Day 79 Onslow, WA

Onslow! What a hidden gem!  With having to book quite a few weeks in advance of our stays, research has been the name of the game. When it came to Onslow, I didn't do any research at all as it was simply a place on the map that was around about halfway between Karratha and Coral Bay.  When we were in Karratha I finally looked into what we could see and do in Onslow but couldn't find much of interest at all.  We were originally booked in for four nights at the Onslow Ocean View Caravan Park but I suggested to Philip that we cut it back to three nights as four might be too many.  My mistake 😩

As we left Karratha this morning it was another chilly one and I was glad for my purchases yesterday.  I have a feeling that this is going to be the norm from here on in.  Cool mornings but glorious days.  Our drive to Onslow is 307km, the perfect driving distance for us, that will get us to Onslow around 1.00pm in time for lunch.  

The scenery today is much the same as it was from Port Kembla to Karratha.  It is still so incredibly green from all the rain that they have had in the area and the wildflowers are making an early appearance.  The biggest difference on our drive today was the lack of trucks carrying iron ore.  The last iron ore mine that we see on our journey south, is Red Hill Mine near Pannawonica, 100km south of Karratha.  We are heading out of the Pilbara area of Western Australia and will soon be entering the Gascoyne Area.  It's well named because there is a lot of LNG plants in this area.

We reach the Onslow turnoff around 200km from Karratha.  I said to Philip it might only be a minor road so we had better keep our eyes peeled.  Our first misconception.  We turn on to what can only be described as a first class highway.  No money has been spared on this 90km stretch of road.  We hardly see another vehicle let alone trucks but there are passing lanes along this highway!  The road is not on our vehicle GPS map so we can only presume it is relatively new, but I won't trust that our GPS is up to date.

They call this the Termite Way and there are literally thousands of termite mounds as far as the eye can see in both directions.  They are the weirdest shape with their bulbous shape but each mound has a small dome shape formed on the top, a bit like a top hat.  We will have to ask someone why this is so.  It's something we have not seen before.  A bit of useless information.  Worker and Soldier termites live approximately 1-2 years but the Queen termite may survive for over a decade under optimal conditions.  Yay for the women!!

As we near Onslow we are becoming more and more surprised.  There is a large lake on the outskirts of town and we can only guess it has something to do with the Salt Mine that has been established in the area.  But, once again we will ask a local tomorrow.  The town is lovely.  It is small with just one Main Street but it is lined with trees and flowering bougainvillea all resplendent after the rain.  We find our caravan park easily as it is right at the end of the street.  We are greeted by the friendliest husband and wife team who point us in the direction of our site - right on the beach!  It certainly pays to book in advance.

View from our caravan window

The dog patrol

After we set up camp and ate a light lunch we made our way down the Main Street to the information centre so that we could book ourselves on the bus tour tomorrow that takes us around the town. We are very interested in the history of the town and who better to give the information than a local tour guide.  What we do know is that Onslow was a sleepy little beach side town up until 2011 when the Wheatstone LNG project was established.  It is a massive project situated just a few kilometres from Onslow.  Hopefully, I will be able to tell you more about it after our tour tomorrow.