Australia’s large land mass is predominantly desert however it is also home to some wonderful nature features; some very famous such as Uluru, Sydney Harbour, some that you might be familiar if you’re a nature or travel programme watcher, Kakadu and Pernululu NPs, and some that are small that you have to read travel blogs to know about them.
The Blowholes is the name given to a rock formation 75kms from Carnavon along a single boring road on the way to nowhere in particular apart from other isolated spots. What is so special about these Blowholes is how they’ve been formed. Seawater smashing on to the rocks on every wave has slowly eroded the weaker rock underneath a plateau and then continued to erode as the water splashes upwards. Small holes have been bored into the plateau that allows the splashing seawater to spectacularly jet upwards anywhere to 20m.
The feel of the place reminded me of the coast of Cornwall and past experiences near St Just when a storm was incoming. The rugged coastline of Cape Cornwall and Priest’s Cove was equally impressive as this spot with the waves crashing on to the nearby rocks displaying their turquoise beauty.
The land here, rather than being a beach or rocky headland as found in St Just, was a flat moonscape with small eroded pools lined with salt from the evaporated seawater. Spooky!
From a distance you can see a water spray and perhaps some mist but its not until you’re close that you can appreciate the scale of the force. Tourists don’t exactly flock here, but there is a continual flow (sic) of people keen to get a photo of this natural wonder behind them. The photographers taking the photo all think its terribly exciting until the jet disperses into a fine salty mist all over the lens. Whilst there, I’d heard of many compact cameras just shutting down as so much salt had entered the electronics.
I was fortunate to see whales following their migratory patterns from the Blowholes with equally impressive blowhole displays as they passed offshore so much so that I decided to stay in the strange campground nearby. What seemed like derelict tin sheds appeared to be holiday homes but an unsure as to whether they’re occupied nowadays.My second fortunate encounter was that the camphost had moved on for a few days so became a free stopover. Large sanddunes on the opposite headland provided an excellent vantage point to see the sunset with the migrating whales underneath and the Blowholes spraying to my right. (silly me, forget to take the camera!!!)
A definite must if you’ve got a spare afternoon and fuel to get there. Apparently the campfees are $7 a night if someone was there so still an affordable stopover, and more campsites are further up the coast should it be full.
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