80 MILE BEACH

Sorry there’s been a bit of a gap in the blog, had to attend to some business, but now we’re back on track.

We left Barn Hill Station early with the general aim of arriving at Eighty Mile Beach reasonably early but then we found the Stanley Rest Area and decided to free camp overnight.

The large and peaceful Stanley rest area provided a very peaceful night.

Western Australia leads the rest of the country in the provision of numbers of quality rest areas allowing 24 hour stopping. 

The rest areas are often near rivers, creeks or lakes and they are invariably very spacious with plenty of shade. The WA Main Roads Department should be congratulated for the way the stops are laid out and especially for the way they are maintained with regular rubbish removal and tidy up, even though many of the rest areas are quite remote.

The dedicated rest stop maintenance / cleanup vehicle from WA main roads dept.

The composting toilets are not universally liked although they are relatively clean and functional and many stops have more than one toilet – often there are three.
 

I should add that NSW, QLD and the NT are not far behind, but South Australia is way, way behind. Roadside stops in South Australia are very often uninhabitable with excrement and toilet paper all over the place as well as overflowing rubbish bins- something wrong somewhere!

Eighty Mile Beach is, I am told, as described. The beach apparently runs from Cape Keraudren north  to Cape Missiessy. In any event it’s more than adequate for the hundreds of people who holiday there every year and the many people who travel through.

There are many people who choose to winter there every year, often spending three or four months in residence. The many groups of friends tend to become fairly insular – some would say “cliquey” (if that’s a real word) but that sort of behaviour doesn’t worry me, I’m happy to talk to anyone (or ignore anyone as well LOL).

The eighty Mile Beach caravan Park is part of Wallal Downs, a huge grazing property providing stock for the live export market out of Broome and maybe Darwin.

The beach is able to be driven for many Km north – we only drove 9 or 10 km, collecting some nice shells and just lazing about and enjoying the sunshine and the daytime temps of about 30 every day.

80 Mile Beach has lots of bird life including many small groups of Red-Capped Plovers. 

Sundowners, 80 Mile Beach

Just like other beach side locations in WA, Eighty Mile Beach has its share of sundowners, people waiting and watching the sun fall into the ocean every afternoon. 

This lot were not as prepared as some we have come across, there were a few drinks, but not the chairs, tables and nibbles seen elsewhere.

Why this clown had to strap a petrol-powered fan to his back and zoom noisily up and down the beach where people were gathered is beyond me!

And that's what the sundowners were waiting for, sunset, 80 Mile Beach

Next Blog
Roebourne and Point Sampson

Regards
TJ