After our hardship camp
site at House Creek, we were looking forward to the Nanutarra
Roadhouse. Perhaps a second breakfast - scrambled eggs on toast and
coffee? Thoughts like this spurred us on as we set off to cover the
60 km to the main highway. A pleasant ride through the fresh morning
air. Nanutarra Roadhouse was a great disappointment. Anywhere that
puts bars on their washbasins to prevent you from filling your water
bottle is clearly a place to be avoided. Scrambled Eggs on toast?
That'll be $15.75 please! Forget it!
So we limit ourselves
to filling up with the most expensive fuel to date – almost $2.00 a
litre – and press on towards Exmouth. Our destination for today.
The countryside again
slowly change as we approach the coast. Scrubby savannah, gives way
to red sand dunes, gives way to flat coastal scrub. As we hit the
Exmouth peninsular road and turn north again, the temperature is
climbing into the now customary high 30's. However, as we approach
Exmouth, a breeze springs up and the temperature plunges to very
pleasant 26 degrees! What bliss!
We arrive at the
visitors centre and are advised that all the national park camp sites
are full and that if we want to camp there, we will have to front up
at 7am in the morning and queue for any that become available
overnight. Crazy! We opt instead for a commercial caravan park right
at the tip of the Exmouth peninsular just below the old lighthouse.
After 3 nights in Karijini + another dusty night at the House Creek
rest area hot showers and a camp kitchen with refrigeration and power
are an attractive option – even if it costs us $40 a night.
We are planning to
spend a few days here, hopefully get to see the Ningaloo reef and
maybe do some snorkeling.
No comments:
Post a Comment