Point Malcolm WA - Topaz 2

[Auscgu]

The trip from Perth to Point Malcolm in the Nuytsland Nature Reserve
This was the first offroad trip for Tiny House and a chance to test the rig in its natural environment

We left Perth on sunday and travelled to hyden and out the hyden norseman road to The Breakaways campsite
This is not the shortest route to Esperance but a favorite campsite which we have visited many time
Hyden Norseman road has been promoted as the Granite and Woodlands Discovery Trail and has plenty of sites to make the trip worthwhile
The road was in good condition and was comfortable to travel with minimal corrugations
We let the tyres down 10 psi from road pressure on the gravel section

The Breakaways Campsite has some very colourful breakaway cliffs surrounding the camping area
The sites haves trees for shade and a drop toilet for added convenience
I have shown a picture of one of the sites from a previous trip with the camper

[Auscgu]

Monday was the trip into Norseman for some gas and a look around town with lunch at the cafe in the main street
Cafe on Roberts is a gem in Noseman and serve good food for a reasonable price
The decor is very pleasant and the staff friendly
The afternoon was travelling to Esperance down the Coolgardie-Esperance Highway
We arrived late afternoon and the weather was threatening rain
The trip out to Point Malcolm takes some time and with the weather closing in we decided to camp the night

We chose to stay in the Bathers Paradise Caravan Park which is a smaller park and nice quite sites
Situated only a minute walk from the Castletown Quays swimming beach
The park is family run and some older facilities but was in excellent repair
Pleasant place to send so time

[Auscgu]

Tuesday we checked with DEC for current conditions with the rain and fires are around
Top up with fuel and bait for the trip
The trip out to Point Malcolm is along Fisheries Road to the Nuytsland Nature Reserve
Fisheries Road is both Bitumen and Gravel to the reserve
Take the time to drop your tyre pressures as the track is now 4wd country and you get into sand straight away
We ran 20psi for the front and van tyres and 25psi for the rear tyres

The first section of the track is some deeper sand and a climb but easy to negotiate in high 4wd
The track is single lane and you need to make room for oncoming traffic
There are passing sections but some areas have a long way between
The general rule is the others will clear the track if your towing or the shortest convoy to clear the track

There are plenty of ruts and some mud holes to clear
We made good time at 30 to 40kms for the track
Note in the middle section there are more track options but generally take the most used tracks and all the big mud holes have bypasses

The only turn is 16kms short of Israelite Bay on Fisheries Road
The track to Point Malcolm has been washed out alongside the track at the turn
Take care clearing this area and follow the track to the campsite
Note there is a track leading to Israelite Bay named the Telegraphy Track and the next section travelling West with a sign Post
Hema GPS or good offroad mapping software clearly shows this

Point Malcolm has 3 distinct camp site sheltered for in the beach in the Dunes
Note if it is wet the site are sunken and will see water flow
No Toilets provide but bush toilets around made by the locals
We took our chemical toilet and buried it away from the beach area

The best fishing was south west of the campsites over the dune

[Auscgu]

Point Malcolm
Tuesday was a rest day for a chat and keeping out of the rain
We had the thunder storms moving through the area for the next two days
The thunderstorms hit in the afternoon and evening and we where flooded out twice with the brief but intense lows moving through
The lighting and thunder put on a good show and the campsite is very sheltered but no big trees to cause concern with the weather
We cooked our first roast chicken and potatoes in the Outback BBQ since it was fitted to the Topaz
We had all the trimming with veggies and gravy

[Auscgu]

Point Malcolm

Wednesday was suppose to be the worst day with two lows joining up by turned out a much nicer day
We did some construction work and dug trenches around the campsite to redirect the water
The weather was showers with nice spells of sunshine so we spent the day chatting in the sun and watching the Gould's Sand Monitor poke around
They where used to campers and quite happy to move around you at close distance
Nice to see them enjoying life and having us around for entertainment
They stopped by everyday so see what was going on

The afternoon was clearing up so it was time to check out the fishing spots and the general area
We drove to the point via the beach and checked out the terns nesting in the sand
The rocks at the point flood as the tide rises so you end up with the rocks with water around at high tide
The storms where still moving around and the wind was coming from the south so no fishing for a bit

We then checked out the tracks to the west and looked for a better beach to fish from
There are a few tracks and we found the track back to the campsite to bypass the beach
This track is windy and has scrub both side and a bit scratchy but better than the beach is its soft

We then took the track out over the small sand dune area and meet the beach further west
Once you come over the sand dunes you arrive at a nice fishing beach with channels close to shore
This is where we fished for the next two days

[Auscgu]

Point Malcolm

Thursday was a lazy morning and off fishing at 11 am and fished through to 2pm
We had a slow start and Terry managed to hook into some herring and caught 6 nice fish from 200mm to 250mm
I had a slower start and managed to catch 3 for the same time
we where using berley and fresh local mullies

Cleaned the fish and home for lunch with fresh herring and salad for lunch
The herring cooked up nicely with some olive oil lemon, cracked pepper and salt on the BBQ

[Auscgu]

Point Malcolm

Sunday was a lazy morning again and off fishing at 10 am and fished through to 2pm
Terry had a frustrating day and hooked herring and and lost a few fish but no fish in the bucket
I had a great day and managed to catch 10 fish from 200mm to 250mm for the same time
I even lost some and threw some back as they where less than 200mm
I was using berley and fresh local mullies and Terry had longlife mullies
He was fishing right next to me and even moved up the beach with no success
The beach had a gutter right at you feet and I saw the smaller herring move in and hang around
I stopped fishing when the bait ran out

I cleaned the fish and home for lunch with fresh herring and salad for lunch
The fish made a nice feed for all of us

The ladies had spent two very nice days relaxing, reading and chatting with the sand monitors dropping in for a visit

We had our second roast for the trip with Lamb roast potatoes and veggies
The BBQ worked a treat as an oven and made for a very nice meal in the bush

[Auscgu]

Israelite Bay
Last post said Sunday but was Friday (Senior Moment)

Saturday was time for adventure so we had a lazy morning and early lunch
We set out for Israelite Bay on the Telegraph Track which skirts the lake on the south side
Easy track with plenty of chicken tracks around the soft muddy sections

We found the Telegraph station ruins and spent some time poking around
This must have been a tough gig in this remote area as it was supplied by ship
The area was opened up for grazing but little evidence of this activity
There are old ruins around but it is mostly seasonal fishing and camping now
The beach here is covered with weeds and even has the weed in behind the beach which has been covered with sand

[Auscgu]

The Telegraph station was a substantial building with lovely stone work
I have taken a series of photos from the west looking towards the beach
You can see the extent of the building and makes a nice photo
Note taken with my phone as I left the camera in the van

[Auscgu]

We drove out to the jetty and took some photos and then drove along the track behind the beach heading towards the camping area
The track was getting soft so it was time to turn around and then the fun started
There was a short turn around track that look soft but with two of us worth a play
I managed to get half way around and found the weed covered by sand
The right front wheel broke through and dragged us in
Time for some winching and digging

We positioned the other 4wd in front for an anchor and you could see the sand pumping as you dove on it
I then used the winch to drag my way forward
Tried the max tracks but they did nothing in the deep weed
You just had to winch and dig to clear the weed and mud from under the front of the 4wd
I had found a channel and it kept dragging the 4wd along with out letting you out

We re-positioned to allow the winch to free us from the channel
This was a decent winching exercise with a sheave block and both batteries linked
I tried driving as the front end started to rise but had to keep winching to find traction
All in all a bit of fun when you well equipped but would be a good area to avoid with a single vehicle

The camping area is back from the beach and has some nice trees
Not much of a beach as it is full of weed but and interesting area to explore and go fishing in season

The drive back was wet as we had some storms passing trough
The rain was reasonably heavy and the water on the track had risen
Plenty of mud and water on the way back but very firm base and a bit of sliding
Great play day

[Auscgu]

Boys will play in the mud

[Auscgu]

Point Malcolm to The Breakaways Campsite

This was a big day as we packed up and left by 9am for the trip home
The track out had dried up after the rain but still had some bigger puddles
The trip out was still easy with a firm base and the sand had firmed up being wet
Good trip into Esperance for fuel and lunch

We then did the reverse trip back to The Breakaways
The trip trough the fire areas on the highway was sobering as you know what had occurred only a few weeks ago
You can see how hot the fire was and the damage was very evident
The road was scorched from the heat
Sad bit of the trip but shows haw real fire threats are and we need to be aware
I have been to Esperance a few time and there has been fires every time we have been
Our trip is planned around the open campsites but we have had some magic holidays
Esperance and the south coast is amazing area and up there with the best of Australia
The sand is so white and great scenery fishing and 4wd country

The trip is long day and we arrived to camp at 6pm
Nice sunset but the wind was from the south

[Auscgu]

The Breakaways to Perth

We woke to more rain on the way so a quick pack up and on the road
The rain was looking heavy so breakfast was at the servo in Hyden
Tyre pressures down again and 4wd high selected for the gravel section
We had just left the campsite when the rain started and had some serious rain for the 130kms to Hyden

The road is well maintained and we meet a few haul trucks working
The road was wet and muddy but firm
The haul truck create muddy tracks in the middle of the road so keeping the wheels on fresh gravel worked best
The road had started to flood in a few sections so slow and steady worked best
The red mud is what you can see on Tiny House on cleanup day and was mostly grit with some mud

Breaky at the road house was crazy as everyone had the same idea
The lady on duty was swamped and had to get help
Nice bacon and egg sanger with coffee was worth the wait

The rest of the trip home was great and a stop over in Brookton for lunch
Home mid afternoon and park up and put the power on
Essentials taken out and the rest left for cleanup day

[Auscgu]

Clean up

Parked Tiny house in the drive way and broke out the pressure washer
You can see the results of the trip with the red dirt on the van
Spent some quality time cleaning the van and 4wd with the pressure washer
Bought a Rotating wash brush for cleaning once the Vario Power Jet had blasted the grit off
The cool thing is it rotates so you just have to move slowly over the surface to clean
Saves heaps of rubbing and you have control over the soap dispenser on the unit
Did a good job and saved heaps of work
The 4wd and camper have a lot of surfaces to clean

The van was easy to clean compared to the 4wd
Someone played in the mud so lots of time cleaning under the 4wd

[Auscgu]

Trip thoughts

Great trip and enjoyed taking the Topaz offroad
I have done this trip before with a camper trailer and loved they way the topaz completed the trip
You need to be more aware of the turning circle with the longer wheel base
The van leans over more and we had some tracks that leaned with trees
You need to allow for the lean and roof clearance
The radio aerial has a new profile nice s curve now
The bush pin strips have appeared but no serious damage

The suspension was great and plenty of body clearance
Looking in the rear view mirrors and see the top of the van leaning out was different on the cross slopes
The angle was about 25 degrees but looks interesting after a camper trailer
What is the roll over angle for a topaz?

We had the large over head locker partial open so need to look at that
Some of the hinge tension bolts worked loose
The usual dust issues to be addressed
Tunnel boot under bed
Aircon area
Door and step area
Some dust around the kitchen draws
Time to bust out the sealant

Took the manuals so was able to sort the gas heater not starting
The first few days where wet and overcast so battery voltage below 12 volts
Generator fixed that problem
More solar would solve that issue and in the plans

The annex worked well and love the Topaz 2 annex
The roof is a typical camper style but well made and easy to assembly for that style of roof
The walls can be added as required and the smaller panels have multiable positions
We have used the annex roof as a roof and with the end panels added
This trip required all the walls for weather and mozzie control

Great trip and well with in the abilities of the Topaz
Adds a new level of luxury to camping and is why we own them
Enjoy