We have been enjoying this weather. We were asked today how we were coping with the heat. It just doesn’t feel hot to us, it’s dry heat and very comfortable. It is far better than 30C with humidity at home.
The view inland from the camp. The camp kitchen view (to the right of camp)
Camp Cleaverville set up with ensuite.
This is the view to the left of the camp. In the distance is the Dampier Peninsula. At night you can see the flames from the gas stacks. There are three to light up the night.
This morning at low tide we went down to the rock shelf to look in the pools. We were delighted with the variety of things to look at. Octopus, Clams, Crayfish, Sea Slugs, Sea Urchins, Fish, Crabs, heaps of beautiful corals.
Left – I have no idea. It has a fern like filter feeder at the front and two valves at the back. It was firm to touch. If you touched the filter feeders they quickly retracted.
There were two Octopi in the shallows and I got some great video of them changing colour to match the surroundings as they moved. We were disgusted to see three people collecting and killing all the Octopus in the pools, obviously for bait – They are very clever animals, I just thought what a waste, there are heaps of other things to use for bait rather than wipe out the entire rock shelf population of Octopus. I have never seen Octopus like this any where on the east coast. They were filling a big bucket. I just wished that I hadn’t seen that. I bet I won’t find one left tomorrow.
The clams can feel the vibration as you approach them and squirt out water and close up. I got squirted a few times and reminded them that clam meat is a delicacy in some places. The crayfish I spotted was just too small and too fast to get a photo of. The only sea urchin I saw was tucked up under a rock shelf.
After our rock pool browse, we left camp and drove up to Cossack, Samson Point and Roebourne. Cossack is well advertised as a deserted historic town. The one brochure that we had was very vague, and it was disappointing to see that the signage was sadly neglected. It was very difficult to read because of sun damage. The buildings were beautiful, but it would have been a very difficult place to live. They set the town out in a grid pattern regardless of the rocks and hills. I don’t think you could put a shovel in anywhere that would be free of rocks.
The school house (with a new roof). Cossack was abandoned in 1950 and restoration began in 1979. There is a high step up to the front door, there would have been a verandah around the outside.
The Court House The General Store (It would have also had a verandah)
Close up of Court House Inside the general store
View from Settlers Beach at Cleaverville. There is a island with a lighthouse on it.
We visited Wingham and picked out our next truck. This way we can have a house and a pool on the road, with great views of the country side. There would be no issue with having to move over for anyone, and the it would be settled as to who has the biggest and best rig. :)
On to Roebourne. The information centre is the old gaol. It is built in a star shape with a centre exercise yard. The exercise yard even with a sun shade is hot and no shade would have been provided for the prisoners. 
The prisoners mostly aboriginal were chained together or against a wall. There were no individual cells. The chains were attached at the neck and ankles. There were several photos showing how this was done. There was a photo of one aboriginal who had out run a trooper on a horse at 80 mile beach. He was in the best physical shape, very much like our athletes today, and had large wide feet which would have made running in sand easier. He was a exception as the other photographs showed most aboriginal men in poor physique and condition.
Roebourne looked like a dying town clinging to life. There was nothing attractive about the town, yet Ray White has opened a new housing estate just on the outskirts built with their favourite up north cladding material “Colorbond” walls and roof, whack on huge air conditioners. Not a plant in sight.
Pt Samson was a funny mix of old and new. It had a very modern caravan park and resort apartments. The park in the middle of the settlement was landscaped with rocks. Very harsh place with limited water and nothing seems to grow. The soil must be very poor. It just proves that you need landscape with the local plants.
Cleaverville is the pick for a holiday location, but you have to be self sufficient, as there is no water here.
Friday 3rd October 2014 – Cleaverville Beach.
This morning, we snorkelled out the front of our camp. We were amazed by the variety of fish. Huge angel fish, parrot fish, lots of big bream and all sort of reef fish.
Tomorrow will be better with the later low tide. It will give us longer in the water. The water is only from half a metre to about two metres deep over a large area of the bay and is ideal for snorkelling. We left at 7.30am and it was getting too shallow by 9am. If you stay out too long there is a very big walk back to the beach, which you can’t do in the flippers or bare feet.
We bought a large tarp yesterday and plan to put it under our annex as a tropical roof. There is a noticeable heat difference between the main part of the trailer which has a tropical roof and the annex which doesn’t.
Before lunch we went down to the low tide rock shelf. The tide today is not as low and the bay did not get exposed as yesterday. The low tide yesterday for the lowest one for quite a while.
Glen found a turtle stranded in one of the pools. We were worried that he would “cook” in the hot sun, not having enough water to cover the shell.
Not being sure why it was stranded, we moved it to a deeper pool, so it could sort itself out when the tide returned. They are nesting from October to April (no driving on the beach now), so we didn’t know if it was coming or going. Very cute, just like the one from Nemo.
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