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
