Carnarvon

We had been on the road for just over four weeks; Carnarvon marked our first proper, long-term stop. My husband and I looked forward to the promise of some warmer weather and the chance to pick up a bit of work on one of Carnarvon's many plantations.

The scenery was pleasantly green courtesy of recent rains and we were enthralled by the diversity of the landscape as we cruised into town. We had booked ahead into the Carnarvon Caravan Park, and set up our campsite with just enough time to enjoy the last of the day's sunshine with a glass of wine. The bus always attracts plenty of attention when we pull into caravan parks, and it wasn't long before we were entertaining visitors to discuss where we'd come from and where we were headed.

We were eager to see what the Gascoyne area had to offer, so we were up and out early the next morning to look for work, and to check out the town. We stopped in at the visitor centre to see what sights there were in the area, grabbed some brochures and bought some postcards to send off to the family, and then drove out to visit the Heritage Precinct. It comprises the One Mile Jetty, the Lighthouse Keeper's Cottage, and a museum that includes the Shearing Shed Hall of Fame and the Kimberley steam train. The cost to see it all was just a gold coin donation.

The One Mile Jetty is famous because it's 1493 metres long, and because it was the first port in the world to regularly export live stock. It was, at one time, the only mode of transport in or out of Carnarvon. It's a spectacular vision from the shore, stretching its way towards the horizon.

I thought it looked like a really long walk, but once we started it was actually very refreshing and the views were worth every step. We were surrounded by marine life: pelicans rocked on the ripples of the water, dolphins bobbed on the surface, and seagulls dive bombed for fish in the shallows. We chatted to some local residents fishing off the jetty and they showed us their catch of crabs and sand whiting.

The 'Coffee Pot' train passed us as we walked back; it provides hourly rides out along the jetty for those unable or unwilling to walk.

Carnarvon

We had been on the road for just over four weeks; Carnarvon marked our first proper, long-term stop. My husband and I looked forward to the promise of some warmer weather and the chance to pick up a bit of work on one of Carnarvon's many plantations.

The scenery was pleasantly green courtesy of recent rains and we were enthralled by the diversity of the landscape as we cruised into town. We had booked ahead into the Carnarvon Caravan Park, and set up our campsite with just enough time to enjoy the last of the day's sunshine with a glass of wine. The bus always attracts plenty of attention when we pull into caravan parks, and it wasn't long before we were entertaining visitors to discuss where we'd come from and where we were headed.

We were eager to see what the Gascoyne area had to offer, so we were up and out early the next morning to look for work, and to check out the town. We stopped in at the visitor centre to see what sights there were in the area, grabbed some brochures and bought some postcards to send off to the family, and then drove out to visit the Heritage Precinct. It comprises the One Mile Jetty, the Lighthouse Keeper's Cottage, and a museum that includes the Shearing Shed Hall of Fame and the Kimberley steam train. The cost to see it all was just a gold coin donation.

The One Mile Jetty is famous because it's 1493 metres long, and because it was the first port in the world to regularly export live stock. It was, at one time, the only mode of transport in or out of Carnarvon. It's a spectacular vision from the shore, stretching its way towards the horizon.

I thought it looked like a really long walk, but once we started it was actually very refreshing and the views were worth every step. We were surrounded by marine life: pelicans rocked on the ripples of the water, dolphins bobbed on the surface, and seagulls dive bombed for fish in the shallows. We chatted to some local residents fishing off the jetty and they showed us their catch of crabs and sand whiting.

The 'Coffee Pot' train passed us as we walked back; it provides hourly rides out along the jetty for those unable or unwilling to walk.

Tourist attractions

Our next stop was the Lighthouse Keepers Cottage, which had been restored back to colonial times and contained some very interesting memorabilia. I even recognised a few items that were commonplace at Grandma's when I was a kid. The cottage was built around 1900 and was used until the 1970s when the lighthouse became electric.

The railway museum beckoned us with its bright red fire engine, and we entered to find the Kimberley Steam Train that used to run from the town to the port. It was the last of the steam trains to operate in the north of the state and has been fully restored and opened for inspection. We climbed aboard and sat on the old leather seats; it was easy to imagine ourselves back in the days of steam.

I had a quick look at the Shearing Hall of Fame and found a few familiar items. My father had been a shearer while we were growing up on the farm in the Porongurup Ranges. We kids had spent a lot of time in shearing sheds.

The museum also housed a lifeboat from the German warship Kormoran, which came ashore north of Carnarvon carrying survivors after the battle with the HMAS Sydney (II) in 1941. The souls who lost their lives on the HMAS Sydney (II) are remembered by 645 plaques on the memorial drive at the south entrance to Carnarvon. We went and saw the plaques before leaving Carnarvon and I found the one belonging to my father's uncle.

With some time still to spare that afternoon, we drove out to see another piece of Australian history. The OTC dish dominates the sky as you enter town, looming huge on the skyline but hardly preparing you for its size and complete dominance of your attention. I climbed the steps and walked around its lower rim, and the view stretched for miles across the countryside.

We had intended to stay in Carnarvon for a month or so, with the promise of an abundance of work. But due to the time of year, we discovered the plantations weren't hiring. Unfortunately, we'd arrived between the seasons when there was no picking and no planting.

We asked around town about labouring work and were surprised to find that there was nothing on offer. So, in the end, we only stayed in Big Banana country for three nights. We decided instead to head up the road to Exmouth a little earlier than planned to visit Glenn's dad who had moved to the beautiful coral coast three years before to escape Perth's, um, cold winters.

We decided as we left Carnarvon that it was time to use the bus to its full potential, and utilise the free 24-hour rest areas which are provided all over the country, thus saving ourselves the odd caravan park fees.

So, for the first time since leaving Perth, we did not book ahead. We would, from now on, free camp for a couple of days while we looked for work, and if we found it, we'd book into a caravan park for the duration of our stay.