The Fruit Loop 30/9/15

 A welcome sleep in this morning , to find several vans have already packed & left , but not us , we're here for a few more days yet .
 We decided it would be a good day for a bike ride , so after hanging washing out & getting ready , we headed off about 10:15 . There is a bike track outside the park , that took us back to the Hwy , we went along it for a few hundred metres before turning off . We were going down the same road as we drove down when we went to Point Quobba . We crossed the dry causeway over the Gascoyne River , it is very wide and dry .

 We were riding into the Fruit Loop , a section of both North and South River Roads - a little bit longer than indicated on the map . The north side was 6.5 klms long , the south side 7.2 klms long , one end was 1.5 klms and the other about 500m , add on another kilometre back to the park and you have about 18klms .
 To add to our ride , we had temperatures up to 33 degrees , and a head wind down the north side , then a head wind on the last 3klms , as the wind had swung around - fortunately , it was a sea breeze and so it cooled about 6 degrees from the hottest part .
 The fruit bowl is an intensively farmed area , growing most of the vegetables to supply Perth .
They grow corn , peas , grapes , tomatoes , asparagus , melons , chillies , squash , mango's , spring onions , potatoes & pumpkin , papaya , banana's as well as some citrus - it's pretty full on !!

 Stopping at Bumbaks - a shop front at one of the farms - we had a mango ice-cream to tide us over , it was a bit like the jam shop , with chutneys and sauces and jams - we tried a few samples , their salsa was good , but not as good as ours !!
 After a well earned rest , we headed out again , getting cheered on by one of the farm workers / owners , while they were planting the next crop in one of the fields .
 It was a good speed to take in all that was happening here , how far back off the road it goes , and how many people are working - trimming grape vines , planting out seedlings , weeding , etc , etc .
 We reached the end of the North River Rd and went down to the old bridge - it was put into use in 1931 , but was still susceptible to flooding , with big floods going over the top of it . Now there is a new bridge that is above the highest recorded flood level , so is accessible as long as the roads leading to it don't go under water .

 As you can see , there was a bit of water under the bridge , not a lot , but there were fish and ducks swimming around happily .
 Crossing the bridge , we turned into South River Road , there were more orchards and crops . There was still a lot of evidence around of the damage caused by the cyclone earlier this year , it wiped out most of the banana plants , damaged the mango trees and ripped apart a lot of the shade cloth covering a lot of the crops .
 There are a lot of Bouganvilleas growing rampantly here as well , many colours as well .

 Further down the road , in front of someones house & water tanks were some prickly pears , as well as a whole heap of cacti .

 There was also jaw bones and skull from a whale !!
Further down the road was another farm gate shop , a couple of cars were parked there , they drove away after we went past - one went past us , then stopped and did a 3 point turn , the only problem was he wasn't looking in his rear view mirror , and just reversed back out in front of a car - luckily the car stopped short of hitting this clown , who kept reversing and drove off . His friend also did a 3 point turn behind us - no one coming this time !!
 Continuing on , we got back to the highway and stopped at a stall we had looked at earlier - it had 1kg bags of chilli's for $3 and tomatoes for $2.50 , we grabbed a bag of chilli's , and headed back to the park - time to collapse & sit down for a while with a cold water .
 Lunch done , we sat for a while and watched the world go by till it was time for a swim in the pool .
The afternoon was cruising along , time for some salsa & a beer .
Here's a map link :-https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=z1G8gwwxwyYo.kAHcLJN8l4tw&usp=sharing

Maintenance Day 29/9/15

Hi people , we called a maintenance day today !!
 The bedroom air conditioning is having a warranty claim today , so we can't go anywhere . We haven't washed the RV since Kununurra and the Pindan tan ( red dust ) needs to be washed off . With condensation & sea spray & dust , the windows are also a bit grotty , so it was a pleasure to pay $4 to wash the van , it's $2 to wash the car - that will come later !!
 Catch up tomorrow !!

A day in Carnarvon 28/9/15

 Starting the day early , we were out the gate by 8:15 . Heading down a back road to the racecourse and golf club , we found another tribute to HMAS Sydney - all the names of the sailors have their own plaque and palm tree - all in alphabetical order , either side of the road , some trees weren't there any more - may have been damaged in the cyclone earlier this year . There was certainly enough tree debris piled up on the side of the road - must have been the place they brought it all to .
 We found the racecourse and the golf club beside it , the greens were dirt scrapes , fairways didn't look terribly fair , and the tees were about 3m x 2m and had some dead grass on them - the game of golf I was looking forward to , suddenly disappeared into the ether !!
  Finding the next road off the road into town , we turned into it and went out to a boat ramp in the mangroves , not a lot to see here , so back out again and off toward town again , before we found another track , it took us out to a thin finger of land that stuck out into the bay and mangroves , there were some people out here fishing , seems to be a problem with rubbish out here - people just don't want to take it back out with them !!
 We finally got to town and went around to the small boat harbour - mainly filled with the fishing trawlers .

 There are many seafood businesses here , one had hundreds of crab traps stacked everywhere beside one building .
 Back down the road to town , we came across the new work on the esplanade beside The Fascine - they are paving and terracing the footpath , there is access to the water and there are palm trees and very green grass in the areas that they have completed already . The Fascine is a bay where you can moor your boat away from the open ocean , and provides a little oasis away from the desert !!

 We called in at the shops for a few things and then headed around to Whitcombe and Babbage Islands and Pelican Point , then the 1 mile jetty . Pelican Point has a boat ramp that gives access to The Fascine and the ocean and you can drive your car down the beach if you wish !!
 Around to the jetty - at 1457m , it's a long one , not really high , just long . They used to unload ships here and take it to town on a tramway first pulled by horses , then steam engine , then diesel power . That was done up till 1966 , when road trains were introduced .
 The jetty was finished in1897 , Carnarvon was the first port in WA to load and ship livestock .

 We found a mangrove walk , and set off beside the jetty to a gazebo , that had a few signs and explanations of this mangrove system . Looking at the map , it took us through some mangroves to the jetty , up and along the jetty , then down off it to the other side to another couple of points of interest . The actual walk only went about 100m and just had a board blocking further access off - there was nothing there to walk on anyway !!! We thought it may have been damaged by the cyclone , but I have a feeling that it may have run out of funding , and that's where it stopped !!
 Thinking about going for a walk along the jetty ? it will only cost you $5 each , or you can catch the coffee pot train for $10 each . We decided against it , instead driving down another track toward the Gascoyne River . It was taking us toward the head of the river , not far from the jetty - we could get there with minimum effort and less money !! That was good until it started to get a bit too sandy , so we turned and came back , stopping at the back of the railway museum where a lot of old rail trucks were now living .

 Its a pity to see all this old equipment in various stages of falling apart with no future , just a matter of time before it collapses in a heap !
 We fuelled up , before heading back for a cooked lunch .
Some small jobs taken care off , we went to the pool for a swim .  Coming back we chatted to a couple just across from us for a while , before it was salsa & beer time .
 Not a big day in the scheme of things , but we didn't really need one either .
Bye for now .

Point Quobba 27/9/15

 Hello there , a little more action today , the camera was actually used !!

After a great nights sleep , we got ready and drove up to the north toward Quobba Station . We took a short cut from town along a sandy road through the back blocks and over the Gascoyne River . There isn’t a bridge , just a causeway , no need to worry , the river is underground at the moment - no chance of getting washed off the causeway untill they have a lot of rain , more chance of getting bogged in the sand !

 Continuing on , we get some corrugations , and some areas that have been wet and are rutted with tyre tracks , but generally okay , then we hit the main road in - back to the bitumen .

 There is a power line that goes in to a Rio Tinto salt mine and Quobba Station , they have installed old wheel rims on the poles , so hawks and eagles etc, can make nests in them , and they have . 

 We crossed over the southern end of Lake Macleod - a salt lake - and came across an interesting place - a Beta Carotene production facility !! They extract it from the brine water , which is a pinky purple colour , the photos will explain .

 On the road again , we could see the dunes out toward the coast , then we saw Point Quobba Lighthouse , so we drove up for a look . Extensive views up & down the coast and dunes .

 From there we went down to the camping and day use area ( the shelters in the photo ) . At the parking area , we checked out the wildflowers , or what's left of them - they are a little past their best - completely in some cases !! There was one that seemed to have buds that looked like sugar coated jelly and little white flowers .

 Back to the coastline , the continental shelf is extremely close to the coast and Ningaloo Reef , and there are lots of rock shelves close to the limestone coastline .

 Just inside the rock shelf was an island that sheltered a lagoon from the main onslaught of the relentless surf , suitable for swimming & snorkelling .

  We walked along the shell covered beach , not too much sand , mainly shell grit !! 

Back to the ute , we drove down through the camping area till we were past the camping area , turned and came back again - there are lots of camping areas here - you have to be self contained or have a chemical toilet !! For $11 a head per night , you get somewhere to park about 30 - 40 m from the water , there is a little bit of shelter from the wind , as the campsites are behind the dunes . There are quite a few old fishing shacks , all in various states of repair - or lack of it !!!

 We drove around to the Blowholes , yes there are more than one here , again completely different to the one at Kiama . The coastline is made up of very porous limestone , some of which has been eroded away . There are several holes in one section of rock shelf , and as the swell comes in , the air in them gets compressed and pushed out with a roar , till the water gets to the outlet hole , and comes out as a spray . It shoots out up to 20m in the air .

 Some more photos of the rugged coast .

 There is a really large sign on 2 posts as you get close to the blowholes saying " King waves can kill " . There is a monument near the blowholes with someones name on it , drowned while rock fishing , it brings it home to you !!!

  From here we decide to have a look at the HMAS Sydney memorial , up the coast a bit further . We found it eventually , the map isn't the most accurate in the tourist information book . The have a ceremony every November to commemorate the 645 Australian Navy personnel lost when it sank after an altercation with the German Armed Raider - Kormoran on 19th November 1941 - it was only 80 klms south from here and was 30 klms off the coast.

 We had lunch here before heading back to town 70klms away . Lake Macleod is a dry lake , Rio Tinto have a salt mine there - not accessible to the public though . The southern end of the lake was where we had driven in and looked like a clay pan .

 Back to town and had a swim before a beer & cheese & bickies . We rang David up and organised to go round to see them and have a quiet beer or two at 5pm . We rocked up and wandered down to their van , to find Peter & Sandy down just a bit further , so the 6 off us sat & chatted & laughed for a few hours - an enjoyable evening !!

 That was definitely the day done , and a good one at that !!

Todays map link :-https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=z1G8gwwxwyYo.kSXajNezXtyc&usp=sharing

Moving again 6/9/15

 Not a lot to report today , we've moved to Carnarvon , crossing the Tropic of Capricorn , heading south .
 We left at 8:30 and arrived at 11:15 , the drive through coastal dune country , very little in the way of trees - even short shrubby ones , just grasses , wildflowers and orange sand dunes . Then it changed gradually with short 3m shrubs & bushes - cattle country .
 There was a surprising amount of road kill - mainly red kangaroos - must have been at least 20 !!
The road was busier as well , with a lot of people coming north for the school holidays .
Arriving at the outskirts of Carnarvon , we were greeted by banana plantations , mango trees , corn , tomatoes and vines - not sure what they were .
 We set up , had lunch & shopped , then just relaxed and read for the afternoon . That's it , no photos , not much of anything , just a map link :-https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=z1G8gwwxwyYo.kqgZ1kmgSmqo&usp=sharing

A day in the aquarium Coral Bay 25/9/15

 Woken early today by people in a rush to leave , but we resisted , finally getting up at 7:30 - another good nights sleep - must be all this swimming / snorkelling .

 I got organised for my snorkelling / nature tour which left at 9:15 from the front of the park . David was also doing the tour , so we both had someone to talk to . Into the bus at 9:20 and down to the boat ramp to get onto Ningaloo 3 - our cruise boat . After the brief safety talk - if you need to escape the vessel , put your life jackets on and take the exit to the - - - wherever you can get out !! The water was crystal clear , a change from yesterday as the wind hadn’t picked up yet . I sat out the front and saw a turtle in front of us , then some coral banks and fish .

 We stopped after about 15 mins and went for our first snorkel - about 30 mins . They gave us wet suits to use , which was nice , as it got a bit cool after that amount of time in the water . Fish everywhere , all types and sizes , I spotted a fish cleaning station at one coral outcrop , and watched as several fish came and got cleaned by the cleaner wrasse . We saw a black tipped reef shark , dolphins and several turtles . There were all types of coral as well and was a good warm up for what was to come . Back in the boat and off to our second destination .

 The colour of the water was amazing , different colours indicating the depth and whether it was sandy or coral beds , just beautiful . 

The boat slowed and they hussled us into readiness , the dive chief slipped in the water and gave the all clear for us to follow slowly , which we did quickly . The area we were in was sandy with no coral to be seen , excellent vision for what was out there in front of us - we were swimming beside a Manta Ray !! These creatures would have to be one of the most graceful in the oceans , with a mere flap of their wings they propel themselves through the water with ease . Apparently they can reach speeds of 70klms an hour , quite remarkable !! We swam with it for what seemed an eternity - probably only 10 mins in reality , before they stopped and we let it carry on , on its journey . The dive chief was amazed we had swam with it so long , as they can get bored with it and just zoom away into the distance !!

 All the chatter on the boat after was about the manta ray - everyone was buzzing !!!

Next we headed through the gap in the outer reef into deep water where we had seen whales breaching just before the manta swim . They seemed to have stopped all the splashing about just as we got nearer - maybe it was the engine noise ? They swam away from us , but the skipper kept to his 100m away from them . We tailed them for a while , then turned back - as we went the other direction , they started doing fin slaps - ironic isn’t it!!

  With the whale watching finished , we headed back inside the reef and had some sandwiches and a bit of fruit for lunch . The outer reef was exposed in parts - the tide must have been reaching it’s low point - coral was out in the open air .

 Further back in , as we passed through another sandy section , we saw another manta ray about 10m away from the boat .

  We stopped at a section of the reef they call The Canyon , it had a large drop off about 10m deep , and was all coral , there were several coral bombies that were reaching to the surface . The coral was all colours , yellow , pink , orange , blue & green and with more fish than I’ve seen in a lifetime . There were groups of fish - all different types , all grinding away at the coral , you could hear it metres away - a constant crunching !! The teeth on some of the parrot fish , a dentist would be proud of !! There was fan coral , brain coral , staghorn coral and a large section that almost looked like the fruit from a Monstera Deliciousa - tall , segmented and about as thick as a baseball bat .

 This snorkel was the icing on the cake , it certainly topped the day off really well !! After about 25mins swimming around and sometimes surrounded with little blue & green fish , I got a bit too cold and got out . As I approached the boat , there were about 6 large snapper below it , just one would have made a really nice meal for 4 people . 

 Grabbing my towel and getting out of the wet suit , I grabbed another cup of tea to warm up with , then they served up some apple tea cake , which went down a treat !!

  We headed back in thoroughly satisfied with todays proceedings , asking ourselves how we were going to improve on todays outing - it’s going to take some beating !!

 Lyn had an interesting day walking down round the beach and swimming - a husband free 6 hours !!! I met her back down near the beach at some picnic tables , we had a pretty easy afternoon , and headed back for some cheese & bickies & a beer , before heading back down later for a sunset beer with Peter and Sandy . 

 A glorious day in a paradise - Coral Bay and Ningaloo Reef - we will be back !!! 

The only downfall was I didn't have a waterproof camera to record it all - ah , a perfect reason to do it all again !!!!

Paddling in the coral gardens 24/9/15

 A solid nights sleep woken by the bladder , so up & into the day .  First thing was to load the kayak up and go for a paddle . We drove around the back of the park where the road to the boat ramp is , checking out the fuel station - an unmanned 24hr one - then continued down the road , the bitumen ended and a sand track appeared , okay it's not a big place Coral Bay , so maybe they haven't got round to getting the road done up , so we kept going on this single lane track , with a couple of passing opportunities , and came out beside the toilet block at the boat ramp carpark . Driving over the gutter we entered the carpark from the new side entrance - the one that not everyone uses , just a special few !! Driving down to the huge double boat ramp and small marina , we pulled up to the left and unloaded everything before returning the ute to the carpark . As we slipped into the water at the ramp , we noticed the breeze had picked up a bit , but we continued on , paddling up to the point where we swam & snorkelled yesterday . The further we went , the stronger the wind got , and the higher the swell got as well , making it a tad uncomfortable . Stopping short of the bay , discretion was far better than valour - we turned and headed back , and that was the easy part , the wind was returning us to where we started , just had to do some steering to keep us on track .
 Now I'd love to tell you we were gliding over a huge coral garden - well we were !!! ,  it was just a shame about the wind & swell , anyway Lyn enjoyed seeing what I was snorkelling around and over yesterday .
 Making it back unscathed , just covered in salt spray , we carried the kayak back up to where we unloaded it , before getting the ute and loading up again . Magically a road appeared out of the carpark , they're very efficient here - fancy getting a road built in about 1.5 hrs !!! We chose the new road and were back in no time at all , we even checked the fuel price here  - $1.539 lt
 We unloaded and proceeded to give all the gear a wash down , before sitting and contemplating the world !!
 Lunch done , we changed and headed down to the beach for a swim and snorkel . The water didn't appear to be as warm as yesterday , or as clear , visibility was not as good , but still reasonable .
 We met another Victorian couple , Peter & Sandy ,who we've been seeing regularly on the way round and chatted to them for a while , they're coming round tonight !!
 Bad news , the camera didn't make it outside today , so you'll just have to see some other photo's from yesterday .

  Stay tuned , tomorrow may be more interesting !!                

Exmouth to Coral Bay 23/9/15

  Up with the birds , it was moving day again ( groundhog day ) , a bigger morning than usual as we hadn't packed anything up last night , so on with the bikes , and in with the kayak . We decided to try the kayak inside and check fuel economy , to see if there's any difference . Tanks emptied , we hit the road at 9:15 , it was 25 degrees already .
 The road was a longer one today , with trees becoming a very rare species indeed , there were still a lot of wildflowers - mainly Mulla Mulla , giving the countryside a mauve / pink look , there were yellows and purple / blues , as we drove south over what seemed an endless number of sand dunes !!

 The only other feature that stood out was the orange termite mounds !
After about 1hr 45 we arrived in Coral Bay to find a very small village with 2 large caravan parks , a shopping centre , a few more small shops and a lot of people , young people with young kids .
 We walked into the 2nd park and enquired about a site , but they didn't have anything big enough for us , ( we weren't expecting to get in , school holidays start on Friday over here , so everything , is or has been booked out ) . Up the road to the other park , we enquired again , and much to our surprise they had a few we could choose from . We chose one and they then said we could have it for 3 nights, so we took it !!
  We set up and had lunch , before getting into the swimmers and heading down to the bay . It was hot, and had reached 33 by 10:30 , only creeping up to 34.5 by 11am .
 There is a lookout on top of the sand dunes at the western end of town , so we had to have a look , up we went , the sand very hot - you wouldn't do it in bare feet . The view over the bay was pretty good .

 The water was clear , with white sandy bottom , spread in amongst the coral . Walking down the beach we headed toward the south as it is renowned for being the best snorkelling . I got organised and walked in , it was shallow for a fair way out - 25m , then it dropped off rapidly , and then the coral started in a patch here & a patch there , before becoming a huge coral garden , filled with fish of all sizes &shapes . The water was deeper , being about 7m at its deepest , the coral was staggering - huge gardens of plate coral, some individual ones were over 4m wide , but there were hundreds of them . There was also brain coral in blue , pink and orange stag horn coral - I need to get a go pro camera to take photos of it all . Parrot fish came and went , stopping for a chew on some coral - you could hear them chewing into it !!
 Getting a little bit cool , I swam back out and sat in 300mm of warm water with Lyn , before I headed back out for another snorkel - this one I went about 200m out and around , seeing a small stingray , several schools of iridescent blue fish , small green fish , damsel fish , lots of Nemo's , parrot fish and many , many more !!! I swam back and got out , and we wandered back to the park , for a well earned cheese & biscuits and a beer .

 There were a lot of people using the beach and bay , also doing glass bottom boat cruises as well as snorkelling trips .
 We decided early that we'd wander back over the road at sunset to get a few pictures . We did that , getting a seat under a shelter , then David & Lucy arrived and joined us again as the sun disappeared over the horizon .

 
 That's it for today , here's your map link :-  https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=z1G8gwwxwyYo.kvocrBq0rzP0&usp=sharing