30th April 2009 -> 8th May 2009

Dropped the bus & trailer off in Geraldton & rode the bikes back to Northampton, where we have temporarily become involved in the lives of the other 3 residents in the old convent. Bit of an eye opener really. A mix of adventurous & sad souls.

The town really does have a good feel to it, old fashioned, courteous & caring. We are expecting to be here for at least a week, possibly longer if internal examination of our motor reveals the need for parts to be shipped out for machining etc.

Don't really want to be here, but it's as good a place as any to be stuck in, & beats Geraldton hands down.

Spent our time in Northampton relaxing as best we could, but worrying about the bus had me waking early each morning. We walked around the town, rode out to Horrocks Beach, visited the museum & generally lazed around. The bread baked daily at Northampton's 'Windy Hill Kitchen' & sold in the organic fruit shop was without doubt the best bread I've ever eaten, different loaves available each day.

Contacted Waltons after a week to find out how they were going with the bus. We were amazed when we were told that the motor had not needed a rebuild after all, that the explanation previously given to us for the head gasket blowing had been incorrect. We had been told that the the cylinder barrel liners had 'slipped', but were now being told that this was not the case. Didn't make us feel very optimistic hearing them contradict themselves. Later we were told that that the job had not been done properly the first time around, that the mechanic had simply been told to 'fit a new head gasket', and had not checked the head nor measured the liner protrusion properly. This had occurred in the absence of the workshop manager who had been away for a few days. This time around he was there. He apologised for the work not being carried out in a professional manner the first time, & assured us that we would not have to pay for labour or the new head gasket this time around. This time the cylinder head was machined & crack tested, & one exhaust valve & seat replaced. Of concern is the fact that they still did not find a clear cause for the the cylinder head gasket blowing, but nevertheless seemed confident that they had fixed the problem. We collected the bus, paid them a further $700 for the head work & repairs to our alternator (needed new brushes). So all up we have spent over $2300 at Waltons & have left with fingers crossed that the head gasket will not blow again. This has been another emotional roller coaster, & still we do not have total confidence that all is now well. Only clocking up some more kilometres will reveal if they have fixed things or not. NOT the outcome we wanted. We will now continue northward hoping for the best.

9th May 2009

Having collected the bus yesterday, we repacked it with all the belongings we had kept with us at the convent, & finally left Northampton. Reached the Edagee Rest area where we camped overnight along with half a dozen caravans & campervans. 

10th May 2009

Reached Carnarvon for the second time, where we stopped to replenish a few supplies & top up our fuel, before continuing northward from the town, at last back onto 'virgin ground'. Hooray! As we drove toward Coral Bay we noticed that termite mounds were making a comeback. It had been sometime since we were amongst these silent 'beings'. It was good to rejoin them, their varying shapes are most entertaining, as are the stories we concocted about them moving in silent armies in the pre-dawn hours. We had intended staying at a free beach camp just south of Coral Bay, but changed our minds after the first few horrendously corrugated kilometres of the 40km road to the site. Having managed a squillion point turn on the narrow road, complete with very soft sandy edges, we headed into Coral Bay, where we tried to book into a caravan park, only to be told that both CP's were full, & that our only options were to drive 40kms back to a rest area we had passed (which looked very 'ordinary' & exposed) or around 100kms back to a rest area on the North west highway. On pressing the CP receptionist a little more, she relented & allocated an 'emergency camp spot' to us for a maximum of 2 nights only.

11th May 2009

In the morning many campers moved on, & we secured a proper site in the CP, paying for a couple more days. We booked a tour to swim with Whalesharks for the next day. Walked along the beautiful beach & dunes, white sand, crystal clear turquoise water. Just sitting on the dunes was a very peaceful thing to do & helped take my mind off worrying about the bus' head gasket. As we watched, we saw a number of stingrays 'flying' in the the clear water, close to the shore. MrsTea has pulled a muscle or something & is getting hip/thigh pain as she walks. Hope it won't spoil tomorrows 'swim'.

Coral Bay was a bit of a surprise. We had expected a small town, but in fact it consists 'only' of tourist accommodation & a few small shops to service the constantly changing population. I believe that the place is referred to as a 'Tourism node', rather than a town.

12th May 2009

Today was a day we had looked forward to for a long time. We were up early, excited at the prospect of going swimming with the world's largest fish, the Whaleshark. These gentle ceatures can grow up to 12 metres long, that's 5 metres longer than our bus! We had booked our trip on a smaller boat, advertising their trips as being more intimate/less crowded than the other two available boats.  We had also decided to do the trip from Coral bay, rather than from Exmouth, as the boats are right on your doorstep in Coral Bay, whereas we intended to stay in the Cape Range NP on Ningaloo Reef, rather than in Exmouth itself, meaning a 70+km trip back into town to get on a boat. So Coral Bay was far more convenient.

At the appointed hour we clambered onto our boat along with the 10 other passengers & 4 crew before motoring out of the harbour, together with the other two whaleshark boats each with their 20 passengers. The three boats 'share' a spotter plane, once the pilot locates a whaleshark he radios through to the boats  & off the boats rush to the location, where they take it in turns to deposit tourists into the water for their 'experience of a lifetime'.  This experience turned out to be a little frantic, with everyone standing expectantly on the 'marlin board' at the rear of the boat, waiting to be told to get in. Protocols dictate that no more than 10 people can be in the water with a shark at any one time. Why our boat's captain insisted we get in in groups of 10 & 2 rather than 6 & 6 I cannot understand. It undermined their promotional claims of being  smaller groups around the shark,  making group sizes the same as other (slightly cheaper) boats. Once in the water with our first shark, a 4 -5 metre young female, it was difficult to get a clear passage to the shark in amongst the 'crowd' of other swimmmer's kicking legs & fins. Luckily though this shark was a very curious one (apparently more common amongst younger sharks) who stayed around for a long time. Eventually we were all able to get some 'quality time' with this monster. The shark kept turning around in circles, sometimes making it hard to get out of it's way. Several times MrsTea found herself staring straight down it's throat, just a couple of feet in front of her face, it's mouth easily large enough to engulf her head & shoulders!  We were in & out of the water several times with this shark, allowing other groups on other boats to have their turn. Awe inspiring but tinged with 'frantic-ness'. A second, larger, shark was spotted, about 6-7metres, but it dived into the depths just a short time after we got in beside it. Snorkelling on the outer reef was disappointing - although we were able to observe a few schools of small & medium sized colourful fish, the coral had virtually no colour to it, being predominantly brown. We had been led to believe that the Ningaloo reef was easily as good as, if not better than the Great Barrier Reef over in the east, but in this section out from Coral Bay it just wasn't so. Hopefully this will be different further up the reef, off the Cape range NP. Refreshments were poor & infrequent, & the boat returned earlier than advertised. Overall it had been great to be in the water with these huge fish, but the tour, given it's high cost ($400 each) was a little disappointing. We have since spoken with several other people who have been out on whaleshark tours with other operators (both from Coral Bay & Exmouth) & heard similar tales of poor service. It seems that there are a few good operators & a few slack ones. If you are planning to swim with whalesharks our suggestion is to spend a day or two talking with other tourists before deciding which boat to go on.

As our boat moored back at the Coral Bay jetty, we spied another humungous fish under the jetty itself. Not a Whaleshark, but probably a similar sized fish to the first shark we had seen. This was ''Merv', a Queensland Groper, who lives around the jetty. Huge.

13th May 2009

Drove on to Exmouth where we discovered that the 'silly season' has started early this year, & that all the 90 camp spots in the Cape Range NP are occupied. People are queuing at the entrance to the park from 6am each morning to try to secure a spot. We decided that we would have to join them. It was tempting to camp overnight beside the entrance/ranger post, to be at the head of the queue in the morning, but learned from others that the ranger would refuse to allocate a spot to anyone doing this. Instead we stayed the night at the Yardie Homestead CP, the closest to the NP entrance. A reasonably priced CP populated mainly by fisherpeople with boats who were there for the season, complete with huge freezers for the obscene quantities of fish they were catching. We wondered how long such fishing could remain sustainable. One typical sized fish we saw being filleted would feed the pair of us for a week, & yet people were bring in 20 at a time!

14th May 2009

We were at the NP entrance at around 6:45am, & were second in the queue. Within a short time there were half a dozen caravans & motorhomes behind us. Quite a social time all together, until the ranger arrived at 8am & began allocating camp spots. We got a place at the 'Lakeside' camp ground, & had to be there before 10am or risk losing it. No opportunity to choose camp spots, but we were told that 'once in' we would be able to swap with other sites as space became available. Lakeside had 7 camp sites & like all the others had a 'camp host' looking after things. Camp hosts are volunteers, who in return for free camping & a couple of other little perks, keep the campsite tidy & clean & collect the camping fees. They are in radio contact with the ranger every morning, prior to camp spots being allocated to newcomers. The snorkelling at 'Lakeside' was said to be good, but we didn't check it out. The weather had turned windy & cloudy & the water temperature had dropped, so we wimped out.

Enquiries suggested that the pick of the camp sites was at Yardie Creek, so we successfully endeavoured to secure a spot there, having ridden the bikes to Yardie Creek & 'swapped' with a couple who wanted our spot at Lakeside. 

15th May 2009

Our camp hosts confirmed that our 'swap' was ok, & we headed down to Yardie Creek, where we set up our 'full' camp. (ie.Full awning, TV etc). Ningaloo is not as I had expected. Somehow I had developed a vision of shade trees down to the waters edge, but this is not so. However the scenery, whilst lacking in shade, is strikingly beautiful. Running parallel to the beach & it's sand dunes, are a strip of low crumbly looking hills, set behind plains of thigh high scrub & bushes. This scrub provide a patchwork of greens, set amonst spinifex, & against a red & at times almost purple backdrop of rocks. Looks better than my description suggests I think. Emus & kangaroos popped up every so often, & as we drove flocks of budgies whizzed & swooped in front & alongside us.

MrsTea's hip/thigh was still painful, so we spent the rest of the day reading & resting.

I have been watching our radiator coolant levels in the 'overflow bottle & remain anxious that all is not well with the new head gasket, but am not certain. Each days driving seems to add about half an inch to the level in the bottle (checked in the morning once cooled), better than it was , but still half an inch too much. Maybe it's 'finding it's own level', maybe it's blown again, just slightly. We have no desire to return to Geraldton for a 3rd time, we are now 1000kms north from there. Our plan is to continue on, keeping our fingers crossed that all will be ok.

16th May 2009

Exploring around the Yardie Creek estuary, & beach. Lots of lazing, & a bit of fishing. Fishing! Hah! Back in Exmouth, in the tackle shop, I had become quite excited at the prospect of catching bigger fish than I have managed to date. If the shop assistant was to be believed it would be almost impossible to wet a hook without something big jumping onto it within seconds!  Hmmmm........ maybe just a bit of exageration there methinks.......... if my experience is anything to go by.  Standing thigh deep on the sandy bed of the estuary I managed to hook a small Flathead, but threw it back, not big enough to be worth eating. Later whilst fishing off the rocks a short way up Yardie Creek Gorge, large fish were constantly jumping out of the water, a dozen at a time. Looking down into the clear deep water I could see schools of queenfish up to perhaps 600mm, but even dangling various baits right amongst them failed to attract any interest. I did catch a couple of undersized estuary cod, & some other unknown littlies, but nothing worth eating. Just as well that our 'neighbours' back at Yardie Homestead CP had donated us a feed of freshly caught & filleted 'Dart'.

Sitting in the dunes close to the estuary at low tide is most entertaining, as this is when 4wd drivers make their attempts to cross the creek, taking them out to the Ningaloo Homestead, rather than having to return via Exmouth as we will have to do. Macho hubbies & worried wives meant lots of loud reassurances from hubbies who themselves were less than confident. There are plenty of warnings about the sandy nature of the creek bed, & the requirement that only 'experienced' drivers attempt the crossing. There is a daily 'gathering' of 'crossers' walking back & forth through the creek, trying to overcome their anxiety & hoping that 'someone else' will cross first, to 'prove' it is do-able.  Half a dozen eventually went through this evening, No-one got stuck.

17th May 2009 - 20th May 2009

After a couple of restful days, MrsTea's thigh pain has subsided a bit. Better but still not right, so we have delayed our walk up the Yardie Creek Gorge. Instead we will have a go at kayaking up the gorge this evening after all the 'day trippers' have left, & the wind has dropped. The wind seems to come up around mid morning each day, & subsides again by mid to late afternoon.

I was out fishing in the gorge at first light, but despite my persistance only managed similar results to last night. All the bigger fish were there in numbers, but again treated my attempts to catch them with disdain. Seeing the sun rise over the hills made getting out of bed worthwhile, as did the turtle who surfaced just feet away from me, & the large monitor lizard I disturbed as I strolled along the waterside. Whilst watching a small kangaroo lazily hopping across the rocks, I became aware of a noise I couldn't identify, coming from across the river. It sounded like a 'sucking' noise, & I scanned the water to see what sort of animal could be making it.  I saw nothing, & wondered if perhaps it was an unseen scuba diver I was hearing, but I was out there all alone. The noise continued, at times becoming more intense. Eventually I was able to identify it as the sound being made by a number of birds in the mangroves across the water. No idea what birds they were, I was only able to catch very occasional glimpses of them, medium sized, but other than that no means of identifying them. A very strange bird noise indeed.

Just got back from our kayaking expedition up the gorge. It was an easy paddle & we were the only humans there. Watching us were multiple pairs of Little Corellas, & unknown but very loud white heron like birds. Only perhaps a foot tall, but when disturbed took off squawking loud enough for something ten times itheir size & sounding like something being strangled. Reaching the navigable limit of the waterway we hopped out & wandered on a bit further. A few Euros (mid sized grey kangaroos with rounder ears) were hopping around, & we caught a glimpse of an elusive Black Footed Rock Wallaby almost invisible in the shadows of a tree at the base of a cliff. If we walked close to the shore, the schools of small fish, presumably reacting to our shadows, literally jumped out of the water. This happened several times. If a 'defence mechanism' we wondered about it's effectiveness! As we slowly drifted back toward the sea, we looked up to see a pair of large sprawling Osprey nests, one at each end of the same rock ledge. As we sat absorbing the effects of the setting sun on the crumbly red cliffs we were rewarded with a band of four Black Footed Rock wallabies coming out to play 'chasey' across impossible rock ledges directly in front & above us. We sat back on the water & let them entertain us for maybe 20 minutes before they simply disappeared. They were smaller than any other wallabies we've seen before, & their agility was just amazing. Very cute.

As we paddled toward the setting sun, the fish that had been around in such numbers whilst I tried to catch then with hook & line 'swarmed' around us, showing their fins out of the water - maybe the fish version of blowing raspberries? I'd have probably stood as good a chance of getting us a feed of fish by trying to bludgeon a few with our paddles as I would with rod & reel!

Another day dawned -  I think it might be a Monday, but I'm not certain. Life here at Yardie Creek Gorge/Ningaloo Reef is pretty easy. 7am saw me wading a couple of hundred metres out in the water off the beach, up to the 'goolie line' with rod & reel in hand, whilst MrsTea had a lay in. Even though the wind had come up early, the water was warm enough to not be too noticeable around my nooks & crannies! I had one or two bites, but caught just one fish, a medium sized Flathead to supplement tonight's dinner. We are now beginning to feel like part of this small community (just 8 defined camp spots). Murray & Janette, the camp hosts, gave me a couple of good sized pieces of Tuna to use as bait. Being a pungent & oily fish, I am led to believe it's flesh is viewed by other fish as a delicacy, & thus they will fighting amongst themselves to jump onto my hook tonight! 

Our 'next door neighbours' Sandy & Peter are bringing us a few provisions back from town (Exmouth, about 80kms away). They are both canoeists, Peter's hand built kayak, built from Western red cedar & epoxy is down in the dunes, it is a work of art, although Peter is modest about his achievement. The craft is based upon an Inuit design, & cuts through the water very effectively.

This afternoon MrsTea did a bit of snorkelling after I shortened our fins (flippers) by about 40% with a hacksaw. After using the more flexible fins supplied on the Whaleshark dive, we realised that we have the wrong sort of fins. We have scuba divers fins, much more rigid than snorkelling fins, & much harder on our feet, to the extent that they quickly become very uncomfortable, causing cramp. We decided to experiment by cutting them shorter, and if this didn't help we'd chuck them & get some new ones. Happy to say that the hacksaw job has been successful.  Well the afternoon has rolled around, the tide is on it's way in, & the tuna in the freezer is calling "Cuppa, Cuppa, come on lets go", so I'm off to catch me a *big* fish!  :-)

Okey dokey - the great white fish hunter has returned to his lair. The tuna bait certainly aroused some interest, with plenty of bites & a number of catches. Unfortunately the catches were predominantly small Estuary Cod, which look pretty ugly, & even if they were bigger I wouldn't know what to do with them, so they lived to see another day. Other catches were some black & white stripey fish,  about 6" long so again too small to bother with. Another Flathead joined this morning's one in the fridge after I attempted to fillet it. I expect we may be spitting out a few bones, probably should have cooked them whole.  We also have two large Sweetlip Emperor fillets - a reasonably prized eating fish I believe.  At least that is what one of our neighbours told us when she gave them to us! "Caught yesterday, enough for the pair of youse but not enough to feed us lot" (her family of 4) she said, presumably feeling sorry for us.

It turned out that the Sweetlip Emperor was quite a nice eating fish, fairly firm, rather like eating chicken in texture. However the two Flathead I caught myself were far better eating, even though the quantity was small.

Rode the bikes up to Turquoise Bay, this is the spot famed for it's 'Drift Snorkel', where the current flows along parallel to the beach carrying snorkelers over coral & quite large fish of many types & colours just a few metres out from the shore. It is a popular spot & people watching on the beach is as interesting as the fish watching  in the water, the array of colourful individuals of all ages, shapes & sizes in both locations competing for our attention.

It is possible to 'drift' over quite some  distance in what is a fairly strong current before hanging a right across the current, & making back to shore, roughly coinciding with the spot we left our gear. It paid to leave a 'margin of error' given the dire warnings about the current turning at the point & heading out into open ocean. People trudge in one direction, south, along the beach all day, carrying their snorkelling gear, time after time. So did we ..... a few times. :-)This is the first place on the west coast where the water has been warm enough for me to swim for more than just the briefest time. Isn't it ironic that with the ocean now warm enough for me to enjoy, that anywhere north from here is considered Croc territory, so I guess Ningaloo might be the first & last swim in the ocean for this little duck! eh? Seeing a dolphin from the beach, cruising along between the outer reef & all the snorkellers was good, shame the people who were just a metre or two away from it at the time didn't see it.

We had intended to snorkel at 'Oyster Stacks' on our way back to 'home' at Yardie Creek,  a coral site right on the beach , one step & your into it. Lots of big fish, including 4' Reef Sharks we were told. However the wind, which I previously thought had a fairly set pattern, suddenly came up unpredictably, making the water seem far less inviting. Instead we turned up a narrow 4wd track heading toward the ranges to the east of the road. These ranges run parallel to the coast all the way down from the tip near Exmouth. The first bit was ok, just red sand, with occasional soft spots to watch for & branches of unknown bushes pulling at our arms. At the base of the hill, from where we could see the track winding up around the slopes, the first section of  rock slabs & boulders rose steeply & unevenly for several metres. Time to get off & walk the 'section' trials style. On a specialist trials motorcycle I would have felt totally confident but felt less so on my tall trail bike.

MrsTea accepted my gallant offer to ride her (lower) bike up this obstacle. Having made it up a little untidily on her bike, I tried on mine, & managed to make it look easy reaching MrsTea with finesse & style!  :-)  It boosted my confidence, not really having ridden such steep boulder country before. My relief that the track now looked to be much easier making it rideable for MrsTea were short lived. Around each turn were ever steeper & longer boulder sections. MrsTea had a go, & managed to get further than I (& she) thought she might. I did a fair bit of walking up & down to take her bike over the gnarlier sections. Eventually, about 3/4's of the way to the top, I left MrsTea admiring the view along the Ningaloo reef & shoreline whilst I did the 'boy' thing & made it to the top, where I added my rock to a small cairn, watched a pair of eagles circling on the updrafts at my eye level, & looked for miles along the reef. Getting back down was as big a challenge as going up had been, with frequent drop-offs on rock shelves combined with loose rock to reduce traction. But we made it without incident (if we exclude the bit with me standing next to MrsTea, repeatedly saying, in increasingly louder voice, "Just let it roll & you'll be fine"!) ...... She did, and she was fine, even managed a grin even though her heart was still in her mouth!

It was late afternoon as we rode back home, a slow journey due to the amount of Kangaroos, Wallabies & Euros who seemed to think that they owned the narrow strip of bitumen that runs through the middle of their place. They were everywhere! Many of the smaller ones were a beautiful red/brown colour unlike any others we've seen, quite different to the 'Big Red's' of the Centre. MrsTea rues the fact that she didn't have the camera with her as she walked across to my fishing spot later, she had a close encounter with one of these strikingly coloured 'roos, silhouetted on the tip of a 'perfect' white sand dune, with the vividly glowing orange & blue sunset across the ocean providing a backdrop.

A few more thoughts on 'Ningaloo', given that this has become world renowned & a prime destination for most who travel up the west coast.

1. Most photos I ever saw of Ningaloo showed water, coral, beaches & fish. I had just assumed that there would be palm trees etc on the coast. Wrong. This is the west coast where they don't do much in the way of trees. Initially my preconceptions left me a little disappointed, but it was easy enough to find comfortable shady spots to be.

2. We checked out most of the camp areas,  & feel that we had the pick of the spots at Yardie Creek Gorge. It had the most 'to do right on the 'doorstep'.

3. People camped next to us have been back here for the past 3 years. They said that the amount of wildlife around, including fish in the sea is far less this year than during the past two. Uncertain why. Hope it's a cyclical thing & that future years will see those 'missing' return.

4. It is often said that "Ningaloo is every bit as good as the Great Barrier Reef, if not better". Having seen both, I'd have to say that the coral in the east is far more interesting & brightly coloured than the coral here. All the various types/shapes of coral are here, but it is mainly of a uniform brown colour. Only occasionally we saw small patches of blue , green or purple coral, but even then the colour lacked the vibrancy of what I have seen off the Queensland coast. I believe this has to do with it being predominantly 'hard' coral in the west whilst the east has this plus all the colourful 'soft' corals. The fish here are equally bright & interesting. Where Ningaloo wins hands down over the Great Barrier Reef is in accessibility. No boats needed, just walk off the beach. And much fewer people.

5. Ningaloo may well have huge numbers of fish in a relatively untouched ecosystem, but this does not guarantee a feed. Clearly this is one ecosystem that is fully self sustaining, based upon the fact that the fish must be too well fed to be interested in the variety of baits  & lures I've tried! Don't be swayed by the infectious enthusiasm of the bloke in the Exmouth tackle shop!

6.The camp areas ,with their camp hosts, are small enough to feel quite 'intimate'. After a week here we feel very much part of the little community. Just as I have been typing this, a 'neighbour' has stopped by to give us (& others) another feed of fish, this time a couple of large mackerel steaks, from a 3'+  fish caught beyond the reef from a small 'tinnie' early this morning.

7. Coral Bay (also on Ningaloo Reef - a fact I hadn't appreciated until we got there) is pleasant as a holiday resort type destination, but the more basic camps along the shores of Cape Range NP beat it pants down.

8. For us, basically not being 'beachy' type people, Ningaloo has not been one of those places that 'takes our breath away', but is nonetheless a place that we would happily recommend to others. Hard to explain, but whilst it doesn't, for us, have a singular outstanding feature, it does have plenty & is without doubt one of the best camps we have had throughout our trip to date.

9. Ignore advice meted out at the Exmouth Tourist Info joint about going to the DEC offices in town at 8:30am to secure a camp spot in the NP. People in the queue at the entry to the park get priority. This was even acknowledged by the tourist info staff when pushed - can't understand why they tell people this. There were enough vacated sites for all in 'our' queue, but I doubt there were any left over for those back in town, & we are here early in the season. In a months time all will be tighter still.

We plan to leave here tomorrow morning, & hope to upload this blog entry once we get back to Exmouth. There has been no reception here during the past week, & we don't expect any reception once we leave Exmouth, until we reach Paraburdoo & Tom Price.

Please click HERE for more photos.