Monday, September 20, 2010
Great Aussie Adventure - Day 21
This morning was overcast and cool in Carnarvon when I woke up. After talking to the lady at the information center (she confirmed my fears about fuel and told me her similar story along the same drive!) I drove towards Macleoud Lake. On the way out of town, I passed another Big Thing, a Banana this time! I had written down a Big Apple, but it was definitely a banana!!!
As I got to the lake (it may be a salt lake), and was driving on a winding road, I came upon the Point Quobba Lighthouse. This is overlooking some pretty treacherous waters and several blowholes. This lighthouse is still in use, to the best of my knowledge. (Today was the first day that the Indian Ocean was not 14 different shades of green and blue - I guess only when the sun is out!) But it’s still beautiful. After finding the blowholes and shooting a few photos, it was back in the car for the drive to Exmouth.
Along the drive, there are sheep and goats and cows grazing right on the side of the road. I had watched an Australian movie called Charlie and Boots on this road trip. It’s about a father who is lost after his wife’s death and so his son takes him on a road trip. They had passed through some of the same towns I did on my trip!! A very funny part in the movie is when they’re driving and a lady who’s walking yells “PIG!” They turn to look at her and are concerned why she’s calling them pigs, but when they turn around, there is a pig standing in the road! As I was driving today, I had to laugh because the sheep, goats and cows just stand in the middle of the highway!! (But no one is calling me a cow!) Also along this drive up the peninsula to Exmouth is red dirt and red hills as far as the eye can see. I passed the Tropic of Capricorn (no big welcome this time, just a sign. There was a big welcome in QLD at the tropic.) It’s pretty, but after about the first 3 hours, it was the same old same old!
At the entrance to the town of Exmouth, there is a Big Prawn. These things are so funny!!
Once I got to Exmouth, I found Vlamingh Head Lighthouse. This one is also very nice. They are doing some construction to it as it has some weather damage.
“North-West Cape was first sighted in 1618 and Vlamingh Head was charted by Willem de Vlamingh in 1696. The Vlamingh Head Lighthouse was built in 1911-12 of concrete and contains a “Chance Bros” (Birmingham, UK) pre-fabricated lantern, which was decommissioned in 1967 with the opening of the Harold E. Holt Naval Base.”
“Wrecked by cyclone February 1945. Shipping in Exmouth Gulf was bombed by Japanese aircraft on three nights in May 1943.”
Although it’s the same day, the Indian Ocean was a bit more colorful here. It was still quite cloudy, but the sun was trying to peak through.
As my next lighthouse is a 6.5 hour drive, and I am tired, I’m spending the night in Exmouth. I’m hoping to go to sleep in the next hour (at 10pm or so) and then wake refreshed to drive to Karratha and the lighthouse there. If I’m not mistaken, tomorrow will be the last lighthouse in WA for me to see. (I did have to skip quite a few as there are so many on inaccessible islands!! Darn it!! But after tomorrow, I’m going to continue my journey (or walkabout as Lenny called it) to see some sights I’d like to see. But stay tuned!
As I got to the lake (it may be a salt lake), and was driving on a winding road, I came upon the Point Quobba Lighthouse. This is overlooking some pretty treacherous waters and several blowholes. This lighthouse is still in use, to the best of my knowledge. (Today was the first day that the Indian Ocean was not 14 different shades of green and blue - I guess only when the sun is out!) But it’s still beautiful. After finding the blowholes and shooting a few photos, it was back in the car for the drive to Exmouth.
Along the drive, there are sheep and goats and cows grazing right on the side of the road. I had watched an Australian movie called Charlie and Boots on this road trip. It’s about a father who is lost after his wife’s death and so his son takes him on a road trip. They had passed through some of the same towns I did on my trip!! A very funny part in the movie is when they’re driving and a lady who’s walking yells “PIG!” They turn to look at her and are concerned why she’s calling them pigs, but when they turn around, there is a pig standing in the road! As I was driving today, I had to laugh because the sheep, goats and cows just stand in the middle of the highway!! (But no one is calling me a cow!) Also along this drive up the peninsula to Exmouth is red dirt and red hills as far as the eye can see. I passed the Tropic of Capricorn (no big welcome this time, just a sign. There was a big welcome in QLD at the tropic.) It’s pretty, but after about the first 3 hours, it was the same old same old!
At the entrance to the town of Exmouth, there is a Big Prawn. These things are so funny!!
Once I got to Exmouth, I found Vlamingh Head Lighthouse. This one is also very nice. They are doing some construction to it as it has some weather damage.
“North-West Cape was first sighted in 1618 and Vlamingh Head was charted by Willem de Vlamingh in 1696. The Vlamingh Head Lighthouse was built in 1911-12 of concrete and contains a “Chance Bros” (Birmingham, UK) pre-fabricated lantern, which was decommissioned in 1967 with the opening of the Harold E. Holt Naval Base.”
“The nearby Radar Rower (a replica) was used in WWII as an early warning system for enemy aircraft and was surrounded by 10,000 camouflaged sandbags; some bags can still be seen on site. The tower was damaged by a cyclone in 1945 and the aerial was ripped from the tower, landing where it is today.”
“Wrecked by cyclone February 1945. Shipping in Exmouth Gulf was bombed by Japanese aircraft on three nights in May 1943.”
Although it’s the same day, the Indian Ocean was a bit more colorful here. It was still quite cloudy, but the sun was trying to peak through.
As my next lighthouse is a 6.5 hour drive, and I am tired, I’m spending the night in Exmouth. I’m hoping to go to sleep in the next hour (at 10pm or so) and then wake refreshed to drive to Karratha and the lighthouse there. If I’m not mistaken, tomorrow will be the last lighthouse in WA for me to see. (I did have to skip quite a few as there are so many on inaccessible islands!! Darn it!! But after tomorrow, I’m going to continue my journey (or walkabout as Lenny called it) to see some sights I’d like to see. But stay tuned!
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About Me
- Laura
- Denver, Colorado, United States
- I'm originally from Colorado, but I've been living in Australia for three years. Before that, I lived all over the U.S.: Washington State, Maine, California, Oregon, Nebraska, North Carolina, Arizona, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, and more... No, I'm not a military brat or a military wife; I was a traveling nurse for 5 years so I moved to a new city every 3 months. During my travels, I became intrigued with lighthouses and started making plans to photograph as many as I could in whichever state I was living (including the two in Nebraska!) My blog is about my trips to various lighthouses, as well as other interesting trips. I hope you enjoy reading, and leave a comment or two!
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