The Wongi camping area is stunning! There are very shady Wongai trees right on the beach, nobody but us (our two vehicles), miles of untouched beach without even footsteps. We are amusing ourselves with crocodile watching, bird watching, reading. Yesterday we swam in a mountain stream not far from here. The wind has been consistent so we have no sand flies. And the temperature is lovelly. We are however being very wary of going near the waters edge, since we have seen crocodiles a number of times already, right off our section of the beach.
Stuart however is a keen fisherman and cannot be persuaded to keep too far back. So Joe follows him around with a waddy to attack any croc which chases Stuart. Stuart has caught a couple of fish and so he is happy.
The consensus is that we are staying here for a few days or until the wind drops and the sand flies start!
Nira and Stuart travel for long periods at a time and we have been discussing how to keep fresh vegies for so long. They do a lot of dehydrating, of vegies, fruits, and even herbs. They also salt some things such as limes, lemons, green mangoes, and cabbage ( sour kraut!)
Nira showed me how to do the sauerkraut! I have always wanted to do this but thought it was difficult! Not so! My first batch is started and if it turns out this will become a regular for us!
Stuart also likes to catch game. Last night we saw lots of feral pigs running past our campsite to a patch of Wongai trees. -apparently eating the fallen fruit. However he and Nira are uncertain about eating feral pigs because of the parasites. We fantasised that the crocodiles might get an easy feed if Stuart and Joe can catch and kill one of the pigs! Could make quite a spectacle!
We stayed here three nights! The days were spent chatting and telling yarns. Nira and I chatted about food and India (Nira is of Indian heritage), Stuart fished and worked on his car, and Joe went for a long walk to the tip of Cape Mellville, but didn't make it back before dark. He (and we) was concerned about crocodiles if he walked on the beach, and about wild pigs if he walked on the track - since he had no torch. So Stuart went along the track in his car to meet him. Joe had the handheld UHF radio so we could communicate. He had walked about 20 Klm's.
The wind blew a gale all day yesterday and the night before. There was spumes blowing off the waves, white tops every where, and chairs and solar panels blowing over. On Saturday night we phoned (sat phone) Emma to check the weather report to make sure we were not in for dangerous weather (heavy rain or a cyclone). She reported only a strong wind warning so we stayed put. Of course the wind meant no sand flies so we were glad.
We found that if we lowered the roof on the Earthcruiser the re was less buffering and we had a better sleep. We left regretfully after three nights, heading for kalpowar crossing in Lakefield National Park.
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