MARBLE BAR WA

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July 5th 2023

Published: July 11th 2023

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John and Gloria Travels

MARBLE BAR

Very impressive Sturt's Desert Pea

Well its 6 months living in the van and 15,000 klms so far, it really doesn't seem that long more like a couple of months. Left Tambina Creek around 9.00am and headed for Marble Bar, we hit about 40klm of really bad dirt road, extremely rough with pot holes, rocks etc but finally made it into The Bar around 10.30a.m. Caravan park is adequate and at least we have water and power so did about 4 loads of washing and filled our tanks up, packed in like sardines though I guess with the annual races on everyone comes into town. Marble Bar is set amongst hills and rocks and quite a pretty little place, said to be the hottest town in Australia thats what they tell us on all their signs. It had 161 consecutive days where the temperature didn't drop below 37.8 degree C. Quite a sleepy little place has a big Police Station, a visitor centre, (these housed in very impressive heritage stone buildings) a pub, a general store and a roadhouse. It was also made famous with the discovery of gold and got its name from a nearby Jasper Bar mistaken for marble. We went out to have

MARBLE BAR

This is where we are!

a look at the Jasper deposits and it is really pretty, the bar runs for quite a while and we also saw some jasper at the Marble Bar Pool and nearby Chinaman's pool.... Chinaman's Pool is such a lovely spot on the river, it used to be a free camping area but not anymore, I guess its like everywhere, the pigs spoil it for the everyday people, so now its designated for day use only but there were a few vans out there with people just chillaxing for the day! The wildflowers are all coming out at present and so pretty and the birdlife at Chinaman's Pool was a lovely sight! Its Marble Bar's Annual Race Weekend 7th & 8th, so included in our ticket for $110 a head, two nights camping at the racecourse, so Friday and Saturday night camping with the races on Saturday! John came up with a brilliant idea (not) to get out to the course early Friday to get a good camping spot so 8.15am we arrived there, its virtually just a big paddock and vans parked very close to each other to pack as many as possible in! Within an hour of arriving we

MARBLE BAR

In the Marble Bar Tourist Park, the van could do with a wash but I don't think the park would take too kindly to that

had jobs, not enough volunteers to do everything, John's first job to help with the fencing of the yard to keep horses in, the local guys pretty slap dash, but anyway they got some sort of fence erected whilst I was checking in caravans and marshalling vans and campers down into their parks etc...whilst working there was a very strong willi willi (swirling dust storm) which blew our awning up inside out which our neighbours rescued and found John to rescue it and fix it, lucky it didn't rip or smash a panel on the roof (yes it was tied down with big coach bolts into the ground). Our neighbours Dusty and Dale said it swirled beside their van but our van got the brunt of it! Anyway thank god John is a great fix it man and all fixed. Whilst doing the fence John met a guy from Hamilton who knows Noel Jennings...small world... you meet so many people on the road! John then helped with parking vans as they were starting to come in thick and fast mid to late arvo, honest to god some people should not be on the road with vans, could not park to

CARAVAN PARK MARBLE BAR

Everyone super friendly here, maybe because we are packed in

save themselves, embarassing! So with our shift done at 4.30, from 10.30am we retired for a beer with our neighbours and Robbo. My feet aching prob overdid it but they were desperate for helpers so you have to help. Retired to bed about 10pm after watching the footy and awoke at 1.30a.m. to a few tunes blasting out and then about 2.30am some guy doing donuts in his big V8 truck thing could eat the dust even in bed, shut all the windows and hunkered down for the rest of the night hoping he didn't hit anyone else's vehicles.....all OK by am, whoever the campers were turned their music off by 3.30am and we managed to get another hour or so sleep. Saturday we saddled up to the races first race 12.40pm...6 races and about 6 horses in each race. Lots of people were all dressed up and then lots with just shorts and t-shirts. It was quite nice once you got inside as there was a lot of lawn so plenty of room to spread out in chairs or picnic blankets. Lots of families and some we had spoken to had come from Newman 400klm away, Port Hedland just

THE IRON CLAD HOTEL

An architects dream....NOT

over 200klm..... so its well patronised race meeting. The highlight been the Undies Race, open to Men, Women and Children and there were all sorts in it. Fashions on the field was also popular. Then after the last race they had The Bradley Hall Band playing and they were fabulous, Bradley Hall the vocalist and guitarist is a local indigenous boy who they are all very proud of. There were plenty of food vans for great food Paella Van, American BBQ van, Chicken, Burgers and Fish n Chips so I think everyone was covered. The bar, of course, was very popular but all cans beers $10 and $15 for spirits bit steep but a good fund raiser for them.There were at least 150 vans, loads of others with just swags and small tents, also buses bused people out from town, around 2,000 in attendance. We made it til 10.30 and retired but the band went to 1am. The night in the camping area was much quieter and we all had a good nights sleep. Sunday packed up early to our camp on a lagoon about 80 odd klms up the road. Next stop Pt Hedland.

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Aboriginal settlers arrived on the continent from Southeast Asia about 40,000 years before the first Europeans began exploration in the 17th century. No formal territorial claims were made until 1770, when Capt. James COOK took possession in the name...more history