Coral Bay – 9 to 15 May 2010

On our drive from Carnarvon to Coral Bay we crossed the tropic of Capricorn – going “troppo” again.

Coral Bay is a small township nestled at the end of the bay. It is within the Ningaloo Marine Park

The fringing coral reef comes close to shore and in the protected waters of the bay there is coral and a wide assortment of reef fish. We snorkeled directly from the beach which was fantastic. With our snorkeling gear purchased in Perth, including top to toe suits called “rashies” to protect us from sunburn and errant jellyfish we felt like our Victorian era grandparents.

We took a tour with Ningaloo Reef Dive which offered the chance to swim with the Whale Sharks. The cruise had a spotter plane to look for these gentle giants, which although sharks and the world’s largest fish, feed on plankton like many whales. We had perfect weather with calm seas, and finding two whale sharks close together we had four drops into the water, on one of which we broke the cruises record for swimming with whale sharks, spending 27 consecutive minutes in the water. The Department of Environment and Conservation controls the number of swimmers allowed to be with the shark at any one time and the total amount of time the boat can remain in the sharks vicinity so we were very lucky. We had two wonderful snorkels on the fringing reef as well.

We enjoyed swimming with the Whale Sharks so much that we also booked the Manta Ray cruise. They are beautiful and graceful creatures who look like swimming blankets. Even though our Manta Ray did a barrel roll for us, we had to swim a lot faster to keep up with it. Again we had two great snorkels on the fringing reef and saw a turtle. We also saw dolphins and a dugong from the bridge of the boat. We have noticed that wild animals are often complete hams.

This dugong has been christened Hollywood by the crew as she likes to show off and she did hang around the surface so we could admire her for quite a while.

We spent the rest of our days snorkeling off the beach and going for walks. In the evenings Trish tried to reduce the crocodile population in Northern Australia by eating Cajun Crocodile at the Reef Cafe.

Please Note: All the underwater photos are courtesy of Ningaloo Reef Dive.

Carnarvon - 7th and 8th May 2010

We stayed at the Wintersun Caravan Park in Carnarvon.

We did the Fruit Loop Run and stocked up on fresh fruit and vegetables. The Plantations surrounding Carnarvon utilize 1020 hectares of cultivated land on the fertile river flats of the Gascoyne river. There is a diverse range of produce which is sold at stalls outside the properties.

The Gascoyne does occasionally have water in it.

You can also buy lovely icypoles made of mango puree, sometimes chocolate dipped and fresh fruit smoothies, together with jams and relishes.

Carnarvon is the site of the 29.8m parabolic dish antenna which was commissioned in late 1969 by OTC in the early days of  global Television and space travel. The station was decommissioned in April 1987.

We visited Carnarvon’s Historic District and walked out on the 1 mile jetty, the longest jetty in north west Western Australia. This jetty was used to take produce to market and for shipment of sheep. Now it is a great walk and fishing spot. We saw two dugong grazing on the sea grass

Shark Bay World Heritage Area – 1 May to 6 May 2010

We stayed at Denham a small fishing village in the Shark Bay World Heritage Area. Photos cannot do justice to the beauty of this region or its diversity.

We visited the Heritage centre in Denham which outlines the reasons for this being a World Heritage Area. 

As the photo shows, even emus enjoy a beach holiday.

We were about 20 kilometers from Monkey Mia where the dolphins come to be fed. Tricia was lucky enough to be chosen to give fish to one of the dolphins.

In the afternoon we went for a drive in the Francois Peron National Park, exploring the shearing shed and tracks to Peron Point and the Big Lagoon.

The next day we drove 500 kilometer round trip, much of it 4WD only, to the most Westerly Point of Australia at Steep Point.  Steep Point is very satisfactory.  As the name suggests it is steep and pointy and  gives a good view of Dirk Hartog Island, where Dirk Hartog landed in 1616, preceded by Willem Janzoon but  predating Australia’s “discoverer” Captain Cook by 162 years. We signed the visitors book. You can camp there, use Australia’s most westerly toilet, and enjoy the fact that you are as far from Canberra as you can get on the mainland.

We also visited the Blowhole further down the coast.  On the drive back we saw more Emus, this time not on the main road.

That evening dinner was at the Old Pearler Restaurant. It is built of Coquina shells which have aggregated sufficiently to be carved into solid blocks so that walls can be built of them. Acoustics are very good, owing to all the air spaces in the shells and the room also maintains an even temperature. The food and service is good. It is the most Westerly Restaurant in the State, probably because it was built before planning permits and so didn't need to be set back.

The next day we sailed on the Shotover Catamaran to see some of the marine life in the bay. We were lucky enough to see two dugongs, a mother and baby.  Dugong’s are rather like sea cows, grazing on the sea grass beds and coming to the surface every three or four minutes to breath and then diving back down with gracefully arched backs.  With their wide snouts it is hard to imagine ancient mariners mistaking them for mermaids. 

We visited Shell Beach which is comprised almost entirely of shells.   At nearby Eagle Bluff you could stand there all day with an Eagle’s eye of the sea, watching the marine life. We saw several sharks and some stingrays.
Yet another lookout provided another shelly beach.

A sunset cruise on the Shotover gave us a view of dolphins at play and a loggerhead turtle, finishing up a very satisfactory week with dinner at the Bough Shed.

On the way out of Shark Bay we stopped at Hamelin Pool and saw the Stromatolites.  Built by cyanobacteria, the world’s oldest single cell organisms, hugely efficient oxygen producers and critical to the earth we have today, they are however  not very interactive.  We also saw the historic shell quarry, only used to repair buildings nowadays.

Kalbarri and Kalbarri National Park – 29 to 30 April 2010

Kalbarri  is a popular seaside town, located on the estuary of the Murchison River and surrounded by the Kalbarri National Park.

The coastline has a number of spectacular headlands and the “natural bridge” amongst its features. 

The estuary, with its difficult entrance supports a small fishing industry.  It is a popular holiday destination, being only six hours drive from Perth.

The National Park is famous for its rocky gorges, carved by the Murchison River and the aptly named “Nature’s Window.”  We also liked the stylish public toilets, each different and obviously architect designed, which were a feature of the stopping points on the coast and in the National Park.

    

Geraldton and Albrohos Islands – 26 to 28 April 2010

Geraldton is on the coast with the Chapman and Greenough Rivers to the north and south. It claims the highest lighthouse in WA.

Their excellent program of Geraldton Voluntary Tour Guides, who show you through various sites in the town at nominated times, is a good way to learn about the town. We viewed the St. Francis Xavier Catholic Cathedral commenced 1916 completed 1938.

On a hill overlooking the harbour is the Memorial for the HMAS Sydney II which sank without survivors after engaging the German raider HSK Kormoran on November 19th 1941 north of Geraldton. Months later a decomposed body on a life raft washed up at Christmas island. He was never able to be identified and was buried in Geraldton Cemetery as the unknown sailor.

The highlight of the memorial is a dome of 645 seagulls, one for each sailor on the Sydney, echoing the legend that seagulls represent the souls of lost mariners.

At the centre of the dome is a downward facing propeller, the altar over which hangs the eternal flame of Port and Starboard lights set to bring the sailors home.

Next to the dome is a stele representing the bow of the Sydney. The red Polyantha Roses “Courage” are planted in beds around the dome.

The waiting woman symbolizes the universal woman waiting.  The wall of Remembrance, in black Granite, lists the names of all the sailors lost, ending with the words “and all the rest is silence.”

To the south of Geraldton is the now abandoned settlement of Greenough (Grenuff),  owned and maintained by the National Trust.  It is an example of the small roadside town of the type found in rural communities all over Australia , with life revolving around the school, church and community hall. Tricia moved into such a community at age five in Vermont, Victoria.

The local maritime museum has a fascinating display focused around the Dutch East India [VOC] ship “Batavia” which ran aground on the Morning Reef near the Abrolhos Islands in the early hours June 4, 1629.  The survivors of the 316 passengers were evacuated onto Beacon Island (also known as the Batavia grave site).  The Captain and senior officers sailed to Batavia (Jakarta) for help and while they were gone some of the remaining crew, led by a psychopath Jeronimus Cornelisz, murdered almost half of their fellow passengers, probably 115 people including women and children. This is still the worst maritime atrocity ever committed.  [For those who are interested the book “Batavia’s Graveyard” by Mike Dash is a well researched account.]

 

We took a much happier trip with Batavia Air to the Abrolhos (which loosely translated from the Portuguese means keep your eyes open. )

We went with a regular flight taking cray fishermen out to their shacks on the Islands and then spent the day with the pilot as our guide before returning with the scheduled flight in the afternoon.

We had a great day snorkeling on the reefs, walking around the Island seeing the local wallabies and osprey. We particularly liked the osprey nest which incorporated coca cola cans and light bulbs.  On the way back we saw the significant sites from the Batavia's History.  This was a truly magic day.