Coral Bay 29th-30th August 2009

 

The route taken so far on our trip around our island!

Currently at 

 CORAL BAY- 

NINGALOO REEF    (Great Photos here )                                                      

The journey so far- No longer are we Grey Nomads as we are now called recycled teenagers. Well maybe!

To date we have travelled 16,661 kms and estimate we are just over half way around. We intend to travel to Perth stopping off along the way and then continuing south, along the south coast and then on across the Nullarbor to Adelaide.

The last couple of days we have been taking time out in this very relaxed spot in the world. This small (town)? has a permanent population of only 150 during the season and even less in the summer as it just gets too hot with the temps up in the high 30’s – 40’s. Of course the population is bolstered by the number of travellers either in their caravans,tents,mobile homes or staying in the cabins or the small hotel. The developers have tried to build a massive resort in the vicinity but due to public protests and the government they were denied permission. However we expect it will happen one day!

Tomorrow we head off for Carnarvon and then to Denham so we can check out Monkey Mia once again. They say that the wild flowers are about to blossom very shortly with spring upon us and that Kalbarri is one of the best places to see them. We’re not sure yet if we’ll make the detour to see them there as we are sure to see them elsewhere.

A little friend came out to see us whilst we were on the beach.

Coral Bay. Friday 28th August 2009

A very cool and overcast start to the day. We’re not use to these 12 deg starts. Thankfully by 9 am the clouds had cleared, the sun came out and it started to warm up.

We were deceived, the wind here in Coral Bay seems to never let up. Yesterday we had booked up for our glass bottom boat and snorkelling trip and they quite clearly stated there were no refunds! So at 11.45 we duly fronted up and I selected my snorkelling gear, mask,snorkel and flippers and we made our way down to the beach with a few other hardy souls. Thankfully the sun was shinning and when sitting on the right side of the boat in the sun we found it to be a lot more comfortable. We cruised around looking at the coral which at Ningaloo reef is hard coral so there is much less  colour in comparison to the Barrier reef which is soft coral and much more colourful.

  Then the time came when we made fast to the buoy and snorkelling instructions given, where we should swim, not to go behind the boat as we could end up floating off with the fast running tide and finally who would like a noodle to support them. I declined the noodle and then along with a few of the others we slowly slid into the choppy cool water. It was about 22deg and very clear with the cauliflower,stag horn and brain coral in abundance and along with numerous fish swimming around it was most enjoyable. All was ok until it was time to climb back onboard the boat, that was when the wind chill factor came into play, so it was a question of getting dry as quickly as possible and getting some warm clothes back on. The humour from the your Irish contingent that were also onboard helped to keep us all amused and we were soon feeling a lot better.We cruised around looking at more coral through the glass bottom when surprise surprise it was time to have another snorkel as we were now in a great spot for looking at the fish, especially the huge spangled emperors which are very tame.Not everyone took up the opportunity as it was still quite windy and cool, however I gave it another go until I started to shiver which I thought was a good time to get out and try and warm up again. It could have all been so much much better had the weather been warmer and the water less choppy. Never the less it was a good experience, however as the weather was much the same when we last visited here some 14 years ago we have come to believe that we would be unlikely to give it another chance any time in the near future.

Our home away from home.Not quite the same but the advantage is we can move when ever we want to! We just hitch it up and go!

Thursday 27th August – South to Coral Bay

 

Still quite windy and about 22 deg with a few clouds in an otherwise clear blue sky.

We set off for the 180 km drive south which we would take our time over and stop off at some of the other sites that we wanted to visit.

Just south of the Town Centre there are some huge resort developments in progress.However one of the most impressive were the canals that were currently under construction with all the plots around them having being subdivided and staked out for sale. There were already one or two homes that had been built, but there must have been at least a couple of hundred still available, with many of the prime spots being the ones that will front on to the canal and will no doubt have its own boat pontoon. Already in place was a hotel resort and a marina, a new bridge walkway and with many other plans in place, that when its completed will be quite a development and no doubt the place to live in Exmouth!

Next was a stop off at the Kallis Prawn fisheries where we purchased some fish supplies that will help us get  through the next few days.

From here we continued on to see the Krait Monument which was the actual spot that it left when it made for Singapore and had a successful mission sinking some 37ooo tons of enemy shipping before returning safely home again.

It was then miles of quite flat country side with straying cattle and emus . Regrettably the road kill was once again quite evident with the birds scattering off the road as we approached.

We were quite fascinated by the numerous termite mounds that seemed to stretch for miles across the country side.

After travelling 150 kms we arrived at Coral Bay just before noon and checked in to the Bayview Coral Bay Caravan Park just across from the beach.

CORAL BAY - Quote-“is situated just north of the Tropic of Capricorn and is one of the most beautiful holiday areas in WA.It is the southern gateway to the Ningaloo Reef, which forms a natural lagoon that runs for 80 kms 3-7 kms off shore, starting about 300 metres from the beach.”

We set up and after lunch booked in for our glass bottom and snorkelling  boat trip for the next day  and then headed for the beach where we enjoyed a very pleasant afternoon swimming off the beach and evading the huge speckled emperors that swim right up and around your legs, that they almost allow you to touch them. Of course they are protected and are this tame as they are hand fed at 3.30pm every day on the beach.

It was then time to catch up the blog and emails during the evening after having had a hot shower and a glass of wine with our dinner.

Exmouth 26th August

Today we went off to explore the east coast of the cape and to view the different gorges further south. Heading out we looked in at the Town Beach and Pebble Beach and here we read that nearly the equivalent of 5oo truck loads of the pebbles had been removed over the years( for landscaping etc) so it was now protected and anyone caught removing them was liable for a heavy fine.

Further on we turned off onto a dirt track for the Shothole Canyon. What a surprise, after a few km we found ourselves driving through some magnificent gorges with the most incredible rock formations and canyons. At the end of the road we climbed up the footpath for a great view of the area.

We drove back out and then on to the Charles Knife Canyon Road which is about 23 km south of Exmouth. This road follows the original trail made by Charles Knife and Jack King in the 1950’s to what was regarded as an impossible access to the Cape Range Oil drilling site.

Here again there were some great views out across the range and the canyons which we found to be quite impressive.

After stopping off at looking out at all the viewing points and at the Charles Carter lookout we slowly made our way back down again and headed home to the caravan park for a late lunch.

We had decided that tomorrow we would head south to Coral Bay where we had phoned ahead to ensure that we could secure a site for a few days. This is where we will do our snorkelling and viewing the reef from a glass bottom boat and the option to hop over the side and get amongst the reef fish.

 

25th August Ningaloo Reef

Today we wanted to see  the reef,unfortunately though the weather was not the best with the southerly wind blowing quite strongly which wouldn’t be the best for snorkelling on Ningaloo Reef

The communications base

However we made our lunch and set off to explore the area and drive south to the National Park.We drove up to Bundegei  Beach and the Harold Holt Naval Communication Station which is a joint Australian and USA government venture. It is a strictly prohibited area so we kept well clear and only took a few photos of it all before we thought we might be discovered and locked up! We went up to the Vlamingh Head Lighthouse ,where you can get a great view of the reef and then on heading south, past all the beaches, some of which we drove down the sand tracks to check out. With the wind blowing we didn’t see them at the best namely Hunters, Mauritius,Jims and Jansz Beaches.

However it was on to the Cape Range National Park and the Ningaloo Marine Park which are collectively known as the parks of the Coral Coast.They support a range of wild life habitats from the ocean reef. We saw emus, seabirds and the odd kangaroo. We stopped off at the Milyering Visitor Centre where we were advised that the best place to snorkel for the conditions was at Turquoise Bay, so we headed for there to have our lunch . Here we saw a few swimmers doing the drift snorkel where they entered the water with their noodles for buoyancy and basically drifted  with the tide and wind over the reef for about 5oo mtrs. It all looked pretty good, however we decided to wait until the water wasn’t so choppy and would be a little clearer.

We continued on to Yardie Creek which is a far south as we were going which is about 90 km south of Exmouth.This is a spectacular gorge which boasts a great amount of birdlife and rock wallabies. We scanned the cliff faces and saw the birds but were unable to see the wallabies.

 

The start of the sand track down the Ningaloo Road on the west coastline to Coral Bay and the water crossing at the start that can sometimes be almost impossible to cross depending on the tides and weather  etc.

It had been a long day so we started for home which was now a drive of about 120km until we could get back to our Jayco to have dinner and settle down for evening.

24th August 2009 Exmouth

We left Giralia after a very swift pack up which we are getting quite good at now. The drive on to Exmouth along the Burkett Road was once again across some very flat country aptly named the Scrubby Range. We encountered straying cattle wandering all over the road and also a few sheep as the sides of the road were all unfenced. Obviously the wildlife must be quite abundant due to the sad sight of the recent road kill of kangaroos and other small animals from being struck by vehicles overnight.  The massive kite eagles were gorging themselves along with the other usual birds that scavenge the road kill. The Minilya Exmouth Road is quite undulating with many places that are subjected to numerous floodway's which no doubt would cut access to the North West Cape at various times during the wet season.

We pulled into the Exmouth Visitors Centre to enquire about availability of spaces at the caravan parks and was surprised that there were plenty available at any of the parks. However there were no spaces available in the Cape Range National Park  which are basically bush camps but are in the best position for the Ningaloo Reef.

Not Knowing too much about the different parks we just drove into the nearest one, the Ningaloo Caravan Park and booked up for a few days.

It didn’t take us too long to set up our site and then drive to the local shops to restock our supplies to last us for at least another week.

We sat down and planned that tomorrow we would drive up,around and down to the Cape Range National Park to check out the beaches and the snorkelling opportunities and of course the reef.

Sunday 23rd August 2009

We set off from the Harding River Caravan park just before 9 am setting off for Exmouth or in that direction as we knew we couldn’t make it all the way.

The roads were once again were very good and most of the time very straight as they cut through the wide flat expanse as we passed along the edge of the Great Sandy Desert. With the odd cattle grazing beside the road we had to take care in case they decided to wander, we did see some beside the road which were quite bloated, lying with their legs up in the air, providing a feed for some very large eagles.

We knew we wouldn’t want to risk trying to get to Exmouth in one day as we weren’t sure whether we would find a place if we arrived late so we decided to stop at one of the stations for the night. At about 4pm we found the Giralia  Station that took campers and some B & B’s.It was about 125 km south of Exmouth with a 4 km dirt road to get into it.

Checking in at the homestead we were shown a site under a shady tree and set up our trailer. Limited power was available for a few hours in the evening so we could make our dinner etc, though we can run on gas and batteries if need be and we carry all our own water.We joined a couple of other caravaners and later on a few other camper vans came in as well and during the evening a coach arrived with 17 campers who set up their tents and camp kitchen under the light of their gas lamps.

                                                             The Homestead

We chatted to the owner who invited us to have a look around at the shearing shed and the shearers quarters etc. It was all now in disuse as the whole station  of 685000 hectares and some 70 km of beach front was sold in 2006 to the the National Parks and wildlife who had indicated that they would purchase it if they ever wanted to sell. He told us it had been in the family for 110 years and it had been a very hard decision to sell but as they had fallen on hard times running the sheep and cattle and the agreement was that they could still live in the homestead they thought it was a good decision.

They have been running B & B and have places for campers and caravans. We also checked out the landing strip which they have for the couple of small planes that they use along with the quad bikes and horses.                  The old shearing shed

The camp fire was lit and in the absence of any city lights the stars were magnificent.       Its a great place and well worth a visit.

The gate to the dirt air strip

A great camp fire and a beautiful morning set up for breakfast before heading off once again for Exmouth.

Roebourne 21st August 2009

 

Roebourne a population of 1400 and about 14kms from the coast on the Harding River is the oldest town on the NW coast of WA.You can read about its history on the link. We went to the old goal which is now the tourist bureau and looked through all the old buildings which had now all been beautifully restored with the help of local volunteers and the inmates from the local prison which is nearby.

We drove out to Point Samson and checked the port out which the previous evening we had seen at low tide and this time was at the maximum tide, which was over a range of nearly seven metres.

We enjoyed fish and chips as a special treat(cutting the batter off) and a nice cold beer before heading off to walk the beaches  to see if we could find any different shells! We did like all the sturt desert pea which was meandering all over the sand.

We checked the local beach which a few people were using. It was then off heading in the direction of Roebourne and then stopping off at Cossack a historical town dating back to 1863 which had quite a history in its glory days until the pearling fleets moved up to Broome because the pearls had been exhausted and also when the gold rush subsided which had begun in 1887.In 1901 the population dropped to 166 and in 1910 the Municipality of Cossack was dissolved. By 1930 less than a dozen buildings remained the others being destroyed or dismantled and finally in 1950 the town was abandoned. However in 1979 restoration work was commenced and in 1991 the Heritage Council of WA took over its management and the restoration work continues to this day.It has now become a tourist destination along with some budget accommodation.

Then on to Wickham, which we just drove through and back through Roebourne and on to the caravan park

 

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We did see this tree in Wickham which we thought was quite funny.However  we now know where the witches hats come from!

Saturday 22nd August Trip to Millstream

We decided to take a round trip passing through Karratha which was established in the 1960’s to serve the major local industrial projects such as Pilbara Iron,Dampier Salt and Woodside’s North West development. It has a population of about 13 thousand along with most of the governments departments being located in the town as well which serves the area.

It was then on to Millstream – Chichester National Park for which we had to obtain a special pass so as to be able to drive along the private roads which are managed by the mining companies. Before we received this we had to watch a video on the safety aspects of driving on dirt roads, meeting road trains and going over train crossings.

We have visited Millstream before and remember the homestead  the palm trees and the oasis springs fed from the aquifer contained in the porous rocks which is fed by the Fortescue River. However we were quite shocked to see the damage that occurred to the palms and the walkway around the lily ponds from the cyclone floods that came through in 2006.

The homestead was still OK and we walked around and had a pleasant encounter with some of the local children who insisted that I should take their photo ,so I was happy to obliged.

We then went on to the Deep Reach pool on the Fortescue River where on our last visit we all had a swim. Its much the same as it was then, however this time we decided not to swim.

 

 

 

 

 

It was then on to Python Pool which was a walk along the dry river bed.

The drive into the park was about 150 kms which was half on bitumen and the other half on quite a good dirt road. The wild flowers and the landscape of the rolling Spinifex hills with the spectualar escarpments was truly quite impressive. 

Again we encountered road works that were in progress as they repaired the water pipes that had recently burst from the excessive water pressure and  also constructing a new floodway crossing.

Mulla Mulla growing on the side of the road.

In the distance we saw a train carrying iron ore from the mines to the port, that must have been at least 3 kms long being pulled by 3 huge diesel locomotives. 

 

We continued on to Dampier where we encountered  the road trains and other heavy vehicles driving to and thro from the mines and the ports.

As most of the wild life comes out at dusk, such as the Kangaroos we wanted to ensure that we wouldn’t be driving on the road so we pressed on to Roebourne and back to the caravan park after what had been a long warm day when the temp got up to 33deg. Thankfully the evening was much cooler.

 

Ships being loaded at Dampier.

Rocks that appear to bubbly out of the top of the hills right across the landscape.