Author: Mr A
From: 80 Mile Beach
To: Two Camel Creek, Great Northern Highway Rest Stop
Distance: 413km
It was time to farewell the brilliant caravan park at 80 Mile Beach and the coast, and head south to explore the National Parks of Karijini and Millstream. We restocked near Port Hedland, including the all important wine cellar, and followed the Great Northern Highway past the huge mines that dominate the area. It was road train central today, these things take no prisoners and I pull over as soon as I spot them in the rear camera looming up.
The odometer clicked over to 90,000km this arvo, so that’s 8,860km (5,500 miles) clocked up since we turned out of our drive in Sydney. The Landcruiser hasn’t missed a beat (touch wood), pulling the van today loaded up at maximum capacity with 300 litres of water and 240 litres of diesel, and enough food and drink to keep us self sufficient for the 11 days before we expect to see a supermarket again selling anything that’s greeen.
We pulled over at a rest stop late afternoon – remember its dusk by 5.30pm, and you really don’t want to be on the road then. We wandered over to the toilets and by a motor home saw….a cat on a lead. Our first camping-cat spied since leaving Sydney. Well of course this beautiful Siamese (Henry) got plenty of strokes, we are so missing Tassie, and it was great to pick the owners’ brains about how they find life on the road with her (yes I said her…some confusion in their early stages of raising what they thought was a boy cat!).
We eventually tore ourselves away and retired to our van for a lazy evening of downloaded Netflix and tacos. No – no wine – or tequila – we decided we must have some AFD’s (alchohol free days). Mind you with the road trains roaring past I’m not sure that was such a smart idea….groan.
