Happy birthday, Pete.

This morning we had a sleep in and didn’t wake up until 8:45am. By 10:00am we were leaving the caravan park with our lunches and coffee packed ready to head off to the Visitor Information Centre.

We purchased a good map for further south on our journey, and two different wildflower of Western Australia books for reference material.

Russ took a walk – sorry, drive – on the wild side and we went along the foreshore of the town. There was not a lot to see. We then headed off

to the BP Truck Stop to refuel before driving back on ourselves and diverting onto Bibbiwarra Road. The Bibbiwarra Ford crosses the Gascoyne River although there is no water in it at present, and it is made of concrete slabs, and is approximately half a kilometre long.

Shortly after the ford crossing the road turns into a good 4WD track which meanders around the country before joining up with the Quobba Point Road.

It is 75 kilometres to the Quobba Point Blowholes from Carnarvon – mostly sand dunes covered in vegetation, and lots of salt flats. Rio Tinto have another depot of the Dampier Salt works here.

Along the way there are absolutely no trees for as far as the eye can see. Some brilliant person has organised for old car rims (minus the tyre) to be attached to the power poles so that the birds can build their nests above the ground. Most of the rims have sitting birds in them today. We have seen predominantly crows and Nankeen Kestrels at the top of the poles.

While at Quobba Point we saw another of those tiny camper vans that so intrigued us before. They are called Cool Beans and are manufactured in Fremantle. I checked out their website and the starting price is $41,000 for very little. Russ would have the greatest difficulty in getting inside their D-shaped doors.

We had our lunch when we got to Quobba Point camping area. There are toilets (chemical ones) but no water unless you bring it with you. The water in this little bay is a pristine turquoise and a haven for snorkellers of which there were several already swimming in the waters and others sitting on the beach. This particular spot is called ‘the Aquarium’ because it is a safe and protected area one kilometre from the action of the blowholes.

We took lots of bird photos, then some of the surf, the blowhole and the wildflowers. I just love trying to capture the ferocity of the wave action as it pounds onto the rocky shores. The sign at the entrance to the area is “King Waves Kill” and they are not wrong.

Another sign asks if it is worth losing your life for a fish from this location. Several people have been swept off the rocks to their deaths, and apparently, you cannot see the king wave coming. We took our photos with a dash of trepidation.

The blowholes are formed by the powerful ocean swell which have broken through the rocky limestone in several places. The very large waves expel jets of water into the air, some of them to a height of 20 metres or more, which creates a spectacular sight.

Altogether Russ took 428 photos, and I clocked over 819. I diligently comb through them all for only those that are of some interest.