The first thing to be said about Onslow from our perspective is that we really liked the place, but we had no difficulty understanding why many would not. It is quite small, somewhat dessicated, is not 'tourist pretty' and is a town in which the permanent population is in conflict....with Chevron, a huge multinational. And the scars are evident. More of that later. And it is a town of real architectural contrasts, something I found fascinating.
As is my want, let me begin our tour of Onslow with an overview, courtesy of the Ashburton Shire website.
Here the somewhat barren surrounds of the town are self evident, partly due to the fact that much of the land to the immediate east of the township consists of large salt evaporation pans. The Onslow salt mining operation is a major feature of the local economy. The long jetty in the foreground is part of the infrastructure of this industry.
Our caravan park was located on the seafront, halfway between the tip of the point of land at the left of the shot and the beginning of the sweep of 'beach' stretching away to the left from about mid photo. As is probably evident also, another advantage of Onslow for us was the fact that the CBD was within very easy walking distance.
So let's take a look at the 'main drag', beginning at the approach end. This, I must admit is not the most inspiring street scape in the country, but it does improve.
The first major building we find is the Onslow Resort(?)Motel, a somewhat functional looking place compared with more recent constructions.
Immediately beyond this is the long, low shed which houses the Onslow history museum, including exhibits of old machinery in open spaces abutting the footpath. I am a little embarrassed to admit I did not visit....we were actually trying to mix sightseeing with a rest....this inevitably means a compromise.
Opposite the museum is a classic case of the building variation about which I wrote earlier, where this most unpretentious abode
seems to almost cower back in the shadow of its modern neighbour. (note the 'For Lease' banners on the balconies...a common sight in Onslow)
But despite its somewhat aged look, the Onslow original cannot date back to earlier than 1924 for the very simple reason that before that, this town existed elsewhere.
On 3 November 1885 the first town of Onslow, named after the then Western Australian Chief Justice Sir Alexander Onslow, came into formal being. It was sited at the mouth of the Ashburton River, some 20 kms west of the current town and served as the port from which the wool of the burgeoning interior Pilbara sheep stations was exported.
All went well for a while until increasing deposits of silt rendered this seaborne trade impracticable. Looking at the colour of the waters of Beadon Bay during our visit as the Ashburton rid its vast catchment of the rains of the recent cyclones, we had no difficulty understanding that silt was a problem in the days of yore.
After many years of increasing struggle, the wise decision to relocate was taken. A new port facility was built near the point at Beadon Bay, and the entire township moved, literally, lock, stock and barrel to its current location.
A couple of new jetties came and went (damaged or destroyed by cyclones) and the wool industry suffered a serious downturn. The small pearling industry based at Onslow suffered a major set-back during WW2 when all the luggers were either commandeered by the military of destroyed to avoid the risk of them falling into Japanese hands. Although there was a post-war attempt to resurrect this industry it was not successful. All in all, things were looking a touch grim for Onslow.
But like so many of these remote towns things took a turn for the better. Tourism was on the rise, and several large enterprises 'came to town'. BHP Billiton and Chevron are developing massive on shore gas facilities (Macedon and Wheatstone) to receive and manage the gas produced by their off shore wells, and Onslow Salt is a player in the big league as we shall see later. Onslow is on the cusp of a major redevelopment. The State Government, BHP and Chevron have combined resources. A new hospital, town swimming pool (sadly lacking at the moment) leisure facilities, and school upgrades, together with improvements to power and water supplies, the airport and road networks are all in the offing. Onlsow's future seems assured.
Having said that, one thing which no amount of development can prevent is an assault by the weather. Severe tropical cyclones are no strangers to this area, and a couple have been doozies. The 1963 cyclone brought with it recorded wind gusts of 231 kph....telephone poles were bent parallel to the ground, but there was more to come.
In 1975, Severe Tropical Cyclone Trixie unleashed even more fury. Howling banshees of 259 kph were recorded.....the limit velocity of the recording equipment at the time. It is widely believed that Trixie generated even higher wind speeds than this. Needless to say Onslow did take a severe battering. Even during our visit, we could see that the park trees and other vegetation were still recovering from their brush with the relatively benign TC Olwyn which hit the coast here some two months previously.
And in a final snippet of Onslow history I must record that it was the most southerly town in Australia to have been bombed by the Japs when a lone aircraft dumped a few unwelcome explosive parcels on the Onslow airport. Damage was light and there were no injuries. Perhaps the pilot was lost!
So much for a pocket history....let's get back to the preset and Second Avenue. There are two fuel outlets in the street, and both are colourful to say the least, this one a resplendent red
and its rival (well not really...they are both owned by the some chap) a beautiful blue.
The local IGA store provides the expected range of goods, but we did note that what we presume to be a 'healthy transport cost' has adversely affected prices, and as for the price of beer and wine.....we were glad we had thought ahead and were well stocked. Some competition here would be good.
Huddled alongside the IGA is the town hardware store, another reminder of early Onslow. We were amused to read that the proprietor takes his bat and ball home (or to the pub) at 1600 hours daily...the morning trade must be brisk!
Even more quaint is the Onslow Pharmacy opposite, and here, for us at least, is a shot
which sums up this town. A large gum tree, a tiny, odd little shop and smart, modern apartments in the background.....Onslow, nothing if not a town of contrasts.
The old pub with its deep, wide verandahs, was much more in keeping with what we had expected, but I cannot report on the interior. I realise that news will come as a real jolt to many of you, and in her defence I must say that this failure to indulge in an Onslow pint or two was not a result of The Treasurer's iron grip on the purse strings...we just ran out of time.
And again, here we find another Onslow building contrast, where, directly opposite the pub these newly completed apartments are waiting for occupants. By the way, the waters of Beadon Bay are directly beyond the end of this short street (just a bit more perspective!)
At the end of Second Avenue, we come to the entrance to our caravan park and, just beyond that, on the other side of the road the Onslow Police Station. The boys and girls in blue would often drive through our park chatting to all and sundry. This prompted me to enquire if this meant we had security problems. Not so, this was an initiative of the local Sergeant in Charge to make visitors feel safe and welcome.....Community Policing in practice...a nice touch indeed!
The only other building in the main street I could not resist showing you is this.
Compare that to the latest to be going up on the seafront. The new and the old....Onslow architecture in a nut shell!
The Onslow 'esplanade' is short. There is a walking path from the War Memorial, past our park, to the end of this grassed area, but this only extends over about half a kilometre.
But here we find a very good local restaurant (again I am speaking from advice, rather than personal experience)
and a few more very flash apartment buildings.
Here too, are the offices of the Shire of Ashburton, complete with its quaint little outside loo.....no public funds have been waster here on extravagances!
In a nearby side street we came across a local marvel,
the Onslow Community Garden.
This entire project was funded and built by town residents. The front park area, complete with a very large wood fired pizza oven, is available for hire to anyone at a very modest cost, whilst, behind this is an extensive garden complex where local school children learn about horticulture, and many Onslow citizens come and potter. What a wonderful initiative....practical, instructive, relaxing and user friendly. Well done, Onslow!
Whilst one glaring omission from the local public amenity is the lack of a town swimming pool, Onslow does support a large sporting complex and club. Tennis courts, a well grassed and maintained oval and a covered kiddies' playground are all available for use. Good meals at reasonable prices are served at the club on weekends....again we did not indulge, but have it on good local authority that a visit is worthwhile.
Next, a quick look beyond the town centre at the boar harbour, airport, industries and the site of a major on-going scrap between the Shire and a big international player.
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