Participants:
McCarthys, Archers, Lehmanns, Kingstons, McPhersons, Freegards (with friends
Roger & Judy), Vasiles, Parker, Bignell, Stampalija & Murty, and the
Harrisons.
The idea of running a trip to Leeman came about when a book fell off the
shelf in the study, and hit Jane on the head. The book just happened to open
up to the Leeman Caravan Park.
Leeman Friday 4th March 2011
This trip was attended by:
The main group consisting of Jason & Jane, Martin & Karen, Keith, Glenn, Sam
& Pasc and Malcolm & Trish met at the 10th Light Horse Trail on Wanneroo
Road for a 8.45am departure. The trip took us along Wanneroo Road, and the
newly opened Indian Ocean Drive, stopping at the popular Lancelin bakery for
mornos. We then continued our journey, and arrived at the Leeman caravan
Park around 1.30pm. The grassed area that we were allocated was nestled
directly behind the camp kitchen and communal area. The space was a bit
tight, but eventually, we all found a space.
The area was lovely surrounded by heaps of trees and shade. The afternoon
was rather hot and after setting up, an early happy hour was called. A
couple of us headed down to the local jetty to try and cool off in the
water. After wondering why there were so many dead fish on the beach, a
local Cray fisherman came running from the boat jetty to warn us about the
abnormally warm water temperature. That, combined with the spawning coral,
was the reason so many dead fish were scattered along the coast.
On return to the caravan park, others were relaxing in the shade and were
welcoming the remainder of the group who slowly filtered in throughout the
afternoon and evening. Bob and Bridget attracted some attention from the
group upon arrival, with a very unusual looking jockey wheel.
We all had dinner together in the communal cooking area, and enjoyed the
remainder of the balmy evening.
Jane McCarthy
Day 2: Saturday 5th March 2011
We all lined up at 9.30am and headed a short distance south on the Jurien
Road to an alternative track along the powerline to Snake Gully Cave.
After a while we found that we weren’t following the powerline any more and
that the track hadn’t been used a lot of late.
Jason and Jane were telling stories of all the wildlife (emus and kangaroos)
they were seeing, but we didn’t see any back in the convoy where we were.
Fortunately Jane had a baby kangaroo pose for a photo so she could prove
that they had seen the animals.
The map we had wasn’t very clear on where to go. We meandered along the
track having a chat and telling a few bad jokes, and arrived at the cave
after an hour or so. Generally there are some bees buzzing at the end of the
cave, but they were all sleeping this time, so we didn’t have to dodge them
to get in and out of the cave.
We had a late mornos break, then headed away from the cave to the Eneabba
Road down to Lake Indoon. We were amazed when we arrived to find the lake
was dry. This was the first time any of us had not seen any water in it.
We had a very pleasant break there under the shelter for lunch.
The next destination was the beach. We went back out along the Eneabba Road
towards the coast and then north on the Jurien Road for a few kilometres.
Glenn took us to a bay that he was familiar with for a swim.
The wind was blowing a bit when we got there and most of us were hesitant to
go for a swim, thinking is would be cold. Glenn and Jane went in straight
away, then a few more of us after a little while and found that the water
was warm, very warm. It was like being in a Bali swimming pool. I had never
felt the ocean water like that before.
We noticed that there were quite a few dead fish along the coastline there,
and the water was a funny colour. We were all trying to work out what would
have caused the fish to die.
From there about five cars went with Glenn up into the sand dunes for a play
and the rest of us headed back to camp.
Thanks Jason and Jane for a relaxing day out.
Wendy and Guy
Day 3: Sunday 6th March 2011
We set off in the morning to discover some bays in the local area. The
mornings track wound through dunes along the coast. This was fairly easy
going with a few sharp rocks along the way. We encountered a few interesting
corners and descents that required a bit of caution as we navigated through
them.
We then continued further along the track and onto the beach where we found
little anchorage bay for a mornos stop. After morning tea, we continued
further south along the coast towards Green Head. A beautiful view of the
area from some of the look outs was spoiled by the sight of hundreds of dead
sea life washed up along the beaches.
Richard and Helen when on to Green Head, and found a nice clean beach for us
to take a swim, and a lunch stop, while others made the trek up to the top
of the look out.
After lunch, the group made their own way back to Leeman. Later in the
afternoon, Jane and I decided to take the kids fishing on the boat jetty,
along with my sister and brother law who were also in Leeman for the
weekend.
After about 10 minutes, Jane yelled out that Tia (16 months old) had dropped
my car keys through the crack in the jetty, and into the water. Who gives a
baby a set of keys to play with on a jetty!!!! Jane told me to put my mask
and snorkel on to try to find them. I reminded her that they were in the
back of the locked car. Jane was quickly encouraged to jump in and look for
them, while the rest of us looked on from the safety of the jetty. Luckily,
I had packed a spare set of keys for this trip, and had left them in the
camper trailer. On return to the caravan park, the park owner’s son kindly
volunteered to have a look for the lost keys. Luckily, the keys were
eventually located in the murky brown water.
On Sunday night, the group had dinner at the local country club. After an
hour or so waiting, the meals finally came out. The kids entertained the
crowd on the dance floor for a while, before we set off back to the caravan
park, to continue with a few drinks and laughs late into the evening. Chair
swapping and Dear Glenn where just a few laughs we had that night….and
possibly a new column for the magazine.….
Day 4: Monday 7th March 2011
The camp awoke to another beautiful morning, and reflected on the laughs and
good time that we had the previous night. After a quick breakfast, we
started packing up so we could take off fairly early. Most of us took off on
our own, with a few stops on the way.
The Leeman caravan park is a great place, and the owners are very
accommodating to all your needs. I would gladly recommend this place to
anyone. What a fantastic trip, sure to book again!