Day 90: Sun 16 Jun 24 - Exmouth to Bellary Creek (Paraburdoo-Tom Price Road FC)

Sun 16 Jun 24 - Exmouth to Bellary Creek (Paraburdoo-Tom Price Road FC) (600km)

At 06:00am in Exmouth it was 21 Deg with a moderate SSE Wind and raining. The BOM got it horribly wrong again with 40mm of rain falling overnight. By the time we arrived in Paraburdoo, it was 30 Deg C, clear and sunny with no wind. Lucky we didn't get more rain overnight, as 2 floodways on the road out of Exmouth had more than 12" of water running across them. 

We were packed and on the road by 07:45am, with light but steady rain falling. It was a long drive today, thankfully with very little traffic along more very good WA roads, and we're glad to be parked safely for the night. We could have taken a shorter route to Tom Price, our original destination today, but that meant driving over 50km on unsealed road. I couldn't get any information on the road conditions, other than to exercise extreme caution, so we opted to drive the extra distance along the sealed road via Paraburdoo. Staying in Paraburdoo for the night was also an option, but there isn't anything worth stopping there for, and as I still felt OK, I continued driving in the fading light along the road to Tom Price for another 46km until we found the Bellary Creek free camp. We are the only van here tonight, back from the road but down a bit of a rocky embankment. Fingers crossed I can get out of here again in the morning - it will definitely be with 4WD engaged. Tomorrow morning, we will aim for Tom Price for a bit of a look around (only about 35km away), then we will continue to Dales Campground in the Karijini National Park for a three night stay.

A wet and boring drive from Exmouth along the Exmouth - Manilya Road 

Morning Brew at a roadside stop along the North West Coastal Highway to Nanutarra (277km),  rain clearing but still boring.


Afternoon brew along the Nanutarra Road to Paraburdoo. The rugged countryside becoming much more scenic with lots of red

Afternoon brew along the Nanutarra Road to Paraburdoo. The rugged countryside becoming much more scenic with lots of red

Afternoon brew along the Nanutarra Road to Paraburdoo. The rugged countryside becoming much more scenic with lots of red

Afternoon brew along the Nanutarra Road to Paraburdoo. The rugged countryside becoming much more scenic with lots of red

Afternoon brew along the Nanutarra Road to Paraburdoo. The rugged countryside becoming much more scenic with lots of red. 

Lots of this today

The countryside becoming a bit more scenic as we got closer to Paraburdoo

The countryside becoming a bit more scenic as we got closer to Paraburdoo

Paraburdoo - Very little to see here apart from this 'Terex Haul Truck'. This diesel electric 'Haul Truck' was used to haul iron ore in the Paraburdoo operation, and was one of 17 Jolly Green Giants that operated from 1976 to 1987.


Paraburdoo - The resilience Sculpture (Paying homage to the mining industry)

Paraburdoo - The resilience Sculpture (Paying homage to the mining industry). It might have been more interesting to photograph with the golden hour light, but I was keen to keep going

A big day in the saddle and after 600km today, glad to be parked for the night at Bellary Creek (46km from Paraburdoo on the road to Tom Price). 





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