Monday 5th July
Well the rain really did set in! Port Hedland had 35 mm of rain overnight. We were comfy in our Quantum, but it did make things a little unpleasant. Tristan and Stephanie were very accommodating hosts!
Not only was it wet, but the wind was quite strong and very cold. We expected to be in shorts and t-shirts by now, but warm coats were more the order of the day. As fishing was off the agenda, we decided to have a bit of a look around the town. We headed down to the harbour just in time to see a large freighter being nursed into port. They are huge beasts and although we have seen them come and go many times they never cease to amaze us.
We took the opportunity to wander through Port Hedland and to grab a welcome coffee and snack. We then set about the serious task of stocking up on the fresh fruit and veges for the track ahead. The rest of the afternoon was spent packing the food and making sure the cars were ready to go.
During the evening we headed to the Port Hedland Hotel for what was definitely a superb meal. Tomorrow we will head towards Broome. Unfortunately Steve and Helen can’t come with us as Steve has been called back to Perth by work. He will fly back to Hedland on Wednesday and they will leave straight away and catch up with us at Windjana on Thursday.
Tuesday 6th July
We were up bright and early today and set about packing up and hooking up ready to go! We hit the road at about 8.30 and started punching into a strong headwind! (Hate this when towing!) The day was relatively uneventful – we chugged on to Sandfire (where we bumped into Alison and Peter – Alison works at Steve’s school). Reports were starting to come through on the radio about rain in Derby and the South-east Kimberly.
We collected some fire wood from the roadside and headed for the Goldwire Rest Area to camp for the night. The camp area was busy, but there was still plenty of room so we set up and settled in for a big night. We must have been making a bit of noise as we attracted another couple (Rob and Joan) who wandered over and joined us for a few drinks.
The ABC radio was now broadcasting news that the main road to Kununarra was closed so we were starting to think that getting on the Gibb River Road might be a bit of a problem. We’ll just have to see what tomorrow brings.Wednesday 7th July
We awoke this morning to the news that the national parks on the lower end of the Gibb River Road were closed (later that day they closed the road completely). We had a quick pow-wow and decided to head to Roebuck near Broome. We made good time, arriving at about 10am. The good news is that Steve and Helen will catch up with us later today.
