Day 107: Kimba -> Port Parham

It got quite windy overnight, which kept the temperature a little higher, it was still cold but not freezing. We were able to sleep in less clothes and still be comfortable. LiAM had a better sleep up in our bed, and Tony was comfortable enough in LiAM’s. I got up and had my cup of tea and enjoyed a crisp, sunny morning, and the others followed soon after. We had a bit of breakfast then LiAM wanted to play soccer. He and Millie and I went over to the tennis courts, Millie watched (and helped occasionally) and LiAM and I played for a while. He’s getting quite good. We played to a 1-1 draw then went back to the tent so we could start packing up. I pulled all the snack food out of the tubs in the back of the trailer so that it’s more accessible over the next few days – we might not be camping for the last 2 nights of the trip so I don’t want to have to pull everything out of the trailer because I need stuff from the back – better to have it closer to the front.

I helped Millie have a shower and wash her hair then we started packing up in earnest. The wind had meant there wasn’t much dew either, so the tent was dry which made packing it up a bit easier than the last several days. The kids played over at the playground, tennis courts and football oval while we got everything organised. Before we left we made a donation towards the upkeep of the facilities – it is a free camp, with a box to donate if you want to. We were happy to put in a small amount to help maintain this excellent campsite.

We were on the road around 11 and detoured through the town to see the Big Galah – a large statue of a galah, outside the ‘Halfway Point Tourist and Gift Shop’. It was cool to see the big silos in town as well. A truck was being filled with grain, it was a bit odd to see a smallish, single trailer truck being filled, after becoming used to the road trains.

We drove through a mixture of farmlands and wooded areas. In the distance to our east we could see large hills and a mountain range. As we approached Iron Knob we could see that the hill there was terraced – obviously a mine. We got closer and could see that the bottom terrace had a railway line along the top of it, with a long train waiting there. It looked like a precarious place to put a trainline to me, but I’m sure they know wha h yare doing…

As we got closer to Port Augusta the mountains got bigger. We’d driven along the side of this range when we headed towards Coober Pedy, it was exciting to see something again that we saw so long ago. Even more exciting was when we drove through the intersection we’d gone through in mid-May, where we turned right to head up t the middle of Australia – now we have completed the loop all the way around the western half of the country!

We got petrol and then Tony went to Woolworths to get lunch, dinner, milk and strepsils (Millie, LiAM and Tony have sore throats), while the kids and I went to Big W to look at car seats. On the way we popped in to EBGames where the kids bought the last of the Skylanders games that they didn’t have (Spyros Adventure, the first one) and some Skylanders to go with it. At Big W (which felt more like a warehouse than a Big W) we found a carseat that Millie was happy with so finally bought something to replace her broken one. The kids also bought a birthday present for their aunt, whose birthday was earlier this week.

We met Tony over near the foreshore where we’d played last time we were in Port Augusta. It was cool to be in a town that we already knew our way around. We installed Millie’s seat, and figured out how to fit the old one in the car somewhere as she really wanted to keep it – by taking it out of it’s cover and putting the 2 broken parts separately we squeezed it in.

I drove for an hour or so from Port Augusta. WE went past th turn off to Flinders Ranges where we’d come in last time, and then we were on new road again. We’d considered driving straight home in fewere days from here, maybe going through Mildura – but then we’d miss seeing people and things we’d planned to see, and I didn’t think it was fair to our housesitter to turn up early on short notice, and long long days in the car really exhaust me and I’d prefer to get home with a bit of energy left. So we stuck to our original plan and headed towards Adelaide.

The countryside here was startlingly green. Lots of crops and obviously lots of water available. There was a range of hills to our left, and for a while the gulf was to our right, until we drove across the top of the Yorke Peninsula. There were also more wind turbines than we’ve seen in one place before. I counted 53 then we saw more and more. There were large tracts of water beside us at one stage, with barriers built across them at various stages, eventually we realised they we salt lakes.

We were hoping to catch up with the family we met in Katherine, and they had recommended a free camp at Parham, not too far from where they lived. We were a little worried about the weather as the forecast was for rain overnight, then figured that since we’d decided to come this way there was no way we could avoid the rain, so we headed to Parham, on the shore of the Gulf. There was a well made dirt road in to the camp, and it was a well set out campsite. We set up in a bay and the kids went to check out the beach – it was covered in piles of seaweed in between sand with lots of shells on it. The water was grey (we could see the rain heading across the Gulf) and calm. We chatted to a few of the others staying here and then finished getting the tent up, pleased to have it done before the rain started.

Caitlin got her bike out and rode around the campsite, there was a circuit she could do. Another guy had a bike and he joined her, riding round and round and chatting to people and patting the dog next door to us. LiAM wanted to ride too and the guy lent him a bike but it was a bit big. Caitlin gave LiAM her bike and he managed to ride it, so she rode the guy’s 2^nd  bike and the three of them rode around. Millie wanted to join them so first Tony and then I walked with her and helped support her bike. I let her go a couple of times and she rode a short way before freaking out. The guy offered to take her around for a lap, he held her handlebars while he rode next to her and it was easier for her to balance, she did really well.

Our friends got in touch and said that the girls were unwell so they wouldn’t be able to meet up with us. We were disappointed although it was nice to then be able to just settle in to our camp. Tony put the awning up in time before the rain started, then we were able to sit in shelter while he cooked tea and we read Harry Potter.

We soon realised that our car was parked in a low point and it was surrounded by a large puddle of water, which made getting things out of it a bit tricky. It ws still hitched to the trailer and we thought about unhitching and moving it, but there wasn’t anywhere obvious to go where there weren’t more puddles, so we just worked around it. We got the beds ready – LiAM back in his own bed, Millie with us again, and got into bed as the rain started to ease off. We read a little of Inheritance and then went to sleep.

Half-lap Day 93: Shark Bay -> Kalbarri

We’re feeling more confident and efficient with our packups now, so there isn’t such a feeling of rushing and urgency on the mornings when we are leaving, even when we are supposed to be out by 10. Tony and I started packing up and then got breakfast for the kids, and started packing in earnest around 8.30. The kids talked to our neighbour and played with the dog.

The caravan park had been interesting, fairly basic although quite comfortable. The ground was covered in tiny shells, no sand or dirt which was a nice change. The view from the top of the stairs near our tent was pretty cool – our tent at the bottom and then the units on the other side of the fence, and then the beach. We couldn’t quite see the water from our campsite, but could see the water and our tent at the same time from the top of the stairs. One thing that we hadn’t realised was that there is no fresh water source out on the peninsula – the artesian bore water is very saline so not suitable for drinking. There is desalinated water available and is probably one reason why the caravan parks are so expensive. It was a surprise that the place we’ve been that was most water conservative was on the coast, not in the dry centre as we’d expected.

We were ready to go by 10.30 and headed back down the peninsula. We stopped at Hamelin Pool to see the stromatolites – they look like little columns of rock in the water, but are actually piles of microbial mats – groups of bacteria that join together and then attract more bacteria and microbes, eventually growing into these stromatolites. It’s a life form that has been around for over 3 billion years and has survived almost everything, so is very interesting from an evolutionary viewpoint, as well being really cool to look at.

The bay from there looked amazing too, flat and calm and clear, such a beautiful place. We walked around a little bit and read all the information signs. I could smell an ammonia type smell and kept checking everyone’s clothes – eventually I figured out it was one of the bushes there that was letting off quite a strong aroma. The girls and I wanted to go to the toilet and the sign at the carpark said there were toilets at the telegraph station, where the caravan park was. We walked over there while Tony got lunch and cuppas ready. We saw some cool birds, and heard the same type of bird that we’d heard at Edagee Rest Area, repeating the same do-do-do-doo-do over and over again. At the caravan park there were (better) explanatory signs about the stromatolites, but we couldn’t find a toilet. We asked in the shop and the girl said there were some out the back, but really only for guests. I said the sign had directed us here, and she asked us to make a donation to the Royal Flying Doctor Service in order to use them. I hadn’t brought my wallet and it all got a bit awkward – then I found Millie’s wallet in my camera bag and scrounged 30c so that helped the situation a little. It took us a while to find the (single) toilet even then, and longer for all of us to use it – we were all hot and tired and hungry by the time we got back to the car.

The stromatolites

Sandwiches for everyone and a hot drink for Tony and I and we were back on the road. We coasted in to the Overlander roadhouse with our petrol gauge way below Empty. We’d thought we might catch up with our Kings Canyon friends today as they were heading in to Shark Bay – I got a text as we approached the roadhouse and then looked up to see them driving past us the other way. We all waved excitedly then felt a bit sad that we’d just missed them. While we were filling up with petrol there was a knock on our window – Millie’s friend was jumping up and down outside – they’d turned and come back to see us.

We stood in the carpark at the roadhouse and chatted for half an hour or so – great to catch up one more time before we head home. The girls played in the car and the rest of us caught up on news. The sun was hot by now and I felt like I was getting sunburnt – we were so careful with sunscreen when it was hot and sunny all the time, I feel like we’re getting a bit more relaxed about it now which increases our chance of getting burnt on a day when we’re not paying attention.

Eventually we said goodbye again and headed our separate ways. We drove south, through more sparse looking vegetation, which slowly turned into taller trees, the tallest we’ve seen for a while. Not thick bush, but lower bushes interspersed with taller trees. We finished listening to the 6^th Harry Potter book (always emotionally draining) and moved on to the 7^th book. Its wildflower season in WA at the moment, we didn’t deliberately plan to be here at this time, and it’s great to see all the flowers that I’ve heard so much about. Areas full of yellow, white or purple flowers are dotted about everywhere, very cool. As we drove we came over a hill and suddenly saw green fields and hills everywhere – it was such a shock after so many months of dirt and dust and grey or yellow fields. Lots of crops – something green in some, and yellow canola in others. I can’t remember the last time we saw crops growing, probably not since Port Augusta. The scenery was so different to what we’re used to, it just blew us away. I have found driving down the West Australian Coast (since we left Fitzroy Crossing) quite uninteresting, I’ve been getting bored in the car, which hadn’t happened up until then. Once the scenery started getting greener and more changeable today I stopped being bored, I feel like I’ve got something interesting to look at again, it was an interesting change.

Tonight we are staying at Murchison House station, just out of Kalbarri – it was recommended to me by someone we talked to at some stage, I saw an ad for it in one of the tourist magazines I was looking at, and Tony picked it as the best option when he was browsing WikiCamps. I’d rung and booked, and checked that the road in would be ok for our car. It was only 4km of dirt from the highway, and quite easy to drive. We arrived at the station and saw old military equipment around the place, and old shearing sheds and quarters. We checked in at the homestead then came down to the campground, and found a clear, flat and not too sandy site across the road from the river. Some of the sites are on the riverside, we can see sand banks and a bit of water from our site and it is a beautiful spot. As we set up we realised we were camped right in front of the goat enclosure, and there were kids (goat kids) in there – very excited. The kids had a quick look around the farm yard and found alpacas (including a baby one), ducks and chickens. The station musters and sells free range goats, and has a small herd of cattle. Their main income comes from the goats and the tourist industry. As well as the campground they offer quadbike tours and kayaking tours, and people with 4WDs can pay extra and go bush camping in the wilder area on the other side of the river. They also offer a self-guided tour of the station, with morning tea included – it would be interesting but I think we’ll skip it this time.

After the tent was set up I went for a walk along the river, which was beautiful in the setting sun. I chatted to some ladies from Victoria on the way, they left home less than 3 weeks ago, so it feels like we’ll still have plenty of time to get home (we’ve got about 2 ½ weeks). They also gave me some tips about things to see and places to stay along the way. The kids walked around and patted the goats through the fence, then Caitlin and LiAM went up to the communal area near the homestead and found a totem tennis pole. Two kids (human kids) came out of the homestead to play with them – they live at the station and the 4 kids played for ages and had a great time. They played totem tennis and Caitlin and the boy walked on top of a rolling barrel – Caitlin loves doing that and has only done it with small cylinders, it was exciting for her to do it with a big fuel drum.

Millie was tired and stayed at the tent with us. I played a game on the iPad with her and then we set up the beds. For dinner we had pasta and salami and a pasta sauce I’d made before we left home. There was a bit of wind and it was a clear night and very very cold, I ended up with beanie and scarf on and still felt cold. I went up to the camp kitchen to heat water for the hot water bottles, while the kids got into bed. I browsed a few more travel brochures that were up there and eventually the water was ready and I brought the bottles back down to warm everyone up. We read a couple of chapters of Inheritance and settled down to sleep.