Broome to Busselton via Coast Road in six days – Day 3

| Chris Riley

Day three – Miaree Pool (Northside) to Lyndon River (East) 418kms (4 1/2 hours driving time)

Lyndon River in May 2014

Day three of our six day trip home coming from Broome to Busselton was an easy, uneventful day of just 4 and half hours.

After a walk and a leisurely start to the day at Miaree Pool we headed south towards Lyndon River East. First stop along the way was approximately three hours south at Yannarie (Barradale) road side rest area. We stayed at this little gem last year on our first night out from Cape Range National Park, near Exmouth. At the time we’d come from a week at the National park which is near the town of Exmouth, and had no internet. We were pleasantly surprised at that time to discover fantastic internet cover at Yannarie, which is in the middle of absolutely nowhere. This time though we weren’t there long enough for any internet use. Just a  loo stop, and a cup of coffee this time. However,  determined to make the travel days more puppy friendly means we need to spend a bit of time at our stops so instead of drinking our coffee while driving, this time we sat at one of the many picnic tables and let Tills have a good leg stretch and some fresh air.

After setting off again, approximately an hour and half later we reached Lyndon River East. We first stopped at this little stop back in 2014 at the commencement of our first Australian round trip. It was May, and there was crystal clear water in the river at that time. It’s a different place at the end of the dry season in August  than it is at the beginning of the dry in May. This time round the river bed was a bone dry, red dust bowl. We attempted a walk but there were too many prickles and bindi’s for Mr Tilley’s unruly coat. The few minutes that we did spend having a quick peruse of the area resulted in approximately half an hour removing all the prickles from him.

Rustically pretty, but no water

Although we didn’t manage a walk, it was pleasant to sit outside for a few hours relaxing and playing cards prior to dinner. It’s a roomy place with plenty of parking, and we parked far enough from the highway so as not to be troubled by the road trains throughout the night. For my overseas readers, road trains are trucks that travel the Australian roads. They tow 3 – 4 carriages behind them, hence the name ‘road train’, and can be close to half a kilometre in length. Parking near to the highway at night can result in wind turbulence and a disturbed night’s sleep every time one of these beasts thunders by.

One of many road trains that travel the Australian roads

We always look for a place with a decent buffer between us and the highway.

Plenty of level places to park up away from the highway

We will no doubt stay at Lyndon River East again, but not this late in the season. When the river bed’s dry it’s still nice and rustic visually, but not being able to take Till’s for a decent walk reduces it’s appeal. At the beginning of the winter (dry season) when there’s still water in the river, I’m sure he’ll love to have a paddle or swim, and the prickles don’t seed until around August.

So that was our third day.  Stay tuned for the next eventful night’s stopover at Gladstone camp ground.

12 thoughts on “Broome to Busselton via Coast Road in six days – Day 3”

    1. They are some sort of eucalyptus tree, but I’m sorry Diane, I can’t be more specific than that. Our country roads are full of road trains. They can be intimadating but generally the drivers are really considerate. We always have our two way on when one is either behind us, or in front of us. The drivers let us know if they want to pass, or if they’re in front, they let us know if it’s safe for us to go. They’re so high up they can see the road for miles ahead.

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  2. Beautiful images of the lake and campground sites! Whoa, I have never seen that many trailers hooked to a truck here in the U.S. We’ve got trucks pulling 2 or 3 at most, and it seems so crazy and dangerous! And now people are trying to pull 2-3 hookups to the pickup truck or motorhome. We thought we had seen everything when a motorhome went us by pulling a camper trailer that was pulling a boat.

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    1. Tell me about it! We always talk to the truckies on the two way before overtaking, or if they’re behind us and wanting to overtake. They’re very helpful, telling us when to go, and they can see for miles in front. I still hold my breath though till we’re passed. Do you travel with a two way?

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      2. We only turn it on when we have a truck either in front or behind us. It took a while to get the confidence to talk to them, but now we have, we wouldn’t travel the outback roads without one. The truckies really appreciate us just knowing they’re there, and usually on a dead line. They pass us on a down hill, and we pass them on an uphill, sometimes many times. They are so high up and see for miles to give us the go ahead when we’re safe to go. It took a while for us to feel safe putting our trust in them, but I’m pleased we did. I’d really recommend using one.

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