Ningaloo Coast.

We left Carnarvon on a cool and breezy day, we were in WA (Windy Always) after all, first stop was to be a place called Quobba where there are some blowholes and also an opportunity to camp. When we arrived we checked out the campgrounds which were quite full and with the weather not being great we had some lunch and checked out the blowholes, we then decided to keep moving and head to Coral Bay further north.

Coral Bay is somewhere we had being wanting to see for some time, stories of snorkelling off the beach and seeing turtles and fishes of all types. Coral Bay started life back in the 1960’s as a small coastal retreat for hardy persons wanting to get away, it was only late in the 1960’s a family opened a caravan park and shopping village which has grown into what you see now. The name comes from the coral that is just off the beach and is the southern section of Ningaloo Reef which runs north towards Exmouth.  There are two caravan parks, a resort/hotel and a couple of surf shops, grocery shops and tour booking shops. We checked in to Bayview Caravan Park as the other was full and for the first time this trip booked for a full seven nights, knowing there was only a few things to do it was going to be a relaxing time, the park had a jumping pillow for the kids so that kept them amused most of the time when not on the beach. So we basically spent a week on the beach, having a snorkel amongst the coral just metres out, one day we drove down the beach to an area called Five Fingers (lines of rock running out to sea) and rescued a guy bogged in the sand but other than that we did very little.

After Coral Bay we continued on north, due to availability we had book five nights in Exmouth at the caravan park, then the next seven nights we had booked a site in Cape Range National Park. The USA and Australian army built a base back in the 1950’s which main purpose was to provide the missing link in the global communications with US submarines, they communication towers are still in use today although the base is no longer in operation. The town of Exmouth was born out of the need for somewhere for families to live close to the base, it also became an important site for oil exploration after WW2.

Another major attraction between May and September each year is the arrival of Whale Sharks, they come each year and feed off the Ningaloo Reef with the continental shelf only 7km out from the reef it is thought they like the area for the ease of accessing deeper water. And so on a cloudy day we joined the team at www.kingsningalooreeftours.com.au for our adventure snorkelling with these amazing creatures, they day started well with a sighting of a large eagle ray and a couple of Dugongs, we were able to snorkel with the ray but the Dugongs are a little more shy so swam off. Next we made our way out to the open ocean just west of the reef in deeper water, spotter planes started to arrive looking for the Whale Sharks and before too long we were all in the water swimming with these magnificent creatures, at upto 12m long and 30 tonnes they are quite imposing but harmless as they are filter feeders living off plankton and krill. We jump in the water just ahead of the shark and as it glided along we would take chase swimming, once it had got too far ahead we then climbed back in the boat before doing it all again. We were all having such a good time it was not until 3pm when we finished swimming and had lunch, on the way back we follow a couple of humpback whales heading north so all in all it was an amazing experience and well worth the expense.

Our next week was spent in Cape Range National Park which runs down the west coast from Exmouth, this is right on the reef but with no power of water you need to take everything in with you. Our site at Kurrajong was a good size but with rocky base made it hard to get any pegs in but we managed and after weathering some heavy rain and winds the week cleared up for us to enjoy the local snorkelling sites and Yardie Creek gorge walk.

 

Black footed rock wallaby, can you see it?.

 

Yardie Creek, there is a track through here when the tide is right.

Kellie is getting good at bread making if anyone needs a baker on our return.

Oyster Stacks was a great snorkelling site with lots of amazing coral and fishes but the highlight was swimming with a turtle.

So after a brilliant few weeks on the Ningaloo Reef Coast we head inland for Karijini National Park within the Pilbara Region.

Mount Augustus and Kennedy Ranges.

Back in Salmon Gums near Esperance we met a couple who said we should visit Mount Augustus, we had to look at the map to find it as had never heard of the place, they said it was the biggest rock in the world, bigger even than Uluru and worth a visit. And so since then we have had this place in the back of our minds but not quite sure it we could make it. Whilst planning our next route after Shark Bay we could either go north direct to Carnarvon and then track inland, or we could go a slightly longer route via dirt roads, we chose the dirt.
Leaving Nanga Bay we made our way out to the main highway, turning back south for about 30kms we came to the turn off for Butchers Track and headed east on the dirt highway. Our stop for that night would be Murchison, they only have about 20 permanent residents who work for the shire and the roadhouse. The van park at the roadhouse is good value and the amenities and BBQ area are all brand new, there is a small museum to have a look at and a new sports clubhouse which is only used twice a year for polo competition.

The next day we continued on the dirt roads north, stopping at Bilung Pool for morning tea, this was one of the popular watering holes for drovers moving cattle through the region and the local aborigines feared a water snake in the pool so would throw a handful of sand into the water to appease the creature before using the water from the pool.

Finally after a full day driving we could see Mount Augustus, it really stood out on the horizon and even had a blue/purple haze to it which we later found out is caused by plants releasing oils around the base. Mount Augustus (Burringurrah) rises to 1105m above sea level and is made up of sandstone and quartz and is the largest monocline or rock in the world. We checked in to Mount Augustus Station and setup camp with a nice outlook over the Mount. The following morning we did the walk to Edney’s Lookout which is about 6km return, in the afternoon we did a couple of the smaller walks before finishing the day at the sunset lookout to take some photos. There is a walk to the peak that takes 6hrs return but we felt we might have been pushing it trying to get the kids up there and not sure our own legs would make it that far either.

Aboriginal engravings

Moving on after two nights we made our way over to Gascoyne Junction to refuel before reaching Kennedy Ranges National Park, there is a god sized camping area suitable for large caravans with camp hosts in attendance to assist choosing a site and collecting fees. This is another place that has stunning views and a number of walks from the campsite to different areas of the park including some impressive gorges, we managed to do a walk/climb to one of the escarpments and a couple of the gorge walks which was good fun climbing over boulders.

On our third day the skies clouded over which meant we were due to head back to the coast and so after packing up we made our way back to Gascoyne Junction but not without first stopping at this cobbled road. Back in the 1930’s a government project for unemployed caused by the great depression, created this cobbled road from Carnarvon to Bangemall Goldfield. Another interesting story from this area in 1924 Charles Kingsford Smith ran the mail from Carnarvon to Meekatharra. using the earnings to help fund his aviation adventures.

We then continued west towards Carnarvon which would be our base for a couple of days to restock before heading north for Coral Bay.

Bacteria, Dolphins and Steep Point.

Continuing north from Kalbarri we were now heading towards some of the locations we had all being most excited to visit and all for different reasons. We had intended to stay at Denham in one of the caravan parks but at $55pn when your on a budget you look around and glad we did, friends we had left Kalbarri with that morning had said they were heading to Nanga Bay, after making a call we decided to head to the same spot and based ourselves from there for a week at $30pn.

Hamlin Pool

First spot you come to after turning off the main highway north, famous for the Stromatolites which we had seen earlier at Cevantes. Here they have built a nice boardwalk out over the water where you get to see the dried out versions above the high tide line and below the water you can see the still living examples, these are the oldest living fossils and quite amazing they are made from layers of bacteria.

Nanga Bay Station

About 50km south of Denham this is an old sheep station but for the last 25 years has served as a resort for travellers coming to the area. Nice big sites with good access to the beach, an artesian spa and restaurant if you want the night off cooking. Thankfully they had a TV setup in public area so I was able to commandeer it the first night to watch NSW win Origin 1. From here there a few lookouts and beaches which are good for fishing and being only 30mins from Denham easy enough to restock supplies if required. One beach being Shell Beach made entirely of these small shells below, they go down about 10m and at that depth are so compacted they were cut into blocks and used for building in the area.

Monkey Mia and Cape Peron National Park.

This was one of the highlights of the trip so far for Fred, back at school last year he had studied about this area and the dolphin feeding that goes on and was very excited to finally get here. With an early start we made it to Monkey Mia Dolphin Resort just before 8am and were happy to hear the dolphins had not turned up as of yet, however a few of our friends were there so we said our hellos and took our place on the beach. Being a little sneaky and knowing they only pick a few people out of the crowd to feed a fish I left Kel and Lil in the middle of the beach and took Fred off down the end away from all the other kids, worked a treat as when it came time for feeding Fred was picked and in he went, we were very happy for him and he was very excited by the whole experience. They have been feeding some of these same dolphins since 1975 so a couple are nearly 40years old, in the past you just bought a bucket of fish and walked into the water and fed the dolphins, these days they control the whole experience and no dolphin will get more the 2kg of fish in any day. We were lucky as first to arrive was a mother and baby only to be followed by two more mums and bubs and finally a lone arrival making seven dolphins for the day.

After the feeding was over we went back into Denham to stock up on food and then made our way out to Cape Peron National Park, the first place you come to is Peron Homestead, up until 1993 this was a working station but has since being taken over by National Parks. There homestead has a nice little display showing the different animals both native and introduced, then taking a walk around you can see the artesian spa, shearing sheds and shearers quarters. On leaving the homestead you stop at the air down station as the rest of the tracks are sand and lower tyre pressures both protect the track and make the driving easier on the car, the shocking corrugations could only be taken with care. We drove straight to the tip of the Peninsular arriving at Cape Peron just near lunch, we then backtracked to Skipjack Point where we spotted below a school of Sea Mullet, 14 rays (eagle type we think) and even a turtle. We also had a look at Bottle Bay and Gregories where Lil managed a quick swim in the chilly waters before we returned to the homestead to air up the tyres at the provided station and head back to Nanga after a long but enjoyable day out

Steep Point

This was something I had in my mind early on in our planning for the trip, coming all this way and not going to the most westerly point on mainland Australia would seem like a waste but it is a very remote area. Having asked around and hearing another family did the trip out in a day we decided to give it a go, we had supplies for an overnight trip if required but intended to do it in a day. Again leaving Nanga Bay early in the morning we went south on the highway and turned into Useless Loop Road which soon runs out of tarmac and becomes a dirt road with varying levels of quality, after some time you come to the Steep Point/False Entrance junction, turning right we headed for Steep Point, from here the roads became extremely corrugated and in parts we were down to 20kmh. Soon you come to a sign asking you to reduce tyre pressures as this next section was over sand dunes and more dash rattling corrugations until finally you come to the rangers house and report in, from here it is only a few km to Steep Point and our objective complete. Photos taken and lunch consumed we had a look around and spotted some guys balloon fishing from the cliffs, we went over to have a look and get a run down of how it works, they were good enough to bring in a Kobai whilst we watched on, the lengths people go to catch fish is quite remarkable, Robson Green on Extreme Fishing needs to have a crack at this technique. Basically the bait the hook and attach a helium filled balloon to the line, using the wind to blow the hook away from the cliffs the bait hangs just under the surface, once a fish is caught they reel it in and at the cliff they send a hook down the line which drops over the fishes head, this bigger rope is used to haul the fish up the 20m.

We continued driving along the coast south and came across a memorial to the Nor 6 which was a fishing boat lost on the rocks back in 1968, three of the four crew died but one managed to survive floating in the ships coolroom eating the stores and drinking water from the defrosting ice, he survived two weeks before the currents brought him back to nearly the same spot and he was recovered by another fishing boat, one lucky fellow.

 

The track continued along the coast and came to Thunder Bay Blowholes, unfortunately today they were not blowing so we kept going and returned to the main track back towards Nanga Bay, our log for the day was 370km over 11 hours so quite a big day but well worth it for the views and bragging rights.

And so that was our time around Shark Bay, a lovely area but again the weather gods were against us and we did not get to see its true beauty due to winds and cloud but still a great time was had by all, next on our route was a trek inland to see a rock!.