Wellstead

14 March – We decided that a move further inland might help escape the persistent strong winds. The rain would likely keep up but the wind was making things uncomfortable. Our route took us back to the Albany ring road and along the South Coast Highway to a stop at Manypeaks for fuel. Our strategy is to run on the small sub-tank and keep the large main tank in reserve. The one outlet in Manypeaks had ULP but no diesel, the owner telling us that the fuel that normally lasts a week sold out in days.
Our target for the day was the tiny hamlet of Wellstead but the turn-off to Cheynes Beach lured us to do a 20km side trip and check out the location, which we had never visited. After 10km, we came up behind a strange jeep-like vehicle with three occupants, sitting at the rear of a long line of very slow moving vehicles, converted VW Beetles, and a great many vintage Chamberlain tractors. It must have been some kind of rally. The road was winding and hilly and there was little chance of passing anything. We faced doing the next 10km at about 20km/hr. We took the option of turning around when a driveway presented itself and drove back to the highway.
The light rain continued. About 20km out of Wellstead, the road was being renewed, giving a kilometre or so of orange clay covered surface, all nicely wet from the rain. The car and caravan turned orange, covering everything in a nasty sludge.
Once at Wellstead, we filled with water, the local Wellstead Bush Camp only having bore water, and booked in for a couple of nights. We did what we could to clean the van and car of the worst of the mud and settled down to watch a bit of footy. The rain persisted, especially if we tried to do anything outside.
A highlight of the Wellstead Bush Camp is the camp kitchen, with its wonderful cosy ambience and collections of old memorabilia, car parts, locks and keys, kerosene lanterns and much more. It would be a wonderful place when the weather was right and the camp full of people. Right now it was deserted.Read more