Point Samson to Onslow

My cabin at Samson Beach Chalets was a perfect place to chill out. In particular, I relaxed in a leather recliner chair just like the one we had at Quinns. Just what I needed after a long drive, but it made me too lazy to go out and sight see. All I managed was a swim in the pool. For once there was decent TV reception so I sat in my armchair after collecting some takeaway F and C.

Next day, I was looking at a 4-hour drive. I stopped at Roebourne to look at the Old Prison, having just driven past the New Prison. (They incarcerate a lot of people in these parts). The Old Prison is now in a bad state of repair, so it is all fenced off. I have been inside in the past. They do seem to keep replenishing the white paint which is a feature of the historic Roebourne buildings:

Onslow is an 80 km detour off the main highway, but is worth doing for a better class of accommodation! Also, this town was a special place for JL, since he and his son developed Onslow Salt: one of their most successful projects. The concept was to allow seawater to drain into shallow ponds and eventually, through evaporation, salt crystals would form and could be harvested and used for industrial purposes:

When I walked along the seafront late this afternoon, salt was being loaded onto a ship moored at the end of the jetty. It is brought along a railway from the salt stockpiles which are a little way inland.





I think JL would have been pleased that I came here again.

This coaster is where I am now, enjoying an Aperol Spritz;

EMB to Port Hedland

The early mornings are freezing in these parts. The only thing to do is to get up and go. If you didn’t have a shower last night, forget it! The 10 kms gravel road was successfully negotiated and I was soon on the bitumen and speeding along. I made a stop at De Grey River Rest Area; this plant was everywhere:

Then I stopped on the roadside to take this shot which is used on some of the Pilbara tourism posters:

Arriving at Port Hedland, I drove straight to the harbour to look at the huge cargo ships coming and going:

There are harbour tours (and we did one years ago) but nowadays they are booked up days in advance, just like the lovely massages at the Bali Hai Spa in Broome.

In the Visitors Centre, I was interested to see a big block of lithium, which has been in the news a lot:

I checked in at Cooke Point Caravan Park, now owned by Discovery Parks. At sunset I walked down to the water where I remembered these plants were prolific:


Bird Flowers

Broome to Eighty Mile Beach

I had to leave Broome finally (till next year, fingers crossed). I got to spend 2 nights in Beaches of Broome backpackers, which is a very well organised place. I was sharing a dorm with a young woman who had just finished 4 years working in Fitzroy Crossing and had now saved up enough money to move on to something different - either to travel or to go to uni. She was still deciding. Then I managed to secure another night at Kimberley Sands. I had fewer complaints this time; the pool had definitely been cleaned and the water seemed slightly warmer. There was one big issue with the room, however: the water was too slow to drain away in the shower and flooded the bathroom floor!

Iconic blue sea at Cable Beach.

Lunch at the Mangrove.

Looking out from my room at Kimberley Sands.

The best halfway stop on the road to Port Hedland is Eighty Mile Beach. This is ten kms off the highway along a gravel road. I don’t like going off road with the Prius, but enough caravans go along so I thought it was worth taking a risk. I checked into my accommodation: a brand new cabin at the far end of the site. The beach itself is worth the drive.

Looking north.

This is the domain of hermit crabs which scuttle along madly!

Couldn’t resist collecting a few shells.

Of course, there’s no wi-fi or phone service here!

On the beach

It’s a tradition to walk on Cable Beach before breakfast: the best way to enjoy the wide expanse of sand before the heat of the day. When we were here last week, Val and I were always too busy talking to get ourselves up and out. So for me, today was the day!

Looking towards Gantheaume Point.

This is a beached jellyfish; there were lots of them on the sand this morning.

Footprints.

I did 4645 steps, not a lot really. Then I went to have Eggs Benedict at Zander’s.

Tonight I had no bottle opener, but a French girl opened my bottle of G and T with a vape!!!

Fitzroy Crossing to Broome

On a long road trip, it helps to listen to the radio. Up in the Kimberley, the reception has been rubbish and there is only one local station being broadcast, which specialises in Indigenous News. This morning I put on the one CD I happened to have with me: Bizet’s Carmen. I listened to the Torreador Song a few times, which is quite stirring and a favourite: but you can’t listen to it forever! Imagine my delight when I passed Willare Bridge and found the perfectly clear reception of Radio National. It was Conversations with Richard Fidler and the lovely voice of Maggie Beer was coming over the airwaves.

For 2 or 3 days, I’ve had trouble trying to post my blog, especially the photos.

My accommodation at Fitzroy (top left)

Safari tents

View from my balcony early today, looking towards the Fitzroy River.

My journey into Broome was quick today. The road widening operations hadn’t cranked up again after the weekend, so there were no hold-ups. I arrived in Cable Beach at 1.00 pm and checked in to Beaches of Broome: a backpackers, since everywhere else is full. The good news is that it’s in a prime location on Sanctuary Road, just next to Cocos Beach Bungalows, a top spot, and also the Wharf Restaurant, a top eatery. The not-so-good news is that I’m in a female dormitory of 5 beds. At least I got here early and bagged the one single bed, as opposed to the bunk beds. Not a lot of space, but beggars can’t be choosers!

The best news is the swimming pool which is bigger than the one at Burswood:

Halls Creek to Fitzroy Crossing

Saturday night in Halls Creek and the Management were prepared for anything. Everyone entering the Sportsman’s Bar had to be breathalysed to make sure they hadn’t been drinking already! This was not a police breathalyser, but a device where you had to simply count to ten with your mouth just in front of the device. A security guard was enforcing the rule. I assume it was targeting aborigines, but nobody could say that.

The bar area, inside and out, was packed with those who had passed the test. I ordered fish of the day, chips and salad, which was surprisingly good, plus a glass of Pino Grigio. I made sure it was from a new bottle, not one that had been open for a week!

I slept really well and I was on the road by 8.30 am. Sunday morning and all the road works had packed up. I had the road to myself, once I had cleared the convoy of caravans. The Prius is good at overtaking, since it can use both engines to speed along. I pulled into a rest stop for a break. It was called Mary Pool, which seemed familiar, so I think I must have camped there in the past.

Mary Pool Rest Area

By lunchtime I was at Fitzroy River Lodge, but couldn’t check in till 2.00 pm. I made an egg sandwich and sat in their foyer for a bit to cool off. The Lodge is situated on the opposite side of the river from the Crossings Inn. It is much better equipped and has a nice swimming pool. The motel rooms are all built up on stilts, so they are safe from floods, though at present the Fitzroy is just about dried up apart from a few isolated pools.

There is quite an extensive area here for caravans, plus a number of en-suite safari tents. A bus load from Darwin has arrived to occupy these. Another bus has also arrived from who knows where to take up the motel rooms. I must get into dinner before this lot! It’s a pity that these tours have been on the road all day and arrive here at dusk, too late to enjoy the amenities and relax. They have all disappeared into their rooms to take a shower.

Ord River Diversion Dam

Leaving Kununurra, I stopped to look at the Diversion Dam. JL played a big part in this project as a young civil engineer, but he was a very modest man and didn’t speak of it very much. This info is from the Western Australian tourism site:

“Kununurra’s Diversion Dam is part of the Ord Irrigation Scheme and was designed to harness the massive volume of water that flows down the Ord River for use in farming. 

Located roughly 6 kilometres west of the town, the dam is used to regulate the water level of Lake Kununurra/Ord River.

On a visit to the Diversion Dam you can see 20 radial gates mounted within a concrete framework and spillway structure. The irrigation system relies on gravity to pull the water into channels which then flow to farms to the north and south of the town.”

From the viewpoint, looking back at the dam.

I continued my drive south, now heading back home. I made a brief stop at Kingston Rest where we had spent many happy hours at the camp:

Quite a nostalgic moment - remembering my first visit to the Kimberley!

Cotton and Sandalwood

Various crops have been tried in the Ord River Irrigation Area. Some did well, others not so well. The original crop of cotton was eaten by pests and so it was abandoned for several years. After some years of completely cleaning the ground, the scientists had another go.

I was driving around looking for the Sandalwood Shop, but instead came across fields and fields of cotton. I was amazed to see cotton boluses as far as the eye could see:

Really top quality fluffy white cotton. I had not been expecting this at all!

The Quintis sandalwood operation was 14 kms out of town. A short video described how seeds of Indian sandalwood had been brought from India and the crop had thrived, going from strength to strength. It is now the biggest plantation in the world, being ideally suited to the tropical conditions. Quintis also bought the Mount Romance factory near Albany, where Australian sandalwood is grown in the cooler climate of southern W.A.

A team of developers has come up with a huge range of sandalwood products: perfumes, cosmetics, joss sticks and incense burners: a clever marketing effort has put it all in the public eye. Anything that could be possibly made from sandalwood has been! This is part of the shop:

A recent competition has persuaded ten top perfumers from around the world to produce new and innovative scents for the company. I tried a few samples but didn’t buy any!

Kununurra

On the road into Kununurra there were lots of straggly bushes with brilliant bright yellow flowers. From my previous visits, I remembered they were known as Kapoks since the fluffy white material from their seed pods could be used to stuff pillows.

From Wikipedia:

I couldn’t get near enough to take my own close-up.

I quickly settled in to my luxury cabin by the lake and then drove into town to replenish my food stocks. Still no eggs to be had, but I was told a delivery from Perth was expected in the morning! Everything in the supermarket here is really expensive, especially fruit and veg. No wonder people in remote areas find it difficult to maintain a healthy diet. Locally grown papaya was the only cheap item. I also bought lamb chops to BBQ again.

This is the nightly ritual: pre-dinner drinks by the water’s edge.