Month: September 2022

Yule River on Mandu Station was a really great spot for a couple of days rest. Lots of birdlife and a few cows to keep us amused then on to Miaree Pool, via one of what used to be my fave spots but which is now sadly closed, Whim Creek pub.

Miaree Pool is a beautiful free camp!

Abundant birdlife and plenty of wildflowers.

And on to Robe River, smelling a bit woofy, but hey, we’re travelling! I think I might have sunk to a whole new low (even for me) by wearing the same clothes for several days and sleeping in them too. Oh well … Gotta be frugal with water in the Outback.

We took a bit of a side tour into Onslow.

Kirsty thought it was a very nice little town. I thought it was a waste of petrol! On top of which it has to be the sandfly capital of the world and I was bitten to bits! Not sure what the whole “Paparazzi Dogs” sculpture is about but a nice young Aboriginal guy took heaps of photos for us and I reciprocated.

A lot of travellers along the way had raved about Bullara Cattle Station so we figured we should stop there to see what all the fuss was about. It’s around 90k or so south of Exmouth and basically just in the Donga. However, it is brilliantly run. Plenty of staff, who are friendly and informative. There is a cafe with barista coffee, an absolute luxury in this neck of the woods, and selling their famous scones and pies. Well, we like to support the locals.

Every night there is some sort of dinner, using meat from the property, and entertainment. We arrived on a Friday, which is burger night. $13.50 – a bargain – on the most impressive bbq I’ve ever seen.

They’ve been known to cook 330 burgers in an hour and reckon they beat Maccas. You bring your own plate, chair and drinks – queue when told – to get your bun, burger, onion, cheese, beetroot, slaw and sauce, then sit and enjoy while listening to the singer and singing along.

Delish!

Left the absolutely stunningly gorgeous 80 Mile Beach this morning after having stayed an extra day due to ….. never mind, it’s none of your business, isn’t that right Kirsty? And headed south with a first stop at Cape Keraudren.

Very beautiful but no shade, open, exposed and very hot. So on to De Grey where we had intended to stop but … unfortunately, Neil (the P#$pot) we had previously had the displeasure of running into in Fitzroy Crossing, was there and latched on to us immediately (2 beer cans in hand) telling tales of woe of his divorce and how she had “taken him to the cleaners” etc. Although we were tired and didn’t really want to move on, Neil was a very good reason to.

Into Port Hedland for groceries and now we’re at Yule River which a very kind station owner let’s campers stay by the river on his property. It’s beautiful here, plenty of birds and some cows have just come over for a look too.

Into the beautiful WA and our first stop is at Kununurra for some groceries after handing over all fruit and veg at the border then on to Purnululu for the night. On Kirsty’s Must Do List is a helicopter ride over the Bungle Bungles. We arrived at the park about 2.30pm and there was a space on the 3pm flight so off she went.

The campground was a bit crappy so we left the next day to head to Fitzroy Crossing where we’d stayed before and really liked. Stopped at Hall’s Creek for petrol (not somewhere you stop for fun). Service Station has large signs to lock your car while filling and paying. The whole town is barred or caged up and the Tourist Info Office, which previously had some lovely merchandise, has closed altogether. A quick coffee in a cage

The two other things on Kirsty’s Must Do List were a cruise on the Victoria River at Timber Creek which unfortunately had stopped due to Covid and had never resumed, and the Geike Gorge cruise from Fitzroy Crossing which we had both done previously and really enjoyed. We duly booked for the 4pm cruise and arrived in plenty of time. Hung about chatting with the other passengers as the Ranger said there was going to be a delay. Half an hour later another ranger comes to tell us that a King Brown had been sunning itself on the boat and when they tried to catch it, it hid under the seats and they couldn’t get it out. Cruise cancelled due to King Brown!! Kirsty was very disappointed but it wouldn’t have been good to be on the trip and have the snake reappear – decisions, get bitten by a King Brown or jump overboard and take your chances with the crocs.

Poor Kirsty only got to do one of her four Must Do’s but, it’s ok, cos I have a big list and she can do mine with me plus we’re heading to Derby so she can do the Horizontal Falls trip.

Stopped overnight at a great free stop further along the way called Mary Pool,

and while sitting doing nothing except soaking up the serenity, I spied a Bowerbird’s bower. How lucky was that?

Then on to Derby

where we stayed at Birdwood Cattle Station on the Gibb River Road as we’d been advised it wasn’t safe to stay in town.

The airport was only about half an hour away from camp and well out of town so it was easy for me to drop Kirsty off to do her tour. She said it was fantastic but, at $1,000 for a five hour trip to see rushing water, I’m happy I stayed behind.

Then on to Broome, which we hadn’t planned on going to but, at the last minute decided to go up to Cape Leveque. We had been there 9 years ago when it was a rugged 4×4 track only but we’d heard that it was now sealed road all the way up and, as it was so stunningly beautiful, figured we’d have another look.

But the newish bitumin road up the centre of The Dampier Peninsula is literally the road to nowhere . All the roads off to various points of interest and scenic spots had been blocked off and we were warned of steep fines should we try to enter. We were told that the two First Nation communities, who now owned the land, were feuding so had decided to close everything up. We drove 416kms to look at bitumen. The less said about that the better.

Neverthless, we did happen to be in Broome at the right time (again) to witness the Staircase to the Moon.

Starting to see quite a few wildflowers now, which is just gorgeous.

A quick side trip in to see Port Smith (very pretty)

and now we’re at the truly stunningly gorgeous 80 Mile Beach.

Been awhile since I posted – too busy, lots of travelling and … couldn’t be bothered!

Quick catch up now.

After getting into the NT I spent the first night at Barkley Homestead. Always a good stop especially for their 4 to 6pm happy hours and $5 glasses of Cardboard-onnay! It’s a great time to chat and share stories with other travellers. Last time I stayed here I was surprised to see my neighbours from Bribie also in the bar.

Before heading off the next morning I checked my oil and water and noticed the coolant had decreased a little so topped her up and took off for Banka Banka Station. This is another really good place to stop. Happy hour each night at 5pm around the campfire with some sort of entertainment. This time we had an old fellow singing Australian country songs and bush ballads. He was actually pretty good.

Then on to Daly Waters where I previously have stayed behind the pub but decided to stop at the roadhouse instead. Was camped each side of me by some lovely people and we chatted and watched the bison in the paddock in front of us not to mention an abundance of bird life.

Then on to the fabulous Mataranka where I swam in the thermal springs, talked to the beautiful peacocks

plus found a great cafe. Hello Mataranka!

Then, disaster struck. Once again checked my coolant, as I was concerned it was down a bit previously, and to my horror it was down so low as to be barely visible in the bottom of the tank.

Bless you Roper River Transport for having one of your mechanics take time out to look at it for me and diagnose the need for a new water pump. It was recommended that I limp through to Darwin to get it fixed, which I did. My lovely new Delica mechanic in Brisbane sorted out the parts for me so all I had to do was collect them in Darwin and find a mechanic to do the work.

Fortunately for me, Kirsty had been staying at her cousin Jacqui’s place in Darwin, and Jacqui very generously insisted I come and stay there too which I did. Although the whole thing was a bit of a pain in the butt and I had not intended to go to Darwin, I actually had a very pleasant week there. Jacqui is a lawyer too so was busy with work during the day but we managed to head out to some nice restaurants for dinners at night.

Kirsty also very kindly drove me around to various places to do a bit of sightseeing –

the wave pool in Darwin, Fogg’s Dam to check out the birds and various great cafes.

Jacqui lives not far from Perth airport and the airforce were running exercises with their fighter jets. What a spectacular sight! Not to mention the ultrasonic roar. A much better show than Top Gun.

Finally Mitsy’s bits are fixed and we head off early on Saturday 3 September to our first camp that night at Vince Connolly/Limestone Creek Reserve. Absolutely top free camp spot. Clean drop toilets, shade, plenty of room and sufficiently off the road to not have too much noise.

Lovely scenery and plenty of birdlife along the way over the next couple of days with an overnight stop at Saddle Creek

and then in to WA at long last!

I know that’s the “leaving” WA sign but the welcome sign on the other side of the road had the quarantine station as the backdrop. Not pretty at all!