Day 74

Tuesday 19th May 2015, some cloud, sticky

Port Hedland to Pardoo Station

Like so many other towns on this coast Port Hedland was bombed twice by the Japanese in 1942.

We hit the road again. The country is grassy and flat with lots of termite mounds. In fact, one section has each mound wearing a white hard hat! Large white Brahman cattle munch happily along the roadsides.

As we pass, the De Grey River has water in it and shady white gums. The camping area extends along the bank and is huge.

The road into Pardoo Station is wide and well maintained. The station outbuildings outnumber those of some towns we’ve visited. It is quite an enterprise with half a million acres of grazing land. Note that they always talk in acres, not hectares in the outback. Amenities are housed in portables and Dongas are available as cabins. All is neat and tidy and well grassed. There is power, water and a pool, even a cafe. A few hundred head of bellowing cattle are in the yards having just been mustered by helicopter.

The pool is cool and long enough to do laps. We spend the day lazing and watching the fishermen tearing off down the track to the beach. Apparently, the fishing is great here, we’ll take their word for that. We catch up with the Ollies who’ve been kicking back here for a couple of days and M & C from Tassie whom we’ve camped beside several times coming up this coast. The sand flies come out in force but we stop them in their tracks with some stuff we’ve found called “The Locals Sandfly & Mozzie Spray.” It’s a lovely warm evening and we sleep with all of the windows open to the sound of discontented cattle.

Accom: $35.00

Travelling Kms: 126Kms