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Published: December 27th 2005
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Our first 'Big Thing'
In Rough Guide it says that there are tons of 'Big Things' at roadsides around Aus, and this is the first one we've seen so far. We're hoping to see lots more on our travels. The most northern point that we visited was a place called Exmouth, which boasts a sub tropical warm climate all year round, and a coral reef which you can view by snorkelling directly from the beach. The area is incredibly remote at the tip of a peninsula roughly half way up the West coast, and Exmouth itself is surrounded by National Park in every direction, with rivers, gorges and unusual and exciting wildife (pretty much like most places in WA in that respect). We had a bit of a mixed bag of experiences here - some great, and some which left us lacking enthusiasm. Some made us ill.
On the way to Exmouth, we stopped in for some food at the last roadhouse on the route - some 200 kms away - and we were shocked to find that the temperature was measuring at 47 degrees celcius. Now, we Eggs have never experienced such heat outside of a sauna therefore it’ll be no surprise to you that we almost melted on the spot. Our nostrils detected that acrid burny aroma that one only normally experiences when you catch a wiff of someone having a bonfire in their garden on a
Yonja, Frederick and Mr McCabe
On the cowboy boat as the fishing trip commences. glowing August evening. Even when we got to our destination, things were not much cooler - maybe 2 degrees less, and despite the fact that it was 6pm, there seemed to be no sign of the sweltering furnace receding. Uh oh! The accommodation we had booked was a strange affair. Although we had our own bathroom and TV, plus a very well received fridge in our room, the building was what can only be described as a ‘tin hut’ . The walls inside were not plastered or papered / painted - just plain grey corrugated tin. Never had that before. We had a bit of an early night as the drive had been so long, and woke up the next morning ready for a nice big brekker. Imagine our utter disgust to find that the kitchen facilities available were completely minging, not to mention lacking in plates, cutlery, and utensils. There were cockroaches crawling all over the food preperation areas, and the entrance door was lying wide open, allowing big lizards to come in and have a rake about. We have complained about this on the YHA website but have yet to receive a response - however if anyone is
Lure on the boat.
We got to 'use' the rods for trawling as we headed for the spot where we were to hand-line ourselves into oblivion. One big fish was caught - it was apparently a Shark Mackerel, but we were not convinced the cowboy knew what he was talking about as he admitted he'd never seen one before. reading this who plans to visit Exmouth and stay in the same place as us, then be aware that you’ll probably want to eat out, as far away as possible from POTSHOT MOTEL RESORT.
We arranged a couple of excursions during our visit here; a fishing trip and a short cruise on a glass bottom boat to view the coral and marine life around the protected Ningaloo Marine Park, just off the coast at Exmouth. The glass bottom boat trip was interesting and fun, and the guy who runs the company operates a hands on approach running the tours himself and joining in with the viewing etc. We can’t remember his name, but he was very well informed having had experience of diving in sites in every continent over the 20 years or so, and his jokes were bearable, and at times, amusing. Although, as explained at length in the last blog, Shaz is not doing any snorkelling, but Alan gave it a go while we were anchored over the coral. Brave man, as apparently there is a tiger shark thats been spotted around this site over the last three months - this we found out after the snorkelling
part of the trip was over. Well, we live and learn, and Alan has decided not to do it anymore in Aus - he didn’t enjoy it that much. The visibility was poor, and he felt that he wasn’t actually seeing anything that we haven’t already viewed in aquariums and through the bottom of the boat. There will be people that read this and think we’re being a bit cynical - and that’s fair enough. Everyone has different experiences, and for us, the preference we have is to be above the waves, not below.
To this end, we embarked on our half day fishing trip which we booked through the Visitor centre in Exmouth. We were expecting to be picked up at our accommodation, and be taken out on a boat with another two couples to fish with rods in deep water. We were hoping for a fun day, meeting new folk, catching (and mostly throwing back) some big fishes, while enjoying a pleasant sail along the coast. What we got was a high volume fish cull using hand lines, run by a couple of cowboys who firstly couldn’t start the boat engine as they forgot where they’d left
Alan and his ahem, strap on support belt.
Now this item is to help reel in the big fish if you get a bite. Take from this what you will. Looks dodgy as anything to us! their keys to the cabin, in an area close to coral fields with a max depth of 10 metres. We met a real nice couple, Frederick and Yonja, who although respectively Swedish and German, live in London, and they agreed with us entirely that we had been ripped off. At the end of the trip we felt like we’d been used to help these guys catch as much fish as possible (and we’re sure they took back more than the allowed fish quota) in as short a period as they could reel them in. Once we got back to shore, they left us hanging around for an hour in the extreme heat of the midday sun without providing water while they filetted the enormous catch. At the end of this, you could have as much of the catch as you want, however given that our kitchen was more like a public toilet, it was hardly likely that we were going to take some and have a cook up later. None of the other couples took any of the fish either and so these guys must have been quids-in as there are quite a few restaurants in the area that we’re
Fish size guide
YOu have to check anything you catch against this size guide to make sure that the catch is not too small. The term is 'fishing for the future'. sure they could sell to.
To top it all - Alan ended up with massive blisters on his hands from the hand lines which went septic (we think from the coral fibres on the lines, which are poisonous) and he had to go to the doctor in Kalbarri for antibiotics. I was OK as I gave up about half an hour into it as I could feel my fingers stinging and it was real uncomfortable.
Exmouth itself, as a town, is unusual in that the roads are very wide, and the houses and other buildings set so far apart. It doesn’t feel like a town, more like a collection of settlements. The most unusual thing about the place is that there are Emus which wander the streets. So, you can be driving / walking along the road and then come face to face with a family of these giant birds having a peck at the ground or taking a drink from a specially provided bucket of water. You’ll never get that on Princes Street, now would you? Down the coast a bit there’s a place called Coral Bay which we now understand to be infinitely more beautiful, so
Shaz on the boat
Despite wearing copious sunscreen, Shaz got sunburnt on the boat. She got big red marks all round her glasses and looked entirely ridiculous. Interestingly enough, these glasses are now broken, and she's going to get new ones in Sydney. wish we’d gone there instead. However, like the Caffreys, we’re not bitter!
We were kind of happy to be leaving for our next stop Kalbarri, where we were going to have 4 days over Christmas. See you there…..
A&S. xxxxx
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Beata and Tomek
us At Home Abroad
love this;-) such a clash of nature and urban view;-)