Wooramel River Station & the Artesian Bore Baths

 

On our way to Wooramel Station we drove the 5km from the North West Coastal Highway into Carnarvon as we needed to stock up with some groceries before going off grid again for another 3 days. Carnarvon is a small coastal town, very quite, with a lovely foreshore area and a few cafes. We took a little walk along the foreshore area, had coffee and a BLT and managed to grab a couple of replacement bike tubes (well worth the detour). Did notice however that after our shopping and the cafes closed, the place was actually quite deserted. A bit like a Sunday afternoon – but it was Tuesday!

After another 120km’s we reached Wooramel Station. Again, we were greeted by a European back packer (this time French) who told us to choose any site we liked along the river front. We drove almost to the end, choosing another lovely remote site with a terrific view of the wide, dry riverbank nestled amongst a few white gums and a great fire pit. Delightful!

After settling in, we had a roaring fire going, cooked some salmon on the BBQ and toasted another great spot with a glass of wine.

The next morning we headed down to the rustic café for a coffee and home made damper and a long soak in one of the artesian bore baths. So relaxing, the water for the baths comes from the Birdrong Aquifer and travels from a depth of 240m below ground. The water at the source is between 42-49 degrees and cools to around 32 degrees after flowing through pipes into the spas. The artesian waters have a high mineral content including magnesium, iron and salts and are reputed to have a soothing effect on tired muscles. The high concentration of iron oxidises with the air and so the water after a while looks quite brown, After a rather long soak we did look like we had an extra tanned glow and our cossies needed a good rinse to get rid of the brown – but we enjoyed so much that we went the next day as well!

That evening we enjoyed the live entertainment provided and caught up with Paul & Tania from Cronulla, whom we had met way back at Ti-Tree and Daly Waters in the NT.