CALMING CARNARVON



Wild Surf Along a Rugged Coasline



We Just Loved His Body Language (With Attutude)



A Timely Warrning


Well folks, here we are in downtown Carnarvon. Well, I use the term downtown loosely as we are in fact a few ks out of town staying at the Wintersun Caravan Park. We arrived here on Monday and were intending to leave for Kalbarri today but strong prevailing winds have convinced us to wait until tomorrow when the weather promises to be a little more amenable.

This is not our first visit to this part of the world so forgive us if we haven’t done a great deal of exploring. Carnarvon is an unusual place, situated in an extremely barren environment and yet yielding just sooo much fresh produce. The arid countryside parts to display a veritable oasis of plantations of Banana, Mango, Avocado, Grapes, Strawberries, Tomatoes, etc, etc. The secret to the success here is largely the subterranean waters of the Gascoyne River. The river, like the Todd in Alice generally flows underground, and only appears on the surface in times of flood. Growers are able to access this underground water to cultivate their crops. The plantations extend for 16ks along the river bank. Last time we were here, picking up a crate of beautiful pink grapefruit for a friend, the growers told us that things are a little uncertain for them here because of the new and huge growing district in Kununurra – having been there recently we can certainly see the risk for this area. Nevertheless, the plantations here are generally looking pretty good. Sadly for TBBITW (a lover of mangoes from way back) the mangos are not ripe yet in this area – I was obliged to buy him a couple of lesser specimens from the local Woolworths to ‘scratch’ his mango itch. Personally, I cannot handle the smell of mangoes and the riper they are the worse I feel about them – I know, I know, I’m weird, but there you go! Many of the plantations here sell their produce direct to the public and a meandering drive thru’ the growing area usually yields up some wonderful gems. This time however, we seem to be out of luck – we suspect as the main tourist flood has dwindled for this season, most locals have stopped this lucrative little sideline. We took a lengthy drive around yesterday and were only rewarded by a few rather dubious and tired looking specimens. It is an interesting reflection on human nature, that once you have entered the realm of somebody’s ‘shop’ on their private property, you more or less feel obliged to purchase something, especially when large, well intentioned blokes are treating the lady of the house as if they are their long lost mother! I was absolutely amazed at seeing and hearing my precious fella buying stuff I would never have considered buying, and possibly will not use – incredibly this bloke who never prepares any food whatsoever, not even a lowly sanger, suddenly sprung to life chatting about beans, avocados and all sorts of other stuff that normally he wouldn’t cast a glance at. This I might add is the same fella who is always warning me not to buy too much ‘stuff’ as we might not fit it in the van! The lovely elderly Slav lady we were buying from was almost in stitches at his antics and the no doubt dismayed and exasperated expression on my dial. By the time we left, she and I had bonded considerably in mutual sympathy for the foibles of menfolk.

The other mainstays of this town are wool, solar salt extraction and prawn and scallop processing. There is a solid fishing fleet operating out of the town and the local prawns and crabs are excellent. Predictably, we went crab hunting at the local distribution point and once again, TBBITW became super animated, and we came away with considerable supplies of prawns, crabs, scallops and the most enormous oysters I have ever seen (from NZ). In my bloke’s defence however, I must say that he is the chief peeler and preparer of seafood and for that I am eternally grateful. Yes ladies, he does peel most of my prawns for me and I just love that about him! I am one of those painful females who love to eat the little creatures, but don’t wish to be confronted with the entire beast and am not enthralled when I have to decapitate the poor little things and divest them of their legs and other bits. Of course, when necessity comes begging, I will rise to the occasion and manage quite well. In fact, I have to say on some level I approve of having to put in that little bit of effort in order to eat your food and there is a certain honesty in having to confront the creature first before devouring it. You will no doubt be relieved to hear we didn’t visit the salt plant, otherwise there is a strong possibility we would be lugging a huge bag of salt around with us now as well! I have to say shopping yesterday was a little more restrained than usual as most of my limited freezer space had by then been utilised.



Thar She Blows

We took a drive out to the Blow-holes on Tuesday and what a rewarding experience that was. So many times we have trudged across sand-hills, rocky preci-pusses and the like only to find a lack-lustre event awaiting us. Not so here, as promised in all the brochures, we were rewarded by great spouts of salt-water and spray shooting skywards to a height of around 20 feet. The surrounding coastline was deliciously rugged and the large swell provided a wonderful spectacle of brilliant blue ocean, pounding waves, wind-blown froth and spume all set against an incredibly arid and rocky backdrop and deep blue skies. The trip to the blow-holes is around 50k from town and well worth the effort. You can take your van in to this spot and camp some 100 meters from the actual blow-holes. There is also a permanent camp of what appear to be squatters/shacks just down the track. These remind us of the shacks that appear south of Jurien Bay further south. In our experience there is some type of legality concerning the ‘ownership’ of these holiday shacks, albeit rather tenuous. For anyone considering this trip, the road is gravel most of the way, but very good indeed. While there we drove up to have a look at the fantastic and vast views from the local lighthouse. You could see forever!


Oportunistic Birds Nesting Up High



Solar Salt Extraction- Dampier Salt




Looking Down the Coast from the Lighthouse



From the blow-holes we drove up to have a sticky-beak at Quobba Station. This is a fully operational station where caravanners are welcome to stay. It is very much a bring everything place, providing only limited power and no water. Once again, it seems that he and me are sadly lacking the adventure gene, as although many of our friends have raved about Quobba, we just didn’t ‘get it’. It looked dry and dusty and there were no ocean views from the campsites. I suppose that during the winter months the weather is more pleasant and perhaps that adds to the whole attraction. We are told that the fishing is very good there and of course, there are some lovely beaches in the area. Cream-puffs to the last tho’, we shuddered at the thought of being out there in the dust, heat and flies without air-conditioning or shade. We did have an unexpected encounter with 3 horses along the track on the way to Quobba - doubtless station horses - I was alarmed to see a tourist feeding them a loaf of bread (slice by slice) - somewhere in the deep recesses of my mind I seem to remember bread is not good for horses - I hope I'm wrong.


Station Horses Along the Roadside

From Quobba we continued up the coast intending to have a look at Red Bluff some 60ks further north, but when the track went inland and away from the sea-views, we decided to call it quits and headed for home. Once again, we are told this is a great spot, particularly if you are into surfing.

There is a great deal more to see and do here than we have covered in this trip, the NASSA Tracking Station, Shearing Hall of Fame, Coffee Pot Train and Jetty Tour and so much more. Much of this we have covered on a past trip so won’t be doing again this time around.


We are both feeling much better since arriving here and hopefully by the time we hit Kalbarri we will back in top form (just in time to enjoy our annual flutter on The Cup!). Whatever that bug was, it really hung in there!


We have been staying at the Wintersun Caravan Park (dog friendly) and are quite impressed with the CP. The amenities are good and clean and the park is huge. We have been put right down the back and our site sadly is exposed and in an unattractive part of the park, but we did have the option of choosing a different site. Sometimes blokes get a mind-set tho’ and won’t be budged – I’m sure you ladies get that picture, so we are sitting here in the sun and wind, but despite that, enjoying the experience. They have ground-covers on the part of the site the annex covers and for that we are super grateful – so wonderful after all the sand we had in the van at Coral Bay. At least half the park has been closed due to lack of custom and for general maintenance – the bulk of the winter-tourists have all headed back down south. In the peak season it is difficult to find a spot anywhere in Carnarvon, and especially at this park. The park boasts its own Bowling Green and that is a huge attraction for many of the Grey Nomads. The other big attraction here is the climate – according to the books it is moderate all year around with temps generally in the mid to high 20s. The wind blows during the months of Oct, Nov and Dec and the rainfall here is minimal – all in all, a delightful climate for relaxing and doing very little. Although this is a seaside town, there are no caravan parks actually on the water here. We are of the opinion that whilst there are some good parks within the town itself, the best idea is to stay in one of the outermost parks. It certainly is peaceful here!


Until next time, listen to each other with love and respect – Steph.

CRYSTAL CLEAR CORAL BAY

The beach at Coral Bay







As we waded thru' the clear waters - these fellows swam in front of us.






From the glass bottom boat





Under-water sculptures



From the Van

  

I have been told that we didn’t give Exmouth a fair go – that is probably true considering our state of health at the time. There is another over-riding issue here tho’ and it will apply to everywhere we stop as we make our way to Perth. We are out of season. Generally the good weather has departed and the weather now is very changeable and super windy. I have to admit to having had doubts about weather really being of particular importance as you travel, but have had to re-think that issue after our last couple of stops. The good news is that the heat has let up somewhat here in Coral Bay but the wind has been consistent and has really prevented us from doing the things that make Coral Bay what it is. Don’t get me wrong here, I am a sand-groper born and bred and the wind is in my blood (and occasionally other parts too), and I actually enjoy the lovely blustery conditions we have on the West Australian coast – but sometimes, enough is enough!

Neither of us is particularly well at the moment, whatever the bug was that had Doug in its grip at Exmouth, has had its wicked way with me ever since we arrived here. On top of that, we both just feel ‘yuck’ – seedy is the best way I can describe it and we are really wondering just what it is. Perhaps it is just the prospect of being back in the everyday world and returning to the realms of responsibility and worry that has us in this sorry state. We celebrated (or tried to celebrate) our eighth year together last Thursday and I couldn’t even bring myself to open a bottle of champers to drink with our traditional seafood feast. Those that know me will understand that I really must be crook! SO......please bear all of this in mind as I tell you all about Coral Bay.


What an amazing little spot this is! This is the first ‘town’ we have encountered that exists wholly and solely for the tourist. Tiny is one way to describe the place. There are two caravan parks, a hotel/resort, several shops and a scattering of beach shacks – that is it – the whole place covers an area of not more than half a kilometre (excluding the tip).


The entire ‘township’ nestles around the crystal clear waters of the bay which is lagoon like in its structure and ideal for swimming and snorkelling. In the distance you can see the froth and foam caused by huge waves crashing on the reef. Although there are a couple of spots designated for beach fishing, in general terms this is a sanctuary and most forms of fishing are prohibited. We went for a wade in the shallow waters on our first day here and were amazed to see large fish swimming contentedly amongst the swimmers. We are told that most of the fish we saw out there that day were Spangled Emperors and they hang around the beach because they are fed there each afternoon. As with most of the WA coast, the sand here is sparkling white and the seas are the most glorious blues and aqua’s – very ‘post-card’ indeed. The People’s Caravan Park where we are staying has a good number of palms and verdant green grass and the whole effect is very tropical.


We have not been to the Visitor Centre since we arrived but it looks very good and we are told that if you take a cruise on the semi-submersible coral viewing boat you will be provided with snorkel and flippers free of charge (on loan of course) in order to better explore the reef. We did take the cruise and found it to be very good value. The charge was $33 for one hour and as we were the only people on board, the service was brilliant. The boat was skippered by one young lady and another, Vickie, was our guide. Vickie seemed to have a very good grip on her subject and we left the boat more knowledgeable than when we boarded.


I have not experienced the reefs off the East Coast so have no real comparison, however we were told that the corals off the West Coast are hard and skeletal as opposed to the softer styles of coral found on the Great Barrier Reef. What we were confronted with as we gazed hopefully thru’ the thick glass panels of the boat were the myriad of natural sculptures that comprise our local corals. We learnt that coral is an animal, not a plant and that being touched by people and boats etc has a very detrimental effect on the coral and can even kill it. The coral here forms a calcified skeleton and does not have the colours displayed in the softer styles. The only real colour displayed on the coral was the electric blue tips of the stag-horn corals. The reef is enormous and provides a haven for a multitude of our fishy friends. We certainly saw plenty of these as we cruised the calm waters of the bay – it appears that the larger fish actually sleep in the domed cavity in the middle of the boat and come out towards the end of the trip to be fed by the crew. Quite a spectacle! One interesting little piece of trivia, one of the most common fish on the reef is the colourful Parrot Fish – this character is equipped to actually bite off pieces of the coral to eat. The fish is especially designed to digest this tough food and the resultant excreta actually contributes to the white sparkling sands of our coast! There you go, next time you are wriggling your toes ecstatically in our beautiful beach sand, just remember what it is partially made of. After learning about how much damage we can do simply by touching the coral we are a bit bemused by the lack of suitable warnings and explanations displayed here. It would appear that the tourist dollar is considered more important than the survival of this enormously important natural resource.


There don’t appear to be any large creatures in the bay itself, any dolphins, rays or sharks. We are told tho’ there is a shark breeding ground just around the corner from the bay. That knowledge did nothing to encourage us to embark on a swimming expedition. I am a bit embarrassed to admit that while here we have not and will not be taking to the crystal clear waters - in our defence, the weather apart from the first afternoon when we arrived, has been too cool for swimming for our taste, especially considering we are not feeling quite ‘the thing’.


From an information perspective, there are a couple of small ‘supermarkets’ here which seem to stock all the emergency produce etc. that you might need while staying here. The bakery is excellent with some of the best pastry we have ever experienced. There are a considerable number of tour operators and a couple of places hire out quad bikes and kayaks for the more adventurous. For the ladies, there is a beautician who advertises all the usual bits. A newsagency provides the daily papers after around 11am and you can purchase alcohol at the pub/resort. We had breakfast at Fin’s cafe and found the food to be quite good and certainly the menu looked to be quite adventurous (albeit not cheap). Following some very good advice we are staying at The People’s Park Caravan Park and have found it to be excellent – not dog friendly tho’ folks. The park is lovely and shady and the sound of the wind sighing thru' the She-Oaks is relaxing in the extreme. The biggest problem in Coral Bay seems to be water. Neither park provides fresh water to the vans, the on-site water is salty bore water. The amenities block here does provide fresh water for the showers and tank water for drinking. Certainly it is advisable to have your tanks full of good fresh water before coming to Coral Bay. This caravan park is pretty much on the water-front and you can pay a little extra to obtain a site with ocean views. The only problem there is that during the season it is almost impossible to get in here – it is usually booked solid from one season to the next! Talking to the manager we were told it seems to him he pays a telephonist $30,000pa to turn people away! Now that’s the sort of business we would all like to own.


Well, we leave here tomorrow heading into Carnarvon and it seems to us we are just about home. Only a couple more weeks and its back to reality – what a bummer! Of course, we are looking forward to seeing our families again having missed them over the past ten or so months, but we are not looking forward to being responsible grown-up people again! Until next time, love your responsibilities and enjoy life whatever it presents. Stephanie.

 

ENERVATING EXMOUTH




Ancient ranges along the road to Exouth

 



Beautiul WA coastline at Exmouth

 




Extensive Reef Systems

 



Mouth of Yardie Creek

 



Turquoise Waters in the Bays Surrounding Exmouth

 
Sooner or later, there has to be a disappointment I suppose. We have found ours. We cannot say we are enamoured of Exmouth. Before all those Exmouth fans out there complain about our lack of appreciation, let me say that both the bloke and I have been a bit under the weather whilst we have been here. TBBITW has come down with a bugger of a bug, so to speak – you know the drill, sniffles, headaches, sore throat, funny tummy and general lethargy. I don’t seem to have been dealt quite the same bug, and have not been too bad, however, today, I can feel the bod going down -hill somewhat. Hopefully a good night’s sleep will fix the problem.


Our petty illness aside, we are truly disappointed with the caravan park. We are at the Ningaloo Caravan Park. We were expecting a Top Tourist Park, but sadly they are no longer members of that particular chain. Chatting with some of the regulars here, we have been told the park has ‘gone down-hill’ somewhat and is currently on the market. Certainly the sites are generally dusty (must be wonderful on the odd occasion it rains), only a few have decent lawns and the amenities are generally looking just a bit run-down. Mind you, we know this place is packed during ‘the season’ and it must be inordinately difficult to maintain lawns when people simply do not move off sites. Not all travellers, like us, enjoy watering lawns! Had we received a friendly welcome on arrival doubtless we would feel differently, but the attitude seemed to be that we were ‘out of season’ and a bit of a nuisance. The only highlight was the friendly sniffing from the resident Labrador. From that you will gather that at least the park is dog friendly, although you can expect to be put down the back of the park in the ‘dog section ‘. It does seem too, that they go out of their way to find things to ‘charge’ you for. We were a bit taken back by a section in the inevitable stern “Park Rules” sheet, declaring that campers on un-powered sites must not plug their phones, laptops etc into the power boxes as this would be stealing power. They are encouraged to go to the office where they can charge up their gear for a nominal charge. This I guess is fair enough, but it was the threat to report any break of this rule to the police that bemused us. Talk about welcoming! Subject for another blog/rant I think. On the up-side the park pool looks quite good but there is absolutely no cover of any kind over any part of the pool. Sadly due to our bugs, we didn’t try the pool.

Our other disappointment is the location of the park and most of the town. We imagined that Exmouth was right on the ocean – not so! There is not a skerrick of ocean to be seen from the township itself. The residential area does meander over to the bay and there are new canal type suburbs under development. The town offers two IGA supermarkets, a really good butcher, chemist and Westpac Bank. We tried the local Chinese restaurant and found it to be OK. There are other eateries etc. but we didn’t check them out. The town amenities are really quite good, one assumes that is due to the close proximity of the military bases.

When we were finally able to stagger from the caravan and explore the area, we discovered the sheer beauty of the local beaches and lagoons. This is the first glimpse of what we think of as typical West Australian coastline, glorious blues and aquas, huge rolling surf, crashing across extensive reef systems. White sands contrast with the soft greys and greens of the native undergrowth, and the overwhelming impression is of a stark and wild beauty. Ancient ranges roll down to the ocean, displaying sparse stunted vegetation spread across a mish- mash of white sand, dry rocky gulches and bright red bull dust. Emus wander negligently across the road in front of oncoming cars – nonchalantly ignoring we intruders. We also spotted a couple of obviously tame horses, who appeared to have ‘flagged down’ a passing car in order to partake of some munchies and get a pat.

A visit to Yardie Creek was well worth while, the area is pristine and wading across the Creek is a pure delight. We also checked out the caravan parks at The Lighthouse and Yardie Creek Station. Both parks looked good, the Lighthouse had the added benefit of ocean views. Both parks looked fairly rustic, but it seemed appropriate considering their relatively isolated locations. We gathered that there was no mobile phone reception at Yardie and as they are generator powered some appliances are not permitted.

I must point out here that the drive to these beaches and scenic spots fairly lengthy. Yardie Creek, the furthermost point of interest is 75ks away from the town. We found the best idea was to go to the end and work our way back visiting all the little bays along the way. The bonus is that many of the bays have camping facilities. I do use the term loosely as generally the amenities consist of one or two drop loos. Some of the camping spots had the most wonderful aspects and predictably, they were all fully occupied. The parks are all within the local National Park and cost a nominal $7 per night. Our concern was if they are still fully occupied at this time of the year, how on earth you manage to get a berth during ‘the season’. There is no water provided at these sites and some of them do not permit the use of generators. Some sites permitted line fishing whilst others were snorkel friendly only. We have made a mental note to come back some day and try to get a spot at one of these glorious camping grounds.

We have been bombarded by extreme heat since we arrived here and there has been no real relief at night. I’m sure that the earlier months of the year would have provided us with a more pleasant experience. I am aware too, that we have been well and truly spoiled – we have had such wonderful parks and sites that anything less than wonderful tends to be a let-down. In the overall scheme of things we are still having fun, just not as much as usual.

Well, tomorrow we take our sad bodies out of Exmouth and head south to Coral Bay. Here’s hoping we will have a happier time at this iconic holiday spot. Stay well – Stephanie.

A TRIBUTE TO THE BLOKE

• This entry may come as a bit of a surprise to some of you, particularly if you don’t know Doug or I very well, or if you have only read the more recent of my blogs and poems. ‘Poor old Dougie’ as one of our mates describes him, is my hero. I may not give this impression in some of my entries, but on the other hand, I do often refer to him as TBBITW – for those of you who don’t know, this stands for THE BEST BLOKE IN THE WORLD!
  On the 21st it will be 8 years exactly since we saw each other again for the first time in 33 years. These have without any doubt whatsoever been the best years of my life.
  When I first met Doug I was sweet 16 and he was a young god, tall, golden hair, peaches and cream complexion, hazel eyes, super sexy and the most intelligent and spiritual man I had ever met. I do say man, as he was a wicked 3 years older than me and I considered him to be a ‘man of the world’. Little did I realise then that we were both little more than children.
  Doug is the only man, inclusive of past husbands and partners that I have loved with my entire being, the only man I have loved with my soul. When I was young, he seemed to me to be a young philosopher and I was madly in love with his mind. He taught me to be true to myself and not to be overly influenced by the opinions of others – he encouraged me to think outside of the normal parameters. I was devastated when we parted company – he to follow a dream and me to have the family I felt I was destined to have.
  There are no regrets, had we stayed together I would not be the mother of two amazing sons who I love more than I could ever express. Had we stayed together he would not have fathered his two wonderful children and he would not have had the benefit of the love, support and companionship of his wonderful wife. Had we stayed together I would not have had the opportunity to meet the challenges I had to overcome in order to be the person I am today. Despite my feelings at the time, parting company was the right thing for us to do.
  The timing of our reconnection was perfect for us. We were both alone and looking for a new companion. God was certainly smiling on me the day we reconnected. I will never forget how, on the phone, Doug’s voice took me back in an instant to my teens. I had no idea how incredibly familiar his voice would sound.
  33 years is a long time but it never occurred to me that I would be disappointed when I met Doug again. I certainly wasn’t! Let me tell you about my wonderful bloke.
  · He is patient and non-judgmental (I must push the boundaries sometimes)
  · He never raises his voice (despite my tendency to raise mine several decibels)
  · He has a wonderful if somewhat off-beat sense of humour
  · He is social and amiable
  · He is not afraid of switching role models from time to time
  · He is a very good dishwasher! (even if he does drench the place)
  · He is still capable of surprising me
  · He is capable and blokey in all the ways that matter to a woman of my generation
  · He is masculine and comfortable in his own skin
  · He is capable of deep spirituality
  · He is a deep thinker
  · He has a wonderfully analytical mind
  · He is the only man with whom I have ever felt I could really be myself
  · He does not expect me to be perfect and accepts me with all my faults
  · He accepts my family as part of me
  · He takes care of me without suffocating me
  · He enjoys being taken care of
  · He likes my cooking
  · He rubs my back and my feet when I ask him
  · He does not keep an emotional ledger
  · He does not harbour ill feelings or remind me of my faults (can’t say the same about me)
  · He likes my poetry and encourages me to ‘do my thing’
  · He is honest with me when I need to hear an unpleasant truth (a good thing!)
  · He will sit and just talk about anything
  · He has no qualms about making himself ridiculous
  · He will leave his comfort zone
  · He is still capable of being extraordinary
  · He indulges my competitive side
  · He has the best lips in the world (not to mention a great bum!)
  · He listens to me and takes some of my recommendations
  · He respects me

I’m sure you get the picture, this is one amazing bloke. The very best thing about him though is that he is with me. I am not saying he is perfect, thank goodness! There are plenty of peccadilloes to keep him interesting and to keep me on my toes, he is however, absolutely perfect for me.
HAPPY ANIVERSARY DARLING!

OPTIMISTIC ONSLOW

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 VIEW

Well, 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

Some Light Relief

Hello from downtown Onslow –we arrived here yesterday and are pleasantly surprised by this sleepy little seaside town. It is not to tell you about Onslow however, that I am now pounding the keyboard.
This is just a little light relief for your enjoyment and for my sanity. I don’t think you need any more explanation, just read and enjoy. As usual, I think the ladies will get more enjoyment from the following than the fellas.
Love each other and practise tolerance! Stephanie

THE DISBELIEVING BLOKE

Gather round me ladies please and tell me if you will
If of blokes and their disbelieving ways you have had your fill
Does it drive you to distraction the disbelieving ways
They adopt when they are listening to anything you say
Sorry girls, did I say listen, oh my goodness what a dope
We all know they NEVER listen, of that there is NO hope
We’ve all heard about how dogs only hear one word in ten
If men would be just that attentive, why we’d be lucky then.


My patience is sore tested, my peace of mind destroyed
When the eyebrows are all arched and the tone of voice employed
That implies I have no notion, not one skerrick of a chance
Of saying anything at all, that might actually advance
The course of our discussion, make a point or shed some light
On whatever is the subject of our worry or our plight
You see, this man, this fella, this learned bloke of mine,
Why he is all magnificent, correct of course, sublime.


Now I’m not saying that I’m never ever wrong
That I’m perfect, or indeed, don’t sometimes need the gong
To bring me to a pause in a long winded piece of news
But my girls, it’s my credence he so often does abuse
It’s amazing, don’t you think, that I managed to get by
In my three score years and some, without him always by my side
To advise me, to guide me, to tell me where I failed
Where my information and my methods so obviously ailed


For this must be his think, his obvious attitude
This Doubting Thomas way of his really is quite rude
Even worse I have to say tho’ is that other little habit
That has me twitching violently like the nose upon a rabbit
That’s the one where when finding out some piece of juicy news
He brings it to me all excited, then my expression misconstrues
When I tell him rather roughly, all tight lipped and quite irate
That I had told him last night, when tea was on his plate


Then he sits there all amazed, all hurt and rather sad
Had I told him, he would have known, his memory is not bad
No, his memory is not bad my girls, but as women we all know
To remember, one has to listen first, to the words that flow
From the lips of women, like pearls cast before the swine
To be savoured and enjoyed like.... Elderberry wine!
These two small habits on their own I could endure
But it is the last one that really needs a cure



The other little gem that always warms my heart
Is when I trouble to research and then perhaps impart
Some piece of information he has asked me to find out
He hastens to assume that my studies are in doubt
To my consternation and considerable remorse
He insists on checking all the details and the very source
Doubting every little thing and every detail that I found
His perilous position he continues to compound


So when you see me, hair standing all on end
Standing oh so close to that proverbial bend
You will know and I know that you will understand
Now you’ve heard about my bloke, my fella, my man
Oh he’s a good man, smart, kind and sort of funny
And on his good days,why he is positively sunny
But you will know, now, why I often wish to choke
The very breath of life out of my disbelieving bloke!

FLOATING ISLAND - MAGICAL

INSIDE THE OLD COURTHOUSE

COSSACK COURTHOUSE

IRON ORE LOADING FACILITY

THIS IS SUNRISE - WA?