17 May – 21 June 2024

9 Mile campsite is somewhere we have visited before. This time however, we decided to stop, relax and just enjoy the place. Located just a stones throw from Coral Bay at a fraction of the price makes it quiet appealing. Many of the people that stay here do so year after year for months at a time. Some that we met having been doing so for the last 20 to 30 years. They fish in their boats when the weather allows (which is most of the time) and socialise around the campfire of an evening. We camped up on what is known as ‘Knob Hill’ with its uninterrupted ocean and sunset views. We planned on staying a month while the weather was still favorable before heading further north. Our days were filled with beach fishing, swimming, camp fires and relaxing. We caught garfish and Chinaman Cod, we saw dolphins and sharks, we walked the reef and caught an occy and we snorkeled the crystal clear waters of the bay. The flies were not too bad but the mosquitos were around each evening. We set up the fly screen annex so we could enjoy the evenings outside without getting eaten by the bugs which worked amazingly well.

We met many people including an elderly couple both of who were 89 and 90 years young. They were the original caretakers many years ago and come each year without fail. If we are still caravaning at 90 I’m sure it would have been a fantastic life we would have lived. Another couple we met were from NSW. Pete went out in their boat a couple of times and caught a few fish and squid. They were a newly retired couple just finding their way in their new lifestyle. We all got along so well, that we will certainly keep in contact and pay a visit when we head east in years to come.

We had a very welcomed visitor in Zoe who was spending the mid year uni break solo camping up north. She learnt a lot including how to use and test her solar panel, 12v fridge and battery set up so she could stay off grid. After a rough few nights up in the rain with a leaking tent, she was glad to reach us. We showed her around and made a visit to Coral bay for a snorkeling session. We enjoyed her company very much, and after a week of quality time, it was time to say goodbye so she could continue her adventures.

The weather was absolutely perfect until Zoe arrived. She seemed to drag the winter storm fronts with her and we got to experience a few days of a mild north west storm front. Over the course of 3 days, we had a good bit of rain. What a good way to make sure the van doesn’t leak. Apart from the awning needing the seams waxed for more waterproofing, the set up fared quite well. Even Zoe’s tent held up after the minor tear repair made when she arrived.

We stayed a total of 5 weeks at 9 Mile which went by very quickly, but with the cold, damp weather hanging around, it was time to move on.

Off we drove to Onslow. The plan was to camp along the Ashburton River 15km out of Onslow. We’d never been to Onslow before so was to be a new experience for us. Our plans were thrown out the window though with the roads being closed. Although the rains we got at 9 Mile were mild, the areas to the north didn’t fair so well. The roads into the Ashburton were trashed. We spoke to some people who said the dirt road was reduced to the consistency of a red, smooth, slippery toothpaste like mud. The cars and caravans had to leave with some having accidents and some slipping sideways along the road. We then had to ring around the caravan parks to find a spot to camp up. We managed to get a spot in the overflow camping area for a few days which worked well for us. There were only about 6 vans in the overflow when we arrived, but that number got to around 30 by the time we left due to the many camp and road closures in the shire. We got to walk around the small town and explore all that Onslow has to offer. We visited the local museum, drove the ocean road to view the mines (salt and gas), walked the boardwalk, had a meal and beer at the 2 pubs and visited the most spectacular ANZAC memorial for sunrise. A little fun fact about Onslow for you. The salt fields of Onslow cover 90km2 and 2.5million tonnes are exported from here each year. Onslow, Port Headland, Dampier and Shark Bay produce 93% of all salt mined in Australia. We did enjoy our few days here, but are really looking forward to finding where on earth the sun and heat are. I guess it must be further north somewhere so of we go again.