Mon 28th Jun '21 - Day 17

Yardie Homestead to Coral Bay

Heavy rain overnight and a light patchy drizzle I the morning – time to up sticks and move on. But not before the clown show at 9am. We’re all packed up, fed, teeth brushed ready to go so have to play another game of Uno to pass the time. Much to Sienna’s angst, Seb just rolls with it, there’s once again no sign of the clown or a show anywhere.

And so we begin the journey back to Perth, up and round the Northern tip, through Exmouth, past a suddenly grey misty Learmonth RAAF base and airport, the mist clearing as quickly as it had descended, for a 90 minute drive to Bullara Station, just 5km off the main road. The allure of farm animals and scones is too impossible to resist. 

This damp dust bowl is a working station that also hosts a campsite to rave reviews. Glitz and glamour it is not, rough and rustic it is – going in knowing that you’ll be fine. The scones, jam and cream come up trumps but the wildlife being … wild is still a learning curve for Seb and Sienna. We do find a goat resting on a disused land rover bonnet, an emu prowling around and after a “Beer Bottle Walk”, half a dozen sheep roaming free. That, and a simple climbing frame and swing are enough to appease Sienna and Seb in the midday sun.

In the van for the second leg of today’s driving through 40km of roadworks (verge widening), we turn right off the freeway to Coral Bay, our residence for the next four nights before our real journey back to Perth accelerates. This time we’re in People’s Park, third row from the front of the park and then a road width to the beach of Bill’s Bay. After lunch by the van, we convince the kids that the beach in this weather is a better option than the bouncing pillow in the campsite next door.

As soon as we’re there, Seb and I are splashing in the shallows while Sienna and Kate build a three-pronged castle with moat and bridge. I pop back to the van to gran the snorkel and escape out to the coral and fishes off the beach. We while away a few hours in the warmth before showers to freshen up, a play on the inflatable pillow and a trip to Bill’s Bar for Happy Hour at 5pm ($8 pints which is very reasonable for WA) and giant Jenga for the kids. Sausages on the BBQ for dinner back at the campsite and the exhausted kids slump to sleep just after 19:00, leaving Kate and I time for a few more WA beers or Margaret River wines in the back of the van.