Above Pinnacle Dessert
Above Harry Jakes Point Kalbarri
Above Harry Jakes Point Kalbarri
Above Jakes Point Kalbarri!! Tomestones @ Gnaraloo!!
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Exmouth WA
Hello there, is any body there????? I know it seems like we have just fallen off the face of the earth, but we are just traveling through the communication impaired and frequently impossible Western Australian outback. Well we are back in cyber space for a small and hopefully more regular period.
Today finds us in sunny and windy Exmouth. Last blogg we had just arrived back in oz after Peru and US. Let us fill in the blanks for the last 6 weeks.
After a fab trip overseas we arrived back to a sunny Perth. We spent a week here re grouping and exploring. We had an overnight trip to Rottnest Island which was great. Off to the Pinnacles we went. We decided to ride through this limestone finger desert on our bikes which was fantastic. See pics.
We then hit the road and head for Geralton, stayed at Greenough River mouth and surfed fun waves. Next head off to Kalbarri. Arrived at Jakes Point to 8 foot bombs, not a good way start the heaviest wave in Australia. As Harry learnt he had his best go downs on the smaller days with a good mopping over the reef. Did a bit of fishing and caught and threw back about 2 dozen tiny nemos. Great for kids big and small. Meet up with some great families whom we continued to travel on with for a while. After 5 days at Kalbarri we made our way to Shark Bay/Denham/Monkey Mia. Much to Harry and Piper surprise there was NO monkeys only man eating mosquitos and untouchable dolphins. We were going to spend a week here but the mossies were so bad we left after two nights. So bad in fact they bombed the entire town after we left. Monkey Mia was great for the kids they got to experience dolphins close up and feed them fish BUT no touchy touch unlike Seaworld USA, much to Marlon’s disappointment. Although a Pelican did try and eat Marlon for lunch!!!
From Shark bay we drove to Carnavon to refuel, water and food up before heading into Gnaraloo. Great fruit and veggies!! Then off to Gnaraloo. 2 hour sandy road into 3 mile camp was a good work out for the van. Had booked months ago so had a fantastic site right on beach front next to lagoon. Wow what an amazing place. Simple existence, luke warm, low pressure, salty bore water showers, toilets and open camp fires. BYO everything else including copius amounts of h2o. No mobile phone reception. We ended up extending and spent a total of 5 weeks in here with 3 trips to Carnavon for supplies an friends. It was fantastic, best place we have been to date. Surf was great, lots of variety depending upon the conditions. The Lagoon out front was sheltered and housed an abundance of tropical coral, fish and turtles in less than 2 metres of water. So many fish that one day melis had a swim got out and was chatting and thought that she had a bug crawl into her bather bottoms but on examination pulled out a 10cm fish. Every day we would snorkel. The water was warm and clear. Simple stunning. The kids loved snorkeling and paddle boarding around the lagoon.
After a week a good friend of ours Jeff Sweeney arrived solo to spend a week with us. We had good weather and surf and lots of fun. Surfing turtles and Tombstones. Camping next to us were the 4 Rye lads, Hank, Flash, Rob and Kelvin!! We had a great time with them too. Hey Sweens jokes over!! But we were only alone for 2 days for Paul Trigger and Simon Forward arrived. They had hired a caravan up the back but when they arrived and opened up it had not been used this season. It was full of mice, spiders and dirt. So after about 2 minutes discussion they moved into Parklane and the East wing at Camp Harrison (aka small tent). We had a really interesting 10 days with them including one day that it rained for 24 hours straight and flood out the place. See muddy pics of Piper and Marlon. We had great waves with the fellas. After 10 great days they hit the sky too! 2 days later Dawnie and Brucie (aka mum and dad) came to join us for 8 days. We had a great time lots of laughs, snorkels and camp fires. Another highlight was Harry and Piper surfing Tomestones on the tandem. Fantastic!! See the pics. We took them to Carnavon and hit the road ourselves for Warroora station.
After plenty of tears of departed grandparents from Piper we arrived at a Warrorra. We followed a seedy 4wd track into Stephens a huge test for the van. We stayed here and had a great 3 days. Surf was small but clean and fun. Harry caught a 5 foot reef shark by the tail in the shorebreak at Warrora while about to paddle out for a surf and feed the entire camp. But the challenge of getting out of the camp up a huge sandy, curvy, mountain track was huge. But we did it much to our relief without destroying the car or van.
We then head off to Coral bay for a couple of nights. We spent our time snorkeling and paddle boarding around the bay. Nice but not as pretty as Gnaraloo lagoon and lots of people. Off to Exmouth we head to meet up with our friend form Peru Frank Hayter. Arrived to stormy unsetteled weather. First day drove into the Cape Range National park exploring to mouth of Yardie creek. Nice. Then we drove back to Turquoise bay for a drift snorkel. You drop into one end of the lagoon and the currents take you to the other end over the coral. Frank and Melis went first seeing plenty including a pair of 7 foot reef sharks directly under them. Harry, Frank and Piper went second of course stretching the realm and swimming out further and closer to the exit reef drift than anyone else with a outstanding last minute exit from the lagoon just missing the huge current to the outer reef. Very memorable to say the least.
Yesterday we all had a small offshore surf at the Dunes at Lighthouse. Piper had a great surf getting heaps of waves and even surfing with turtles and dugongs. Fishing in the afternoon catching heaps of little coral things but barely a meal. The wind is up and we have a week further here. Hope the surf improves but you can’t complain its warm and sunny unlike home!! Bad luck!! Living the eternal summer. Thinking of you all keep safe. A huge congratulations to Sam and Des on the early arrival of their son. Drop us an email all.
Today finds us in sunny and windy Exmouth. Last blogg we had just arrived back in oz after Peru and US. Let us fill in the blanks for the last 6 weeks.
After a fab trip overseas we arrived back to a sunny Perth. We spent a week here re grouping and exploring. We had an overnight trip to Rottnest Island which was great. Off to the Pinnacles we went. We decided to ride through this limestone finger desert on our bikes which was fantastic. See pics.
We then hit the road and head for Geralton, stayed at Greenough River mouth and surfed fun waves. Next head off to Kalbarri. Arrived at Jakes Point to 8 foot bombs, not a good way start the heaviest wave in Australia. As Harry learnt he had his best go downs on the smaller days with a good mopping over the reef. Did a bit of fishing and caught and threw back about 2 dozen tiny nemos. Great for kids big and small. Meet up with some great families whom we continued to travel on with for a while. After 5 days at Kalbarri we made our way to Shark Bay/Denham/Monkey Mia. Much to Harry and Piper surprise there was NO monkeys only man eating mosquitos and untouchable dolphins. We were going to spend a week here but the mossies were so bad we left after two nights. So bad in fact they bombed the entire town after we left. Monkey Mia was great for the kids they got to experience dolphins close up and feed them fish BUT no touchy touch unlike Seaworld USA, much to Marlon’s disappointment. Although a Pelican did try and eat Marlon for lunch!!!
From Shark bay we drove to Carnavon to refuel, water and food up before heading into Gnaraloo. Great fruit and veggies!! Then off to Gnaraloo. 2 hour sandy road into 3 mile camp was a good work out for the van. Had booked months ago so had a fantastic site right on beach front next to lagoon. Wow what an amazing place. Simple existence, luke warm, low pressure, salty bore water showers, toilets and open camp fires. BYO everything else including copius amounts of h2o. No mobile phone reception. We ended up extending and spent a total of 5 weeks in here with 3 trips to Carnavon for supplies an friends. It was fantastic, best place we have been to date. Surf was great, lots of variety depending upon the conditions. The Lagoon out front was sheltered and housed an abundance of tropical coral, fish and turtles in less than 2 metres of water. So many fish that one day melis had a swim got out and was chatting and thought that she had a bug crawl into her bather bottoms but on examination pulled out a 10cm fish. Every day we would snorkel. The water was warm and clear. Simple stunning. The kids loved snorkeling and paddle boarding around the lagoon.
After a week a good friend of ours Jeff Sweeney arrived solo to spend a week with us. We had good weather and surf and lots of fun. Surfing turtles and Tombstones. Camping next to us were the 4 Rye lads, Hank, Flash, Rob and Kelvin!! We had a great time with them too. Hey Sweens jokes over!! But we were only alone for 2 days for Paul Trigger and Simon Forward arrived. They had hired a caravan up the back but when they arrived and opened up it had not been used this season. It was full of mice, spiders and dirt. So after about 2 minutes discussion they moved into Parklane and the East wing at Camp Harrison (aka small tent). We had a really interesting 10 days with them including one day that it rained for 24 hours straight and flood out the place. See muddy pics of Piper and Marlon. We had great waves with the fellas. After 10 great days they hit the sky too! 2 days later Dawnie and Brucie (aka mum and dad) came to join us for 8 days. We had a great time lots of laughs, snorkels and camp fires. Another highlight was Harry and Piper surfing Tomestones on the tandem. Fantastic!! See the pics. We took them to Carnavon and hit the road ourselves for Warroora station.
After plenty of tears of departed grandparents from Piper we arrived at a Warrorra. We followed a seedy 4wd track into Stephens a huge test for the van. We stayed here and had a great 3 days. Surf was small but clean and fun. Harry caught a 5 foot reef shark by the tail in the shorebreak at Warrora while about to paddle out for a surf and feed the entire camp. But the challenge of getting out of the camp up a huge sandy, curvy, mountain track was huge. But we did it much to our relief without destroying the car or van.
We then head off to Coral bay for a couple of nights. We spent our time snorkeling and paddle boarding around the bay. Nice but not as pretty as Gnaraloo lagoon and lots of people. Off to Exmouth we head to meet up with our friend form Peru Frank Hayter. Arrived to stormy unsetteled weather. First day drove into the Cape Range National park exploring to mouth of Yardie creek. Nice. Then we drove back to Turquoise bay for a drift snorkel. You drop into one end of the lagoon and the currents take you to the other end over the coral. Frank and Melis went first seeing plenty including a pair of 7 foot reef sharks directly under them. Harry, Frank and Piper went second of course stretching the realm and swimming out further and closer to the exit reef drift than anyone else with a outstanding last minute exit from the lagoon just missing the huge current to the outer reef. Very memorable to say the least.
Yesterday we all had a small offshore surf at the Dunes at Lighthouse. Piper had a great surf getting heaps of waves and even surfing with turtles and dugongs. Fishing in the afternoon catching heaps of little coral things but barely a meal. The wind is up and we have a week further here. Hope the surf improves but you can’t complain its warm and sunny unlike home!! Bad luck!! Living the eternal summer. Thinking of you all keep safe. A huge congratulations to Sam and Des on the early arrival of their son. Drop us an email all.
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