Cape Range swimming in a fish tank 22/9/15

We got organised earlier today , we are heading out to Cape Range NP again . First though , was the need for diesel , so we headed south to the industrial area to fill up at a 24hr self serve outlet - it was 10c a litre cheaper than in town !!
 That done we headed to the lighthouse and south to the NP , at the end of the road is Yardie Creek and Yardie Gorge - another gorge I hear you say , well they've all been different and all have been worth seeing .
 We called in at Oyster Stacks - another site for snorkelling - but the tide was out and it was too shallow to snorkel in , we walked around in the water at the edge checking out the coral & fish .

Back in the ute , we continued driving south , past about 30acres of mauve Mulla Mulla wildflowers , and followed the ridge down .

 Arriving at the carpark , we found the army and one of their armoured personnel carriers , we parked beside them , then loaded the backpack with water , put the boots & hat on , and set off . It was 34 degrees at 10 am , fortunately the walk wasn't too long and there was a breeze blowing . Yardie Creek is the only creek in Cape Range that has water in it year round . The first section of the walk was flat and beside the creek , the second section was rock hopping over the limestone , which also had lots of fossilised coral in it , and we were walking all over it .

 The views back out to the reef were pretty special as well .

 The gorge isn't really high here , but worth the hike up to the top of the walk , to see the views . The walls of the gorge are red rock and house many birds , that call it home in many of the various holes & gaps in the cliff face . The water in the gorge is crystal clear as well .

 There are four layers of old coast line in the hills here , the top is a sandstone cap , with 3 layers of old coastline underneath , hence the fossilised coral and limestone !!
 We arrived back at the picnic area and stopped in the shade of the only large trees to be seen for miles , the local wallaby had to move so we could sit down , it didn't go far - about 3m , and lay down again . It was quite nice in the shade , so we had lunch here as well . While we ate , 2 other personnel carriers arrived and later departed , as well as 2 attack helicopters , that were buzzing up & down the coast . There is an army operation going on here at the moment , and has been since Saturday .

 From here , we headed back to the north , first stop was to Sandy Bay - you can see why !!

 After that we went to Bloodwood Creek for a look as well . A bit different than all the other areas , with lots of rocks washed up on the beach . The waves continued to crash onto the reef as the tide was getting toward high tide .

 Next stop was at the Oyster Stacks again , it was time for a cool down and swim/ snorkel . After navigating our way down the rocks , we found an area that we could walk into the water without having to tiptoe over the very sharp rocks & coral . I got ready and slid into the water , it still wasn't overly deep , but there was enough room for me to glide over the top of the coral beds . I was barely 5m from the shore and in amongst so much coral and thousands of fish - it was like swimming in a tropical fish tank !!! At one stage there was a school of bright blue fish about 20mm long , flitting across in front of me - it was quite mesmerising !! There were striped fish , parrot fish , spotted fish , a long narrow green tubular fish about 600mm long just cruised on past me - so I followed it for a while .
 Then there was an scarlet coloured octopus slinking over a stack of orange coral , I stayed and watched ( or did it watch me ) for a while . There was also a lot of sea slugs , brain coral , stag horn coral and fan coral . It was a bit of sensory overload , so I hopped out for a while and chatted to Lyn , who was sitting in the shallows with small fish swimming under her legs and around her .
 I went for another snorkel , and found a school of yellow fish with black stripes having a feeding session on the coral , there must have been at least 100 or more , what an amazing sight !!
 Out again , and up to the rocks to dry off , before we head for home , completely satisfied with the days proceedings . Todays snorkel was about 200 times better than yesterdays , the ability to see so much , within 1m from the edge to 20 or 30 m out , was absolutely awesome , I must have seen about 100 different species of fish !!!
 We headed for home , it was beer and salsa time , before some work had to be done - change the trailer plugs on the ute & RV - I think we may have vibrated them a bit too much !!
 Todays map link :-https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=z1G8gwwxwyYo.kcTQpXzVma78&usp=sharing