Once again we made a journey north during our mid year break. This year we headed back to Cape Keraudren, north of Port Hedland, to spend a couple of weeks enjoying the warmth and the luxury of our Quantum. This trip was the first time we took our Hobie kayak up north and we were hoping that we would get some good weather so that we could use it in the tidal bay.
We headed off after work on July 8 and travelled to a camp site north of Wubin called Jibberding Rock. (See Google Earth Here) Our friends Glenn and Tricia were there just ahead of us and were lighting a fire as we arrived. In order to maximise the time we had up north we tend to head “express” to our destination. As a consequence we were up early in the morning on Saturday and hit the road promptly. Our next stop over was just out of Newman at a little place called Gingianna Pool. (Here) We were finally above the 26th Parallel and the weather was a little warmer!
Gingiana Pool camp site Our final leg saw us arrive at Cape Keraudren around 3pm on Sunday. (Here) The camp site was quite crowded, but we managed to find a couple of good spots and we did a quick set up, intending to do a full set up the next morning. We were only into our first drinks when Kevin and Marie arrived. They managed to find a space with a view and joined us for a drink not long after.
Quantum with annex and outside shower
We managed to set up fully the next morning, however the weather was not with us! During Monday, the wind picked up and we even experienced a little rain. In fact Monday and Tuesday turned out to be quite unpleasant weather wise, but we used the opportunity to head out along the Shay Gap Road to collect some wood and to call in at the Pardoo Roadhouse for some water.
On Wednesday, the weather took a turn for the better. The tides were looking good so we decided to take the opportunity to head out in the Hobies. Glenn hadn’t put his new Revo in the water since recently buying it and we were looking forward to cruising the bay in our Oasis. Fortunately, the weather got better as the time went on. We all anticipated the usual blustery easterly winds to return, but they held off the entire time that we were away. We both enjoyed heading out in the kayak every day, and we fished mostly with lures, more enjoying the scenery and wildlife. Turtles seemed to not be phased by the kayak and would cruise lazily past, often only metres away. The fishing was good. We managed to bag a variety including trevally, yellowfin bream, black tip reef shark, threadfin (there is a story about that one), queenies and cod. Most of what we caught was returned to the water as we had more food than we could cope with but we managed a couple of feeds of fish during our stay nevertheless. Both Glenn and Tricia were successful in the fishing department. Glenn is a mad keen fisherman and he made the most of every opportunity to wet a line (including fly fishing on the incoming and outgoing tides). Tricia seemed to enjoy using the Outback and started calling it her kayak by the end of the trip! It looks as though the Outback has found a new owner. She was also successful in capturing a number of nice fish as well so they both had plenty between them.
Steve and QueenieUnfortunately our time at Cape Keraudren came to an end at a rapid pace. We had enjoyed our time and the Quantum made it even more enjoyable. We set up the full annex for the time there and it held up extremely well to the wind and rain that we experienced over the first couple of days. As the weather was warmer we used the outside shower and this was a good feature to use in the warmer climate. Of course we still had the inside shower and toilet to use if we wanted to. We took an extra 125w solar panel with us and this worked well with the roof mounted panels keeping us charged and powering the two Engles and the Quantum’s Evercool. The generator was only used to top up during the few cloudy periods. We also used our satellite TV system to watch the football – very decadent. We love the Quantum – its simplicity combined with creature comforts makes camping a joy. We are of the view that any fool can be uncomfortable when they camp and this is probably the reason many only try it once!
Our journey home was similar to the one up. We headed off on Thursday 21st July and once again camped at Gingianna Pool near Newman. On Friday our target was a camp site just north of Paynes Find. (Here) We made it in good time, but had a bit of drama to contend with before we could enjoy a beer. There was a lot of water on the ground as we headed south and it was obvious that there had been plenty of rain whilst we were away. The track into the campsite was firm and there was evidence of recent traffic, but as we wound our way into the campsite there was evidence that others had had trouble with obvious sites where vehicles had become bogged. We decided to get out and walk and found a good firm site which we headed for. Unfortunately part of the path to the site turned out to be quite soft underneath and our car sunk like it was on water. It was no big drama in the end as Glenn was able to unhitch his camper and using a snatchem strap we were out in quick order.
Out of the bog
The aftermath!
Our last night was lovely! A highlight was the enormous meteorite that passed overhead. We had never seen anything so large and it flew right across the sky almost directly overhead. A short time later we heard a long rolling thunder sound that we decided would have to be a sonic boom! What a way to finish the trip – fireworks!
We arrived home at about 1.30pm on Saturday after a trip that would have to rate as one of the best we have had!