We had decided that we would not camp in Geraldton, as the park reviews were not positive. We travelled inland to Walkaway and Ellendale Pool, where we intended to camp, however, we changed our minds and drove via the Georgina Road to Cape Burney, also known as Double Beach. This is about 15 kilometres south of Geraldton.
The Chapman Valley is just beautiful and wheat harvesting is underway early this season.
Statice grows wild beside the road, a sea of purple and white.
WA has some artistically beautiful laser cut signage and wrought iron work in public place. The laser cut images reflect something distinctive about the area. They are left to naturally rust and look very appealing.
Below – views of the Chapman Valley
The town of Walkaway (the name is intriguing, probably out of the hardship of farm failure) The station is now a museum. The train line is still active and when the station was in operation there were two station masters both with private quarters at the station.
Times were harsh, page after page of deaths with most children and babies, you were lucky to get to 35.
We stopped at the interpretative centre for the wind farm. It is astonishing just how long a single blade is. 47 metres! We were thinking if one of those came off, you would not know which way to run. The skyline both north and south was full of turbines.
The Greenough River at Cape Burney. The river is not open to the ocean and is blocked by a sandbar. It is hard to understand why they do not open the mouth as serious floods and loss of life has occurred because flood waters were unable to flow into the sea.
We are camped at Double Beach Caravan Park – lots of birds and a resident moggy. I think it is the second domestic cat that we have seen the entire trip. Dogs rule….
Our journey from Northampton was via local roads and the scenery was lovely. There were many stone buildings from the 1870’s on the farms.
I remember Northam Station and most of all I remember a flowering gum (mottlecah? can't remember) with the biggest blossoms - reddy/orange that I have ever seen!
ReplyDelete