Photography

Gibb River Road – Part 3 (Galvans Gorge, Mt Barnet, and Manning Gorge)

Posted on July 7, 2015 by John Sear

Our first fuel stop was Mount Barnet and we chose to stay a few nights here. Shortly before we arrived there though there was a small detour to take to visit Galvans Gorge. More like an oasis, water was pouring, rather than cascading, down a boab-crested cliff face into a grass-lined swimming hole. To one side a tree trunk leaned out invitingly for the kids and a couple of ropes dangling from the branches lured anyone with any sense of adventure. The pool was over 4m deep, possibly more, and though it was early, it was irresistible. In we plunged. First we jumped off the rocks then we graduated to the rope swings but we all had a blast. To one side of the cliff we found an interesting piece of Gwion art, an owl-like figure looking very feathery, with a couple of serpents to the right of its shoulder. Already we were recognising a few people travelling the same way and we shared a campfire with Marty and Crystal (travelling in an unmistakeable red and white Landcruiser troop carrier). Marty had been on the same boat watching whalesharks in Exmouth!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Camping next to the river, the gorge was accessible by a punt attached by rope to a pulley. With a sandy beach and clear water, and pandanus tree-lined riverbanks this was very attractive to the kids who spent hours swimming and ferrying walkers to and fro across the river. Once across the river the walk was approximately 2km of undulating terrain, with some rock hopping toward the gorge end. Some rock art greeted you as you entered the base of the gorge, though many walk past without noticing the faded shapes on the cliff walls. The falls were big here too, falling directly into a very deep pool that offers multiple rock entry points catering to all, from water level up to maybe10m or more in height. Under the waterfall, a couple of metres up the rock we found a brown tree snake curled up in a crevice that looked to have no exit other than down to the water. The second time we visited the gorge Oscar and I took inner tubes a pump, basic fishing gear and our lunch, with the intention of travelling the hard way down the gorge i.e via the water. We ate our lunch at the falls, inflated the tubes and once I convinced him there were no saltwater crocodiles we set off. With a considerable distance to go and not as much current as I had hoped we had to stop periodically to warm up in the sun, and we used this opportunity to fish in some of the deeper pools. Oscar was landing a few good sized black bream before I could even explore the cliffs behind. It took us half a day to get out but it was an excellent adventure for the both of us. On the second day the station were restricting fuel to 50 litres per customer due to a delayed fuel tanker, and this dropped to 25 litres by the time I arrived to get some. Despite assurance the tanker would arrive the next day we opted to stay another night and enjoyed the riverbank one more time.
As we left the next day we took the opportunity to visit Mt Barnet Gorge nearby, a much quieter spot to camp and another gorge to swim in.

Categories: Adventure, australia, Australian Outback, Big Lap, Discover Australia, Explore Australia, Journey Narrative, Kids Travel, Natural World, Photography, Photos, Travel, Travel Adventure, West Australia | Tags: , , , , | 1 Comment

Gibb River Road – Part 1 (Windjana Gorge and Tunnel Creek)

Posted on July 7, 2015 by John Sear

Finally, with supplies stocked to the gunnels, Gerry cans all full, we set forth from Broome to conquer the Gibb River Road. At least that’s what it felt like given we had prepared for 3-4 weeks away from shops and very few fuel and water stops.
The Gibb River road, heading north from Broome, commences just before you enter the town of Derby, and barely two hundred metres before the turnoff was our first scheduled stop to see the Boab Prison Tree.
At the same location is a historic cattle trough fed from artesian water sources, long enough to water several hundred cattle at once.

Windjana Gorge
Freshwater crocodile at Winjana Gorge
Windjana Crocodiles
Tunnel Creek
Crocs at night in Windjana Gorge
Rock Art at Tunnel Creek
Tunnel Creek Rock Art
Tunnel Creek Rock Art
Lillimooloora police station ruins
Tunnel Creek

Turning into the Gibb River Road (GRR) the excitement levels increased, particularly as the road was primarily bitumen to our first camp at Windjana Gorge. My illusion of the GRR being a remote and isolated experience was shattered immediately as we drove around the camp looking for a site. It was busy and this was early in the season, and with a few exceptions the next few weeks didn’t change. From the Britz and Apollo hire cars and vans, through to the mainstream 4WD vehicles, everyone seemed to be coming through. There was even a Barina!

Windjana gorge is home to a population of approximately 150 freshwater crocodiles, so we were all keen to get our first croc sighting. A very easy walk takes you past cliffs of Devonian limestone encrusted with the fossilised remains of ancient animals, then through shaded forest for a couple of kilometres up the gorge. The crocs were there sitting on the beaches, not overly perturbed by our presence, and the sheer narrow gorge was breathtaking. Hannah even found what the ranger believed was a croc tooth on one of the pebbly river beaches there. A night excursion to the riverbank with a powerful torch revealed up to 100 pairs of eyes in one count on a short stretch of the Lennard River.

Tunnel Creek is a short drive from Windjana, a few hundred metres long, that can be traversed with the aid of a good torch, involves a little rock scrambling and a few shallow wades. It too has a population of about 6 freshwater crocodiles and we caught a couple of glimpses in the deep pools, but they sink into the murky depths as you approach. There is rock art at both ends if you know where to look and this was our first chance to see close up artwork, some of which has been there for thousands of years.

The story of Jandamarra is one that closely links the two sites together. As a youngster he was nicknamed “Pigeon” by his boss, and became a top horseman, shearer and a crack shot with a rifle. Working at Lillimooloora station he became good friends with a white man called Richardson. When the station later went bankrupt, Richardson joined the police force and took Jandamarra with him as a tracker. The two of them ended up tracking down Jandamarra’s own Bunuba tribesmen after they had resisted incursions by new settlers. Having captured most of the elders who had initiated him as a youngster Richardson chained them together for seven days, ready to collect a reward. After much pressure from the elders Jandamarra killed his partner, released the Bunuba elders and fled. Seriously injured in a battle in Windjana Gorge a week later he fled, taking refuge in Tunnel Creek for some years. On 1st April 1897 he was shot dead by another aboriginal tracker near the entrance to Tunnel Creek, by which time most of the Bunuba had been eradicated in the area by settlers. In Tunnel Creek there is an image of a pigeon etched into one of the cliff walls, for those who look close enough, a little reminder of the struggles that the indigenous people have suffered over the years.
What an interesting and fascinating start to our Gibb River Road adventure.

Categories: Adventure, Animal Action, australia, Australian Outback, Big Lap, Discover Australia, Explore Australia, Journey Narrative, Kids Travel, National Park, Photography, Photos, Travel, Travel Adventure, West Australia | Tags: , , , , , | 1 Comment

Gibb River Road – Part 2 (Bells Gorge)

Posted on July 6, 2015 by John Sear

Our second stop on the itinerary was Silent Grove. The spring that flows along the back of the camp proved to be a great birdwatching spot with many avian visitors coming to drink from the spring, or feed from the surrounding trees many of whom were in flower. Friarbirds and honeyeaters were in abundance, as were double-barred, long-tailed and crimson finches. We found a Stimpson’s Python one evening and others saw a resident Olive python on the other side of the campground.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.


Ten kilometres further down a very corrugated road from the campsite lies Bells Gorge. This is a very popular stopping point for many on the GRR due to the picturesque falls to a pool that is large, deep and a great swimming hole. For those not inclined to climb down the rocky path a shallow pool at the top of the falls offers an infinity pool alternative.
On our first trip the one of the small cracks in the windscreen spread rapidly to the base of the windscreen whilst another edged a couple of centimetres towards the driver’s side. We made a couple of trips to the gorge over two days and spent a substantial time in the water and exploring further down to gorge to the bigger waterfall downstream.
Even though the wet season only yielded approx. 60cm this year instead of an average 200cm, the falls were still an impressive sight making this one of the favourites on the GRR.

Categories: 4WD, Adventure, australia, Australian Outback, Big Lap, Discover Australia, Explore Australia, Journey Narrative, Kids Travel, Natural World, Offroad, Photography, Travel, Travel Adventure, West Australia | 2 Comments

Back in Broome

Posted on June 30, 2015 by John Sear

With a full moon imminent, on our return to Broome, we decided to stay a few days to witness the “Staircase to the moon”. Only a handful of times each year, the moon rising at dusk over a low tide in Roebuck Bay, and the light reflected across the sand flats creates the effect that gives rise to the name. Amanda was equally excited to see that there were markets at the same event. Once again expectations had been set high and fortunately this evening they were exceeded. As the moon rose hordes of photographers were in their element for 20-30 minutes, then an explosion of music erupted from the market area.

Wasamba
Actually it was a crocodile!
Frill Necked Lizard
Dinosaur print
Staircase to the moon
Gantheaume Point
Staircase to the moon
Wasamba drummers
Cable Beach Polo

A carnival style band called Wasamba then entertained the audience to a high octane energetic performance of dance and drumming, with colourful costumes lit up with lights. The kids went wild, loving the rhythm, and the crowd loved every minute, so much that everyone left the evening with a feeling of elation, still tapping their imaginary drumsticks.

Also whilst in Broome for a couple of days the tides were just low enough to visit Gantheaume Point to look for dinosaur footprints. When the tide drops below 2.1m for a very short timeframe, history some hundreds of million years old is revealed. Well actually we had to look quite hard as no-one there knew where to look or what to look for. Finally with 15 minutes before the tide was due to turn the footsteps of ancient dinosaurs were exposed on the rock platform, with some still submerged. The kids were more interested in looking for fishing tackle amongst the rocks, and were quite successful at it too.

Another event in full flight during our stay was the Cable Beach Polo event. As I walked onto the beach I noticed a “Beach closed” sign due to sharks. Ironically, a saltwater crocodile had been spotted swimming off the beach but to avoid unwanted negative press while the even was on Sharks seemed to provide an acceptable deterrent to stop people swimming. On such a hot day on the beach the horses were doing it tough but the crowds seemed to enjoy the spectacle and the loud commentary by someone who didn’t appear to know much about the sport.

Meanwhile the famous trains of camels rode to and fro up the beach in the background.

Then we met our first Frill-necked lizard, strutting around the park like he owned it.

It was a very relaxing few days and we didn’t see a lot of what there was to offer in Broome but re-fueled and re-stocked, with the kids having almost completed their schoolwork, it was time to hit the road again, the Gibb River Road.

Categories: Adventure, australia, Australian Outback, Big Lap, Discover Australia, Explore Australia, Journey Narrative, Kids Travel, Natural World, Photography, Photos, Travel, Travel Adventure, West Australia | Tags: , , , , | 4 Comments

Essence of Ardi festival, Lombadina

Posted on June 27, 2015 by John Sear

Coinciding with our visit to the Dampier Peninsula was the inaugural Essence of Ardi festival. We moved up to the resort at Kooljaman in Cape Leveque to be close enough to attend. Local musicians, artists and dancers, some from all over the country, were scheduled for 5 hours of celebration.

Albert Wiggins
Oyster pearl sushi
Nautilus by Gary Sibosado
Spear making
Goombaragin Stand
Baamba
Harpist for Kerrianne Cox
Spirit Child Rai by Roy Wiggan
Kerrianne Cox
Lombadina band
The second act

Cygnet Bay pearl farm were present selling delicious pearl oyster sushi, our friends from Goombaragin had a stall promoting not only their accommodation options but also demonstrating how to make clapping sticks. Amanda had a go but found that it wasn’t as easy as it looks, especially with a blunt hatchet. There were community stalls, some for alcohol and drug abuse, others with more positive stories highlighting how communities are getting better representation with social and corporate matters. One of the favourites with the kids was the Bardi Jawi Rangers stall that had videos of their involvement with catching and tagging dugongs in the Middle East. They gave the kids Ranger patches and were very keen to talk about their work with the local environment, and posters on their display highlighted some ambitious but important objectives over the next few years. Displays of local artwork were particularly eye-catching, especially a nautilus made from mother of pearl and ebony. Another local man displayed his ability in spear making, turning the shafts in the fire, and catering to two types, a fishing spear and a crocodile repellent / dugong hunting variety. A few food stalls were busy selling everything from bread loaves, cooked at the local bakery, to chilli mud crab, frozen ice blocks and lolly bags! Local celebrity, Stephen “Baamba” Albert acted as master of ceremonies, reeling off jokes and stories between acts. He played a part in the 2009 movie Bran Nue Dae. A local dance group kicked the entertainment off, the small group of schoolgirls performing a number of combined traditional and contemporary dances. Then the local bands were introduced, representing young and older generations. Albert Wiggins, who grew up at One Arm Point sang about his father and growing up in the area, and as with most of the acts had political songs for, or about, the prime minister, clearly showing their discontent with the way they have been treated. The Bardi Traditional Dance Troup came on later with three men tapping boomerangs and chanting songs (no didgeridoos in this region – just clapping sticks and boomerangs for music) as the dancers with painted bodies performed. Each dance to the uninitiated seemed similar in terms of steps, but the dancers held different patterned shields, obviously symbolic for each song. The last dance involved a hilarious character dancing at thrice the speed scaring children who had strayed onto the dance floor. The last act was Kerrianne Cox, from nearby Beagle Bay, a passionate and talented indigenous singer who worked hard on the youngsters in the crowd instilling pride in their heritage. As an inaugural event it seemed to be a great success, and the number attending would have pleased the organisers. Fifty Toes loved it and gave it full marks!

Categories: 4WD, Adventure, australia, Australian Outback, Big Lap, Discover Australia, Explore Australia, Journey Narrative, Photography, Photos, Travel, Travel Adventure, West Australia | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

To Broome and the Dampier peninsula

Posted on June 2, 2015 by John Sear

The next stop was Eighty Mile Beach, a short diversion off the main  road. Everyone hit the beach looking for the perfect sand dollar shell. With no shortage of sand dollars and other shells, everyone started wandering up the beach, then Roving Reeves appeared on a fishing mission. We had a quick catch up, watched the line of fishermen along the beach catching nothing, then mid afternoon bade farewells and headed off again.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

The overnight stop was at Stanley rest area where Hannah did her Naplan tests and we met up with 110AroundOz, another couple from Sydney with three girls almost matching our kids ages and all with Sydney Distance Education too.

The following day was a relatively quick trip into Broome for fuel and supplies, but we decided to press on to the Dampier peninsula, Middle Lagoon and Goombaragin Eco-Resort.

Four nights at Middle Lagoon was a pleasant relaxation after the dirt road in. The camp site above the beach commanded gorgeous views of the bay, which was crocodile free according to the locals. 5km to the north and south were plenty of warning signs and how the crocs knew not to go in the middle I have no idea. We spent much time in the water, snorkelling, and fishing was rewarded with a 56cm Golden Trevally.

We then moved to Goombaragin run by Kathleen and John, a very friendly couple and a small private property with glamping style tents and a couple of camping spots. They both spend time with visitors, and despite other commitments Kathleen found time to show the kids various bush tucker plants, bush passion fruit, bush chewing gum(sugar-free), and how to make clapping sticks. There were lots of new birds to spot, including great bower birds, double barred and long tail finches, mistletoe birds and plenty of others.

 

Categories: Adventure, australia, Australian Outback, Big Lap, Discover Australia, Explore Australia, Journey Narrative, Kids Travel, Natural World, Photography, Photos, Travel, Travel Adventure, West Australia | Tags: , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Dampier peninsula

Posted on June 1, 2015 by John Sear

The Dampier peninsula is nowhere near the town of the same name. Often referred to as Cape Leveque, it was a place we were really keen to visit, and after a long dusty road from Broome we arrived half way up the peninsula at Nature’s Hideaway, Middle Lagoon. We managed to sustain a stone chip “bullet hole” on the windscreen on the way up, but that wasn’t about to dampen our spirits. We camped on the Ridge overlooking the beach and marvelled every day at the glorious sunsets. By day we snorkelled over the reefs, swam and fished, even catching dinner one day. Lots of new birds flourished amongst the trees on the property and there wasn’t a crocodile to be seen! Five kilometres north and south there were warning signs at water holes, creeks or beaches but apparently they don’t frequent Middle Lagoon!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Our next stop was further east, where we managed to book a few nights at Goombaragin, a much smaller, friendly setup with two campsites, several “glamping” tents run by Kathleen, John and his son Jack. Located in Pender Bay with access to land up to Bells Point this is a more private place than Middle Harbour, with beaches safe for swimming too. The red jagged cliffs make a stunning sunset and we were lucky enough to meet up with our friends Nathan and Bloss, the “Grismacs” and Simon and Hillary, “110 around Oz”, also staying there. Between them the eight kids had a ball, and our hosts found time to show them bush tucker (bush passion fruit, the chewing gum berry, and more), the great bower bird nest, how to carve trochus shells, the pet stensons python, and much more. I snorkelled with Nathan “Grismac” and Jack as they went spearfishing, and saw plenty of marine life from turtles to corals and plenty of fish.

Simon and I took the cars down to explore the track down to Bells Point at sunset and made the most of the photo opportunities. On our last night there Oscar spotted a wild Stensons python so we picked it up. It took a serious dislike to Amanda, only settling when put in my hands, even striking at her when she walked past.

Time flew by relaxing there and before we knew it we had to decamp and head up to Cape Leveque for the Ardi festival. We visited One Arm Point and witnessed the terrific tidal currents that race past the point at up to 22 knots.

Kooljaman was a disappointment for us after the first two places where we had been spolied. The campsite was crowded, with minimal privacy, overly expensive, but provided more than adequate facilities. We stayed only for the Essence of Ardi then popped in to Beagle Bay to see the famous church, adorned with mother of pearl. The church was built in 1917, with aboriginal help, by three pioneering monks, and the mother of pearl decorations throughout took two years to complete.

Ten days in the peninsula was not enough and this is a place for a future visit.

Categories: Adventure, australia, Australian Outback, Discover Australia, Explore Australia, Journey Narrative, Kids Travel, Natural World, Photography, Travel, Travel Adventure, West Australia | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Millstream-Chichester National Park

Posted on May 30, 2015 by John Sear

A long unsealed drive North West from Karijini brought us to Millstream-Chichester National Park. A brief stop was required to investigate what looked like an old livestock yard. The visitor centre at Karijini had shown us that early settlers had relied on aboriginal labour, being the only ones who could handle the heat, to do much of the hard work on the homesteads and stations. The livestock pens were hand-made from roughly hewn logs and branches, held together by hand-tied wire, long rusted in the decades it had been decaying there. The floor of one was even roughly tiled with large uneven rock slabs. We contemplated what stories there would have been associated with the place, now lost in the shadows of the past.

On arrival at the homestead we found out that the planned campsite was no longer in use so we chose to stay at Miliyanha campsite next to the visitor centre. The short walk through the forest of date palms and snappy gums, next to the homestead takes you past gin clear streams issuing from the natural aquifer there. The spring enters a pool offering a constant balmy 28 degrees Celsius, but due to the natural beauty swimming is not allowed here. This region has strong significance to the Aborigines who used to congregate here to establish laws.

Hand made timber fence
Chichester lookout
Old sheep mustering pens
Rainbow Bee-Eater
Millstream oasis
Original sheep fences
Python Pool
Millstream pool
Fortescue River

As it was so hot we drove a short distance to Deep Reach on the Fortescue River where we enjoyed a very pleasant swim, Millstream Palms, unique to the area lining the far bank, and rainbow bee-eaters sat in almost every treetop along the river. A clifftop lookout on the way back provided a different perspective of the river as the sun slowly descended in the late afternoon.

Bushfires in the last year or two have left the region fairly barren away from the river, many trees still struggling to regrow with charred scars still evident on their trunks and branches. The earth was still a rich vibrant dark red, darkening each day as the sun descends.

Birdlife was in abundance here and we caught glimpses of the blue winged Kookaburra, and hundreds of noisy Corellas flew in at dusk to roost next to us.

The next morning we headed to the other side of the park to visit the enticingly named Python Pool, near Snake Creek. Who could resist a swim there? A sheer rock wall almost 20m high conceals the pool at its base and a short walk through trees brought us to the pebbly shore and once again a swim was necessary before pressing on.

Categories: Adventure, australia, Australian Outback, Big Lap, Discover Australia, Explore Australia, Journey Narrative, Kids Travel, National Park, Natural World, Photography, Photos, Travel, Travel Adventure, Walks, West Australia | Tags: , , , | 1 Comment

Karijini National Park

Posted on May 29, 2015 by John Sear

It was a long drive from Ningaloo Station to Karijini. We left late after saying our farewells and ended up having to stay at Beasley River rest stop. Being in the middle of nowhere in the Pilbara region we thought we’d have it to ourselves but as we pulled off the road we found ourselves circling around trying to find an empty site. Finally we headed for the riverbed, confident it wouldn’t rain, and set up next to a handful of other campers and joined them around their campfire. Another beautiful sunset then off to bed.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

The Pilbara region is a magical place and a thrill to drive through. Vast landscapes of dark red earth and mountains are covered with endless clumps of rich green spinifex provide a beautiful contrast with the clear blue skies. Sheer rock walls dominate the face of aptly named Mount Wall, and every corner encounters different geological formations of many shapes and sizes, enough to keep the drive interesting. Recent rains had also spurred a floral bloom and we were also treated to expanses of pink and yellow flowers as the kilometres sped past.

The rich red soil is a key indicator of the underlying mineral content and many mines operate in the region extracting primarily iron ore. Tom Price is a town that has grown to service the mining community and provides a remarkably green and well stocked oasis in which to re-fuel and restock before entering the Karijini National Park.

Dales Gorge served as a base from which to explore Karijini. Driving in for the first time could leave one to believe the place is over-rated but all the beauty of this park starts when you leave the car and start walking. Most of the gorges are well hidden below the arid surface and after steep descents cascading waterfalls and clear pools provide welcome relief in the heat of the day.

Dales Gorge offers a loop walk that takes you along the edge of the gorge, then returns back through the gorge showcasing Fortescue Falls, Fern Pools and Circular Pool all pleasant swimming holes.

Kalimina Gorge offers a gentle walk along the gorge with many water cascades, contorted rock formations, evidence of tremendous geological activity in the past, and finishes at the Rock Arch that dominates a corner in the river.

Further afield, near the Eco-Retreat, three gorges converge at the Oxer Lookout. Weano, Joffre and Hancock gorges all offer a variety of walks, and we chose the handrail walk in Weano gorge and Hancock Gorge, experiencing the others from the clifftop lookouts alone.

The Handrail walk in Weano gorge requires negotiating a few pools and rocks to the final pool where a handrail has been placed to assist the final descent. The kids had a peek into the pool but were reluctant to negotiate the final few slippery steps. Xavier accompanied me down Hancock gorge where we encountered the Amphitheatre, Spiderwalk and Kermits Pool, finally after quite a bit of wading and shimmying precariously along cliff edges

 

Categories: Adventure, australia, Australian Outback, Big Lap, Camper Trailer, Discover Australia, Explore Australia, Journey Narrative, Kids Travel, National Park, Natural World, Photography, Travel, Travel Adventure, Walks, West Australia | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Ningaloo Station

Posted on May 27, 2015 by John Sear

Ningaloo Station is a homestead to the south of Cape Range. Historically, four-wheel drive enthusiasts have used the crossing at Yardie Creek to make the trip from Coral Bay to Cape Range considerably shorter than having to go via Exmouth. Unfortunately for us the recent cyclones meant Yardie Creek was several metres deep and there had been a recent incident where someone had tried to cross the sandbar and ended up with his car written off. It was stuck for two days before it was retrieved. We took the main road, taking a brief diversion into the eastern side of Cape Range to visit the Charles Knife gorges, the main one, ShotHole Canyon was still closed from the recent cyclone. As well as commanding fabulous views across the peninsula, there are a number of well sites throughout the North West Cape where oil exploration had taken place in the mid 1950s. After drilling almost 4700m and not finding commercial hydrocarbons the wells were plugged.

 

Jetty Machinery
Coral Coast Termite Mound
Exploring Norwegian Bay
Whaling Station Boiler
Shark Alley
South LeFroy campsite

On recommendations from WA locals, Brett and Doreen, and Gary and Pam, we had set our minds on visiting South LeFroy campsite on Ningaloo. The road in to the homestead was very corrugated and after an hour we arrived at a very dilapidated looking house surrounded by a huge flock of sheep and a handful of goats. Most of the coastal stations are for pastoral grazing and their 99 year leases will expire in June. The government is trying to reclaim the 2km coastal strip seeing potential to protect and/or develop the resource and regulars are concerned that their paradise will be lost forever, or will become too expensive. Currently dog-friendly, but lacking toilet and rubbish facilities, chemical toilets are required and rubbish needs to be taken with you when you leave.

A National Park style development would be ideal, however, the prospect of developing expensive eco-resorts would surely not bode well for the pristine coral reefs that lie metres from the beach in the crystal clear waters. We’ll watch this closely to see what happens.

A week at Ningaloo was not enough. We spent hours beachcombing or swimming over the reef. Reef sharks, turtles, abundant corals, and fish life proliferate. A short drive from the campsite took us over the sandhills, past the water bores to Norwegian Bay, the derelict site of an old whaling station. The rusting hulks of boilers and machinery littered the land behind the beach and made for some interesting exploration. The remnants of the old jetty and more machinery sit peacefully on the beach, now a marine reserve, and a solitary dolphin was hunting in the shallows 50m further along the beach.

A short diversion off the same road takes you to a popular fishing spot called Shark Alley. We visited several times, and couldn’t resist a snorkel. This was probably the clearest water but a strong current meant the kids had to be careful not to stray too far from the shore. Surprisingly though no sharks were spotted but more turtles and plenty of fish. Oscar’s new favourite fish was the giant unicornfish that really does have a unicorn protruding from the top of its head. We fished there and caught some of the most beautiful coloured wrasse and trigger fish. Nothing for dinner that day though.

On our last day Oscar and I were taken out fishing in the lagoon. One monster nearly pulled Oscar off the boat as he tried to reel it in, with me holding onto him, before it shook the hook. On the last cast of the day, with the sun having just set, I managed to land a legal sized spangled emperor, so no sausages for dinner!

 

Categories: Adventure, australia, Australian Outback, Beach, Big Lap, Camper Trailer, Discover Australia, Explore Australia, Journey Narrative, Kids Travel, National Park, Natural World, Offroad, Photography, Photos, Travel, Travel Adventure, West Australia | Tags: , , , , , | 2 Comments

Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.