Karratha

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After a morning’s shopping in Broome we headed south along the coast hoping to find a nice camp site on the beach. Unfortunately, there were only large crowded caravan parks. It was getting late so we stopped at 80 Mile Beach caravan park and found a site looking away from the crowds into the dunes. We were compensated with a lovely sunset across the beach.

Heading south again the next day we started to see many wildflowers by the roadside - the Sturt Desert Peas were spectacular. We visited Port Hedland and had lunch overlooking the iron ore ships loading.

We then gave up on the coast and headed inland to Millstream Chichester NP. Again it was getting late and we were frustrated when the first two camp sites we visited were unsuitable for tents. We were fortunate to find the last remaining site at Crossing Pool and squeezed in on the end of the row. Next day people started to leave so we moved to an idyllic spot overlooking the lagoon. The park was lovely with a nice walk to the old Millstream homestead and a lovely shady walk through the old gardens, crossing and recrossing the warm Millstream Creek. We swam and canoed in the lagoon and drove around the picturesque park. A very pleasant three days.

On our way back north to the coast we revisited the Chichester section of the park. The scenery and wildflowers in this section were outstanding. We walked to Python Pool, a lovely swimming hole next to a cliff face that would have a spectacular waterfall in the wet.

We spent the rest of the day and night on the Pilbara coast to the east of Karratha. The early settlement of the area was at Cossack and Roebourne and many old stone buildings survive. Cossack has been restored as a museum and was fascinating to walk around. We camped in a new caravan park at Point Samson, a small coastal resort town. We walked down to a lovely beach for a swim at Honeymoon Cove and were delighted to see two whales swimming by and waving their fins at us.

The next day we moved to Karratha, another town supporting the massive resources industry in the area. Helen ran a course for teachers in the many small towns and communities around here. Tomorrow we head away from the coast again to Karijini NP.

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Comments

[Arthur & Marjorie]

Amazing
Hi, We continue to read your journals with interest and throughly enjoying them. Your photographs add so much to your descriptions. We are now into spring and hope to see wild flowers here too! Regards Arthur and marjorie