Purposeful Meandering Around remote WA - Week 3

Stop Press: After submitting the blog for week 2, we had a visitor arrive at Georgia Bore late in the afternoon. For the 2nd time on this trip we’ve bumped into Pat Callinan from the 4x4 Adventure Show. 1st time they were filming an episode on outback golf using the mini course @ William Ck, this time it was Georgia Bore and pristine water that comes from within the earth. We chatted for a while about various tracks and then they were off to comfy beds somewhere else.

Week 3 started in a similar vane to the previous days on the “Canning”, we were grateful to beat a 9 vehicle tag-along tour out of camp, thankfully they ate our dust and not vice versa. Before leaving home the track ahead had been blocked due to flooding and we wondered what lie ahead. We passed a few camels as we headed for Well 23. Our progress on a side track to Well 24 was cut by a deep creek that crossed the track, we erred on the side of caution and decided to miss that well. No more than 1km up the track our own progress was halted by our first flood effected water crossing, yours truly removed my socks and shoes and waded through the water. Thankfully the base was firm, the water wasn’t flowing and it was only thigh deep. One by one we traversed the 100m water crossed, given that I was on one side and our car was on the other, Leonie was faced was driving through the water…… let’s say it was a proud hubby moment as she successfully got the car to the other side. Continuing towards Well 25 we knew the track was cut and detours were in place, a clay-pan was still covered in water. We stopped for a few drone photos before continuing down the bypass route. One particular sand dune proved a little difficult to cross but eventually we all made it across. Back on the main track the variations in the road conditions seemed to change every 5min, at one point it was easy undulating dunes doing 40km/hr, next it was rough sharp rocks with speeds of 10km/hr or less were possible or there was were the unrelenting corrugations that needed speeds of 80km/hr to make them possible. Coupled with vegetation changes we had a mixture of everything. Recent controlled fires made the scenery harsh and arid while other parts were so overgrown they provided new pin-striping to the car. Well 26 offered a great memorial to Len Beadell, one of the pioneers of this area. Continuing north we passed Wells 27 and 28 with regularity, both the Wells were abandoned ruins depressions in the ground. Late in the day we were pushing to Well 29, we were leading the convoy which requires the leader to monitor Ch40 for oncoming traffic. We’d made contact with 1 vehicle close to us and a convoy of 5 in the distance. We passed the first vehicle with ease, what no one saw coming was the arrogant vehicle operator who refused to use his radio and contact oncoming traffic. The first we seen of the oncoming vehicle was around a blind corner doing approx’ 30km/hr. I’m sure he seen the whites of my eyes and I was wearing sunglasses. Our evasive action saw us spearing off into some low heath. Thankfully we didn’t sustain any vehicle damage but some expletive language over the radio let him know I wasn’t happy with his actions. By Well 29 we’d had enough for the day but the location offered nothing in the way of camping, thankfully the nearby location of “Thring Rock” wasn’t far away and we headed there for the night. This picturesque location offered amazing sunset vistas from the rocky outcrop high above. With the sun set we listened to the chorus of dingos that sat close by in the shadows of the heath.

Sunday dawned with an equally impressive sunrise, we were soon heading north, we estimated with only 100km till our fuel stop (Well 33) we’d be there around lunchtime. Oh! how the best plans go out the window quickly. We stopped at Well 30 for the obligatory photo only to find, not one but two of us had sustained a puncture. However as we started to get the tyre plugs ready it became apparent we’d both damaged the sidewalls of each tyre making them effectively a throw-away item. I guess that’s part of travelling outback Australia. With the disappointment of the tyre episode behind us, we explored a nearby cave before continuing our northward journey. Once again the track was relentless with more sharp rocks slowing progress and further pin striping being added to the car. One of our vehicles severely damaged a side mirror as a result of how close the vegetation encroached on the track. Just before 3pm we arrived at the outback community of Kunawarritji, this remote location is classed as the halfway point of the CSR and provides vital fuel resupply and some products at a local shop. We opted to head straight for our campsite as being a Sunday the shop wasn’t open till Monday morning. As we setup camp at Well 33 we collectively decided to call a lay-day for Monday. A wise choice considering we’d been on the go since leaving home and the last days had some very intensive driving. With a nearby windmill and bore providing an abundance of water many of our group took the opportunity to have bush showers, however the popularity of the spot meant there was no firewood so for one of the rare occasions on the CSR we had a night without the ambience of a fire, our only backdrop was the millions of stars.

Given Monday was a lay-day the morning kicked off at a much slower pace, we enjoyed our 2 remaining eggs that hadn’t succumb to the corrugations. We spent the morning doing odd jobs that needed catching up on before heading into Kunawarritji for fuel and a few fresh vegetables. The locals were very welcoming and pleased to see us. The same couldn’t be said for our hip pocket after purchasing 150ltr of fuel…… sadly a necessary evil if you want to travel these parts of the country. By early afternoon another convoy of cars had joined our location, its funny how you see no one for days and almost crave conversation but as soon as someone shows up you’re cursing the influx of extra people. Our new visitors came with news of pending road closures further northward due to flooding, we’d known of the flooding at the top end of the CSR but had been given detours around the troublesome spots. They advised also had been closed off and anyone attempting these would be sent fines. A quick team toolbox was called to discuss our options, thankfully we were at a point on the track which gave us options if we chose an alternative route. Continuing north was flaunt with the risk of having to backtrack if we were forced to turn around, exiting to the East and heading for Alice Springs, wasn't something we wanted to consider, we could exit to the west via Marble Bar and onto Broome. They were our options and given the uncertainty of what lied ahead and the risk of having to backtrack 600+ km we decided heading west and leaving the CSR was the safer option. We spent the remainder of the day semi de-rigging our cars, tyre pressures needed to be increased, sand flags were no longer needed and rationing our food was unnecessary now. As dusk fell we took advantage of the plentiful water supply to bask in another shower, yep 2 showers in 2 days is a record in these parts. Once again there was no fire but the stars and moon provided the ambience.

Tuesday was back to our usual early starts, by 8:00am we’d left the CSR and were heading towards Marble Bar along the Gary Junction Hwy. We felt a huge amount of disappointment in not completing the CSR but it gives a great excuse to return in the future. In comparison to the CSR this new road was a highway, but still not up to metro standards. We had 400km of dirt driving ahead of us. We stopped at a few geocaches along the way, thus we spent most of our morning playing catchup with the other cars. We stopped at Lake Dora, which is a dry salt pan probably twice the size of Lake Illawarra or so we thought. After venturing onto the lake, the salt became until weaker and weaker until we broke through into the mud…… enough said! We continued further west, detouring into the small local community of Punmu for ice creams and a refreshing drink. For most parts the dirt road was good and we managed speeds of 100km/hr, we passed a gold and copper mine in the distance but the free phone reception was priceless. Just after lunch and with our night’s destination of Carawine Gorge less than 80km away our convoys day turned to shit. One of our vehicles reported smoke coming from their car. Given our distance apart due to the dust you immediately fear the worse, we raced to their aid with fire extinguishers at the ready, we popped the bonnet to find an oil hose had blown off bathing the engine bay in oil and thus the smoke was burnt oil on hot engine parts, phew! lives weren’t in danger. After fixing the initial issue we were drawn to deeper causes and a possible blown head gasket may be the cause. Our hearts sunk for Team Robo as it’s not a 5min fix when your in remote WA. Salvaging our dilemma wasn’t gonna happen on the side of dusty road. It was left to the old cliche of once again “the Landcruiser had to tow the Patrol (Pootrol) some 150km to Marble Bar. Arriving at last light the towing trip had taken a bit over 3hrs to accomplish. Once in Marble Bar we checked into the van park feeling rather dejected. We had our 1st real shower in over 10 days before heading to the only pub in town for a decent meal and a place where we could explore options for Team Robo.

I’m not really sure any of us slept that well, Marble Bar had delivered on it’s reputation of being the hottest town in Australia. Our winter overnight temp had only dipped to 20deg, making for a rather sticky night in the swag. Having packed up, 3 cars headed into town to do some sightseeing. A town that used to have a population of over 5000 when Gold and Jasper were in plentiful supply is a shadow of that nowadays. Mining trucks rumble past town 24/7 as they carry iron ore from the region. At 10am we picked up one of the Team Robo members who was heading to Port Hedland for a hire car, saying goodbye to the other Robo’s was extremely difficult and sad. Travelling the roads to Port Hedland was an experience in itself, the road supports so much heavy industry in and out of the mining area it was incredible to witness the different resources that are needed to support these huge mines. We seen a road-train truck every 3min. Overtaking these massive machines is a mission, they are 60m (4 trailers and prime-mover) in length which is 60m long travelling at 100km/hr. Once in Port Hedland we bid Robo farewell and wished him luck in whatever happens with their car. We had a quick bite to eat in town before heading north towards Broome along the bitumen. We’d already planned to make our drive to Broome a 2-day journey so approx 150km out of Port Hedland we headed down a dirt track to Cape Keraudren for a night camped beside the ocean, “well it appeared half the caravan owners of Australia had the same idea”. Thankfully we found a spot down a 4WD track where the mobs of caravans had no chance. With our camp setup we went exploring the tidal rock platforms. The sea wildlife trapped in the rocks pools was amazing with octopus, clams, oysters, coral, sea slugs and a variety of fish easily spotted. With this amazing backdrop we enjoyed our first night of this trip watching the sun set over the ocean.

Thursday dawned with a brisk chilly breeze blowing across the cape, we all commented how grateful we were not to be camping on one of the many exposed areas. Packing up it wasn’t long before we were heading north, the winds that blustered around our camp were evident out on the highway and we battled a strong head wind for the remainder of our trip to Broome. The 500kms north were without incident or excitement, the temps hovered in the low 30’s. Just after lunch we arrived in Broome, having been here before we headed straight to our regular caravan park where we managed to jag 3 of the last spots. Once setup, we had a late lunch before heading out to start our list of shopping repairs etc. By 4pm we’d managed to secure most things and had time to drive down onto Cable Beach where we managed to watch the setting sun over the ocean, complete with camels walking past us. Back in the caravan park we finally had time to sit and that’s how we spent the remainder of the evening.

Friday was all about catching up on odd jobs, numerous loads of washing needed to be done, some running repairs to the car and a couple of improvements to the setup. Just after lunch we’d made a significant dint in the list of jobs, enough that we called an early mark for the day. We opted to head out, grabbing some lunch and went to Cable Beach to take in the sights n spectacles of this famous beach. Back at the van park mid afternoon a few of us met around the pool for a refreshing swim. As another winters day in the 30’s comes to an end we hosted the convoy participants at our camp for a relaxing BBQ and socialising.

Week 3 of our travels has come to an end. It’s one we’ll remember for all the wrong reasons. We wish our good friends the “Robo’s” safe travels as they make their way home earlier than expected.