Had a sleep in this morning and therefore a late breakfast. The sun was trying very hard to appear in the cloudy sky and we actually had to put on a windcheater for the first time in about 3 months. However, by about 10 am as we were leaving camp for our trip up to Point Quobba, it was warming up and we had to discard the windcheaters. The journey to Point Quobba was about 75 kms. and we found on arrival that it was going to be worth the trip to see the famous Blowholes. There were already a number of tourists on the rocks waiting patiently for the waves to roll in and create the sprays up through the rock holes. We were not disappointed as before long we were treated to the spectacle. Although the tide appeared to be quite high it would be much more spectacular when it is a very high tide.
We then drove along the rim on the beach to the campsites along the beach. We were surprised at the large number of campers enjoying the serenity of the area and the beautiful beach. We walked down to the beach and found 2 people fishing and John commented that it was the best fishing spot off a beach that he had ever seen. That's a big comment as we have seen many hundreds of fishing spots over the years!
We returned to camp for some lunch then drove into town again to go to the Heritage Precinct, a trail that links the historical precinct with the town.
The One Mile Jetty, The Coffee Pot Train, the Railway museum, the Shearers Hall of Fame, and the Lighthouse Keepers Cottage are all situated at the One mile Jetty. The Jetty was built in 1897 and has a very interesting history. It was a very important port for trade of wool and livestock that was exported to Fremantle and later large passenger ships used the Port of Carnarvon as there was a railway line running the length of the jetty. Now a small train called the Coffee Pot Trains takes tourists out and back along the jetty. We took the trip on the train but as the tide was well and truly out the view was not that special.
There is a newly constructed venue that houses a Restaurant and a very interesting Interpretive Centre. We spent some time in the centre as there is a display of the HMAS Sydney 11/HSK Kormoran, the famous battle off the Gascoyne coast in 1941 and even one of the lifeboats in which 46 German survivors came ashore north of Carnavon. The loss of life was huge, some 645
Australians were on board when the Sydney was sunk and there were a number of photos on display of the seamen and stories of their lives.
We later drove to see the memorial to the sailors of the HMAS Sydney 11 which consists of a palm lined avenue with a plaque beneath each palm for every one of this 645 men. We were quite disappointed as the whole area looked extremely sparse. The palms, although having been planted in 2001, have not grown very much and in general, were poorly maintained. I almost feel like writing to the Government voicing my disgust at the condition of the memorial.
Returned to camp to pack up in readiness for an early get away tomorrow morning, a quick take-away meal for dinner, then bed.
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| The coast line at Point Quobba - great for rock fishing but very dangerous. |
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| The Blowholes were at their best. |
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| What a surf fishing beach - deep channels right along the beach. |
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| Camp sites at Point Quobba. |
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| Some history on the One Mile Jetty |
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| Camels and horses pulling bales of wool along the dry Gascoyne River bed. |
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| Camels and calves in Carnarvon. |
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| Big ships at the end of one mile jetty |
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| A group photo of the crew of Sydney - all lost at sea when the ship was destroyed by the german battleship Kormoran in 1941 |
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| Memorials to those seamen who lost their lives in 1941 |
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| The skeleton of a large whale on display on a farmers property. |
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