Jilah Rockhole Campground, Eyre Highway, Western Australia

Rating: 2.5/5

Location: Jilah Rockhole Campground, Eyre Highway, Western Australia – Lat: 31 50 19 S Long: 128 07 48 E

Jilah Rockhole Campground is a free camp on the eastbound side of the Eyre Highway. It has a toilet and rubbish bins and lots of space away from the highway to kick back and toast our last night in Western Australia with a nice Margaret River Chardonnay.

The 90 mile straight is just that and I missed the photograph of the sign – again. We’re still not sure whether Nullarbor (per my westbound post “two Latin words: nullus arbor literally meaning ‘no tree’) is still an accurate name for the place. Kev reckons we should consider something in Latin meaning a lot of trees. Multus-arbor? Multarbor? Treezy?

It was another great music day. Dear Chris Rea, I have loved your music since the 1980s. “Hello friend (where’ve ya been so long)”, “I’m only loving you again” so “Let’s dance!” We also spent some time visiting a “Secret Garden” and “Philadelphia” with Bruce ‘The Boss’ Springsteen.

There is something wonderful about having time to listen to good music and being able to sing along to it really loud in a place where your neighbours won’t be upset.

On the drive across the Nullarbor, at regular intervals, there are signs and landing lines painted on the road for the flying doctors to take off and land. It’s comforting to know those guys are capable of getting to remote places.

There are lots of good roadside free camps along the Nullarbor. Jilah Rockhole is one of them.

We are ready to re-enter South Australia to enjoy all those wonderful bits we missed the first time around.

Be safe and stay healthy my friend, and may the landing strip on a road always be your novelty, and never your necessity.

Cost: Free
Dump point: No
Fishing: No
Phone/internet: Yes
Showers: No
Toilets: Yes
Water: No

Harms Lake Campground, Eyre Highway, Western Australia

Rating: 2.5/5

Location: Harms Lake Campground, Eyre Highway, Western Australia – Lat: 32 13 28 S Long: 123 22 34 E

About 200 kilometres south-east of Karalee Rock and Dam is the town of Norseman – an important pitstop for us on our way to Harm’s Lake.

We drove through Widgiemooltha (sorry, but I had to use that town name – please, say it out loud and try not to smile) and stopped briefly in Coolgardie on the way so we could get enough fuel to take us through to Norseman.

On our journey west so many months ago, Kev was very happy with the diesel he got at the Caltex in Norseman so he was keen to fill his tank there again. Yeah I know, it must be a bloke thing.

Coolgardie is a quaint town but whatever you do, buy your beer before or after you get there. Double the price for a carton! And we thought Ned Kelly came from the eastern side of the country!

Norseman has a population of around 1600 people and the town has all the facilities you need to stock up. Most importantly, beer is at a reasonable price!

They reckon that the town of Norseman was named after Laurie Sinclair’s horse, Hardy Norseman. Apparently, Hardy Norseman was tethered to a tree overnight and when Laurie went to get him saddled up the next day, old Norseman had unearthed a gold nugget. Since way back then, the fields around Norseman have produced over 5 million ounces of the stuff. If only I could get Indy and Patch to dig up that kind of nugget!

Lake Cowan lay dry beside the highway as we drove into Norseman but the GPS still showed a beautiful blue! Note to self: GPSs – lie a lot!

We topped up our diesel, beer and water (not sure if that’s the correct order of importance) in Norseman and headed east another 164 kilometres across the Nullarbor.

We had planned to stop at Fraser Range Station for our first night on the plains. We’ve heard and read many good things about it. We drove in to check it out and indeed it has all the amenities that a caravan park in this neck of the woods should have. However, for our needs – somewhere to sleep – a free overnighter was more appropriate so we drove on.

Just a word of advice – don’t get Harm’s Lake camping area confused with Harm’s Lake Parking Area. The latter is a short bitumen pull over on the side of the highway. The one we stayed at, provides a good flat camping area with lots of trees a little way off the highway.

It rained a little as we arrived at camp followed by a cold night – really cold!

Kev woke me at 2:00 am – his fingers ready to snap off his hands like icicles – to put the diesel heater on as we were still freezing under the 500 GSM doona (duvet) with our flannie jarmies on. As you know, Indy and Patch sleep inside the caravan on their futons with extra blankets (yeah, I know – crazy dog lady), but even they were cold. Ode to northern part of Western Australia – what have we done, we miss you!

Until next time dear one, may the GSMs in your doona be double on a cold night; and the price of your beer be halved on a hot day!

Cost: Free
Dump point: No
Fishing: No
Phone/internet: No
Showers: No
Toilets: No
Water: No

Karalee Rock and Dam, Western Australia

Rating: 4/5

Location: Karalee Rock and Dam, Western Australia – Lat: 31 15 03 S Long: 119 50 24 E

Just as it was during our journey on the Great Northern Highway, there were several trucks hauling oversize buildings and equipment as we travelled on the Great Eastern Highway – slowing down our journey just a smidgen in parts.

The best thing about getting caught behind one of those heavily laden vehicles is listening to the truck drivers on the two-way as they banter with each other over the airwaves. It’s not only colourful, but often funny and clever.

No point getting upset about it, you’ve just got to cruise along as if the Snakedance from Tarantino’s ‘From Dusk till Dawn’ is playing in your head.

We’ve seen some really groovy town names in the past few days. Badgingarra, Watheroo, Dandaragan, Bindoon, Toodyay, Burracoppin and Bruce Rock. Although, we’re heading toward the two beer tongue twister: Coolgardie near Kalgoorlie after Karalee.

Burracoppin is the site where the first Rabbit Proof Fence was started in 1901 as well as being the main depot for the fence and the place where the gate numbering begins. The parts of the original fence and gates that are still standing are heritage listed and there’s a lot of history associated with them.

I expected the scenery to be as dry as a pub with no beer as we travelled east. However, they’ve had heaps of rain – I guess it is the season for it here in Western Australia – and the place is lush with crops, wild flowers, banksias and wattle. It’s rugged and beautiful.

The Golden Pipeline – which runs along beside the highway for almost 600 kilometres – starts in Mundaring and carries potable water all the way to Kalgoorlie. It was commissioned in 1896 to pump water to the goldfields where thousands of settlers had travelled to Western Australia’s desert centre in search of gold.

It’s kind of sad that the engineer who designed and oversaw most of the construction of an “internationally acclaimed engineering feat”, Charles Yelverton O’Connor, killed himself before it was opened in January 1903. This was perhaps due to widespread criticism and cruel personal attacks on Charlie’s integrity and ability that were published at the time from those who did not believe that the scheme would work.

The pipeline is still operational and supplies water to over 100,000 people in homes, businesses, mines and farms.

What an amazing legacy, marred by such a tragic conclusion.

We arrived at our destination late on Tuesday afternoon – we’d stopped in Northam for fuel and a leg stretch.

Karalee Rock & Dam is as interesting as it is clean and well set out. The camping fee is a donation and there is a flush toilet and dump point (with water) on the site.

The dam was built between 1896–1897 and was constructed to provide water for steam trains en route to Kalgoorlie. There is a granite outcrop which provides a natural rain catchment area. The granite retaining walls cut from the rock surround the enormous rock catchment and channel rain water into the dam. Ingenuity!

Take care my friend and always have faith in yourself and the ‘acclaimed feats’ that you know you can achieve.

Cost: Donation
Dump point: Yes
Fishing: No
Phone/internet: Yes
Showers: No
Toilets: Yes
Water: Non potable

New Norcia Campground, Western Australia

Rating: 3/5

Location: New Norcia Campground, Western Australia – Lat: 30 58 24 S Long: 116 12 48 E

We left Lake Indoon at our usual … um … early morning departure time.

Cleaners had arrived at the site early and cleaned the ablution blocks which is a positive reflection on how the council manage the campsite so well. However, they removed the nests of those little sparrow-like birds in the ladies loo that I told you about and later that morning, the adult birds flew around frantically in search of their lost nests. Mother Nature can’t compete with us when it comes to being big meanies.

There has been plenty of rain in the southern part of Western Australia and the scenery on our trip was lush and green. As we left the lake, the sides of the highway were crammed with acorn banksias and wattle (acacia). It is very beautiful in a rustic, unsophisticated way.

Further south, there are acres and acres of farmland with the bright yellow flowers of a crop – which we think might be yellow lupin – interspersed with fields of another rich green crop. The fields of yellow are also very beautiful, in an orderly and graceful way.

While travelling southward toward our destination, our two-way radio sounded and we were warned by an escort vehicle that we should pull off the road to allow some very wide vehicles to pass.

It happened a few times on that day’s travel and we were grateful that we had our radio. Moreover, we were glad that we had it turned on.

10-4 good buddy!

Approximately 132 kilometres north of Perth on the Great Northern Highway is New Norcia, named after the Italian town of Norcia.

As you drive into the town, it provides an unexpected ‘wow’ moment. It is the only monastic town in Australia and has some beautiful old buildings which date back to the mid to late 1800s following the founding of the Benedictine mission in the area in 1847.

The campsite beside the town’s oval is available for self-contained caravans (own bathroom facilities) or there are powered sites with toilets and showers available at the roadhouse.

The bull ants at the oval are as abundant as they are brutal so we couldn’t stand still in one spot for any length of time. Blame it on the (Bull Ant) Bossa Nova!

There is a big, grassy field next to the camp which was a great spot to exercise Indy and Patch. I think that they really miss lawn. Every time we camp on a grassy area, they eat it, throw themselves down on it and roll around in it – they get this joyful look about them. Although, they have been known to do that with cow pats too.

We walked to the pub across the road from the camp and enjoyed an Abbey Ale – it used to be made by the monks but is now made by James Squire using the original recipe. You can only buy it in a 250 ml glass – it is 7% alcohol per volume so one beer will take you a long way! It has an unusual taste, perhaps a little bit of ginger.

All kinds of wonderful things float in those clouds after an Abbey Ale.

 

It was wonderful to be able to sit on the pub’s verandah and enjoy a drink with the dogs laying under the table on their best behaviour. The hotel building is quite amazing – very beautiful inside and out – although it could use a lick of paint!

New Norcia is a great overnight camping site but it is also a worthwhile location to play tourist and have a look around the town.

There are monastery tours available and when you stop into the Information Centre to pay your $10 fee, make sure you buy a loaf of freshly baked bread – but you’ll have to get there in the morning, it’s delicious and sells out quickly!

Keep yourself nice my friend and remember, whether you are rustic and unsophisticated or orderly and graceful, you are beautiful.

Cost: $10 per vehicle per night
Dump point: No
Fishing: No
Phone/internet: Yes
Showers: No
Toilets: No (self contained vehicles only)
Water: No

Lake Indoon, Western Australia

Rating: 3.5/5

Location: Lake Indoon, Western Australia – Lat: 29 51 34 S Long: 115 09 19 E

About 12 kilometres south-west of the town of Eneabba and about an hour and a half’s drive from Ellendale Pool is Lake Indoon.

It’s a pretty spot and we were fortunate to find it with plenty of water – we’d read that the water level often drops to nothing during the dry season. As was the case at Ellendale Pool, there are signs warning against getting in the water. If we had let go of Indy’s lead for a second, he would have been in the water swimming in a flash with all those unwell amoebas trying to get up his nose!

The bird life here is incredible. Plenty of water birds of course (and ducklings galore) as well as raptors, parrots and lots of those little sparrow-like birds that dive bomb anything that comes near their nests. In fact, there is a couple of nests above one of the cubicles in the ladies loo and if you don’t want to be dive bombed (or covered in bird poop) while you contemplate life’s wonders, it is best to use one of the other cubicles. It makes a bathroom break like a nature walk!

There’s a couple of Galahs in a tree hole right in front of our campsite – similar to those at Murchison House Station and they are wonderful to watch as they gather twigs and leaves to stuff into the hole which is their nest. All we need is David Attenborough’s voice over and who needs television!

At night, there is the loud and unrelenting sound of insects. I’m not talking a few mosquitoes here. I mean, lots of insects. It’s just a little bit spooky. Think, Alice Cooper’s Halo of Flies from 1971. Now, anyone who knows me knows that my imagination can sometimes get the better of me. “Kevin, Kevin … wake up. What’s that noise? Kevin?”

The place doesn’t seem to get too crowded. In the three nights that we stayed, probably about eight or ten other caravans/campers came and went as well as a few day trippers.

This beautiful tree at the entrance to the lake is a sub species of Eucalyptus Rudis which is only found at Lake Indoon. Back in 1979, when it was just young sprout, one of the locals found that it had been ring barked (yeah, I know what you’re thinking, who does that kind of thing). The good people of Eneabba worked hard to repair the damage and saved the tree which is now big and beautiful. Undeniable proof that if we work together, we can make an environmental difference little by little, one tree at a time.

Stay happy friend and may there always be good people in your life to save you from life’s occasional ring barking.

Cost: Free (at the moment)
Dump point: No
Fishing: No
Phone/internet: Limited – can’t update my trip map
Showers: Yes, coldish
Toilets: Yes, flushing
Water: Yes, but I don’t think I’d drink it …

Ellendale Pool, Western Australia

Rating: 3.5/5

Location: Ellendale Pool, Western Australia – Lat: 28 51 38 S Long: 114 58 25 E

Western Australia is as wonderful as it is windy.

Wind farms are common and the monstrous wind turbines, that look like Optimus Prime’s skinny relatives, spread out across the lush landscape as we drove toward Ellendale Pool.

Ellendale Pool is about 40 odd kilometres south-east of Geraldton or 22 kilometres north-east of a town called Walkaway.

It is a lovely spot with clean, flush toilets, rubbish bins and a dump point.

Beautiful bird sounds are loud and constant as if they’re all vying to be heard.

There were several caravans parked on site when we arrived but we managed to get a good spot close to the water.

Sadly, as inviting as the water looks, the signs recommend that you stay out.

 

Until next time dear one, may your water stay clean and may there be no meningitis in your amoeba!

Cost: $5 per vehicle per night
Dump point: Yes
Fishing: No
Phone/internet: Limited
Showers: No
Toilets: Yes, flushing
Water: No

Batavia Coast Caravan Park, Geraldton, Western Australia

Rating: 3/5

Location: Batavia Coast Caravan Park, 239 Hall Road, Waggrakine, Geraldton, Western Australia

“Objects in the rear view mirror may appear closer than they are ...” Meatloaf

Hello again my friend.

Our eastbound route would not include any big towns for the next few weeks so we decided to stay in Geraldton for a couple of days to get the car and caravan serviced. There’s been some rain in the area since we last visited so the scenery on the way in was lush and green.

Batavia Coast Caravan Park is proof that one should never judge a book by its cover. We actually did a drive by and kept going. We had to come back because it’s the only park in Geraldton that allows dogs. The good news is that the place is not too bad at all.

On the day that we left Murchison River, there was a Wicked Camper – I don’t mean a naughty person in a tent – but one of those Wicked Camper hire vehicles which had a rather profound slogan. “If you don’t have something to live for, you’ll die for nothing”. I’ve got nothing meaningful to say about it, I just thought it was interesting.

I sometimes wonder why someone would name a tourist destination after something negative. The Batavia Coast Caravan Park – and indeed the Batavia Coast itself – is named after a shipwreck.

The Dutch East India ship Batavia was wrecked on the Houtman Albrolhos islands about 80 kilometres off the coast of Geraldton in 1629 on its maiden voyage. It was infamous for the mutiny and massacre that ensued. Let’s hope that the other punters in the caravan park don’t get any ideas!

If it was my place, I would name it after a something that conjured up positive images. Maybe … Cold Beer Caravan Park. Colin Firth Resort. Clooney (George) camping.

The caravan park has lots of permanent residents which can sometimes be off-putting but there was no trouble. Moreover, the facilities are pristine!

We decided to take a grassy, big rig camp site which had plenty of space. The park also has a large dog exercise area at the back which the boys loved.

The other thing they loved was those wascally wabbits that boldly hopped around – close enough to whet Indy’s hunting instinct. Perhaps we’ll start calling him Elmer Fudd!

We took a drive around Geraldton while we waited for our caravan service to finish. There’s a replica of the Batavia’s long boat tied up at the wharf keeping company with a lot of very expensive and more modern boats.

Once we picked up the caravan, we filled up our water tanks at the information centre. It is located in a beautiful building which was formerly a hospital built in the 1800s.

We had to take the caravan back to the service agent within the hour because they ‘forgot’ to adjust the brakes. Gee whiz, … the caravan had no brakes after the service. If Kev hadn’t tested them, goodness knows what could have happened. What did I tell you about travelling with angels?

You my friend, stay safe and may the vision in your rear view mirror be as great as your view ahead.

Cost: $26 unpowered/$29 powered/$33 big rig site
Dump point: Yes
Fishing: No
Phone/internet: Yes
Showers: Yes
Toilets: Yes
Water: Yes

Gladstone Scenic Lookout, Western Australia

Rating: 3/5

Location: Gladstone Scenic Lookout, Western Australia – Lat: 25 59 09 S Long: 114 17 55 E

Our drive south toward a free overnight camp was long and dry … at least, it certainly seemed that way.

We stopped into Carnarvon on the way to buy fresh fruit and vegetables and top up our caravan with water before hitting the highway toward Gladstone Scenic Lookout (don’t get it confused with Gladstone in Queensland, we’re still in the far west) for a one night stand.

The strong wind was against us all the way and it pushed our diesel consumption up considerably.

The scenery is dry and barren except for the many animals that lay dead on the side of the road – hapless victims of speed and metal.

There are lots of wild goats grazing beside the highway – at least, I’m assuming that they are wild – and we rarely saw them as road kill victims.

My grade 5 school teacher, Mrs Mackintosh used to always say common sense would “separate the sheep from the goats” and perhaps she knew about those ‘wild’ goats way back then!

Gladstone Scenic Lookout is a stony plateau from where you get 360 degree views of the area including the sunset over Shark Bay.

There was no-one but us onsite when we arrived at around 3.00 pm but several other caravans and campers pulled in during the afternoon.

There are no facilities at the site except rubbish bins – it is considered a ‘rest area’ – but it has great views and is a good overnighter.

The place does have a bit of interesting ‘oddness’ to it. Several garden gnomes are set up on the west-facing cliff edge to watch the sunsets near a few piles of rocks decorated with everything from an old public pay phone and used footwear to an epitaph to a guy who died in Coral Bay in 2006. And I thought I was odd!

Until next time my friend, may you be canny like one of those clever goats and may your garden gnomes always face the sunsets!

Cost: Free
Dump point: No
Fishing: No

Phone/internet: Yes
Showers: No
Toilets: No
Water: No

Point Quobba, Western Australia (… return visit)

Rating: 4/5

Location: Point Quobba, Western Australia (… return visit) – Lat: 24 29 22 S Long: 113 24 56 E

Ah, dear friend. I said we’d swap the red for the blue and here we are again at Point Quobba.

While we enjoyed our previous stay here, this time we found an even nicer spot with views of the ocean. Magic!

We had intended to go to Quobba Station which is approximately 8 kilometres north of Point Quobba and The Blowholes.

However, the station owners told us that it’s too rough to swim at the camp’s beach, they don’t allow fishing from the beach at the camp, and that we couldn’t camp very close to the beach itself. If you want to go fishing or swimming while staying there, you need to drive quite a way further to Red Bluff – where you can fish and swim, but are not allowed to take your dogs. The alternative is to drive back to Point Quobba.

Moreover, we took the boys to the vet in Carnarvon for an ongoing, gland problem that requires regular attention (might have to take out a mortgage on the house to pay the fee), and the vet recommended that we muzzle the dogs if we went to Quobba Station to avoid potential 1080 poisoning.

So, as difficult as the decision was to again stay at Point Quobba (sarcasm … me?), we pulled out the camping chairs and the cold beers so we could sit outside with quenched thirsts and stare meaningfully at the ocean.

As I mentioned in our last post about Point Quobba there are plastic garbage bags and other horrid things near and on the beach. What chance do our wonderful sea creatures have against our apathetic disregard for their existence. (OK Lisa, step away from the soap box!!!)

The beautiful campsite that we chose was littered with bones when we first arrived – no ladies, not those of the previous caravanner’s disobedient husband – discarded, cooked bones of various sorts. Kev had to get rid of them with a shovel before Indy and Patch could get stuck into them. I guess it could have been worse … there were those people who didn’t seem to have a chemical toilet with them … .

We stayed for four nights until the wind whipped itself up into a hair-raising frenzy on the last night and the sound of the wind and the wild seas was deafening.

Oh, I almost forgot, I mentioned in my previous post about Point Quobba that there were a bunch of corrugated iron beach shacks and abandoned caravans around the place that had been there since Adam was a boy. I took a couple of photographs to show you – see below.

Take care of yourself my friend and may your glands never require regular attention!

Cost: $11 per person per night ($8 pp pn seniors)
Dump point: Yes (but no water for rinsing)
Fishing: Yes
Phone/internet: Limited
Showers: No
Toilets: Yes (day area only)
Water: No

Tamala Station, Western Australia

Rating: 3.75/5

Location: Tamala Station, Western Australia – Lat: 26 40 25 S Long: 113 42 54 E

Hello again my friend and welcome back to Western Australia’s Coral Coast.

Tamala Station is approximately 350 kilometres north of Kalbarri and located in the Shark Bay World Heritage region. It is an active pastoral station and its history dates back to the late 1800s.

The station owners also provide several camps which are dotted along the coastline adjacent to the station – some are suitable only for tents or camper trailers. Camp 7, where we stayed, has plenty of room for several caravans but there was only us and one other at the site during our stay.

Have a look at the station map on their website – it will give you a bit of perspective as to the location and the camps. Here’s the link.

We filled the highway part of our trip north with great music and terrible singing. We turned the car stereo up loud and our out-of-tune voices gave heavy metal band Metallica a run for their money as we belted out “Turn the Page”. The song will never sound the same to me again.

The turnoff to the station leads you to the final 40 plus kilometres of the trip which includes about 8 kilometres of bitumen – to lull you into a false sense of security – before you bounce along approximately 34 kilometres of corrugated dirt road. Talk about a tooth rattler!

We drove to the station’s homestead to pay our fees and get a key to the station gate to access the camping areas.

The owners were friendly and helpful and it was great to know that there was no 1080 poison or strychnine laid anywhere near the camp sites.

Like it or not, they use it to kill both wild dogs and rabbits and for the dogs, they lace raw meat with it. We’ve found it very common in many camping areas around Western Australia.

 

Tamala is a great place to relax, unwind and do nothing but stare at the sea. Then again, it is always a good time to do nothing and stare at the sea!

The beach is a mix of brown sand and white seashells and the water is crystal clear and clean.

In and around the camp area, there are lots of sharp, prickly seeds which make walking around bare foot impossible. However, even with footwear they were impossible to avoid completely. While the dogs’ paws seem to have toughened up significantly since the start of our journey, the three pronged thorns still seem to find a soft part of their pads in which to stick. Ouch! At least the beach provided a thorn-free reprieve.

 

While it is a beautiful place and we enjoyed our stay, I’m not sure whether it is quite worth the arduous journey on the corrugated road in and out of the station while towing a caravan. In fact, the campsites on the station where caravans are unable to get to are some of the most spectacular and according to Kev, would be much better for fishing!

Kev caught a sand shark and a small bream but both went back in to fight another day!

Apparently, all pastoral leases in the area will be reviewed in 2015 and some will be revoked and returned to state ownership. There is a possibility that camping areas on some of the sites will no longer be available and will certainly not be available for those of us with dogs if the stations are designated as national parks. How fortunate we are to be able to enjoy this amazing region before that happens.

Until next time my friend, may your paws be tough enough to withstand life’s thorns.

Cost: $15.20 per adult, $8.60 per child, $10.80 per retiree/pensioner ($50 key deposit)
Dump point: No – but OK to dig a hole and bury it
Fishing: Yes
Phone/internet: Yes, limited
Showers: No
Toilets: Long drops at some of the camps
Water: Non potable at some of the camps