Day 246 | only 70 km from Pardoo roadhouse: with a detour down to the Indian Ocean
86 km | Heading west total: 11,050 km
80 Mile Beach was only a short 9 km detour each way on a corrugated sandy road populated by incredulous drivers.
A ‘Moderate Effort’?
No worries.
It was clear that my premonition yesterday about not being able to stay at the caravan park at the beach was true: $29 to put my solo tent up, no arguments accepted.
The colour of the water out to sea is a vivid turquoise, the sand shining white. On arrival someone had pulled the plug out: the tide was almost at full low and a few hundred metres away. Well, actually quite a few.
In the window of the shop at the caravan park was a curious sign: the lawyers had been here.
‘There is not a safe or patrolled swimming area on the 80 Mile Beach coast. … We do not have any knowledge of what may be in the ocean at any specific time because we do not patrol the beach.’
Was the detour worth it?
You betcha.
PS A year later this campsite was destroyed by a Force 5 cyclone that removed every palm tree and most buildings.