Week 22 Carnarvon to Monkey Mia

                                                                        Week 22

                                                     Carnarvon to Monkey Mia

We have booked into Marloo Caravan Park for Seniors and Retirees. Well we fit one category anyway.

We had booked two spots, one for us and one for Chris and Margaret. They arrived before us and were allocated one of the spots. The one left was a disaster for us, so we had to shift. Turns out to be a great spot, so top marks for the management being flexible, even though they are chockers.

We thought about the Kennedy Range National Park, but decided to have a meander here, fill up with groceries, collect the mail and chill out. Good choice to recharge.

It is the first town we have seen since the Ord that can be described as a farming hub. The river is the water source and dry as a bone. The water is beneath the sand, waiting to be removed so the bed is littered with bore holes. Was a bit disappointed at the farm gate prices. Lots of stuff was equal or more than the local shop prices, so no real advantage seeking them out except for the specialty chutneys and the like. Good, but “exy” too.

The railway jetty and museum was a favourite for Brian and Chris. Tom would love the little orange tractor. We could just see it up on the “farm”.

.



We made time again for a game of golf, but it was more like playing in a sand pit. Skills development with sand wedges and pitching wedges if you want to look at the positive side of life.

We discovered the town end of the jetty, once leading all the way to the ramshackle wharf. Here you can follow the line past the canal developments to view the past glories.

On our way to our next destination, Denham we were planning to stay at the Overlander Roadhouse, but it was so rundown it was not an attractive alternative to say the least. Thus we headed to Hamelin Pool, a nice surprise.

Here are theStromatolites, living microbes colonizing the highly saline waters. There is a quarry where shellblocks are extracted, still used today for repairing old buildings.

The memorabilia here is also part of the attraction. We witnessed the first rain here in a long time, much excitement for the locals.

Thus the drive to Denham was mist and for and rain. “What have we done?” raged through our minds. We are in an overflow site at the Denham Seaside village with no water to hook up to, but available nearby. We have our own private garden area so Brian is most pleased with what we have been given. Not so pleasing was the huge storm that besieged us the first night of our stay.

As all tourists do, we headed for Monkey Mia for the dolphin feeding. Quite touristy and over very quickly. If you hang around a few hours you will have the opportunity to see the dolphins team up with the others and pelicans and do some group fishing along the beach.

It is pleasant walking further around the beach to see loads more birdlife doing what comes naturally.

We explore the Francois Peron homestead at the start of the national park. There is a hot bore here with a tub for a dip if you wish. There is an emu with two chicks nearby and a very interesting old character, Arthur Pepper who worked here all his life. The sheep station is long gone and national parks are obviously developing the homestead as an attraction.

Chris tried his hand at a little shearing, but as there are no sheep here anymore, he had a go at his chin.

We also explore Little Lagoon to check it out as a fishing destination. I am rewarded with some interesting lizards from both ends of the spectrum.

The bigger one dashed away as soon as I moved on, so I couldn’t show Brian how cute he was. It would have been very easy to miss him.

Brian settled for the beach near our park and was rewarded with a couple of whiting. There is nothing to compare with a satisfied fisherman. Actually the esplanade here has two big stainless steel fish cleaning tables. There are always successful fisherman cleaning their catch. The tables are a great asset in any fishing area.

We headed back to Monkey Mia for a wildlife cruise on the catamaran Shotover, once based in Brisbane. Chris recognized it as a contender in the Brisbane to Gladstone race years ago. He was right.

The sail was a great experience, despite the wind chill factor keeping our jackets firmly zipped. Margaret gave up in the end and took up the offer of a jacket to keep out the chill.

Even our marine grade sunglasses could not spot a multitude of life.

Birds bobbed on the water like hunters’ decoys. When the vessel came too close, they would scurry on the surface, trying for a deep water start. (That’s for the water ski fraternity out there.)

We did finally sight a lone dugong, but it waved us goodbye with its disappearing tail.

The dolphins were busy feeding and ignored us. We were invited to another cruise to make up for the dearth of wildlife, but we were all too chilled to even contemplate it.

We have decided if we are this way again, we will plan ahead and book to get into the park at Monkey Mia, reasonably priced in comparison to what we have paid elsewhere.

So today is Sunday, the day of rest. Brian and I still have two more days of exploration here, but Margaret and Chris are heading off today. I’m sure we will meet up again in a few days, exploration planned around Kalbarri.

So goodbye for now. Have a good week. We will.

                                         Cheers from the Nomads.