There have been a few days with clouds but today everything is back to normal, blue skies, also plenty warm. Its 30kms into Karratha and the trip will add 60kms to my journey as I need to double back over the same distance to head out south west. By the time I finally leave Karratha, a rapidly growing mining town with many new housing projects and new housing along the street, letting the visitor know about the wealth that is being created from ironore mining as well as the gigantic plants out on the peninsula that convert NG (natural gas) into LNG (liquefied Natural Gas) that is loaded directly onto a fleet of Tankers that transport it in that form to Japan and China.
By the time I leave Karratha its after 2.00pm (I did have a quick lunch). My planned destination is only about 155kms to the south west, a roadside carpark for campers, which turns out quite nice when I finally get there about 4.00pm. There is a fair amount of traffic in the opposite direction and I am also passed by four-wheel-drives that usually accompany the large and often over-sized trucks that come in the opposite direction from time to time, usually carrying heavy equipment or construction elements which are sometimes much wider than the trucks that carry them.
It is flat country and dry, except, on my left a range of hills form an interesting outlook, ever changing as my van passes through this landscape. The sun is mostly on my right and even though my windows are open, it gets quite warm. A cold drink would be good but the stuff in the bottle on my console is good and warm.
I have an early night, surprising to note that the traffic of road trains subsides to nothing. I wake up just before seven, road trains are fast catching up with generating lots of noise as they pass across the bridge that spans the river by my campsite. The sun finally comes up, painting the riverscape in gold.
A curious phenomenon as the sun comes up from the horizon behind the highway, each time a road train goes by, its almost as if someone is turning the sun on-and-off as the long vehicles pass across the path of the sun.
Today, its on toward Exmouth as I will be able to get away early. Great driving this time of the morning, the road just passing underneath. Today, more cattle grids and their associated fence lines, each time I pass over one, the rrrrrrt and every so often a bit of a jolt. It is flat country still, but a range of hills still to my left. There is a huge layer of smoke to my left, definetely not a grass fire, as the smoke is very black, streaming away in a layer, driven by the strong easterly wind. It is gas exploration country, so I assume its just a bit of a burn-off.
The sign ahead says ONSLOW 80km. On the spur of the moment I decide to turn right to have a look at Onslow. Fellow travelers have told me of a good camp ground there, would love a nice hot shower for a change and there is a large bag full of dusty (Pilbara Pink) clothes, much in need of a wash. Lots of large termite mounds again on this stretch of highway. Large evaporation pools from the salt mining company, the water in various shades of blue or pink, depending on the various concentrations of salt. Near the "Salt Jetty" in Onslow township, large mountains of salt await shipment. The conveyor belts on the jetty are operating to load a ship at anchor, at the end of the jetty, out in the bay.
Not a lot to do in Onslow, walk along the beach, lots of shells have been washed up onto the sand.
War Memorial at Onslow
Not really surprising that shells should be thriving here as this township was the first where the pearling industry got started in the 19th century before moving up to Broome. I spend the night at an unpowered site at the centre of town, close to the beach. The place is just about fully booked. I get the washing going and have a beer while that is happening. There is hardly any humidity in the air. In about an hour all is dry and put away again in my storage.
Barradine River Camp is my next stop. Another free campsite, very large and although quite a few fellow travellers have chosen to spend the night here, its not crowded at all.
Sunset at Barradine Rivercamp
One thing needs to be ever present though its called "WA", obviously stands for Western Australia, others say it stands for "Windy Always" or on a slightly funnier note, "Wery Axpensive". Naturally, the higher prices are put down to the increased costs for transport, whether you buy a tank full of Diesel or just a litre of milk. Most of us Grey Nomads think this is just bullshit, you simply charge whatever the traffic will bare, after all, we ARE a captive audience and so get milked for all its worth to the locals.
Still flat country, mostly covered in spinifex, no termite mounds all the way, low range of hills to my left and the highway is crossing, what looks like successive red sand dunes which intersect at right angles every few kilometres. Late in the morning I come to a T-intersection, the sign pointing right says "Exmouth". Less spinifex here and I notice the termite mounds are back, dotting the landscape around me. A bit further on the road runs closer along the ocean, the deep turquise of the water providing a colourful backdrop to the harsh Australian land. I drive down the main street of Exmouth about half an hour later. Coming into town, on my right, a large marina is under construction which looks like a giant project, well under way but still a long way from being completed. Another town on-the-move to accompany the ever increasing load of tourists. After a re-fuel and picking up some groceries, filling my water tank, I head towards one of the many campsites on the other side of the peninsula. The Ranger tells me they are all full for the day and I stay at a Homestead to return the following morning to try my luck once again.
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