CARNARVON

2^nd June, 2012

Well we had only intended to stop at Bush Bay for one or two nights but we were so enjoying the serenity that we ended up staying for four nights.

Tide is out and that is our van in the distance - aaahh!  The serenity!

The nearest campsite was 200 metres away so we virtually had our end of the bay all to ourselves.  Wok had tried his hand at fishing each day but only succeeded in catching a tiddler which he took pity on and released back into the wild.  We were intrigued to find hundreds of impressions in the sand at low tide which had been made by some type of ray.

Impression of a ray in the sand

Thankfully one of these rays didn’t take a fancy to Wok’s bait as goodness knows what he would have done with one of those at the end of his line.  We were seriously considering spending two more nights chilling out at Bush Bay but extremely high tides were expected over the next few days and the campsites and/or roads leading in were subject to inundation.  The last thing we needed was to be surrounded by salt water with no way of getting out to the main road so we reluctantly packed up and headed in to Carnarvon.  The first thing we noticed was a large satellite dish that sort of dominated the town skyline.  The dish was opened in 1966 and was operational for 21 years and relayed messages to the Apollo moon missions, received Australia’s first satellite television broadcast and assisted in tracking Halley’s Comet in 1986.  After being closed for many years it will soon reopen as a space museum with astronaut Buzz Aldrin flying in for the opening ceremony.  Carnarvon is situated on the Gascoyne River which is often referred to as the town’s life blood.  The river is unusual in that the water sits unseen below the sandy riverbed.  Periodically the river flows after heavy rains – this water filters through the sand to underground aquifers and from here water is drawn for the town supply and the plantations that surround Carnarvon.  These plantations produce millions of dollars worth of top quality fruit and vegetables and are in stark contrast to the dry bushland we have been driving through. We take the opportunity to stock up on fresh fruit and veggies, check into a caravan park, make good use of the showers and in the morning do two loads of washing before heading out to see the sights.  There seems to be a major rejuvenation of the town centre going on in Carnarvon with roadworks clogging up the central business area and new buildings popping up on either side.  We take a drive out to the Heritage Precinct which is located on the site of the 1890’s Port of Carnarvon.  Here we find One Mile Jetty.

One Mile Jetty

Built in 1897 it is one of the longest jetties in the southern hemisphere.  You can walk the jetty or catch the little train that chugs along its length.  Luckily (oops - unfortunately) one needs to have enclosed shoes to traverse the jetty as it is sort of in a pretty rough condition.  Apparently thongs are not considered appropriate footwear so sadly we had to forego the one mile ramble.  We did however spot the fish photo op and even though we didn’t have a fish to show off thought it would make a good shot anyway.

Yep - you can catch a Wok at One Mile Jetty

Near the jetty is the Lighthouse Keeper’s Cottage and the Railway Museum.  A climb up the old water tank tower gives a great view of the jetty and the river mouth.

One Mile Jetty and entrance to the Gascoyne River

Outside the museum are lots of wagons, tractors and engines that once rumbled and chugged their way on and around the jetty.

Steam engine outside the museum

A large anchor from the Korean Star grounded on the rugged coastline in 1988 drew our attention.

Anchor from the Korean Star

Not because it was wrecked but because it was driven ashore in ‘Cyclone Herbie’.

So there you are Trent – there was a cyclone named Herbie and apparently it was a pretty good one. 

The next thing to catch our eye was this very large Pile Driving Hammer.

Yes - we would like to see the person who could swing it too!

Someone has a good sense of humour around here ……

We retraced our steps and called back in at the caravan park for a quick lunch in the van before continuing our sightseeing.  This time we headed north west to Point Quobba where a large contingent of caravans were camped along with an assortment of beach shacks.

Beach shacks at Point Quobba

Obviously this has been a popular fishing spot with the locals for a number of years going by the shacks in the area.  We stopped at the lighthouse to get a birds eye view

Mitzi at Point Quobba Lighthouse

and were amazed to see a spurt of water go up into the air near the shoreline.

I say chaps ... did you see that?

We were quite a distance away from the ocean so if this water was from the blowhole it really must be something.  We hopped in Mitzi and headed down the track.  The sign at the end of the road was a little disconcerting

Hmmm!  How close do you think we should get to this blowhole chaps?

but we weren’t going to let the threat of rogue killer waves deter us and for some unknown reason we had started talking in 'Biggles speak'.  Perhaps the spirit of the 'churchmice' was still lurking somewhere nearby.  We parked Mitzi (well back from the water just in case) and walked over the extremely rocky and spiky ground to where the water was spurting.

Forget about the Killer Waves ... this rocky ground was dashed hard on the feet!

Even though it was a calm day the sound coming from the blowhole was terrific and as the water was forced up and out it produced a rainbow.

These two tourists were getting a shower as well as a nice rainbow effect

We clambered over the jagged rocks until we could see the hole where the growling whooshing sound was emanating from.  With each large swell the water rocketed into the air.

By gad chaps ... that is one terrific blowhole!

And yes Ella – we were very careful to keep an eye out for any King Waves!

We scrambled over the rocks to the southern side and watched as the waves crashed over the lower rock ledge and sent sprays of water up from the blowholes.

Awesome ... simply awesome!

It was a stunning sight and we stood and watched the awesome power of the ocean for a long time.  By the time we got back to the campground the sun was low on the horizon.  Another great day was drawing to a close.  Without a doubt the Blowholes at Point Quobba are breathtaking.  One of those ‘special’ places ….