Day 36 (15 June) – Coral Bay (Not a cloud in the sky again, still a little windy first thing, then the wind dies off then more wind – up to 26o in Coral Bay)
We still can’t believe our view and position in the park.
I decided to go out to the airport to see what it’s like. A Robinson 44 helicopter and two C172s with a gravel runway. On the way back, I went down to the boat ramp and then came back via a 4WD track between the road and the beach. A great view inside the road from close to the beach.
I had a long chat with Danny from next door – so much in common and a really nice family. They offered to allow us to take their site for the balance of their proposed stay as they were moving on early. We accepted then found that the park owners don’t allow site booking transfers. However, when they moved out we moved the motorhome on to their site (next door) to the chagrin of one of our neighbours who asked if we’d had approval from the management and then told Lyn that I shouldn’t have driven across the empty site behind the new site I was driving on to. We were expecting a visit from site management all day, although the angst dropped when a motorhome settled on to our old site around an hour later. Our plan was to stay 2 nights (one that we’d already paid for on our own site and an extra night on Danny’s site with the plan to travel to Five Fingers Reef for a snorkel and swim along a 4WD track on the extra day we’d gained).
We went for a snorkel off the beach in front of the caravan park then I watched a really disappointing game where Port beat the Demons comfortably despite the same number of scoring shots.
A brief relax in our chairs then off to Reef again for dinner.
Day 37 (16 June) – Coral Bay to Exmouth (RAC Exmouth Cape Holiday Park) (Not a cloud in the sky again, very little wind – up to 26o during the day – 157 km)
We still can’t believe our view and position in the park (even after we’d changed with the people next door).
We jumped in the Jimny with our snorkelling equipment, a change of clothes and lunch with the aim to spend the day at Five Fingers Reef. There is a sign at the entry that the track is suitable for 4WD vehicles and that the tyre pressure should be reduced. So, we stopped on the entry, lowered the pressure on all tyres to 18PSI, put the car in low 4WD and headed in. All was good until we hit a very soft section of sand and ran out of power (even in low 4), I put the car in first gear and gradually drove out – no problems at all. The track was extremely bumpy with soft sand but we were OK after that one spot.
We arrived at Five Fingers Beach to find one other car there and a German couple sitting in the sand. While preparing to go in, more vehicles arrived and finally we decided to try out the snorkelling. It was certainly much better than the main beach, we saw many fish, a turtle and small sting ray. We spent around 30 minutes in the water then got out. It was a beautiful beach and reef.
By this stage there were more and more vehicles arriving and setting up. We dried off, waited about an hour then decided the beach was too crowded and that we might as well head back.
We also decided to move on to Exmouth rather than staying another night (I’d been expecting the campsite Gestapo to arrive at any time). As we traversed back along the sandy track – much better this time (on the way out as it’s a 2-lane track), we decided we’d take a helicopter flight over the area.
As we arrived in town, we went to Nick, the helicopter pilot, booked a flight in an hour at the airport, then returned to the People’s Park, packed up and left within about 30 minutes – we are getting much better at this. Off to the airport where we met Nick as he was preparing the Robinson 44 helicopter for us. We accepted his offer to remove the doors, Lyn sat in the front and I got the back seat. Nick had told us one of the other C172 pilots had spotted a couple of humpback whales earlier in the day. We headed out, saw a couple of manta rays in the shallows, but didn’t see any other significant marine life, It was great flying around the area, up north to the southern end of the reef of Skeleton Beach, down over the Coral Bay town, on down past Five Fingers Reef, then back along the coastline. A great trip.
We then headed up the highway to Exmouth, passed the site where we’d watched the eclipse in April 2023, then refuelled at the Shell service station. I think we got some free fuel as their pump wasn’t working properly and was pumping diesel and lots of air. Fortunately one of the managers saw what happened and provided us with an equivalent amount of free fuel.
We continued into Exmouth and checked in to the RAC Exmouth Cape Holiday Park. Our site is right at the front of the park next to the coffee cart which runs in the mornings from 06:30!
We had another great call from the girls. Luna told us that she’d seen an airplane that day and when we asked her where she saw it, the answer was “In the air”. Wren had been trying to reach several people during the day and hadn’t been able to connect. Lyn and I tried calling her back but couldn’t get through. At least we finally managed to get the call later and talk with the family.
We then went into town to see what was where. We had dinner at Froth, about the only restaurant/bar in the centre of town, then back to the motorhome.
Day 38 (17 June) – Exmouth (Not a cloud in the sky again, no wind – up to 24o during the day)
Our site is just near the entrance – the intersection of all roads in and out. As well, we are next to the pop-up coffee van which starts at 06:00 for a 06:30 opening. Still, we have been spoilt on previous sites and this one isn’t too bad.
A slow start – I had to reboot the velsie.com website server again and reload a number of posts. It looks as though all is OK again.
We decided to try the Turquoise Bay Drift snorkel so, we got all our gear together, prepared for a full day of snorkelling then headed North first (to clear the range that runs down the Exmouth peninsula) then South down Yardie Creek Road. The trip was just under 50 km. We arrived at Turquoise Bay Drift car park, walked down the beach to the end point of the drift, put on our gear and then got ready to start. I waded, and Lyn swum, to the start of the drift area, then we headed out and drifted back down along the coast. We saw lots of fish, trumpet fish, trevally, etc., and a small reef shark. We finished our snorkel then had a chat to a couple of German girls on the beach who had done a couple of drift swims earlier. We explained the fish we’d seen and how to finish the drift swim as there are currents at the end that would take someone out to sea if they weren’t aware of the currents.
We decided that we’d had enough of that spot and so got in the Jimny then travelled further South (to the end of the bitumen road) to Yardie Creek. It was interesting watching people try to get out of the creek crossing area towing caravans and trailers as the exit was very soft.
We went for a walk to the main lookout over the Yardie Creek Gorge, a great view and very worthwhile. This was the camping ground I’d been trying to book for the 2023 eclipse until WA Parks decided to change all the rules. Very disappointing!
We travelled North back up the road and stopped at Osprey Bay, had a look and decided not to go in, further on to Oyster Stack and found the car park so full we couldn’t park, so continued on. We passed a number of areas that were recommended for snorkelling including Lakeside, which was near the Information Centre.
Near the end of Yardie Creek Road we headed further north to the tip of the peninsula and overlooking the wreck of the Mildura. When the Mildura sank it caused the lighthouse priorities to change so Exmouth got a lighthouse which sits high on the end of the range down the peninsula spine.
Alongside the North Road is the Harold Holt Communications facility. It is one of the largest VLF installations in the world, installed by the Americans and transmitting at 19.8 kHz with a range of 12 to 24 kHz.
I was notified that my GoPro Max waterproof case had arrived finally (it spent 4 days at the Perth Airport despite being an Express Post item) so we went to the Post Office, picked it up then back to camp to wash out our gear.
We went to dinner at the Potshot Hotel whare I got a pizza that will last a couple of days. Really nice though!
Day 39 (18 June) – Exmouth (A couple of clouds, a bit of dew but the main weather was South – Geraldton had a storm go through this morning – up to 24o during the day)
Our site is just near the entrance – the intersection of all roads in and out. As well, we are next to the pop-up coffee van which starts at 06:00 in the morning. Still, we have been spoilt on previous sites and this one isn’t too bad. A few chores, including picking up some mask lens cleaner and defogger I’d ordered, then we grabbed our snorkelling kit and headed back to Turquoise Bay. One and a half drift passes as I wanted to try out both sets of masks we’d brought with us. The second one wasn’t as good and I think we’ve finally worked out the best way to put on the masks to reduce the fogging.
We also went back 3 km to Oyster Stacks and found a very rocky shore so decided not to snorkel there.
We visited the Vlamingh Head lighthouse on the bluff overlooking the area where the Mildura was sunk – quite a good view from up there.
On return to the camp, I rinsed out all the equipment and put it out to dry.
Dinner at Froth where we had a nice meal of the local Snapper (fish of the day) and watched the exciting State of Origin game. Being a Storm supporter (almost half the Queensland team are from the Storm), I was thrilled with the outcome.
We prepared our gear and bags for an early start in the moring for our Whaleshark trip. The forecast today was for rain – we had a little – and it rained overnight so I had to go outside during the night to bring in the items that were left out to dry and then hang them up in the motorhome, hoping they’d dry out a bit by morning.
Day 40 (19 June) – Exmouth (Rain overnight, wet outside in the morning, better weather as the day progressed with sun popping through in the afternoon – up to 24o during the day)
Up at 06:00 getting our equipment and bags ready for the 07:10 pickup by Ningaloo Whaleshark Swim. Not to be confused with Blue Ningaloo, Ningaloo Whaleshark Dive or any number of other Ningaloo Whaleshark tour companies.
We were picked up at 07:11 (a minute late 8^)) by Skye (one of the dive group support swimmers – we later found out she is a qualified dive instructor) and Jaz driving the bus who was also the photographer. Around half an hour trip to the jetty at Tantabiddy where we took a tender out to our main boat – Seazone.
After the mandatory safety briefing, we were introduced to the crew. Jordan was the skipper, Pete was the deckhand and Chrissie was the second swim group supporter. Also on board were two volunteers who had been out a couple of weeks before and signed up to assist (and swim) – Annie and Claire. We put on our wetsuits and prepared for the snorkelling – we had our own wetsuits, booties, mask, snorkel and fins. Our fins were significantly shorter than the others though and later we found that longer fins may have helped keep up with the whaleshark. Having said that, I think we were the best in our group and this was confirmed later as we were asked to join the line just behind Skye. That enabled us to swim behind, around and up the other side of the whaleshark as it swam along.
The first stop was inside the reef just South of the jetty where we had our first snorkel – I’m sure it was also the crew’s opportunity to check out the proficiencies of the swimmers. Some interesting fish and coral formations including a catfish native to these waters only. We saw two although I don’t think I had the camera on for the best shots of the first one.
Then we headed out through the fringing reef where our spotter plane was able to point us at a whaleshark within minutes of us passing the reef entrance. We chose this company as they have their own plane. Jordan was not happy when I asked about the comms frequency they use though. On the way out we were briefed on how to best swim with, and observe, the whaleshark. Our swimming group leader would point in the direction of the line they wanted us to form, we’d get close together on that line and ahead of the whaleshark’s path. We were not to approach closer than 3 m from the dorsal fin, no closer than 4m behind the shark and not to move (swim) until the shark’s dorsal fin had passed us. Once that happened we could swim around the back of the shark and up to a point alongside the dorsal fin on the other side to where it passed us initially. That meant the best swimmers were required to be close to the leader then, as the shark passed, we had to swim around the back and up the other side – yes, it was quite exhausting. The swimmers were split into 2 groups and Lyn and I allocated to group 2. We were also told not to swim below the shark or get too close as they would dive down out of harm’s way and we’d miss any further interaction.
Minutes out from the reef entrance group 1 was asked to get ready and in they went. A couple of minutes later one of the guys had to be helped back onto the boat transom as he was exhausted. They struggled to get his wetsuit off and offered him oxygen. I’m not sure if it was used as group 2 had to jump in fairly soon afterwards.
WOW – WHAT AN EXPERIENCE! To have this majestic, enormous fish which was between 4 and 5 m long and gliding so gracefully through the water at around 3 to 5 knots. It swum past just below the surface and within metres of us. An incredible experience.
We had around 5 sessions with the shark coming up then passing us. We’d also purchased a photo package which meant we were helped up to the front of the shark by the photographer who then took our photos with the shark in the background.
Photos and videos don’t do justice to the experince – like so may other wonders and sights we’ve been privileged to witness. In some of the photos you can see other swimmers in the background to give some perspective on the size of the whaleshark.
This is a photo I took of Jaz taking a photo of the whaleshark from behind – it give a better perspective on size.
After our sessions we had lunch on the way back inside the reef and our final drift snorkel of the day (not as good though).
As we were returning, we had a dolphin ride our bow wave and I managed to get a position at the very bow and filmed the antics of the dolphin as it pirouetted, dived and turned sideways to watch us. Jas (boat photographer), next to me, said later that it was watching me. The video is fantastic and I shared it by airdrop or SMS with many of the passengers and the crew,
Back at our campground by around 14:30 where I rinsed all our gear again, laid it out to dry and then started preparing to leave first thing next morning. I hooked up the Jimny and Lyn and I put away all the outside furniture and equipment. A beer and a couple of Pinots sitting outside the motorhome watching the world go by then off to the Cadillac’s Bar and Grill for another great meal.
We received a link to Jaz’s photos and I downloaded some of these photos.
We’d had a brilliant day with the whaleshark and dolphin.
Day 41 (20 June) – Exmouth to Port Hedland (Port Hedland Discovery Park then Blackrock Tourist Park) (Dew overnight, slightly cloudy weather with very high cloud as we headed North to Karratha and Port Hedland – up to 29o during the day – 816 km)
Up at 05:50 getting ready to leave, we grabbed some coffee from the pop-up cart next to us and managed to leave at 06:50. We refuelled at the Shell station as I was hoping to make to the Karratha before refuelling. A long day’s driving stopping at Nanutarra (where we did refuel to be safe), a roadside stop to change drivers, Fortescue River (another driver change) then on to Karratha (and another fuel stop).
We continued to Port Hedland and into the Port Hedland Discovery Park to find that our booking was for the following 2 nights – my first major booking stuff up. They had no room, suggested we go to an overflow site where there wasn’t any power. Lyn, though, managed to find and book a powered site (small but OK) at Blackrock Tourist Park where we checked in, managed to squeeze into our assigned site and then went to the restaurant (it looked like a site hut) where the food was good and we had an engaging young man, Callum, who served us and snuck a brownie into Lyn’s hands as we left. We then tried to get in to Eighty Mile Caravan Park but they had no powered sites (we think it is mandatory so we can have air conditioning up here). We did manage to get a booking at Pardoo Tourist Park associated with the Pardoo Homestead. Our host Geoff was extremely positive and accommodating – we’ll see him tomorrow.
Day 42 (21 June) – Port Hedland to Pardoo (Pardoo Tourist Park) (A beautiful morning and day towards and staying at Pardoo Tourist Park – up to 30o during the day – 133 km)
A slow start as it was only 130 or so km up the road. We packed up with the first stop at the Shell service station close to our park. Then we headed North, stopped at the turnoff to the Pardoo Tourist Park to put the shield on the Jimny A-frame (to stop stone chips) then into the Tourist Park.
We set up, disconnected the Jimny, removed the bikes from the roof, had a quick lunch then headed out to the coast. Pardoo Station contains Pardoo Creek which we crossed on the way in on the highway. We did a fair bit of 4WD along the coast, checked out the ‘Sunset Spot’ (a high bit of land near where Pardoo Creek meets the coast), massive mud and sand flats at low tide and headed to Red Point, along Bones Beach and then across to the base of Mt Blaze. The last bit got a bit challenging due to the soft sandy track so, at the base of Mt Blaze where I turned around, I lowered the tyre pressure – so much better on the way out and back to the campground.
Back at the campground, I washed the Jimny, inflated the tyres, put the bikes on the roof and prepared for departure tomorrow.
A quiet beer whilst updating the blog and preparing for the Storm game later that afternoon. We decided to have dinner in the motorhome and not join the Peace Corp who had been doing a torch relay down the highway. They were at Port Hedland last night and spent the night here at Pardoo Tourist Park. Our host Geoff seemed a bit exasperated as most of them were vegetarians and I think Geoff likes his meat.
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