17 - 19 November 2021
Once again we woke to cloudy skies and rain, which had thankfully stopped by the time we climbed out of bed. The canvas was dry by the time we started to pack up and we were starting to see blue sky above. We had booked our campsite in the national park online, so set off by about 9:30am.
As we already had our parks pass we didn't need to call in to the visitor centre. For those who haven't already booked, computer terminals are available at the entrance to the centre. We drove down to Stenhouse Bay for a look around. There was once a thriving Gypsum industry here and there are lots of interesting pieces of evidence to be seen. Interpretive signage provides background information at this, and many other sites. We walked down to the jetty and also to have a look at Little Emu Beach.
From there we drove on and stopped to have a look at Cable Bay Beach. Our next stop was the old town of Inneston. Again there was lots of interesting information along the 2km town walk. I couldn't resist a photo of the old Bellco Chalk factory - most of my teacher friends would have used this product without giving any thought to its origins.
From Inneston it was just a short drive on to Casuarina Campground. When booking online the information available about the actual sites is helpful but the one thing you don't know is how easy - or not - the sites will be to manoeuvre the camper trailer into. The one we chose - Number 6 - was not! Mick exhibited amazing skill and we were on after only a few harsh words.
Once we were set up and had finished lunch we went for a walk to Pondalowie Bay. This walk through the dunes is well marked and fairly easy - except for the last climb to the top of the highest dune. The view from the top made it totally worthwhile. We walked down onto the beach and along a short way to the wreck of the O U Dog, one of a number of wrecks along this stretch of coast. Despite the really cold weather, the flowering plants reassured us that it was, indeed, spring.
The wind picked up during the afternoon and Mick did everything he could to secure the camper trailer but we still endured a very restless night. The wind howled in gusts that were probably in excess of 50km/h and we could see and hear a thunderstorm in the distance. In the morning we agonised over whether to cut our trip short and head somewhere else, or risk another night like the one before, or worse. With intermittent internet access we were able to establish that the following night should be better, and the warm, sunny day convinced us to stay.
We went for a drive to West Cape and for the walk to the lighthouse. Spectacular 360 degree views from the lookout were our reward for braving the cold wind. We then drove on to have a look at the Ethel wreck. With lighter winds the day was reasonably pleasant but the wind was forecast to pick up again in the evening. We were relieved that it was not as ferocious as the previous night.
We both agreed that this national park would be a great place to camp for more than a couple of days - but only if the weather was better. From there we headed north towards Port Broughton.
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