Pardoo Coffin Dodgers

Pardoo Station Caravan Park, North of Port Hedland 

Mark performing - note the sign!

Setting a new record, we departed Dales Camp at 835am - I think this was more to do with the combination of a freezing cold night and sore muscles than to do with any inherent self discipline. We were keen to get the camper van heater going!

Mostly a day of driving on the now very familiar Great Northern Highway. 

The Great Northern Highway

We stopped at South Hedland (suburb of Port Hedland) to stock up on supplies. Mark advised that South Hedland has the highest rate of crime in Australia; a disconcerting tidbit to impart as we left our home and possessions unguarded in the Coles car park. 

About 10ks up the road, we pulled into a P to sort a few things - including checking on Mark’s invention - the Starlink disc (for internet) attached to the camper van skylight.

Starlink attached to the skylight - will it work?

The starlink appeared to be fine, but an elderly man came up to us and said "I just witnessed a situation, did you see it?". We hadn’t. 

The man said, with great indignation: "A car with an aboriginal family pulled up in the P and threw out all their rubbish from the car to the ground - all the time being literally right next to the bin’. He said to them ‘what are you doing? - there is a bin right there!?’  Apparently they didn’t understand what the fuss was about so he yelled at them ‘I have your number!’. So then the family all got out the car, picked up the rubbish, threw it in the bin and then drove off…

The man was flabbergasted that the people seemed to think there was nothing wrong with throwing rubbish out on the ground ‘when they were literally on top of a bin!’. This really resonated with me - as per my previously-expressed disbelief about rubbish on the roadside (earlier blogs). 

 "Good on you!" we said to the man. I thought he was very brave to challenge the culprits all on his own and out in the middle of nowhere.

Anyway we made it to Pardoo station - we were disappointed to miss out on Wagyu night at the restaurant as it was full on booked. Instead we bought some steak to cook ourselves - $40 each!! Admittedly it was delicious and there is enough left for breakfast too.

Our $40 each Wagyu steaks

Highlight of the day, Mark performed around the campfire! It was great chatting to people. Most of the campers are 70 plus and retired, the classic ‘grey nomads’, making me feel very young and sprightly, even with my sore muscles. Mark did a fab job entertaining everyone. Hopefully the first of many such evenings.

By the way, when we checked out, I queried the price of the steaks because at the campfire someone had informated us that their steaks as part of the restaurant - which included vegetables and desert - cost $30. I wondered if the person had meant to charge us $40 for both. But her response to my questioning was"Yes, I did charge you the wrong price. They are meant to be $45 each but you got a discount because you are a camp guest". I went out and informed Mark the price indeed had been wrong, but not in the direction we had thought. We had a good laugh about that!