Day 73 Nerren Nerren Rest Area – Monkey Mia 14th June

A bright new, windy day and it was off again further north to chase the sunshine. We drove on passing through Hamelin Pool, a significant site for its large clusters of Stromatolites. Unfortunately, the tide was up when we arrived and the winds were gusting, so the boardwalk was enjoyed for its thrill factor, with the family trying not to get too wet, rather than its historical significance.


 

Quarrying shells at Hamelin Pool

Watching the wakes at  Hamelin Pool boardwalk

Our next stop was Shell Beach, famous for its beaches full of tiny shells, which also used to be quarried for some buildings. It was so windy that we walked quickly to the beach, took a happy snap and then it was back in the car!

Very windy at Shell Beach - and lots of shells!

We started our drive to Denham, in which we expected to make our base. On the way in, we had a quick look at one of the free camp spots – Fowlers Bay. Two kilometres down the dirt drive and nearing the site – disaster stuck. We saw some water on the road and decided to turn around. Unfortunately, the turning circle with trailer attached was large and we ended up driving over the edge of the road with a couple of our tyres. We were bogged down to our axles! To make matters worse, the tide was coming in. So it was a long 2km run back up the dirt road for me while Robyn got the kids out of the car. I flagged down a 4WD and Wayne, who took pity on us and with his and our snatch straps, managed to get us out of our predicament. A little shocked, we drove to Denham, thankful to the kindness of strangers. Lesson learnt, we must follow some of the basic instructions

of stopping to inspect conditions, and also to stop and think about what we should do!

Bogged at Fowlers Bay with tide coming in

 

Using two snatch snaps

Thanks Wayne!

There are some benefits to having four kids!

After looking at the Denham museum attached to its tourist info office – which seemed very expensive for what you got, we decided to stay at the Monkey Mia resort in its camping area. For a family with 4 kids, there wasn't much between camping in Denham and Monkey Mia resort. Monkey Mia provided the additional benefit of being near the morning dolphin feeding and gave us the ability to use the resort facilities. So after a quick 20km drive and set up there we went to the camp-kitchen while the weather turned and rain lashed down. The family, especially Robyn was brave to eat Kangaroo meatballs and spaghetti – something she considers cat-food. We finished the night with some homemade cake and hoped the weather would improve.