SHERLOCK RIVER and CLEAVERVILLE BEACH WA

  Here are a couple of places to consider if you are in the area at and are looking for free or cheap stopover points, Sherlock River is a viable alternative to Balla Balla Inlet if it is wet or the 15 kms of dirt road in is a bit daunting. Just 45 kms Sth of the Whim Creek Hotel we used it to break up the trip to Karratha.

We had heard about Cleaverville Beach that was a good cheap bush camping site ($10 per night) suitable for a few days. Set amongst sand dunes, the small, sandy spots scattered along the coastal fringe for a km or so were a bit difficult to enter. A walk through the area with and along the beachfront made this minor inconvenience worthwhile though. Of particular interest were the many fossilized marine specimens that covered the rock platforms and the prevalence of one of my favourite plants, the Sturt's Desert Pea scattered throughout the area. As a bonus we also were lucky to experience a "Super Moon" event which occurs only when the full Moon is at it's closest distance to the Earth and appears much larger than normal.