Dongara Easter Trip
Trip Leader: Guy and Wendy Lehmann
When: 18th – 21st April 2014
Location: Dongara
Participants:
TRIP NOTES
Everyone arrived at various times during the week up to Friday. We found the Drummond Cove
Holiday Park staff very accommodating. The only downside was that we all backed onto the
Northwest Coastal Highway, so there was quite a bit of road noise, but you didn’t notice it after a
while.
A few people took advantage of the swimming pool as the beach was quite a walk through the
dunes.
FRIDAY 18 APRIL 2014
Drummonds – Day 1 By Glenn
10:10 8 vehicles left Drummonds Holiday Park for an adventure on the Northern Beaches.
Trip leaders were Guy and Wendy with Paul, Matt and Sammy Ryan as Tail end Charlies.
Stop number one was at Coronation Beach – a DPAW run camp site on the beach front with toilets
and shelters for day users.
We headed South to check out the Oakagee River mouth. To gain access we had to backtrack on the
bitumen for about 1km and take a sharp right turn on to a gravel track, through a gate and through
farmland (lots of cows) and on to the river mouth approximately 2 kms south.
On the way, Paul got to recover a 4×4 commodore crossover – out of their league.
At the river mouth Guy, Wendy, Martin, Karen and the kids performed rece’ duty and found the river
mouth – via the river bed. Craig Perry and Trevor and Elaine Best who arrived late at the camp site
found us at that point and came ablaze with hard tyres and promptly bogged down… oh well!.
Tyre pressures were adjusted and off we go, except for some! Trevor & Elaine and John & Lyn were
left struggling – out with more air and Maxtracks – no problem! Elaine was left with trying to find the
Maxtracks!
Back to Coronation Beach again, for lunch this time. On the way our little Alexis observed that the
cows had the big fan (windmill) on to keep them cool – how smart?
After lunch we headed off to Bowes River… 10 vehicles now. We made contact with John & Viv
who were 3kms up the track already – 11 vehicles now. The 20km track heading to Bowes river was
relatively easy to travel with some skylarking by Craig and Trevor in the sand hills. The Oakabella
River was dry and Woolawar Gully crossing was a little damp.
The Bowes River was very full and the sandbar was closed, so we crossed the sandbar to the
adjacent carpark where tyres were inflated to highway pressures.
The group split up where some went to Horrocks for a “look around” (as we do) and others back to
camp to liaise later for happy hour.
A great day out – thanks Guy and Wendy for a great day out!
Glenn Bignell.
SATURDAY 19 APRIL 2014
Saturday was a free day with no set 4wd trip. Most people made their way into Geraldton for a look
around, or lunch.
SUNDAY 20 APRIL 2014
Day trip from Drummond Cove
We started the day at 10am with Guy & Wendy in the lead followed by Richard & Helen, Ian &
Raylene, John & Kathleen & Jacob, John & Viv, Martin & Karen & Locky & Alexis, Trevor & Elaine,
Glenn, John & Lyn. The weather was overcast and cool and there was a little light drizzle early on in
the drive.
Our first stop was at Lynton where the group walked around the ruins of the old convict settlement
and homestead. Port Gregory was the next stop for a look at the beach and jetty. Then it was off to
Lucky Bay with John & Viv leading the way.
We all lowered our tyre pressures before reaching the beach and proceeded to drive past lots and
lots of people camped along the beach and dunes. It was fairly easy driving apart from when John &
Viv and Guy & Wendy stopped at our proposed lunch spot on a rather sloping beach front and got a
little stuck. The rest of the convoy followed Richard & Helen to a flatter more open area where we
set up for lunch. The day ended up very sunny with a light breeze and reasonably warm so some of
the crew had swims while some just relaxed and chatted. This surely is a very beautiful and popular
holiday spot.
The convoy then split in two and one lot stayed put and the other lot drove out along a track behind
the dunes and proceeded to Hutt River Province where they were given the right royal treatment by
Prince Leonard’s son and daughter Graham and Princess Cheryl. Hutt River Province seceded from
Australia 44 years ago and is headed by Prince Leonard who is now 89 years of age.
Eventually everyone ended up back at the caravan park for the obligatory ‘happy hour’ before tea
and then the after tea gathering.
MONDAY 21 APRIL 2014
Once again everyone headed off at various times. Some stayed an extra few days, some headed
North to extend their break some of us had to head straight back to work!!