Ningaloo Reef

Our 9 wonderful days at Cape Range National Park, camped beside Ningaloo Reef Marine Park came to an end yesterday with our return to Exmouth.    I did venture into the water on 3 occasions, and Brian had a few good paddles out to the reef, then north and south.   The weather was mixed, with a couple of drizzly days, but the wind, at varying strengths, was almost constant.    We managed our water very well, giving away over 50 litres before we left, and the generator was only used 3 or 4 times, to top up the solar.

Four loads of washing later, a trip to the chemist and IGA, and we are now ready for what will be the beginning of our journey home.   It could take a couple of months, but tomorrow we will travel towards Tom Price, then to Karijini for a couple of nights.  Next stop will be Newman where, hopefully, we will be able to do the tour of the Mt Whaleback mine. 

After some very warm days, the driver keeps reminding me that our chosen route home via Kalgoorlie and the Great Central Road to Uluru, will be very cold.    Just as well we have a diesel heater.

Like Kalbarri, I hope my photos will give you some idea of what it was like at Cape Range.

Osprey Bay and Campground

Mouth of Yardie Creek - no one can cross this year

Yardie Creek Gorge

Yardie Creek local

Flood waters carved out a path to the sea through a campground

Water rushed west from the range to the sea

View from my bedroom window

Great paddling (and swimming for the photographer)

The sun sets on our last day at Ningaloo

Exmouth

On Saturday we left Carnarvon and had an easy drive along the NW Coastal Highway to Minilya, then turned on to the Minilya-Exmouth road.   Our overnight stop was just 32 kms further at the Lyndon River West rest area.    We enjoyed a very pleasant happy hour with some of our fellow campers, including a couple from Perth on their way to be the camp host for 3 ½ months at one of the Cape Range campgrounds (not the one we are going to).   Because of the rain in April, the countryside is looking green, with lots of spinifex and some early wildflowers.

View west from van at Lyndon River

 

First patch of wildflowers for this trip at Lyndon R

Coral Bay is just 12 kms off the Exmouth Road, so we called in on Sunday to see what we had missed on our previous trips.   It is a beautiful spot -  2 caravan parks, both seemed  busy.    There were quite a few outlets for booking whale shark and diving tours, and a very good bakery.   Unfortunately, I would have to rate the public toilet facility at Coral Bay the worst on our trip so far. 

 

Coral Bay

With only 125 kms to travel, we were in Exmouth Big4 Caravan Park, and set up in time for lunch.   We are now 1270 kms from Perth.   Exmouth had almost 500mm rain in 48 hours around Anzac Day and had been isolated for several days – on the way in we could certainly see where the flooding had been.   I don’t know if word of the floods has kept tourists away, or it is still a bit early in the season, but it is certainly not very busy here – plenty of caravan sites in town.   

We are really looking forward to going to Cape Range National Park tomorrow -  staying at the Osprey Campground for 9 nights.  Hopefully the weather will be a bit warmer, and less windy so Brian can paddle and I can swim.    All the water tanks, 2 jerry cans and several milk bottles are filled, so we should not have to come back in to Exmouth for water during our stay.   The supply of Whittaker’s chocolate has also been replenished.

After Cape Range we will have 2 nights back in Exmouth, where some serious discussion and map consultation will take place to determine our direction of travel after here.   It will be the school holidays so at this stage, we think we will have to go inland to avoid the crowds, as  the caravan parks on the coast are now fully booked.  Road conditions will also have to be checked as the April rain was quite widespread.

Kalbarri to Carnarvon

Sunday, 8^th June we left Kalbarri and headed north on the Brand Highway, then Shark Bay Road to Denham – a big day’s drive for us of  over 350 k’s.    We did not stop at Hamelin Pool this time, but did have our lunch stop at Shell Beach, just 44 k’s south of Denham.   We set up on a large site which had some tree protection from the SE winds.  After some light overnight rain, Monday was cloudy and still very windy.    It was a short walk “downtown” where I was lucky to be able to have a haircut.  There is another memorial here to those lost on HMAS Sydney, as its wreck was found 112 nautical miles west of Denham in 2008.

The weather on Tuesday was still windy, but we decided to drive to Monkey Mia, only 20 mins away, and arrived in time for the second dolphin feeding at 10.30 am.   The water was much more protected here, and we enjoyed a walk on the beach, through the caravan park ($44/night, $67 for waterfront + entry to the marine park) and had a coffee.   We were hopeful the dolphins would come in again before noon, but they did not appear so we returned to Denham.

So cute!

Monkey Mia

A swallow (I think) - lucky to see one sitting still

We left Denham on Wednesday and our overnight stop was at Wooramel Station, which has only had its camping facilities open for 2 weeks.    Unfortunately there was no water in the river, but it was a pleasant enough, except for the flies.  

Wooramel River - beautiful gum trees

Wooramel Station Camp

Thursday was a 125 km drive to Carnarvon, clear and sunny, but still very windy, and quite cool.  We are staying at the Big4 Plantation C’van Park, which is certainly not as busy as it was on our previous stay.   The town itself seems to be doing well, and they have almost completed a large levy bank to protect the town from the Gascoyne River when it floods.

Had to visit the Customs House!

 

We had considered staying out at Quobba Station, but with the wind still with us, we drove to Point Quobba today.   We were lucky to see the blowholes venting.   From our lunch spot at the lighthouse, the 360 degree views were spectacular.

Point Quobba

 

Quobba Blowholes (not as good as Kiama)

Beautiful Banksias

Scenic lunch spot

 We are due in Exmouth on Sunday, so will stop just south of Coral Bay tomorrow night.   We have not travelled this section of road in the past, having come in to Carnarvon from Gascoyne/Kennedy Range in 2011, and going from Exmouth to Tom Price in 2012.  Hope the wind abates for our stay at Cape Range.

Kalbarri

We left Geraldton on 31^st May, drove north 52 k’s to Northampton then headed west to the coastal road.  We called in to Horrocks Beach, a very quiet village of fishermens’ shacks, caravan park, some more modern houses on the hill overlooking the ocean, and not much else.    We then drove on the gravel road to Port Gregory for a quick stop and look at the water, which was just the same as Horrocks – white sand, very blue water, reefs not far off the beach.    Kalbarri was just another 57k’s north along George Grey Drive.

This visit we chose the Murchison Caravan Park, on the waterfront opposite the river.    It also has recently added large, drive-thru sites where we set up for our weeks’ stay.  Kalbarri hosts the canoe and cray festival on this long weekend, and there was a lot of activity on the waterfront on Saturday and Sunday.

On Monday we rode our bikes along the nice, wide, cement bicycle path from town out to Jakes Point where surfers were having some success.    Again, the area was not suitable for wave skis because of all the rocks.   Brian did, however, enjoy a paddle on the Murchison River.

The waves did come!

 

My bike has been well used here – riding along the waterfront, to the first class bakery for lunch treats, and even to dinner for fish and chips at a local eatery.   On Wednesday we drove out to the Kalbarri National Park, where we stopped at several of the lookout areas.    The weather has been fantastic, which makes the scenery even more spectacular.     There are quite a lot of flowers about, but also a lot of plants in bud, about to burst forth in the very near future.

Another type of Grevillea

Murchison Rose

Murchison R - Kalbarri National Park

Another "Nature's Window"

Another section of Murchison R

Kalbarri's Natural Bridge

Sandstone cliffs,very blue water

 

A Sunset Sail

Thought I'd let the photos describe our week in Kalbarri.   (Locals have reported sightings of the first humpback whales for the season - we weren't so lucky.  Hopefully we will see some as we travel further north.)

Friday, 6^th June (Queensland Day), I became a Great Aunt.  All the best to Linda and Bart on the arrival of a dear little girl!   I know the first-time Great Grand-parents are also very happy.

We were to leave today, but could not get a large site in Denham until tomorrow, so were more than happy to have an extra day here.