A Week in Exmouth

I arrived in Exmouth at lunchtime after a very long night with little sleep. The bus stopped at the visitors centre, and from there it was a short walk to the hostel. I checked in and discovered that I had a room to myself? What luxury! I was shocked, but made the most of it, choosing the best bed and spreading my things.

I decided to walk back to the visitor centre to find something to do with the rest of the day. It was a sweaty walk and I was glad to find air con when I arrived. After looking through one hundred and one different leaflets and brochures, I gave up and sought help from the desk. A very lovely lady told me everything I needed to know, where to go and what to do. I booked on to a sunset whale tour for that very evening and had a browse through what she had recommended. I then realised the time, I'd have to rush back if I was to make my pick up!

I hot footed it to the hostel and grabbed my camera. I just made it to reception in time, the bus was just parking up. We were driven down to the marina where we met the boat. It was lush. We had three crew members for our tour, Jared was skipper, Brooke a marine biologist, and Cindy was our host/chef. Once we were all settled, and briefed on safety, we set off. Jared spotted humpback whales immediately, straight out the front of the boat.

I went straight to the top of the boat for a better look, and there was a mum and calf. I had never seen them so close before, and they looked so much larger than I had expected. Especially taking into consideration the fact that not even half of their mass was visible to us above the water. The calf was playing around, splashing mum and making waves. Brooke explained to us that the main ways they spot the whales are through such activity, their blows, the way the sun will reflect off of their backs, and the large "footprints" left from them moving through the water.

We were treated to canapes while we watched. It wasn't long until they got bored of us and swam off. Jared drove us to another part of the gulf, and soon we discovered another pair of humpbacks. Brooke thought that these were sleeping, as they were barely moving and were very close to the surface. She told us that the whales rest half of their brain at a time; because they are conscious breathers, one half must stay awake and alert to ensure breaths are taken. Fascinating.

As they didn't seem to look like they were going anywhere, the guys lowered a sonogram device thing into the water. The sound of whale song resonating through the water took my breath away. It was beautiful to hear, like a lullaby. While we were serenaded, Cindy brought around hot turkish bread, crudites and dips. Can't be bad. The singers finally woke up, and bid us farewell with a blow or two. I got a nice surprise as mum swam right alongside the boat, where I was sitting.

One last whale pairing was spotted as the sun began to set. It was a beautiful sight, seeing the blows silhouetted against the reddening sky. All too soon, it was back to the marina and back in the bus to the hostel. We were all given discount vouchers to use, I had a whole week in Exmouth so I was sure that would come in handy!

I was pretty full from all the delicious snacks on-board the boat, so didn't feel the need to cook anything else. Instead, I grabbed myself a water and a seat in the bar area. There was live music, and I seemed to know quite a few of the songs. I actually ended up staying until the end of the guy's set, and he commented on my impressive musical knowledge. I had sat and swayed along even if I didn't know the words, and thoroughly enjoyed myself.

~

I amazed myself by sleeping in until 8, and decided to make the most of a lazy morning by reading in bed until 9. It was quite lovely having the room to myself, although I hadn't be able to shut the door properly the night before. I'd settled with rolling a duvet and stuffing it in the crack.

My aim of the morning was to walk down to Town Beach. It was a bit of a longer walk than I had anticipated, and I did consider hiring a bike. Popping into one of the caravan parks, I did find a bike service but couldn't believe the price! Walking would be fine.

On the last stretch down to the beach I was amazed to find myself in a stand-off with a wild emu. I had never been so close to one before, he was so tall and, quite frankly, ugly. I obviously backed away and crossed the road, he wasn't fussed at all and carried on his merry way. That's one to cross of the list!

The beach wasn't as stunning as Cable Beach had been, and definitely wasn't as long either. Still, it was a beautifully sunny day and I enjoyed a stroll along the sand, trying to find a seaweed-free patch to dip my feet. One thing I'd already noticed on the West Coast was how quiet it was, there were only a few other people around!

I only stayed for about an hour before I started to walk back. I found myself at the visitor centre again, this time booking in for a leisurely river cruise in the nearby Cape Range National Park. I then walked through the "town", a very small selection of shops. I did find a shop for the company I had used for my whale tour. After chatting to the lovely lady for a while I ended up booking another excursion for later in the week. Turtle snorkelling - how exciting!

Finally back at the hostel, I spent the rest of the afternoon chilling by the pool. Because we were attached to a hotel resort, the pool was actually pretty nice. It was the cleanest I'd seen and I had no qualms splashing around in there, cooling off. I seemed to have it to myself for a while too, which was wonderful!

Ben and I had planned to discuss New Zealand bits. I decided to stay outside, claiming a poolside table for our Skype call. As always, it was longer than anticipated. But the planning was almost complete, it wouldn't be long now until our reunion.

~

I woke up early to prep for my tour, walking to IGA to pick up breakfast and lunch. "Boxy" picked me up right on time and I found that I was the only passenger! We had a quick chat and then he let me gaze out of the window. This was my first time heading the opposite way from the Gulf, and towards the Ningaloo Reef. It was a glorious day and I loved watching the landscape change.

Our first stop was at the Milyering Visitor Centre. Boxy gave me ten minutes to have a little explore, pointing out a few roos cooling off in the shade. I went on a little hunt for more, but only finding a dozen galah instead. They're like pigeons, but really loud and pink. Apparently they are now more of a pest, they are known to bully other birds!

After a quick visit to the "Bush Loo", we began our drive in to Cape Range National Park. The surroundings reminded me so much of Uluru, a similar arid landscape, red sand and grassy plants. We arrived at Yardie Creek half an hour before the cruise. I had a wander down to the coast, climbing over the dunes to reach the sea. It was really windy, I had to hold my hat!

I then walked back and down to the creek itself. Here, I joined a group of others watching Boxy turn the 'tinny' around and park it alongside the jetty. I seemed to be the youngest there! I found a seat and, once we were all on board, Boxy gave us a brief history of the area and of the creek itself. We were then given a folder to pass around containing photographs of past communities, families that have always lived and cared for Cape Range.

Our cruise along the creek was lovely, very leisurely despite the wind. Boxy pointed out black flanked rock wallabies. It's a good job he knew where to spot them, they were very well camouflaged, hiding amongst the rocks. We were also shown egrets and nests from multiple other birds - ospreys and bower birds. We reached the end of the creek, where a rock wall had been built by Aboriginal hunters to spear fish.

We meandered back downstream, finding more wallabies and birds along the way. Boxy also showed us some rare pink mangroves, alongside where the creek used to finish. Severe rainfall had opened it out to the sea, allowing an amalgamation of salt and fresh water and an abundance of wildlife.

While Boxy took another cruise, I had an hour or so to explore. I headed for the Yardie Creek Bush Walk, to see the creek from above and get a decent view of the Ningaloo too! I first took the pathway alongside the creek, up above the gorge. I read the information boards about the fauna and flora, and chatted to a couple that had been on the boat with me. I then headed away over to the beginning of the bush track while they headed off.

I soon found myself climbing over rocks, looking for the white signposts along the way. It was nice to go down on level with the creek, sheltered between the cliff faces from the wind. It was a pretty good walk, certainly worked the old legs! I reached the end and found myself with an impressive view over the national parks, Cape Range and beyond to Ningaloo Reef. The colours were incredible, contrasting reds, greens and blues.

I sat on the comfiest rock I could find and ate my lunch. The walk down was much quicker and I made it back in time to watch Boxy moor the boat at the jetty. I jumped in the van and was taken back to the hostel. I arrived about 3ish and decided the best way to spend the rest of the day would be to lounge by the pool. I read and napped and enjoyed the sunshine.

As the sun started to set, I set off for a walk. I wanted to chase the sunset, and find a good viewpoint to watch the daylight fade. I followed the back of the hotel and found myself in a residential area. I kept on this same path and was soon in the middle of a field, alone, enjoying the gorgeous sunset in front of me.

I returned to the hostel and cooked up a quick risotto. I wanted an early night, I had my first dive since Cairns the next day! I packed a bag, and made sure my camera was charged. I was in bed watching Hercules by 8 o'clock.

~

I dressed quickly in the morning and tucked into my breakfast bar on the way to the Dive Centre. Luckily it was a stone's throw away from my room, before I even reached the building I could see that the doors were closed. It clearly wasn't a 7am meet as I had thought, checking my notes I realised it was in fact 7.30! I kept myself amused by heading back to the room and reading.

At the proper time, I walked over the carpark. There were a few more cars now, and the doors were open. The lady on reception was very nice, offering me a cuppa while I signed my life away. I would be using Nitrox for the first time, this meant longer dives. I was so excited to get back out into the water!

The rest of the group arrived gradually, I was definitely the youngest! There were six others; Mark and Mallou, Tim, Todd, David, and Magnus. Our guide, Mat, got us kitted up and we were told that it would be too windy to head out to our original destination (Murion Islands) and that we would be exploring the reef instead. This was fine with me!

At the harbour, we carried our stuff onto the boat and met our skipper, Andrew. On the way out I had a good chat with Todd and Tim. I watched the waves too, just in case I spotted anything! We did see a few turtles, bobbing up for air. Soon it was time to put wetsuits on and kit up. Magnus gave me a hand attaching my tank to my BCD, for some reason I was really struggling. As it was only my tenth dive, Mat was to be my buddy.

The dive site was called "The Labyrinth", I wasn't keen on getting lost so aimed to just follow Mat around like a lost puppy. The water was cooler than in the tropics, so we had to wear thicker wet suits, I was hoping it wouldn't be too cold! Jumping into the water, I actually found it quite pleasant. We all then had to complete a buoyancy check. This was when I learned that I definitely didn't have enough weight. Mat sorted me out and I was good to begin my free descent.

Down at the bottom, I noticed a few of the guys pointing at me. There must have been something out of sorts with my tank as the lads were soon fiddling around behind me. Despite mine and Magnus' best efforts, we can't have strapped it on tight enough! Once that was sorted, we followed Mat over to the beginning of the reef and then split into our buddies.

I kept getting distracted by the fish and looking around to find Mat way behind. I would happily follow the tiny little fish everywhere. I'd never seen fish so small, they hid in the coral well. It was only if you stared long enough you could spot a shimmer or a ripple, the tiniest movement, that would give them away. There were plenty of bigger fish swimming around us too, rainbow fish and I think I even saw barracuda.

Back at the concrete we buddied up to head to the surface. Just as this was happening, I spotted a shark. An actual shark! I was so shocked. It wasn't a great white or anything, probably just a nursing shark, it swam by quite quickly. I was so happy to have finally seen one. Once we were all out of the water and drying off, I asked the others if they had seen it too. Only Todd had, but at least I knew I hadn't been imagining things!

My bottom time had been 42mins, my longest yet. During our surface time, we helped ourselves to cheese toasties and set up our second tank. I had a few people check that mine was secure enough, before sitting down to eat even more toasties. They were delicious! Andrew drove to our next site, Blizzard Ridge, and we were soon getting ready again.

I was one of the first in this time round, and quickly swam to the back of the boat to reach the reef. Another free descent and we were amongst schools of fish. I immediately thought of Finding Nemo, and had to stop. I hadn't quite worked out how to laugh with my regulator in yet. Mat showed us a sleeping sea snake, and a lion fish too. As we were moving along and around the ridge, another snake swam right underneath me.

During our 49mins at the bottom, we saw so much other wildlife. Mat was very excited to show us a nudi branch, it was tiny but very colourful. There was also an odd half-catfish-half-eel thing that would tickle your fingers if you shuffled the sand. It was actually quite cute. At our safety stop, Tim pointed out the biggest bat fish I have ever seen. He was bigger than my head and just casually swimming around us!

Onboard the boat, we could finally take off our wetsuits. It was a relief to say the least. And now I could attempt to tan while I tucked into lunch. It was a little windy, so I stuffed my salad into a roll with some chicken. Didn't want it blowing away! I also piled my plate with potato salad, pasta and other cold meats. The crew were kind enough to wash our gear, so I headed to the bow to sit and watch the waves.

All of a sudden, Andrew turned away from the marina - he had spotted whales! We cruised over and turned the engine off to watch them for a while. We all gathered on the bow and were amazed to see them stick around, it was a mother and calf humpback pairing. A wonderful end to our day at sea!

We collected our belongings together and helped the guys take everything to the trailer. This involved a rather fun production line, passing down the heavy tanks. Some of the lads could carry two, but I wasn't even going to try! We then piled in the van and were driven back to the centre. I ran back to my room to grab my dive log - barging in on my new roomie - and ran back. When I say ran, I mean walked fast(ish). 

With a refund organised and my dive log filled, I wandered back to the room to meet my new friend. I couldn't help but recognise the girl, and then realised I'd met her on the integrity bus on my journey down. Marianne had stopped off for a night en route, but was now in Exmouth with me until the next bus. We had a good chat, learning where each other had been and what we wanted to do. We decided to be travel buddies for the rest of our West Coast adventures.

I was too hot sitting in the room so took myself down to the pool to relax and cool off. After a quick swim I had fun trying to organise my buses. As darkness began to fall, I headed back to the room. Surprise. We now had two more roommates. I'd gone from none to three in the space of a few hours! They were very sweet Chinese girls on a road trip, Helen and Abbey.

Marianne had been shopping so offered to share her lasagne with me. I had some carrots and dip to add to the mix. We ended up with a decent two-course meal between us. It was all too much fun for one night and, with a boat tour booked with M in the morning, it was best to get an early night.

~

We were up nice and early, we had dressed, packed bags, bought breakfast and still had time to spare before our 8am pick up. M and I grabbed the front seat behind our driver, Chad. It was a full bus with people of all ages.

Our first stop was at Mildura Wreck, with the tide low we could see the old cattle ship on the rocks. Four hundred and ninety eight cattle nearly all died when the ship crashed, the crew managed to swim ashore. It wasn't too far from the beach, but it was the coral reefs that caught them out. Even from our viewpoint I could already see the difference in depths of water, the varying blues where the reef was higher.

We met our skipper Alec at the Tantabiddi boat ramp. He was a little bit crazy, I liked him. We filed on to the boat, either side of the glass bottom. It already looked so cool down there and we'd barely moved. M and I were right at the end near Alec, so it was a little difficult to get any photos through the glass. I decided to just watch and enjoy instead. We saw so many different fish swimming below us amongst the colourful coral. A female turtle even paid us a visit! Alec showed us some of the oldest bommies on the site, they were massive and we floated just above them. One was over five hundred years old!

We anchored down in a sandy patch and were given a snorkel and fins. Time to explore the reefs. I was one of the first in the water, I couldn't wait to get out there. The current was quite strong, but it was great to just let it take me over to the coral. I had already discovered massive bommies, a feeding station and dozens of parrot fish before I even realised Marianne was nowhere to be seen. I swam back to the boat to drop off my fins (they had been scraping on the coral) and see if she was okay. Turns out, she just wasn't too keen on the old snorkelling thing.

I had swam back out to explore the other side and found the coral even closer to the surface. I could barely swim above it! I found amazingly bright purple and blue corals, with tiny fish weaving in and out. The current seemed stronger and I could barely stay where I wanted. I headed back to the boat and realised that pretty much everyone else was already on-board! There was one more person to return after me, clearly we'd been having too much fun.

It was colder out of the water without any sunshine on my back. The breeze also picked up on our way to the deeper water. I dried off as best as I could, luckily distracted by all the marine life flashing past the glass bottom. We had to slow down so that Alec could navigate the waters, he had even older coral to show us. It was massive at a very impressive one thousand years old. How amazing that it would continue to grow, well protected by the marine national park.

Back to shore, we thanked Alec and I practically ran to the loo. I was desperate, and also wanted to dry a little better and put some clothes on! We took our seats on the bus and Chad drove us to the famous Vlamingh Head Lighthouse. At the top of the hill was an amazing panoromic view of both the Gulf and the Ningaloo Reef, even the Cape Range National Park. It was absolutely stunning.

At the hostel, I had a small lunch of noodles and took myself off to the pool. I read for a while and then was surprised to find Åsa joining me! She was staying for a few days on her road trip down the coast. We caught up on each other's adventures and I introduced her to Marianne when she appeared. We had wanted to find somewhere to watch the sunset, as had Åsa. They had the van, so were planning on going to the lighthouse.

Determined to join, but with only three seats in the van, I volunteered to lie in the back. Unfortunately, I was the only one that actually knew the way, resulting in me craning my neck to see out of the window and shouting directions. It was quite funny and the journey wasn't too bad. Luckily it was quite short!

There were lots of other people with the same idea, and the lighthouse was crowded with us all waiting for the sun to set. It really was beautiful, watching the sun glow on the water as it slowly began to disappear. I loved how the red and Brown colours of cape range were enhanced by the golden rays, it was enchanting. We stayed until it was nearly completely dark before piling back into the van. This time, I got the front seat while Åsa took the back.

Hungry for dinner, M and I cooked up what food we had left between us, mainly potatoes and carrots. We treated ourselves to some chocolate too and some nice ice water from the bar. I was so tired that come 9ish I had retired to read in bed.

~

Off on another tour, I was picked up at 7ish by Jared from Ocean Eco Adventures again. This time, I was going to be snorkelling with turtles. We had a few troubles on the pick up, with people being late. I got chatting to a lovely couple from New Zealand and we all had a good whinge about time-keeping. Finally, with sixteen of us on board, we could make our way to the marina.

I was happy to be greeted by the same crew as before, with the addition of Jimmy the skipper. I was offered a cuppa while he chatted to us about boat safety. We were then given a quick lesson on snorkelling, before being let loose on breakfast. This had to be my first day tour with breakfast provided, I was so excited I piled my plate with toast and grabbed another cup of tea.

Brooke (the marine biologist) met us all on the upper level to talk about turtles. There are seven species of turtles, five of which lived in and around the Gulf and Ningaloo Reef. She was hoping that we would see green turtles and loggerheads, those being the most common. We were instructed to give the turtles space, and not to block their route to the surface. We were then divided into two teams, I was with Cindy. We were offered wetsuits, but I knew from the day before that it wasn't that cold.

On our first drop we didn't see any turtles at first, just beautiful coral and fish. I was enjoying being back in the water again, and casually swimming along. All of a sudden Cindy spotted something. Dolphins. We swam as fast as we could in their direction, but they were far too quick for us! Some of the group saw glimpses of them, but, being at the back, all I saw were splashes from the others. We followed the reef back along, still not spotting any turtles, and climbed back on board.

Jimmy drove a little bit further out, and we were back in the water. Almost immediately, a loggerhead was swimming by. He was gorgeous, we followed for a while. I loved how graceful he was, just gliding through the water. We let him be and swam away. Cindy pointed out a sting ray at the bottom, it was very well camouflaged but we were able to see it slowly move away.

Swimming around some more, we found another male loggerhead, this time a lot smaller. He was very curious, and swam right up to us! I tried to move out of his way, but he was persistent and continued to visit each of us in turn. It was amazing to see him up close, I could have reached out and touched him! Happy, we swam back to the boat.

It was time for a spot of lunch. There was an amazing spread, I helped myself to a chicken roll, salad, cous cous, greek salad, and a funky pear salad. While we were eating, the guys called out for us to look over the side. There were two turtles mating near the surface. We left them to it and quickly finished our food in the hope of finding them once they had separated.

We were dropped off but couldn't see one turtle, let alone two. They must have moved away. We were about to hop back on-board when Jimmy spotted one straight out behind us. He was a small green turtle, and very fast, we lost him quite quickly. We all jumped back on the boat and were whizzed to another site. We were back in the water within seconds, and found ourselves amongst many a young juvenile. These guys were also pretty quick, but we did manage to keep up for a little while.

Being constantly in and out of the water was making me hungry, and luckily they read my mind. Afternoon tea was served. A few nibbles, savoury and sweet, kept the hunger at bay and gave me enough energy for one last snorkel. We had moved into the gulf now, en route back to the marina.

Sliding into the water, I followed Cindy along a crack in the reef. Apparently, they liked to nap or hide along there. What do you know, a small green turtle came to pay us a visit. He swam by slowly, but was clearly on a mission. I was happy just to observe. We then looked at some softer corals and smaller fish, and may have even had a leopard shark swim by. We didn't see it, but Jimmy shouted down to us that he had seen one. Exciting!

I was so tired by this point I was ready to head back. We gave our equipment in and I was glad to finally dry off and have a little lie down. It may have turned into a mini nap! When I woke up we were closer to the shore, and all of a sudden Jimmy stopped. Humpbacks! I scrambled to get my camera and a good view as we watched the family swim alongside the boat. We had one last talk, this time from Cindy, on the history of Exmouth, and were then offered fruit and pastries for the last leg home.

Marianne was off on the whale watching that night, so we pretty much swapped. I got off the bus, while she was waiting to get on! As I'd eaten all of my food the night before, it was off to the IGA. I bought some groceries for the last few days in Exmouth and then treated myself to a well deserved nap by the pool. I even had it to myself for a short time, going in for a quick dip to wake up. Bliss.

I met with Åsa and we cooked together, I had vegetable pasta. We ate, chatted and researched. M returned and showed us some awesome pictures of her whale watch. Back at the room, we had two more roommates. I hoped no-one snored, I was so ready for a good night's sleep.

~

I was so determined to finish my book (Lord of the Rings) that I stayed in bed all morning. I didn't get my breakfast until 9ish, just before the room emptied. We bid farewell to Helen and Abbey, hoping to see then further down the coast. It was back down to the two of us now.

We had a lazy morning, finally leaving the hostel to get ice cream from the IGA. We ate them on the walk to Town Beach. I was surprised to see emus again. This time there was a whole family, much closer to town, and very nosey. I didn't fancy getting too close so we quickly crossed the road.

We arrived at the beach in no time, it was such a bright day that the sea was like glass. It was amazing, so clear that we could see almost to the horizon. We found a spot on the beach and watched the waves ripple along the sand. It wasn't long before I had drifted to sleep, listening to the sound of the ocean.

I woke myself up with a dip in the sea, it was surprisingly cool. Finally I was actually able to swim without feeling like I was in bath water! I swam a few lengths parallel to the beach and then went to dry off. By this point, the sand was very hot. I felt like a right plonker, hopping across the scorching beach to my towel. We decided it was best to move to the grassy area, where we hopefully wouldn't burn our feet.

When we had first arrived, we'd spotted a food truck and had made plans for lunch. But, when it reached lunchtime, it was nowhere to be seen. I was most disappointed. To take my mind off of my stomach, I started a new book. Even that couldn't distract me for long, and we made the decision to walk back and get some food at the hostel.

With noodles in my belly, I was much happier. It was time to face the laundry and start packing. Unfortunately, there were no washing machines free, and I ended up waiting outside in just my bikini waiting. As it got colder, I grabbed my sarong and my kindle. I was finally able to use a machine, although it did mean hanging my clothes on the line in the dark.

I was showered and in bed by 8.30, ready for one last morning in Exmouth before the next destination.

~

Within minutes of waking up, I had been to check on my washing. Unfortunately, it wasn't dry just yet. Luckily, our bus wasn't until 1.30. I packed as best I could without the garments in question. I then chilled out, ate breakfast, lay by the pool, read some more, and wrote some of this.

It was a lazy day, and sometimes that's just what you need. Gathering my food bits from the kitchen, I was met by a couple flying out that day. They had been on a road-trip and had some spare foods and other bits and bobs to donate. I came away with a can of oil, salt and pepper, beans and pasta. A case of 'right place, right time'.

Finally, my clothes were dry and packed away and we were on our way to the visitor centre. I had an awesome time in Exmouth, exploring the underwater world and meeting a new travel buddy.