🤯 Cyclone devastation at Pardoo Roadhouse, a stunning free camp in the Pilbara & one of our favourite WA beach camps! Let’s gooooo!
Welcome to the wild wonders of the Pilbara, Western Australia! In this episode we take you to a stunning free camp – Doolena Gorge. Nestled along the riverside, it’s the most beautiful and peaceful free camp you’ll ever lay eyes on 😍 Lace up your hiking boots because we’re exploring the breathtaking scenery before sitting around the campfire and watching a magnificent sunset.
But it’s not all serene landscapes – we’ll also be sharing the heartbreaking aftermath of cyclone Ilsa at Pardoo Roadhouse & Tavern. Roofs missing, scattered debris, twisted metal and a sense of devastation that hits you in the gut. It’s a somber moment witnessing the power of nature.
On the road, we pull over to let a massive piece of mining machinery rumble past us on the highway. It’s a jaw-dropping sight that reminds us of the incredible scale of industry in this rugged region. You won’t believe the sheer size of this beast!
Switching gears, we take you to one of our all-time favorite beach camps in WA – Eighty Mile Beach. It’s a shell collector’s paradise, with every step revealing more that you just want to keep forever! The sunsets here are nothing short of magical, and the green grass is a welcome sight after camping on dirt for so long.
Hit play, and let’s dive into the heart of Western Australia!
This is all part of our journey from Brisbane through Western Australia via New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia then back down to Victoria and back up to QLD!
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We are full time caravanners who love the van life! We sold everything and now travel Australia in our Titanium Caravan and Chevy Silverado. Road trip Australia? Yes please!
25 Comments
Cleaning your little camping spot, and rebuilding the fireplace will definitely set you apart from other campers……
Thanks for the share 🕶🤙👍
Awesome again Miriam and Chris
My favourite part was 4:00 – 6:00 mins, That was beautiful Drone footage but the Moment that captivated me was when Chook was doing a twirl the look on Her face was of Pure Happiness.. 😘😘😘😘😘
Nicely captured Chris 😉😉😘
Lived on Westmoore Island just off Balla Balla / whim Creek (which is near Pardoo Roadhouse) in 2007/8 & had to evacuate to Point Samson to sit out a Cat4 Cyclone that passed 12kms parallel with the coast at the eye.
Company house for evacuations was the old harbour masters house in Pt Sampson which is right on the beach front.
It was built by State Government out of concrete & steel to sustain a Cat 5 cyclone direct hit, so about the safest place to be really.
Steel shutters over the windows etc, lots of concrete & steel & concrete Bessa blocks, as well as being partly buried into a coastal sand dune.
The wind howled for about 12 house like a screaming woman at the top of her lungs.
Rain was driven horizontal and water made it inside between the window sills and concrete wall.
But we were safe enough to ride it out drinking a few beers and playing cards with some of the locals who joined us for safety as the only cyclone rated house in town.
The Island that we lived on however copped a bit of a pounding.
Lost all our frozen fish etc in the deep freeze as the power had to be shut off on the island and it was 4 days before it calmed down enough to get back out there in the boats.
And our concrete launch ramp on the island that we painstakingly built with a few tonnes of concrete carried by bags in truck & boat to the island & mixed by hand etc got smashed to pieces, so we had to rebuild all that.
The Island (Westmoore) had been hit previously by cyclone John in 1999 and was in mothballs for years.
We got the contract to live their and fix it all back up to operational Pearl farm and charter fishing lodge in 2007/8 for a year.
It was a fantastic time if you ignored the hardships of no power or water etc when we first arrived – but bit by bit we resurrected everything to make it quite a liveable enjoyable place to stay.
Fishing was great.
Only downside really was the isolation (we had 3 teen kids) the heat occasionally (like 48C) and the odd cyclone.
DePuch Island next door to Westmoore was awesome to see, basically imagine Ayers Rock sitting in the ocean surrounded by azure blue water.
No one goes there, never appears on any tourist promotions.
10,000+ Aboriginal petroglyphs (rock carvings) & early maritime history engravings from the HMS Beagle visit in 1840 etc.
The kind of stuff caravanners basically never get to see, everyone drives past on their way from Karratha up to Pt Hedland.
You turn off the highway opposite Whim Creek pub and go 28kms of gravel road to Balla Balla, launch your boat and about 3kms offshore from the creek mouth you have DePuch Island and all the other nearshore islands of the Forestier Group including Westmoore Island, Sable Island and a few others.
The liberty sign looked like a truck had hit it not .just shows how powerful nature can be when it wants to.
Yes Chris been through 2 cyclones in cairns 1986 and Xmas day 1990
Drone footage epic hikers paradise so flippen beautiful again nice content keep them coming
…cool video keep up the great content.. Thank you…
Amazing scenery so interesting to see the cyclones aftermath at the roadhouse
Hey Guys, Long time watcher, first time poster. I was in Pannawonica in 1996 when TC Olivia passed directly over. CAT 5 Cyclone that had the highest ever recorded wind at over 408Kph. No serious injuries, but over 70% damage to the town and 40% destruction. Was a scary 24 hrs.
Wow looks amazing the view is incredible keep safe ❤
Lived in Port Hedland from 1997 to 2003 and had plenty of near misses with Cyclones. The one that sticks out is Cyclone John in 99 that made landfall at Whim Creek 100 Kms SW of Hedland. Scariest night of my life. Sounded like a freight train coming through the living room.
Hi guys,first time viewer . I just have to pause the video at the about five minutes in and congratulate you on the amazing drone shot great work and an amazing place. I’ll be a regular watch from now on. Thanks
We stopped at Pardoo Rd House on our way to our work at Onslow. One of the things we noticed was the direction of the trees laying over on the sides of the road and how the direction of them was opposite either side of Pardoo. My father was an Air Traffic Controller and was sent to Mt Isa to help run the evacuation of Darwin after Cyclone Tracey.
Every time we go to Darwin I always pop in to the Darwin museum and go into the cycling Tracey room. When they turn those lights off and you can hear the wind and the roof getting ripped off. Gives me goosebumps
Awesome episode once again guys 👍
Where do you get your music from for your vids?
Thanks once again guys, great video!
Just a thought, would love for you guys to do an exit video for your equipment. For example, what didn’t work as you thought in your last van before picking up the new one. Would love to know what you wouldn’t do again in the new Chevy for instance.
As a young bloke diving off Hook Island, a mate and I were in a gutter amongst the coral when it got a bit dark. Looking up a huge school of reef sharks had sought refuge in the bay we were diving in. We got smashed swimming up through them to get to the boat. That night a cyclone moved in and sunk every boat in the bay at what was the new resort. Hell of a night hoping the cabins would stay put!! Will defiantly put the river camp on our favourite list, love your work guys ❤❤❤Pete .
Wow 😮 Awsome footage guys just amazing 🍻
09:35 The Pardoo Roadhouse is actually owned by Pardoo Station (if you stumble across the station, they won't change a tyre or plug one, even though they have the facilities – learned the hard way). The Roadhouse was run by an immigrant, sub-continent family who lost their livelihood.
Hi guys
We lived in Port Hedland (or Headland if you wish) from 1999 to 2002. Cyclone John was the big one in 99. The strongest to ever cross the coast. It crossed just south near Whim Creek. We had a cyclone party that night at the flats in South Hedland but the trouble was we ran out of beer n alcohol and couldn't go out to get any more. I also remember subsequent cyclones and we didn't know what to do with our outdoor furniture. Answer was to throw the table and chairs in the swimming pool. Didn't get blown away there.
My wife took part in that 'jumping off the moving bus' wheel barrow race and had the best of times with no injuries, anything for a good fund raiser.
As allways enjoy your travels
Very good editing on that campsite set-up musical interlude!
Gorgeous episode team!!! Loved all the footage around 4 – 5 mins etc. Definitely somewhere we'll be heading to when we duck back over! 🤙
I have worked that area alot in the mining game and have visited the Pardoo roadhouse. Good free camp on a farm across the road a bit North. Have been through a couple of cyclones, they are a bit shabby
Yeah I’m in cairns when yasi was gonna hit lots more Clinton at the same time yes it was scary even tho it didn’t hit cairns. I worked at Yorkeys knob boat club as the head chef at the time was interesting to see how it all works from a marina point of view Was close and yes it was scary I usually have fun when there around but not this one it was huge
Love ur work guys ❤🇦🇺🙏