Dampier Peninsula

On leaving Derby we opted to use a (private) back road to access the Dampier Peninsula. This was an interesting option that reduced the distance considerably, but consisted of a little used, but for the most part, reasonable surface in comparison to what we have been used to lately. We were carrying 2 sets of maxtrax recovery tracks as insurance so we were fairly certain that we would not need them based on the principle that you never need these things unless you don't have them. A momentary lapse of concentration on a particularly soft and deep section of sand saw us sinking into the mire and going nowhere. Off the roof came the maxtrax and soon we were rocketing off down the track, keeping up the revs and the momentum. Returning to retrieve the maxtrax we were greeted by an empty sea of sand, but after a bit of digging about the bright orange of our maxtrax was discovered under the surface and we were able to be on our way. Maxtrax are definitely winners in our book. We could otherwise still be there waiting for someone to come past and rescue us, or at a minimum we would have been shovelling our way to China.

This route brought us out half way up the road to Cape Leveque and we drove in on a rough sand track to an aboriginal community (Gnylmarung) which had been recommended. The facilities were rudimentary and the camping area quite small, but what a glorious place. We set up camp with panoramic views of Beagle Bay and enjoyed swimming, strolling on the beach and fishing for three days. The night sky was something else as we sat at the campfire as the moon came up later in the evening. On the second day we feasted on fish for lunch followed by a freshly cooked mudcrab for afternoon tea kindly donated by the community.

We stopped at Midle Lagoonon on the way out as we had heard such good reports, but we were disappointed that it was so crowded in comparison with where we had been and decided this was not for us. We drove to Kooljamin Resort at Cape Leveque where there were stunning views and whales swimming just offshore, but the camping area did not appeal and we decided to look further as we had been told of another aboriginal community, Ganbanon, at One Arm Point. We drove in and liked the look of it, so we paid for a couple of nights and went to search for a camp site. Well, take a look at the photos and you might be able to guess that we might pay for a couple more nights yet.