Leaving Perth to Marrinup Townsite

Plan was to leave home by 9am. Closer to 11am before we hit the road. Caravan was obviously not full enough for Elvira and it needed a good couple of hours of intensive extra loading up.
Our first stop on the plan was to be Marrinup Townsite camp site. Located between Pinjarra and Dwellingup, this is a free camp site.
We found the place alright. Only downside was about 4kms of dirt road with quite a few bumps and dips and corrugations. We went in real slow, so as to protect the van, but even so, it was fairly well covered with dust, by the time we arrived.
The location is a big open area, with some sites on the perimeter, under the shade. We opted for one of those. Maybe not such a wise decision - all evening and night, pods and leaves dropping on the van and making a bit of noise. Just waiting for a big branch to decide that it might be a good idea to drop. Luckily not much wind overnight. But a lesson learnt.
Very peaceful area. Good drop toilet. And even with a few other people in camp, they were spread far and wide.
Spent the afternoon touring around the area, and covering the Everest in more dust. Visited the old POW camp area. Quite an interesting walk around the place. Not much left of it. Never heard of it before, but there were numerous story boards which brought us up to date.
Back to camp, in time to wish Genny happy birthday.
And an early and peaceful night, with a few dropping noises on the roof.
The camp is recommended, but be prepared for a slightly rough drive in, if towing a van.

PS - for the uninitiated. A free camp, of which there are lots around Australia, is a campsite with minimal facilities. No power, no water, and maybe a toilet. And the price is, you guessed it - free. So, that means your van, or whatever you are touring around in, needs to be self sufficient. Gas to run the fridge and cooking facilities. A 12 volt battery system for your lights and TV and water pump, which pumps water to your wash basin, toilet and shower. And solar panel to recharge your battery. Some people travel with a portable generator, but we have not needed one of those yet.
I am doing this blog post on my laptop, connected to a wifi modem with a Telstra 4G data card in the back, pulling data from the nearest Telstra tower, all powered by 12 volt battery. Wonderful technology.
And on this trip, we will also use normal caravan parks which provide power, water, ablution blocks, etc. But of course, this comes with a cost attached - roughly $30 a day.

PPS - not sure if you have noticed yet from the photos, but Elvira does seem to spend a lot of time sitting outside the van relaxing with a cuppa. Well done to her. I will join her some time !!
That's it for now.Read more