Bath Travels: Lancelin to Exmouth

The Pinnacles of Nambung NP

"Heading North"
We left Perth on the 11th April, taking the new coastal highway through Lancelin, a nice little fishing town, and entered Nambung National Park. This is the home of the Pinnacles Desert, huge limestone pillars that rise from the earth to form an alien-like landscape. We then jetted through Cervantes (another nice little town) and landed in Jurien Bay for the night.
The following day we explored Dynamite Bay at Green Head, stopped for lunch on the bay of Port Denison, where the kids had a ball watching sand crabs try and pull massive pieces of their crusts into their holes. Further along the road, flanked by extremely dry farms and extremely skinny cows, we spotted trees that were virtually horizontal. Needlesss to say, the winds are pretty strong here. About 20 km inland, we found a great campsite at Ellendale Pool, part of the Greenough River, at the base of a huge, red cliff on the opposite side of the river. This area had had recent flash flooding that has left leaf trash about 8 feet high in the trees! Glad we weren't here then! We had a great time here kayaking, fishing (again, no luck), and the kids rolling in the mud. It is nice to be out in the bush again! I think we are fast becoming recluses!

Tys exploring rock pools at Dynamite Bay, Green Head

Nat hitting the dunes at Dynamite Bay

Yee-ha!

Did you see how high I jumped!?

Tys' photography at Port Denison

The very dry farms near Geraldton

Nat and Ollie loving it!

Tys and Ollie kayaking

On the 13th April we arrived in Geraldton. Here we visited the National HMAS Sydney II Memorial, which was very moving. Even the kids thought so. While here we visited the amazing St. Francis Xavier Cathedral, where Natalie lit a special candle for Aunty Carol and Aunty Denise. We also headed to the WA Museum, where the kids had a ball in the pirates corner. On the road out of Gerladton we drove through an old mining town of Northampton, visited some convict ruins and the Governors House at Lynton, and saw the Pink Lake at Port Gregory before arriving in Kalbarri.

Natalie looking out to sea, like this woman
waiting for her husband to return.

The silver seagulls that form the dome of the memorial
represent the 645 men who lost their lives when
the HMAS Sydney II went down.

Natalie lighting a candle in the cathedral

The stunning St. Francis Xavier Cathedral in Geraldton

Ahoy therrrre me hearties!

The big kid in the kids corner at the WA Museum

Kalbarri is set on the mouth of the Murchison River. It is a nice country town, with beautiful beaches and great fishing, but gets very busy in tourist season. We had a look at the spectacular cliff lookouts, did some fishing off the jetty where Tys cought some bream and a small mulloway, and ran into our mates from Albury, Trish and Russell. While here we also got our first taste of the gorges out at Kalbarri National Park. It got very hot out at the gorges, but the kids did very well. We trekked out to Nature's Window lookout, a high platform with a perfect 'window' frame of rock overlooking the breathtaking gorge and a bend in the Murchison River. Trav then walked the Z-loop down to the water; the kids had hit the wall. An amazing place!

Cliffs on the Kalbarri coastline

Tys on a high ledge overlooking the Murchison River

Trav and Ollie take in the spectacular view

On the 16th April we arrived in the Shark Bay World Heritage Area, to stay in Denham, on the southern side of the peninsula. This was hands down one of my favourite areas so far. On the 130km drive off the highway out onto the peninsula, we called in to see magnificent Shell Beach. This is (obviously) made up of billions of tiny white cockle shells as far as the eye can see, some up to 10m deep in places. Here the kids swam in the sheltered bay of crystal clear waters. Further on we ventured into Eagle Bluff. Here there is a boardwalk constructed at the clifftop, where we could view hundreds of stingy rays, massive schools of fish, and some sharks, swimming below us. We stayed and watched for ages. It is awesome to see these animals in the wild, and in such large numbers!

In Denham, we booked into a great caravan park with a site on the hill giving us a stunning view of the bay. Natalie had her first go at snorkelling here - well done Nat! Ollie collected dozens of hermit crabs, and Tyson has never been so excited, catching great sized whiting straight off the beach!

Natalie woke me up one morning and went down for a 7am snorkel. She was so happy and proud of herself! She said "Mum, I feel like I have found a whole new life - we are so lucky!". Yes we are Nat - another pinch myself moment!.

We visited the Francois Peron National Park, where the original homestead of the sheep and cattle station still stands. The pioneers of this area always had the great struggle of getting water. So, they dug a bore here 540m deep, where artesian water still bubbles constantly out of the ground today, at a cool 40 degrees. Trav and Nat had a dip in the artesian hot tub at the homestead (it was too hot, the rest of us just dangled our legs in), and we had a look around the information centre here, and the old shearing shed.

We then ventured further out on the peninsula by 4WD tracks to Big Lagoon, where we spent the afternoon fishing, snorkelling, watching a huge sea turtle bob around us, and generally relaxing.

Our highlight of our time here was our visit to Monkey Mia, on the northern side of the peninsula. Here we got to wade in the water and watch as dolphins came in to be fed, some within reach of us! The kids were lucky enough to be chosen to feed a dolphin a fish together - their grins said it all. I don't think I will ever tire of seeing these beautiful creatures!

I also found out (through facebook) that Cathryn O'H from work was visiting here, right down the road, and got to go and catch up with her! Was nice to see a familiar, smiling face from home!

Natalie, on the way to Denham

Checking out amazing Shell Beach

tiny cockle shells!

Beach babe

Loving the surf!

Our hunter and collector!

Sharks at Eagle Bluff

Tysons big catch at Big Lagoon

Soaking in the artesian hot tub!

In the shearing shed at Francois Peron homestead

The doplhins looked right into your eyes!

Mother and calf - only the females are fed

Priceless

In the main street of Denham

Our view from our annexe!

Easter at Warroora Station

After a couple of days spent looking around flood ravaged Carnarvon (we weren't overly excited about this place), we arrived at Warroora station (pronounced Warra) on Good Friday, 22nd April. Warroora is a working sheep and cattle station, right at the southern tip of the Ningaloo Reef. We were lucky to get the last beach camp spot left, where we were set back at the foot of the dunes, only 20m off the water. The reef here is about 300 m offshore, so not as accessible as other areas. We spent a week here, and it was like our own slice of heaven on earth, with the most beautiful blue, warm waters, and soft white sand. We spent the week snorkelling, swimming, fishing, chasing crabs constantly (Ollie) and spotting rays and dolphins. The hosts here were awesome, and the kids loved their kelpie, Reef, who could catch anything you threw to him, in midair. One downer of our time here was that Trav hurt his back on our first night here mucking around with the kids in the sand. He had trouble even walking for a few days, and was quite frustrated, but it eventually came good.

We did a daytrip to busy little touristville, Coral Bay. The flat shallow bay here was amazing. You walked out to waste deep water, navigating huge rays and blue groper in the shallows on the way out there, where the reef began. This was the day Oliver learnt to snorkel with us too! We took the kayak out with us so he and Nat could have a rest whenever they got tired. The reef was alive with thousands of weird and wonderful fish; butterfly, angel, Dory, emporers, rainbow, and more. The coral here is mainly hard types, that are spectacular bomb shapes, clouds, floral shapes and flurescent yellows and blues. We spent hours in the water, diving down face to face with fish, and went home very exhausted and content. I think I am starting to get bruises from all this pinching myself...

Another highlight of Warroora was Turtle Rock. Here the largest resident Green Turtle colony live, about 300 turtles bobbing around in the waves. I could have watched them for days!

There was much excitement in the camp when Easter Bunny visited on the Sunday, leaving eggs hidden around our van and the dunes. The kids had a ball!

Spending time in paradise like this makes us so proud and so happy that we made the decision to do this for our family.

Tys very proud of his Trevally - yum!

Easter hunt!

Enjoying the spoils!

Our piece of paradise

Fishing at sunset

Trav at Turtle Rock

The blowholes at Turtle Rock

Coral Bay

Ollie learns to snorkel, and still talks perfectly!

Ollie and Trav checking out Ningaloo Reef

Nat skipping on the beach

Drag races!

Our setup on the beach

Spitfire conga-line

Exmouth

We spent 3 days in Exmouth. This is a great place, not too big at the moment, but doubles in tourist season and has major developments going on. Note: visit here in off-peak - very pricey place!

The kids loved the caravan park here as they had outdoor movies every night of the school holidays, where we took our chairs and blankets down to watch. We spent time doing some of the gorge drives, and went out to Cape Range National Park, where we saw dozens of Emus, some wild brumbies, and rock wallabies. We also visited a great Turtle Discovery centre, right on the nesting beach of the turtles found here. Within the National Park we visited Yardie Creek, Sandy Bay, and Torquoise Bay. It was here we did the 'drift snorkel', where you enter the water down one end of the beach, and the current caused by a gap in the reef, pulls you down the beach. Then you jump out, run down and do it all over again!! The kids did a great job in such a strong current, all 5 of us holding hands while we drifted along. We drifted right over a 1.5m reef shark! After much thrashing of flippers, we settled down and tried to get a better look, before he swam off! We headed home, exhausted and content - again!