Sunday 2nd March 2008
It is a long weekend and there is no need to get a really early start, so it was around 10:am before we started our activities for the day. Kym, Lee, Kelly, Paul and Heather came to the caravan park all fired up with their 4Wd's and we managed to depart on our days 'adventure' by about 10:30pm.
We headed South of Greenhead on Indian Ocean Drive for a few kilometres until we pulled into 'Grigsons Lookout' which is a hill with a lookout on top that provides views over the surrounding plains and out over the ocean. This was a brief stop for a few photographs and a short history of the area before heading off again a little further to the south.
Our next stop was at some very white and pristine sand hills near the side of the road where the customary climb to the top was made by most of the party and then there was the varying styles of descent attempted by some. The one voted most spectacular would have to have been that of Paul who took a running dive off the top and tried a slide all the way down. Maybe a bit of cardboard would have helped as the descent was not too fast and it is anybody's guess as to where all the sand ended up.
From the sand hills we made our way a short distance back up the highway to a turn off to the West that lead us to a camping area called Sandy Point. This is an area without power and only basic facilities, but on our arrival its popularity was evident, there was not enough room to park our three vehicles in the camping area and there were people everywhere.... in every sort of portable accommodation imaginable. We managed to find a spot to stop at where we could view the beach and many activities in the area before turning and making our way back out along the main entry road into the area.
Before we made it back to the highway, we took a detour along another sandy track that lead us to a cliff face looking over a bay and out to where we could see Jurien Bay in the distance. Much to the delight of the girls, there were a couple of sea lions having a play around (or fishing for lunch) a short distance from us in between some breaking waves. Having enjoyed their activities it was time to get back on the track again and we made our way into Jurien Bay where the boys fueled their vehicles and we all enjoyed a meal of Fish and Chips, or similar, while sitting in a grassed park at the ocean front.
Our return journey was via Jurien Road and then onto Cockleshell Gully Road, from which we turned off into Leseur National Park driveway which took us through the park and among some rather picturesque flat top hills. This area is well worth the time and effort to visit during the wildflower season, but even without the wildflowers, it is a good drive on the sealed roadway through the park.
After leaving the park, we continued North on Cockleshell Gully Road until we came to a property on the West side of the road that was taken up and cleared by Russell Bentley, an uncle of the 'Other One'. At this point we turned back toward the coast and made it back to Indian Ocean Drive close to Greenhead. At this stage it was a vote to continue our drive and head up along the bays so we turned North and then found our way in onto the beach at North Bay, near Little Anchorage.
In convoy the three 4WD's clambered over the seaweed and sand around the bay until we came to a cliff and a track up into the hills beside these cliffs. These tracks had deep cut aways and turns that tried the vehicles out before we stopped at a place we call Shell Bay. After foraging in the seaweed, sand and rocked for a few shells, we were back in the vehicle and on our way up past a 'Free' beach, not that it meant they could claim the beach as ours free of charge, it was a 'nudist beach', having said that, in all the years we have known it, we have never seen anyone swimming there, let alone without clothes.
From here the tracks became a little narrower and the bushes a bit larger, but we persisted and continued along them, with the 'Other One' checking out a new track.... Well that is his excuse anyway!! We finally arrived at Leeman town site southern end and decided that was enough for the day, so it was an ice cream for everyone and then back onto Indian Ocean Drive and southward we went on our return to Greenhead for the rest of the day.
The evening meal was once again provided by daughter Kym, sweet and sour pork and fried rice this time and a few drinks were enjoyed on the last night we would have together for about a month, as we would be heading further North on Tuesday and the others had to return to Perth in the morning for work the next day.
Having consumed a couple of drinks with our meal, 'One of Us' and the "Other One' walked back to the caravan park at about 10:pm and settled in for a good nights sleep.
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