MONDAY 20 JULY     SILVER PLAINS TO WEIPA   369kms

We did a nice, smooth pack up. Our last act at camp was to extinguish our camp fire with water. It has been a good camp spot – but not one we will ever be able to return to.

We had coffee, at the house, with D, on the way through. He seems lonely. I do feel sorry for him, facing an uncertain future, and having to leave this place he is clearly so attached to, and where he has lived for so long.

So it was after 11am when we left him. He did confirm that the distant motor we heard would be a fishing boat, operating close inshore, inside the Barrier Reef.

It took us 90 minutes to get to Coen – faster than on the way in, as we had been on the road before. We stopped there, briefly, to phone the Weipa campground about camping. They said there was plenty of room and that they did not take bookings. So, we are not committed to being there at any set time, and can stop along the way, if we want.

I thought we might camp at Archer River where my book said there was a lovely camp spot amongst paperbarks. But when we got to the Archer River Roadhouse, John decided to press on to Weipa, as he couldn’t be bothered setting up camp for one night. We topped up the fuel at Archer River – 89cpl.

The Archer River. as we crossed on a series of culverts, looked really lovely.

It was a slightly boring, hot, dry, dusty drive. There were more of the deep dips and the roller coaster effect of the straight road over low rises and hollows. The 145kms road from the main road to Weipa was very corrugated. A few kms before Weipa we came to a haul road – a road that big trucks use to cart bauxite ore from the Comalco mine to the port; it has Give Way and Stop signs facing traffic on the ordinary road. Went past some mining associated buildings, interspersed with scrubby land, then eventually came to a “normal” town area and our destination.

We reached Weipa about 5pm. With hindsight, we would have been better to have stayed at the Archer River – discovered that this is not a great time to be arriving at the campground.

Booked in at the Pax Haven Caravan Park for a week, which gave us a slightly cheaper rate of $14 a night for a powered site. They assured us that there were plenty of powered spots left. Hah!

When we drove to find ourselves a site, discovered that there were not sites set out in any way. There were simply scattered power poles, with 4 plug holes in each. I guess the theory was that each rough circle around a pole would be equally shared between four camps, but that did not account for human nature! Earlier comers had spread out greatly, some had 2 or even 3 leads plugged in – thus taking most of one pole area for one camp! It was obvious that there were a number here for very extended stays – they even had chest freezers set up. No wonder there was a discrepancy between what the office said was available and the reality on the ground.

We did a prowl around, closely inspecting poles, and eventually found a free plug point. Luckily, John carries really long extension leads, so we were able to get enough space for our camp, at quite some distance from the pole, weaving the lead around the spread-out camps closer to it. Of course, while we were hunting for an available power point, we were studiously ignored by all those campers who had spread themselves out so far as to make any access to power poles impossible!

While I started the set up, John walked to Woolworths, a small block away, to get things for his tea. I was not really hungry. He came back with veggie fingers, crumpets, chocolate and camembert!

It was dark by the time we finished the set up.

At least, the camp ground is grassy, the amenities block is excellent, we are close to the beach, so may get a bit of a cooling breeze.

There was a really red sunset – and here, the sun does set over the water of the Gulf of Carpentaria.

John ate the crumpets and veggie fingers for tea. It was good to have electric light again – and a lovely warm shower!

We have to get used to urban noises again, after the bush, and to the noises of a busy campground. But we were tired enough to sleep well.