Days 217 to 228
We crossed the Tropic of Capricorn while driving from Coral Bay to Carnarvon, which gave us an idea of where we were in Australia relative to the towns in Qld we were familiar with.
It rained on our first night in Carnarvon!!! It was the first we had had in over 3 months! And there were no leaks – so hopefully the van is all fixed!
Our TV aerial got damaged as we passed a road train and a large wind gust happened at the same time near Tom Price! It got progressively worse the further we drove! Carnarvon was the first town where we had a chance of getting it fixed. Needless to say we waited for the aerial guy most of the first afternoon – he came at 10 past 5 and took a photo! He said he was 99% sure he had a replacement and then he left with no indication as to when he would return!!!!
We waited around for the aerial guy the next day and he didn’t come! Gunny eventually got sick of waiting for the aerial guy so out came our extension ladder! After a trip by Sheena to the hardware store and some ingenuity by Peter the aerial was taken down, straightened, taped up, and then put back up!!! And we still had reception to watch the Olympics!! What a great guy Peter is!!! And guess what – on our last day in Carnarvon the aerial guy returned and replaced Peter’s handiwork. Peter’s repair job was a short-lived but very effective one!
Coffee Pot tram
We also visited the OTC dish which was once used by NASA as a space communication and tracking station.
OTC Dish
We had banana and mango pancakes at a local plantation on the Gascoyne River.
Gascoyne River (unusual to see water!)
Did you know that this river is usually a 300km tongue of sand which rarely flows but acts as a massive storage system extending underground!
The nights are getting quite cool but days are clear and warmish.
We also went fishing (as you do) while at Carnarvon. We tried a few spots – the best being one of the mouths of the Gascoyne River (there are 2). Sheena outclassed Peter on that day. We also tried Oyster Creek – not even a bite! We then went to Pelican Point. Again no bites – so decided to go to the end of the jetty. What a great time we had! Peter won the fishing comp but we both kept catching fish! Fabulous!
We did a little of the Gascoyne Food Trail – mangoes, lots of sauces, relishes and chutneys made with local produce, eggs and various oils! We tried hard to not go overboard with the purchases.
A visit to Carnarvon is not complete without a drive to Quobba – famous for a blowhole.
What a fabulous sight! And more whales!!! What could be better?
Chinaman’s Pool
Sheena went and had a look at Chinaman’s Pool – lots of water and it was obvious why it used to supply water to the town given the river is an upside down one!
Our next stop was Hamelin Pool in the Shark Bay Heritage Area. Wildflowers lined the roadway as we neared the turnoff to Shark Bay. Yellow and purple predominated with a carpet of colour often seen on the side of the road! Yet another highlight on our fantastic journey!
As we approached the turnoff to Shark Bay the skies opened. Rain! Twice in a week!
Hamelin Pool is a little off the main road and the rain cleared as we arrived! We were able to do the walk past the shell quarry (more about the shells later!) and down to view the stromatolites. Fascinating! Shark Bay is one of only two places in the world where living marine stromatolites exist. They provide oxygen for our atmosphere.
Sheena did a night tour of the Telegraph Station. It is ironic that a place that played such a part in the history of Australian communication now has no mobile signal available!
We then travelled 50km drive up the road to Nanga Beach for another one night stay before Denham.
What a beautiful area – this is all part of the Shark Bay World Heritage Area.
We did some sightseeing (this is what our trip is all about!). We went to Shell Beach. It is 150 km of tiny shells!!! The shells, known as the Hamelin Cockle, are all from one type of animal which lives in prolific numbers in the area because of the super salty water. The discarded shells are in some areas up to 10m thick. These are the shells that are quarried at Hamelin Pool to restore some heritage buildings in the area that have been built of shell bricks!
Fantastic!!!!!
We then moved on to the boardwalk at Eagle Bluff where we could clearly see rays, sharks and fish swimming around. Another must visit place!!! The day was clear and we could see the salt piles across the bay at Useless Loop (what a name!). Can you see the salt piles in the photo?
Then we moved on to Denham – another short drive. We stopped off at the Ocean Park Aquarium on the way – a great place for a coffee and/or breakfast right on the shore of Shark Bay. We did a tour of the aquarium that was very informative – we learned all about the marine creatures of the Shark Bay region. Peter was wishing for a fishing rod by the end of the tour as we viewed many large specimens of local fish.
At Denham on a day with blue skies overhead we did a Quad Bike Tour. What a great experience! It was fantastic with some hairy offroading stuff as well as fantastic scenery. We saw lots of the sharks that have given the bay its name, and we trekked around Little Lagoon which is almost perfectly circular in shape.
We completed the sightseeing at Denham by going to the Peron Heritage Precinct in the Francois Peron National Park which provided an insight into how life was when the park was a working sheep station – it was set up so we experienced what that life was like. Interesting!
From Denham you can see Dirk Hartog Island (no explanation required for those who learned Aus history in Primary School)!
We also fished while here (of course!) and Peter caught a flathead!
gunnsaroundaus 