15 November – 20 November
Monday:
Apart from a lot of roadkill, we don’t see much on the drive from Monkey Mia to Coral Bay. We stop off for groceries in Carnarvon and arrive in Coral Bay mid-afternoon. After setting up camp (which we’re getting good at) we head down to the beach for a quick swim.
Tuesday:
Coral Bay is another slice of heaven. Sandy beaches with clear, shallow, safe waters. Oh, and brilliant snorkelling within easy reach of shore. We spend the morning snorkelling and then wander along the beach to a natural reef shark nursery (no big ‘uns in sight luckily). The afternoon is more snorkelling and then along the beach for the afternoon fish feeding session – where big snappers swim between your legs after pellets of fish food.
It’s happy hour at the local resort tonight, so we head down for a few beers and to catch up online. Unfortunately the connection is so rubbish that after the 50 mins we’ve paid for we’ve not managed to do much more than check emails.
Wednesday:
We’re supposed to be on a boat trip to snorkel with manta rays today, but as it’s quiet season and we don’t have the minimum numbers required so the trip is cancelled. We have a lazy day on the beach and snorkelling.
As we’re about to come in and head back to camp I stick my head under water: suddenly we’re surrounded by tiny fish. There must be thousands in a big shoal, circled around us. It’s funny and beautiful and moving, all at once.
Janet adds: I want to live here, apart from that no one seems to actually live here and in proper summer its about 37 degrees…
Thursday:
Our snorkel trip isn’t running today either, so we decide to head on up the coast to Exmouth and Ningaloo Marine Park. It’s a quick hour and a half drive up and we’re there shortly after ten. We head straight out to one of the snorkelling beaches – Lakeside – for a couple of hours. The snorkelling is gorgeous. We see loads of big fish (about as technical as I get) and even a couple of rays!! Having lunch back at the car we spot ‘roos dozing under a tree across the way. Once we’ve had enough we head into town to set up camp. It’s a really good campsite with resident parrots and emus. Over dinner we get chatting to 2 lads – one Australian from Broome (who thinks Perth is too cold and too busy ?!) and one English but perpetual traveller.
Janet adds: Choking on the smell of lavender air-freshner, but still better than the stinky car smell we were developing!
Friday:
Turquoise Bay. Wow. That’s our snorkel spot for this morning and it’s gorgeous.
There’s a wide sandy bay and just along from that a drift snorkel. You get in at one end of the beach, swim out for a bit and then let the current float you across the coral to the other end of the beach where you hop out at the sandbar and run round to do it again. It’s the best and easiest snorkelling we’ve had so far. After a little rest on the white sand beach we do go round again. This time as we’re heading out we spot a white tipped reef shark resting on the sandy bottom. Nick got a better look at it than I did (ahem, certainly not because I was hiding behind him) and by his reckoning it was about my size – so nigh on 5,8” then ;) . They’re not really a threat to snorkelers and it didn’t seem bothered by us at all. Nevertheless we thought it best not to mess with sharks so gave it a pretty wide berth.
After lunch we drove down to check out Yardie Creek. It’s a beautiful gorge that opens onto the sea. For the first time we got to try out our fly nets that we’d picked up in Coral Bay. You can’t look cool in them
but this is why you need them:
One of the lads we were chatting to last night recommended Sandy Bay, so we stopped there on the way back to cool off. Again a gorgeous white sand, clear water beach and best of all, we had it all to ourselves – not another soul in sight (apart from the baby ray playing in the shallows).
Janet adds: Been pricing up holiday houses in Exmouth. It ain’t cheap, but it might just be worth it.
Nick adds: Can’t believe how many times Janet has had a wee in the water at Ningaloo marine, there must be a law against it.
Saturday:
We leave heavenly Exmouth for a long day’s driving. We weren’t planning on doing any driving at night, but the constant roadkill is a reminder that it’s a bad idea – cows, kangeroos and even camels. During the day the temperature hits the 40 degree mark . The air-conditioned car seems the best place to be. We were planning on heading to Karratha, but it’s only 2.30pm when we get there (and far too hot to be pitching a tent) so we head on up to Port Hedland. Its an industrial town about 600km from Broome (tomorrow’s stop). It’s not particularly pretty, but the supermarket sells quorn, there are cute geckos in the bathroom, we’ve got a campsite with free internet (!) and the sunset is gorgeous.
Janet adds: Just eaten the yummiest mango ever.
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