Point Sampson, Coral Bay

Since we left Pardoo we have had a combination of either no power and/or no internet signal, hence no blog. We are now in Carnarvon and have both power and good signal.
We travelled from Pardoo to Point Samp
son which is a holiday resort near the towns of Roebourne and Cossack. Cossack was once a prosperous pearl shell and turtle catching town but is now nearly deserted. However the old buildings have been restored with the help of labour from the local gaol residents (what a good way to keep them busy) and it makes for an interesting visit and a whiff of what it was like in times gone by - more fishing but none to eat, either too small or of a variety that looked as though it should live in an aquarium and not on a plate.
We headed further south staying one night in shearer’s quarters on a station home stay and then to Coral Bay which is another holiday town, this time on a bay of the Ningaloo Reef and has some of the most beautiful clear water I have ever seen. More swimming but this time a noticeable difference in water temperature to that of further north.
We are now south of the Tropic of Capricorn and the days are cooler - we are both as “brown of berries” from spending time out of doors.
We have been driving through the Pilbarra region, rugged with dark red rocks rich in minerals and with wildflowers WA is renowned for amongst the rich red soil. It is said that Lang Hancock flew over the area and decided that the red rocks must have something worth mining - the rest is history.
Carnarvon is on the Gascoyne River and the shire takes its name from the river. It is a prominent food growing bowl and on the way in we passed plantations of bananas and various vegetables - veggies have been a bit hard to come by, in some shops you find them in a refrigerated cabinet and often looking as though they have been there for some time.