After I finished my course at the Broome Bird Observatory, it was time to start the journey south … it started off with almost unbearable heat, and a million flies!
A TRAVELLING COMPANION ARRIVES!
The day after my birding course was the best day of trip: Rosalie had decided to fly to Broome and come with me down the coast the Ningaloo. Hooray!
The Broome heatwave continued – even the locals were flummoxed by its intensity and its timing. Camping in the Troopy would have been madness: we opted for air-conditioned cabins all the way, and we’re glad we did. It was 40 degrees and rising in the coming days. I had collected to repaired National Luna 50 fridge (this wasn’t the last time it would break down – we had a dud on our hands), and we hauled ourselves into the Troopy for the road south.
Our first stop was Eighty-Mile Beach where neither of us had been before. It was delightful to go for an evening wander on the beach (no swimming – too many bities). It was refreshing to take in the great expanse around us after the first day’s drive.
There was plenty more wide open spaces ahead of us: we had mapped out air-conditioned drives punctuated by oasis stopovers. We took off early the next morning, and just on the road out of Eighty-Mile, we came across a flock of cockatiels wearing their clownish face paint: stunning birds! They posed beautifully.
The terrain along the route was quite harsh we were headed to an ocean-side cabin at Point Samson for our next stop. To be honest, we had low expectations of the Pilbara coastal areas.
In fact, Point Samson was a favourite stopover on this trip — we were glad we’d booked for two nights. It’s hard to not keep mentioning the heat – it just got hotter everyday, so we rested indoors, and ventured out for walks and nourishment in the mornings and evenings.
We thought this was a terrific little town and the tavern was the cherry on top: great upstairs open air tables, families having fun, great fish and chips washed down by a cheeky white. What’s not to like?
But even more, we loved our walks around the bay: the birds, the flowers – it was all exquisite! A highlight was watching an osprey slavering over its fish catch.
POINT SAMSON TO NANUTARRA
Having enjoyed our two night stopover at Point Samson, we were hellbent on Exmouth, a pretty long drive. We called in at Cossack (well worth a visit), had a quick look at Roebourne (also impressive), dropped in at Karratha and Dampier (and the Burrup Peninsula just briefly – it deserves a proper visit).
Heading to Nanutarra (accommodation expensive but good quality), we stopped briefly at Fortescue Roadhouse (really not up to scratch) where we spied Australian bustards:
Here is our visual summary of the day:
NANUTARRA TO EXMOUTH
Not much ‘action’ on this day’s drive, just wall to wall magnificent landscapes – with a short but lovely coffee stop at Bullara Station, a place neither of us had visited before.
This working cattle station has also made a significant investment as a tourist destination with a serious kitchen. It looks like a promising future destination.
CAPE RANGE NP AND NINGALOO
I had wanted to return to Ningaloo for over twenty years but life always just seemed too busy (let’s face it, it’s not just around the corner: you have to plan to be here!). At last, I was back. Better still, Rosalie was making her first ever visit.
It seems repetitious to keep mentioning the heat, but such intense heat really did impinge on our week driving down the coast: it just kept getting hotter, hovering in the mid 40s.
That wasn’t the only thing that was hovering: there were also the flies, millions of them. Apparently the easterly wind during the heat brings flies from inland where cowpats have been providing excellent breeding.
In the town of Exmouth, we once again retreated to an air-conditioned cabin. The caravan park was pretty full: some were camping, but most people stayed well hidden during the day. It was the only sensible thing to do.
However, we also wanted to drive around the Cape and visit Ningaloo during our two-day stopover, so we hit the road early both mornings, and made a bee-line for Turquoise Bay.
There were a few other tourists, but mostly the great turquoise expanse was just for us. We walked up to the point and noted that that was not a safe place to swim because of the current.
Ningaloo water is pristine; the sand is too. But of course the real attraction is the fish, none of which are visible in our pictures because we did not have an underwater camera.
Just wading a few metres into the water means three great things happen: you cool off, the flies leave you alone, and once your be-goggled head is underwater, you are immersed in a blitz of colourful fish swimming all about you: parrot fish, angel fish and many many more. We have no underwater photos, but others have captured the experience brilliantly (see, for example, this site).
We took in the sights and the view from the Vlamingh Head lighthouse as we headed on back to town – breathtaking. Here’s a synopsis of our visit to the area.
SOUTH TO GERALDTON AND BEYOND
Our week’s adventure was at an end and Rosalie flew from Exmouth to Melbourne. I trundled south by road, heading to see family. My first stop was Carnarvon – it was the first time I felt cool for three weeks. I slept soundly and even reaching for a fleece in the evening breeze. Bliss!
The drive south was uneventful, thank goodness, and I was very glad to have made the trip north through the inland, and to the south along the coast. I was reminded just how vast and how uninhabited this state is, and what a wonderful trove WA has of beautiful land- and seascapes.
And I learnt many things: I traveled the entire way north and south in silence – no music, just the occasional chat on the UHF. The silence and the space were a soul treat.
I had had to deal with adversity more than once on this trip, and I managed. Though it was very do-able, it would have been better to have company. Having Rosalie for a quarter of the distance made that the very best quarter, even though road trips are not always her comfort zone.
Finally, I learnt that going above the 26th parallel after September is a very bad idea: the heat was unseasonably early in this year, but early bursts of heat do happen, and it made the trip more of an endurance than an enjoyment at times. But I did it – and I’m glad.
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