SNOW & ICE?!
SALT CRYSTALS
DANCING BROLGAS
DEATH NEVER SEPARATES
WHERE LOVE FONDLY LINGERS
AS THE IVY CLINGS TO THE OAK
FOND MEMORY CLINGS TO THEE
OLD POLICE STATION - OLD ONSLOW
BEAUTIFUL ASHBURTON RIVER
WILL YOU HAVE SALT ON THAT?
SUNDOWNERS VIEWWell, here we are in the little backwater town of Onslow. A sleepy little spot if ever I saw one! Mind you, we are told that during the tourist season this place is packed with the usual assortment of grey nomads escaping the cold southern winter. I would like to tell you the place is pretty and picturesque, but in all honesty, I think that description is not quite apt in this case. Having said that tho’, of course beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I think that some people would find beauty here. Perhaps too, we have been spoiled rotten of late – the scenery at Point Samson where we last stayed was quite spectacular. The town of Onslow itself is tiny and boasts a pub, Post Office and licensed supermarket. If you are planning on coming this way at any time, I recommend you stock up on fresh produce as the stuff here is pretty ordinary. Other than that, the supermarket seems, as do most in this region, to be rather sparsely stocked. Inevitably it seems, whatever it is you so desperately need, it is bound to be ‘out of stock at the moment’! There is a restaurant here also, but not having ventured there I can’t tell you what it is like. We are told that the pub has a well priced ‘happy hour’ but their tucker is a little on the pricey side. It would appear the town is undertaking a beautification program as there have been young trees planted all along the roadside here and they have labelled this undertaking “Streets of Green” – this would seem to be a somewhat ambitious objective and I applaud their optimism.
As usual we have been super lucky with the site, we are right on the ocean here and have once again absolute ocean frontage from the van – we do seem to have the most wonderful luck with our sites! Sundowners here are enjoyed sitting in our very comfortable fold-up chairs, overlooking the bay and watching the sea-birds. As most of the grey nomads have scarpered for the summer the caravan park is almost empty. Oddly we have found that the few remaining travellers seem to be a little on the remote side – perhaps they are just gloomy with the thought of returning home and giving up their gypsy ways, at least for the next few months.
There is a very good boardwalk here which I took advantage of this morning. The track is a memorial to a local digger and takes you through the red dunes around the bay to where the big ships load up with salt. It is well worth the effort to rise early and explore the boardwalk. You will be rewarded with the company of a host of small birds – leave it too late in the morning, and you will be accompanied by a horde of flies!
Onslow, named after Sir Alexander Onslow, the then Chief Justice of Western Australia was first proclaimed a town in 1883. The main purpose of the original township was to support the local pastoralists. The town also saw some pearling action in the early days after discovery of pearls at Exmouth. Originally the town was situated at the mouth of the Ashburton River, but was moved to its current position at Beadon Point some 18 kilometres away. The move was necessitated when the mouth of the river silted up causing problems for ships delivering vital supplies.
During World War II Onslow was utilised as a refuelling depot for the navy. Doubtless this activity was a contributing factor to the Japanese bombing of the airstrip in May 1943. I confess I had no idea that WA was bombed this far south – it is a chilling thought to say the least.
The main industry here now is a solar salt- mine – this incorporates a huge stock-pile of glistening white salt and a 1.3km conveyor –belt/ jetty leading out to the ships which call at Onslow to collect the salt. The salt lakes which are ‘cultivated’ for their white harvest are quite spectacular. One in particular looked to be encrusted with white diamonds which glittered in the sunlight beneath the deep blue sky. I was fascinated to see how the salt crystals clustered around any small branches and debris which found itself embedded in the glistening salt-beds. Were it not for the searing temperatures and the surrounding stunted undergrowth sparsely covering the deep red bull-dust, you could have imagined yourself standing on the brink of snow and ice fields!
This morning we drove out to have a look at the old town site. The gravel road which leads to the old town site runs alongside the Ashburton River. There are camping spots along the river- side, however you will need to take everything you need in with you, including water. The river itself is quite beautiful with crystal clear waters overhung with the snow white branches of the local eucalyptus, the blues and greens contrasting sharply with the red sand that forms the river-banks.
Sadly there is not a great deal remaining today to be seen of the original settlement. The only building still standing, albeit roofless, is the Police Station and its attendant prison. Close by is the old cemetery. A walk amongst the grave-sites is sobering indeed. Although there are not a huge number of gravestones to see, too many of them seem to belong to relatively young people, and many of those young women. It springs to mind that some of these deaths at least, must have been the result of child-birth. Sad and wrenching epitaphs reciting names of bereft husbands and children mark these reminders of young women who died in terrible circumstances away from mothers and medical help.
Of course the head-stones depicting the death of children are always heart-rending, and those I saw this morning, no less so than usual. Maybe it is my own impending old age and greater awareness of mortality, but these things seem so much more poignant to me today than they have in the past. This little town was full of real live people, living real lives with real loves, hates and worries. The grave stones now sit in wonderful and awesome isolation where once they would have been lovingly tended by those left behind. Personally, I am not in favour of graves – I don’t believe those who have ‘passed over’ would wish us to be sitting weeping by their grave-sites. I believe those we have loved will always be with us and there is no need to visit a grave to remember them. Perhaps a deserted cemetery is a better place than one where people return to again and again to mourn what has passed.
After leaving the cemetery, driving along the well graded gravel road heading back to the main road, we saw an amazing sight. An elegant gathering of beautiful grey Blogs took their leisure along the roadside, feasting amongst the grasses there. Before our wondering eyes, two of the graceful grey birds commenced a dance. How fortunate were we to witness this marvel? We were of course a little distance from the passionate birds, but could see some of the intricacies of the courting ritual being played out in front of us. We also saw a group of red kangaroos at ease beneath the sparse shade of a native shrub. If you wend your way along this road, do beware too, as there are many grazing cattle along the way.
Summing up Onslow, we can easily see why so many folk spend their winters here. Although there is nothing much here, the peace and quiet combined with the balmy weather would be a great attraction. The days here do seem to get pretty warm, I suspect around the mid 30s, but the evenings and early mornings are delightfully cool. Be prepared for flies and midges, although we have not had a bad experience with the midges here and have been told they have undertaken a spraying exercise in order to diminish their numbers. We are told the fishing here is very good. There is a river inlet and a groyne where you can fish and the beach is also popular. Whiting, we are told, is one of the main catches here.
Onslow sports two caravan parks and we have elected to say at the Ocean View Caravan Park. It looks pretty run down and the amenities are ordinary, but it is right on the beach front and has a huge number of bays. Booking in the tourist season would be necessary. The park is dog friendly.
We leave here tomorrow and head to Exmouth, so until next time – laugh every day – Stephanie
