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Published: June 21st 2006
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I said in the last blog that our next stop is 80 Mile Beach but I forgot the overnight in Port Hedland. John agrees with me that it was quite forgettable so we will leave it at that.
The trip north from Port Hedland to Broome is 601 kilometres with nothing much in between - or so it would seem. We had to break the journey so the first stop was 80 Mile Beach CP, 250 k’s from Port Hedland and another ten kilometres of red dirt from the turnoff, but really worth the effort. The park is very clean, neat and tidy and mostly grassed sites. A very short walk over the dunes and there is the spectacular 80 Mile Beach laid out in front of you. They recommend you don’t swim because of stingers but the fisher folk were having a field day. Just miles and miles of beautiful beach and some incredible shell collecting as you stroll along. The land around the CP is a cattle station, so you are surrounded by coastal landscape and noone else for miles. Perth retirees who stay for months on end enjoying the warmer weather heavily populate the park. It is
a long way to go for supplies though. The CP has a bakery and small shop but you would have to stock up in Port Hedland for fruit and veg, meat etc. You could always just survive on the fish you catch I guess. Anyway we had a great night here and caught up with Marlene and Walter from Coffs Harbour who we had met previously way back in Esperence. (Makes you wonder what’s wrong with Coffs doesn’t it? There are so many of them on the road!!!)
We left reluctantly the next morning, Sunday 4th June and headed north again and our next stop the famous Barn Hill Station. Barn Hill is a further 230 odd kilometres along this long stretch to Broome and another 9 k’s of red dirt road from the turnoff. It is also the place a lot of you would have seen on 60 Minutes last year some time - remember the place on the coast with the little bowling green? Let me tell you, the regulars are not happy that their little slice of paradise has been over run by all us Easterners!!! Life’s a bitch isn’t it? Barn Hill is another family
Barn Hill
You won't be surprised to hear that we nearly missed the sign. owned cattle station with its western boundary running along the Indian Ocean. They have set up a bush caravan park allowing the ordinary traveller to share this magnificent coastline. It has powered and unpowered sites and it seemed the latter had the better views. We settled for a powered site under shady trees just across from one of the ablution blocks. Whilst abluting you can look up at the sky because it was only partly covered. The toilets in the uncovered part got frogs in the bowls at night so scaredy cats like me had to be a little cautious. If you needed hot water for the shower you had to go around the back and light the wood fire for the heater. Didn’t really matter about that though because it was warm enough to shower in cold water, or what passes for ‘cold’ water up here. Once again it seemed half of Perth’s retirees were here for the winter and loving it. Fishing was high on the agenda again but you could swim here and the water was beautiful. We loved this place so much we stayed 2 nights and could easily have stayed 2 weeks. One of the
Someone has to do it.
I'm trying to get across how remote this paradise is and how unadorned. ladies has started a craft group that meets every afternoon at 2 - bring your own chair, stay as long as you like and do whatever you like - or not. I was inspired to actually get started on a quilting project at long last and spent the 2nd afternoon there chatting and sewing very happily. Can’t tell you how good it was to be sewing again. I really can’t explain how beautiful and peaceful Barn Hill was, except for the generator in the distance of course. If one is of the spoilt variety, and needs power, then you have to get used to the minor discomforts of generators. Power was limited, you couldn’t use anything with a heating element such as frypans, toasters, microwaves, hairdryers (Oh, that’s right, I don’t need one anymore!!!) and so on. If you were on an unpowered site you could use your own generator but had to be quite removed from everyone else to reduce the noise. So civilised!! The sunsets, as at 80 Mile Beach, were stunningly beautiful and I will put in a photo or 2 but you couldn’t reproduce the colours. John has decided to do a photography course when we
Barn Hill ablutions
See, there really is only half a roof! get back as it seems a shame not to be able to record all this properly. Whilst here, at long last, I had my first few ends of bowls. Billie would be pleased! Alas, I was just as useless at bowls as I am at every other sport. John, God bless his little cotton socks, said it was the bowls, the green, the sunset and so on but I know it was just me - thank goodness, another sport I don’t have to play. We regretfully left Barn Hill on Tuesday 6th June for the last leg of our trip to Broome. P.S. Hope the photos aren't too boring. Wanted to get the colours across for you. Love & XXX
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Jan and Gene
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Gates
In Texas you always have to shut the gates, but most of them have cattle guards. Beautiful picutres. Don't let the frogs bite. Luv u Jan