Yardie Creek Road

A decision needed to be made.  Do we return to the western side of the peninsula and follow Yardie Creek Road south to Ningaloo Road.  This risk with this option is the Yardie Creek crossing.  There is no bridge and there might be a water crossing.  That is a possibility during winter.  The internet also mentioned the crossing can be affected (flooded) by the tide.  The second option was to retrace our route south from Exmouth down the eastern side.

The decision was to proceed with option 1 and if the creek crossing wasn't feasible we would be forced to return to Exmouth and follow option 2. 

The green shade in the map below is Cape Range National Park.  South of the park is a Defence Reserve which can be crossed using the designated track.  However stopping and camping is prohibited.  Further south is Ningaloo Marine Park.

Once again we needed to purchase a National Park day pass at the pay station and then headed to Yardie Creek. 

There are a number of camping areas along the coast.  But no vacancies in the National Park.

We did stop to view the reef and one of the numerous beaches.

Yardie Creek was dry with vehicle tracks suggesting others had previously crossed.  However the sand in the creek bed looked soft.   We deflated the tyres to 20psi, engaged 4WD and promptly sank into the sand.   

Whilst Carlin deflated the 4WD tyres to 18psi and the trailer tyres to 14psi I got out the four recovery tracks and placed one each 4WD wheel.  The Isuzu and trailer popped out of the ruts and we successfully made the crossing.

From this point onwards it's mostly a narrow sandy track.  I was slightly surprised when we met three 4WD's towing caravans going in the opposite direction.  I hope they made it across Yardie Creek.

Motorhome out here?

Once we reached Ningaloo Marine Park we observed numerous caravans camped down near the beach.  There are no facilities and collecting firewood is forbidden.  The cost of camping here is $8 per adult per night. 

We continued on down Yardie Creek Road (actually a track) before turning onto Ningaloo Road at the junction.  This took us back to bitumen and we then went to Coral Bay.

I suspect this town survives on tourism in the summer and keen fishermen all year round.

The caravan parks all appeared to be full which probably isn't surprising for the time of year.  Being squeezed in with many others isn't my idea of a holiday.  Fortunately we humans are all different!

The small shopping mall has a central courtyard.

There is a beach. 

We refuelled the Isuzu and continued our journey finding another of those free Highways Department 24 Hour Rest Stops just before dusk.

 

Back to cold nights!

Exmouth

You have to watch for the road trains in this part of the state.

Four trailers

We arrived in Exmouth mid morning and promptly searched for a service station to top up the 4WD and jerrycans.  Not cheap diesel but cheaper than the road houses between Exmouth and Broome.

The next task was lunch and we headed down to the beach.   Carlin wanted a swim.  I was still thinking sharks and crocs.  Well probably not crocs this far south!

He informed me the water was warm and very clear.  At least he might have a chance of seeing the shark approaching

Exmouth is a small resort town mostly known for Ningaloo Reef and Whale Sharks.  These sharks are slow moving, passive and eat by filtering plankton.  They are the largest living fish in the world.  There are several tour companies in Exmouth that specialise in conducting tours where clients get to snorkel with a Whale Shark. 

At the northern end of the peninsula is North West Cape.  This part of the coast has a reputation for being dangerous and there have been several ship wrecks.   In 1907 SS Mildura, a cattle steamer, was wrecked off the cape during a cyclone.  This accelerated the demand for something to be done and in 1911 it was decided to build a lighthouse at the end of North West Cape.   Vlamingh Head Lighthouse was commissioned in 1912

  

During the Second World War the North West Cape was an important refuelling depot for US Navy ships and an airbase was developed at Learmonth, south of Exmouth which led to a radar station being built near the lighthouse.

Radar Tower

During WW2 Japanese aircraft made a number of bombing attacks <link here> which were detected by personnel manning the radar.  Subsequently the US Navy decided to relocate their submarine base from Exmouth further south to Fremantle.

The two military installations in this are are the RAAF airfield at Learmonth and the Harold E Holt Radio Station.  The radio station  is named after Harold Holt. a former Australian Prime Minister who drowned of Portsea, Victoria.  The radio station is a joint US and Australian military communications facility.  Wikipedia states "it provides very low frequency (VLF) radio transmission to United States Navy, Royal Australian Navy and allied ships and submarines in the western Pacific Ocean and eastern Indian Ocean.^[1] The frequency is 19.8 kHz. With a transmission power of 1 megawatt, it is the most powerful transmission station in the Southern Hemisphere."

You may be able to see some of the radio station antenna and buildings where the land meets the sea in the above photo.

The other notable things you can see from the lighthouse are the offshore oil and gas platforms.

There are five visible on a good day

Then there are the tourists all parked up and waiting to board a boat to go swimming with the sharks!

Travelling down the western side of the peninsula we started looking for a campsite.  It quickly became apparent there would be no free camping.  Eventually we reached the entrance to the Cape Range National Park and the 'pay station'.  After purchasing a day pass we headed to the National Park Office in the hope of obtaining a campsite.  This proved to be a fruitless trip as not only were there no vacancies the ranger informed us all the campsites were usually booked six months in advance.   She suggested we retrace our journey to Exmouth where the town had an "overflow" camping area behind the agricultural showgrounds.

With no other option we went back to Exmouth and enquired about a campsite at the town visitor centre.  Fortunately we managed to obtain one of the last vacant unpowered campsites.  This is a temporary camping ground with a maximum stay of two nights.  The facilities (showers & toilets) and mounted on trailers which I assume get moved when the showgrounds are required.  Despite the "primitive" nature of the site and facilities it was the most expensive campsite ($50) during our trip.  Exmouth Town must be making a fortune!

Carlin cooked another amazing meal before we retired for the night knowing tomorrow we would be retracing our route back to the Cape Range National Park. 

No Tyre!

If you have been following the blog for several years you might recall we visited Broome on the last long outback trip.  Therefore I won't mention anything about Broome, apart from the fact we stayed one night in the same caravan park. 

The following morning we sought a tyre retailer to enquire about a second hand tyre for the trailer.  I reasoned the trailer wheel alignment might abnormally wear the tyre and I didn't want that to occur with the relatively new and expensive tyre we had used to replace the destroyed "tyre of last resort".

To my surprise the retailer told us there was a one week wait before he could do anything about our tyre.  Who turns away business?  Obviously caravan park managers in Halls Creek and tyre retailers in Broome!

Fortunately there was another tyre retailer on the other side of Broome.  However that's when our luck ran out.  He point blank refused to sell us a used tyre and then advised he had just sold his last tyre in the size we needed.  The good tyre would have to remain on the trailer.

Knowing diesel would be expensive going south we filled the 4WD and five jerrycans in Broome. 

It's 1300km from Broome to Exmouth and we weren't going to do that in a day.  It's also very boring scenery.

Heading south we passed a tourist sign and decided to stop for a rest.

The Boab tree here is known as the "Prison Boab Tree" and reputedly used as a rest point for police and escorted Aboriginal prisoners.

One assumes the prisoners were secured inside the tree.  

Apparently the tree was also used by "blackbirders" (slavers). Prior to the establishment of local government "whites" would kidnap local Aboriginals; chain them together using neck bracelets; and take them to the coast where they would be sold to be employed in the pearling industry as divers.    

Carlin practicing his photography

We wanted a quiet free campsite we away from the main highway and as dusk was falling found a gravel pit down a small track.

Not much around here!

That evening I made another attempt at photographing the night sky

I think this time I left the exposure too long

Oh well, there will be another trip!

Gibb River Road

The Gibb River Road is a popular tourist journey between Kununurra and Derby.  It is 660km long with a bitumen section at either end.  The unsealed portion is 470km between Pentecost River and Lennard River.  There are numerous river crossings and long stretches of road with heavy corrugations, loose gravel, potholes and/or rocks.  It's not the type of road you would travel in a 2WD vehicle and any caravan would need to be constructed for offroad travel.

Five days previously we had heard the road had been closed after a tropical storm had washed away a section.  This next photo is from the WA Main Roads showing the extent of the damage.

It's currently the "dry season" and also the "tourist season" which suggested to me the main roads department would be furiously carrying out repairs.  That proved to be correct and the road was re-opened the day prior to our departure from Kununurra.

At the eastern end, the road is sealed almost to the Pentecost River.  It was here that we came upon several motorhomes parked beside the road with the occupants looking at the crossing.

No doubt they realised this was the furthest west they would be going.  Whilst we were waiting to see what the motorhomes would do two vehicles towing outback caravans approached from the opposite direction and slowly forded the river.

Once they had crossed we engaged 4WD 1st gear and allowed the Isuzu to "walk" the trailer across.  The river bed was rocky and uneven.  Allowing the vehicle to cross with the engine in idle made for a smoother ride.  This was the first of many river crossings on the road.  Several days later we saw a motorhome heading in the opposite direction and I thought "You are almost going to reach the end of the road before having to retrace you route!" 

Another crossing

Around 3pm we started looking for a campsite finding a track on the right that led to a clear area beside the creek.  There was already one caravan camped.  A family from NSW doing "the big lap"

Our campsite for the night

Carlin wanted a tasty meal and some variety with the menu.  He cooked!  He also decided to bath in the creek whilst I decided I didn't want to be a croc's dinner!

The next day we continued on to Mount Barnett Roadhouse.  This is one of the few fuel outlets on the road and fuel is priced accordingly.  We were carrying sufficient diesel to avoid having to pay the high price. 

Carlin wandered into the roadhouse for a look whilst I noticed that; unlike the Great Central Road; the fuel bowsers were not in a locked cage.  Must be more civilized around here

The roadhouse had an interesting wall covered in vehicle licence plates.  One assumes these are from vehicles that didn't survive the road?

On his return Carlin informed me he had purchased a day ticket to visit the nearby Manning Gorge. 

It was a 10km drive down a private track to reach the carpark which was also a camping ground with facilities.  The area was obviously popular as there were many caravans. 

An "off road" tour bus was also present.  It was the first of a number of these tour buses we saw during the trip.

Most of the passengers appeared to be elderly (OK my age!) on a fully supported tour where tents are provided along with meals and a guide

  

It was a this point Carlin mentioned we would need to swim the river followed by a 2.5km walk to reach the gorge.  Hadn't I already mentioned croc's!

A plastic drum had been provided to carry possessions across the river (camera, etc).  But it was on the far bank.  Carlin swam over to fetch it and towed it back for us to use.  Meanwhile I watched from the bank.  Whilst standing watching I was approached by a male who said "Do you know there are croc's in the river……  I saw one over there!" pointing upstream.   It was unlikely to be a saltwater croc this far inland.  More likely a fresh water croc which are much more timid.  Never the less I swam across as silently as possible.

There was a well marked and worn track on the opposite bank

When we reached the head of the gorge there was a waterfall along with approximately 50 men, women and children all swimming or relaxing.  We spent a pleasant hour cooling off after our walk in before returning to the river.  It was an interesting site.  However unlike many of the other campers, I wouldn't want to spend a week there.

Later that day we found another track on left down which we located a quiet campsite.  Finding "free" campsites on the Gibb River Road can be quite difficult as both sides are private cattle stations where most of the side roads have a locked gate.

The next day we visited Leonard River Gorge.  The entrance to the access road was just past 'Dog Chain Creek'.  Got to love some of the local place names!

Another gorge with a 2-3km walk in.  This time up a river bed and then over a hill.

The obligatory waterfall from the lookout.

Then we had to retrace our route back to the 4WD.

For someone my age the stony surface of the marked walking track required some concentration in order to avoid twisting an ankle.  Carlin appeared to skip over the surface.

Several kilometres later we were back on the bitumen having completed the "rough" part of the road.  I was feeling pleased with the trailer as the bolt we had purchased in Kununurra hadn't failed and there was little sign of the tyre tread excessively wearing due to potential wheel misalignment.

Perhaps I was premature with my thoughts as 5km out of Broome the air in the "Tyre of Last Resort" went to the top. The tread on a section of the tyre had completely delaminated destroying the tyre.  I can't really complain as the tyre was 14 years old and free.  It had lasted from the end of the Duncan Road all the way across the Gibb River Road. 

We will have to look for a replacement in Broome!