14 September -15 September 2013 – Hamelin Pool and Steep Point

Still it was cold and windy at Gladstone Port – time to pack and get out of here – although I’m sure in good weather it would be a lovely spot, especially at $11 for the night!  As it had rained overnight, we were being sent along a detour route to get back to the main road but it was still a dirt track.  The mud beneath us was pretty slippery and it was flicking up everywhere out the back of the car and onto the front of the van as we drove – not happy considering we’d only just given it a quick clean!  Back onto the main road, Josh pulled out the hose and turned on the pump to try and get some of the thick mud off but most of it was determined to stay stuck on.  We stopped at the Overlander Roadhouse to fill up fuel and grab a nice warm coffee and then found our way into the Shark Bay World Heritage Area, stopping in at Hamelin Pool Caravan Park for the night.  We set out for a walk around the park area including through an old shell quarry – pretty amazing – as they didn’t have access to timber or rock for building, they would cut out blocks from this quarry and would use them for construction.  The shower block here is even built from these blocks.  Further along the beach we found the boardwalk out to the stromatolites – again amazing – these small black layered limestone rocks were one of the earliest forms of life and contributed to creating oxygen for us (amazing for something that just looks like a small rock!).  Back at the van park we entered the office, which is in fact the old Hamelin Pool Telegraph Station.  Built in 1884, this was a repeater station used to pass along telegrams to the far north west of the state and is actually one of the last outposts still standing.  Josh hung around in here for a while watching a bit of TV (yes the footy was on) with the managers that run the place.  I ventured off to do my own thing including catching up on some well overdue washing and enjoying a few games of cards with the kids.  After dinner we settled in for a movie, Real Steel, even though we had an early start tomorrow… I guess we could always sleep in the car (except for Josh of course).

We were up early today – around 6.30am and it was a bit cold for our liking.  We were heading to Steep Point today, the westernmost point of Australia’s mainland.  Seeing as though we were driving along the top of cliffs again today and taking in the views of the Indian Ocean, I decided it was the perfect day for long pants and jumper – I even took my slippers in the car.  Josh stuck to wearing shorts (he was lucky to have brought his jacket) but the girls did dress warmly.  At that time of the morning, nobody was really paying much attention to what clothes we were putting on (but I did notice the kids wearing socks with their thongs as they were getting into the car - not a good look).  It was around 7.30am when we left the caravan park and we had about a 3 hour drive before getting close to this famous point of our great land.  We had made it a fair distance in towards the ranger’s station and had passed majority of the corrugations when I turned to find Sami not looking so good.  Josh pulled over and we got her out of the car and into the fresh air.  Again on we went, but another stop for more fresh air for Sami who was really not keen to get back in the car.  I then took the back seat and gave Sami the front but not even that helped – out she got again.  I left it to Josh this time to get her back in the car and he did it, but she was now sitting on his lap helping him to drive and Zoe took the front seat… the quiet of the back seat was fine with me.  We picked up the map from the ranger (who was also kind enough to pass on some lollipops for the girls) and we didn’t have too far to go now before reaching our destination.  We pulled up at the sign and were the only people around – for a little while at least.  We took our happy snaps, grabbed our lunch and decided to eat it by a big window of rock overlooking the ocean – very pretty although still quite windy!  After eating we checked out some fishermen using balloons to catch their prey – not sure what that is all about but it didn’t look like any of them were having any success.  We stopped at a few other amazing places including some spectacular cliff sites, the Nor 6 memorial (amazing story about a boat that crashed into the rocks below, the boat sank within a minute, all crew drowned except for the skipper, the skipper was saved by and lived in the trawler’s icebox for about 14 days, the wind changed direction and blew him back towards land, he’d made a surf ski out of the icebox lid and when near enough launched it and paddled back towards land and was picked up by a fishing boat), Zoytdorp Cliffs, Thunder Bay and Thunder Bay Blowholes.  Our drive back home was fantastic – Sami slept for most of the way.  It was a long way and a big drive but well worth it for the spectacular scenery!!! 

13 September 2013 – Carnarvon and Gladstone Port

We left Point Quobba this morning bound for Carnarvon once again.  We did another drive through town and ended up stopping at the information centre so that Josh could find out if there was somewhere to fill the van tanks with water.  We were pointed in the direction of a local park where they had a tap as well as a dump point.  Seeing as though we’d been driving along the coast yesterday with lots of salty sea-spray going everywhere, Josh decided that it was also a good time to give the car a quick wash… not that I think it was too great as the water pressure was very slow.  We then went to the local Woolworths to grab some groceries and while there Josh changed a rubber piece from under the car on the sway bars (in actual fact I have no idea what he was doing to whatever part of the car but I’m sure I heard him mention something like this as I dazed out my window at one stage).  We were next heading to the OTC dish / Carnarvon Space and Technology museum, but in the process was passing a banana plantation with a sign out front listing all their fruits for sale so we pulled over to check it out.  We wandered down the driveway and found a large coup of chooks and a turkey, just about to be released – very noisy!  At their little stall we bought lots of tiny but delicious bananas, some frozen mango, a few yellow passionfruits and, last but not least, a custard apple as none of us have ever tried these weird looking fruits.  At the Space Museum, the kids were greeted by a woman handing them a space suit each – haven’t done dress-ups for a while but they loved it.  Zoe’s was a bit big but that didn’t deter her from putting it on and heading into the makeshift spacecraft.  Sami even had the “walking on the moon” motion down pat while we took photos.  Inside the kids were given a “fill-in the information” page… correction, this one was about 3-4 pages long.  We obviously didn’t get time to finish these so the lady that worked here gave the kids the answers to copy and learn on the road – as if they were going to do that!  Instead, we’ve been doing a bit of timestables in the car much to Sami’s dismay – but finally, she does almost have her three and four times tables down pat.  It was around 3pm when we left and we needed to find somewhere to stay for the night, Josh’s preference being out of Carnarvon somewhere – onwards we went.  We ended up turning off the main road and heading towards the coast to the port of Gladstone.  We believe it is probably called this as it is somewhere in line with Gladstone on the east coast – but that is just a guess.  As soon as we pulled up I went into the van to set up and didn’t want to walk back outside – it was bloody freezing cold and there was a very strong wind howling around.  Josh though, as he does, got talking to our neighbours who had started up a fire so after dinner we braved it outside in the wind with long pants and jackets (I now wish I had a beanie and scarf packed) talking to Mario and Helen from the Margaret River… our smart children stayed indoors to watch a movie snuggly warm in our bed.  The weather just didn’t let up tonight and Sami was the only one to get a good night’s sleep while the rest of us were wide awake for most of the night hearing the wind and feeling the caravan rocking away – I thought we were going to get blown out to sea!