Wed, 3rd August, 2022 Barn Hill Station Stay, south of Broome to De Grey River Rest Area, north of Port Hedland, WA (Beaches)

7am 21 degrees (min 19). Bit of cloud cover as we headed off. Through the gates and back to the highway then turned southward.

Clouds looking darker in the south.

Passed the area we saw burning the other day.

The sky is very dark now and spits of rain are hitting the windscreen.

Getting heavier - first rain for us since Darwin. Might wash a bit of dirt off the truck and camper.

Grey sky and light rain all the way to a rest stop for a coffee break.

Headed off again, the rain has stopped. Steve commented that the Hema was upside down as the track marker showed we were going back over it. We then realised that he had turned the wrong direction when we came out of the rest area. After a laugh when we realised we turned around and headed in the correct direction. We can see blue sky ahead but the wind is still blowing hard - won’t help the fuel economy.

Open flat country with low scrub. We are running parallel with 80 Mile Beach but we are well inland. The Great Sandy Desert is to the east. We are rolling over long sand hills.

More distinct sand ridges as we near Sandfire Roadhouse. Through a very big open plain of low grass with 1 tree before we reach the next long sand ridge.

Lots of vans waiting for fuel at the roadhouse but we are all good so kept going.

More open flat plains but with more low bushes etc.

Turned off onto a wide sandy/dirt corrugated track for 9km to 80 Mile Beach Van Park. Over two cattle grids - no gates to open here on Mallal Downs Station (the station homestead is further south down a track marked private). Parked in the day use area behind a big dune.

We walked up the track which is the vehicle access onto the beach.

The tide is coming in. More vehicles are driving onto the beach, probably to go fishing at high tide. We walked along to the first of two viewing platforms - great view.

Information board about turtles and migrating birds. There was a sign advising against swimming due to crocs and jellyfish. The water is murkier here as the tide goes out a long way and is quite shallow.

The wind that was with the rain is still blowing hard and is quite cool. Walked back along the beach.

Had lunch then headed back out to the highway. Continued southward again - yes he turned the correct way this time. Low scrub and grass still but more rises to roll over.

Rocky outcrops appearing. In the distance to the ewst we can see big white sand dunes.

Back to sandy grassland.

Gum trees appearing as we near Pardoo which is the start of the Pilbara area. Turned off to Cape Keraudren Coastal Nature Reserve - bitumen to the ranger station. Paid the $12 entry fee but skipped the camping fee till we see what it is like. As it is blowing a gale I don’t fancy sitting around getting windblown. Read the information boards. I wanted to see the other end of the 1907 Rabbit Proof Fence as we saw the other end a few years back. It is a low stone wall which extends across the flats to the low-tide mark.

I have kept this map since we visited the southern end.

Followed the dirt road across the salt flats and around the small hills. There are a few camping areas and there are lots of vans parked up at this one.

Took another track where you can camp if you are self-contained (no toilet provided here).

Found the northern end of the Rabbit Proof Fence - well the info and what remains of the wall but can’t quite work out how that worked since the wall is facing the wrong way.

Looking across to the southern end of 80 Mile Beach.

Walked around the point over very holey hard ground. Steve chatted with a foreign speaking chap who had caught a nice cobia but let it go as he didn’t have anything to store excess fish in. Spotted a turtle coming up for a breath between two guys fishing off the rock wall.

Looking back over the campers.

We followed the road around to the other side of the point and walked past more campers - some have great clothes lines set up.

Not the easiest ground to walk on in our thongs.

Two chaps wandered down a track and showed us pictures of blow holes so we continued on to find them. You couldn’t have cattle here as they would break their legs in these holes.

Heard a whoosh then saw the spray. The water is being pushed into a cave then out the top.

Helps having a high tide, swell and strong wind to make the big sprays and noises.

Lots of salt in the rock holes.

The other side is just the water crashing against the rock wall and spraying up.

Back up to the survey point on the top of a small hill - 360 degree view from here. Looks like another camp spot further along the beach to the north.

Back to the camper then we drove around to Boat Ramp Bay for a cuppa which we had inside as the cold wind didn’t make it nice to sit outside. Looking across to Cape Keraudren then across to the point on Western Island (which isn’t an island and is full of mangroves) then over the bay to where campers are lined up on the rise.

Decided we wouldn’t stay but we will come back again next year as it would be good to stay and fish if it isn’t blowing a gale.

Checked out another camp area further back towards 80 Mile Beach called Sandy Beach. Then back along the track where we turned off to Cootenbrand Creek. More campers are parked here - might be a bit of sandfly area! There are vans on the beach which is what I zoomed in on before. Across the creek is the southern end of 80 Mile Beach.

Headed back out to the highway and continued on through open plains.

At last some hills come into view as we cross the Pardoo River which is dry. The hills are covered in spinifex as we turn to run parallel with them for a long while.

Back to the open plains again.

Just before the De Grey River we turned into a big rest area with plenty of spots to park up and there are plenty of travellers already parked up. We need to do some washing so Steve found a spot with trees that have had the grass burnt under them so we can string up a clothes line.

Nearby a chap has a sign about his ‘book exchange’. He comes out for two months and chats with people as they swap books - no charge. Another couple were having a look so I got out some books we have both read and swapped them and gave a couple to the other couple as they didn’t have any to exchange.

It is breeze and cool as the sun heading down so we stayed in the camper for drinks then dinner.