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Saturday, October 23, 2010
Exmouth to Coral Bay via Cape Range NP (Ningaloo Reef)
After our brief stay at Exmouth to re-provision for the coming days, we set off in hope of getting a camping spot at Cape Range National Park. We were lucky enough to get in and we had a site at Mesa Camp.
Our first dip in the ocean was an amazing experience with lots of fish, an eel of some sort and the day was fairly still so very little wave action and beautiful clear water.
From there the snorkelling got better. We had heard that there were some lovely beaches and some great snorkelling and we weren't disappointed. The water was a beautiful turquoise colour and the reefs were close in to shore which meant we could all comfortably snorkel.
At Lakeside, one of the better snorkelling sites, we experienced a wonderful family moment where we all swam with a turtle. If I can I'll get the video up for this. We saw a myriad of both reef and "fin" fish as well as an octopus, a reef shark, some colourful parrot fish, a large estuary cod, "nemo" fish, reaaly small and some quite large fish. The coral wasn't spectacular, but as an introduction to snorkelling for all of us as a family, we couldn't have asked for anything more.
Annie and Ruby had another wonderful experience as they headed off to a beach where we had heard there was a good chance to see a turtle laying eggs at night. I took the boys fishing and even though we had a nice time, Annie and Ruby did see a turtle laying eggs which is something neither of them is likely to forget.
Another day the boys and I were fishing while Annie and Ruby went snorkelling nearby. We watched a large Manta ray swim by and then the girls arrived in time to see a turtle swim by. Both the ray and the turtle were very close to shore. Then a pod of 5 or 6 dolphins started playing around above some coral about 30 metres from shore right in front of us. Another memorable morning's viewing.
We saw a few different birds at a place called Mangrove Bay which has a bird hide. A white sea eagle, some cormorants and egrets and some small wading birds. We could also see some of these near our camp and along the roads through the Park.
We had other snorkelling days at Turquoise Bay and tried the Oyster Stacks but the weather had started to turn a bit against us and the wind had increased throughout the week.
We bought underwater cameras for the kids (what's processing mean Mum? - obviously they are digital age kids!) and they all enjoyed taking photos underwater, although Moses took a few out of water too, maybe he was just trying to work out a camera you had to wind on - we'll give him the benefit of the doubt.
On a very windy day we went back to the beach where Annie and Ruby had seen the turtle laying her eggs and saw 20 - 30 turtles frolicking in the water and onto the sand. We also looked at where they had seen the turtle laying and the mounds and Ruby was very good at explaining how the turtle had dug a hole and then dug an egg chamber.
Our bird watching has become a great ongoing learning experience for all of us for the trip. We named 10 birds of prey we have seen on this trip in the car today (yes we have photos of all!) but the true excitement now is seeing unusual birds. Pete, we saw a Beach Stone Curlew, which is considered an at risk bird (yes, we have photos too), and there have been a lot of emus up around here and we have taken many photos of them, including some younger emus at the place we collected water from each day, and this morning we saw two chicks running across the road with an adult on the way out of Exmouth.
The reptiles seem to keep well hidden, not surprising considering the birds of prey, but we did see a freshly run-over snake this morning, a large lizard at Yardi Creek and a perentie in the pool area here at Coral Bay this afternoon.
The Camp Hosts, Greg and Adele, were really friendly and helpful during our 7 nights at Mesa Camp. They seem to really enjoy their role, which is on a volunteer basis, mainly retired folk, and the NP pay for their fuel if they have a generator, and they get their camping for free. Their role is to collect the camping fees, offer general information, keep the toilets and camp ground clean, and Greg and Adele had 5 pm welcome drinks where whoever felt the need could go and sit and chat about their travelling experiences with the other campers. They were doing a one month stint, and then heading off somewhere else. Seemed like the perfect life for some retired folk we know!
After a week at Mesa, we felt the wind was just getting a bit out of hand and we decided to come south about 140 kms to Coral Bay. It is a little more sheltered, but the wind is still pretty strong. We'll see how it goes for a couple of days and either stay a bit longer, or move on to somewhere further south.
I don't feel as though I have done the Ningaloo Reef justice in this blog but as Annie and I agreed, it is really hard to explain to people something that was so special for us as we experienced it. The photos are to come.
WF's
Our first dip in the ocean was an amazing experience with lots of fish, an eel of some sort and the day was fairly still so very little wave action and beautiful clear water.
From there the snorkelling got better. We had heard that there were some lovely beaches and some great snorkelling and we weren't disappointed. The water was a beautiful turquoise colour and the reefs were close in to shore which meant we could all comfortably snorkel.
At Lakeside, one of the better snorkelling sites, we experienced a wonderful family moment where we all swam with a turtle. If I can I'll get the video up for this. We saw a myriad of both reef and "fin" fish as well as an octopus, a reef shark, some colourful parrot fish, a large estuary cod, "nemo" fish, reaaly small and some quite large fish. The coral wasn't spectacular, but as an introduction to snorkelling for all of us as a family, we couldn't have asked for anything more.
Annie and Ruby had another wonderful experience as they headed off to a beach where we had heard there was a good chance to see a turtle laying eggs at night. I took the boys fishing and even though we had a nice time, Annie and Ruby did see a turtle laying eggs which is something neither of them is likely to forget.
Another day the boys and I were fishing while Annie and Ruby went snorkelling nearby. We watched a large Manta ray swim by and then the girls arrived in time to see a turtle swim by. Both the ray and the turtle were very close to shore. Then a pod of 5 or 6 dolphins started playing around above some coral about 30 metres from shore right in front of us. Another memorable morning's viewing.
We saw a few different birds at a place called Mangrove Bay which has a bird hide. A white sea eagle, some cormorants and egrets and some small wading birds. We could also see some of these near our camp and along the roads through the Park.
We had other snorkelling days at Turquoise Bay and tried the Oyster Stacks but the weather had started to turn a bit against us and the wind had increased throughout the week.
We bought underwater cameras for the kids (what's processing mean Mum? - obviously they are digital age kids!) and they all enjoyed taking photos underwater, although Moses took a few out of water too, maybe he was just trying to work out a camera you had to wind on - we'll give him the benefit of the doubt.
On a very windy day we went back to the beach where Annie and Ruby had seen the turtle laying her eggs and saw 20 - 30 turtles frolicking in the water and onto the sand. We also looked at where they had seen the turtle laying and the mounds and Ruby was very good at explaining how the turtle had dug a hole and then dug an egg chamber.
Our bird watching has become a great ongoing learning experience for all of us for the trip. We named 10 birds of prey we have seen on this trip in the car today (yes we have photos of all!) but the true excitement now is seeing unusual birds. Pete, we saw a Beach Stone Curlew, which is considered an at risk bird (yes, we have photos too), and there have been a lot of emus up around here and we have taken many photos of them, including some younger emus at the place we collected water from each day, and this morning we saw two chicks running across the road with an adult on the way out of Exmouth.
The reptiles seem to keep well hidden, not surprising considering the birds of prey, but we did see a freshly run-over snake this morning, a large lizard at Yardi Creek and a perentie in the pool area here at Coral Bay this afternoon.
The Camp Hosts, Greg and Adele, were really friendly and helpful during our 7 nights at Mesa Camp. They seem to really enjoy their role, which is on a volunteer basis, mainly retired folk, and the NP pay for their fuel if they have a generator, and they get their camping for free. Their role is to collect the camping fees, offer general information, keep the toilets and camp ground clean, and Greg and Adele had 5 pm welcome drinks where whoever felt the need could go and sit and chat about their travelling experiences with the other campers. They were doing a one month stint, and then heading off somewhere else. Seemed like the perfect life for some retired folk we know!
After a week at Mesa, we felt the wind was just getting a bit out of hand and we decided to come south about 140 kms to Coral Bay. It is a little more sheltered, but the wind is still pretty strong. We'll see how it goes for a couple of days and either stay a bit longer, or move on to somewhere further south.
I don't feel as though I have done the Ningaloo Reef justice in this blog but as Annie and I agreed, it is really hard to explain to people something that was so special for us as we experienced it. The photos are to come.
WF's
Friday, October 15, 2010
Videos from Trip to Exmouth
Banjo hand feeding a Barramundi One Arm Point Hatchery
Sorry folks, internet is very slow for unknown reasons. will try to add more later.
WF's
Sorry folks, internet is very slow for unknown reasons. will try to add more later.
WF's
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Port Samson to Exmouth via Millstream NP, Karijini NP and Tom Price
Hello Readers in the world of the Internet from Exmouth! Yes, we have come a long way. We are over 6000 kms on the trip meter.
I have done the photos a bit differently this time (smaller) so click on the small photo to make it load bigger on a new page.
We have done lots, and today has been a big day so not much writing. We continue to have a great time. Hope you enjoy the photos. Will aim to get some videos up soon.
WF's
Photos from Millstream National Park
The following are a collection of photos of our time at Karijini National Park.
Today was a "big" day. Everything about the day was big. We started off by packing up from our one night stay in Tom Price and decided to take a sneak peek at the size of some of the trucks we were about to see on our mine tour. Yes, the wheels were bigger than dad! And the truck dwarfed our car and van.
You have to wear the right equipment so we were all fitted with hard hats and safety glasses. Can you guess who wasn't impressed with the hard hat?
Next it was off to the mine. Tom Price mines Iron Ore and it was all very big and impressive.
We then set off on our big drive and saw an enormous wedge tail eagle and we almost come a cropper at an emu crossing!
We arrived at Exmouth just after dark and did our first setup in darkness which took 20 minutes from the time we backed the van in to the time we were set up. We are all very pleased with ourselves!
I have done the photos a bit differently this time (smaller) so click on the small photo to make it load bigger on a new page.
We have done lots, and today has been a big day so not much writing. We continue to have a great time. Hope you enjoy the photos. Will aim to get some videos up soon.
WF's
Photos from Millstream National Park
The following are a collection of photos of our time at Karijini National Park.
Today was a "big" day. Everything about the day was big. We started off by packing up from our one night stay in Tom Price and decided to take a sneak peek at the size of some of the trucks we were about to see on our mine tour. Yes, the wheels were bigger than dad! And the truck dwarfed our car and van.
You have to wear the right equipment so we were all fitted with hard hats and safety glasses. Can you guess who wasn't impressed with the hard hat?
Next it was off to the mine. Tom Price mines Iron Ore and it was all very big and impressive.
We then set off on our big drive and saw an enormous wedge tail eagle and we almost come a cropper at an emu crossing!
We arrived at Exmouth just after dark and did our first setup in darkness which took 20 minutes from the time we backed the van in to the time we were set up. We are all very pleased with ourselves!
Thursday, October 7, 2010
80 Mile Beach to Port Samson via Port Hedland
The past few days have been fairly quiet for inspiring places to go for our family. We have still seen a few wonderful sights and experienced things we would never have experienced unless we were here, but from Barn Hill we headed to 80 Mile Beach full of anticipation.
If I said one of the best parts of 80 Mile Beach Caravan Park and surrounds was the Ablution Block (they had shower screens!) then maybe you'll get the gist of our collective feelings.
Alas, there was nowhere to swim at 80 Mile Beach. The beach itself had sharks, stingrays and catfish in abundance and the water was hard to see through as a greyish silt covered the water. It was a shame because as we came over the hill, there was a collective "Wow" in the car as we could see pristine aqua blue water and palm trees. The Park had copped a Category 5 Cyclone last Christmas and the trees that once lined the rows in the park had been shredded. We had also been told the fishing there was amazing. I caught 3 large Sea Catfish which was fun but we were advised by our next door neighbours at the time they aren't very nice eating and had to be prepared a particular way.
We did see the resident pheasant coucal take on a large goanna, and the people were friendly enough. The kids did swim the first day, but on the second morning as they were about to enter the water, a kind person who had been coming there for 10 tears explained why it wasn't a good idea to swim and with no pool, we decided that our original 2 night booking would be enough. It was a shame as the twitching could have expanded wildly as migratory birds come from everywhere to this beach to feed, and it is also a green turle nesting place from October through to February.
We drove out and set off for Port Hedland. If large mountains of salt is your thing, then Port Hedland is a must see. Alas, it is not something we were looking for, and the cost of the Caravan Park we stayed for the night was the highest we have paid thus far for not really much of what we like. There was a pool and Annie and the kids went for a swim while I went looking for a few camping supplies. Port Hedland is lit up like a major city at night, lots of street lights and refinery lights can be seen. They also have trains carrying iron ore which are 7.325 kms in length!
After our day at Port Hedland, we thought we'd see what Port Samson was like. Again, supposedly good fishing, and the best fish and chip shop in the Karratha district!
Our first attempt at a swim didn't go to well as the tide was out, and in these parts, it goes out a long way. But we did manage to amuse ourselves with a walk along the sand and into the sandy-rocky flats. The kids experienced their first close encounter with a small ray. I think they would prefer this to be their only encounter as it swum safely through the shallows around them but gave them a bit of a scare. We also saw soldier crabs like those at Philip Island among other places and an octopus was a little distressed as we hung around looking at it.
In the late afternoon I went fishing for little result but enjoyed the setting sun and surrounds. Annie tried to take the kids to a place nearby which may sell prawns (we'll find out tomorrow) which should be local as prawning boats operate from here. The other main feature of the area is the enormous carriers that are sitting out on the horizon. We think this is the main port for Rio Tinto (BHP uses Port Hedland), and there are probably 7 of these supertankers sitting on the horizon. They are taking the ore from Tom Price mine, which we intend to visit.
We may be here for a few more days or just one more night after tonight. The park we are in is quite new and the amenities are a far cry from some of those we have had. Either suits us, it is nice to have these amenities here, but when you are in a place like Barn Hill, the rustic toilet blocks don't seem to matter.
Tonight we go to sleep with the sound of the waves floating through the windows. In the morning we'll be awoken by the sunrise on the bay with a view to die for from our Jayco. Hope to post this photo and others tomorrow night!
To answer some questions, we don't keep anything we catch, only those we intend to eat, so sharks have been set free to swim again. We haven't seen a Brolga for over a week now. Our Twitching list should come close to Clive, but it is a tall order! The kids do get out of their swimmers, but only because we insist they wear pyjamas to bed. Our trip started at the very end of August and we won't return to Alice Springs until Australia Day or there abouts!
We hope you enjoy the photos and videos of recent times.
WF's
Octopus at Port Samson Video
Fishing at Sunset Port Samson
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