This morning we packed up camp and moved on again. Just before we left, Bec and Scarlett went down to the cattle yards to check out the bulls that were mustered and brought in yesterday. I’m told there were some ‘big boys’ out there. I’ll take her word for it.
It was a relatively short trip today; only 150km to our next destination – 80 Mile Beach Caravan Park. On the way we stopped in at the Pardoo Roadhouse where I topped up the diesel in the Pajero at $1.86 per litre. I had just used over 1 quarter of a tank, but the next roadhouse is ‘Sandfire’. The problem out here is that if you leave it to the last chance for fuel; you run the chance that they could be out of diesel, or that their EFTPOS is down and only take cash – that’s if they are open at all! Its better being safe than sorry – so I top up at almost every opportunity out here.
It was another 18km dirt track off the main highway to reach the caravan park here at 80 Mile Beach. The corrugations were just as bad as ever, and I can honestly say that I was a little worried about what ‘might’ greet us at the end of today’s drive, but I had nothing to worry about. Just as I was about to voice my concerns to Bec, we crested a sand dune and the turquoise sea glistened with the reflection of the afternoon sun. This is the view from the caravan park. I was hooked! This place is in the middle of nowhere, but it is absolutely beautiful. There are grassed powered sites, with good drinking water, hot showers and cheap washing machines. To top this off, the beach is only metres away from our site.
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| Vietnam War Memorial at 80 Mile Beach |
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| Did someone say shark? |
This place is famous for its shells. We’d heard this ages ago on the road, but we still had to investigate further. I hadn’t even finished setting up the van before Bec and Scarlett decided to disappear down to the beach with a bucket to look for shells.
I wasn’t silly; it’s named 80 Mile Beach for a reason. I let some air out of the tyres of the Pajero and soon followed by two intrepid explorers. I found them about 1km down the beach, with a heap of sea shells. They couldn’t wait to show me what they had already collected; as well as tell me about all the fish and sharks that the fishermen were catching on the beach! You beauty!
I took Bec and Scarlett about another km down the beach in the Pajero; as I figured that all the good shells near the caravan park would already of been collected by other travellers. We continued exploring and collecting for about another 30min, before deciding to call it a day. We’ll get up bright and early tomorrow and search further afield for more exotic shells! (Well that’s the plan anyway).
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| Collecting Seashells |
Our hosts held a hamburger dinner/BBQ this evening that we decided would be a great chance to get out of cooking and have a day off. The burgers were great! And the atmosphere sitting around talking to other travellers was a great way to finish the day.
posted by Shane
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