My decision to head off to Broome came suddenly this morning when I awoke to my tent being buffeted in the wind. It was time to leave Karratha and my little Peninsula at Cleaverville. Work had not eventuated, accommodation prices were out of the question if not working, and I needed a break from roughing it without showers.
I left Karratha for Port Hedland after picking up my mail from the PO which had been forwarded from Albany. Not long after I left Karratha I got a text from a friend about an Office Manager job there paying good money and he thought I could turn around but I wasn't sure that the Karratha lifestyle would suit me after all.
More Spinifex and red rocks today. Saw some cows on the way, something new for this area and the rivers had water in them for a change. Stayed at South Hedland Van Park for $20 which was pretty crowded but put my washing on straight away then headed off for a coffee with Peter Maguire (a friend of Jenny the playwright who I met at Bullara Station a few weeks back). He works in software training for the Dept of Child Protection and we talked about life in mining towns, accommodation and the differences between Karratha and Hedland. By the time I got back to camp it was dark. Alastair and his group from Snowtown (?) in South Australia (near Port Wakefield where I had borrowed a bicycle tyre at the pub) were safeguarding my campsite (as I had driven away in it). They kindly gave me their leftover lamb chops and veggies for dinner to save me cooking so I played them a few songs and we swapped travel stories and advice. It was a nice evening. They were heading south to Karratha, Tom Price and Karijini. Slept in my car bed.
