2 lucky ducks on the road again

This is a beautiful morning and we are going fishing early. It didn't take long to get breakfast out of the way and be on the water. The conditions were perfect just for cruising about so we tried a new spot with no luck so we went to the reef we had reasonable luck, John caught a black snapper to take home and a big bream and Merv caught a big striped snapper the rest of the fish were just undersized, cod, mangrove jack, and other snapper. We went near an island with a lighthouse over near Cossack before we came back but no fish there. We had fish we caught and chips for dinner with coleslaw followed by another game of cards.

A very nice morning today we are planning to go fishing but John and Josie had to go into Karratha so we are waiting for them to return. We had our usual morning with breaking and a walk to the wharf. Merv made some date scones to take out on the boat with a thermos and coffee. When the others returned we headed out in the boat, first chance in quite awhile, the conditions were excellent. Since the cold windy weather came through and the full moon there doesn't seem to be as many fish about, we caught a variety of fish but only took home a black snapper and a striped snapper for dinner. We had a quiet night with Merv cooking our fish on the BBQ then we had a game of cards.

Another day another weather check, cloudy not as cold and not quite as windy. Same morning routine with the walk to the wharf, people fishing from the wharf catching nothing, the very big prawn trawlers are in unloading with huge amounts that have been boxed up and frozen sent off the boat on conveyor belt, then put on pallets and into the waiting semi trailer freezer trucks. Merv made a loaf of bread then after having coffee and a feed of fruit loaf we went out to Cossack. The sun had come out the wind had dropped it was a beautiful day. As we arrived ar the Cossack jetty a man had hooked up a large estuary cod, as he got it away from the mangroves and to the jetty area it went straight into a hole in the rocks that the jetty is made from. It was so funny watching this guy and his mate, the one with the rod was getting his mate to walk into the water and try to get it out, the water there is very cold at the moment so that part was funny to see the antics. They were trying to pull the...

This is another moving day the last one while we are here, it is very windy and cold so we aren't missing out on fishing while we have to move. It was the normal routine after we moved and set up it was breakfast and a walk to the wharf, when we got to the wharf the tide was so high it looked as though the big trawlers were almost sitting in the wharf, the water was also going over the causeway which is a walkway on the edge of the marina. In the afternoon we went for a drive out to Wickham sailing club, it was the beach we were going to. On the way out you have to pass the iron ore loading facilities, the amount of ore ready to go is unbelievable, there are 4 ships at a time being loaded with at least 15 more sitting out waiting to come in. We passed some mangrove areas that the tide was receding from, to our pleasant surprise we saw a Jabiru, Australia's only crane, very big and beautiful, these are a Northern bird we have seen them when we were at Kununurra but they are not ...

Dare I say it another dam windy cold day worse that yesterday that made us stay in bed till   10 o'clock. The morning ritual of breakfast then a walk, washing day. Josie had to go to Karratha for a scan so Merv made two fruit loaf one for Josie and John and one for us, he cooked them in the very large oven in the kitchen. When Josie and John returned we went for another walk down to the wharf and could not believe how low the tide was there didn't seem to be much h water in the harbour and it looked as though a lot of the bay was only knee deep, boats definitely could not get in or out. A quiet night with just some music and catch up on the blog. A strange caterpillar on the path

We woke to another very windy and cold morning it is starting to get monotonous.  We spoke with John and Josie the night before and decided to head on up the river to try for a  fish leaving approximately 9.30. Merv had baked date scones the day before so I took them and a thermos of hot water and Josie brought coffee,milk and cups for our snack attack. It was still quite windy when we got up the creek, Merv put out the anchor but it kept dragging, as we were waiting for a bite we watched beautiful large white Ibis fishing and numerous other small birds but the best was the sea eagles, they were showing us how to catch fish, there was several pairs in and around the mangroves, they put on a spectacular show with their colour almost the same as the chocolate red rocks and white heads they were a site worth seeing. We moved several times and the wind dropped a bit around 1 o'clock but the only fish that was caught was a small shark with a tiny remoray by John and a small bait fi...

Today is freezing cold, it was a full moon clear sky and I am sure the strong winds  is coming from the Antarctica. When we had our breakfast we took our chairs around to the Lee side of the camper and sat in the sun. Approximately 11o'clock we walked down to the wharf and even though I had a jumper on I cannot remember when I was that cold so we went back to sit in the sun behind the camper. John and Josie joined us and we had leftover cold fish from last night with fresh bread Merv had just baked. The wind head dropped off in the afternoon so Merv, John and myself went down to the wharf to try to catch some fish for bait. John caught two bait fish but while we were fishing a sea eagle really showed us up by coming down not once but twice right in front of us and catching a fish. Very cold night again tonight so an early one

When we woke today it was a lovely clear sunny day quite a bit of wind but at least not raining, we had thought about taking the boat out but none of us seem to have the energy the rainy day seemed to sap our energy.  When we finished breakfast we went for a walk to the wharf the tide was quite low, on the opposite side of the rockwall of the marina near the mangroves there was a lot of fish and two turtles. The plan for the evening was to have fish and chips with salad in the camp kitchen in the company of Josie and John so Merv made some date scones for afternoon tea. The fish and chips was a great success followed by some very rowdy games of UNO. Later in the evening Merv and I took our throw nets to the wharf to try to catch some bait but unfortunately there wasn't much about, I  caught one small fish I kept and a very pretty butterfly fish which went back very quickly, that was the first time I had caught anything with the throw net.

Today was moving day, John came around about 8.45 to see how Merv was and if he needed a hand, we were still in bed with our coffee but John told us the spot we were moving to was vacant, we quickly finished our coffee and got moving. After setting up we went for a walk the day was sunny and not too hot, perfect for walking, there was still quite a bit of wind on the water. Josie had made some Thai pumpkin soup and a banana cake for us all so Merv made a fresh loaf of bread to go with it. In the afternoon the four of us went to the wharf fishing, the guys went around the rock wall Josie and I stayed on the wharf, we were smart we had a chair to sit on and enjoy the afternoon. I was talking to Liza on the phone when I heard a squeal from Josie, when I turned around her rod was on the wharf in two pieces and she was trying to  pull a fish in by hand. She landed it, it was a bream but we decided it wasn't big enough to keep, I caught another small fish then handed my rod to Josie whil...

Pilbara 

Not a great nights sleep last night Merv woke around midnight and was freezing cold, he put clothes on and my minkie blanket on top of his, I  gave him some panadol and tried to get to sleep, it was obviously a bit of a side effect from the vaccine so I lay awake listening for him, as well the dam bind was banging all around us all night. Morning Merv seemed a bit better but very lethargic and aching, I  wasn't much better as I had two nights with next to no sleep. Even though we were dragging the back leg after breakfast we decided to go out to Harding dam, it is the dam where the towns water comes from. The drive out reminded us how beautiful the Pilbara is, the colours of the stone with the greenery and flowering wattles make a spectacular sight. At the dam there has been Bbq, picnic tables with shade, a small area for ball games and toilets, a perfect place to take the family for a days outing. The road goes up to the top where there is a lookout and you can walk on the da...

Today is Merv's day for getting his first covid jab in Karratha hospital. We are hoping the run into Karratha will show us if things have come right with the truck. The first place of call was the post office to pick up a parcel, Merv had ordered a new boat cover it has only taken approximately 10 days from time of ordering. We then went to the hardware store to pick up some cutters which are like braid scissors only a quarter the price. Now the hospital, it didn't take too long after paperwork and the wait following the needle, next groceries and wine then back to camp. The truck seemed to run better than it has for a long time. After packing our groceries away we took a couple of things to John and Josie they had asked for, they told us they went for the same long walk we had done the day before and when they passed Honeymoon Cove the sea eagle was on the same pole eating another fish but was just flying off when they headed back from the wharf. Merv made up some pizza dough ...

It rained quite heavily during the night and the wind has not let up, in fact it appears stronger. We were slow to get out of bed as it was so cold and not a lot to do in this weather. The normal breakfast and clean up then we put on our coats and went walking hoping tho see another pheasant. We walked to the other end of town then up a dirt road that led up a hill to a power supply area, great lookout spot. We could see the prawn trawlers had come back but had to lay out for awhile as the tide was too low for them to get back into the wharf across the bar. When we headed down we walked through a lot of the town and it seemed every house had a boat in the driveway some as many as three, not much else to do here if you don't fish, there are some big houses and some very old ones. As normal we went down to the wharf and for the fourth day in a row the sea eagle was on the same pole eating another fish, I thought it was great to see it once but four days in a row is pretty good, when ...

This is moving day, we have to move to another site in the park I woke around 7o'clock but roused Merv out of bed at 8.15. I was getting breakfast ready when Merv returned from the bathroom, he had walked past the site we were to move into he said it was vacant so we quickly packed up for the move.  Somethings like the tables were just put in the boat, we weren't pedantic how we packed for a short move, meanwhile it is blowing like buggery and raining  to top it off. We will be moving again in 4 days We were moved and set up again in under an hour then it was breakfast time. Merv made a nice fruit loaf then we went for a walk on the beach and down the wharf, I know this type of weather is not good for fishing and it is dam cold but the ocean always looks magnificent when wild and angry. On the way to the wharf we saw the sea eagle again in the same place eating another fish, on this occasion we could see it was a dart.  It is a very cold night so I cooked mashed spuds and...

Another windy day I believe the forecast is for the weather to get worse over the coming  week. After breakfast Merv and John went out to the carpark to work on the truck, they drained some fuel out added some Kemtech diesel power and fitted a new filter. Merv took it for a quick drive, so far touch wood it appears to be running ok but we will be staying close to civilisation for awhile just in case. We went for a big walk after Lunch in a different direction along beachfront and around the rocks, on the way back we saw a pheasant coucon, we weren't sure what it was till we looked it up, it is a bird from the cookoo family and endemic to the Pilbara, quite an unusual bird quite large. We dropped in to see Josie and John and found Josie had made us a delicious minestrone soup and some rissoles. We had the soup for dinner it was so thick with fresh vegetables add  a slice of fresh bread and it was enough for a meal

I woke early to a beautiful sunrise unfortunately the wind was starting to get quite strong. We didn't do much in the morning just normal things like washing smelly fishing clothes. Josie and John needed to go into Karratha so they were going to pick-up a few things for us including some things Merv is hoping might fix the truck, it is still being temperamental. I went for a walk down to Honeymoon Cove and found a snake that looked as though it had been drowned by the incoming tide. After Josie and John returned Merv and I went walking down to the wharf, as we were passing the Carpark of Honeymoon Cove we saw a young sea eagle sitting on top of a light pole eating a fish, Josie, John and myself had seen one there the day before doing the exact thing. When we got down to the wharf we saw another young eagle sitting on the edge of it's nest. That  evening John cooked the frame of the queen snapper and some fish wings, Josie made a lovely salad Merv made a fresh loaf of bread all ...

We are off fishing again today as the weather seems good and there are strong winds forecast for the next week, not quite as slow start as yesterday, Josie made sandwiches for lunch and I took a thermos of hot water for coffee which Josie supplied , we did this the day before with Josie taking coffee and I  had taken the leftover battered fish and fresh bread and butter.  When we were on the water we headed south a bit to an area some locals had suggested, it was fifteen metres of water but after half an hour without a bite we decided to go back to where we had been the days previous, it was quite lumpy so we trolled back hoping to pick up a big Spanish mackerel, no luck. The fishing was very quiet as we always say no two days are the same. John caught undersized black snapper and coral trout, Merv caught a coral trout that was just undersized but three being caught there in two days gives us hope. There was smaller fish coming on board when John hooked up a good size fish, we...

Looks like another nice day to go fishing so we didn't have a coffee in bed just get up and get on with it. We are a little slow this morning could be age catching up 😂 We were on the water around 10o'clock. The fishing was a mixed bag of black snapper, small cod, undersized coral trout, then Josie let out a squeal for help, she had hooked something very big on one of Merv's light weight rods and gear, when I  looked and grabbed the rod it was bent and disappearing under the boat. Whatever it was had headed straight forward so Merv climbed up onto the very front and I handed the rod around, while this was going on John hooked up a big fish so I  went back to help him, he got his almost to the surface and lost it, I  wasn't sure what it was when I saw it only saw it was very big. In the meantime Merv was still playing Josies fish with a right hand reel which made it a bit more tricky for a lefty, as it got closer I grabbed the net and Merv had to try and get it to come ...

Had a great sleep but didn't really want to wake up, the morning was still and clear, Merv was peeking at me waiting for me wake.  He made the morning coffee then said he would go and tell John and Josie we would pick them up in an hour and half to go fishing so I had to move my butt out of bed. Merv had set the boat up the previous day so there wasn't a lot we had to do, get rods and gear and food and water. We were on the water by 10 o'clock the first time we have had a chance since Shark Bay, the weather was a bit lumpy but not too bad. We haven't really done a lot in this area all new ground for us so we took it easy and headed toward some rocks and reef. The day got better and better weather wise as it went, we anchored up and wasn't long Merv caught a mackerel then John caught a mangrove jack, next Merv caught a reasonable black snapper I  wasn't doing anything. My turn next a really big black snapper then a shark about 6 feet long, which was released, the...

Another windy start to the day so no hurry to get up and at it I had a very bad night and not much sleep. We decided that we would go down and try and catch something from the wharf, we visited the local shop for some bait and walked back along the path on the foreshore, it is amazing how the vegetation has been let grow up and take over old train carriages that children used to play on. The tide was midway when we got to the wharf, we were there awhile and John and Josie joined us, no fish was caught so we wandered back to camp and planned a sundowner. We took drinks around to John and Josie they were next door with their friends so it turned into quite a chatty sundowner. When we finished dinner Merv suggested that we take the torch to the wharf to see if we could spot any sqid, we didn't see any sqid but the area was full of small mullet and garnish. We needed more bait so we walked back to camp and got the throw net, by the time we got back the tide was different and there wasn...

Today was pack up and leave Karratha day, we are heading for Point Samson. It is very windy but it doesn't take us long to pack up and be on our way. When we got to the Cove caravan park it was 2 minutes to 11, we went to reception and was told in no uncertain terms that they don't book in till 11, Merv said ok maybe we just do the paperwork while we wait and the girl was quite aggressive and said they would not do anything before 11 o'clock. We thought this was strange but had a huge laugh when our friend told us he rocked up 10 minutes early they opened the gate told him to drive around the park then go back out and wait, they said 2 minutes later someone else rolled up but they were allowed to sit there and wait, we has an awesome laugh. It didn't take long to set up even though the sites are a bit tight with the truck, camper and boat, when we were done we went for a walk down to the wharf, nobody was out fishing as the wind was bad a quite a swell runni...

Very windy again today but I don't care as I am going to have a bit of a rest today, had a bad nights sleep with heat and hurting I think maybe I have walked a bit much. Later get up then breakfast and laundry and smooch about. Merv made a yummy fruit and nut loaf. After lunch we went down to the sports store and bought some digital scales for weighing the gas bottles and fish, the sports store is dangerous to go into the amount of fishing gear as well as everything else they have is ridiculous.  We had run out of wine, we normally buy nice cask wine as there is not the concern of broken bottles, unfortunately we forgot all the way up the coast you can't buy casks to protect the indigenous people, we also had to show ID as they have a register of people not permitted to buy alcohol. We got some bottles and back to camp. Definitely a lazy afternoon 

Very windy and cloudy when we woke but at least it's  not cold. With a day like today we decided to go down to 40 mile beach, it is 60 kms south of Karratha and where we are thinking of going during the school holidays, we have been told that it was packed out. As we drove in we noted how much work had been done to the road, it was always badly corrugated with potholes, this time while still gravel it was perfect. When we drove up to the day use are we could see that there was empty spaces everywhere. The wind was really fetching it but that didn't stop us from going for a walk. The tide was very low so we walked down along the edge of the mangroves heading for the southern beach end. It was a bit more sheltered from the wind behind the mangroves which made it a pleasant walk, we came across some skeletons of big fish somewhere and 2 large painted crayfish. I found some nice shells then at the turnback we had a rest, drink of water and headed back. We noticed some good camp spo...

This was a slow start to the day it's not cold just a little cloudy it's just in Karratha there isn't much to do unless you are fishing and the wind has been too strong for that. After coffee and breakfast we just took it real slow myself and Merv spent a long time on the phone to Nikki talking to her about the problems she is having with the kids, she is very down at the moment and finding things very hard, it is so difficult when one is so far away. After several coffees we thought we should go for a walk down the street just to get out of the park, we just started walking down the street and along the highway. We crossed the highway near the T.A.F.E, we were looking for the Yaburara Heritage Trail. This trail goes in a number of different directions one goes up over quite a steep hill, I  didn't think it would be smart me doing that one yet. We followed a trail that followed along through a gully and up a small hill, it was a nice walk we saw some really pretty flowe...

Murujuga National Park 

Yeah blue sky patches this morning and nice and warm a bit of breeze but I will take that over rain. During breakfast we planned our day to go out to Dampier and have a walk around. We were amazed at the amount of time and effort spent in making the beatification of the foreshore making it very family friendly. The children's play area are all made with the reconstituted tyres in beautiful colours around all the equipment with shade that has been made from steel and made to last many a generation and is real cyclone proof. When we left we decided to try our metal detecting on Hearson Cove beach but we forgot it was a long weekend and when we arrived there was quite a few people on the beach so we decided to leave it till maybe Tuesday. On the way back to the camp we went into Murujuga National Park, there is a walkway built up around the rocks pointing out some of the numerous rock paintings and points of interest, there is a water hole that the rock wallabies drink from and olive ...

It rained steady all night and was very chilly when we got up, we did hang to our bed with our morning coffee though. After breakfast and household duties we rugged up to go and pick up the truck, we were to catch the bus out the highway and get dropped off near the industrial area, we would still have a few kms to walk. We made sure  we were out at the bus in plenty of time and we waited and waited and waited, then I saw a sign it only ran Tuesday and Thursday which meant another Taxi doh! I stayed at the camp, Merv picked up the truck and it seems to be running ok, they put clean fuel in, a new fuel pump and said they checked the wiring to the injectors, they did say there was a code come up about wiring but couldn't see anything they advised us not to go too remote for a little while to see how it went, and that cost $1000, that is what you call WA tax and Karratha tax. I believed from the start we got dirty fuel at Denham. In the afternoon we walked around the park looking at a...

Another very overcast day to start the morning, usual morning coffee then breakfast, while eating breakfast we decided we would go for a walk to the town centre approx 5km just to fill in the day. As we made our way to the front gate a bus arrived so we jumped on that it was going to the centre of town via Dampier, it was just like a bus tour in and out all the streets and areas. At the shopping centre we wandered around walked across to a hardware store then a sports store trying to find a boat cover as ours has really given up the ghost, no luck should have my sewing machine with me I could make one. We had one of the best beef and pepper pies for lunch and shared an enormous cream lamington both from the Karratha patisserie. We caught the same bus back and decided to catch the bus to Port Sampson in the morning to visit some friends that are staying there. During afternoon coffee the mechanics rang and said the truck was ready to be picked up so we aren't going to Port Sampson b...

Merv was up bright and early this morning the day was very overcast and he was trying to work out what we were going to do about keeping our batteries charged, he had walked over to the camp kitchen which was a real dive, looked like an old freezer unit with sliding door, a fridge freezer was in there along with an old stove and sink. It makes us mad that some of these places just take huge amounts of money and do no real maintenance or upgrades, they have a lot of portable housing here for workers from mine sites that they charge astronomical prices for. When he got back he made me a coffee then I went over to the office to inquire about power, I told them I was more than willing to pay for a powered site, I  inquired about running the generator a couple hours a day, they told me they would get the manager to co e over when he arrived. The site we are on has had power at one stage but they must of had problems with it so have disconnect it from the pole, also disconnected the wate...

I don't think either of us got much sleep last night so we up early and had breakfasts. Merv took the porta potti out to go to the dump point, which is up over the hill so needs the truck. He started the truck and it sounded like a bloody old chaff cutter, as he went up the bit of hill I watched and didn't think he was going to get there so I started getting things ready for getting the towie in. Merv was away quite awhile, as he come down the hill things didn't seem any better, but as he pulled  up it ran perfectly so we kept the truck running and loaded hooked the boat on and headed for Karratha. The truck ran well all the way up but we didn't turn it off, when going for toilet stop, coffee or ice cream,( first one in ages yummo peters maxibon butterscotch) at which time one of us would stay with the truck keeping it running. The trip to Karratha is always special it seems that you travel up and down sand dunes for ages, then you hit the Pilbra with its amazing rocky ...