Gnaraloo 3 Mile Camp – Where Desert meets the Ocean

Gnaraloo 3 Mile Camp – Where Desert meets the Ocean

Gnaraloo Collage 2

On each of my trips to Gnaraloo, the song lyrics “this could be heaven, this could be hell’ comes ringing into my years.

To clarify, I’ve only ever made the trip to Gnaraloo 3 Mile Camp in the scorching January heat, when the southerly blows hard enough to keep everyone but the most dedicated European wind and kitesurfers far away. The earth is parched from the relentless heat and no matter what the weather is doing, you’ll bear the full brunt of it here.

The second reason that makes me think this could be hell is that I’m a woman and this is the kind of place where a blokes dreams are made. Spearfishing, surfing gnarly waves and living off the land are a few things to instil the primordial being of any man.

Gnaraloo is where men come to bond; case in point is this quote taken from a popular fishing blog; – “Yes it has flushing toilets – but if it was my wife asking I would tell her we need to bring a shovel then she would decline in going away and suggest to make it a boys camping trip.”

I’m not saying that this is not a place for ladies, just be prepared to come face to face with a few of Australia’s famed creepy crawlies, including the venomous type, share the toilet with spiders the size of your fist and shower with bore water that leaves your hair feeling like straw.

In case you’re travelling with your usually demure and civilised male counterpart, get ready to see him channel his inner caveman.

This could be Heaven

Spectacular Coastline at Gnaraloo

On the heaven side, Gnaraloo is where you get to be at one with nature. It’s the kind of wilderness where big city problems are replaced with existential thoughts and you soon come to the realisation that you’re a very small part of a very big universe.

Located on a lonely stretch of dirt track, 150km north of Carnarvon, Gnaraloo Station is a 90,000-hectare large working sheep station located on the southern tip of the Ningaloo Reef.

Here where the desert meets the sea, the most striking thing is the contrast between the barren, inhospitable land of the interior and the turquoise coloured ocean that is teeming with colour and life. Jagged red cliffs plunge into pristine ocean and the magnificent sunsets are alone worth the long drive.

The dusty red dirt is littered with footprints of creatures great and small. Lizards, snakes, crabs, spiders, kangaroos and emus all call this their home. Wild goats, the sturdiest of creatures that manage to survive in any environment, roam freely, along with sheep and cattle. You’ll even meet them at the beach.

At night, away from the light pollution of the city, the sky comes alive with millions of stars. The Milky Way lights the way and there plenty of shooting stars every night to make all your wishes come true.

3 Mile Lagoon

3 Mile Lagoon at Gnaraloo

It’s hard to imagine a more spectacular place to swim and snorkel  than the 3 Mile Lagoon that borders the northern end of the campsite. Snorkelling here is like submerging your head inside an aquarium. Suddenly a completely new world comes alive in the crystal clear water.

Not only is the lagoon part of the heritage listed Ningaloo Reef Marine Park, it’s also within a sanctuary. Staghorn, fan and brain coral abound, as does a abudnant sea life that includes over 200 fish species, rays, turtles, sponges, shellfish, squids, and sharks.

Pods of dolphins, manta rays, schools of tuna and whales are all frequent visitors to the waters of Gnaraloo.  Gnaraloo Bay is also home to the world’s third largest Loggerhead turtle population in the world.

If you’re interested in the local marine life a snorkelling guide has been written specifically for Gnaraloo Bay and Three Mile Lagoon and is available from the 3 Mile Shop. You can also visit the spectacular Gnaraloo Bay, which is 20-minute drive from the camp, past the homestead. Here you’ll find more incredible snorkelling and one of the most stunning stretches of beaches along this coastline.

Gnaraloo Surfing

It’s this patch of Indian Ocean that makes most people drive the lonely road to Gnaraloo. This isolated spot on the west coast has attracted surfers since the 1960s due to the world-class wave that is found here.

Tombstones or “Tombies” not only so called because of the tombstone like rock that sits on top of the cliff is during the winter month’s one of the best waves in the world. In the summer, it’s equally popular with wind and kitesurfers and frequently attracts the best surfers from all over the globe.

Surfing Tombstones at Gnaraloo

Gnaraloo Camping

gnaraloo_sunset

3 Mile Camp is located on Gnaraloo Station and offers beachside camping spots and basic facilities. If you come camping here, be prepared to bring all your supplies including drinking water. There is no camp kitchen so bring your own cooking facilities and any other essentials.

A few spots are more sheltered than others but wherever you decide to pitch your caravan, trailer or tent you’ll be exposed to the elements, including the sun, wind and red dirt that creeps into every crevice. The wind comes howling through the camp no matter what direction it blows so make sure your setup is sturdy enough to withstand high winds, lots of sun and flies.

The Hilton at 3 Mile Camp Gnaraloo

The Hilton, (pictured above) is the most luxurious site at the camp and available for rent, albeit at a higher cost than an average campsite. Trust me, the shelter from wind and sun is worth the extra cost and given the surroundings this shack truly qualifies as five star luxury.

The campsite has three ablution blocks which have all recently been upgraded, hot showers, sinks to do the dishes and a laundry. Each site has a fireplace but you’ll need to bring your own firewood.

There is a shop at the camp with essential supplies including milk, water, ice as well as a few luxuries including cold beer, wireless internet and power to recharge electronics or recharge your fridge. Generators are tolerated as long as they don’t disturb other campers. You can also bring your dog, although fees apply and if your dog kills a sheep it will be shot.

Gnaraloo Station

If you need more luxury or simply don’t want to camp, the Gnaraloo Homestead located a few kilometres further north along the track offers a variety of accommodation options. These suit all budgets and groups of all sizes. Choose from the newly constructed Stone Cabins, Shearing Shed, Fishing Shed or the Old Homestead.

Facilities at The Homestead are equipped with power from 7am to 11pm, drinking water and most with freshwater showers.

Getting there

Gnaraloo 3 Mile Camp

Gnaraloo is located 150km north of Carnarvon. Heading north from Carnarvon take the Blowholes turnoff and head right along the gravel road at the King Wave sign. Continue north past Quoabba Station and Red Bluff until you reach the Gnaraloo Station sign and continue until you get to the 3 Mile Camp turn off or continue north to the homestead.

The road is unsealed for 75km and although accessible by 2WD a sturdy 4WD will ensure a more comfortable and reliable ride. The track consists of rocky patches, big dips and at times soft sand. All sorts of vehicles have hobbled their way to Gnaraloo, including big rental campervans and white backpacker vans with enough mileage to circumvent Australia three times. Plenty of vehicles though never made it back and found their graveyard at the station

Track conditions vary from season to season and are prone to flooding. Check what the conditions are like before you set off.

Save it for later

Gnaraloo

For more information on Gnaraloo, check the website here.

Have you been to Gnaraloo, or does this sound like heaven or hell?

 

 

16 Comments

  1. Brad says:

    A great read Nina. Loved it. You had me laughing the ladies and spiders etc.

  2. Ivanka says:

    Very informative and beautiful pics! Makes me want to go. Not sure about the wind though!

  3. Johanna says:

    A wonderful post – loved your descriptions and your writing – had me laughing and nodding in agreement. What a wild and spacey kind of place, pretty much a blokes paradise but I reckon there’s plenty for a snap-happy girl to do too 😉

  4. […] Gnaraloo 3 Mile Camp – Where Desert Meets Ocean […]

  5. […] Gnaraloo 3 Mile Camp – Where Desert meets the Ocean […]

  6. […] Gnaraloo 3 Mile Camp – Where Desert meets the Ocean […]

  7. We had a very mixed experience at Gnaraloo. Such an amazing place, with so many beautiful beaches, but I’ve never experienced such bad wind, anywhere in WA before. It just blew and blew for 5 days straight, which was tiring.

    We ended up with giant rocks to stop everything blowing away. Also, there are so many restrictions on where you can fish.

    Still, great place, and if you get nice weather its phenomenal

    Aaron

    • Nina B says:

      Yep, it gets windy. Gnaraloo is one of the most renowned wind/ kitesurfing destinations in the world, with plenty of overseas visitors making the long trek just for that. Anytime from October to February the wind can come howling and there’s very little respite anywhere in the campsite. If you’re camping you need a really good setup that gives you protection from the wind. I’ve seen plenty of good tents being shredded, including my own. If I wasn’t kitesurfing I wouldn’t go during the summer months. There’s a sanctuary zone around the waters of Gnaraloo which means that fishing is prohibited. You can fish at Gnaraloo Bay, which is a 15-minute drive north, past the homestead.

  8. […] Gnaraloo 3 Mile Camp – Where Desert meets the Ocean […]

  9. […] Gnaraloo 3 Mile Camp – Where Desert meets the Ocean […]

  10. […] Gnaraloo 3 Mile Camp – Where Desert meets the Ocean […]

  11. […] Gnaraloo 3 Mile Camp – Where Desert meets the Ocean […]

  12. […] Once past Carnarvon the road continues north. There’s an option to take a trip to the Blowholes and the strip of coastline from Quobba Station to the Red Bluff and Gnarloo Station. […]

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