Onslow – great life – retired got nothing on

Karratha

The rain came on Saturday morning for a few hours; enough to turn the red dust into red mud. However, apart from keeping us inside for the morning, we weren’t put out too much. Saturday evening, we found a swish Italian restaurant with genuine Italian waitresses. The girl that cared for us had a very strong accent but a great sense of humor. There are so many backpackers from Europe, South America and Japan in the Pilbara and Kimberley regions. Makes you wonder how many Australian backpackers are seeing the world in their youth.

Sundays, the town is dead. Nothing open and no one doing anything, so we found some motor home owners we have met up at various campgrounds and spent a few hours talking into the sunset. They are taking off to Karrijini in the morning and we towards Onslow more towards Perth.

On to Onslow

Always interesting when you arrive at a roadhouse or small cafe in the middle of nowhere; busy as. The cappuccino machine performs to the max to “bring drivers back to life”. At one stop, it was evident that electric vehicles weren’t on the wanted list – the recharging point had security fencing around it.

We weren’t far from Onslow and came to some roadworks. The water truck had been through to dampen the road for setting ready for a next coat of blue metal. With the speed limit at 60kph, we got through quite quickly, not realizing we were preparing both the motor home and Suzuki for the car wash. We didn’t know until we arrived at the check in at Onslow Caravan Park. My sense of humor is usually “laugh because it was funny” but Lyn is a little different “$&@?!&$”. (Disappointment written all over her face). And right after you get through the security chain, a sign that says, “No washing of vehicles in the caravan park”.

Onslow

We found the water towers at the towns entry very colourful. They were quite different in that they depicted some of the lifestyle of the locals when Europeans arrived. The paintings of the marine life was well done too.

This little town prides itself in having lots of memorabilia from years gone, on display in the little museum. The volunteers were very well versed in what made this town tic from when the region welcomed miners and farmers to the Pibara.

At one end of town, is an interesting sculpture that depicts a sun rise. We had an early morning just the once, to see the sun rising within the sculpture.

There is a sculpture along the coastal walk of paparazzi dogs. I do not know why the sculpture exists here, but there was some way-out explanation.

Onslow is in the midst of expanding its ports and access from inland for mining companies who are now eager to export minerals from “them there hills” and gas from “way out there”.

Bullara Station

This cattle station covers an area of 250,000 acres; that’s BIG. There are at least 1700 head of cattle that regularly get rounded up by helicopter for tagging and health tests. The station closes in the second week of October to spend the next month preparing the camp ground property for the cyclone season. All the old farm equipment, which is on show during the open season, has to be secured in case a BIG cyclone arrives. Reopening happens in April.

There is a “we’re happy to have you” feel about the way staff settle you into your site and advise you of just how the station works in busy season. I found a couple who are members of my facebook group “Working on the Road in Australia”. They were ecstatic to meet, of course. Haha.

The building around Bullara are all restored from original wool sheds, shearing sheds and shearer accommodation. The showers and toilets are made to “the old days” specifications; rustic and often with an ingenious motivation. There is a coffee shop and a bar in the wool shed. Scones and cream are top of the list for the morning teas prepared by courteous staff from many countries around the world. The pies use meat from the property. There are copious amounts of red dust, but it’s an experience to remember.