Thurs, 5th Dec, 2019 Point Quobba Campground, north of Carnarvon, WA (Sam’s birthday)

7am 27 degrees, cool wind blowing and the waves are crashing on the beach.

Sent Sam a happy birthday text – he is now in Mt Isa ready to start work today.

Uploaded my blog and checked Facebook. Benji messaged that he has detectors and went to Gilberton recently and found a few little bits.

Found out about the remains of the wreck we saw yesterday. It was the MV Korean Star, a bulk carrier, built in 1984 and wrecked on 20 May 1988. There is a detailed story of how it crashed on the rocks. The wind came up when it was loading and dragged an anchor. The wind was the effects of cyclonic conditions. Unfortunately 600 tonnes of fuel oil was lost into the ocean. Downloaded some photos.

Steve went wandering. He hadn’t returned by morning tea so I took my cuppa up onto the dune to check out the beach. The tide was out so you can see the rock platform out from the point. A school of fish were moving from the sandy area into the seagrass and the big dark mass was easy to see in the clear water. Small birds (terns I think) are diving in trying to get a feed.

Steve returned with news of joining Merv and Carele for drinks later – we had briefly met them at Mosquito Creek near Nullagine when they stopped to ask us where they could camp. The honeymoon couple have left. He chatted with the guy further along from us with the camper. He whizzes by on his 4wheeler but doesn’t seem to have a fishing rod. He was photographing the wild goats. He said the station round them up once a year to clear them out. He had done some fishing but only got a small trevally – no whiting. He is looking for work and has just got a job on the Rio Tinto Salt Mine at Lake Macleod.

28 degrees at lunch – the wind might be annoying but it keeps us cooler. Checked the weather forecast, windy 35-40km/h winds and heating up to 40 degrees as we head north. Interesting looking at the radar as it shows lots of rain over Shark Bay etc but it must just be sea mist from the strong winds. The air is so wet it is leaving droplets on the flyscreens.

Drove up to join Merv and Carele for drinks in the shade of their van. They are from Hervey Bay. We chatted the afternoon away about detecting and travelling. They are heading south and will stay around next year to do some more detecting.

Clouds are building in the east – well the BOM might be right about some rain inland.

Got quite cool once the sun set so we said good night and went back to the van. Closed up the west side windows of the van to stop the howling wind.