Exmouth

After the rush of the whole whale whark thing it is going to be hard to top that as an experience. Having said that the magic thing about this place (and if I win Oz Lotto this week I will move here) is the range to the reef. You literally can see the Cape Range and the Ningaloo Reef from much of the coastline and it is truly stunning scenery. 

Yardie Creek - Part of the Cape Range

I set off to see what I could see. I'd picked up some cheap snorkelling equipment from one of the nice people in the dive shop at Exmouth and because of the diet had to buy a new pair of swimmers so I thought it best I get my moneys worth. I can't believe its winter and you can still go swimming. There were a number of recommended spots to go snorkelling along the Cape Range coast line so I headed there to try a few out.

Before I went snorkelling however I did what I thought was going to be a short walk along Yardie Creek (pictured above). 750 metres return seemed like a doddle. I had my best bush walking slippers on (I'm always prepared for these things) and half a bottle of water. Now it got up to 30 degrees today (I wonder how it is back east?) and staying hydrated was going to be an issue. This was a pretty tough walk with loose and craggy surfaces every where I put my feet. There were snakes along the way plus I had to scramble up and down the side of a couple of gorges to get where I was going. The views were fabulous and absolutely worth it but next time (and I say this every time) I will be better prepared. 

I really like Exmouth. What I find so appealing about the place is that no one's a local. The town was founded in 1967 and has a population of only 1,300. The entire town was born somewhere else so there are no old families, there are no old hierarchies, everyone seems to be just going about their business and getting along with each other. It has a really nice vibe.  

After my trek along Yardie Creek I then headed to the Oyster Stacks and did some snorkelling, getting myself a number of coral cuts along the way (its the best way to get some shark interest when you have blood in the water).

The coral was a little bit dull but the fish were fantastic. From there I headed to Turquoise Bay which was absolutely stunning. Again more coral and fish but not as good as the Oyster Stacks.

The other interesting thing about the town is that it was visited by Harold Holt (the Australian Prime Minister who drowned off Portsea while trying to impress a girl). In his honour (posthumously) they have named a submarine communication facility. Now I don't know about you but a submarine installation named after a drowned ex Prime Minister smacks of just a little humour. So our drowned rat deceased PM Mr Harold Holt has his name live on in the form of a military communications facility that specialises in talking to submerged submarines. I truly love it!

So thank you Harold for still giving us so much pleasure even almost 50 years after your death. I start the trip north to Broome tomorrow so I'm thinking I won't have much to report. Either way I will post again soon.