Bullara Station | Physio my way

Locations: Exmouth Gulf, Bullara Station, Coral Bay WA

Regions: Gascoyne WA

Dates: 11 – 15 September 2024

Temperatures: 20 – 37, hot, sunny.

Wednesday 11 September 2024

Temperature: 15 – 31 degrees, sunny

Starting kilometre’s: 9368

With all the washing clean and fresh yesterday we decided to forgo the mining mess for the hotel and shared a prawn stir fry and a parmi. Today we are headed to House Creek Camp, about 176 km’s on the Beasley (52) and then Nanutara-Munjina Road 212 in total.

It’s vey hot with 33 degrees at 11:30 and 34 by 12:00pm. We make camp at House Creek in shade and set up to watch the US campaign debate Trump v Harris. Entertainment at its best.

Roast Lamb & Veg and then a storm after dinner.

Thursday 12 September 2024

Starting kilometre’s: 9581

Temperature: 22 – 37, warm overnight with a wee storm, cool sunny morning.

We drive 251 kms to Bullara station today, arriving about 12:30pm. After set down we relax in the shade of the van. The temp is 34 at 1pm.

As the afternoon cools I take a walk to check out the camp kitchen, the bottle tree, the Lava Trees and Bill the Turtle. Curiously, and I’m a bit embarrassed to admit, it took me 24 hours to work out what a Lava Tree is!

SHEEP AFTERNOON STROLL

From 4:30 pm there is live music and a bar at the woolshed with guitarist Tommy Steez so we relax there and enjoy the cooling evening breeze, I particularly like his song, “I hate Byron Bay”! He sings some of my old favourites from Neil Young and Hendrix with his own arrangements which are interesting and different.

It’s Suzy’s funeral in Brisbane today so Rob and I have a quiet cheers to farewell my friend. A country girl like me, Suzy loved everything country so I reckon she would have loved Bullara Station.

Friday 13 September 2024

Temperature: 21-37, hot and sunny

Hot overnight but a cool breeze picked from around 3am for a cool morning.

I feed my starter Millie for bread and cinnamon rolls later.

Rob and I decide to do a trip to Coral Bay so we leave at 9am. It’s 69kms. We plan to spend the day on the beach and return at 3pm so I can make a loaf of bread and cinnamon rolls before we attend the famous “burger night” at Bullara Station.

We visit Bills Bay; a beautiful sweep of a bay which includes Maud’s Sanctuary zone so no fishing. We walked along the beach and see large fish, some at least 600mm in the water. Happy to swim near us, close enough to touch!

Then we visited Monck Head, for a look and returned to Bills Bay for the day. I couldn’t resist videoing the fish.

We sheltered under a sandstone overhang and with the shade and the breeze, swimming and snorkeling had the best day!

As we leave Coral Bay we see quite a big build up of clouds. Makes me think of the wee storm two nights ago, maybe the build up is already starting?

It’s still 29 degrees when we leave at 3pm

The drive along Exmouth Gulf has outstanding views of wide sweeping plains, peppered by termit mounds all the way out to Giralia range. The photo’s don’t do it justice but it is a spectacular view.

Once back at Bullara, I hop to with my cinnamon rolls. I’m making my own recipe for the filling with apple and cinnamon and just a little sugar as I’m always trying to to reduce/cut sugar from my diet. I’m pretty pleased with the result but proof will be in the baking in the morning.

We shower and get ready for the evening and I just have time to mix ingredients for a sourdough loaf. I’ll be busy later with the folds.

Later we hear there are 400 people here for burger night. The atmosphere is festive and we chat with Paula and Steve sitting next to us who are from Karratha.

The firepit is lit and they start cooking – about 30 burgers at a time I think?

Shortly after a fellow comes in on a horse. We aren’t certain but it maybe the station manager. He heads to the bar, still on his horse and is provided a beer. This is a very Australian thing to do and everyone in the crowd including us love it.

The dinner queue starts soon and it’s an amazingly well rehearsed production that moves quickly. I must say the burger was one of the best I’ve ever eaten, truly. Very tasty, juicy with pickle, cheese, beetroot, onion slaw and your choice of sauce (mustard and tomato for me) and it didn’t fall apart! Rob liked it so much he planned to buy some burgers from reception the next day!

Thalia provides the entertainment tonight and does a great job with her three acoustic guitars, original scores and unique rhythm technique. To top the evening the sunset is a beauty!

Saturday 14 September 2024

Temperature: 20 – 37, warm overnight, sunny.

Starting kilometre’s: 9984

Rob’s up early for a walk and I’m up to bake my cinnamon rolls and finish my loaf. I use the oven in the camp kitchen and I’m pretty happy with the result.

We leave Bullara today and are heading South over the next week towards Geraldton. It’s going to be hot today so we decide to head back to Coral Bay for a few hours during the middle of the day. This time we go to Monck Head as it has a boating facility and parking for the van.

We park ourselves under another sandstone overhang. For the first hour the flies are terrible, hence the fly net but a wind change later provides some relief. Rob takes a walk and spies a small reef shark in the shallows and later we see a small sting ray in the shallows

We pack up about 2:30pm and head back to the car and then head South for another 80 or so km’s on the Minilya- Exmouth Road. The coast plains in this area are vast and seem to stretch on endlessly with narry a tree to be seen. We see vast spreads of yellow flowers before the road turns further inland and the landscape changes to low saltbush scrub. Lovely to see flowers and looking forward to more as we head South.

The dash show 40 degrees at 2:15pm and at 2:23pm we cross the Tropic of Capricorn.