The drive along the Great Northern Highway from Broome to Port Hedland is a journey of over 600 Km. The terrain along the highway is generally quite flat and featureless and the trip would be boring and tedious if you were to undertake it in one hit. Fortunately there are a number of diversions that are only a short distance from the highway, to break up the journey and make it more interesting.
Our first deviation was to Barn Hill camping area located on Thangoo Station. Thangoo has an 85 Km frontage to the ocean and the commercially run camping ground and Caravan Park is situated right on the cliff edge overlooking the sea. The road in is a reasonably good sandy and gravel stretch of about 10 km, with only minor corrugations here and there. We spent two nights there enjoying long walks on the golden sandy beach and swimming in the warm tropical waters. Our visit coincided with the weekly Sunday night roast dinner that we really enjoyed. It is a BYO everything (except food) and it was great to see about 200 people setting up their tables, chairs and cutlery on the lawns surrounding the tin shed that serves as the shop and office. The friendly staff served the food efficiently and all this was accompanied by music from a band comprised entirely of members of one local Aboriginal family. Good food, great atmosphere and all for a very reasonable price.
For us the second break in the long journey was at Cape Keraudren. The turnoff is almost opposite the Pardoo Roadhouse and a well maintained sandy gravel road of about 13 Km leads you to the camping areas scattered around the headland and creek mouth. Cape Keraudren is situated at the southern extremity of eighty-mile beach that marks the transition from the Kimberley to the Pilbara region. Administered by the East Pilbara Shire Council the campground has numerous small clusters of sites that have expansive water views, either over the rocky headland, or across the creek mouth and sandy beach. The only amenities provided are long drop loos that are clean and well maintained, so visitors need to be pretty well self-sufficient. Our site had expansive views over the rocky cape and northward along the sands of eighty-mile beach. We enjoyed 3 relaxing days mostly observing the abundant marine life that consisted of whales, dolphins, turtles and the elusive dugong. We even witnessed the spectacle of large marlin jumping quite high and repeatedly out of the water. Large tidal movements affect this area and 6 to 7 metre tides are quite common. Just below our site a large rock shelf was exposed at low tide leaving behind a rock pool the size of a football field at least and around a metre deep. We enjoyed numerous walks around this large pool that was full of coral and fish, sort of like snorkelling without getting you feet wet. I (Alan) even rescued a stranded turtle trapped on the rock shelf by a quickly receding tide. It seemed grateful when I returned it to the water when after an initial high speed swim away, it turned and raised it’s head above the water a number of times as if to say thanks. I am sure that if it had been left to bake on the exposed rocks in the hot sun it may not have survived until the next high tide.
Thankfully we arrived quite early at our next stop at De Grey River. This free roadside rest area is very popular and is almost always quite full because of the shady trees and proximity to the permanent water of the river. We only stayed one night before the final leg into Port Hedland.
Our first deviation was to Barn Hill camping area located on Thangoo Station. Thangoo has an 85 Km frontage to the ocean and the commercially run camping ground and Caravan Park is situated right on the cliff edge overlooking the sea. The road in is a reasonably good sandy and gravel stretch of about 10 km, with only minor corrugations here and there. We spent two nights there enjoying long walks on the golden sandy beach and swimming in the warm tropical waters. Our visit coincided with the weekly Sunday night roast dinner that we really enjoyed. It is a BYO everything (except food) and it was great to see about 200 people setting up their tables, chairs and cutlery on the lawns surrounding the tin shed that serves as the shop and office. The friendly staff served the food efficiently and all this was accompanied by music from a band comprised entirely of members of one local Aboriginal family. Good food, great atmosphere and all for a very reasonable price.
For us the second break in the long journey was at Cape Keraudren. The turnoff is almost opposite the Pardoo Roadhouse and a well maintained sandy gravel road of about 13 Km leads you to the camping areas scattered around the headland and creek mouth. Cape Keraudren is situated at the southern extremity of eighty-mile beach that marks the transition from the Kimberley to the Pilbara region. Administered by the East Pilbara Shire Council the campground has numerous small clusters of sites that have expansive water views, either over the rocky headland, or across the creek mouth and sandy beach. The only amenities provided are long drop loos that are clean and well maintained, so visitors need to be pretty well self-sufficient. Our site had expansive views over the rocky cape and northward along the sands of eighty-mile beach. We enjoyed 3 relaxing days mostly observing the abundant marine life that consisted of whales, dolphins, turtles and the elusive dugong. We even witnessed the spectacle of large marlin jumping quite high and repeatedly out of the water. Large tidal movements affect this area and 6 to 7 metre tides are quite common. Just below our site a large rock shelf was exposed at low tide leaving behind a rock pool the size of a football field at least and around a metre deep. We enjoyed numerous walks around this large pool that was full of coral and fish, sort of like snorkelling without getting you feet wet. I (Alan) even rescued a stranded turtle trapped on the rock shelf by a quickly receding tide. It seemed grateful when I returned it to the water when after an initial high speed swim away, it turned and raised it’s head above the water a number of times as if to say thanks. I am sure that if it had been left to bake on the exposed rocks in the hot sun it may not have survived until the next high tide.
Thankfully we arrived quite early at our next stop at De Grey River. This free roadside rest area is very popular and is almost always quite full because of the shady trees and proximity to the permanent water of the river. We only stayed one night before the final leg into Port Hedland.
Way to go grandpa!You saved that poor little Turtle and im sure you know that Turtles are my favourite animals.Travelling around Australia would be heaps cool getting to see as all of this countries wonders and beauties (both natural and man made).My Dad wants to know if you have caught any Barramundi yet. I CANT W8 FOR YOU TO GET BACK SO WE CAN HEAR ALL ABOUT IT IN PERSON. LOVE WILL
ReplyDeleteMe again i forgot to comment on how great theses photos are
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