Coral Bay - Carnarvon - Denham (Shark Bay - Monkey Mia)

Well hello there; running behind again because I have been slack in getting this and several other posts done. It is embarrassing to say but we are now in Esperance and I am still doing this blog on the north coast of W.A, very lazy on my part but time doesn't matter too much although I would be good to catch up to a point a little bit closer than I am now.

 

CORAL BAY

 

This is a must see place and in my opinion should be on everyone's list of key places to visit; it is not cheap here for anything so if you plan to stay several days make sure you are stocked up, as an example 2lt of milk was $5.25 so if you are planning to buy some meat for a roast dinner locally you may want to consider putting it on lay-by.

 

There are 2 parks in Coral Bay and neither of them have drinking water available for connection to your van so make sure you go in with full tanks; don't get me wrong they have fresh water available but only in the amenities, laundry etc so you can fill up containers but no freshwater taps are at van sites. If you need to fill up your tanks on arrival because you forgot or did not know one of the parks has a fresh water hose but it is connected to a meter (like a petrol pump) and you pay 10c a litre.

 

The park we stayed at was the Peoples Park, the other is called the Bayview, i did include the Bayview link in case you want to have a look; the Baview park is a couple of dollars cheaper but the sites at Peoples are bigger and it is not so squeezy (or messy). The amenities at the Peoples park were also better than the Bayview, we did have friends stay at the Bayview so we managed to have a good look around.

 

Not much in town just the 2 parks, a general store, the Reef Resort & Pub and a few other small shops but I was told that everything (shops and parks etc) is owned by the one family, how true that is I'm not sure. T.V service was crap with one or 2 snowy channels but we were on the dish so okay, mobile and internet were fine on our Telstra service.

 

Prices here are the same all year round and are beachfront 1^st  row $52p/n, 2^nd  & 3^rd  row $48 any others are $42; a weekly rate is available whereby you stay for 7 nights but pay for (wait for it) 6.5 nights, yes they give you one of your 7 nights at half price, it's a wonder they don't go broke at them rates!!!

 

 

 

Our site; I am as you know not a great lover of sand and all these sites were sand on the awning side of your van; that's right folks I had a bloody beach at the door, ahhh the joy of it all, nearly broke into song “take me to the April sun in Cuba” (not quite).

 

 

From the front of the park the sites you see are the beachfront sites.

 

 

This was the fish feeding event in the waters of Coral Bay; about 4 pm they all come in to shin deep water looking for food, these are some really good eating fish that just swim around your legs. We liked the one in the lower left of the shot (preferably with a nice beer batter, chips and tartar sauce); remember though this is a sanctuary zone so you can't just grab one for dinner.

 

 

Some of the pristine water that you can snorkel; being the Indian Ocean and the location it is the water is crystal clear and the colours against the reef are very spectacular

 

CARNARVON

 

Carnarvon does have quite a few things to see but I would not regard this a a tourist town; more so a place to stay for a few days, stock up, see a few of the sights and move on. There are a lot of “farm gate” sellers where you can get some of the best fruit and veg direct from the growers, the tomatoes in this region were some of the best we have tasted.

 

We stayed at the Outback Oasis; it was known originally as the Marloo Retiree & Senior Tourist Park but is now owned by a young couple that are doing it up, nice place to stay and not expensive at $30 p/n in comparison to what we have been paying. The amenities have been refurbished and are quite good, the owners are going to build new ones but the current facilities are quite pleasant and have soap, paper towels etc, an arrangement of pot plants in the amenities is nice, also background music being piped into the building helps mask the normal symphony of farts and other morning noises.   

 

 

Our site; thank you whoever for no sand and a concrete slab (no beach at the backdoor).

 

 

Drove past this huge statue of an egg. That's a house in the background and yes they sell fresh eggs

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When in Carnarvon make sure you visit one mile jetty as there is a train you can ride on for a cost of $8, you can also walk the jetty if you wish for $4. All the proceeds go to the upkeep of this historical site. The above photo is the tracks; a little wonky.

 

 

The above is the “Coffee Pot” train; if you want to fish it will drop you out and you can then catch it back later in the day.

 

DENHAM (Shark Bay & Monkey Mia)

 

You can stay out at Monkey Mia in the resort but there is no caravan parks out there so Denham is the place to stay; other than the dolphin feeding there is not much out at Monkey Mia in any case, the drive from Denham to Monkey Mia is 28km.

 

In the main there are 3 caravan parks and we stayed at Denham Seaside Tourist Village; there are 3 levels to the park, as you drive in, there are vans then you go up a hill to another flat area for more vans and then the top. We ended up the top which we thought was better as the sites were quite large also the amenities on this level were the most modern and they were all individual unisex ensuites so shower, loo and vanity were yours whilst you were in there, just pick an empty one and its yours for the duration.

 

Very nice park; no pool but not really required, no kids entertainment equipment so it kept them quiet and given all the sites are shell grit it keeps the skateboards and scooters away. Price in off peak was $36.50 or $219 per week so not bad, it does go up $2 per night in peak period. TV was not overly good so we used the dish, internet and phone service was fine. 

 

 

Our site at Denham; plenty of room on the top level, the down side was no stairway down to the lower level so it was a fair walk following the park roadway (not too bad).

 

 

A family of emus that roams Denham township; they just wonder around and walk along the road whenever they feel like it.

 

 

This was one of the restaurants in Denham; it is difficult to see from this photo but all the bricks are compressed shells. Near Demham is Hamelin Pool and Shell Beach, the beach is approximately 5 meters deep of very small compressed shells, not now but some years ago this used to be like a quarry and the blocks were cut out of the beach for building material (photo in the next post).

 

 

The above is the dolphin feeding at Monkey Mia; they do about 3 feedings a day and there are several families of wild dolphins that venture in to the beach area. This photo was taken from about a meter away, we were standing in about 2ft of water.

 

 

One of the sunsets on the beachfront at Denham; a very nice part of the world.

 

Hope you enjoy this post; all the places up the north end of W.A are very spectacular and you can see why it is prime for southerners and overseas visitors in the winter months, very much like Queensland but no where as much rain.

 

Love and warm regards to all our family and friends; as always if you are travelling stay safe on the roads. Look forward to seeing some or all of you soon.

 

David & Linda –  The DavLin Rig 

Eighty Mile Beach - Dampier - Exmouth (and bits in between)

Leaving Broome we were pleased to be now heading down the West Coast but be aware there are times when the main highway is a good 100km away from the coastal towns you want to visit and in some places you have no choice but to travel in and out the same road to get there. It makes for a fair bit of driving in and out but in most cases it is well worth it.

 

EIGHTY MILE BEACH

 

The only park here is Eighty Mile Beach Caravan Park; great place to stay and would have liked to stay for longer but given we have so much to see we thought a week would suffice. There is about 10km of dirt road off the highway to get to it but is quite well looked after (graded regularly) so apart from red dust and a few bumps easy to get vans in and out. There is a no booking policy so you just roll in; given the number of sites they have (heaps)and the regular turnover of people in and out if a powered site is unavailable they will put you on an unpowered for a night.

 

The park is run on generators but they are located well away from the sites so you cannot hear them at all; all the sites a good size and have pressurised water and it is good quality. Amenities are quite good and well maintained and several blocks are located throughout the park. They have a fully stocked shop and do hot take away food but I would advise you load up with as much as you can food wise for your stay as it is expensive.

 

We used our dish but there was a couple of TV channels available but be aware there is no mobile or internet service here; they do have some public phones and a satellite internet machine if you are desperate, they will also take incoming messages and write them daily on a board if someone is trying to contact you. By the end of this year they believe a tower will be erected near Sandfire Roadhouse which will cover the Eighty Mile Beach area. Site fees whilst we were here was $37 p/n or 7 nights for the price of 6.5; seems most parks on the west coast are a bit stingy and only give half a night free if you stay for 7 nights.

 

 

 

Our site at Eighty Mile Beach; do visit here if you are this way as it would be one of the best locations we have been so far.

 

 

The dirt road in; it as quite good as the park have there own graders for keeping the road up to scratch.

 

 

Only for show this picture but I must admit the size of the Threadfin Salmon and Blue Salmon were amazing and all caught off the beach. We were offered free fillets on several occasions as there was so much being caught; although I am not much on fish Threadfin Salmon is a beautiful white fish and great eating.

 

 

 

Eighty Mile Beach is renowned for it's shells; the above are many of what Linda found on the beach, we have not found any other location that has shells like this and in extraordinary quantities.

 

 

Some regulars of the park make up flowers out of the shells as there are a couple of monuments in the grounds including an Anzac memorial. The colour of the shells is how they are found on the beach; they are not painted. 

 

 

Our last day at the park fell on Anzac Day so we stayed for the dawn service (above); afterwards the park provided a free BBQ breakfast. If we get back here again we would spend 3 –  4 weeks as it is such a great relaxing place to hole up.

 

DeGRAY RIVER (Free Camp)

 

Given some of the distances between places (for some of us) we opted to do a couple of free camps on the way. Good way to save a few bob and you meet some great people along the track; using the free camps book there are plenty of good overnight stops. This one has toilets.

 

 

Friends, Lawrence & Sharmain that we met up with on a few occasions either in free camps or caravan parks above right (us on the left) at DeGray River. 

 

 

Above is the river; Lawrence had a fish but other than a couple of Catfish there was not much else but not a bad spot to stay for free as it has a great outlook.

 

DAMPIER

 

I was made to sit through the movie Red Dog by “her indoors” before we arrived here as I only knew Dampier for salt and the mining giant Rio Tinto; the main town in this area is Karratha but it is quite expensive to stay as it is a mining town and accommodation is at a premium. It is even worse north of here at Port Headland (we only stopped for fuel).

 

Dampier does have a park, Dampier Transit Caravan Park; this link will take you to Explore Oz site but it tells you about the park as it is community run and they have a maximum 3 night stay. This is to ensure it remains for the tourist and not as workers accommodation.

 

Power is at all the sites but you cannot connect to a permanent water tap so you fill your tanks on the way in and you can fill up again on the way out if you wish. Amenities were okay (nothing flash), sites were okay and for a few night to have a look around it is a very good option.

 

TV, internet and mobile okay; price was $24 per night but remember you can only stay a maximum of 3 nights. They only have 20 sites so it is best to call and book if it is the busy season.

 

 

Our site at Dampier; great price and 3 days is enough time to have a look around.

 

 

The monument to Red Dog that adopted the town and the people in it (not the other way round). The movie is very good and worth watching even if you are not heading here.

 

 

Linda thought that Red Dog should be a Collingwood supporter; he looks a bit pissed off about it to me!!

 

 

Some comedian put this rather large cutout of the Titanic in one of the mines dirty ponds; it does not show on the photo but it also had a heap of shark fins doing the circle around the model.

 

BARRADALE (Free Camp)

 

 

Above us parked at a free camp for an overnight stay on our way to Exmouth.

 

EXMOUTH

 

We stayed at Exmouth Cape Holiday Park which is a Big4/Aspen Park; mainly because we get 20% discount and it was in town, there are 4 parks to choose from and all looked equally as good but the Ningaloo Lighthouse park is 18km out of Exmouth township. Sites at our park were quite large so plenty of room for car, awning and van; there are a mix of slab and grass if you have a preference. Amenities as to be expected were good.

 

TV was a bit hit and miss on our shitty antenna so we used the dish; internet and mobile was no problem. Site fees here were $47 p/n before discount, as I said earlier the caravan park site fees here on the West Coast are quite expensive in comparison to other states.

 

 

Our site; almost forgot to take a picture but as you can see the sites are nothing spectacular for the money but still good.

 

 

One of the residents of the caravan park and surrounds; they are often seen wandering the park and the roads around the town.

 

 

Taken from the the lookout at the lighthouse; the Indian Ocean in the background shows off it's magnificent colour.

 

 

Exmouth lighthouse; there are a few things to do around here so a few days is recommended.

 

Our next post will be Coral Bay, Carnarvon, & Denham (inc Monkey Mia). Until then we send our love and warm regards to all our family & friends. Travel safe if you are on the road and we look forward to seeing you all at some stage.

 

David & Linda –  The DavLin Rig

 

Darwin Over to Broome - April 2012

Back to the grindstone so to speak; this takes us from us leaving Darwin, heading back down the highway 300km and then turning right to head over to Broome. Because we only do 2 – 3 hours a day driving it did seem to take a while but this is as much as we wanted to do on a daily basis, you could bypass a lot of places if you want to do the long hours driving

 

This is quite a long haul with basically overnight or a few night stops; it was great to finally reach the west coast but there was quite a few things to see and do along the way. We did stay one night just outside Katherine after leaving Darwin before then moving west with our first stop being Kununurra.

 

KUNUNURRA

 

Remember just before Kununurra is the W. A border crossing; see HERE for the list of no go items (including honey). You must either consume or get rid of them before the border; be aware this is manned 24/7 and fines apply for not declaring, and yes they do go through you van cupboards.

 

We pulled into Kunanurra and elected to stay at Kimberleyland Holiday Park which sits on the edge of Lily Creek Lagoon and about 1km from the town. most of the sites are grass but the grounds are well kept, don't expect too much grass as it is a dry region. The park has a nice pool, boat ramp, car wash bay, camp kitchen and some of the best kept amenities we have seen. We paid $30 for the first night then $33 for the 2nd night (start of the higher seasonal rate); internet and mobile phone was good and analogue channels were available.

 

I would suggest you stock up with groceries and meat etc in either Darwin or Katherine as from this point on things can get quite expensive. Kununurra does have an IGA so some specials are on offer. There are a few other shops, take-aways etc and the usual pubs but be aware Kununurra does have a significant population of indigenous; alcohol is on restricted sale and wine is only available after 5.00pm (2 bottles max).

 

 

Our site at Kimberleyland Holiday Park right next to the pool; great spot and the sites were very roomy.

 

 

Lily Creek Lagoon which is at the back of the park, great outlook and good place to sit and read.

 

 

Some of the boab trees which line the main street of Kununurra; these trees are quite predominant across the top and grow to extraordinary sizes,

 

HALLS CREEK

We did not overnight here but stopped for a look around; the town does have a caravan park but it does not look that inviting, we were told it is okay by some but others said best not to stay (your choice if you are passing through). They do not have a web site so I am unable to include a link.

 

Above is the best picture of Halls Creek park I could get; you probably cannot see the barbwire fence which surrounds the park, it's there to keep you know who out.

 

MARY POOL

 

Mary Pool is a free camp that is 106km further on from Halls Creek; providing it is not the wet season this is always open and is a good alternative. It has toilets and plenty of shaded area for vans, it has a very pleasant vista and it's free. During the wet season the causeway is underwater so the camp is not accessible but once the rains stop the river drops and access is fine.

 

 

Us coming out of Mary Pool across the causeway.

 

 

Probably can't see but centre behind the trees is us and a few other vans; as you can see it is very picturesque but it was bloody hot. Someone said you could swim safely but no one was game to check out the theory.

 

FITZROY CROSSING

 

Another small town but only has a couple of shops and servo so not much here at all but it does have a caravan park which is quite good. If you stay here make  sure you stay at the Fitzroy River Lodge; there is another park in town but not recommended. Everything here is very good and the park is part of some beautiful cabin style accommodation, it has a restaurant and bar (expensive) so it is sort of an oasis out this way. We paid $38 for the night but this is not unusual out this part of the world. Amenities were old but kept very clean so no complaints from us, there is a pool but it is a fair way from the caravan area, closer to the cabins.

 

 

Above are the grounds at the caravan park; we had just pulled out and forgot to take our site photo.

 

 

Hope you can read some of the sign above; it is just outside the door of the restaurant/bar and reception and they are fair dinkum about being barred.

 

BROOME

 

After a week or so (seemed like a month) we arrived in Broome. It was good to get back on the coast and get a cooling breeze; I am not a big fan of sand but getting from central to coastal even brought a smile to my dial. Mobile and analogue TV is okay for most channels, we used the dish.

 

We pre booked in to Roebuck Bay Caravan Park as we were told it is getting busy up the north end of W. A; glad we did as for large vans it was getting a little full. This is a council owned park and is in a prime location as it sits as the name suggests on Roebuck Bay; this is one of the viewing points for the “stairway to the moon” spectacular. The price here was $35 per night which is very good given the location; there is no pool or camp kitchen but several BBQ's are about the grounds. The worst part about this park is the amenities which are some of the worse we have seen; I must admit I have seen better amenities in $5 showgrounds. There are 4 blocks and all are equally as bad, the council should be ashamed in not getting these up to standard.

 

Other than the amenities there was at the time a lot of thievery going on to the point we had at one stage a bloke open our van door whilst we were inside watching T.V, seems a couple of out of town crews were operating in the area. It is a good location but having to close everything up as tight as a drum at all times soured the experience.

 

 

Looking from our site out to Roebuck Bay; it was great waking to this each morning.

 

 

Another shot of our site; we had plenty of room and good non overhanging shade.

 

 

Above is the start of the “stairway to the moon”. This natural phenomenon is caused by the rising of a full moon reflecting on the exposed mudflats at extremely low tide - creating a beautiful optical illusion of a staircase reaching up to the moon.

 

 

Staircase to the Moon occurs from March to October along the coast of Australia’s North West. The best viewing spots are at Roebuck Bay in Broome, Cooke Point in Port Headland, the Lookout at Cossack, Hearson's Cove near Karratha and Sunrise Beach in Onslow.

 

 

The famous Cable Beach.

 

 

The main part of town; there is Woolies, Coles and Target here so it is a welcome relief from some of the small town high prices we had been through.

 

 

Best known for the current and old pearling industry there is a bronze statue in the main street depicting the way it was.

 

 

Another bronze statue in the main street; I think from memory the plaque said “centrelink is that way”

 

 

The above is Sun Pictures in Broome; it is still operating and is the worlds oldest picture gardens and was established in 1916.

 

 

Above is the Gantheaume Point lighthouse; check out the house as it is the residence for the lighthouse keeper; not a bad job if you can get it.

 

 

A blowhole at Gantheaume Point; the rock formations are incredible, this are is where you can see the dinosaurs prints at low tide, not this particular spot though. 

 

 

One of the many spectacular sunrises at Roebuck Bay.

 

There is plenty to do in Broome and to do some of the things you will need a wallet that is bulging at the seams. We stayed here for 2 weeks and the location and things to do certainly offset some of the bad points outlined earlier.

Our stops after this were Eighty Mile Beach, Dampier, Exmouth,, Coral Bay, Carnarvon, Denham (Monkey Mia), Steep Point (the most westerly point in W. A), Hamlin Pool, and our current location Kalabarri.

Looks like I am only about 2 posts from getting to a point where I feel I am pretty much up to date.

Love and warm regards to all our family and friends and until the next one hope you all stay well and travel safely.

David & Linda –  The DavLin Rig