Well, what an amazing first day! Staying at the freecamp the night before, we were talking to some travellers who had not booked at Exmouth/Cape Range NP, and could not get in. Apparently, it is so busy at the moment people are lining up for a site, so although we were disappointed, we decided to forgo Exmouth and head to Coral Bay where we could at least swim and enjoy the Ningaloo Reef for the day and head further south to another rest area in the evening.
Just as we parked on the beachfront at Coral Bay, a kind man walked across the road with his family and popped his head in our window and said"are you looking for a van site?" When we explained what had happened and what our plans were, he said we could have their site as they needed to leave 2 days early, and the park would not refund them. We were gobsmacked! Gods generosity through others just amazes us sometimes! He wouldn't take anything for it as it was his gift (and the van parks loss for not refunding...he didn't want them making more money on a site they wouldn't refund). So, after settling in our site, we spent the afternoon swimming in the Ningaloo Reef, feeding fish, and bathing in the Artesian fed, warm pool...we are still pinching ourselves! The water is always around 50 degrees and salty which all of Coral Bay uses for everything but drinking, so it is pretty different having steaming salt water coming out of most of the taps!
Sunday was much the same as the day before, with swimming, sand play, fish feeding the Reef Fish, and more swimming, finishing the day off with an outdoor Family Movie on the lawn beside the bay in the evening. What a special weekend...a little relaxing, seaside treat for us in this gorgeous little part of the world! (And just a few days before Bries birthday).
On Monday we pack up and say goodbye to Coral Bay, while it drizzles with rain! This is the first rain we have seen since March in Queensland, so it is actually pretty exciting for us, even though it interfers a bit with packing up!
We arrived in Carnarvon on Tuesday and settled at the Coral Coast Van Park with the most impressive Ablutions Block ever!!! All individual shower and toilet rooms to enjoy! In the afternoon, we made our way down to 1 Mile Jetty (one of the longest in Australia) and the Railway Museum, and walked the distance down the very windy Jetty! So windy, we held onto Reuben and Brie incase they were blown off the end! Carnarvon also has fresh fruit and vege farms surrounding it, and it was so nice to get good quality fresh fruit and veges, much better than we have seen in the last 1000kms or so.
On Wednesday, Brienna turned 9, so it was a very exciting day! After present opening, we had the day off school and went for a picnic lunch to Pt Quobba where we watched the most amazing king waves and blowholes show, such a wild and wooly coastline! We spent some time trying our hardest to tie a tarpoline to the side of a shelter for protection from the wind, (which would have been quite hilarious to watch as an onlooker!) and gave up and resigned to sit beside the car to eat. On the way back, we checked out the lighthouse and 360 degree views of Pt Quobba. We came back to Carnarvon for dinner at a Chinese Restaurant for Bries birthday tea to finish off her Birthday Celebrations.
On Thursday, after packing up, we spent the morning at the Carnarvon Space and Technology Museum for school. A great learning experience and climb up the dish that served as the tracker satellite when man first went to the moon.
Our next little adventure is a visit to the Dolphins...
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