Broome to Point Samson

Day 149

Get up and decide that after nearly a week and half it was time to leave Broome so we pack up and head south, destination unknown.

After a long boring drive which the Australia book likens to driving across the Nullabor we stop at the Sandfire roadhouse for some lunch and to get a drink for Polly. Head onwards and turn off the main road along 10KM’s of dirt track to Eighty mile beach. The road isn’t too bad, a bit corrugated in places but nothing after the Gibb river road and Polly takes it in her stride.

As we step out of the van we realise the flies form Kakadu have told their mates we were on our way and they have organised a welcoming committee for us (how nice of them). These must be the annoying cousins as well as they seem even worse than we remember.

Despite the flies manage a nice stroll on beach and you can see where the beach gets its name from as it just seems to go on for ever in both directions, it is hot and I am tempted to jump straight in but we have heard stories of shark infested waters and so Carmen says I am not allowed a swim (Carmen was concerned about who would drive polly if I lost a limb).

Return to the beach later on for a lovely sunset over the ocean.

Day 150

Onwards ever onwards and towards Port Hedland, which is the first proper town after Broome, It’s a huge mining town and the port exports the highest tonnage of Iron Ore out of Australia (most of it bound for China). On the approach to town you drive past huge salt pans and see piles of salt like white sand dunes along the side of the road (Who’s eating all this salt China maybe??).

It shouldn’t have been a surprise therefore that the town is full of miners and the whole thing is geared towards mining and miners. We pulled into Cookes point and were confronted with one of the most expensive campsites on our trip so far!

We paid our money thinking that this must be pretty special to be charging more than Uluru but were sadly (and sorely) disappointed. The pool was as big as a large bath and the outlook was… well a view of the mine. Basically if you’re not a miner there’s no reason to be here.

 The flies at least seemed to be slightly less annoying and less in numbers (they probably couldn’t afford the campsite). Went for a stroll along the beach and a paddle in the water and returned to the van, get an early night and get the F*** out of dodge!

Sunset over the mine

Day 151

Pack up and leave first thing and drive to Karajini National Park 300KM’s away. It’s busy the whole way with miners and road trains carrying mining equipment and Polly overtook her first (and second, and third…) roadtrain carrying concrete railway sleepers and driving at about 70KM/hr.

Enter the national park and arrive at Dales Gorge campsite where we check in and park up.

The flies are worse than ever, as soon as you set foot out of your car they are on you like the plague and mainly seem to go for the eyes, nose and ears. Our only defence against them is to almost constantly swot yourself with a piece of material, something akin to self-flagellation (If only Carmen would have let me but the corked hat in Darwin).

It’s still very hot and so we head straight down into the gorge for a swim at Fortescue falls.

The gorge (Not another bloody gorge!!) is very pretty and the walls are made up of thousands of discrete layers of rock and have been weathered to reveal, in parts an Architectural façade and in parts what looks like a computer game, almost pixelated, amazing!

The falls are great, a good swimming hole at the bottom and because of the layers of rock it’s really easy to get in and out. Plus this seems to be the one place that is safe from the flies and so we spend the rest of the afternoon splashing about and staying cool.

Day 152

Up and out this morning and off on a 7KM walk right through Dales gorge ending at the falls we visited yesterday. Thankfully the day is overcast and cooler (plus there are no flies in the gorge).

Straight away were into Flora and fauna with lovely wild flowers and a lizard (that stopped and posed for a photo) and we arrive at the top of the gorge in high spirits.

When we see the path disappear over the edge of a cliff we wonder how we will get down (and back up again!).

The path is steep and rocky and there is even a ladder at one point (a first for us) but we make it down to the bottom and arrive at circular pool where we stop for a swim.

The pool is excellent and a refreshing start to the day (considering there are no showers at the campsite). We clamber over the layers of rock through the length of the gorge, meeting a large Goanna along the way (He didn’t want to stop for a photo)and end up back at Fortescue falls.

We cool off with another swim before climbing back up and out of the gorge,  back to Polly for lunch.

In the afternoon we climb back down into the gorge again (for the third time!) and continue past the falls along a dried up river bed to Fern pool, another beautiful swimming lake.

There are lots of fish in the water and if you sit on the jetty and put your feet in they come up and start nibbling at your feet, eating the dead skin. At first it freaks you out (Carmen lasted one nibble and was straight out) but after a while you get used to it and it is good (People pay good money in Thailand and Korea for this sort of thing).

Refreshed we head back and wait for sun to go down so that we get a rest from the flies.

Day 153

Today marks 5 months on the road since leaving Sydney, 153 days and XX,XXXKM’s (update coming at 6 months)

It’s a long and uneventful drive back from Karajini to civilisation (If that’s what you want to call Port Hedland) and we arrive hot and sweaty and head straight in to Mc Donalds (living the dream). We  decide not to stay another night here and so pick up some provisions and head off along the highway to a free camp at a rest stop in a place called ‘Pewah’.

It’s basic with a drop toilet and no water but it is free! The flies however are probably the worst we have experienced and we resort to sitting in the van with the doors closed (thank god for the flyscreens on the windows) until the sun goes down when it is safe to come out again and resume normal activity.

Day 154

As we are leaving in the morning we wave to a fellow traveller who gestures us over and after giving us a loaf of bread (?) tells us about a cattle station on our way that is looking for workers where you work 4 hours a day and get meals and free camping. Plus he said the surf is brilliant (my reputation precedes me) so we mark it on our map and drive on.

Roeburne (W.A.’s oldest town) visitors centre is only a short drive (80KM) away and it is a corker! Helpful, friendly staff (Listen up Port Hedland) with a good range of brochures and a genuinely interesting display about the history of the town (with free tea and coffee to boot!!).

Overflowing with useful information we head just up the road to Wickham to do some shopping before continuing to Point Samson, home to Australia’s largest pier.

First stop after setting up is the shower and after 3 days they are very welcome too!

Head to main beach to try our luck fishing and after clambering over a stupid amount of rocks I manage to loose my tackle on the first cast!

Clamber all the way back to the beach where Carmen has a go at beach casting, which lasts for about 3 minutes and so we head back and BBQ a lovely butterfly lamb shoulder for tea and enjoy a glass of cask wine (our 1^st since Mount Isa).