Coral Coast

A Day At The Beach

We made it to Exmouth located on the tip of the North West Cape in Western Australia.  We drove nearly 1400 km in four days following the Coral Coast from Perth.  At one point we were on the most westerly tip of the Australian subcontinent.  At one point we crossed the Tropic Of Capricorn and the temperatures rose accordingly.  On the last leg, the car outside temperature gauge recorded 38 degrees celsius but unlike the east coast, very little humidity and therefore very bearable.

Before I wax eloquently about the wonders we saw along the drive (and I will because there were) I must be upfront and say this drive is not without its drawbacks.  This kind of thing is not for everyone.  The drive is like a run-on rather dull sentence with brief punctuation marks of real beauty.  The run-on bits can literally last for hours.  There are very few people and those that are there are easily outnumbered by the few feral goats and dead wildlife along the road.

We followed the Indian Ocean Drive out of Perth to Geraldton and then the North West Coastal Highway with detours through the Kalbarri National Park and the Monkey Mia Nature Reserve with overnights in Geraldton, Denham, Carnarvon, and Exmouth.

Sheep Station - Note The Tree Growth As A Result Of The Southerly Winds.

After a lovely drive through farmland the landscape turned to the desert just outside of Perth.  We took a turn off the highway onto a dirt road to enter the Nambung National Park to see the Pinnacles.  The Pinnacles rise out of the yellow desert sand.  There are thousands of huge limestone pillars scattered across the stark landscape.  It reminded me of a very poorly planned graveyard with the limestone markers standing about an average man’s height.

The Pinnacles

Some Tall - Some Short

A short distance from Nambung we turned off the highway and stopped at Lake Thetis to view the thrombolites.  What … you don’t know what thrombolites are? – Neither did we and quite frankly I’m still not sure.  According to the signage, the lake became separated from the sea about 4800 years ago when the sea level dropped.  The thrombolites are “living fossils” and I’ll take their word for it.  Regardless, we have pictures.

Thrombolites

We continued on to Geraldton and stayed in a hotel across from the beach.  We enjoyed one of our best meals on tour at the L'Italiano Restaurant.  Great service and great food.

Geraldton City Centre - Not A Large Town

After a leisurely morning, we set out on the North West Coastal Highway to Northampton before taking a detour to Port Gregory and the Pink Lake.  Indeed, it was pink.  It made for a good picture.  It is actually called the Hutt Lagoon and according to the guidebook, “the Dunaliella salina algae bloom within the lake causes the water to turn pink, with the shade ranging from hot pink to red to lilac depending on the time of day.” It was pretty pink when we saw it.

Indeed - It Was Pink

We had lunch at Kalbarri, at the entrance to Kalbarri National Park.  It was at Kalbarri that we purchased our Fly Head Nets.  As beautiful as this coast is, the flies are killers.  They seem to sense you immediately upon leaving the car or building.  They are on you like flies on sh*t, just like the old saying goes.  They immediately try to fly up your nose for a drink or build a cabin for the family in your ears.  The only way to survive is to wear a net.

Makes It A Little Harder To Eat & Drink

We ended the day at Denham just outside the Monkey Mia Reserve on Shark Bay.  We were up early and headed out to the Reserve to take a three-hour catamaran tour of the bay in search of dugongs, dolphins, and turtle.  Shark Bay is a World Heritage Area.  It is comprised of 22,000 sq. km. of colourful and diverse landscapes.

With an all-female captain and crew, our group set out with eight Australians and New Zealanders.  They had been friends for over 30 years and enjoy taking holidays together once a year. After a few dugong and dolphin sightings, Deborah joined three of their group in a boom net swim.  It was good fun watching our friends writhe in the net and struggle to keep their swimsuits on as the captain gunned the engine.

Kinda Like The Titanic Shot

After lunching on the road (too many flies to picnic) we arrived in Carnarvon.  It is an oasis in the desert, getting its water from the Gascoyne River.  We drove through large fields of banana and mango trees.  We had dinner and a few pints in a local pub in honour of St. Patrick’s Day.  It also has a space museum displaying the leftover American Space observation station but we gave it a miss.

We Took A Walk On The Carnarvon Pier

Relic Of A Carnarvon Rail Line In Carnarvon

St. Patrick's Day Guinness In Carnarvon

The last day of our drive was to Exmouth via Coral Bay.  Coral Bay is worth the stop to see the blue waters of the ocean and nearby reef but after a short walk on the beach, we retreated to our car after the inevitable and never-ending fly invasion.

We spent two nights in Exmouth and learned a lot about the area by visiting the Ningaloo Aquarium and Discovery Center.  It is well worth the $18 price of admission.  Sadly, we intended to visit the reef in a glass-bottom boat but with the drop of virus-related tourists, the tour was canceled.  We settled for a swim in the warm waters of the Indian Ocean and a visit to the Vlamingh Head Lighthouse. 

Ningaloo Reef Exmouth Aquarium & Discovery Center

Emu Attack At Our Lodge

Cockatoos At Breakfast

Discovery Center's Cyclone Experience Room

Last Walk To The Beach

Exmouth was really built by the Americans as an observation post during the war with Japan and later as a nuclear sub tracking and communication hub during the Cold War.  It is proud of the fact that both Americans and Australians came together to share their cultures in the small community.

Randall’s nephew Graham worked in this community for Bristow Helicopters for a time so we took advantage of local knowledge to have beers at the Potshot and dinner at the Fish Club.

It was a long drive through endless nothing but we are still glad we did it!  We are equally glad to be able to drop the rental car at the airport and fly back to Perth.

A quick virus world update.  Air Canada has canceled our flight on April 1 without giving us any options.  They have left us stranded.  It is impossible to contact Air Canada.  They do not answer their phones or emails.  We have now booked a flight to Melbourne on Tuesday and to Hong Kong with Cathay Pacific the following day.  Fingers crossed, we will arrive in Vancouver Wednesday afternoon if all goes well.