Friday, January 21, 2011

Oh yea thats right I have a blog to update!

Leaving Cape Leveque.. I had seen a similar sign painted on a 44 gal drum on the Birdsville track some years before.  Today will be a full days driving as we stayed a day more than anticipated at Cape Leveque & a mate in Port headland was expecting us. 

Heading south we try & make 80 mile beach. There is a Telstra site near by were a installation crew I used to liaise with was meant to camping out at the site. One of the boys used to fly model aircraft with me in my teenage years in Perth and another member of the crew used to be the WA state manager & owes me a few beers. Can wait to catch up & have a beer

The 80 mile beach tower. I was sweating on this one. We only just made it before sundown.  I didn't fancy our chances trying to locate the tower in the dark. As it turned out it was literally 20 meters off the highway so finding it wouldn't have been a problem.  It was just at about this point I realised the temp gauge on the patrol was off the scale. The tower was still 5 km off so I crawled into camp.

On arrival at the tower  it was obvious that the boys were no where to be seen. It turns out they didn't attend the site as planned. Bonnet up & wait for the engine to cool down.
Beer O'clock
This split was obvious with the thermostat to radiator overflow hose letting go. By the time I pulled out the tools & located a spare it was all cool enough to work on. Troy by this stage was well on his way care of the warm Coronas that he had been drinking most of the afternoon.

Look !
Zorro was here!

What a sun set.  The turn off for 80 mile was only a few hundred meters down the road so once it was all repaired we headed for camp. We set up camp & saw regular processions of crew heading down to the beach. We figured it must be a beach party & headed down to check out the action. Turns out it was laying season for the turtles and one had set up camp on a dune out the front of the caravan park. It was my first time seeing a turtle lay eggs & it was an impressive sight. 
Turtle tracks
One headed up the beach & the other for the return to the water

BFG's new mud terrain???
The process can take several hours. Tide was out so the old girl had quite a return journey to the water.


The beach was littered with thousands of shells of all species. The kids ended up with quite a collection. 



One of the local residents of the caravan park comes to say hello. Birds claws freak me in a good way.
Nervous laugh as its claws lock in while walking my hand  


The birds care taker. She cruises the caravan park with her mate on her shoulder like its normal.  What a classic


The area took a direct hit by Cyclone Laurence back in 2009. The dirt road in the photo was a tree lined boulevard with the trees now reduced to splinters. The Install crew i was hoping to meet had a job to install new solar panels as the cyclone blew away all the existing ones

The cattle forage for feed in amongst the destruction

Off to Hedland & to catch up with Hazza

While Troy scours the local tourist information centre for a local map I do a U turn at the local break wall & stop to take a photo of a bulk oar carrier in the harbour

They hold 190 000 tonne of ore.  With the current price of ore this ship would be carrying approx $36,000,000 worth!

Salt is another export from South Hedland
That afternoon we camped out at Hazza'a place. I had a score to settle from many years before & the next day when Hazza left to go to work I got busy. He had "borrowed" a favourite stubby holder a long time ago back in Melbourne & refused to return it.


I left him  the best quality one I could find!
The shelf above the microwave cupboard was full of stubby holders just prior .
The stash


The hiding spot


You wouldn't ever find it now would you?


Hazza's hound! he stands waist high & then some more. None of the locals dare enter the yard.

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