Week Commencing 20.09.10
Sunday 19.09.10 - We were going to try and get into the National Park but it is still full. We have decided to stay at Yardie Homestead Caravan Park which is 7klms from the National Park Gates. We arrived just before lunch , settled in then we headed off to explore the beaches outside the park. We drove to Bundegi Beach this beach marks the start of Ningaloo Marine Park and is a great place for swimming, snorkelling and fishing. We walked along the beach as the wind was blowing strongly and it was very cold. On the same road is the Naval Base where the world’s largest very low frequency transmitter. The central tower, known as Tower Zero, stands majestically overlooking the North West Cape. It stands at the centre of the base, surrounded by 12 others, all of which can be seen from a great distanced and is the 2nd tallest structure in the southern hemisphere, standing 387.6 metres high. It weighs 800 tonnes and can withstand winds up to 500km per hour. Special Note: Exmouth is known for it’s Emus they are everywhere, in town and we have also noticed them on Cape Range Road. We have also seen lots and lots of kangaroos, the little devils come out on dusk and as you drive along the road you need to be very careful.
Monday 20.09.10 – Today we finally go into the National Park, I am so excited. We have decided to go to Yardie Creek as it is at the far end of the park. Yardie Creek Gorge Walk – A realatively easy walk along the rim of the Gorge was spectacular. A multi-coloured gorge with permanent water fed from the ocean. Hidden within the safety of the sheer gorge walls is a colony of black-footed rock wallabies. With its mangrove areas, Yardie also provides roosting sites for many birds species, while the sheltered waters are a sanctuary for many marine animals. This Gorge was fantasic, very pretty. We then took a walk along the beach and over the sandbar at the entrance to the creek. We enjoyed our lunch in the shady trees. Our next stop was Osprey Bay – wow this place was beautiful. We swam here and John did some snorkelling. We will definitely be visiting here again tomorrow. Each of the beaches were beautiful and each had their own special beauty. When we got to the Oyster Stacks the wind was blowing and it was very cold. Hopefully we can snorkel there tomorrow. Turquoise Bay was unfortunately much the same, very windy and cold. Once again another beautiful beach. We dropped in to Mesa Camp and Neds Camp, these camps were hidden behind the sand dunes, we climbed the dunes , they were amazing and alot of fun. Our last stop for the day was Mangrove Bay and the Bird Hide. Once again just beautiful, really can’t find the words for the whole day – beautiful beautiful beautiful. To top the day off we came across an echidna crossing the road. There is certainly plenty of wildlife here at the Cape.

Tuesday 21.09.10 – Back into the National Park, as we had covered alot the previous day we drove straight to Osprey Bay as this was just so beautiful. We spent most of the morning here and enjoyed lunch looking out over the bay. We went for a long walk along the beach seeing lots of wildlife in the ocean. We both snorkelled and really enjoyed the whole day. On the way home we called into a couple of the bays but still decided Osprey was the best.

Wednesday 22.09.10 – Today we drove down to Coral Bay after doing some chores in Exmouth. The drive took about 2 hours mostly desert on the way. When you finally drive into Coral Bay you see this most beautiful bay. Wow it takes your breath away. Unfortunately we had only booked two nights here. With the school holidays upon us we were not able to stay longer. Once settled off to the beach for snorkelling and swimming. The reef is very close to the shore , the water crystal clear and fish everywhere. You can actually see fish as you walk along the beach. At 3.30pm each afternoon they have fish feeding, and these fish are huge and they come in very close to the shore and lift themselves out of the water and swim through your legs, it is fantastic.

Thursday 23.09.10 – Same as yesterday, just beautiful. I went on a glass boat cruise which was great.

Friday 24.09.10 – Sadly we had to leave Coral Bay behind us. We will return to this special place one day. Off to Carnarvon, settled into our camp and went for a drive in the late afternoon. We also passed the Tropic of Capricorn on the way to Carnarvon.
Did you Know?
• The Gascoyne River is 764km long.
• Charles Kingsford Smith started the Gascoyne Transport Company
• Carnarvon’s One Mile Jetty is one of the longest jetties in WA
• Carnarvon’s OTC dish (Earth Tracking Station) was built in conjunction with NASA in 1966 as a satellite communications and tracking station. The station was involved in the Apollo space missions. The dish is 29.6m in diameter and weighs 300 tonnes.
• NASA Tracking Station 1964-75 was involved with the Gemini, Apollo and Skylab space projects.
• Jack Bluzolic produced the first bunch of Carnarvon Bananas in 1928.
• Carnarvon is home to Australia’s rarest Thornbill – the singing Bushlark. It can be spotted in Bush Bay
• Carnarvon’s seafood industry produces over 56 million dollars per year
• Carnarvon supplies 70% of WA’s winter vegetables requirements.
• Carnarvon produces over 30,000 tonnes of fruit and vegetables every year from it 176 plantations, worth approximately $73million
• Carnarvon’s egg farm is the most northern commercial egg farm in WA, producing over 4 million eggs per year.
• Many varieties of stone fruit are grown and produced in Carnarvon for commercial sale.
• Chinaman’s Pool used to be the main source of fresh water for the town
• Bibbawarra Bore is 914 metres deep and produced a continuous flow of hot water at a temp of 65degs
• Mt Augustus is twice the size of Uluru but clad in low shrub and 1650 to 1750 million years old.
• Lake MacLeod produces both salt and gypsum and occupies 2072 sq km, the lake is 110km long and 40km wide.
• The town is situated at the only point of the Australian coastline where the central desert reaches out to the sea.

Saturday 25.09.10 – Up for early morning walk. Today is Grand Final Day, so we set the tele up outside and settled in for afternoon of footy. We telephone the footy group at half time. What a great game, but unfortunately no winner so we do it all again next Saturday.
Sunday 26.09.10 – Our morning walk this morning turned into a 6km marathon. We then packed up to explore Carnarvon. Out to One Mile Jetty and yes we walked it so that adds another 3km to my walking today. This also included climbing steps to the water town lookout. From there we went to the OTC dish – more steps. Then we drove down the HMAS Memorial drive which they have all 665 men are remembered.

Week Commencing 13.09.10
Monday 13.09.10 – We left Brisbane in the evening arriving in Perth at 12.30 am, this turned out to be an interesting evening. We had to wait at the airport for our 6am flight to Exmouth. We were kicked out of the Skywest & Virgin terminal and told to move to the Qantas terminal which stayed open all night. So we joined the other thirty odd people trying to catch some sleep on the carpet area around the baggage collection area. (Never thought we would be doing this). Anyway we survived the night. (About an hour sleep in all).
Tuesday 14.09.10 – Booked our luggage in at 4am and then went to boarding area to await our flight. We both were intrigued with the going ons here. There were lots of flights going out to the mines, I mean about ten flights and all these mine workers heading off to work. Finally we were called for our flight and as we walked along the tarmac it was freezing. We arrived in Learmouth airport and then a 30min bus ride to our car and van. Finally home, all was in order and by 9.30am we were settled back in camp. We were both exhausted and spent most of the afternoon sleeping.
Wednesday 15.09.10 – After a restful night, up early and did some washing etc. We walked up town and checked out the Visitors Centre. After lunch we went for a drive along the beach and ended up at the local golf club. Sand greens, Johnny says he will pass playing this course. We drove up the coast towards Cape Range National Park. Checked out the Lighthouse, the radar was destroyed by a cyclone and some ships were bombed in 1943. We could see some whales playing in the ocean. We could also see in the far distance the oil and gas rigs. Amazing. We also found an amazing sand dune – similar to the one called the desert at Moreton Island. Back in camp we have just enjoyed a great meal , meat and mashed veges – yummy.
Thursday 16.09.10 – Today we drove East to Charles Knife Gorge – this was a self drive around the ridge of the Gorge this is an 11km drive taking you to lookouts for views of the Gorge and Exmouth Gulf. Shothole Canyou is a spectacular drive through the base of the Gorge, it is hard to take your eyes off the spectacular rock formations. On the way home we stopped at the Exmouth Fish Co to buy some Exmouth King Prawns. Yummy. We stopped to check out the Learmouth Jetty, some folks fishing and we enjoyed a nice lunch on the beach.
Friday 17.09.10 – Today was repair day, John worked on the car and the hot water system. I read a book.
Saturday 18.09.10 – Another rest day, I went for a walk and then read a book and had a lovely snooze. John spent the arvo at the TAB.

Week Commencing 29.08.10
Sunday 29.08.10 – Birthday, Happy birthday Wil 56years wow I feel great. We had a pleasant day around camp and some fishing. No fish so we went to the local fish restaurant for dinner, fish baskets for both of us. Yummy, it was a great day calls from home, I feel very blessed.
Monday 30.08.10 – On the road again not much except desert and more desert. We arrived at free camp Barradale which was huge. On the Robe river there were cows wondering around and we collected some wood for our fire. We put the hot water on and about 15 mins later a giant bang, the hot water pipe had burst, water everywhere. We spent the next two hours repairing the pipe (I mean John did, I watched and helped when I could). What a mess, anyway fixed we were able to shower and then sat down to dinner around 9pm. Off to bed , ready for our drive into Exmouth.
Tuesday 31.08.10 – Wedding Anniversary 36years, now that is wonderful and we still love each other. I feel very lucky to have such a wonderful man in my life. (I am sure Johnny thinks the same). Left camp around 9am and the drive to Exmouth was very nice. We stopped at the Seafood shop on the outskirts of Exmouth and bought some yummy prawns for lunch. Booked into the Big4 caravan park and camped next to a lovely couple Rod & Liz Hicks from Perth. We seemed to click immediately and enjoyed a couple of drinks with them that evening.
Wednesday 1.09.10 – Today we called Mum (Rita) to see how she was travelling as she had been in hospital for the past week. Unfortunately things not going well for her and she was very upset as the doctor had bad news. We decided it was time for us to fly home and spend some quality time with her. Decisions were running through our heads, when Rod & Liz (Campers next door) kindly arranged for our car and van to be stored at their nephew’s home here in Exmouth. We found ourselves at 2.30 this afternoon boarding a plane for Perth. We looked at each other and thought there are such wonderful people in this world. We arrived at Perth around 4.30pm, gave our Kiwi friends, Garry and Deb a call, who picked us up and we went to dinner. This was fantastic because we couldn’t board our plane for Brissie until 11pm.
Thursday 02.09.10 – We arrived at Brisbane Airport and went straight to the hospital to visit Mum.
Sadly Mum passed away on Monday 6 September peacefully in her sleep. We are both glad to had special time with Mum before her passing. We celebrated her life on Friday 10 September with family and special friends, thankyou to all who shared this celebration with us.
We stayed in Brisbane until 13 September. We had a nice catch up with family and friends at this sad time.

Week Commencing 22.08.10
Sunday 22.08.10 – Left camp early As long drive today, some 455kms to our Free Stay at Robe River. The day was overcast and windy. When we arrived at Robe River we were a bit disappointed, red dirt, dust and it was raining, not the best situation. John set up Foxtel and we spent most of the time inside the van.
Monday 23.08.10 – Up reasonable early and packed up in between showers and hit the road for Karratha. On arrival, looked at the caravan park and said I am not staying here. Anyway we did stay (as there was no other option). It looked terrible very ordinary, when we arrived at our sight, more red dirt, dust yuk! Decided to go back to reception to see if we could get a slab, but they were closed for lunch. So we set up camp and we were here for three days, soon found out there was only six tourist sites and the rest were permanents. I forgot to mention it was in the industrial part of town. We did have some nice people around us and it turned out ok in the end. After lunch we took a drive into Dampier which is the port. This is where the Iron Ore comes on the train from Rio Tinto in Tom Price.
Tuesday 24.08.10 – Car is being serviced today, so a relaxing day in the dust at camp.
Wednesday 25.08.10 – Today we did some more sightseeing , shopping etc.
Thursday 26.08.10 – Special day today, set the alarm for 5.30am so we could call Melissa for her birthday before she heads off to work. On the go again, today we have a huge drive of 55kms to Port Samson. Funny we seem to be on a run of bad experiences with camps at the moment. We booked into Samson Caravan Park which is ok , we do have a slab and little bit of grass. But next door is the brand new Cove Caravan Park – very classy. We decided to check it out and ran into a group of three travellers who have been following up on our journeys. They made the right choice. Anyway, things aren’t too bad we have settled in and all is good.
Friday 27.08.10 – Today we visited the Roebourne Vistors Centre which is at the old Roebourne Goal 1896, very interesting place. From there we went to Cossack Heritage Town. We spent a few hours here as we decided we needed some exercise so we did the Heritage walk. We both found this place very interesting. As we wondered through the cemetery we found it amazing how young these people were.
History of Cossack
In 1861 Francis T Gregory undertook the first European exploration of the Pilbara region. It was as a result of Gregory’s favourable reports of the area that settlement occurred. In May 1863 Walter Padbury, the first land settler landed his stock at the mouth of the Harding river at an inlet to become known as Butcher’s Inlet, near the present site of Cossack. Cossack was first known as Tien Tsin, after the barque that carried Padbury and his party, however in its early years it was referred to as Port Walcott and North District. It was not until December 1871 after a visit by Governor Weld in HMS Cossack that the town’s name was finally chosen.
At the first port in the North West , Cossack played a vital role as the port for Roebourne and the surrounding areas. All supplied for the new region and budding pastoral industry that was developing were shipped to Cossack.
The existence of nearby pearling fields saw the development of a significant pearling industry. By the early 1870’s up to 80 luggers were operating in the area. The most tangible reminder of this once booming industry is the Japanese cemetery where some hapless divers are laid to rest, others, including many Aboriginals who were employed as divers, were lost at sea.
The Pilbara gold rush of the late 1870’s coincided with the growth of the pearling industry to bring real prosperity to Cossack and in 1877 the municipality of Cossack was declared. This year also marked the construction of a horse drawn tramway to link Cossack to Roebourne.
By 1880 the population of Cossack had grown to 229 and by 1894 this figure reached over 400. Official records show that in 1894 there were 141 Europeans and 225 Asiatics living at Cossack. During the “lay up” season from Nov to Mar many hundreds of people of Asian origin occupied Chinatown.
All homes and public buildings in the town were originally built of timber with iron roofs. As a precaution against cyclones that periodically struck the town, many of the buildings were anchored to the ground by chains extended over the roofs and attached to bounders sunk in the ground. The government buildings were also constructed using iron and timber but during the 1890’s they were replaced by the imposing stone structures which remain standing today.
Cossack’s growth spanned nearly 40 years, however its decline was for more rapid. By the turn of the century the pearling fleet had moved to Broome and the gold rush had diminished as prospectors moved to other fields. To add further impetus to the town’s demise, Butcher’s Inlet, which vessels had only ever been able to navigate with any certainty at high tide, was too small to accommodate larger shipping.
The municipality of Cossack was dissolved in 1910, however people still lived there until after World War 11. There were some attempts to revive the town during these years by introducing new industries. A turtle soup factory was established in the Bond Store and in 1913 a leprosarium was established on the bank of the Harding River opposite the township. In 1931 this was closed and patients were transferred to Darwin.
Local legend claims that Mrs Muramot, widow of one of the few Asians who owned a store and pearling luggers at Cossack tried to revive the pearling industry after World War 11, but was unsuccessful. By the early 1950’s the town was virtually abandoned.
Today, Cossack offers unique glimpse into our colonial past.
Saturday 28.08.10 – Day before my birthday. Today we drove to Karratha, John went to TAB and took off to do some shopping, spent my money Jen gave me for my birthday. Went out to the North West Shelf Woodside Project (found this interesting as it was a Schenker client). Amazing place. From there I drove to Dampier and had a nice walk along the beach. By this time it was time to pick up John and we drove back to Port Samson. Watching the Brisbane Lions and a few beers before dinner.

Week Commencing 15.08.10
Sunday 15.08.10 – Left Pardoo and drove the 220km to Port Hedland. As you drive into the town you notice mines on either side of the road. We also spotted our first huge train, it was that long you could not see where it ended. On the main road there was the Rio Tinto Salk Mine, this huge pile of salt and salt pads , it is amazing. When we got to the visitors centre it was closed but the sign advised no sites at the van parks. We made some lunch which we had in the car park and then made our way to the Golf Course as this is where the overflow go. Sandy was a pleasant lady and said it was ok for us to stay. So we joined the other four or five vans in the car park.
Monday 16.08.10 – We went into South Hedland to doing some chores as well as vote. We had lunch at the local chinese and spent the afternoon feeling very full. John decided to have a game of golf as we were living there. The course is very green and he had a good game. We got on the net and booked our tickets to come home at Christmas. Looking forward to seeing everyone over this period. We will be home 12 December and return back to Perth on 6 January.


Tuesday 17.08.10 – Up early but only on the highway a short time when we were delayed nearly an hour as they were moving some huge equipment which took up the whole road. Finally we were passed and when we turned off to Karijini it was as if everyone was in a hurry. They were overtaking one after another, the cb’s were going nuts it was really strange. Finally this settled down and we were able to enjoy the trip. The landscape was amazing, real red sandy desert, I am nothing just red rocks and dirt. Then you would come across some trees and creeks that were very wide with just sand in them and maybe some trees. We then travelled over some ranges and finally arrived at Karijini. The campsite is red dirt and rocks, we have a site in Bungarra Loop and have settled in nicely. This afternoon we did the Fortescue Falls and Fern Pool walk. You have to make your way down the gorge about 150mtrs deep, lots of steps. There were folks swimming in both pools, but the water is very cold.

Wednesday 18.08.10 – After a great nice sleep up and had brekkie then prepared for our trekking. We haven’t trekked for sometime so hope we both make it. Back in camp by 3pm and had a fantastic time exploring Dales Gorge. The walk starts at the top of the gorge descending the steps down a steep slope to the bottom of the gorge. You then ramble along the gorge floor to the fern-framed pool – Circular Pool. The water is very cold but I am told refreshing. From here we walk along the creek to Fortescue Falls. We had to negotiate creek crossing and large boulders. The banded iron formations exposed in many of the rocks in and around the gorge originated more than 2,500 million years ago as iron and silica-rich sediment deposits accumulated on an ancient sea floor. Over millions of years these deposits were transformed by the pressure of further sediments laid down over them, forcing trapped water to be driven out and gradually turning the sediments into tough, well-bedded rock. Horizontal compression later caused the rocks to buckle, developing numerous vertical cracks, before lifting to the surface to form dry land. A sharp drop in sea-level caused the rivers to cut down rapidly through the land, creating sheer-sided gorges. This, combined with millions of years of erosion, has sculptured the rocks into the present landscape.
The Gorges
In the north of the park, small creek-beds, hidden in the rolling hillsides and dry for most of the year, suddenly plunge down 100 mtr chasms. Farther downstream the gorges become wider and their sides change from sheer cliff to steep slopes of loose rock. Finally the drainage systems emerge as alluvial fans into the Fortescue Valley. The gorges provide a refreshing retreat from the arid plains above.
Karijini’s traditional owners are The Banyjima, Yinhawangka and Kurrama Aboriginal people, the traditional owners call The Hamersley Range – Karijini. The name of the park recognises the historic and continuing significance of the area to these people. Evidence of their ancestors’ occupation dates back more than 30,000 years. During that period, Aboriginal land management practices such as “fire stick farming”, resulting in a diversity of vegetation types and stages of succession, have helped determine the range of plants and animals found in the park. Fern Pool and Circular Pool are special places to local Aboriginal people. The park is situated just north of Tropic Capricorn and its climate can be described as tropical semi-desert.
Wildflowers vary in abundance with the seasons and from year to year. In the cooler months the land is covered with numerous yellow flowering sennas (cassias) nd acacias, northern bluebells and purple mulla mullas. Birds are many and varied , you may encounter red kangaroos, euros (kangaroos that are common to the rocky country), Rothchild’s rock-wallabies, bats and dingoes.


Thursday 19.08.10 – Up early and headed off to Tom Price. We had a 96km drive to our destination. Arrived and found grass, yes grass sites. It is wonderful to have grass. After setting up we headed to the Visitors Centre to see what Tom Price had to offer. We were lucky enough to join the afternoon tour of the Rio Tinto Iron Ore Mine. This tour was very informative and enjoyable. Everything to do with Rio Tinto is big, big trucks, big tyres, big signs, it is amazing how big the whole corporation is. The driver took us for a look around town and then into the Mine site. We could only get out of the bus at the lookout, we looked quite funny with our Hard Hats and goggles. Tom Price was built by Rio Tinto but is now controlled by local council. Rio Tinto owns 90% of the homes in town. They just built a new swimming pool worth some 1.3 million dollars. The population is around 6,000 of which 1,000 are school aged children. We were told there are more than 1,000 pre schoolers. Not much else to do in a town like this.

Friday 20.08.10 – Today we are heading off to Hamersley Gorge in Karajini National Park, Mt Sheila, and then Nameless Mountain. We head along the main highway and then turn off onto the Rio Tinto Mine access road. This road runs from Tom Price to Karratha about 100kms of dirt road. You need to go to the visitors centre and watch a video to get a permit to travel on this road. We did this before we headed off this morning. From the turnoff of the highway we travelled 27kms and then a further 10kms to Mt Sheila. We then travelled another 2.5km to the top of the Mountain. The views were spectular unfortunately the pictures do not give it justice. Then we backtracked and got back on the access road and headed to Hamersley Gorge, this was another 29kms of red dirt.
Hamersley Gorge – On arriving we decided to do the rim walk first, only problem the track lead to nowhere. So up the hill we go back to the carpark. We then find the right track which was alot of steps down into the Gorge. The Gorge was really really nice, well worth the effort. The rocks were quite tricky to get over, very smooth and slippery in places. John continued on further upsteam and when he returned he said he was glad he had made the effort. So we were very impressed with Hamersley Gorge. As there was nowhere to have a picnic lunch we ate as we drove back to town.


This time it was another 50kms along the red dirt road. We certainly had a day on the red roads around Tom Price.
Nameless Mountain – This mountain is the backdrop to our caravan park. Once again on a very rough dirt road. It was a very rough and steep road to the top. I think John had a great day doing all the 4WD driving stuff. The view from the top was really nice. You overlooked the town of Tom Price, the Caravan Park, the rolling hills and mountains. You could also see the mine, a great 360 degree view from up here. We are both so glad we did all these things today.

Saturday 21.08.10 – Rest day. Off towards Karratha tomorrow. Wow I am up to date again. Hope everyone is well.

Week commencing 09.08.10

Week Commencing 09.08.10
Monday 9.08.10 – Very windy here today, I cooked some piklets and we shared morning tea with Trish and Kerry. Yummy. We went to a drive up to the Point where we saw some pelicans on the shore. We walked along the beach and rocks. This is our last day at Port Smith. Back at camp we started preparing the van for departure the next morning. At 5pm we went to the BBQ area to listen to the Bush Poet, he was fantastic, we bought one of his CD’s. Finished the evening with a few drinks at Kerry’s van joined by other folks. It was a nice end to our stay at Port Smith.

Tuesday 10.08.10 – Up early and finish packing up we leave camp around 9.30 (early for us) we have about 200kms to Eighty Mile Beach. We are lucky and get a powered sight. Settle in and I head to the beach. Here in the Kimberley they have huge tides. The water is miles out so I walk along the beach collecting shells. We then have lunch and go for a drive along the beach. As there is no internet service we try the one at the shop. Terrible, so slow and we only got to read a few emails, so no contact until we get to Port Headland. Eighty Mile Beach caravan park is not what it used to be. They had a big cyclone here last year and lost all there palm trees. They have a photo board in the shop and it is just amazing. John set up his Foxtel and had it within 5 mins (this is a record). I have hurt my shoulder this afternoon washing the floor of the van. Not too bad but it gave me a scare and I thought of New Zealand.
Wednesday 11.08.10 – Had a good night’s sleep and have woken to a very windy day. Am doing some washing before we head down to the beach to try and do some fishing. John has been over the road helping an old mate with this Foxtel, seems he is the expert in the park. We went for drive along the beach to collect some shells. We could not believe how far the tide was out, amazing. For some reason I started to feel unwell and spent the rest of the afternoon and evening on the loo. No dinner for me tonight.
History of Pardoo Station
Pardoo was originally established as an outstation of De Grey Station, when Padbury took stock north to De Grey in the 1860’s. He later abandoned the area and itwas then taken up by AE Anderson, Harper and Grant in 1869. Later Harper was replaced by Edgar.
Another change was to come about when the Pardoo section was sold off in 1902 to Frank Snellgove Thompson, Medcalf and Rounsville. They were all bought out by Thompson in 1904.
In 1912 Thompson left the station in the hands of managers until his son returned from the war in 1919. He then took over the running of Pardoo. Frank Finlayson Thompson married in 1925 and Pardoo was to stay in the family until sold in 1963
The Schubert family brought Pardoo on 7 May 1963 and then later sold to Kari Stein on 7 March 1967. Russell and Gillian Peake brought Pardoo in 1973 and then later sold to the Brown familyin 1986. In December 1991 John and Pam Leeds brought Pardoo and later sold to Graeme and Judy Rogers in 2005. Graeme and Judy Rogers are still the current owners.
In 1902 Pardoo consisted of 414,750 acres and now with additional land acquired, it measures 500,000 acres or 199,000 hectares. Pardoo stretches approx 80km along the coastline and includes tidal creeks and small islands off the coast.
Pardoo Homestead as with De Grey homestead was close to the port of Condon, which flourished from 1872 to the early 1900’s when Port Headland was established as the main port for the Pilbara. Condon is now abandoned.
The Pardoo Homestead was extended by the Thompson Family in 1936. The site for the buildings is significan t as one of the early stations to develop from the De Grey Run.
Of the collection of buildings the homestead and the shearing shed are the most significant. The homestead is typical of a Pilbara plan type. It has a central “core” containing small numbers of large rooms, no passages and no formal entry or entry hall. It is completely surrounded by verandahs and all under a steeply pitched hip roof. The kitchen block is separate.
The Homestead walls are mode of concrete and stone and are approx 450mm thick. The verandahs have tee section posts,the steel of which bears the trademark “Frodingham England” into the sections fitted to the top hung cyclone shutters. The ceiling height is 3670mm (asft) and comes down to 2140 (7ft) at the edge of the verandahs. Adjacent to the kitchen block is a store saddle room structure which is made of corrugated galvanized iron walls with framing of leightweight railway lines from the Port Headland to Marble Bar Railway. The roof is clear span corrugated galvanized iron vault of some 3m.
Pardoo consists of mostly very flat, grassy plains and numerous species of Spinifex. Soft Spinifex being looked upon as the best drought-resisting feed for stock. Pardoo in early times ran sheep plus a small mob of breading mares. Camels were used in the running of the station.
Now Pardoo is a cattle station running mainly Santa Gertrudis cattle. There are approx 6,000 cattle on the station at present.
The Rabbit Proof Fence was completed in 1907 and ends on Pardoo at Cape Keraundren where a stone wall was built out to sea to stop the rabbits coming around the fence. Cape Keraundren was taken out of the Pardoo lease in 1983 to give the public access to the coast.
Pardoo has a substantial water supply with the Canning Artesian Basin situated below the lease. There are a number of Artesian Bores which were established by Wapet in 1955. The most significant being the Homestead water supply, it is 90m deep and water is constantly supplied to the Homestead and Homestead gardens.
Thursday 12.08.10 – Feeling much better this morning, so up early and packed up for our trip to Pardoo Station Stay. We had yet another red dirt road – 13kms into Pardoo. We found a nice spot to set up and then headed onto the Station roads to check things out. Lots of catter, brolgas and lots of dirt, dust. We first headed to Pardoo Creek, the tide was out so all we saw was mud, not very appealing. We noticed some young guys had walked along the creek bed and we assume they were going crabbing. We then drove out to Red Point and Banningarra Creek. Unfortunately it seems we are here at the wrong tides, unable to get to Lighthouse Island or Bake Bean Creek. We drove as far as we could but the surface was very muddy so we decided to turn around. You need to open and close each gate and the cattle have right away, they just walk across the road and you sit and wait until they move.
Friday 13.08.10 - Not well again today, went fishing with John but just sat in the chair and read. No luck with the fish, still very windy here. Spent the afternoon in bed sleeping.
Saturday 14.08.10 – Woke feeling much better today. We decided to stay today and do some jobs before we move onto Port Headland. Spent day doing the washing, cut Johnny’s hair and he dyed my locks. John watching the races and football and I am catching up with some updates. We are going to the Pardoo Station Restaurant for dinner tonight. They tell us it is well worth a visit.