While Dag and Robin are joining a fish charter tour, I am spending my first whole day alone, which is nice for a change. Quite spontaneously we returned to Coral Bay for a couple of days, enjoying the Indian ocean for a last time before we head inland tomorrow. And since that will be a completely new chapter on our trip, I thought it’s a good idea to finish up this one properly and tell you about the last days. As mentioned we left Exmouth just after Robin’s birthday and explored Cape Range National Park. The landscape is dominated by a rugged limestone range, the remains of an ancient sea floor thrust upwards by movements of the Earth’s crust. Along the coast predominate arid plains and sand dunes.
We spent two nights at Osprey camping area, a simple but beautiful bush camp with the most beautiful sunsets. From there we drove to a few great snorkelling sites like Turquoise Bay and Oyster Stacks, again seeing different types of coral and hundreds of colourful fish, for example blue spotted rays, yellow boxfishes and Hawaiian triggerfish (not that I have become a fish expert – I just bought a nice book about fishes in the Ningaloo). I wish I could add some pictures, but our underwater camera is just not good enough. You’ll have to google the fish yourself to get an impression.
We also did a couple of walks. One was the Mandu Mandu walk that winds its way along a rocky creek bed, deep into the gorge. A steep path took us then up to the rim where we enjoyed the beautiful view over Ningaloo Reef and the surrounding country.
The same day we joined a 1,5 hours long boat tour on Yardie Creek, the only gorge in the area with permanent water. However, this is saltwater fed from the ocean. Hidden within the safety of the high gorge walls we spotted the rare black-footed wallabies, very timid creatures that seek shelter in the ledges and caves. We also saw ospreys, lizards and trees full of large bats. The limestone walls are beautifully tinted by mother nature, with bands in red, white and black that reflect in the water of the canyon.
After the boat tour we passed by the campsite next to the creeks mouth, and decided to book two more nights there.
Once we got there by mid-day the day after, temperatures had risen, wind had got stronger and the worst of all: there were suddenly a million flies…! To cut the story short, after a hot night almost being blown away and a morning full of flies (Robin and I did a short hike in the early morning with fly hats), we decided to leave this place at once, headed back to Exmouth and from there to Coral Bay, once again relieved when we got here and almost feeling like coming home.
So this is it from the coast, we’ll be leaving tomorrow, heading north-east to Millstream Chichester National Park and from there to Tom Price.
RCD on Walkabout 