Carnarvon's rain usually falls between February and August, spread out over those six months in fairly small totals ranging from fifteen to forty five millimetres. What allows Carnarvon to be such a superb growing region for fruit and veggies is the upside-down Gascoyne River, which only actually can been seen flowing for about one hundred and twenty days a year. Most of the water is contained in an underground aquifer which completes an eight hundred and sixty five kilometre trip from its headwaters north of Meekatharra and empties into the Indian Ocean at the end of its epic journey.
Anyway, Carnarvon has had two main rain events in 2024, which delivered almost the entire year's rainfall. We arrived on Friday afternoon from Northampton, in glorious sunshine and warm temperatures. Boots and jackets were discarded in favour of tee-shirts and thongs.
Yesterday was a similarly sunny, albeit windier day. As a result, washing that normally took three days to dry on the line in Beverley achieved the same result in four hours.
And we really did not do much. We briefly visited the markets, enjoying a Vietnamese crepe and then a sojourn for me into Woolies at Carnarvon Central. The rest of the afternoon was consumed by Michael's re-organisation of the metal artifacts from the Yalgoo tip and my pottering inside Will. Two days worth of dishes were washed, the dry laundry folded and put away, Michael executed a fabulous BBQ and we watched Fremantle decimate Richmond in the footy match on the big screen.
Sometime during the night, I became aware of heavy rain. Then I discovered a wet patch near my feet and a sensation of water droplets on my bare arms...All in all, over twenty millilitres fell in a brief few hours. I understand people in the tropics would fall about laughing at such a "piddly" amount, but here in Carnarvon, their yearly rain total was reached. And my sleeping bag and feet were decidedly damp and chilly.
Will's original 1997 perspex dome is fracturing through age. On my side of the bed. That explained all the drips falling on me. Closing the curtains isolated the mess and I strategically placed a glass to catch any additional water. Before the rain ceased late this morning, my glass had recorded an another millilitre or two. Not spectacular, but better in that glass rather than on my sleeping bag.
The rest of today has been, what some would describe as very dull indeed. We have eaten breakfast and lunch, set up the heater to dry my sleeping bag, enjoyed tea and coffee and caught up with extremely serious games on our phones. I have edited photos, completed Wordle in four moves, checked Facebook and begun this post. In an outstanding act of self-denial, the dogs have been asleep on their bed for most of the day, crushing their innate desires to tear around through cold puddles of water on a brisk winter's afternoon,
Michael, likewise, has bravely resisted the urge for any strenuous activity, retiring for an after lunch nap, gently snoring on his back.
And in a final act of achieving very little today, we will be having Cheeki's Pizza for dinner, located in the food van next to the recreation area. Before collapsing gratefully back into bed after all that boundless non-effort!
I think we should do this more often...
Northampton scenes,,,
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