I also celebrated my birthday while in Exmouth and had one of my best birthdays yet...... home cooked pancakes for breakfast, a day of snorkelling in beautiful Turquoise Bay and then a dinner with my loving family at Whalers Seafood Restaurant (the food was so good, we later went back for a lunch!!). It was also lovely to be in a phone service area so that I could speak to my family and friends during the day. It also came with the realisation that 35 now rounds to 40 and this isn't so good!!!!
Our third night was an early one, as Pete had to get up at 5.45 the next morning to line up for a camp site in The Cape Range National Park. It is a matter of first in, first served and we didn't want to miss this opportunity to be camped by the Ningaloo Reef for a few nights and to have such close access to so many wonderful places.
Our plan worked and after his early morning set off, Pete arrived back with the news that we had been allocated a spot in Ned's Camp ground. A site that has 6 generated spots and the rest no modern technology at all. Many, including myself, are very surprised that I survived (and loved) our 6 nights without power or running water!! We also barely used our generator (except for boiling the kettle to wash up and warm the water for our 'bath') and loved the atmosphere of where we were. We were surrounded by amazing families and couples, who all gelled and loved each others' company.
* Turquoise Bay - snorkelling with a huge array of fish (colours and sizes), swimming with turtles and reef sharks the same sizer as me.
* Oyster Stacks - difficult to get in and out of, but well worth it with the magnificent colour of the coral and marine life.
* Sandy Bay - the clearest and longest stretch of turquoise water you will ever see. An added bonus to be able to see the kite surfers set up and take off.
* The wildlife.....
~ Kangaroos abundant and drinking our grey water bucket each night (including a territorial battle one night between two kangaroos who wanted the lot for themselves. So noisy, that it woke us fro our sleep!!
~ Emus roaming everywhere and trying to drink the bore water when we were stocking up our 'bath' water supply.
~ An echidna walking along the beach with us as we explored the waters off Lakeside and the goanna on the way into Lakeside.
* Happy Hour - a gathering of all at the camp site each night for a drink and a chat. So many families doing what we are and lots of retired (but not old) couples just taking their time exploring this great country of ours. A highlight of one social gathering was meeting a Dutch family who were friends and colleagues of Stef and Anna - such a small world!!
From Exmouth it was onto Coral Bay. We had planned to stay here 3 nights, but with the relaxed small town atmosphere we extended our stay to 6 nights (with drama at the caravan park....). After our problem was sorted, and we had unhappily moved from our ocean front site (bed ends out, roof out and hooked up to the car for the 20m move), we settled down and got back into enjoying the beauty of the area. It truly is an untouched area and we were not prepared for the size (and the expense of the place). Had we known 1L of milk would cost $3.45 and a 2L bottle of soft drink would come in at $6.10 we would have made the effort to restock the fridge and cupboard in Exmouth on the way out. These matters became trivial as we met up and spent time with the great people we had seen on our previous travels. That said, we depart in the morning with milk, cheese and marg in the fridge and weetbix and the odd bit of canned food in the cupboard.
Some highlights around Coral Bay include:
* Zali finally being brave enough to take on a snorkel in the bay and the joy on her face seeing the colourful fish. Bribery of a t-shirt stating "I had the best snorkel in Coral Bay' was incentive enough for this to happen.
* Pete and Marty snorkelling at the wharf with a 2m groper. I would have loved to have joined them, but with blister on blister between my toes, from trying to be 'fit', has caused havoc with my walking. Was even advised to stay out of the water as the bacteria from the reef is not good for open skin wounds.
* Taking the 1 1/2 hour walk to the reef shark sanctuary/breeding ground to see the sharks hunting for their food.
* 3.30 fish feeding in the bay every afternoon. Zali was not at all a fan of 1m fish swimming between her legs and nipping at her ankles. The view from dad's shoulder was more enjoyable for all trying to take in the experience!!
* Having our caravan full of girls enjoying each others' company. The squeals and noise they made would not have been a hit with the 'grey nomads' around us.
So now its back to packing up again as we make our way south for more fun in the sun.
Missing everyone and hope you are all well,
Ange, Pete and Zali
great reading and beatiful photos. Hope you are having fun see you soon xx
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