Project Pajero
Where are we now!
30 October to 5 November 2009 Day 64 - 70
Tony & Carol had a forced stay in Northam whilst they waited for a new control unit for the ARB fridge to be sent from Perth. Fortunately, the team at Avon 4WD in Northam were fantastic in isolating the problem and getting a new unit sent the next day. So around lunch time after staying in the Northam caravan park which cost just $25 for a powered site, the grey nomads were on their way again.
They made their way past Wave Rock and camped at Lake King that evening for just $20. The next day they continued south through Ravensthorpe and were going to visit the National Parks between there and Esperance however, the caravan suffered a flat tyre and they had to dash into Esperance to get it fixed before the tyre centre closed at lunchtime (it was Saturday). With the tyre replaced they dropped the caravan at the local Caravan Park and took the very scenic Great Ocean Drive around the coastline.
The next day they left the caravan still in Esperance and headed west again to have a look at Stokes National Park. However, they were disappointed to find that many roads and park facilities were closed as a result of bushfires that occurred way back in 2006/7, Tony was surprised that this was the situation nearly 3 years after the fires.
However, they did make it to Stokes Inlet but the high winds that had plagued them down the west coast prevailed here too but this time the wind felt like it was coming directly off Antarctica (which it probably was) and it was bitterly cold. A vast difference to the 2 months of 30+ degrees they had enjoyed up north.
Leaving Esperance they headed north to Norseman and then turned the green nose of Project Pajero east to finally leave WA. The long stretch of the Eyre highway lay ahead of them. On their first day they made camp beside the highway east of Balladonia not far from the longest straight section of road in Australia which measures 146 kilometres dead straight!
The next day they continued east missing the Eyre Bird Observatory due to the 70k return trip on an unsealed road and the great little 4WD track that lays below the cliff line between the BO and Madura, the handicap of travelling with a road going caravan rather than a tent only.
I spoke to Tony at Eucla down on the edge of the sand hills where he had just visited the old Telegraph station which was being buried by the shifting white sands, the wind was still howling out of the south east. As we talked he relayed the scene in front of him of a fellow racing his 4WD at the sand dunes in a vain attempt to get over them to drive out to the coast which lay about 500 metres ahead behind a series of sand dunes. Tony said he had 3 goes, getting further back each time and driving faster and faster before he eventually crested the first small dune at the car park. Tony wondered, if he needed all that speed to get up one small dune what would he do once in amongst the dunes, he left before there were any cries for help.
T&C thought that as they were crossing back into SA they had to dispose of all of their fruit, but it appears that at the WA/SA border you can take whatever you want east, of course coming west you have to abide by quarantine restrictions at the check point. in SA you can keep your fruit etc until you reach Ceduna where the quarantine check point is found.
The plan was to spend the night on one of the cliff top lookouts above the Great Australian Bight, however, they found that many of the small side roads to the lookouts were closed, not sure why but this was a National Park decision, eventually they did find a wind swept and open area beside the road for the night.
They continued east finding that the Head of the Bight was also closed, it seems because they were just outside of the whaling season (it finishes on 31 October and it was now just November) that National Parks actually close down access to their magnificent information centre at the Head of Bight. On my recommendation they took the unsealed road into Fowlers Bay but as they were travelling alone, Tony was not prepared to see the best part of Fowlers Bay and explore the huge sand dunes. A shame really as it is a fantastic location.
Heading out to Penong famous for its windmills, there are lots of them close to one hundred! They also decided not to visit Point Sinclair and the famed Cactus Beach, (I'm beginning to think they are getting homesick and want to rush home) But they did take the unsealed road to Davenport Creek and whilst they didn't unhitch the van and explore the fantastic sand dunes here either, at least they did drive to the end of the road near the mangroves. From here they visited Denial Bay before convincing the quarantine man they had no fruit and dropped into Ceduna for some fruit replenishment before heading down to Streaky Bay.
Making camp on the waters edge at the Foreshore Caravan Park and sitting back to enjoy the sunset over the Bay, Carol texted me to advise "Life was good" I stopped here last year and have to agree, for some!
Today they have slowed their pace and got back to exploring mode once again. Checking out the whispering rocks and blow holes which now have a board walk to them (wasn't there last year) and then crawling along the magnificent coastline taking in Point Wessall, Sceale Bay, Point Labott. I just spoke with them having their lunch overlooking the long white Sceale Bay beach which Carol remarked was 4WD accessible, looks like I'll be going back there to explore that beach one day.
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