Day 55 -57 - :( as we leave Cape Range – to Carnarvon

 

The wind finally gave up on day 3 and the last 2 nights have allowed us to sleep, and it is with great sadness that we must close the chapter on Cape Range National Park, for it is truly one of the highlights of the trip so far. I’m not really a beach person, in spite of growing up going to the beach for a week or 2 every year over Christmas, as a kid. This is a truly amazing place, and worthy of its status as both a Marine Park and World Heritage listing. We pack slowly, hoping it will last just a little bit longer.

 

We hit the road and on the way out visit the Turtle Centre. This has information boards about the different types od turtle that nest here. The have Green Sea, Loggerhead and Hawksbill turtles, and the life cycle is an amazing story of perseverance. To think that 1 in 1000 hatchlings will survive the 20 years until they return to the same beach where they were born, find a mate, and lay up to 120 eggs (varies slightly with each species). That they survive predation whilst an egg (foxes, dingos and crocs where applicable), predation while getting to sea on the beach from crabs, eagles, kites etc, and predations as a adolescent and adult from sharks as well as Fishing lines and boat strike, its amazing that there are any at all.

 

We refuel in Exmouth, and head for lunch in Coral Bay, reported to have a very nice Bakery. Bakeries are seemingly rare in WA, not sure why, but most towns rely on the local supermarket for their day old (or 2) or frozen mass produced bread. In Victoria, nearly every little country town has a bakery.

 

Should have stayed here...... REALLY should have stayed here

Anyway, we dine on some pies (and quite nice they were, ALMOST as good as Mt Evelyn Bakery pies) and decide to drop back in for something from  the Cake department. We run into Sharyn, who along with Peter and their kids, we have run into 5 or 6 times now. Bizarre. We stop and chat, and decide to head down to the beach for a look and a play.

We park the car, and in doing so, drive right past their site at the caravan park! End up stopping in for an hour or so and swapping stories. We only just ran into them at Karijini (and Middle Lagoon , Broome, and Manning Gorge and Home Valley station before that!!)

 

A quick play in the beach (and the realisation that it's already 3.00pm) has us regretting booking into Carnarvon already, as we could easily stay here!

 

We remount the Hilux and drive another 200km south to Carnarvon. Nice park, reasonable sized site and we quickly set up, opting for Takeaway. We find a Fish and Chip shop that looks nice, and this time, $36 the feed the family, with Sam having a Fish Burger that is massive, and Max’s Snapper was bigger than his plate! Mandy had grilled Snapper (locally caught apparently) and said it was great. Me: I had a burger. The $8 “plain” burger comes with cheese, onion and tomato, along with Lettuce and your choice or BBQ or Tomato sauce. Better than any burger McD or HJ’s ever made!!!

 

Day 2 Carnarvon

 

Coffee Pot Train

Sunday today so a lazy start, and we decide to head in, grab some food, and then see the 1 Mile Pier, and associated “coffee pot train” Sadly, there is no coffee on board L

 

Massive pier though, because the sand is so shallow here, they had to go so far out to get deep water,

which is 12m deep at high tide!
 

We hit a play ground, kids have a ball, while we sit mouths agape as local aboriginal children (some in nappies) wander around with no one older than 9 or 10 seemingly “looking after them”  about 20 minutes later some adult wander up, pull icy poles from a box, while a 6 or 7 year old washes her feet in the Drinking fountain. Thanks for basically fulfilling every stereotype about Aboriginal people I’ve ever seen. Sad part is, I know this is not necessarily the majority, but what the kids are seeing a a lot of this behaviour in public, and I’m concerned that they think this is normal. I’m sure it is normal for this individuals, it is not necessarily “normal” for all people of Aboriginal decent.  

 

Day 3

 

Astronauts

Head to the Carnarvon Space and technology museum. This facility was opened by no less than Dr. Buzz Aldrin. It shows an interesting insight into the use of Australian facilities by NASA during the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo and Space Shuttle missions, prior to the decommissioning of the site in 1988. Kids have a ball and learn heaps, with both boys taking an renewed interest in space and astronomy.

 

Also here is the OTC 29m dish, used for initially space mission comms in the 1960’s and early 70’s   from 1972. It carried 13,000 telephone and 10 TV “circuits” allowing instant overseas telephone, telex and television connectivity with the rest of the world. Previously, and this is hard to imaging, the only way to communicate overseas was by telegram, by HF radio.!

and then for telecommunications

 

"one small step for a man".....
relayed via here

We climb the stairs on the dish and have a look, but unfortunately, you cant go any higher :( 

Off to the hospital for Midwife appointment, and all is well. 

On the way home we see a guy driving at 30kph in a 60 zone and all over the road. We try to call the police wondering if he’s drunk, but as we pull next to him, he looks really unwell, and we try to pull him over. He doesn’t stop, hits a few street signs, nearly has about 10 head ons, and we follow him home, and call an Ambulance (after being told one was not available…Mandy did the “we are both Paramedics from Melbourne and he needs an ambulance” we are sent the local Volunteer crew. Patient is getting worse, and load him, and crew want me to come with them, as I expressed by concern that the patient was getting worse, and is probably having a stoke.

 

BACK to the hospital we’d left literally 45 minutes ago. I ask who was going to do the handover, and everyone else took a step back….. I’ve manage to make it 2 and a half months without doing any work!! I really thought I’d make it all the way home.

 

I’m not sure what happened to Dave (not his real name), but I hope he’s ok…… We’ll never know