All Alone - 25. Alo Chapter 25

Driving towards the station airstrip, I turned onto the track leading to it, and continued past, on a small rarely used track, until we came out onto the main station track heading north.

“Very sneaky” Greg commented, and as we approached the junction that leads to Wedding Hill, Stephen’s Surf Break and Elle’s Beaches, we stopped just past the junction on the right-hand tack.

We put in 4 steel posts, with three levels of reflector tape and one of the signs, before continuing on north, bending right at the junction to Maggie’s beach, I stopped a few metres past the junction and climbed out to survey the damage, before continuing on to the next paddock gate, just east of Pelican Point. From the gate, we were on a large rise, with a clear view of all the burnt land to the west and south.

“Put a No Entry sign, north facing on this gate, and some reflector tape, as we will lock this gate, so no one comes any further south of here” I said to Greg. Once we had done this, passed through the gate and locked it, I drove down the north side of the fence line towards the coast, where the fire had stopped just a few hundred metres short of the fence.

Where the fence stops, just 200 metres short of the water, we stopped, and began putting up steel posts every two metres, all the way down to the low tide mark, and we strung reflector tape at three levels between the posts, and placed a No Entry sign on one post, just 5 metres up from the high tide mark.

Returning to the main track, we continued north, till we came to a side track on the left, which we followed, till we reached the beach again, just down from Sandy Point, where there are clear tracks that follow close to the water, heading further south, and we set up four more steel posts across this track along with reflector tape and just below a junction on another track, we did the same thing.

“We will have to patrol this area closely over Easter, I don’t anyone camping south of these posts we have just put up” I said to Greg, and once that was done we headed back to the main track again, and set up some more posts and tape across the track, before continuing north to 14-mile camping area, where I was pleased to see Chris and Anne, getting settled in, back at their camp site.

“We have locked the gate just up from Pelican point, and posted a no entry sign there, as the fire burnt land can be seen just south of that fence line, we have also put up a whole lot of steel posts and reflector tape across tracks just below Sandy Point, and on the main track, just south of Sandy Point.

I just said to Greg just now, that we will need to keep a close eye on that area, to make sure no one camps south of those marker posts, and that everyone is camping on the east side of the tracks. Campers will also want to camp on the beach here at 14-Mile, which is no longer permitted, no matter who they are.

I don’t want anyone going up the Maud’s Landing track, and we will put ups so posts and reflector tape across it shortly, and with the other track just a bit closer to the coast, we will put up a barrier, just 50 metres before it links up to the Maud’s landing track, which is about 680 metres up, this will give everyone plenty of space.

I think we might put some single posts up with tape wrapped around the top of them, to make additional camping sites, come with us please Chris, and we can work out where they will be, so you know too” I said, and we went to the Maud’s Landing junction, and put up some posts to block off that track, before coming back and going up the other track.

Over the next half an hour we had blocked off the north end of the track, and marked out an additional 14 camping sites, which we named A to N, with each site being 40 metres apart, like the others have. Back at Chris and Anne’s camp, Anne served some cool drinks and a light lunch for us, and we sat down in the gazebo to relax.

“Can you come down to the office tomorrow morning please, and I will give you a stack of station mud maps, which I will adjust with the restricted fire area clearly marked, plus I will give you $50 worth of change in small notes and coins for those campers who don’t have the right change, and some new portable toilets and shelters, that should be arriving tomorrow” I said to Chris and Anne.

After a short meal break, we thanked Anne for lunch, before Greg and I set off again, this time heading 5 kms east, till we reached the main gravel station road, and turned south for 20 kms, till we reached the main station access road, and turned West for the homestead, 8 kms away, which is 10 kms longer than going along the coastal station track.

Once back at my office, I checked the computer for any emails, and at the bottom of the page and advertisement popped up, I was about to close it when I saw that it said Nerren-Nerren & Meadow Stations for sale, so I clicked on the link to find out more.

When I discovered that the first of two adjoining stations, is just 145kms north of Northampton, I began to take a lot more interest in the two stations for sale. While Nerren-Nerren Station Homestead was just a few hundred metres off the highway 94 kms north of Galena Farm in Adjara, the Meadow Station homestead was just under 5 kms east of the highway, and just 55 kms north of Nerren-Nerren Homestead.

I was now glad that I had signed only a one-year lease on the family farm, and knowing that I only had one-month left on the lease at Galena Farm, ideas started to build in my mind, and I smiled, before picking up the phone and calling the number for the accountant in Carnarvon.

After a twenty-minute discussion on my idea to buy Nerren-Nerren and Meadow Stations, the accountant informed me that it was a good idea, and to leave it to him to put a proposal together. After the end of that call, I sat in my chair with a big grin on my face.

“Someone is a happy man” Sue said as she walked in and brought me out of my daydream, and I began to chuckle.

”Oh it’s nothing, and I can’t say anything about it at the moment” I commented, as a ding from the computer, indicated a new email, and I frowned, when I saw who it was from, and I clicked on it to open it.

“Department of Parks & Wildlife, Headquarters, Perth. Dear Mr Templeton, Sorry for the late notice, it has been decided to have to P&W rangers in the area during the Easter long weekend, and we ask if you can accommodate them from during this period. They will brief you on their arrival later this evening”.

“What is the huge frown for?” Sue asked me.

”We are hosting two Parks and Wildlife Rangers over the long weekend, can you ask Troy and Rebecca to prepare two rooms at the backpackers for them please” I replied.

“Not a problem, but I need to warn you that with them included, we only have two rooms left at the backpacker” Sue replied.

“Well, I didn’t expect that, but it is good for business” I responded, smiling. At 8am, the next morning, I heard a vehicle approaching, then another, and I dashed outside to see both Colorado’s leading a convoy of three trucks and carrying the new buildings, and a crane.

“Morning boss, look what we found parked out at our front gate” Dave said with a big grin, and I just laughed.

“The main house for Dave and Sue is to go on the slab of the original homestead, and have it so the front is facing the sheds please, the other one, I have not decided, as that will be my home away from home” I said to Dave and Matt, who had just climbed out of his Colorado.

“What about onto of Wedding Hill” Matt suggested.

“For one thing the truck wouldn’t even get up there, as it is too sandy, and the other is that the fire burnt area is off limits to everyone, including station staff, actually, I think where the old backpackers use to be, so I am still reasonably close by, and the slab is still there” I replied.

“Right, I will go and sort out my new home, and Matt you can organise the boss’s new dig” Dave said, and he went and spoke to the crane and two truck drivers, and by lunch time, the new main house was in place and connected up to power and plumbing.

After Lunch, the crane unloaded a dozen solid steel frames in the shape of a box, that is 1 metre in diameter, and I was not sure what they were for, as I went down to watch the installation of my new home, with Dave and Matt now coordinating it together.

“By the way guys, we will have a station mechanic starting work on Wednesday next week, his name is Jack Langley” I announced.

“I know Jack, I went to boarding school with him in the city, a really nice chap, lost his wife a few years back, and he has a son – Brody, who would be… about 16 now, I’m actually Brodie’s godfather” Dave said.

“Well that is good to hear, I will have Matt and Greg move into the apartment permanently, and Jack and Brody, can have the staff cabin, down where the cabin use to be” I responded, happy to get a good reference from Dave.

“Sounds good to me boss” Matt said to me, smiling.

“That’s good, as you will need to handle any after-hours phone calls” I said, and Matt groaned, which made Dave and I laugh.

“What’s so funny?” Greg asked when he walked up to us, to watch all the activity.

“You know, I think I know what those steel things are, they are feet, to raise my house off the ground” I said.

“That is exactly right, Mr Templeton” the crane operator responded.

Once the feet were put in the right place and secured to the concrete slab, the house was lifted into place, with the front facing West, and it was secured to the solid steel feet, before the steel stairs that are 3 metres wide, where locked into place.

An hour later all the power and plumbing were connected, and I now had an operational new home, with solar power, and while this was happening, the lads and Dave were unloading the two Colorado’s and trailers, from everything that was purchase, except the tank, and I asked them to install the Fire Water tank at the airfield first, so it is up and ready, in case of another fire.

Once this was done, the small tank was installed at the new main house, so it has a plentiful supply of fresh water, with a temporary small desalination plant, working 18 hours a day, to keep up with the demand. By now it was getting late in the afternoon, and I suggested leaving the tank and kayaks for the Backpackers till tomorrow, but Dave and the lads insisted on getting it done today.

The portable toilets and chemicals were stored away until half of them would be taken up to 14-mile, and the rest would remain at the visitor’s centre. As it wa getting dark, I was in my office doing paper work, when there was a knock on the door to the visitor centre, and I thought about ignoring it, then decided to go and see who it is, and I found two P&W rangers standing outside.

“Mr Templeton, we are very impressed at what we have seen, as we came up the track from Gnaraloo Station, especially with the repositioning of camping sites to only on the east side of the access track” one of the rangers said, who appeared to be a highly ranked P & W officer, as he had two pips on his shoulder.

“Thank you gentlemen, unlike the previous owners, I wish to work closely with Parks & Wildlife and the traditional owners of this land, and with concern to the Ningaloo reef, I decided to enforce more restrictions” I responded, and this is when I noticed that they were actually Marine Park Rangers, as I let them inside and locked the door behind them, before leading them to the conference room.

My name is Tony Ellington, and I am the district Superintendent based in Exmouth, and this is Marine Park Ranger Scott York, who is based in Carnarvon. Tomorrow we will have one of my Marine Park lads from Exmouth travelling down and will be based in Coral Bay for the long weekend” the senior of the two men said.

“Nice to meet you both” I replied, as I indicated for them to sit. “As per directions from Headquarters in Perth, we have a number of signs to put up, to try and reduce the amount of vehicle on the beaches on this section of the coastline, on the way up we found three spots between the Lagoon and Black Moon Cliff, where we have erected signs up, prohibiting any vehicle access to the beach” Tony Ellington said to me.

“Well sir, that is good news, although it will be hard to police on a busy long weekend like this, which is one of our biggest” I commented.

“That is why myself and two Marine Park rangers will be patrolling the station the whole weekend, and any infringements will receive an immediate fine” Tony said to me.

“You can add a 6 month ban from entering the property, onto that infringement, I already have 24 people on a list of banned persons, from that wild party that was held here, and one person for putting me into hospital for assaulting me” I said.

“Very well we will do that for you” Scott said as he took some notes in his pad.

As you may be aware, we had a fire arson attack on the station, and it has burnt a heck of a lot of coastal land, from here to as far as Pelican Point, and we have already put out signs and steel posts to block access to that area, and all staff have been told to keep out of it too. The gate on the access track at Pelican Point is padlocked and tracks south of Sandy point have also been blocked off, to prevent visitors from getting near the burnt fire region” I stated.

“Well, it sounds like that you have everything organised, we have already checked into our accommodation at the hostel, which is very impressive too, so we will no doubt, see you around during the weekend” Tony said as he and Scott stood up an shook my hand, before leaving.

After closing the centre, I checked in with the lads, before heading over to my new house, and after a light meal, I cleaned up and went to bed early. The next morning, at sunrise, I was up early and after a light breakfast, Angus and I walked to the administration centre, leaving my car parked under the shade of a tree, with the windows open a little to keep it from getting too hot inside.

Once in the office, I quickly made up a list of all the station staff, and printed out three copies, before jumping into the buggy, I headed south towards the hostel, and on hearing my approach, Troy and Rebecca came out to greet me.