As we had plenty of time , before we left we did a load of washing & cooked up some biscuits , we were toying with the idea of a free camp on the way to Port Hedland . Port Hedland is okay , but there isn't a lot to do there apart from stock up before heading further north , south , east or west . We had stayed there last year for 2 or 3 nights to get a windscreen changed ., and apart from iron ore , ships & loaders , trains and more iron ore , and some salt , there's not a lot left to see .
The drive was different , the countryside turned flat , billiard table flat , with some grass , so we wondered where all the livestock were - didn't have to wait long , cattle appeared !! it's been a long time since we've seen any stock at all !!
The hills that appeared beside the road are no where near as harsh and rocky as around Karratha .
We'd checked out all our options on Wikicamps , and one was Whim Creek Hotel , you can set up in their carpark beside the pub for free , have a drink or a meal and you can get a free shower !! For some unknown reason we were expecting to see it on our left hand side , before we knew it we'd sailed past the entrance on the right hand side !! As it was still only 10:40am we decided to keep going . Next stop up the road was beside a dry river bed with a toilet block and gravel over bitumen parking areas - there were already 12 vans in there set up for the night - there was still half the day to wait around - you could have watched the traffic go past I suppose . It was also rather warm - 29 degrees and there wasn't any shade to speak of , so continuing on another 30 klms we found the last one before Port Hedland . We parked beside the gate and went for a walk in to check it out for access - we found a large area beside another wide dry river bed , there are tracks leading down beside the river and large gum & paperbark trees , there was also a nice breeze that the last place didn't have . The main bonus was we were a bit further away from the road - we chose a nice spot in amongst the trees and drove in - not clever when you rely on solar , but it was a great spot and quite pleasant .
We did get some sun through during the afternoon , no TV and no radio was quite pleasant , as we didn't have to listen to all the election garbage !!!
We had views of the road bridge , traffic noise had crossed our mind , but we forgot about it quickly and settled in for lunch . The afternoon cruised by talking to the new arrivals as they came in . Going for a walk was a necessary diversion , we found the water in the river - there is a pool just underneath our end of the bridge that all the birds love , swooping down having their afternoon wash until a couple of whistling kites came along and broke the party up .
That about capped off yesterday , today we headed into Port Hedland after checking the weather report - we left the van where it was , it is too nice to leave here just yet !!
Mail picked up , we headed around to check out the overflow camp for large vehicles and those with pets , and found there was plenty of room , a dump point was available and there was water also . This camp is used in peak season , you have to be self contained and self sufficient , and the council charges $10 a night - better than $35 to $50 at one of the 3 other caravan parks !!
Getting done what was required , we headed back for lunch and a peaceful afternoon beside the river bed .
The sand & gravel in the river bed was thick and wide spread , the last flood brought down some lighter coloured sand that was quite easy to see .
The river bed would be 200m wide and would be quite a sight to see when in flood , but you probably wouldn't want to be outside when it was flowing .
In the sandy section , there are thousands of plants ( weeds probably ) poking their heads through - courtesy of the recent rains - one small ground cover was flowering .
The sun started to disappear behind some cloud and sent it's rays down to greet everyone .
The sun disappeared over the horizon closing down another day , that will leave us with another decision - do we stay here another night or go into Port Hedland ???? It may be an easy choice !!!
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