We were really looking forward to Exmouth - where there was supposed to be fantastic snorkelling on the Ningaloo Reef as well as great surfing. Exmouth is nearly on the tip of the North West Cape - a finger that sticks up on the western shoulder of WA - and according to our measurements, the furthest point on our route away from Adelaide "as the crow flies" (feel free to check this). The eastern side of the cape faces the sheltered Exmouth gulf, while the western side faces the Indian Ocean, but is protected from it by the reef - one of the only reefs in the world to be formed on the western side of a landmass. On the recommendation of someone we'd met on our travels, we had booked in to the Lighthouse Caravan Park, which turned out to be a great choice, because it is on the western tip of the cape, only 2km from the surf beach and much nearer to the National Park (which runs all down the western side) than the town of Exmouth (17km further south on the eastern side). There was a really great social atmosphere in the caravan park, too, and the girls quickly found friends, while Andrew found a surf buddy!
While we were there, we experienced the "Turquoise Bay snorkel drift", where you walk down the beach, swim out about 50m and then drift back up to where you started on the current. There were loads of fish to see, and I especially loved all the different types of coral, with their amazing formations and colours. We also joined a cruise in a glass-bottomed boat, which enabled us to observe and snorkel in deeper water - including going over a patch of 1000 year old coral and seeing a massive cod in a "cleaning station" where little scavenger fish clean the bigger fish of parasites, algae etc.
The weather wasn't great: it even rained on the first afternoon, just as we were about to have lunch on one of the beautiful beaches along the coast of the National Park (called "Sandy Bay" - they must have been expecting me). A funny effect of the short-lived rain shower was that all these wallabies appeared out of nowhere along the roadside - quite unusual in the middle of the day.
On the second day it wasn't warm enough to make swimming or snorkelling an attractive prospect, so we explored the inland parts of the National Park, walking along the Yardie Creek and then the Mandu Mandu gorge. Both were quite enjoyable and picturesque walks, but didn't manage to get us too excited; I'm afraid we've been spoilt by the gorges we've seen further north!
Andrew managed a few good surfs, and we also fitted in a round of mini-golf and some whale-watching from the lighthouse lookout (where everyone goes to get phone and Internet reception). Not bad for three days.
We had intended to skip Coral Bay and head straight for Carnarvon, but one of our friends in the caravan park said we'd be crazy not to at least call in there, so we did - and ended up staying the night! It was just such a beautiful bay and we wanted to snorkel, walk along the beach, watch the fish feeding... In the event, though, the highlight turned out to be a two-hour quad bike ride through the sand dunes, including watching the sunset along the way. We did go snorkelling, but the poor girls were so cold (even with wetsuits on) that they barely survived 10 minutes in the water, and didn't really enjoy it. I loved what I saw, but I stuck with them so only Andrew swam out further and saw some (apparently) really lovely coral and big fish.
The quad bike ride, though, was totally fantastic. We were lucky because we were able to book a seat for one child pillion with the tour guide, solving our usual problem of having one extra child. Neither Andrew nor I had ever ridden a quad bike before, but it was a breeze and such a thrill! Like a jet ski only better because there's a bit more skill involved in following the tracks and negotiating the sandhills (that's my opinion, anyway). I loved the combination of the physical thrill of the ride with the beautiful scenery of the sand dunes right next to the coast. I'd have to say it was the best thing I've done on this trip so far. Except maybe the Yellow Waters cruise at Kakadu. Or the Rim Walk at King's Canyon.......... How can I choose?!
Before we left in the morning we walked along the beach, fascinated by all the oyster shells cemeted into the rocks. Andrew watched a monitor eat a snake while the girls and I were shopping. We didn't leave until after 11am, putting the pressure on to cover the distance to our next stop before dark. We were aiming for Quobba Point - a bush camp on the beach just north of Carnarvon - and we didn't know what to expect in the way of campsites. It was the third of September - exactly two months since the start of our trip, leaving us only 5 weeks to go. A depressing thought!
Captions for pictures
- Sunset at Dunes (surf beach)
- Looking the part!
- Windsurfer at Sandy Bay (not the day it rained)
- One of many wallabies brought out by the rain shower
- Yardie Creek gorge
- At the top of Mandu Mandu gorge - amazing views across the coast
- Coral Bay
- Posing pillion passengers
- Millions of oysters cemeted into the rocks along the shoreline
- Monitor (after eating the snake)
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