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Well, I escaped from Perth like a bat outa hell - having felt like I was there for far too long! We drove and drove until we arrived at a nice free camp not to far from Kalbarri. It felt great to be on the road again!
Kalbarri was lovely, we soaked up the sunshine and swam in the sea - the first time since South Australia. Kalbarri National Park was a fantastic sight after being in the city for such a long time. One of the little treasures there was ‘Nature’s Window’ - as the name suggests it is a window carved out of the rock, complete with a gorgeous view of the Murchison River. It was so nice to spread our wings again.
From Kalbarri we kept heading North and stayed in another rest area on the way to Shark Bay. Hamelin Pool was also on the way, a nice little stop full of interesting information and one of the only places in the world where stromatolites flourish. For all we could see these little creatures looked like rocks in the water, but apparently they are very important, being one of the most basic forms of life
One Happy Fisherman
Dakota's first Spangled Emperor of the beach at Quobba - he was undersize so set him free and all!
At Shark Bay we stayed in a caravan park in Denham and headed out to Monkey Mia very early the next morning. We were fully prepared to be feeling like we’d had a crap time as everyone told us how bad it was. Maybe it was because we were prepared for the worst, but we had a magical time!
It was rainy and a slightly cold when we were allowed into the water. About 15 female dolphins ranging in age up to about 35 graced us with their presence. They paraded up and down the beach waiting for their breakfast, while their calves were playing around out a little further. After the first feed, they knew to swim out before returning again by which stage the bulk of the tourists had left. Shay was chosen to feed the grandmother ‘Nicky’, and boy was she over the moon! Considering Shay’s our resident marine biologist we all thought it was quite fitting that she be the one to be chosen.
Denham was pretty, but the weather wasn’t great so we kept moving. The next stop was Carnarvon, where apparently 80% of WA’s fresh fruit and veggies are
supplied from. Roadside stalls with honesty boxes were such a welcoming sight.
The WA Coast is lovely - each attraction is very beautiful and well worth seeing, BUT everywhere is very far away and the little towns are just so expensive. Not only fuel, but even food. Most towns are tiny, only supporting a small IGA and usually only one fuel store which can charge whatever they like because nobody has the option to shop elsewhere.
We stocked up on fresh fruits and veggies from the roadside stalls before heading out to Quobba blowholes for a week. By this time I’d been gone from the city long enough to start settling back into life on the road. Being free to stop and smell the roses isn’t something that comes easily, although it was around about this part of the trip that helped me slow down after my stint in Perth.
Quobba was a beautiful little camp about 80kms North of Carnarvon. Not only was it a great spot for fishing, with gorgeous ‘Spangled Emperors’ being pulled out of the ocean left right and centre, but it was also very impressive snorkeling and the last of winter had
been left behind somewhere down the road. At $5.50 per night it was a bargain also!!!
Quobba was so enjoyable, but the time came to keep moving along. We headed north, completely bypassing Coral Bay as the thieves who own the 2 caravan parks in town have outlawed any roadside camping, and their ridiculous prices weren’t something I was prepared to pay.
It was raining anyway, so rather than even call in there we kept driving to Exmouth. That afternoon’s driving was one of the scariest trips I’ve ever driven! The rain was so think it was like someone had put a blanket in front of the car. The road had about 15 cms of road on it the whole time, and the floodways were deep. Exmouth had ½ it’s annual rainfall in that afternoon, and the road was closed to the public about ½ hour after we came through.
We made it in one piece, and managed to get into a caravan park for the night. Exmouth is the gateway to Ningaloo reef, and Cape Range National Park. The park is so popular that getting a site is very difficult. The only way to get a
Turquoise Bay
Cape Range National Park site in the park is to get in line early in the morning, so by 6.30 the next morning I drove to the Park Entrance 50kms away and managed to get in.
Cape Range has lots of little camping areas, each with a handful of sites. The famous Turquoise Bay was only a minute or two down the road. Shay-Lee’s birthday was spent enjoying this natural wonder. All day long people walk South along the beach, get in and ‘drift snorkel’ back up the beach. We saw heaps of amazing little fish, some beautiful corals, starfish, rays, sharks, turtles, moray eels and octopus over the next 5 days of snorkeling in various locations, and we were lucky the weather was good to us most days.
From here we head into the Pilbara region inland a bit, then up to Broome. Hopefully I’ll update this section before too long!
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Sherree Merritt
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Great to hear from you.
Hi Trudi, Dakota, Shaylee and Khalani Sounds like you are having a great time. Thanks for the update. Fantastic fishing Dakota, did you guys eat it? My big achievement today, I ran the half Marathon on the Gold Coast and am feeling very tired at the moment. You guys will be in the Northern Territory soon. Keep having fun Love Merritts