Halfway Home

The wind really picked up last night so about 4am we had to get up and go outside and bring the awning down before the wind got right under it and blew us away!

Awake again at 7ish and packed up and on the road by 8am after having to wait in line whilst other people closer to the gate hitched up also.

A very uneventful drive south.  We stopped at Overlander Roadhouse for fuel but the queue was ridiculously long so just a quick toilet stop and back into the car.  Stopped at Billabong Roadhouse instead for fuel and a drink and then swapped drivers and continued on.

Made it Northampton about 1pm so found a nice little cafe and had lunch and a bit of a breather from driving.  Very nice chicken and salad roll for Larry and a bacon, avocado and sundried tomato and cheese toastie for Jen.

Drove on through Geraldton and a second refuel at Dongara and then made it to Cliff Head in time to park up, attach up the telly and watch the second half of the Eagles versus GWS game.

Had a quick dinner and went over to a couple';s fire that we were invited to and had our last campfire and marsh mellows of the trip.

This is the last entry of our blog for our awesome trip so farewell until the next time.

3 2 1 Blastoff

We watched more Olympics this morning whilst we had breakfast and then went down to the office to see if we could move to a proper site within the caravan park as with the shed on one side and a road on the other we have no space to park the car and can't even step out of the caravan without stepping onto the road.  The staff were happy for us to move and said they would be over shortly to direct us to a new site.  Eventually, just as the Campbell sisters were about swim in the 100m freestyle final, they came to move us to the site that had been empty since about 7am this morning.  So that was a shame as we wasted a couple of hours waiting for someone to direct us to a site which they knew was empty but don't trust you to back yourselves into.

Never mind, we didn't really miss anything with the Campbell sisters disappointingly bombing out in their race.  Once we were set up, we headed off to the Carnarvon OTC satellite dishes and the Space and Technology museum.  It was really very good for a $10 entry fee and we spent a happy couple of hours there.  They have only recently opened Stage 3 of the museum which includes a whole heap of Scitech interactive space related gadgets and Larry had fun crashing the Space Shuttle a few times and then we both went in the Apollo II simulator which, apart from the lack of G Forces, gives you a feel of what it's really like to be an astronaut during lift off including lying on your back with the your legs elevated and rumbling under your back and flames in the windows.  Pretty cool.

Once we had looked everything we got some good photos of the Jeep next to the largest dish and then drove around the Tech. Officer's houses.  We had watched an interview with one of the engineers during the 70's describing what a shock it had been to arrive at these brand new houses on stilts and surrounded by sand on a 40 plus day fresh from Perth.  50 years on, they all have additions, closed in verandahs, different paint jobs and mature gardens and look quite different!

Having 'done' the Carnarvon Space Centre we drove back down into town and had lunch and then drove to the local hardware store where we were finally able to purchase the elusive pizza stone for the Weber (think we've been looking for one since Kununurra?).  We won't actually get to use it this trip but we now have it in the van and we'd rather give our money to a local hardware store in Carnarvon than Bunnings Balcatta.

Back to the caravan and time for an afternoon siesta and then some more Olympics watching.  Marinated chicken drummies and coleslaw for dinner and a quiet night in.

Yes, we do have bananas!

A pack up morning today but we did it in a leisurely way so that we could eat breakfast and watch a few more whales breaching.  We were still on the road by 8ish though and headed off southwards towards Carnarvon.   An uneventful drive and we didn't run out of petrol with the warning light coming on just as we pulled into the Wintersun Caravan Park.  They were full (which is not surprising as they are the No. 1 rated park in Carnarvon on Trip Advisor) but they offered us an overflow site with power and the opportunity to fill up our tanks so we were still able to set up.  The overflow site proved to be right next to their storage shed which meant in just a few hours we had gone from a never ending view of ocean and whales to a view of the side of a colorbond shed.  Oh well.

Feeling a bit peckish, we headed off into town, only stopping to feed the car before we fed ourselves.  There didn't look like too many enticing food outlets along the main street so we googled 'best hamburgers in Carnarvon' (apparently there are none) and then consulted the tourist brochure for cafes.  Ended up at the Harbourside Cafe where we had quite nice (and very big!) hamburgers and were by far the youngest customers by about 20 years.

After lunch we cruised around the town and then out to the one mile jetty and the coffee pot train.  Larry, as is traditional when Jenny has had a big lunch, scoffed at the idea of sitting on the little train and decided it would do us good to walk out to the end of the jetty and back.  It was howling a gale so we battled our way out to the end treading fairly carefully as some of the wooden planks are decidedly dodgy and then watched as the little train trundled past us.  Had a breather and watched the surroundings of the Gascoyne River mouth and fishing folk and a kite surfer and then headed back to coast.  Much easier walk back with the wind behind us and the confidence that the planks would hold. 

Drove back to the caravan park with one final stop at Morel's fruit shop who do fresh fruit and veg, frozen fresh fruit ice creams (with chocolate coating if you're feeling wicked) and dried fruit strips.  Had an icecream each and bought some chocolate coated bananas for the freezer and the kids and then back to the caravan park where we finally had TV reception and could watch some Olympics.  Then made use of the clean amenities for a hot shower and a much needed hair wash before heading up to the camp kitchen for the $10 dinner - hot roast beef rolls, lashings of home made salad and an icecream for dessert.  Sat with a nice couple from NSW and their Yorkshire terrier.  Sounds like it is a tough life travelling with a dog trying to find places to stay and being turned away from National Parks by the ranger (even if the plan is just to drop off one and the other go back to the caravan with the dog) so we will definitely travel dog free in future.

Back to the caravan for a bit more Olympics watching before bed.

A Whale of a Time

The wind dropped overnight but the ocean was still roaring away when we woke up this morning.  It was a beautiful morning with clear skies and what an absolute treat it was to step straight out of the van and walk 30 metres down the hill to dip your toes in the ocean and look for sea creatures in the rock pools whilst the tide was out.

Back to the van for bacon and eggs and, once again, to just sit and stare at the ocean and then suddenly exclaim 'there's one!' as another whale surfaced in front of us.  Today might have been sunny but there was a cold wind blowing so it was time to dig out the jeans and joggers and jumpers stayed on til late morning.

We decided to drive up to Red Bluff as everyone raves about it and the Quobba lady sold it by saying it also had a nice little cafe.   The road between Quobba and Red Bluff was particularly bad with corrugations and washouts and we found out later that it had rained pretty much straight after it was graded last time and then people drove backwards and forwards through it and completely stuffed it up very quickly.  Apart from being bumpy it was also extremely boring as it pretty quickly headed inland away from the coastal views and so was just 60 km or so of boring scrubby dune vegetation.  The only excitement was having to stop at the Dampier Salt company road in case a truck was hurtling through but there wasn't, so on we continued.

Eventually we saw the turn off to Red Bluff and headed west and then south again til we could see the little settlement tucked in at the bottom of the rocky headland.  We called in to the office to let them know we were just day trippers and then drove around and checked out the site.  It's a funky little place with everything from camping and caravan sites to back shacks lined with palm fronds to trendy glamping tenty things.  It's got a distinctly surfy, laid back vibe and the little cafe was a little shack run by a hippy selling teas and coffees as well as crocheted bikinis and tops and with a blackboard full of inspirational quotes such as 'This day is a gift, that's why we call it the present''.  As it was so cool there were only a couple of brave souls on the beach swimming and one dog who was digging a hole to China and having a whale of a time.  There were quite a few surfers out near the bluff though.

As we weren't interested in swimming or surfing ourselves, we quickly exhausted the opportunities Red Bluff afforded us and hopped back in the car and headed back to Quobba.  On the way back, we stopped to watch a couple of guys balloon fishing as I had never seen that done before.  You cast your line with a balloon attached to it and the easterly wind carries it out over the water where the bait then skims along the surface.  The bloke had caught something pretty hefty and was fighting to bring it in and we stood and watched for a while until Larry suddenly shouted "Jenny - look!" and about 30 metres from where we were standing on the edge of a small cliff a whale came right up out of the water and waved at us!  So hard to get photos as they go under the second the camera actually takes the shot but - wow!

 

When we got back to the van there were two cars pulled up nearby filled with about 5 or 6 children and 4 adults.  The dad proudly showed us a huge parrotfish he had just caught on the reef with a spear.  I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to fish along this section of Quobba Station beach but they probably have native title rights or something to fish where they please.  He certainly had done well as it was a big, fat fish and his mate was dead keen to also get one but wasn't so lucky.

We sat and watched them and the whales while we ate our lunch and then we just sat there and sat there as it is just such a great view and there were always whales surfacing in some part of the water we could see.  Eventually about 3pm we decided tonight would be the night we would finally have a campfire.  We haven't been able to have one since the Gibb River Road and most of the time we were on that part of the holiday it was really too hot to want a fire but today was perfect and we knew the Station would sell us a huge bag of good quality wood for $20.   We went down to the station to buy wood and to have a hot shower and then back to the van for a little afternoon nap.

About 5pm it was time to get the fire started and Larry very kindly gave Jenny her own little pile of kindling so she could feed the fire without smothering it.  (Jenny starts to twitch if you don't give her something to put on the fire).  By sunset we had a good fire going and so life couldn't get much better - a view, whales, a sunset, a campfire, a beer and a s..t load of wood!  6pm we had a nice amount of hot coals to put our potatoes into and once they were nearly ready Larry cooked up the steaks (which had finally defrosted!) and we had a most delicious meal with the steaks and jacket potatoes smothered in garlic butter.  Dessert was the packet of marshmallows that have been sitting in the caravan for most of the trip in case of campfire, toasted over the hot coals.  Yum, yum, yum.  We then just sat there and stared at the sky as there is absolutely no light pollution (apart from the campfire!)

And so to bed with the sound of the ocean lulling us to sleep.

I Like Carrots and Apples, Have You Got Any?

We had a nice night meal at the pub last night but we didn't manage to win any of the 'Monday Madness' raffle prizes.  We stupidly bought blue and yellow tickets (Go Eagles!) but of course all the drew were purple tickets (which we'd jokingly said no to because they were Dockers colours!).  So we will just have to eat our own meat and drink our own beer as we didn't win the meat trays or the free pints.  Oh well, we have supported the local RFDS so that's okay.

We had done most of the pack up before going to the pub so in the morning it was just a matter of putting away everything inside the van after breakfast and squeezing the car into the tiny space in front of the van to hitch up.  So we were on the road again by 7.40 am and heading south once more.

We put the Ben Elton book back on for the drive - we have been waiting to find out what happened when Otto went back to Berlin and all was revealed on the road to Minilya Road house.  We stopped there for bacon and egg sandwiches for late breakfast and then back on the road again to listen to the end of the book - hooray - thought we'd never finish it - although it did seem to finish quite abruptly.  Still, we have been listening to it since before Broome and we have become quite attached to Otto, Paulus, Dagmar and Zilka.

 

Just when the car and caravan thought it was all downhill and heading south for the rest of the trip we turned off the main road and took the road to Quobba Station and headed north again.  Then, just to shock the car and van further, we once again hit the gravel and corrugations as we headed further north!  We had prepared the car with the stone stomper but then realised we actually only had to do 9 km of dirt road so we probably needn't have bothered.  Oh well!

We pulled into Quobba Station about midday and called into the office.  It was pretty much a case of drive around and pick out a site.  The lady suggested we steer clear of the sites to the north as they are exposed to the wind and it is blowing a gale today but once we'd headed up there to check it out and seen the amazing view we decided we would just put up with the wind.  In addition, the site had the advantage of being miles for anyone else and after weeks of being jammed cheek by jowl with other vans and having no view but awnings and vans and cars, the site was just too good to be true.

We set up and then realised the being on top of a cliff in a roaring gale made it pretty hard to get the pilot light to the fridge lit (it may also be that the ignition fuse has blown - we have had electricity for a few weeks now and haven't used the gas for the fridge since the Gibb River Road).  Still, we got it lit with a naked flame in the end and it's only blown out a few times so all good.

Once we had set up and got everything in order we made toasted sandwiches and sat and enjoyed our view.  It has the added bonus of a passing parade of whales so that is pretty exciting with both of us going ''Over there!" just as the other one looks away to have a bite of sandwich.  Still there were enough passing that we both saw plenty of ones either blowing jets of water, breaching or waving fins and tails in the air.

As the swell and wind were so good, we drove back down to the Blowholes and they were really firing.  It reminded me of being at Rotorua with the geysers shooting water high into the air with the same sort of loud roar.  We managed to get some good photos, then drove round Point Quobba and the campsite there to check it out (wouldn't recommend) and then drove up to the lighthouse for great views of the coast and more whales covorting offshore.

As we were driving back to the van a couple of ponies caught Jenny's attention and we stopped and one of them came across most likely for a feed of something.

I like carrots and apples, have you got any?

Back to the caravan and grabbed fresh clothes and drinks and then drove down to the station for hot showers and then up to the communal campfire for a yarn and to watch the sun go down.

When we got back to the van we realised the steaks had failed to defrost sufficiently to cook and it was also too windy outside for Larry to want to stay out there cooking in the dark so we had Continental Pasta with left over salami in it instead.

Went to bed with the sound of the wind and the relentless roar of the ocean and an extra blanket on the bed.

We had a nice night meal at the pub last night but we didn't manage to win any of the 'Monday Madness' raffle prizes.  We stupidly bought blue and yellow tickets (Go Eagles!) but of course all the drew were purple tickets (which we'd jokingly said no to because they were Dockers colours!).  So we will just have to eat our own meat and drink our own beer as we didn't win the meat trays or the free pints.  Oh well, we have supported the local RFDS so that's okay.

We had done most of the pack up before going to the pub so in the morning it was just a matter of putting away everything inside the van after breakfast and squeezing the car into the tiny space in front of the van to hitch up.  So we were on the road again by 7.40 am and heading south once more.

We put the Ben Elton book back on for the drive - we have been waiting to find out what happened when Otto went back to Berlin and all was revealed on the road to Minilya Road house.  We stopped there for bacon and egg sandwiches for late breakfast and then back on the road again to listen to the end of the book - hooray - thought we'd never finish it - although it did seem to finish quite abruptly.  Still, we have been listening to it since before Broome and we have become quite attached to Otto, Paulus, Dagmar and Zilka.

 

Just when the car and caravan thought it was all downhill and heading south for the rest of the trip we turned off the main road and took the road to Quobba Station and headed north again.  Then, just to shock the car and van further, we once again hit the gravel and corrugations as we headed further north!  We had prepared the car with the stone stomper but then realised we actually only had to do 9 km of dirt road so we probably needn't have bothered.  Oh well!

We pulled into Quobba Station about midday and called into the office.  It was pretty much a case of drive around and pick out a site.  The lady suggested we steer clear of the sites to the north as they are exposed to the wind and it is blowing a gale today but once we'd headed up there to check it out and seen the amazing view we decided we would just put up with the wind.  In addition, the site had the advantage of being miles for anyone else and after weeks of being jammed cheek by jowl with other vans and having no view but awnings and vans and cars, the site was just too good to be true.

We set up and then realised the being on top of a cliff in a roaring gale made it pretty hard to get the pilot light to the fridge lit (it may also be that the ignition fuse has blown - we have had electricity for a few weeks now and haven't used the gas for the fridge since the Gibb River Road).  Still, we got it lit with a naked flame in the end and it's only blown out a few times so all good.

Once we had set up and got everything in order we made toasted sandwiches and sat and enjoyed our view.  It has the added bonus of a passing parade of whales so that is pretty exciting with both of us going ''Over there!" just as the other one looks away to have a bite of sandwich.  Still there were enough passing that we both saw plenty of ones either blowing jets of water, breaching or waving fins and tails in the air.

As the swell and wind were so good, we drove back down to the Blowholes and they were really firing.  It reminded me of being at Rotorua with the geysers shooting water high into the air with the same sort of loud roar.  We managed to get some good photos, then drove round Point Quobba and the campsite there to check it out (wouldn't recommend) and then drove up to the lighthouse for great views of the coast and more whales covorting offshore.

As we were driving back to the van a couple of ponies caught Jenny's attention and we stopped and one of them came across most likely for a feed of something.

I like carrots and apples, have you got any?

Back to the caravan and grabbed fresh clothes and drinks and then drove down to the station for hot showers and then up to the communal campfire for a yarn and to watch the sun go down.

When we got back to the van we realised the steaks had failed to defrost sufficiently to cook and it was also too windy outside for Larry to want to stay out there cooking in the dark so we had Continental Pasta with left over salami in it instead.

Went to bed with the sound of the wind and the relentless roar of the ocean and an extra blanket on the bed.

Slew, bump, wheeee!

It was cold when we woke up this morning so it was grab a jumper the minute we got out of bed.  A bit of a shock to our system but I suppose it is acclimatising us for Perth where today the forecast is for a chilly 15 degrees with gusty winds and hail.   Looking forward to that!  Not!!

As it was cool and breezy we decided to give getting in the water a miss.  The water would have been clear and not cold but it was a bit choppy and it would certainly be chilly getting out again and have the southerly hitting your wet skin!  Instead we chose to have a slow start with tea and toast and another dose of Olympic hockey watching (think the download limit's coping a beating!) and watched the Kookaburras cop a beating from Spain - our trapping skills were a bit below par and the Spaniards scored an arsey early goal and then spent the rest of the game in heavy tagging and defense so the Aussies really never seemed to find their mojo.  So another loss.  Perhaps we should stop watching!

We wandered up to the shops later in the morning to do a little grocery shopping and then sat outside the bakery and had early lunch of sausage rolls and pastries.  As were sitting there we read the sign for the beach buggy tours so went into enquire and then booked onto a 12.30pm tour.  It ended up just being us and the guide (in his own separate buggy) so off we went out onto the dunes.  The guide quickly worked out that Larry knew how to handle the buggy so we were soon going flat chat through the dunes, slewing round corners, flying over hills and bouncing Jenny right off her seat over corrugations.  We stopped on top of a cliff to look out over the reef and the water whilst the guide (I think Andrew?) told us all about it and all about the different types of whales and other marine life.  As we were standing there a whale breached just over the back of the reef so that was pretty cool.  Apparently there are numerous pods of orcas off the reef at the moment and that is driving the humpback whales closer to shore to calve.  Andrew had been lucky to see one born on the weekend just off Maud's Landing (slightly north of Coral Bay).

Hopped back in the buggys for a bit more hammering through the dunes until we got to the Turtle Cliffs.  It being so breezy and choppy Andrew thought we might be lucky to see any turtles but we actually saw at least half a dozen feeding in the shallows with a couple popping their heads up to have a good look at us.  They were mostly loggerhead turtles as green turtles are pretty rare to see this time of year.

Another drive/slew/spin through the dunes and then down on the beach for a whizz along the shoreline and up to Five Fingers Beach which is named for the seven fingers of coral that form a pattern (go figure).   It's apparently a really good snorkelling site but there was only one brave soul trying it out today.  Apparently there can be a few hundred snorkelling here during the school holidays!  It looked really good as there is lots of reef right near the shore so we will definitely try it out in the future (not this time though as we leave tomorrow).

Another hurtle through the sand dunes and as we had a bit of time up our sleeve cos it was just us and Larry had been speedy, we got to go up and down the big sand dune a couple of times.  Wheee!

Back to base and then back to the van for a rest and then started to tidy and pack up the van ready for an early start tomorrow.  We will either go to Quobba or Red Bluff but still haven't decided which so you'll also have to wait and see!

Tricks of the trade

This morning was another cooked breakfast kind of morning as we had nowhere we needed to be by any given time.  So it was pancakes, bacon and maple syrup and cups of tea and then a bit of a sit around live streaming a bit of Olympic hockey and watching the Hockeyroos get beaten. Oh dear.  Consoled ourselves by wandering down to the bay and going for a snorkel.  It truly is a wonderful beach for kids - so calm and shallow and clear and not too cold.  We enjoyed watching a group of 3-4 year olds with their buckets trying to catch the little silver fish with no chance at all but having the time of their lives.  Before long we felt warm enough to wade out into the deeper water (ie waist high about 50m from shore!) and then snorkel out to the first patches of coral 100m off-shore where there were plenty of fish to keep us occupied so spent a happy hour or so swimming about checking things out including a few clams in between the coral chunks.

Headed back to shore when Jenny's foot/sore toe could no longer handle the flipper and did a bit of sunbaking which we always feel a bit guilty doing now we have both had moles/carcinomas cut out of us but we were slathered in sunscreen and had rashies, hats and sunglasses and we didn't stay out in the sun past midday so we should be ok!

Back to the van for lunch of noodles and then showers and a much needed hair wash.  After nearly seven weeks of all sorts of river water, salt water, artesian water, sun and wind, Jenny's hair is just a little bit frizzy and has way to much grey showing - reminder to book a hair appointment for next week!!

Got changed into 'going out' clothes (ie clean and not too crumpled) and walked up to Bill's (pub) to watch the Eagles and Dockers game on the big screen.  An entertaining audience watching with us made up of a reasonably even number of Dockers and Eagles fans and the Dockers were noisy during the first quarter (when they were winning) but became a bit more quiet towards the end whilst the Eagles fans were the opposite having a "here we go again" vibe to them at the beginning but getting a bit more joyous and the scoreline and the skills improved.

Happy to have had an enjoyable game to watch (the last few have been a bit stressful and not that relaxing to watch) and a few beers, we moseyed on back to the van and cooked up sausages and chips (home made potato wedges) and salad.  The couple behind us were packing up their new-looking caravan and having trouble getting their awning down so Larry went over to help them.  It took us a few go's to work ours out at the beginning too.  We even gave them Ben's neat trick of the trade of stepping up on the step when retracting the awning so that you don't have to let it go and hear it crash into the side of the van.  So Ben, your wise ways are now helping others!

Another Day Another Toe Injury

We went swimming with a couple of Manta Rays today!

 Actually we went on a tour on a charter boat which was lots of snorkeling over the coral reefs, swimming with the Manta Rays and as a bonus we found some humpback whales which included a calf.

We didn't have to be at the tour pick up spot in front of the caravan park until 9am so we had pancakes for brekky. At 9:15am we piled into the bus down to the boat ramp and boarded the boat. We went a couple of kilometres north along the coast but inside the reef and dropped anchor and went for our first snorkel. We had to follow behind one of the staff but it was still a good swim as we spread out a fair way. Once again lots of interesting fish and different coral formations.

We all piled back onto the boat and headed further north past the reef so the water was a bit rougher. Spent about 15 minutes looking for a manta ray to swim with but there was only one found and, at this stage, another boat had swimmers around it. We waited another 5 minutes and then they cleared the water and we jumped in and swam across to it. It was a bit of a free for all as people really do not listen to instructions but we did swim with it for a fair while and Larry took the Go Pro so some video was obtained of the manta ray. After a while we gathered in a group and the second lot jumped in for their turn and we got back onto the boat. But as we had drifted to shore there were 5 people still in the water when the boat had to go further out to be safe. This group included Larry who then had to swim out to get on board, he was the last one back on the boat until we picked up the second group. We had just all got on board when another manta ray swam near us so back in the water we went for another swim.  They really are majestic the way they glide through the water even with the sucker fish hanging off them.

When we had had enough of swimming with them we headed south to get behind the reef and not long after we got under way we spotted some humpback whales. There were two adults and a very young calf who looked only slightly larger than a dolphin.  According to the crew he was probably only a day or so old as his fins weren't properly uncurled yet.  The calf kept us entertained with its attempts at tail slaps which really didn't disturb too much water. We had our fill of whale watching and headed further south and parked up to have some lunch. After that was consumed volunteers were called for another snorkel and about two thirds of us jumped back in for another go. This group didn't included Jenny who was feeling comfortable at this stage on a chair after lunch and the choppy water in the afternoon sea breeze didn't appeal.  In addition, she had managed to find the only bit of metal sticking out of the deck to stub her toe on (yes, yet another toe injury!) so was loathe to try and squeeze her foot back into her flippers.  Larry jumped in and off he went with the group through a 2 metre gap in the reef to get to a spot they call the cleaning station. This is where the small fish called wrass clean reef sharks of any parasites or bits of growth on them. Quite interesting to watch but they were a bit deep for the go pro to get clear footage. Back through the gap in the reef and Larry had an explore as the coral was very different to what we had seen before.

Eventually Larry and the group got back on board and we headed back to the boat ramp and arrived back just after 3pm. A great day had by Jenny and Larry and now back in the van replacing the lost fluids and feeling the effects of a long day in the sun even with us being sun smart.

Apparently It's Winter Here

A leisurely start to the day as we only had to go to Coral Bay which is 150kms from Exmouth. We left at 9:30am and arrived about 11am, checked into the Bayview Caravan Park, set up on a corner site and asked the old bloke next door if he could move his car while we parked the van as the sites here are very tight. He grumbled to Jenny but moved his car and Larry asked what his problem was as we were thinking of his car and didn't want to get to close to it with the van. Bloody cranky old fart. 

Anyway, after reversing in and setting up we strolled over to the bakery and, yummo, the pie and pastie tasted a treat.  Not to mention the jam donuts we had for dessert!  After that we headed off down to the beach for a look and it was pretty damn good with blue water, blue sky and only a light breeze. Feeling fairly mellow we headed back to the van via the tour booking shop and booked us on to a swim with a manta ray cruise tomorrow.  We were a bit cautious as both today and tomorrow have a forecast that reads "Showers and 40% chance of rain" but there certainly has been no sign of a rain cloud here today and the lady in the booking office scoffed at our concern and promised no rain tomorrow either.

Chilled out for the rest of the day and made pizzas to be cooked in the Weber which once again came through as they were delicious although we will buy a pizza stone for the barbie as it's a bit of challenge getting them on and off and not burning the base too much.

 We watched another episode of Sherlock Holmes with Larry staying awake for the whole show and we then drifted off to sleep.

Drifting

We had a lovely dinner last night at one of the more upmarket restaurants in Exmouth.  Jenny had a yummy spicy seafood gumbo including soft shell crab and Larry had gold band snapper with garlicky prawns and sauce.   We told the others about our snorkelling adventures and Clayton suggested the weather was expected to be less windy so should be good for snorkelling today. 

We leisurely got out of bed and consumed a cooked breakfast before departing for Turquoise Bay as we couldn't do that one yesterday as the tide was wrong and the current too strong. It was roughly 9:30am when we arrived and there was no wind and little cloud so ideal for snorkelling. We watched the people in the water and the method was to go to the south on the beach a bit and then swim out over the coral and drift with the current north until you decide you didn't want to be in the next bay and so head into the beach and repeat the process. This we did quite a few times and it was glorious again as there was just as much variety in fish and coral as the day before. The fish still seem to be smug knowing they are in a marine park. They are not afraid of humans splashing about in their domain.

We did this for a couple of hours until we decided that was another tick done on our trip and headed back around the cape to the town as we had some things to replenish. Gas bottle refilled, grocery shopping done, beer shopping done, plastic jerry cans for water shopping done and fuel for the Jeep done. 

Headed back to the van for a rest before putting on a roast.  We had a guest as Deb and Michelle had departed for Wyndham at first light and Clayton was batching it so of course he wasn't going to knock back a free roast meal and the roast was a bit too big for Larry and Jenny to consume on their own so it worked out well.  A delicious meal and a couple of drinks and another round of remembering history was done before Clayton called it a night as he had work the next day and we were going to Coral Bay.

Bloop Bloop

It really does get lighter much later here compared to the Kimberleys.  Thought we'd woken up really early as it was about the same dawn light which had meant just before 6am in Kununurra but in Exmouth it means it's just after 7am!  Larry didn't seem quite as keen to jump out of bed and make Jenny a coffee this morning (might have had something to do with those 'few beers' last night!) so Jenny had to make the coffees and has the fun of giving Larry a ticking off for not having his coaster out in time (which Larry regularly does to Jenny with the catch cry 'You had one job!'.  After breakfast and a spot of caravan blind repair work, we hopped in the car and headed off the west coast of the peninsula to check out all the pretty swimming, surfing and snorkelling beaches. 

The sun was shining but there was a stiff breeze and when we pulled into Turquoise Bay it looked a bit choppy for snorkelling and there were warning signs about strong tidal movement due to the waves crashing over the Ningaloo Reef and flooding the snorkelling area and then rushing back out to sea.   It was also a bit early in the day and hence not that warm so we just stood and looked at the view but weren't inclined to dabble our toes, let alone immerse our bodies in the swell.  We decided to head down to Oysters Stacks hoping that might be a bit more sheltered.

 

When we got there, there were at least a few other people braving the water and Jenny had a 'Bugger it, we're here, we've got bathers and snorkels, we're going in!' moment of madness and before we could change our minds we were in the water.  Although it was breezy and the water was choppy, it wasn't that cold and the visibility was very good (once we had adjusted our new masks and stopped the leaks and fogging) and boy, were we glad we had taken the plunge as there were just so many beautiful fish to look at.  There was a strong current pulling us south along the shore so once we got tired of swimming against it, we just floated down the shore line through schools of brilliantly coloured fish, coral and various sea stars and slugs until we hit the beach and then walked back up the sand/rocks to our towels.   Did a bit more adjusting of masks/snorkels and then Larry remembered the GoPro sitting in the car and went and retrieved it and then we redid the same snorkel route this time capturing all the fish on camera.

Once we felt a bit tired (and possibly a bit seasick) from fighting through the waves and current we headed back to the car and then drove a bit further down the coast to check out some of the DPaW campsites.  We decided the one at Osprey Bay looks pretty good and has sites with fabulous ocean views so we'll keep that in mind for future trips.

 

We then headed north, dropping into the Visitor Centre, the Turtle Information Centre (actually just a gazebo with some plaques) and the boat ramp.  We saw a turtle there so could have given the Turtle Information Centre a miss!  Headed on up to the Ningaloo Lighthouse which gives you great views of the whole of North West Cape.  We didn't see any whales swimming past but were in time to watch a hanglider throw himself off the edge right next to us and fly down to the beach.  Quite cute when a bird saw him and joined in!

A final stop to check out the wreck of the SS Mildura at North West Cape and then headed back into town for a few groceries and then back to the van for some washing, a cuppa and a vanilla slice and then to tidy ourselves up for dinner at Whaler's Restaurant with Deb, Clayton and Michelle.

Rollin Rollin Rollin

Well not much happened today as we woke up, packed, hitched the van and set off on our journey to Exmouth.  I'd say we did our quickest pack up ever.  Woke up about 7am (we are sleeping in a bit more now the sun comes up later as we are much further west than we have been) and on the road by 7.40am.  A fairly pleasant drive which was shared between Larry and Jenny but we did come across the longest road works either of us had ever seen. It went on for kilometres, so long in fact that each set of vehicles had to have an escort from the traffic control company on the single lane sections. 99.99% of the vehicles followed the rules bar a bloke on motor bike who thought the rules didn't apply to him. It was enjoyable listening on the highway channel to what the roadwork crew thought of him!

Arrived OK in Exmouth in the afternoon and set up in between buildings (chalets and one of the ablution blocks) in the RAC Exmouth Cape Holiday Park. Called Debbie Hastings who Larry worked with in Wyndham and around 6pm Deb, Clayton(husband)and Michelle(sister) who were all in Wyndham when Larry was there arrived for a few drinks. Once again the lies came out about Larry and his antics in Wyndham but a good night was had and we arranged to go out for dinner tomorrow  night at one of the pubs. We were all sitting around our lounge inside the van as it was cool outside and a lot of mosquitos.

Finished off the night watching the second episode of Sherlock Holmes starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman. Larry couldn't manage to keep his eyes open for the whole episode though.

A Dog Day

Drove out to Dampier and had a look around with a visit to the Red Dog statue. We had watched the movie earlier in the trip and had listened to the talking book Red Dog by Louie deBernieres so we really had to visit the statue.

After that we had a look around Dampier which included the Mermaid Hotel which was also in the movie. On to the Burrup Peninsular which included a view of the Karratha Gas Plant which is pretty impressive. The wind was howling today so there was an incredible amount of dust over the ocean which gave it an almost eerie feel to it.

Karratha Gas Plant

Hearson Cove, I would think it was grade A+ conditions for the kite surfers today.

A bit of a look around Karratha and a quiet afternoon and getting ready for our longest day of driving for a while to Exmouth.

One last crack at the 20 pounder!

Having sen the results of one gentleman's early fishing expedition in the form of a 20 pound salmon yesterday, we got up early and had one last go at catching a big one and, along with about 50 other people, lined up along the beach. We caught a few small ones and a few very small skippy type fish but at least we had a go and it was at least interesting feeling something other than waves banging on the end of the line.

We had already prepacked a lot of the van up the night before so we were on the road by 9:30am heading towards Karratha. A bit of a nothing travelling day as the scenery is quite mundane. We have a Ben Elton talking book going on in the car which passes the time.

After arriving in Karratha we set up and headed to the shops as the grocery supplies were depleted from our four nights at 80 mile beach. Once that was achieved we headed off to the Tambrey Tavern for dinner (as recommended by Steve and Emily - our Karratha locals until recently) and back to the van for an early night as we are feeling the pinch from the early start this morning.

We catch some fish!

Another lazy morning, another cooked breakfast - something halfway between a bacon and cheese omelette or scrambled eggs with cheese and bacon in it.

Finally got our act together mid morning and took the car onto the beach again, this time turning right (north/east) and heading up the beach for a good 20 kilometres or so.  Larry was wondering if the fishing up here might be better as we had seen plenty of cars/quadbikes heading up this way each day but the coast just looked the same as everywhere else - same depth of water, same wave patterns, same absence of fish.  We drove and drove until there was no one else in sight so that we felt completely remote and alone probably for the first time all holiday.  We hopped out of the car and drank in the silence and solitude and could see no other sign of civilisation in any direction.  That is, until we looked more closely and realised that there was some sort of boat out on the horizon and then a glint of glass on the beach back the way we came heralded the beginning of a convoy of 4WD's come to shatter our solitude.  Oh well, it was nice while it lasted.

Back to the caravan and had toasted sandwiches for lunch.  The idea was to close up the van, put on the air-conditioning and watch the Eagles game before heading back down to the beach for a spot of twlight fishing with high tide scheduled for about 8pm.  Well, we got through the first three quarters of football then gave up in disgust when the Eagles decided to stop playing in final quarter and hit the beach a bit earlier than planned.

Tonight we tried a different combination of hooks and bait as Larry had had a conversation during the day with one of the quad bike brigade who advised that although the usual tackle arrangement had worked for him the last 13 years, it wasn't working this year and suggested a different set up to Larry.  Well, we tried the new set up and unfortunately one line snapped about 5 minutes in.  The little rod which we had brought along as a different option was then pressed into service and Larry went on to catch about 6 fish.  Unfortunately they were all as small, if not smaller, than the bait we had been using the previous day but at least we actually got the thrill of catching something at last, if only to ''Rex Hunt" them back to sea.

We stayed until the sun set and all the stars were twinkling in the sky and then headed home for a late dinner of steak, potatoes and the last of the salad vegetables.

Fish Feeding

We have a tide information sheet from the Caravan Park Office which tells us when high tide and low tide is so we can plan our fishing trips accordingly.  The tide information sheet told us that high tide would be at 6pm so our three hours of fishing would be this afternoon, leaving this morning free for a bit more laziness.  We made pancakes this morning to go with our coffees and teas and then, once again, we hopped in the Jeep for a morning "stroll" along the beach.  This time we headed south (west?) and actually did get out of the car.  The tide was incredibly low and we walked at least half a kilometre from where we left the car down to the water's edge looking at shells and lots of little sea creatures left behind in the shallows.  It was all very pretty with bright blue skies and pretty coloured water and the wet sand reflecting all the colours and shades.  Larry liked it so much that he left his thongs on the sand when we hopped back in the car and only realised once we had got back to the caravan park access road so we turned around and did the trip a second time!  Even in that short time it was noticeable that the tide had started to come in but still a good way out so we had plenty of time to do two trips and get back to the caravan for lunch.

After digesting for a while we heard the first thrum of a quad bike heading for the beach so slapped on sunscreen, hats and fishing shirts and followed.  We figured that if we set up between two quad bike fishermen we might have better luck than yesterday.  No sooner had we got our lines in, however, than one of them jumped on his bike and took off.  Hmmm.  Not long after that a pod of dolphins scenically swam by, providing some relief from the boredom of catching no fish but probably actually chasing away any chance of catching them we may have had.  So three more hours of standing there working our way through the beer in the car fridge but not catching any fish.  Larry thought at one stage that we might actually have got a bite and the bait was gone from the end of the hook but that was about it in terms of fish action for the day.

Once again, no fish for dinner and no protein either as punishment for our poor efforts.  Spaghetti and pesto only and watching the Cats overcome the injury prone Bulldogs.

Something To Pass The Time

We have camped up at the Eighty Mile Beach Caravan Park for four nights - a record for us so we pretty much pulled out every appliance we own and scattered them round the benchtops and used them all for breakfast - coffee, bacon and eggs, cups of tea, toast etc etc.  What you call a leisurely breakfast.  Having somewhat of a lazy day we couldn't even be bothered walking down to the beach so instead hopped in to the Jeep and drove down onto the sand and then headed north (east?) along the edge of the water to see what we could see.  Basically pretty much the same thing for kilometres on end - acres of white sand, the blue water to one side and the low sand dunes to the other.

Headed back to the CP and had the left over pizza for lunch and then Larry got his tackle out (no, it's not that sort of blog people!) and got the rods ready for a spot of fishing.  A nifty bit of engineering on the top of the Jeep and the rods (complete with reels Ben!) can sit up there for the next few days.

There are a lot of serious fishermen in this caravan park, some of which have quad bikes all set up for fishing with a rack for rods across the front and a large tackle box on the back.  Thinking that these people are worth keeping an eye on we waited until they hit the beach track (which coincided with when the tide was incoming) and then followed.

Three hours of standing on the edge of the water waving a stick at the water then followed.  No fish to be had.  Not even a bite.  Gave it up as a bad job when the tide started to recede again and headed back to base.  As we hadn't managed to catch dinner we had garlicky chicken parcels and baked potatoes instead.

Oh well, there's always tomorrow!

Blown Out Of Broome

Woke up around 6ish and packed up the van in a reasonably leisurely manner and on the road just after 8am.  It was very windy today and there were dust squalls all around Broome and across Roebuck Bay making it very hazy and not as pretty as it has been the last few days.  Just as well we were leaving!

Larry drove for the first two hours, then we pulled over in a P stop and swapped drivers and Jenny took over until we reached Sandfire roadhouse which was approximately another two hours down the road.  A very boring drive views-wise so we munched our way through muesli bars and BBQ shapes and listened to an audio book of Ben Elton's "Two Brothers" which helped to pass the time.

We didn't stop at Sandfire other than to refuel and just as well we didn't as when we got to Eighty Mile Beach Caravan Park there was a queue of caravans and we managed to get the second last powered caravan site.  As is usual when Larry and Jenny take a caravan anywhere near the beach it was howling a gale (but not raining at least!) so it took us a bit longer to set up as we wrestled the awning, ropes and screens into position.

Once we had got our home for the next three days sorted, we had a late lunch of crusty rolls and chilled in our deck chairs until the bed called for a while  Inexplicably Larry tried the telly reception and lo and behold we had cable TV in the middle of nowhere whereas we got diddly squat in the middle of Broome. Oh well, can't complain at least the cable repairs that Larry did worked!

About mid afternoon the wind had dropped a little so we hopped in the car and drove down onto Eighty Mile Beach to check out the tide and fishing etc.  The tide was well and truly on the way out so no good for fishing although there were a few hopeful fishing folk there flinging out their lines.  We'll have a go tomorrow afternoon when the tide is coming in as that is when it's more likely we'll actually catch something other than seaweed.

Headed back to camp via the caravan park office to buy some bait and had a couple of mango beers before dinner time of burgers on the barbie.  And so another day over already.  Amazing how quickly they fly by and how they would be dragging if we were at work!

A Pearler of a Day

A bit of a sleep in this morning as our Willie Creek pearl farm tour started at 10am. Picked Matt up at around 8:30 in the morning and headed out of town to the Cape Levique road turnoff and we were back onto the dirt until we reached the pearl farm. Jenny and Matt had a coffee while we waited for our tour to start in pleasant surroundings. Megan the tour guide was very funny and bubbly and was a wealth of information on a subject that we three knew very little about. As part of the tour they harvest an old oyster (known in the trade as a fourth seeder) and send it to oyster heaven as the parts of it were explained to us. This one had a few borer holes and inside were a couple of small starfish that are parasites and unwelcome and a small pea crab that is welcome as it does the house keeping for it. It is a bit of a lottery as to what size pearl, if any, is inside and this one was a big one worth about $2000.  Megan said it was probably the second largest she's found on all the tours she's done.

We were treated to morning tour on the deck which included yummy homemade damper with sultanas and then made our way down to the boat for a cruise up Willie Creek to the oyster farms.  The tide was very low and we had to walk down a number of steps to get to the boat but by the time we'd been out on the boat for half an hour or so learning more about pearl farming, the tide had turned and the bottom steps were already under water.  After we'd followed Megan back up to the shop and erroneously guessed the price of a number of pearls based on our new knowledge of how to know a quality pearl when you see one, we wandered back down to the jetty and the creek level was much higher and rapidly increasing as the sand bar between the creek and the Indian Ocean went under water and the ocean rushed up the creek.  Quite a sight to behold!

After the tour we picked up a couple of connectors so Larry could attempt to fix the TV reception problem on the caravan's TV.  He found the workmanship to be of a poor standard and Larry made it to an acceptable standard with what he had but it still would not work. We will leave it and get it repaired under warranty when we get back. Larry did send an email to Downunder RV about issues and also included a picture of Jenny, the Jeep and the van at a lookout overlooking the Cockburn Range which is now been posted on their Facebook page so we are famous!

A couple of quiet beers back at the van and we dropped Matt at the airport and headed off to the Sun Picture Gardens to see The Hunt for the Wilderpeople. The picture gardens is apparently the oldest running one in the world. It was a very pleasant experience and as it is on the flight path for the airport we had a low flying Qantas jet on final approach to land go directly over us.  Very loud at that low altitude but part of the experience as we both have not had a jet fly low over us whilst at the cinema before!

Got home to the caravan to find the grey nomads having a country and western singalong in the van across from us and at quite high volume.  Still, by the time the blog was written they had sung themselves to sleep.  Thank God.

Another Sunset Another Drink

Matthew, who has done most of the itinerary planning for our days in Broome, had discovered that due to the tides, we needed to out to Gantheaume Point before 8am if we wanted any chance of seeing dinosaur footprints, so it was another early start.  We got there before 8am but not by much and the carpark was already full and there were lots of people rockhopping down at the water's edge looking for footprints.  We basically therefore cheated and just headed to where groups of people were clustered and took photos of depressions in the rocks that might (or might not have) be dinosaur footprints.  Apparently there are about 6 different species of dinosaur that have left only footprints but some of them just look like round holes so not sure how you know if it is one or just a round hole in the rock.  The only ones you know for sure might be left by dinosaurs are the three toed ones that look like a giant bird has made them.

After about an hour, we decided that most footprints were probably underwater as the tide started to come in so we clambered our way back up the rocks to the car.   Took the dirt road around the back of the racecourse and we saw a few racehorses out on morning training rides.  One went right past the car (we stopped as they passed) and the jockey could only give us the tiniest of thank you waves as he was hanging on for dear life as the horse was fighting the bit and was obviously ready for a bit more galloping!  Continued on and checked out the port before heading back into town and to a cafe Matt had read about that did breakfast burritos.  They also did nice egg and bacon rolls and coffees so a late breakfast/brunch was happily consumed.

We then ummed and ahhed about what to do next.  We had thought to go to the Crocodile Farm but we discovered (and luckily, before we drove all the way out there) that it is only open between 2 and 5pm and at this stage it was only about 10.30am!  Instead, we decided to go to the 12 mile birdpark which has a big display of Australian parrots as well as finches, budgies, cockateils etc etc.  They had lots of parrots and cockies who liked to talk, dance and be scratched so Jenny did her best Doctor Dolittle impression and 'talked' with all the birds by imitating their screeches (very effectively at times it must be said) or making them dance, ring their bells and tell us how pretty they are.  We stayed as long as we could to get our money's worth which was about 45 minutes and then headed on over to the Mango Place.  It was a lovely spot set in the shade of lots of mango trees and it had lots of mango related products - mango jams, chutneys, wines, ports and so on.  We sat in the shade and had mango mojitos which were really lovely and very refreshing and then perused the shop and bought some chutney.  We then decided we might as well try the wines/ports so paid for a tasting paddle each and then found another table in the shade to try them.  They were quite nice but not fantastic  enough to tempt us with their $30 price tags so back in the car and back into Broome.

By now it was early afternoon and quite hot so we decided to head back to the van and get our bathers and have a swim at Town Beach which is right next to our caravan park.  It was lovely and shady and a nice cool breeze was blowing back at the van and, after Matt had walked up to have a look at what the tide was doing at the beach and seen the crocodile warning signs, the temptation of a chair under the awning just looking at the water was too much and we just vegged out at the caravan for a while.

We roused ourselves at about a quarter to 3pm and piled back in the car and back down to Cable Beach for our booked camel ride.  Larry and Jenny got to ride together on Aslan, the alpha camel of the herd and roughly 37 years old with Matt on Akabar right behind us.  Akabar the camel was probably about 10 years younger than Aslan but quite smart so would orientate himself with his head on the shady side of Aslan and next to Jenny's leg so that she could lean over and give him the occasional scratch on the head.  It also meant that Matt was off to the side of Larry and Jenny instead of behind them and hence was able to chat as we wandered off up the beach.

It was a lovely ride and made even more special by a couple of whales just off shore breaking the waves every so often.  Still, can't say we were sorry for the ride to be over towards the end as the saddles started to rub in inconvenient places!  We braced ourselves for the descent off the camels.  They sit down by bending the front legs first before tucking under the rear legs so first you are tipped forward and then tipped so far back you feel you are going to fall back over the tail (and you also end up with your head worryingly close to the mouth of the camel behind you!) but we survived and staggered off for a restorative beer on another stretch of the white sand where we could watch another gorgeous Broome sunset.

Our camel ride came with some discount vouchers and so for dinner we bought wood fired pizzas from a truck along the main drag called M&J's and got a free garlic bread.  They were very yummy and very big - enough left for lunch tomorrow.  Took them back to the caravan for our dinner and then resumed our positions in our chairs under the awning.  Larry drove Matt back to his B&B a little after 9pm as we were all tired after our day of sun, sea and animals.