Adventures from 18th June - 18th July.

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Having launched ourselves from Geraldton, we journeyed to the spectacular Ningaloo Reef, passing through Kalbarri and Carnarvon enroute. We were caught up in peak holiday season, but that barely made a mark upon our enjoyment of each place. Kalbarri’s gorges and sandstone were unreal, and it was amazing for us to think that we were only at the start of our journey.

The road from Kalbarri to Shark Bay was vivid with wildflowers and alive with wedge-tailed eagles, swarming over roadkill or soaring high. The places that we chose to camp in were particularly enjoyable, and a great base for visiting Monkey Mia, Shell Beach and the Stromatolites.

We arrived early in Carnarvon, having planned a trip to the farmer’s market. Carnarvon, renowned for its fresh tropical fruit and vegetables, had a great range of seasonal produce to offer us. We came back to the van laden with juicy peppers, inexpensive courgettes, big oranges, a lovely butternut squash, a huge broccoli, two avocados and a load of bananas - we’d purchased a hand blender in Geraldton and have used it loads for scrumptious smoothies.

We walked the one mile jetty and nabbed a cheeky pint whilst watching the footy, then it was on to Coral Bay: the start of Ningaloo Reef.

The place was alive with a party-like buzz, thriving from school holidays and its status as a world heritage area. We dug out our snorkelling gear and marched to the sea front, plunging into the water and looking excitably at the ocean below us. Gliding along, we marvelled at each life form, and caught quite a bug for marine exploration.

Coming into Exmouth, we chanced across a giant prawn. Probing deeper, we were led to a fantastic seafood shop, selling cooked prawns and crab, fresh as the morning dew. We bought a good stash of prawns to enjoy for an instant lunch and to savour for the following few days. National Parks around Exmouth allowed us to camp very comfortably, with access to more spectacular snorkelling beaches. We spent many days at the ocean, snorkelling and reading; with an ever increasing amount of marine life revealing itself to us: a turtle, a shark, a manta ray and some very odd looking fish were among them. On land, the wildlife was just as spectacular: we particularly enjoyed sightings of Australian Bustards, and a red roo on the beach.

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Photos

A Tasty Catch
Masses of herring that we caught from Albany jetty