MULLEWA, MORAWA - DONGARA/PORT DENISON

It turned out that there were no (at least very few) wildflowers around Mullewa, evidently due to lack of rain, but Mullewa did have a very nice, well equipped caravan park.  A fellow camper had spent the day searching the countryside around for flowers, especially the rare wreath flower, so he was able to give us precise directions to their location.  Next day, with van in tow, we headed south towards Morawa.  The further south we went, the more flowers and flowering shrubs there were, though people who had witnessed the displays previously said they were nowhere near as extensive as usual.

Eventually, we located the site of the wreath flowers, but the flies were so thick, they made taking photos difficult.  They were the small, sticky flies that like to smother your skin and invade every facial orifice.  An American couple pulled up and they had the sense to be wearing head nets.  We haven't used ours so far on this trip but I should have got them out for the viewing of the wreath flowers.

Because it was so hot, we decided to return to the coast and set up camp at the beach at Port Denison.   The next morning dawned cool, overcast and the gale returned - wouldn't you know it?

We've both just read David Marr's Quarterly Essay about Tony Abbott and we thought it objective, fair and reasonable.  It actually improved my opinion of the Mad Monk, perhaps because it gave me a multidimensional and nuanced picture of the man; it made him seem more human.  So it was surprising to hear Dennis Shanahan's quite hysterical reaction, which the ABC have been playing over and over.  It's interesting to observe how our biases/prejudices influence our perceptions.

Before we left Geraldton we were lucky to have the oppotunity to visit a replica of the Dutch ship Duyfken - lucky because it had arrived in Geraldton two days early, probably blown in by those winds.  I reckon WA has enough wind to power half the globe, the other half could be supplied with solar power from WA's sunshine, but I digress. The Duyfken is credited with being the first recorded European ship to land on Australian shores, at the Gulf of Carpentaria in 1606.  What a tiny ship to be sailing the world's oceans!



Replica of Batavia's longboat which was sailed to Jakarta and back to rescue survivors


DONGARA / PORT DENISON

I liked Dongara; it didn't have the seedy look of some of the towns further north.  Dongara has a number of attractive old buildings made from a type of limestone.  The main street is lined with huge, old Moreton Bay figs.  Local volunteers have done a good job of creating and maintaining the museum, housed in the old police station/lock up/court house.

We were camped by the ocean at the sister town of Port Denison:

During our first night there, a storm rolled in from the Indian Ocean and we copped quite a bit of rain as well as the usual strong wind.  It's on occasions like that when we appreciate being snug and dry in the caravan.

A drive north took us to the historic village of Greenough (pronounced Grenuff) where many old buldings - churches, halls, homes, gaol and a school - have been preserved and are open to public viewing.

School

Inside the school

In the dock

Wind blown tree