Carnarvon
Carnarvon is a city in Western Australia, famous for growing delicious bananas. It also has delightful secrets to reveal to those who dare visit it like the fact that it is, in fact, possible for over 500 flies to suddenly emerge from previously fly-free sand dunes and sit on one's back, arms, personal belongings and buzz obnoxiously around one's head for as long as one takes to think of a clever plan to trick them and escape.
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Hitchhiking out
To Pelican Point
For camping at the beach just out of town which is slightly illegal, so you'll want to avoid the Rangers (see accommodation and Sleep, below). A nice 20min walk out of the town centre along David Brand Dr to the corner with Babbage Island Rd puts you at a decent corner for hitching. There aren't always many cars driving past, but they stop fairly easily. There is no shade here though, it can be bloody hot in the middle of the day.
To North West Costal Highway towards everywhere
For getting out of town to everywhere else north, east or south in Australia. There are two roads out of town towards the highway where you want to go, Robinson Road is your best bet for getting out of town as it is much busier than HMAS Sydney II Memorial Drive (which has a more fun name and rows of also fun palm trees planted along it though). Unfortunately the Gull petrol station in town doesn't like hitchikers and might send you to the BP (miles away!), but trudging along the side of the road looking pitiful in the sun inspired one of the many lovely residents of Carnarvon to pull off the road and give Dear Sarah and Kathleen a lift to the highway, so stick your thumb out as you walk. Once at the highway, you can go for North/East or South as you please.
Hitching In
Its a small town so people will probably not mind dropping you where you want; if you need supplies ask for the centre of town. If you want to go straight to camp at the beach, ask for the road out of town, or they might be happy to take you right there (its only 3-5km).
Accommodation and Sleep
There is water by the town, but the proper beach is a little removed and so a good spot to camp as it's not too overrun. Babbage Island Rd out of the town goes past the 1 Mile Jetty, Binning Rd and then down to Pelican Point.
There are a lot of 4wd cars going between 1 Mile Jetty and Binning Rd even at night, so you're better off camping between Binning Rd and Pelican Point. The only shower and toilet block is right at the end of Pelican Point, but there are also more beach-goers there so don't camp too close. The carpark there can be excellent or terrible for hitching back into town.. definitely ask people at their cars to avoid unexpectedly long waits.
The fact that it is somewhat illegal to camp on the beach, and wanting to avoid late-night raucous behaviour by intoxicated folk are two good reasons to be sneaky with your camping. Set up the tent, should you have one, after dark and in as sheltered a dune as you can find. If a car is coming along the beach with a searchlight swinging around, Dear Sarah recommends exciting ninja-action to quickly flatten and hide said tent and campers in the dunes. The fine for camping in protected dunes is probably unpleasantly large. Cars or vans left parked overnight at the shower block will also attract unwanted attention.
There aren't any sources of drinking water at the beach, including the shower block, so make sure you have enough.
Other Useful Info
In the summer months, it seems to always look like it's about to bucket down with rain on Carnarvon but this rain just swings by south of the town and beach. So, you can enjoy the excitingly foreboding-looking clouds without ending up looking like a drowned rat.
If you need to use the internet, this can be done for a fee at the library or the tourist office - but the tourist office ladies are lovely and friendly, whereas the library lady can be unpleasant and unfriendly. Plus, sometimes they have a basket of delicious free green Chili Peppers to give away at the tourist office.
If you need a power outlet to charge your phone or other electronic device, don't bother asking at various shops which will refuse you. At the building where Woolworths is, there is a kids' Cookie Monster Play machine with a bench next to it. With a little clever arranging, you can unplug the machine, in-plug your stuff, and have a nice little relax on the bench for a while. It might be an idea to try to hide the swapped cables, in the slightly awkward case of actual kids coming and trying to play on the now not-working machine.
