Yesterday was my birthday and we spent this auspicious day luxuriating in Marble Bar's warmth. I turned 62 years of age at about 1.30 in the afternoon. I wasn't a morning person even then. I was born on a Monday, supposedly a child fair of face. Too bloody fair, if you ask me, as I have been having various forms of skin cancers being cut out for the last twenty five years!
Anyway, there is just a bit of a story to tell since we left Onslow behind last Friday. We had decided to reduce our navigation of gravel roads to keep as much dust out of Will's interior as possible. Hence we set off for Tom Price via Paraburdoo to stay on the tarmac. This necessitated covering well over 400 kilometres, which was a major endeavour for us.
We waved farewell to the sun-sparkling Beadon Bay and headed back to the North West Coastal Highway. We turned south, then east at Nanutarra. Any lingering regret at leaving Onslow was quickly dispelled, as my fascination and affection for the inland Pilbara returned in spades.
The country, as ever, was just magnificent. Mountains and plains and spinifex painted a never ending palette of awe. The presence of any water is marked by a vigorous treeline. Any living being in the Pilbara needed to be tough to survive. We are here in the benign dry "winter" months, with warm sunny days and mild nights. The climate is a different story come summer, where temperatures climb past 40 degrees C (112 degrees F) for weeks or months at a time. The only relief may be provided by a rare thunderstorm or cyclone. These can provide more chaos - lightning strikes can set bush fires blazing across the tinder dry landscape and the wind and rain associated with cyclonic systems can literally flatten properties. Pardoo Station and the nearby roadhouse were both decimated by Cyclone Ilsa in April, as Australian wind speed records were broken by the ferocity of this storm.
Fortunately, these catastrophes were not front and centre in our minds as we eventually arrived in Tom Price around 5 o'clock in the afternoon. As Western Australia's highest town, night temperatures were chillier than the coast and we were soon scrabbling around for heavier shirts and jumpers. We had previously stayed at the Tom Price Summerstar caravan park and remembered the facilities as being a bit dated but very clean. Much to our disappointment, the bathroom block had deteriorated even further. The ablutions had obviously not been cleaned on the evening of our arrival and remained so for the next 2 days. On our final morning, I tackled a staff member about this issue. Apparently, there was a new ablutions block on the other side of the park, which had remained a secret...Unless the older facilities are brought up to scratch, we will no longer stay at Tom Price again, as needless to say, they were charging top dollar.
Which would be sad as I discovered a fabulous new retail outlet - Studio 6751, run by the effervescent Sharon and her family, which had been open for 12 months or so. Featuring lovely clothes, giftware, fragrances, soaps, incense and much much more, I rapidly and successfully finished rather a lot of Christmas shopping. May the universe continue to shine upon her enterprise. And the facilities improve at the caravan park!
Come Sunday, we were on the road again. This time, we were headed for Marble Bar, one of our favourite places for a touch of relaxing, a spot of fossicking, a bit of history and at least one dinner to the Ironclad Hotel, which has been the proud watering hole of Australia's "hottest town" since 1892. Marble Bar earned this title by having 161 consecutive days above 37.8 degrees C (100 degrees F) from 11 November 1923 until 20 April 1924. Those temperatures were a tad over the top, methinks.
We decided to test our luck and take the Hillside Road, which incorporates about 80 kilometres of gravel. Sections of the road were not bad; other parts were pretty ordinary with mass corrugations and lots of dust. However, the scenery took our breath away. We took nearly two hours to navigate the dirt road, as we had to keep stopping to record the jaw-dropping beauty.
We were relieved to return to bitumen prior to entering Marble Bar. Since our last visit, there had been some major upgrades to divert the massive roadtrains from thundering through the main drag. We passed the remains of the Comet Mine, the turn-off to the Bar and motored down Contest Street into the Marble Bar Holiday Park. Kath on reception was cheerful and welcoming, directing us to the only spare site! Very glad we had booked...
Once we had manoeuvred Will into position, we opened the door... The dust was surprisingly understated (or maybe I was getting used to the chocolate icing effect). What we were not expecting was that the remaining two eggs in our fridge had engaged in the Watusi Quickstep and their contents had dripped through to the bottom. Bollocks.
The addition of vino assisted my cleaning efforts and we were soon sitting under a wondrous dusk and then the incomparable Pilbara night sky. Unfortunately, Michael's painful right heel had not improved and he retired rather miserably to bed. Not an entirely positive omen for my birthday...
What was more satisfying is that Kath, armed with Mister Dulux, bleach and elbow grease had powered her way through a Marble Bar summer and transformed the ablutions. Yes, they were still old, but they were clean, dust free and had been given a fresh coat of paint. What an improvement. And they had installed a code to enter the bathrooms, which would keep any undesirables out. I also noted, with delight, that the washing machines had been given a thorough makeover as well.
Having not slept very well, Michael returned to the boudoir after breakfast and snoozed the morning away. My alter ego Nurse Ratchet consulted Doctor Google and plantar fasciitis seemed to be the most likely culprit. Needless to say, Michael had first noticed a mild ache in his heel before we left home...
Anyway, the result was that we did very little on the anniversary of my birth. We did visit Marble Bar's excellent Visitors Centre and museum and spent a very happy hour or so there, walking away with more books. As they do not have EFTPOS, I will have to return to purchase a packet of Sturt's Desert Pea seeds to take home, so I will be reminded of the outback when they flower.
I wanted badly to visit the Bar, so we did so in the mid-afternoon. There was less water than when we had last visited, but the pools were still deep enough to support impressive colonies of fish. I walked through the edges of the flowing pools and had some decent 4WD walking thrust upon me due to the deep sand, pebbles and the Bar itself. The sun was still strong but I took photos anyway, hoping to do justice to this fantastic place.
We finished the day with dinner at the mighty Ironclad. The menu was limited but I very much enjoyed my steak sandwich and a glass of vino. A new owner had taken over, the bar and kitchen staff were cheerful, and work was being undertaken. The gloomy and oppressive beer garden's roof was gone, the lawned area beyond was visible and clean and major renovations were happening in the neglected rooms of the original hotel. We look forward to seeing the end result.
The night's minimum was perfect for sleeping and we did not wake until well after 9 o'clock. Michael is treating his foot with the utmost care and did not collapse on his morning trek to the loo. He has even regained his enthusiasm so we shall embark on some gentle fossicking later on today.
Stay tuned for my next thrilling installment!
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