.
Leaving
Kalbarri we’d suffered a bad attack of Sudden-Onset-Battery-Dead syndrome. Experience sometimes teaches us useful things, and this situation was a case in point. After a dead alternator experience last year
John had arranged things so that the house batteries could be used to charge the starting battery or start and run the engine should the need arise. (Troopy has a petrol engine, so electric ignition.) So starting was simple, though stopping and starting as we often do when sightseeing was not desirable. So our hastily revised plan would be to head back towards
Geraldton where we would, if necessary, be able to get a new battery on Monday morning. A steady run would recharge all the batteries and confirm whether the cranking battery was indeed dead.
So we headed south along the coast road, crossed the highway at Northhampton and enjoyed a pleasant drive through the scenic Chapman Valley. There were good looking wheat and canola crops, and many flat topped hills – but no photos as we did not want to stop unless really necessary. We came across a
well set up rest/
camp area just inland from
Geraldton. We contemplated stopping there but although good for caravans (it even had a
dump point) it did not have much shelter, so we continued on to
Ellendale Pool where we knew we could find a more sheltered
campsite.
Our camp at Ellendale Pool
When we arrived at
Ellendale Pool we found quite a few others camped there, but after a bit of scouting around we found a nicely sheltered spot quite close to
the pool. More campers came in later in the afternoon, so it was a busy spot. The
campground is maintained by the
Geraldton City Council, which charges $5 per vehicle per night for a maximum of 5 nights stay. There are flushing
toilets and the rubbish is regularly removed.
We took a walk around and chatted to some of the other campers – Troopy owners who had done a lot of remote travel, and a delightful couple, Ray and Lyn from Tasmania. While we were chatting a chap came by wielding a chainsaw and proceeded to cut some firewood out of a green tree that had grown horizontal close to the ground presumably following some accident in its youth. We were all momentarily struck dumb, then recovered our wits enough to point out that there were signs requesting campers not to destroy the local vegetation, and that what he had cut was a green living tree, no good for burning. The logic of his response amazed us – the branch had to be dead because it was lying on the ground. (Reminder to self – never lie on the ground!) He took his “firewood” back to his centrally located caravan and campfire where with the help of lots of accelerant it smoked and smouldered for the rest of the day, nicely complementing the generator that he started up soon after. A great example of the ugly side of camping.
After dinner Lyn and Ray came over and we continued our afternoon chat while sitting around our little campfire. Nearby was a large group and we commented how happily the children were all playing together. It got better – it was a Fathers and Daughters weekend and later in the evening some of the Dads came round carrying two big
camp ovens. They had prepared a big roast meal with all the trimmings, but had over-catered, so were generously sharing the surplus with their neighbours. We were happy to oblige them and ended up with a feast for all four of us the following night. To round things out, when we learned that Lyn had never eaten damper
John quickly prepared one, which was rapidly devoured to much acclaim. Such are the simple pleasures of life on the road.
To pass the time over the weekend we explored the big area around
the pool, finding plenty of Cowslip orchids and admiring the scenery[Image not found] afforded by the cliffs and reflections in the water. It was cool so we weren’t tempted into the water, but there were quite a few others who were swimming
Cowslip Orchid
and boating and just enjoying being outdoors.
Over the weekend we had been using the solar panels to push as much charge as possible into the cranking battery. So when we discovered on Monday morning that the battery was not holding charge we decided to go into
Geraldton for a replacement. Before we left we learned that a strong front was coming through, threatening heavy rain, hail and strong winds, so we left the trailer behind to retain our reasonably sheltered site.
It was a very windy drive into town and even windier coming back. We felt sorry for caravans that were trying to huddle off the road into the shelter of spindly trees. Still we got a new battery and topped up on a few other items, arriving back in
camp with just enough time to get the tent up and covered with tarps before the first rain hit. There was strong wind and heavy rain during the night, and the morning brought thunder and small hail. We decided that it was not a good day for travelling so settled in to spend another day at eventful
Ellendale Pool. By evening the rain was gone and the wind was easing.
That pause gave us time to
check that the new battery was holding charge and confirm that there were no other gremlins in the electrical system. So when we were ready to head off the next morning we were not impressed when Troopy again refused to start. This time the problem was easily fixed, as the rain and high humidity had wet the ignition circuitry. We dried it all and finally we were on our way. We were happy to be back on the road, but rarely have we experienced such a bunch of highs and lows when out camping. We have met wonderful folk, but sadly there are a few in the mix that we would hope not to cross paths with again.
So, normality restored, and the benefits of a flexible schedule once again noted we set out to drive down to
Mingenew. We went via the Burma Road
Nature Reserve where we stopped to see a good display of heathland flowers – Banksias, Tinsel lilies, Hibbertias among others. A pleasant surprise was in store when
Val admiring Eucalyptus macrocarpa
we came upon a clump of Eucalyptus macrocarpa in full flower, requiring a lengthy stop for photos. What astonishing gum trees they are, though they are more tumble-down shrubs than trees.
Eucalyptus macrocarpa, the largest Eucalypt flower
Road closures meant a detour into
Mingenew where we sought out the wonderful
bakery for pies and bread. The lady at the tourist centre was very friendly and helpful, and there was a phone signal so we were able to
check our emails.
Leaving
Mingenew we again took minor roads heading to
Canna and these took us through some good patches of everlastings. Once at
Canna we had a look around the “Old
Camp” where there were only a couple of vans and plenty of space for us among big swathes of yellow everlastings.
On the Canna orchid trail, a bank covered with everlastings
Then we drove across to the famous orchid trail around the old
dam where we spent a couple of hours happily searching for orchids. Although the dry weather had reduced the number of flowers,
Pink Fairy orchid
we did find a good range of orchids – including spiders, pink fairies, mantis orchids and greenhoods.
Capturing Greenhoods or Snail Orchids
Spider Orchids at Canna Dam
Finally we went up to the tiny village where we found a wonderful new amenities block with flushing
toilets and hot showers. We also noticed what looked like a mobile phone antenna on a nearby railway tower. Back at the Old
Camp, we followed one of the numerous tracks into the surrounding bush until we found a spot that met our strict selection criteria – it had to be both sheltered and scenic with a good supply of firewood,
open space where a fireplace could be set and no overhanging trees.
Canna camp
Fortunately plenty of such spots were available and as an added bonus there was a strong phone signal. So there we set up
camp and were able to have a chat with family back
home. This is camping at its best, and we will probably enjoy a few days here.