Love is in the air this week after it was announced swinging hotbed Point Samson has been nominated for a top tourism award in the state.
Oft mischaracterised as a sleepy hollow, east of Karratha, a true Pilbara local understands Point Samson’s reputation goes far deeper. Nice and deeper.
Its reputation for being a lovers’ frolic stems not from the 40’s, when the local beach was named Honeymoon Cove, but rather the roaring 70’s, when newly-weds frequented the bay as a temporary, secluded, yet public platform for all manner of sexual debauchery.
Former mayor and Honorary Freeman Peter “All Night” Long recalled his fondness for the area during his heyday. He also argued the next generation weren’t pulling their weight to keep the town’s reputation alive.
“This nomination is a fantastic recognition of all the sweat and thrust that went into making Point Samson what it is today,” he said donning a velvet bathrobe and smoking a menthol cigarette through a rose gold cigarette holder.
“But this latest generation just can’t be bothered upkeeping the cause. They’re more focused on TikTok and rooting handheld mechanical devices.
“Far be it from me to yuck anyone’s yum baby, but that’s just not how we Samsonite’s do it.”
The reaction among locals in the town has so far been mixed, with some overtly wearing the towns reputation on their sleeve with pride, and others not so keen to accept the title of “swingers”.
Local John Fetteringer, 54, falls into the latter category and spoke briefly to the Bugle.
“Ah it’s all bogus rumours mate,” he said.
“Me Mrs used to accuse me of all kinds of stuff with ‘ladies of the dunes’ as we called them.
“It’s bollocks mate. She caught me climbing into bed with pockets full of sand one time and she still brings it up!”
Leather-skinned Margaret Throbber, a veteran of the area, told The Bugle the town recently enforced a blanket ban on men from Wickham partaking in any of the fast and loose chicanery.
“All they do is asked to be pegged,” she lamented.
“The point is to share the love.”
Business owner Marc Chardrie owns the towns one and only laundromat, and he says if anyone can confirm the towns reputation, it’s him.
“I’ve washed a lot undies mate,” he said.
“For me, it’s a double-ender sword, sorry, a double-edged sword. I did a roaring trade with locals who required a discrete wash of their garments, most of which were almost beyond cleaning.
“But the amount of sand from people rolling around in the dunes clogged up all my machines and almost knocked me over completely.
“Anyone who denies the history of this town has clearly never walked up to the front bar of the Samson pub in the 70’s and asked for a Banana Split.”
As voting for the awards ramps up, local tourism operator James McMillan, 62, stood on the balcony of the Point Samson Tavern looking out over the glorious vista and reminisced.
“See over there,” he said, gesturing towards a shallow turtle nest in the dunes.
“That’s where a lovely German man named Jan smashed in my backside.
“Awards come and go, but the memories are forever.”
