Balmy at Barn Hill

Following the successful resolution of our braking woes we pushed on northwards calling at Port Hedland to thank the Repco manager and Savannah Engineering staff for their help and stopping down at the waterside to watch two vast ore carriers being loaded and a bulldozer shifting a vast stockpile of salt for export.

Cape Keraudren provided a good spot to stay the night with simple coastal camping on a scenic shoreline - croc warning signs were posted but the beasts themselves remained elusive.

A long stretch of mostly empty road took us via Sandfire Roadhouse to the turning for Barn Hill Station which provided camping at the end of a sandy 9km long track. To our complete surprise it was a large set up with around 300 pitches - many tucked under the shade of trees, others with perfect sea views and for us some quieter spots further along that had good views but no power. The station must have had a good water supply as flush loos, hot showers and a washing machine were available as well as water at every pitch. Hook ups were also available even though the place was off grid and although some 100 miles from Broome an internet signal appeared intermittently.

Just after setting up a couple we had met at Coral Bay hailed us as a result of which we have spent the last five days here enjoying good company, perfect weather, refreshing swimming and walks along the beach. A 200 mile round trip to Broome was required for shopping but that merely reflects the scale of WA where distances between centres are huge.

We have really enjoyed the break from moving on almost constantly and the chance to meet and make new friends but will be on the road again tomorrow and heading for Derby. Local advice seems to be that the Gibb River Road will be beyond our scope so that and many other adventures will have to wait.

A few pics and the spotty Spots as ever.

The slideshow returns to SA.