26th Oct - 80 Mile Beach

 We got out of Broome and started our journey southwards.   We were told about Barns Hill, nice little spot to stay bout 100kms from Broome, not a long drive, maybe we stop there..   No it is about 5kms dirt road and Darl can not face this just yet.  We continue on, the landscape is a little bland, not much happening, but still green as.  I notice quite a few whirly winds happening.  We fill up at Pardoo station and decide to give 80 mile beach caravan park a go for the night.  We were expecting to see a lot of fishermen out.

I guess our expectations, a beach is a beach, BUT wow!!  We set up camp and wandered over the dunes down onto the beach and were blown away.  As far as the eye could see in both directions.   What blew us away most was the ocean (above), where the ocean met the beach it looked like a 3-5 metre wall of water.   We collected a few seashells (I am converted by Liz) and decide to take a walk out to the water's edge.  Will we make it back if the tide turns I asked Darl, yeah no worries.   The closer we got the more eerie it got and we decide to head back to the safey of the dunes.

We asked a few people if they knew what it was, but no one really knew, a sand bank and a gully.  It wasn't till next morning we talked to a couple of volunteers been here for 2 or more years now, they said it was a mud bank.   It tapers off when you look down the beach to a "normal" looking surf.    This is a nice little spot, it has a nice Anzac memorial by the sand dunes.   The grounds and amenities are well kept, neat and tidy and nice little gardens.   It even has a TV/computer room set up in an air conditioned container, which we venture up to after dinner, to study our maps and enjoy the cool.

 We wake early in the morning, gee the tide is in and the waves are crashing and thundering, have to get out of bed and go down have a look.   My Darl was soon to point out that it was thunder, as in storm thunder, I said surely not.   But when I stepped outside the sky was black as...  No one out fishing this morning, but a couple of crazy european tourists out walking the beach.  The locals didn't think it would blow over towards the park, wrong!   This is our first real storm of the season and first real rain shower since Mackay.

At least the rain settled the dust for the 10kms over the dirt, corros back to the highway.  The locals also showed Darl and I a turtle nest above, which was awesome, they come in at dusk and after to make their nest and lay their eggs.  The season starts from October, so this is one of the first for the season.    It would have been nice to spend another day here and wander along the beaches collecting shells.   It's very relaxing you know, but we decide to head down and out to Marble Bar, which we have been told is a great stop...... we'll see.