the hot 40 degree sun. Anyway what had the potential to be a big problem ended up being a solvable problem. Hubby asked me to start the car whilst he checked something. He isolated the problem. The low pressure hose to the power steering had split and we had lost oil. He repaired it but we only had a litre of hydraulic oil with us. It was enough to get us out of trouble and to Ningaloo Station. Contact was again made with the station and we slowly made our way. Phil was very helpful and we were able to purchase some of the oil from him. After an Oka focused chat we were on our way with directions to a beautiful camping spot. So everything turned out fine.

Today was also a great day for the animals we saw. We saw, what we later identified as the Pilbara Death Adder, slither across the track just after turning into the 4WD Coast Road. Several kangaroos did not want to leave the road. Saw many euros as well as kangaroos.


Then there were the emus. Usually there were three together.


Then the sheep at the station and the one along the track.


And to top it all, I don’t know which one gets the honour –
Hubby wresting the goat - was butted by a goat at the station and had to take action to avoid being hurt and got into a wresting match with the goat,or
2. the goat on the termite mound.


OR

Once we got to Winderabandi Pt – 90k from Coral Bay we set up camp and enjoyed swimming in the sea and going for a walk along the coast and the beautiful sunset.

Below is a caricature near the entrance to one of the camp sites.

DAY 19 - CARNAVON- QUOBBA BLOWHOLES – CORAL BAY

18 March 2008

DAY 19 Pilbara – Kimberley Trip

CARNAVON- QUOBBA BLOWHOLES – CORAL BAY

To Quobba we went
To see the blowholes vent


On a nice hot day
By the lovely bay


The waves were gushing, crashing
Then into caves they were rushing

And as the sound built to a roar
Water exploded from the rock pore

As water exploded to a great height
It was a mesmerising sight
A hundred photos later
Downloaded but what to keep for later


The question still hangs in the air
(Which is the better of the pair)
As much as the hot air
As it climbs to forty again
Accompanied by flies again
Whilst cicadas serenade at lunch
And mozzies add to the punch
Hot, hot, hot and wet
Very humid and we sweat

Across Tropic of Capricorn we go
And only 50 k to go
To Coral Bay for the sea breeze
And for the thermometer to drop a squeeze


Didn’t drive far today. Enjoyed watching the water explode in the air for a while. After getting to Coral Bay we walked around, had a swim and relaxed after shaking all the dust out of our clothing. Found that dust is still getting in through some mysterious place. Slowly these places are being found and the problem is now confined to one small area.

DAY 18 - ROCKY POOL – CARNARVON

17 March 2008

DAY 18 Pilbara – Kimberley Trip

ROCKY POOL – CARNARVON

It is hard to believe but, I am sitting outside on a lovely balmy evening, a sea breeze blowing, not far from the Indian Ocean, no bugs to bother me accessing the internet and communicating across the globe. What sort of world do we live in!!!

Yet over the last week we have travelled along the Kingsford Smith mail route where mail took 10 days to get from Carnavon to Bangamall or Meekatharra to Bangamall not that long ago. Even now the mail run to the Gascoyne area runs only on Wednesdays and Fridays. Yet I have access, admittedly only in towns, to the whole world.

We travelled the 55k to Carnarvon today. A nice town but obviously a place to base oneself and then explore the area around it. Brochures suggest going on 2 day tours to Mt Augustus (been there), 1 day tour to Kennedy Ranges, (been there), Rocky Pool ( been there too). So maybe our nomadic lifestyle allows us to experience it a bit differently as we move from place to place more frequently.

A lot of places are still closed – waiting for the tourist in flux in April. I loved the coastline.

We went to the 1 Mile Jetty and walked along the old rail track. I was very surprised to be asked to pay for this privilege. The tourist train along this track was not running yet.

The light house on the coast was not very noticeable.
The mangroves formed an interesting back drop to the sea.

We saw a landrover out near the sea separated only by narrow shifting sand bands from water on all sides. An interesting sight.

Whilst I was at the tourist centre internet office dear hubby went to see an auto electrician to see how to solve the battery charging problem for the fridges. Whilst there, he backed into a tree and told me that the outboard motor hit the tree but everything was fine. We drove around the plantations and stocked up on free range eggs for Easter, as we will be painting them, and fruit. After stocking up with groceries for Easter we booked into Plantation Caravan Park. A lovely spot just outside of town.

I went to raise the pop top and thought something is not right as the hooks all seemed out of alignment with the vehicle by about 3 cm. I tried to lift the roof but it didn’t go up. Got hubby in, he lifted it with difficulty with lots of funny sounds emitting in the process. He went outside to check and goes what the heck – when he backed into the tree he did some damage to the pop top. The lifting scissors were bent, a little hole in the back and a crack on the side. He borrowed a ladder from the manager of the park and spent some considerable time fixing the problem. In the process he even managed to bend his very large shifter. A permanent reminder of what happened according to him. Anyway he fixed it. We had a drink to celebrate and finally had a barbeque dinner.

The caravan parks are still very empty – the nomads haven’t hit the place yet. We met another couple from Canberra in the park. They were taking two weeks to do Perth to Broome. Didn’t envy them.

Well the moon is shining, the stars are out and I’m about to download this onto the blog site whilst Min is working to improve the car electrics.