Hamlin Bay Holiday Park

When I first started to think about going somewhere by myself I knew it had to be too far for me to just come home if I was sooked out, it needed to be somewhere that I knew how to get to, somewhere that I felt was reasonably safe, somewhere that I liked and somewhere that was close to other places.  I chose Hamlin Bay as we have been here a few times and I like the stingrays and the walk up to the lookout.  

Hamlin Bay Holiday Park   We've stayed here a few times now and the office people are always helpful and friendly and they have a selection of books and DVD's that you can borrow.  There is a kiosk on site if you need to buy anything.  There is a playground for kids and a decent camp kitchen, we have never used it but it looks pretty good.  The toilets block that is close to the area I stayed is not the most modern but does the job and was always reasonably clean, there is another one closer to the central area of the park.  

I was pretty sure that I would get a site seeing as I was going to stay mid-week and not school holidays and I seemed to have a choice so picked the one that husband and I stayed in in February.  So even leaving the booking to the day I was leaving home it still worked out.  I asked for site 65, the booking lady booked me in.  I get there and it's not the site I thought but right next door so that was fine.  Still a nice shady area with enough room for me to do my 27 point turns if I needed to to get parked up.

The sites in this area are powered but there are unpowered sites further up the track.  And lots of different sites in a different area to this.  I was expecting to pay $45 a night for this powered site as that is what husband and I payed in February but when they knew I was solo it only cost me $33ish.  There was a tap near by though the water is not potable.  There is a site map and photos of each site on the Hamlin Bay Holiday Park website.

I like this area as it is quite close to the beach and seems more secluded with not as many people though I daresay it would be quite crowded if all the sites were in use.

There were a few other people in the area when I got there at around 1 but 2 left Tuesday evening and 1 Wednesday morning so I more or less had the place to myself.  The sites are big so even if they had of stayed we would not have been on top of each other.

This was coming back from the beach Wednesday morning, no-one else anywhere to be seen.

This is looking toward the track where there are steps down to the toilet/shower block.  There are campsites on both sides of this dirt road and a long way back along that track.

The tap is just next to that tree, it has 3 tap outlets. 

Power box in the bottom front of picture, not seen from here.

First thing I did after parking up was to get the table and kettle out, it was coffee time.  That trailer in the background left Tuesday evening.  

I was lucky with the weather, after being worried about rain the days were sunny and warm.

Set-up done, coffee done, time for a walk to see if the rays are there and then up the hill to the lookout.

And down a hill to the beach.

I then had to walk up the sandhill so I could walk down the hill to the beach and back to the van.  So much walking, but not really.  I REALLY need to get fitter!

Good roads, fast car, no time to sleep.

I was worried about driving 3 hours as I get tired and can fall asleep if I shut my eyes so I had a few places noted as stops for a stretch

First stop was Boyanup, an hour from home, there are clean toilets here so I made use of them, walked around a bit, had a drink then on my way again.

I had my route all mapped out in my head so turned off at Boyanup and drove down through to Bussell Highway.  Well some of that road is so straight and smooth I either got a flash with a speeding fine or the cop was just being friendly and flashed to say hello please slow down.  I was slowing down, trying to get to the 100 speed limit from 130 the car was going seconds beforehand!   Such a long straight smooth road...

Turned onto Bussell Highway where they are still doing roadworks, hohum, so many places where I needed to be going slower than I was.  If they had speed cameras set up every few kilometres I'd have gotten 127 speeding fines!  So then I am on Sues Road and wow, what a long straight smooth road that is!  So oops again!  And again.  No friendly cops or cameras anywhere so lucky with that. 

And Brockman Highway, another long, straight, smooth road... 

It didn't take long to get onto Bushby then Caves Road and as the speed here is only 80 and the roads are windy and are covered in shadows from all the trees it was hard to get up to speeding speed, 

It was a good drive and as I was so intent on keeping an eye on the speedo I didn't get time to fall asleep. 

I blame the car I was driving, it gets faster much quicker than my old Rav.  Husband says I shouldn't blame the car for getting up to 120, he is right of course, it's the long straight smooth roads at fault, nothing to do with me being a leadfoot.  I do wonder how many speeding fines will come through the post though...

Stop Sooking And Just Do It.

So I really wanted to go away for my birthday.  By myself if I had to.  And as husband was going to be away working then I had to.  So I decided that I would.  I'd go down to Hamlin Bay to see the stingrays.  My birthday was a few weeks away so I had to decide where to go, where to stay, how long to go for, what to do while there, get the van packed...  

Then I sooked out and wasn't going to go, so I sooked because I'm such a sook I can't do things I want to.  

Talked to people, read blogs and Facebook groups where people are doing it all the time and decided I'd go anyway, even if I was scared of boogymens.  So I was gunna go.  And then there were storm warnings.  Was going to be big storms. So I sooked about that, cause there was no point going as I wasn't going to drive anywhere in a storm and if I couldn't do anything while there what was the point.  

Two days beforehand the storm warnings dropped, might be a bit of weather but should be OK so maybe I could go... 

My birthday was the Wednesday and if I was going to go I'd drive down Tuesday, car camp Tuesday and Wednesday night and come home Thursday.  

Sunday night and I still hadn't definitely decided.  I worked Monday, had the grandkids after that and was so whacked I didn't get time to get the car ready so hummed and hahhed about going.  Woke up Tuesday morning knowing I was going to go so rang and booked a site.  Then had to rush around getting everything ready.  Clean out the car, get food and drinks, get the portloo set up, get lights, kinda tidy the house before I left, rushrushrush and then I was ready.  I was going.  Now, could I drive 3 hours without falling asleep.  

It's been awhile...

We, husband and I, have been away a few times over the last few years but ol' slacko me hasn't bothered to write anything down.  I have photos on a phone and his camera but if I wanted to find them right now... Na, not gunna happen.  I know this as I have been looking for pictures of 2 trips to Tassie... I've been to  Tasmania twice and there is no information or pictures here.  Where are they?  Yep, you guessed it, I have no idea.  Not where I thought they were, not where they should be, not here!   HoHum.  So I have no record of the few trips that I remember and there is no proof that we have been to the places that husband remembers and I don't.  

So I need to start writing things down.  

I still haven't been anywhere by myself, still too damn Sookylala but on the off chance that that changes over the next week I want it written down so I believe it!

Here's hoping.

Just For Fun - Creatures that live

 I've been on a couple of bushwalks this year and plan on lots more.  But out in the West Australian bush many creatures and critters live, walkers and hikers need to stay aware and not wander too far off the path.
On our recent walk in the Crooked Brook Forest there were many signs that creatures could be living in the area...



What thing has knocked over this tree?  Is it some sort of sign for fellow creatures...?   

                                                             Is this where they live...?


I'm not saying these creatures are real, I'm not saying they are not real...I'm just saying...

Crooked Brook Forest

Crooked Brook Forest is kinda between Dardanup and Boyanup, can be gotten to from both and also from Gnomesville, so I was right in my thinking that we could get there from there.

When we arrived we were surprised that it was so busy, quite a few cars, lots of people, lots of people with dogs so lots of dogs, none on a leach.     I let the kid out and he went to play while T got the pram then baby out.

There are a few walks to choose from but first we just followed some other people along a path.  came to a bridge and crossed that, walked a bit further and came to this sign.   We had the pram so weren't sure we could do it with that so we took pram back to car then walked back to here to start this walk.

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 It was a good walk and the 3 year old, the unfit 60+ woman and the woman that was only 6 weeks from having a baby enjoyed it.  We will come again.

Crooked Brook Forest - Getting there...

Went on a day trip with daughter & and grandkids on Sunday.  We were "supposed" to go down to Busselton for a school thing but decided not to so my new plan for that day was to get the house reasonably tidy again, washing done, some mowing...Then T rang and asked what I was doing and suggested a bushwalk.   Crooked Brook Forest was a place that we had read about a few days before so that's where we went.

I thought I knew where it was, I had read about it, how it was close to Gnomesville but knowing how I am with directions we thought we'd call into the Visitors Centre in Dardanup to confirm my knowledge.   Hmmm.  The woman at the centre showed me a map and pointed me in the opposite direction.  

This adventure was a rushed decision so neither of us packed lunch and by the time we got to Dardanup grandson, and us, was getting hungry.  I "knew" there was a bakery in Dardanup, I'd been there so suggested that we go buy something before continuing on.  Hmmm, again.  Daughter also knew where the bakery was...Except she really knew whereas I only thought I did.  Her bakery was the real deal and packed with people inside and out so we decided to walk down to my bakery which was actually the Dardanup General Store.  I only wanted a grainy roll but seeing as neither place had any we decided to continue driving on an extra 5 minutes down to Boyanup.  Where there were also no grainy rolls.  By this time though the kid needed food so we bought some hot chips and other things and sat there to eat while we read the map so we knew where to go to get to where we were gong.

On leaving Boyanup Bakery we set the phone GPS just in case our map reading skills weren't any good.  T wanted to turn left, I knew we had to go right, GPS was telling us we needed Hurst Rd...We knew where that was so went that way. GPS says turn left, 600 metres then take 4th exit at roundabout...We looked at each other and laughed, stupid GPS knew less than me. 

We finally were on the correct road, turned off of that onto another correct road, I say left she turns right then does a Uey to go my way.  Her way would have still got us there but on a gravel road.

Finally we are on the way, kinda confident that we knew where we were going and was going to get there.  And we did!