Springing up from within the dry dusty outback is Carnarvon, a lush oasis of tropical plants and fruit and vegetable plantations on the banks of the underground Gascoyne River. During our three days here we tour one (and learn the ins and outs of growing bananas, grapes and mangoes), shop our way through a few more, invest in a juicer (but of course!), and sample all manner of frozen and dehydrated organic delights. With temps in the high 20s, there's also time for a spot of swimming back at the caravan park, some fishing (with success), and an opportunity to unpack our mattresses, pillows, sheets and doonas and give them a well-earned airing. We leave a little more tanned, a little more sated and with a fridge filled to capacity with frozen mango.
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| Another terribly long jetty but this one at least delivers... Budge reels in a mulloway big enough to keep. Rikki is so proud of her dad she sprints ahead with fish in bucket in hand - regaling every passer by with news of our catch. |
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| A buncha monkeys with a buncha bananas. (Interestingly each tree produces just one bunch.) |
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| Choc covered frozen bananas. Almost as good as the choc covered frozen strawbs. Or the dehydrated banana straps. Or the sundried mango. Or the mango icecream popsicles. So much fruit... and luckily, so much time. |
