Graham and Chris on Tour 2014 – Update #13 – Barn Hill to Carawine Gorge via De Grey River and Marble Bar.

After 3 wonderful days/nights at Whale Song where there were only 5 camp sites we headed back down the Dampier Peninsula towards Broome, arriving at the Broome Gateway Caravan Park in time for lunch. We said hello to our neighbours and then set off for Broome (30km) to replenish supplies. That evening we again spoke with our neighbours and found we had some things in common and also that we were both headed for Barn Hill Station stay the following morning. Now I should retract my previous comments regarding Broome Gateway Caravan Park (See Update #12) as on this visit the portable generators were where they were supposed to be, and the backup generator for the camp-ground was silent, the park relying on their solar power and batteries. There are no powered sites at Broome Gateway and so the only power that is required is basically for park lighting. The other redeeming features of the park are the size of the sites, and the ability (in fact you are encouraged to do so), to wash caravan/camper and car on your site and the outstanding quality of the water plus the very friendly staff. The following morning we headed out to the Great Northern Highway, headed for Barn Hill Station. We had resigned ourselves to the fact that while we stay on the coast we are going to have to suffer being surrounded by 20+ foot caravans which generally means a cacophony of generators to boot. We saw John and Jenny (our new made friends) set off at about the same time headed for Barn Hill also. Arriving at the park late morning we were audacious enough to ask if there was a non powered area that was also free of generators. “Yes indeed” was the reply. So we were able to set up in a non crowded area, close to the beach in contrast with both the powered area and the other non powered area that allowed generators that were packed in cheek to jowl. Sensational.

Having arrived late morning we went for a short walk to check out the beach. What a fantastic coastline. With that we decided to stay for another two nights (3 in total). While we were on our way back to camp we ran into John and Jenny who were in the non powered generator area, some considerable distance from us. Discovering that we had both checked in for 3 nights and that we had prepaid for Sunday Roast for the coming Sunday night we arranged to sit together. There was to be a band and 3 course meal (all for $16). We also arranged to meet up the following day and check out the south beach that extends for a km or 2 with some rocky outcrops dividing the end of the beach into 2or3 small beaches. The weather was sensational, about 29º C with a gentle cool sea breeze; perfect for sitting on a secluded beach and having a chin wag. Well, as it happens after 3 days/nights at Barn Hill, both ourselves and John and Jenny intended to check out Eighty Mile Beach Caravan Park. Eighty Mile Beach C.P. is a completely different kettle of fish to Barn Hill, once again it was on a station but the main attraction was fishing and consequently the park was full of fisher folk. We once again asked for a non powered site but generator free. We were delighted to be told, firstly; that there is a generator area but it is not used unless the powered area is totally full. Which means that if there is room in the powered area you will not be allow to set up in the non powered generator area. The regular non powered area is very close to and shares the same facilities with the powered sites. All sites having water, green grass (lawn) and most having some shade. In contrast the area set aside for generators, if ever it is required to be used, has quite meagre ablutions and the staff ensure that the sites furtherest away from the rest of the Park are occupied first. This park is expensive but it doesn’t take long to work out why. The park is one of the best manicured and kept parks we have ever been to. Meticulously maintained and while the ablutions are aging they are extremely well maintained and cleaned. At Eighty Mile Beach you are able to drive many Kilometres along the beach in either direction. However compared to Barn Hill it is not really a swimming beach. Swimming is in fact discouraged. Irrespective, we spent a couple of enjoyable days driving along the beach with packed lunches and once again enjoying the company of John and Jenny. The superb weather continued, seemingly endless clear blue skies. We parted ways with John on Jenny after 3 nights, they were headed to Port Hedland and had booked into the caravan park there. They needed to get their tyres rotated on the car and we did not relish another night in a caravan park, particularly the Port Hedland caravans parks as they don’t get a very good rap. We decided to try and find a spot at the De Grey river roadside stop. Its free and has toilets provided by main roads. It is a beautiful spot and consequently is very crowded. Some people staying in the less picturesque areas for one night but others who have been lucky enough to snag a spot by the river stay for some time. As luck would have it we found a great spot by the water that we were able to squeeze ourselves into (with a 124 point turn to get the car and camper turned around in a very tight area to get us set up correctly).

Needless to say that the majority of campers were in gross 24ft + caravans and of course sporting the obligatory generators. Although on reflection it was only about 25% of people who used generators stuffing it up for the other 75%. I also concede that they did not run them long each day. The cheap Bunning’s generators become obvious particularly at breakfast time, when bread is put in the pop up toaster, the cheap generator screams it’s head off, then when the toast pops the generator settles down to a less intense noise. You can count how many pieces of toast they have for brekky. On the other hand the Honda generators are more constant in their noise, just a less anxious brain numbing drone that sends you balmy. People who own Honda generators are often under the misconception that they don’t make any noise. I put this down to that fact that most people using them are seniors (about my age) and their hearing is shot and/or they simply don’t put their hearing aids in. (Here I go again LOL).

Our site at De Grey river was fairly shady and because of the difficulty of getting to it, it was isolated reasonably well from the other campers. We decided to stay 3 nights but on the morning after our second night we moved our camp to a more open area so that we could leave the camper to get a good dose of sun while we drove the 80km into Port Hedland for supplies and hopefully our mail. I also decided to get the tyres on the cruiser rotated. Placing the camper in a more open area alleviated the need to chase the sun with our portable solar panels, simply relying on the solar panels on the camper roof, and also increased the security as out in the open, to our mind, means that others know who should be at our camp whereas when in a secluded spot people could get up to mischief without being observed. So Port Hedland for the day, very much a mining orientated town that focusses on the export of minerals/ore, so has an appearance in keeping with that, not a holiday destination by any stretch of the imagination. At the post office (tracking number in hand) we discovered that we were not likely to get our mail for at least another 7 days. Damn! What were our alternatives, forward the mail onto Karratha or go bush and come back to Port Hedland when we were sure the mail was there. After an hour on the phone trying to get through to Aus Post Customer Service and subsequently found that our best option was to come back to Port Hedland in 7 days time. You cannot simply tell the local post office to forward your mail onto another post office, you have to go through customer service, and, we found out, you cannot do that until you know the mail is at the original post office which would quite possibly meant another hour on the phone waiting to get through to a customers service officer. So the decision was to do some of the Pilbara for a while and then return to Port Hedland for our mail. The following day we broke camp and headed for Marble Bar stopping for 2 nights at a fabulous camp spot on Coongans Pool, 30 km out of Marble Bar and consequently telephone coverage. A great spot, pretty much on our own (at last escape from the monster caravans). We were tempted to stay for 3 nights but eventually decided to head into Marble Bar on the Monday morning when the information office would be open.

While we were at Coongans Pool we received an email from our good mate, Nicko, who knows this area like the back of his hand. He had seen where we were on my web site progress map and suggested we should consider checking out Carawine Gorge, about 176km east of Marble Bar. We considered it and thought, well it probably just a bit of a water whole in a bit of a gorge but lets go anyway and it looks like we can get to Newman along a dirt road without having to backtrack to Marble Bar. Arriving at Marble mid morning we checked the town out, visited the “Marble Bar”, for which the town was named, obtained some info from the information office and headed due east into a bloody 40km head wind.

Tomorrow or the following day we will head down the Skull Springs Road to Nullagine after checking out the Upper Carawine Rock Pool, about 170km of dirt, and then onto Newman.