DAY 56 – Minilya Roadhouse - Carnarvon

Good Morning Minilya!
 
Low 7°c (45°F) – High 25°c (77°F)
193km
 
It’s been a very pleasant stay at Minilya Roadhouse but it was pack-up time and not without its entertainment for the morning.  Our UK neighbours were up pretty early, sitting out the back of their camper trailer with the old square card table set for breakfast (including a pot plant) – him dressed and ready for the day – her in a dressing gown and slippers with her “wet looking” hair tied up (I assumed fresh from the showers).  Breakfast consisted of boiled water with a spoon full of honey and 8 pieces of dark chocolate for him – honey mixture and cereal for her, and then an orange, and then a piece of bread buttered with something and then she was snacking on something out of a plastic bag – all the while he was packing stuff around her and she appeared completely oblivious, savoring every bite.  About half an hour later he almost had everything packed and suddenly she decided to head to the showers leaving him to pack the rest as well.  “People watching” is such an interesting sport.
 
Meanwhile Mr & Mrs Motorhome headed off and Shane and I had packed up and had just attached the van to the car when the neighbour on the other side of the motorhome chimed in with his observations “Ahhh I notice you hook up with hand signals and don’t shout at one another” he says.  I said something along the lines that we had a system that works for us but in the course of conversation, when I mentioned that I had been towing ever since I got my licence and that Shane hasn’t really towed much at all so I do all the driving, I got the impression I had suddenly overstepped my station in life.  It’s amazing how many men still don’t think women are capable of towing and that men just have a better understanding of it all.  In the midst of all of this – the other side arrived back from the shower, spread her towel over the bonnet of the car and proceeded to the back of the trailer, still dressed in her dressing gown as we jumped in the car and headed off a bit before 10.00am. 
 
The road-trains are getting fewer and the loads getting smaller.  The only BA loads we passed today included 2 truckloads of fiberglass pools headed for a northerly destination.  The trip was pretty uninspiring in relation to the vegetation and terrain but thankfully no wind meant a slightly faster and less tiring trip.  We arrived in Carnarvon’s Coral Coast Caravan Park just before 11.30am.  The site was a little tight to access but with a bit of maneuvering we were all set up and ready for lunch.  At first I thought the shell sand on the ground was pretty – that was until it got stuck in your skin and was brought in by all three residents of the caravan and is still all over the floor.
 
Carnarvon lies at the mouth of the Gascoyne River on the Indian Ocean.  At the 2016 census, Carnarvon had a population of 5,528.  Within Carnarvon is the Mungullah Aboriginal Community and the Inggarda people are the traditional owners of the region around Carnarvon.  Before European settlement the place now called Carnarvon was known as Kuwinywardu which means "neck of water".   
 
The town was founded in 1883, initially as a port and supply centre for the surrounding region, and is the administrative centre for the Shire of Carnarvon. The town site was officially gazetted on 4 June 1891, named after Henry Herbert, 4th Earl of Carnarvon, a past Secretary of State for the Colonies.
 
After lunch we headed to the wharf and surrounding area where clearly fishing is a large part of Carnarvon.  Lots of boats dry-docked for repairs and a number of yards containing boats on trailers in storage but boats everywhere throughout the residential areas.  There isn’t much of a beach to speak of in this area at all but plenty of fishing spots.
 
From there we drove to a hill overlooking the town to an imposing satellite dish which forms part of a technology museum and information area.  From 1964 to 1965, 12 sounding rockets were launched from Carnarvon to a maximum altitude of 120 km (75 mi).  During the 1960s, NASA set up a tracking station nearby to support the Gemini and Apollo space programs. The tracking station was closed in the mid-1970s. Only the foundations of the historical site remain. The site is adjacent to the OTC Satellite Earth Station which was the huge dish we had seen.  We didn’t go to the museum, but drove up to the dish where dozens of pigeons were landing and taking off as they were being pestered by two large black crows.
 
On to the One Mile Jetty, historical lighthouse and the various displays there.  Unfortunately the jetty is closed, as was the lighthouse area when we arrived but there are still a number of items on display with information on the history of the area.
 
Carnarvon has had three tramways.
·        The first, a very short tramway shown on a Public Works Department map of 1884, ran from a landing site on the river, across Olivia Terrace to a shed on the other side of the road. The trolley used on this tramway was supposed to be hand powered, using a lever attached to crank on two of the wheels. However, there is a reference to the use of wind-power.
·        The second tramway, constructed between 1886 and 1887, ran west from Olivia Terrace in a straight line to the jetty, which was halfway between Mangrove Point and Conspicuous Clump. It was horse drawn.
·        The third, and partially remaining, tramway was completed on 9 November 1900.  It runs from the townsite, across Babbage Island to the deep-sea jetty. It was constructed with a rail gauge of 2 feet (610 mm) and was 2 miles 5 chains (3.3 km) long.  Due to the heavy loads of wool being carried on what was a very light railway, it was decided to convert the tramway to 3 feet 6 inches (1,070 mm) gauge in 1908–09.  This tramway was worked with a steam locomotive. The tramway ceased operation in December 1965.
 
The Carnarvon Light Railway Association operated trains along restored tracks on the jetty; however, due to unsafe conditions the jetty was closed to the public. In 2021, it was destroyed by Cyclone Seroja and while you can still see most of the side railings it remains closed to everyone.
 
The café at the site was open and Shane went in to purchase 2 ice-creams.  I can honestly say they were the worst ice-creams we have ever eaten – absolutely no flavour in all four of the different flavours between the two serves.  It was here we met up with the people who are camped behind us in the caravan park who happen to be from Ballarat, just an hour from home, and the lady was quite surprised to find that I knew the breed of her dog was a Bedlington Terrier.  Aside from having shown dogs for 40 years, I also owned one many years ago and showed him for quite a while so I was very familiar with the breed.  We chatted for a while about travel and other things before heading back to camp.
 
Unfortunately tomorrow we have to pack up and move to another site as there was only a powered site available for one night and we move to the unpowered section tomorrow.  Still a bit more time to explore Carnarvon and surrounds.