Day 16 - Thursday 19 July - Making the most of a long day

Day 16

Thursday

19 July 2018

Karratha – Cossack – Point Samson – Karratha - Dampier

5.30am and it is still dark, but for us we were getting up. We were told by the KAW crew that they were wanting to work on our van from 6.15am, so that meant up and out and ready. We had packed up all of the required things last night and had set out breakfast, so we just needed to roll out of bed and get on with it. Thankfully we did it all with little hassle and Paul was moving the van into the workshop dead on 6.15am. With little else to do, we jumped in the getz ready for the long day ahead. 

We made our way north to Roebourne, then turned on to the Wickham Road, before heading out to Cossack, an old pearling town that has long been abandoned. When Paul came through in the 80’s there were ruined buildings and artefacts laying around, today much had been restored and there is a museum. We stopped on the way as the sun was just coming up over the hills on the horizon, setting the sky ablaze. It was truly beautiful.

We parked up next to the fast leaving waters and walked along the wall high above. We spotted a small shark in the shallows and a school of gardi, all good signs for Paul who had his fishing gear with him. We then made our way up Pearl Street to check out the old stone buildings. It was lovely wandering in the early morning light, the buildings all glowing. It was also great that there was no one else around and we could just wander aimlessly. Workers were just arriving and readying things for the tourist rush.

We peered into various buildings; there was a museum and art exhibition space, but neither were open at this hour. We watched a fox scurry about, looking for something to scavenge. We then returned to the water and Paul took out his fishing gear and set about catching dinner. I was happy to sit on the wall and read my book in the morning light. It was rather idyllic. 

The waters were still flowing out quickly out to sea and we could see some fish life about, but most amusing were the turtles. There are 4 species up here; logger head, green, flat back and hawks bill. I am not sure which one we were seeing, but there were plenty of them, their little heads would pop up like periscopes, take a look around and then be gone. I waited patiently for one that was close enough to photograph, being rewarded a few times. 

Paul pulled in a bream and had plenty of nibbling bites, but after an hour, was happy to pack it in. As he was doing so, we spotted a small stingray gliding close to the edge. 

After cleaning the fish, we returned to the car and drove up the Tiem Tsin water tower lookout and checked out the view over the old town. It would have been quite substantial in its day. We then moved on to the old school building and tram line, where we read a story about a 10 year old girl who stood on a rusty nail in the playground and died of tetanus. We later found her grave in the cemetery.

We drove to another lookout where we could see out over the ocean, Settlers Beach and the various islands. What a place this would have been in the early 1800’s. Satisfied we had seen everything, we returned to the main road and then skirted the town of Wickham, before heading out to Point Samson. 

We drove into the small fishing town and parked along the beach front. We then walked along the front, past the tavern, that we were intending to eat a fish and chip lunch, as it is famous for being the best in the Pilbara, the caravan parks and on to Honeymoon Cove. 

I spied a large sea eagle on a street light, happily surveying his patch of turf. He wasn’t going anywhere, so I was able to get in close for the photos. We continued our walk to the marina where another sea eagle was busy chomping into his fish breakfast, while another was sicking on a man-made and erected nest. 

We walked around the marina, amazed at how far the tide was out and the number of steps it would take to get down to the boat decks. We followed the path all the way round and through a mangrove swamp area. A small puddle had been left after the rush of tide had gone out and some fish were left behind. Would have been easy pickings for fishing. 

We retraced our steps back to the pub, noting it was 11.10am and had been open for 10min, yay. We were starving, it was like 1pm for us, having been up so early. We hiked up the stairs, ordered a drink and took in the view from the balcony, bliss. At 11.30am, we could order our seafood baskets and shortly after they arrived. They were devoured quickly and were so filling, there would be no need for dinner tonight. 

Feeling very full, we waddled back to the car and drove around town, before heading back to Honeymoon Cove. Paul set off over the rocks, so that he could fish, while I made my way on to the beach, spying a nankeen kestrel dive into the scrub and come out with a lizard to eat.

I stood in the water for a bit and then had Paul call me needing his tackle box. I returned to the car, grabbed the gear and then scrambled over the massive boulders out to Paul. The tide was on the way in and no sooner I put down my gear, I had to pick it up and move it further in. It was peaceful out here and became even more interesting, as Paul pulled in a couple of very bright fish, not what we wanted for dinner and were thrown back. 

With the tide on the move, we made the decision to pack up and return to the car. We made our way out of Point Samson to a bridge where there were other people gathered and fishing. As we had time to kill, we joined them. I stayed with the car and read, while Paul took off for the water in front. It wasn’t long before he was calling me, dinner had been caught, a good sized barracuda. 

We finally finished up at 330pm and made our way into Karratha, needing to stock up on a few bits, we then returned to KAW to check on the progress of the van. Another 2 hours, Aaron said. Hmmm, ok. With it getting late and the Dampier Transit Park having called, we opted to hook the trailer to the car and drive the 20km out to Dampier, it turned out to be a smart move. 

We found the park, checked in with Lorraine and moved the trailer on our patch of turf. We walked across the road to check out the Iron Ore production. Many ore ships were lined up at the jetty just waiting to be filled. From here we could see many islands of the archipelago, including Sam’s Island, where a self-built house had been erected by Sam. 

We drove down to the front and did a wander along. It was very pleasant, still warm and the sun was just starting to set. Once we were back in the car, we did a loop drive around the small settlement, Paul amazed at how much is now empty, no longer the thriving town of the 80’s. We then decided we would head back to Karratha and hope the van would be ready for pick up. 

We arrived at 6.15pm and they were just putting the finishing touches to it. One thing is for sure, the tow ball mounting is not coming off in a hurry, it has been over engineered to the max. Paul paid the $1700 it cost us and at 6.30pm, we were finally able to drive our van home. 

We arrived in the dark, Paul reversed in, plugged in to power and we were set, at last! With good internet, I was finally able to load on a heap of things, all the while fighting the urge to go to bed. We both had showers, that were much needed and by 9pm we were finally tucked up.