ON THE ROAD AGAIN! Wooramel Station.

Day 1. 0630/1700. 800Km

After 2 days of panic prep and burning the midnight oil cooking up frozen meals to store in the Engel freezer, we departed the North Cott Bubble pre dawn.
Thank goodness for a very comprehensive 4 WD checklist. So far haven’t missed anything - yet!
Co driving with brother Chris and in convoy with Judy and Gordon Duzevich. Originally we were planning on a roadside pull-in stop at Galena Bridge on the Murchison River, but deferred to delaying our departure for a day, and then putting a big day on the road straight thru to Wooramel Station stay.
Coffee stop at Jurien Bay and lunch at the Northampton Cafe. A very acceptable pork pie and a fruit cocktail juice, satiated the hunger pangs.
Just prior to Northampton we took a 7km deviation into Coronation Beach. Chris was keen to check it out for kite surfing reasons. A good set-up. Camp park with drop toilets. He’ll be back!
Two years on from Cyclone Seroja ripping thru Northampton, the damage is still very apparent. Recovery is obviously very slow. Must be very hard getting trades people, especially in a rural area.
A very good mural like display shows all the recent AFL players who came from the region, including Josh Kennedy. Must be a very healthy local competition.
Arrived at Wooramel at 5 pm in good time to set up camp before sunset. An attractive setup along the banks of the Wooramel River. An enjoyable feature is the thermal bathing pools. A nice way to follow up a long day in the saddle. Especially with a cold frothie in hand.
The station staff put on a camp dinner most evenings. Spit roast or something similar. Our menu was curry, lentils, rice and damper. Very acceptable. We quaffed one of the 2 dozen reds Chris has kindly contributed to the mission. I’m the beer baron on this trip. Plus port provider.
Shared a table with a young couple from Victoria with a 7 yo son and a 4 yo daughter.
They have been on the road since January, doing a 12 month big lap of Oz. They spent a fair amount of time in S Australia. They said they particularly liked the Flinders Ranges, and specifically Wilpena Pound. All on my future bucket list.
Ken Austin, a touring musician, was playing guitar and singing to the dinner audience from a stage under a big gum tree. He was pretty good too, real singalong music. Temperature was a very pleasant 22 degrees or so. Cruisey way to spend an evening. Went back to the vans, consulted the astronomy apps and did some star gazing. Super clear night with a near full moon. Pretty stunning. All the better for sipping on a DeBortoli port at the same time.
Turned in at about 9:30 pm for a good night's sleep.

Wooramel Station Campground. (4 star)

https://www.wooramel.com.au/
$30-/night, 2 persons
Numerous, well spaces unpowered sites stretching out along the river bank. Toikets and warm ( thermal) showers. Catered camp kitchen: spit roasts, curry's etc. Cannot book for it. Served up at about 5:30-6:30.
Fire pits available. BYO wood.
Maybe a few powered sites available?
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