Wandering and wondering?

G'day Adventurers

Here in the 'Big State' we are relatively free to wander almost where ever we wish, yes there are still restrictions in the social sense, but out here beyond the pubs and clubs, out here where you can be deafened by the silence, you can sit on a ridge top and wonder about the incredible vastness and visual beauty of the Pilbara landscape, no crowds and virtually no people if you dare to leave the tar seal of the highway.

There are places that you could easily assume no modern human being has stepped foot on, no visible impact signs, nothing but you, I know this sounds romantic but it is absolutely true.

I've just recently returned home to the Pilbara after an officially sanctioned trip to the capital city, all during the Covid-19 crisis, with regional border check points in place at the time I need to have an 'official' pass to travel below the 26th parallel oddly though I could travel beyond the Tropic of Capricorn, through the Gascoyne and Murchison regions but was barred entry to the wheatbelt region and then on into the greater metro area, without my documents and Yes the Police and Military people were fair dinkum in their enforcement of the then standing rules.

The return trip was just as detailed ~ travel permit had to be official as my journey plan had me travelling homeward during the lock down period by eight hours, my guess is the Land Cruiser/caravan combination had us looking like an overly eager suburban citizen trying to beat the mad rush north, luckily the man in Cammo had a sense of humour and quipped 'all your papers are in order ~ you may proceed' in his very best 'Sargent Shultz' of Hogans Hero's accent. Yes it was funny enough at the time.

Anyway folks, back to the Pilbara, it's truely magnificent away from anywhere that's man made, not that everything man made is to be avoided, some of that stuff is acceptable in truth, but being out and about away from infrastructure even artificial light can be a genuinely nice place to be for your personal inner self.

The wife and I spent a great deal of time yesterday, out and about and then at the Hickman Crater, we were alone but truly together at the same time, we saw a large herd of Camel wander through a vast Spinifex covered plain, we watched the Moon rise over the craggy cliff line of the east Ophthalmia Range as the sun was setting behind us in the west, memorable indeed, nice being alive actually.

So folks, get off ya bums and get out and about some place, but should you have a desire to wander in the Pilbara, feel free to come and have a look soon.

Safe travels : Joe