Millsream Chichester National Park & Cossack.

All set up at the Pilbara Holiday Park.

A good look at the
Super Moon at Karratha.

Leaving Marble Bar we arrived at Karratha, and checked in at the Big 4 Pilbara Holiday Park, where we had stayed before. We enjoyed the wide open park and friendly helpful staff, and this time got a lovely big corner site, and quickly settled right in. First job was to call the Toyota dealer and see if we could get a new fuel filter fitted. Our warning light had come on, a sure sign we had picked up some "dirty" fuel, when we topped up at one of the Roadhouses along the way. It is a common problem, as they often run their fuel levels right down. This is our second time, and the Toyota dealer was very obliging, and informed us we were the tenth fuel filter job in 2 days!! Once sorted, we headed down to the Visitor Information Centre, to collect our information on the two things that had brought us back to Karratha, the historic town of Cossack, and the Millstream Chichester National Park. The girls at the office are very friendly and helpful, and we were soon ready for a couple of big days of sightseeing.

Welcome to Cossack.

Mulla Mulla makes quite a show.

On our drive out to Cossack we pass through the other historic town of Roebourne, which was the administrative centre of the region. The old gaol buildings are still there, but it has primarily become an Aboriginal Centre, with a number of their Pilbara corporations and councils based here. There are a number of communities around the region. The road out to Cossack passes a number of mine sites and mine camps, a reminder of what the region has become. The road is lined with the beautiful local wild flower, Mulla Mulla. It has prolific lilac blooms, and gives quite a show.

Cossack from the Water Tower Lookout.

The Post & Telegraph Building.

The history of Cossack is pioneering spirit at its best. Long before iron ore was thought of as a valuable resource, people came to Cossack to farm sheep and cattle. They needed a port to bring supplies and take out their produce, and in 1863 the port of Cossack was established. Rural industries struggled with the heat and cyclones, but when the valuable pearl shell was found nearby, the place boomed with up to 80 luggers based out of

Distant relatives were early
school teachers?

Cossack.

The old School House
& Nanny Goat Hill.

The Pilbara gold rush of the 1880's brought thousands to the district in search of fortune, and the town of Cossack had its timber buildings replaced with stone, and the wharf area was extremely busy. By the early 1900's it was all over. The larger ships could not come into the shallow harbour, and a new wharf was built at nearby Point Samson. The one thing that probably surprised us most about Cossack, was the fact that a Leper Colony was established and maintained here from the 1880's until the mid 1930's. You just don't associate Australia with

Carolyn checks out the art.

Shady spot at the Customs House.

diseases like leprosy. By the early 1950's the town was abandoned completely. We wandered through the old township and its small number of old buildings that have been restored. By chance, the Annual Cossack Art Awards are in full swing. These awards are quite big in the art industry, and the show has become one of Australia's largest rural art events, attracting artists from all over Australia as well as a few from overseas. All of the more than 300 works, are on display in a couple of the older restored warehouse buildings. It was a well put

Cape Lambert Ore Loader.

Settlers Beach.

together exhibition, and we enjoyed viewing the works, and it was all free!! We drove out to the Reader Head Lookout, which gives fantastic views over Settlers Beach and the estuary, and out to Point Samson in the distance. We had stayed one night at Point Samson last year. It is a bit of a tourist area among the mines, and also home to a number of maritime service businesses. The pub is well known, and we thought we might call in for lunch. No way,

Cossack Inlet.

Bikers on the Black Dog Ride.

as the place was packed with bikers doing the Black Dog round Australia ride. Instead we drove around a few dirt tracks trying to get a look at the Cape Lambert Ore loading facilities. We counted 16 ships waiting out to sea to come in and be loaded, while another 4 or so were currently being loaded. It is mind boggling. All of this is Rio Tinto controlled and operated. The scope of operations is amazing, when you remember that this is Cape Lambert, and just 30 kms away at Dampier, it is all duplicated and all Rio Tinto!! No wonder they are the worlds biggest iron ore miner.

Welcome to the park.

Lots of iron ore trains.

Our next wonderful day was spent exploring Millstream Chichester National Park. It is not well known but has some beautiful spots spread across an area that was once the Millstream Homestead, as well as the rigged Chichester Ranges. It is only 130 kms from Karratha, and you travel along the Rio Tinto railway road, where a permit is required. Well not really, as you just go into the Information centre and put a gold coin in a box!!! The excellent road follows the the railway line

Wonderful wetlands.

Millstream Homestead.

that brings the huge train loads of iron ore from Tom Price, Paraburdoo and a variety of other mines. We see lots of trains, each 2.5 kms long, carrying 130,000 tonnes of iron ore!! The country is rolling hills covered in spinifex as far as the eye can see. The roadside is washed in colour as the wild Mulla Mulla and another prolific white shrub is every where. After around 90 kilometres the bitumen ends and we are onto the red dirt. You can only

Rolling hills of spinifex.

Clear ponds full of lilies.

try and imagine the red dust!! Our first stop is the old Millstream Homestead. You can only imagine what the first white settlers thought when they found this amazing property back in 1865. The property operated as a pastoral lease up until 1986 when it became a National Park. The old homestead building is now a visitor centre, unmanned, but full of informative displays about the history of the homestead and its various owners. It isn't until

"it's under the big W"

Running streams link the clear ponds.

you venture outside and take the Homestead Walk into the adjoining wetland, that you realise what these settlers had found. A true desert oasis! Magnificent palms and flowing streams, linking a series of ponds, all full of water plants in the clearest water you can imagine. The entire area is fed from an underground aquifer and is always running. The contrast to the surrounding spinifex covered ranges is astounding. The unusual palms are

A banded dragon sunning itself.

Fortescue River from the Cliff Lookout.

Millstream Palms, a species only found here. Though I'm not certain of this, as anyone who remembers that hilarious old movie, It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World, like my mate Bluey, who along with me has seen the movie a hundred times, will recall "it's under the big W"!! We found the Big W!! But no treasure!! Nearby is an area known as the Cliff Lookout, that gazes down on the Fortescue River. From the vantage point high above the river, you can follow it for miles into the distance, defined by the line of snappy gums, that line the river banks.

At Python Pool.

Enjoying Python Pool.

The other major attraction to see is The Python Pool in the Chichester Ranges, a short, dusty drive away. We stopped at a roadside bay near Mt. Herbert for our picnic lunch. We just perched ourselves on the tailgate, and take in the unbelievable vista across the plains, and the perfect silence. There is not a soul in sight. The short walk to the Python Pool is along a dry creek bed. You suddenly come out of the trees to be confronted by towering cliffs behind a large pool. It is just magnificent. We can see

Beautiful Sturt's Desert Pea.

The spinifex is ablaze.

why it is a popular swimming hole, but at this time of the year the water is quite cold, and again, we are the only ones here. We sat and took in the silence, and tried to imagine this place when the water was rushing down the mountainside and

crashing into the pool. We headed for home along the red, dusty trail. When we reached the bitumen, we stopped to watch a fire that was burning across the spinifex. A railway worker pulled up beside us and asked if we had any snags for a BBQ. We chatted for a while and he told us all about the amazing 1600 kilometre railway system that Rio Tinto had built. It sounded mind boggling! Back at the caravan park I decided to wash the car as we were heading off next day. As I directed the hose onto the car, it looked as if it was hemorrhaging, with all this red liquid flowing from everywhere!

In the morning we are on the road early, headed inland into the heartland of the Pilbara. So much to see in this huge country!

Marble Bar - Hottest Town in Australia.

Bigger than many countries!

Welcome to Marble Bar.

With a late start leaving Broome, we decided we would free camp somewhere along the road, heading south. We were surprised by how many caravans were on the road, heading both north and south. Carolyn kept screaming "take me back to Broome", but I just kept the foot down, and we reached Stanley Rest Stop around 4.00pm. It was already pretty busy, so we decided this would be our overnighter. They just kept piling in, and by nightfall the place was almost full. When we awoke bright and early the next morning, we could see that even more had arrived during the night!

Town of Marble Bar.

Around Marble Bar.

We were on the road early, destination Marble Bar. This iconic outback town makes you sweat just hearing the name! That's right folks, Marble Bar is the hottest recorded town in Australia, both for maximum temperature, a hefty 52 degrees centigrade, and also for the hottest spell on record, a blistering 160 consecutive days, back in the 1920's, when the mercury exceeded 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 Celsius). Now that's hot!! Thankfully, it is mid winter, so the maximums are only in the low 30's! The drive out here is across flat plains, on a

Iron sculptures line the road
into Marble Bar.

Caravan Park & town.

good sealed road. The road is strewn with dead cattle. That's right, not kangaroos, but cattle! The good roads are the result of all the mines, and the road kill is the result of all the huge road trains carrying ore. There are dozens and dozens of trucks. The stretch of road through Coongan's Gorge is especially interesting, as some of it is very twisty and narrow. You have to be on the two way, talking and listening to the road trains, as you don't want to get a big surprise on a blind corner or crest! The system works well, as we hear "bloody big caravan eastbound at the 40km curves!" He saw us before we saw him, as we gave him a hello and thank you. 

Says it all! The water tank lookout.

The heritage buildings restored
and in use today.

Driving into Marble Bar we didn't know what to expect. At the beginning of town were a series of terrific iron sculptures. We found a neat, tidy little town, actually a bit larger than we had expected. The caravan park was easy to find. We pulled up at reception to find a hand written note on the door, "Gone to Port Hedland. Find a site and fix me up tomorrow." So we did just that, totally amazed to find that the little caravan park was almost full!" Next morning, we paid our dues and headed up town to find out all about Marble Bar from the Tourist Office, which is also the Shire Office. The lady was most helpful, and so armed with a map we were off and running. 

Marble Bar Roadhouse.

Part of the War Memorial.

What would bring people to this god forsaken place? The answer is simple, GOLD!  Back in the late 1880's the place was a boom town. However the gold rush was short lived, though gold has continued to be mined up to the present day, at the old Comet Mine. Our first stop was the Roadhouse, where the brochure said they had a nice cafe. It definitely was a surprise! The hot food bar at the counter grabbed our attention! We've never seen black chicken wings before!! Next to them we some other fried objects, which we were unable to name. It wasn't looking

Chinaman's Pool.

Jasper at Marble Bar Pool.

good for coffee and cake! Carolyn was turning green, so we back tracked out the door. That was a good start! We forgot about food, and followed the heritage trail around town. The RSL Park had a wonderful war memorial. More of the spectacular iron work. Very impressive. We were surprised to learn that Marble Bar had been the site of a secret airbase during WW11. The Base and Airstrips were so well camouflaged that it was never detected. B24 Liberator Bombers carried out countless successful bombing raids against the Japanese

The Old Church at Marble Bar.

Thousands of Corella at
Chinaman's Pool.

from 1942 to 1945. It closed down in 1947. It was located on Corunna Downs Station about 35kms from town. Just out of town are the beautiful Marble Bar Pool and Chinaman's Pool. These permanent water holes are popular picnic spots for the locals, and at Marble Bar Pool, you can see the magnificent rock that gave Marble Bar its name. Ironically, it is not marble, but Jasper, striking non the less. There is a Jasper deposit a little further out of town where you can chip off a sample, but not at the Marble Pool where a big fine awaits any would be prospector! We continued our drive out to the Old Comet Mine

Driving out to Coppins Gap.

The Comet Gold Mine, Marble Bar.

where there is a visitor centre. A lovely, lonely lady welcomed

us, and gave us the history of the mine. She and her husband are employed by the current owners and live and work at the mine. Talk about remote and hot! She was such a refined lady, and seemed quite out of place working at such a site. The history was fascinating. It was quite an operation with the mine having AC power before Perth, and employing up to 200 men. The mine also diversified into other minerals such as copper, to

Marble Bar Pool.

Coongan River near Marble Bar Pool.

keep it viable. After the mine, we drove out to Coppin's Gap, around 65 kms each way. The lady at the tourist office had told us it was her favourite. The last 30kms was on a red dirt road, frequented by road trains going to a mine. You have no idea how much dust is kicked up by a four trailer road train with over 100 hundred wheels. When one comes towards you from the opposite direction you just stop and get smothered in dust. On the way back we were catching up to one, so we just stopped, as there was no way we could ever get past! Coppin's Gap was worth the drive. We were the only people there. There was a deep pool set among the towering red cliffs. Just beautiful. It was time for a cold drink so we headed

Time for a beer.

Beautiful Coppin's Gap.

back to town for a beer at The Ironclad Hotel. We arrived just in time for Happy Hour and half price drinks. A beer and a wine for $10.00. Bloody amazing up here! This is a great outback pub. It was forced to close a few years back, would you believe, because so many of the town's people were barred, there was no one left in town to come for a drink!! The pub was in full swing. The black fellas had control of the pool table. The noise and the bad language was horrendous, and that was just the women!! A young English lass, doing her 3 months remote stay to extend her visa, was behind the bar. What stories she will have to take home!

We enjoyed our stay at Marble Bar. A couple of days was enough to check out the sights, and winter was definitely the time to visit. Bright and early in the morning we are off again, back to the main highway, and further south to Karratha, to catch up on a couple of things we didn't have time for on the way up.

Broome - Time to Leave.

Sunset at the Mangrove Resort Hotel.

Long days at the beach.

Sadly, our time in Broome has come to an end. We leave reluctantly, as Broome has been, and always will be, one of our most favourite destinations, in all of Australia. We are certain to return again and again. Our last two weeks have flown by, as we have just immersed ourselves in the things we love about Broome. Long morning walks along Cable Beach, a lingering coffee at one of our favourite spots, a romantic dinner under the stars, and those wonderful sunset drinks, whether it be on Cable Beach watching the camels drift by, or at one of the lovely resorts. And all that amazing winter sunshine. This is the Broome we have come to love. The place is us to a tee!!! To those people we have met along the way, who have been anti Broome, we can only say, that romance has left your life or never found you!! 

Sea snake and crab.

The Pearl Lugger Tour.

On our long morning walks along Cable Beach, you would be amazed at what we see. Out on the water, the pearlers can be seen in search of the oysters they use to culture the pearls. Small boats ferry the sea's treasures to a mother ship, and from there it is on to the pearl farm. Sadly it is no longer a Pearl Lugger, just a big "tinnie". From the sands, Carolyn has collected a beautiful array of shells of all shapes and sizes, which now stand in a decorative jar on the kitchen beach, a permanent reminder of our visit. There are sea birds by the hundreds, and small crabs everywhere. We even came across a sea snake, thankfully dead, and an array of jelly fish, marooned by the falling tide. The sea snake reminds us of the tour guide who told us "if it swims in the sea and can kill you, we've got it around here!"

Gateway to Kerrie Stokes  heaven.

No house calls at this vet!

From the beach, we have wondered about the two private homes, which are, and apparently always will be, the only two homes with frontage to Cable Beach. From the street behind the beach, the properties are hidden behind beautifully manicured lawns and gardens, and high security fences with big gates. We found out, that one of the homes is the holiday home of media tycoon Kerrie Stokes, whilst the other is owned by the local vet! I guess that tells us that you don't want your dog to get sick in Broome!!! At the other end of the scale, take a moment to think about

Long walks along Cable Beach.

Our neighbours swag.

this lifestyle. On our last couple of days at Tarangau Caravan Park, we got a new neighbour. He was a real life cowboy, who drove a beat up old ute. From the back of the ute came a fold out camp stretcher. Then came a canvas swag all neatly rolled, which he unrolled to reveal a sheet, a blanket and a pillow. There was no tent or tarpaulin, just sleeping under the stars!! When I asked him what he did in the rain, he just said he pulled over the canvas cover and slept with his cowboy hat on!! His life was just travelling around, doing odd jobs on properties. He just loves the bush, and a stay at a caravan park is his idea of city living! All his worldly possessions in his ute. He did have the latest model I Phone and a PC though! When he needed to charge them he just left them on the bench in the men"s amenities block! Talk about trusting!

Golf at Broome GC.

Bougainvillea grows well in Broome.

The caravan park we are in now, has its temporary sites mixed in among the permanents and privately owned holiday sites. We are right in the middle of such, and it is a real concrete jungle. We are the "outsiders", and tolerated rather than embraced, so we spend most of our time away. Being close to the Golf Club, we have taken the opportunity to have a couple of games. It is a surprisingly good course, and last week hosted the Broome Open. We kept our eyes peeled but no sign of Adam Scott or Rory McIlroy. Tiger would have just blended in with the locals, but I didn't see his name on the leader board either. It is actually quite a scream playing at Broome. There is a huge sign at the first tee proclaiming "Enclosed Footwear, No Singlets, No Sandals, Each Player must have set of Clubs". Everyone wears sandals, and most couples share a set of clubs, and it seems that most just play the holes they like, as during a round you can easily have 6 or 7 different groups in front of you at some stage!! We felt over dressed and over clubbed!!

The Mango Place at 12 Mile.

More Bougainvillea.

We took another drive out to 12 Mile, this time to visit the Mango Place, which is quite lovely, with its open air cafe and store nestled under the huge mango trees. Whilst mango isn't in season, they produce a good array of jams, relishes and sauces, plus some girly things like hand creams and lotions. It is just a lovey cool place to laze away some time. They do wood fired pizza on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, and stay open into the evening. But before I rushed

Shopping Broome style.

The Sun Picture Theatre.

out there, I'd phone and check. These places have a habit of closing "unexpectedly".
Another great treat in Broome, is a night at the movies. The Sun Picture Theatre is right in the middle of town, and is the oldest, and longest continually running, outdoor theatre in the world! You sit in the old canvas sling back seats, which are bloody uncomfortable, watching the  planes take off and land from the nearby airport, as well the occasional bird or bat that flies by! We went to see The Jersey Boys. Talk about a movie aimed at the right audience! With all the baby boomers, and older, in town in their caravans, the place was packed. They were still streaming in after the movie started! The choc tops were flying out of the freezer! It was a great movie and a great night.  

Lounging with a cocktail.

My girl needs a little resort time!

We have spent hours and hours down on Cable Beach. It is totally uncluttered now that school is back! Though another disturbing activity has arrived. The nudists have come out in force! Sadly, they are not the 25 year old bronzed, curvaceous type, but the saggy, wrinkled 60 and 70 year old type. What on earth possesses these people to spread eagle themselves on sun lounges, and expose all that flesh to the elements. Then they go for walks. So many moving

Sunset drinks.

Camels, camels, camels.

parts!! What would their children and grandchildren think!!! The whale watching season has commenced, but I am seriously wondering whether the tours ever leave the beach! Still, we have not let them disturb our peace and quiet. We sit under our awning reading our books, averting our eyes from some horrid sights, when required. Thankfully, as the evening approaches and the air cools, the clothes go back on. I wouldn't want those poor camels exposed to such sights. It could cause a stampede! In regard to the real whale watching, there are a couple of tours, but we have simply been entertained sitting in our chairs on Cable Beach. We had one terrific day, where the whales were just a few hundred metres off the beach, breaching and frolicking and having a great time. It was quite a sight.

Camels in duplicate!

Sailing into the sunset.

On our final weekend, we have been to the markets for a last chance to stock up on some fresh fruit and veggies for the journey south, as well as allow Carolyn some last minute shopping. We had one last breakfast at Kool Spot, our absolute favourite cafe in Broome. Vinka was there to greet us as usual. We had another delicious breakfast and then had a big hug and farewell, promising to be back soon. If you are ever in Broome, you should go to Kool Spot. The food is

One last sunset drinks.

One last brekkie with Vinka
at Kool Spot.

fresh and fantastic, the coffee is great, and the friendly atmosphere will make you feel right at home. Vinka has been great to us, recommending dinner spots, and even a hairdresser for Carolyn. She has been our go to girl, and never let us down. We headed back to the caravan park to do the bulk of our packing up, before one last visit to Cable Beach for a swim, a relax, and one last round of sunset drinks. As usual the sunset was beautiful. We headed into town for dinner at a little Thai Restaurant called Som Thai. We sat outside in the warm evening air and had one of the best Thai meals

Farewell to Broome.

we've ever eaten. The Pad Thai was amazing, and a dish called Prawns Tornado was the most unbelievable combination of flavours. Next morning we were hooked up

One more last sunset!

early, and off to the caravan cleaners. We had seen a brochure advertising a good deal to wash the entire caravan, as well as clean the upholstery, so decided to take up the offer. In areas where water is a scarce commodity, it is so hard to get the caravan cleaned, especially the roof, and we have never done the upholstery. We had a couple of hours to fill, so what else do you do, but head down to Kool Spot for coffee and cake! Vinka cracked up when she saw us walk in. "Bloody hell, can't we get rid of you lot!!!" We had another round of hugs and were soon back to pick up the caravan.  Wasn't long, and we were on the road, heading out of town. Farewell to Broome, until next time.