Location: Cape Range National Park Ningaloo Reef

Region: Gascoyne WA

Dates: 2 September – 4 September 2024

Temperatures: 17 – 35, hot and sunny

Monday 2 September

Temp 17 – 35, hot and sunny.

It was lovely going to sleep in the salt air with the sound of the waves crashing on the Ningaloo reef on the other side of the dunes. Good thing it was an early night as something wakes me at 3:00am scratching about on the roof of the van. Possibly a bird but it may have been the top hatch creaking as it caught the early morning breeze that came through. It’s another beautiful dawn and Rob is up and out for an early walk to catch the sunrise while I chase a few more zzz’s.

We head out early though, around 8am to catch high tide at Oyster Stacks. This is another drift snorkeling site that can only be swam at high tide to protect the reef.

On the drive there I see a black flanked wallaby sitting quietly in the rocky hills as we pass by.

We arrive and I’m dismayed to see the beach is very rocky and the shoreline is jagged rocks. I decide to sit and watch as it’s too rocky for me to navigate with my ankle which is quite swollen today from all the sand walking yesterday I think.

It’s a beautiful spot so I’m happy to watch Rob and other snorkellers.

The idea is to go in at one end, on the left and let the current take you over the reef for about 300 metres as you snorkel and you then exit before the current sweeps you out and walk back up to repeat.

Rob does about 3 passes, seeing lots of colourful fish and a turtle embedded in the sand. I check later and apparently they sleep when they do this.

Next on the list today is Osprey Bay, with sand entrances so I swam and snorkelled here and saw lots of fish.

By 11:30am it’s getting quite hot so we decide to drive out to see Yardie creek. As we walk back to the car we see Corella’s seeking shade under cars and they’re not moving for anyone!

Yardie Creek is another 30km’s down the range road and the end of the road for the National Park. From here you can take a 1hr boat ride up Yardie creek to where it ends and view the Gorge. I run into a lady I had spoken to at Oyster Stacks who had just done it and really enjoyed it. Said she had seen lots of wallaby’s on the rocks too and some monitors.

Obviously the wildlife stick close to fresh water as a distinct characteristic that we’ve both noticed since we left Kununurra is the lack of wildlife; apart from birds, My hopes of seeing a full grown frilled neck lizard having diminished as the days have gone by so it’s a good thing we see Kites, Kestrels, Hawks and many other birds most days.

On the way back to camp I see a Wedgetail Eagle pair high in the sky enjoying the thermals as they hunted for their dinner.

It’s another spectacular sunset followed by leftover roast lamb for dinner.

Tuesday 3 September 2024

Temp: 15 – 33 degrees, hot and sunny.

We are going back to Turquoise Bay today, to the bay this time rather than the drift section so we are out early once again.

The bay is lovely and calm and it’s a delight to swim and snorkel here. We strike up conversations with a couple, Marilyn and Peter from Perth and chat to them throughout the morning. Peter has a stand up paddle board and very generously offers Rob a go. No photos as I was swimming.

I relax on my towel and there’s a seagull who keeps popping in next to me. He’s got a sore paw like me poor thing. Rob saw a turtle as he went further out with fins and then later we both see one surfing the waves briefly as they bobbed up for air. What a treat this is.

We leave Turquoise Bay at lunch and I think I spy a Wedgetail eagle in the dunes as we leave. Driving back I try to capture the ranges.

We relax through the heat of the afternoon then try our luck with some beach fishing using sourdough for bait. Sadly no catch but there’s a few nibbles and it’s fun casting and trying out the beach rods. I used to love fishing when I was a young woman but like lots of things in life it fell away with children although I did take my daughters fishing a few times on holidays as they got older.

Cape Range has been a delight and I can admit to a twinge of jealousy when talking to three gents on the way back from the beach who camp here for 28 days every year! I’ve always admired the idea of an annual four weeks summer holiday at the beach.

Wednesday 4 September 2024

Temperature: 17 – 31 hot and sunny.

Starting km’s: 8028

Happy Birthday Carly!

Today we leave Cape Range and Exmouth Gulf heading inland toward Karijini National Park, 717 kilometres away. We will take two days to get there, camping at House Creek Free Camp on the way.

We leave MESA camp and head back into Exmouth where we need to refuel, dump and refill water and stop for a few groceries. I also have an important phone call to make for my daughter’s birthday today.

We stop at the visitors centre to dump and refill water and there is a Travelers camp van parked up nearby with a young man sitting on top strumming his guitar and singing. Turns out to be an impromptu original composition which his mates from Germany, India, Sweden and Nederlands tell me he just keeps making up as he goes along! Hilarious! The singer is Italian and they are all international students from Perth on a quick getaway to the outback.

I really enjoy this impromptu and innocent fun.

In the background of the photo is the big prawn! Not as big; about 1/10th in fact as the one I photographed in Ballina NSW last year but it is very shiny and new looking.

While Rob attends to the jobs, lucky me has a lovely chat with the birthday girl and her big sister too, catching up on all their news. They’ve been going through a difficult time as their co tenant has breached their lease so they’ve had to navigate all of that, find new accommodation and organise to move! I’m very proud of how they’ve managed this difficult situation and luckily they have found new digs not far away from where they currently are. Trying times in the current rental market.

Next up is groceries, then fuel and we head out of Exmouth. We backtrack down the gulf road then turn left and head North back up the highway to Nanutarra before turning left towards Parabadoo, Tom Price and Karijini.

Almost as soon as we turn, we start to see ranges appearing left and right. The drive to Karijini has the Hamersley and Chichester- Millstream Ranges on the left (North) and Barlee and Capricorn Ranges on the right (South) so the further out we go the more picturesque the drive becomes.

We arrive at the camp around 2:30 and it’s a very hot 37 degrees so we relax in the shade through the remainder of the afternoon and later spend the evening chatting with another couple nearby, Helen and Stephen from Bribie Island.

Sometimes travel days are really lovely days like today. Tomorrow we will arrive at Karijini National Park.

Hope you are all well and thriving. Stay safe and take care.

Love Maryann and Rob xx