Wake up at around 1:30am, the wind is buffetting the camper trailer. Things are madly flapping poles are clashing together. Get up and do a run around with the torch. The rope on the peak of the apex has come adrift, it is too high for me to reach to replace it. The sideways spacers have fallen down. I replace these to have one fall again shortly.
I realise the spacer has a U connection to grab onto the poles to hold them apart, I can use this to lift the rope back onto the top of the apex. After a couple of attempts this works. Return to bed for a while. Flapping gets worse as the wind strengthens, my guess is 30 to 40 knots. Go outside again to find the tropical roof is lifing from its velcro connection, pull it down at one end to have it all fly off and flapping. Hope that the centre section will hold and the roof won't disappear into the night.
Dawn finally arrives our only thought is to get packed up and out of here. Manage to get some coffee made and breakfast on, hurrying now becomes urgent as the front of the annex awning where the apex centre pole goes is now tearing, we need to get it down before the tear increases much more.
Jeff and Arloo have also been having lots of problems during the evening trying to keep poles attached and upright.
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| Jeff and Arloo trying to hold down their awning |
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| Our tropical roof in flight |
Our popup shower tent is more horizontal than vertical, getting one of these refolded with a gale blowing is not much fun. We finally get packed up, everything now has sand blown through it. We head for Exmouth to regroup. In Exmouth we have a coffee then head for the visitors centre to decide where to stay for the next few days to wait out the gale, if we stay in Exmouth we need to book into accomodation none of which is cheap.
After reading the accomodation booklet five times I suddenly realise that Bullara Station maybe a solution as it is inland between Exmouth and Coral Bay. Ring them and get confirmation that the wind won't be as bad there. At $13 a night per person we decide this is our solution for the next few nights. We fill up with potable water and head back to the shopping centre to pick up some food. Go to the IGA first and then the butcher. Oops Saturday, butcher shuts at 1:00pm it is now a quarter past, back to the IGA for main meal provisions.
I ring Ningaloo Station and tell them we will not be in tomorrow but will delay it a few days until the strong wind warnings have abated. Hopefully this will be Monday.
Now for lunch, the fish and chips behind the IGA is the plan, oops it is only open between 5 and 9pm.
Head out to Bullara where we get a warm welcome and a shown the facilities. Good bush camp with water, hot showers, flushing loos, fires, laundry, ...
Chris goes to make a cup of tea, lots of wind, tries to use cutting boards as wind breaks. Makes a mistake and picks up the metal ring next to the burner she is using. Badly burnt hand is the result. We are miles from anywhere little own a 24 hour medical centre. Apply Solosite from the first aid kit, takes a couple of hours for the pain to go down. Hand is badly blistered and swollen.
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