Dirk Hartog Island, July 2016 (Part 1)

In July 2016 we stayed on remote Dirk Hartog Island for 2 weeks. It was one of the best holidays I have had: there was no need to go anywhere, no pressure to do anything, few people about and a beautiful location.

When I was a child my family used to stay at Garden Island, just off the Western Australian coast near Perth. We lived an idyllic life there (for us, not so much for my parents I'm sure) with no running water, no electricity, no shops, no traffic. We had to be self sufficient which meant bringing all necessities except water with us. On the island we stayed at the family shack which had a rainwater tank, gas cooking and lighting and a kerosene fridge. Going to DHI would almost be the same as going to Garden Island (minus the shack, rainwater tank and kero fridge!).

After months of planning and getting our vehicles ready we set off.  Our meal roster was planned to ensure we had more than enough food. We were hoping that there would be lots of fish on the menu, but had back up food in case we didn't. My hubby installed drawers and storage space in our Nissan Patrol ute so that every thing fitted in snuggly for what knew would be a rough trip into Steep Point and then out to our campsite on the island. We had 2 Engels on board - 1 as a fridge and 1 as a freezer, we had 160 litres of potable water in 2 caravan water tanks on the top of our rig and 30 litres of drinking water in 5 litre containers on board. Hubby also took a number of cordless tools including a cordless angle grinder which was put to good use cutting star pickets into heavy duty tent pegs following a major storm.

Our first stop was at a bed & breakfast place in Northampton. The owners were quirky, to put in politely, and the place was quaint, to also put it politely. We found out we were sharing our accommodation with another family, including the multi-access bathroom. The next morning the other family left early whilst the owners fed us an enormous breakfast and tried to entice us into staying a while longer but we had a long day's travel ahead so couldn't stay.

The trip to Steep Point went relatively easily. We easily drove up the first long sand dune after the track and admired the view while we waited for our mates to catch us up. After that it was a case of taking it slow and steady.

That evening we made camp at Steep Point in preparation for the barge trip across to the island the next morning. After a hard days travelling I went for my one and only swim on the trip - the water was freezing but refreshing. We set up a bare minimum camp and ate a prepared meal. What we didn't realise was that Steep Point is actually sand fly city and nearly everyone (except for me - yay!) discovered over the next day or so that the little blighters had feasted on them. The night was perfectly still and we could clearly see our destination across the channel.

Looking at Dirk Hartog Island from Steep Point

The next morning we thought that we were on the 10am barge but, as is often the case in the country, the timing was a bit elastic. As we were enjoying our breakfast we noticed the barge travelling across the channel. Cue frantic packing up, with our friends managing to pack just as the barge arrived. They drove on and off they went. Little did we know that their exit from the barge was to be slightly more dramatic than the loading. Unfortunately a high tide meant that their trailer jackknifed when it hit the soft sand and they basically had to back off the barge into the ocean and drive out onto the beach. Needless to say it was extremely stressful for them. We were travelling in a single vehicle and, fortunately, didn't have any problem loading on to or exiting from the barge.

Dirk Hartog Island Barge

When were all off the barge we set off for Louisa Bay, our home for the next 2 weeks.  The trip to LB (about 48 km) took approximately 3 hours and was a mixture of tracks and sand dunes.  At one point we were following tracks which disappered into the high tide lapping at the base of the dune but which we had to follow in order to reach firm ground again. With our thin tires and weight it was a tense few minutes. Thankfully we didn't get bogged.

When we reached Louisa Bay a stiff wind had sprung up and so setting up camp was a bit challenging. We set up camp about halfway along the bay in the protection of the cliffs behind. As the sun sank we moved into evening mode - having a few beverages and putting layers of thermals on to ward off the cold.

Louisa Bay looking south

Louisa Bay looking north

The next day was a day of rest as we relaxed and recovered from the travelling and setup we'd done. It was still very windy but the skies were sunny and clear.  The boys set off for their first fishing trip and were successful - we had a Taylor entree before dinner.

On Tuesday the weather had deteriorated - blue skies were replaced with grey clouds and the wind had stepped up. That afternoon the weather turned stormy and we holed up in our annex as we waited for the storm to pass.

Wednesday morning was beautiful and so the boys went out in the boats and I went for walk with my friend to Louisa Bay's southern headland.  That afternoon we saw a huge school of fish being divebombed by birds. We think the fish may have congregated in the berley trail the boys left during their fishing.

Dawn on Thursday was very red. Unfortunately we didn't heed the sign from the sailor's rhyme "Red sky at night,sailors delight, Red sky at morning, sailors take warning" and take time to make sure our camp was put up correctly and properly secured.  However the day was beautiful, so nice in fact that I thought I'd go for a swim but the water was frigid and I just sun bathed.

That afternoon the glorious weather continued so we drove north to Sandy Bay, stopping off at the old shearing camp for a look. As evening closed in the wind sprang up and a heavy dew settled early. It is amazing how, when you're living so close to nature, you begin to be able to read the signs - if only I'd realised the heavy dew was a sign of bad weather on the way.

During the late afternoon the weather changed rapidly. By early evening it had started squalling so we had dinner in our friend's annex and then went bed. By this time the wind was starting to get very gusty with my end of the tent collapsing in and my bedding getting wet (we discovered later the fly had not been properly set up). As the wind got stronger and showers moved through more quickly I retreated to my hubby's swag. By this time we could hear our friends shouting at each other over the wind so we got up to find that their annex was collapsing and they'd had major water ingress into their sleeping areas. We took an hour or so to help them to secure the annex.

By this stage the storm was raging so we retreated to sleep in the back our vehicle - not very comfortable but safe! At about 3am the storm had passed and nature was calling so I slid out of the Patrol. Our toilet tent had been blown off it's foundations and was hanging by one guy rope. I didn't let that stop me! We then went back to bed in our tent for a few hours.

Next morning we were all slightly shell shocked and very tired.A cooked breakfast and coffee helped us to deal with the aftermath - pegging everything down more firmly, setting the tent up properly and drying out soggy bits and pieces.  Following the storm the dew was extremely heavy so it took a long while before everything was dry.