PERTH

Well hi to all a change to plans from last blog, this is what has occurred. WEDNESDAY 30 NOV....After a windy night and getting up a couple of times the wind has eased a little so we go for a walk to Dynamite Bay which behind the Van Park. This is the Bay that we drove past back in 08 that we loved & wanted to come back to & swim. Anyway whilst out the wind direction has changed to an Easterly and picked up & when we returned our awning has ripped at the top, approx 30cm and the frame is out as well.

Rans makes calls to the Insurance Co and at this stage is awaiting a reply to see where we have to take it to, so as to replaced. We won't be heading anywhere until then as it will need to be repaired asap otherwise it will rip further & being a pop top it becomes a hassle putting up & down. After seeing the Bewells van we just take this as a minor problem, Oh Well. Later on we went back down to Dynamite Bay and also a small secluded beach (which is totally out of wind) which is to the immediate left of Dynamite Bay.

Here Rans has a fish but does no good (nothing new) but the water is icy, he then goes for a great snorkel and doesn't see any fish but the rocks & underwater holes & caves are AMAZING, he looked for crays, no good. This a great spot, no one else around on your own private beach. How good does it get. We have a few drinks before heading out to watch sunset at Window Rock which was good. A great day.

 THURSDAY 1 DEC.....Well if you think it couldn't get any windier......it does, around 3am the wind changed again and is gusting heaps. We feel like Dorothy & Toto only thing is we aren't in Kansas!! We were going to do some washing but it wouldn't stay on the line it's blowing that much.We find out off AAMI we have to take the van to Perth so it looks like we get to see the Thomsie's a bit earlier, yee haa. We head off to Cervantes stopping first at Jurian Bay which is a nice area, with boardwalks, cafe on the coast & a new jetty.

We had stayed here before so we continued onto Cervantes & booked into the park. It is still windy & we have a couple of problems with putting up the pop top due to the broken awning. We have decided to go to Thomsies tomorrow as the awning is getting fixed on Wednesday & AAMI have decided to get the car fixed as well and this will be done on Monday so we should have both back in top shape by Friday ready to go back Nth or inland to a couple of Nat Parks. After setting up we headed for a drive around town & we went to Lake Thetis which has Stromatolites, which we had been to before, on our last trip

We then went for a walk up to Hansen Bay Lookout which looks over the Cervantes Islands which the town is named after. Rans then had some fish & chips for lunch which he liked. We then went to the Lobster Factory where there is a tour showing from catch to foam box for export, it was very interesting. It is Emirates Airlines second biggest money spinner, just behind passengers!! That's how many get exported to Dubai. 80% of their LIVE lobsters are exported.

We then drove out into the Nambung Nat Park & into the Pinnacles Desert and although we have been here before, it is still "AMAZING" as you drive around these pillars that rise out of the ground, with the ocean in the background.

We then returned for a walk along the beach. Another good day. Hi to all take care & we will send another blog soon. Love Rans & Carolxxxxx

GREEN HEAD TUESDAY 29 NOV 11

Hi to all, hope this finds you all well. Many thanks to all who replied to our last blog/e mail, it was good to hear from you. We have left the other 4 as they are going to Monkey Mia for a few days, we have already been there & done that back in 08, so we are tyring to see things we missed last time. We are currently at Kalbarri, a beautiful town on the Murchison River Mouth. It has great views of the Ocean with a reef following the coast line. Here is what has happened since our last blog. SATURDAY 19 NOV.....We packed up and left Carnarvon which is most probably the most boring town we have been to & we have to return for a day...Oh NO... anyway, we headed nth to the Blowholes which was only 1hr away.

Here we set up camp near the boat ramp but there are a number of camp areas along the coastline. There is only a small sand mound between us & the ocean. We liked the area, its quiet, relaxing & scenic. The four of us ( Sandy & John are still at Exmouth still trying to sort out the fridge problem !) go for a drive to the Blowholes which throw up huge water and the noise is so loud (better than Kiama). We then follow the coastline nth along dirt tracks & road, with us stopping to gather wildflowers & greenery (the girls made 2 posies) We then come to the HMAS Sydney II memorial which overlooks the Ocean with a small rock monument with a flag pole. Later today there is a 70yr memorial for the 645 sailors that lost their lives when a battle occurred between them & the German battleship the Kormeran. When we arrived there is an old man with all his medals attempting to set up the Naval Flag, so with our help we raised the flag pole & flag. We then continued on to Quobba Homestead where there are camping sites. Here the coastline has rugged rock faces, with deep holes which would be great for fishing but the swell is up over 2-3m and the wind has picked up. We then headed back stopping at the Sanctuary Cove which has a great reef which backs onto our camp site. Here we meet up with Phil & Donna who we met somewhere on our trip & they come back to our site for a cuppa. Then the 2 girls along with Donna & Phil (who had a great uncle aboard the Sydney) headed off to the memorial, with Caz & Di giving one posy to Phil to lay at the Memorial..It was a beautiful memorial with us & about 40 locals.

To see the veterans dressed with all their medals, the Indian Ocean with the sun setting behind & then the man played the bugle, very emotional, had to wipe a tear away. After the official wreaths were layed, Donna & Phil layed theirs, a moving moment, then Di & I did ours. It was one of those times when you don't plan something but it will remain a nice memory of the trip. Di & I then headed up to the lighthouse to get phone service to ring our loved ones, what a beautiful view up there,........ Meanwhile Tezz & Rans stayed back at the camp to look after the eskies !!!!. By the time the girls had returned the wind had picked up so we had tea in our own vans & had an early nite or so we thought. The wind blew all night and the van rocked (due to the wind) we had to pull down the pop top as the wind was that strong. SUNDAY 20 NOV....Up early to push the pop top back up! The wind had eased since last night, so we head further down the beach to Black Rock for a fish. As soon as we threw the lines in, the wind picked up again but we continued for a couple of hrs but no success (AGAIN ). Later that arvo we headed down into the Sanctuary and tried our luck for oysters,

Rans got about 2 doz & although they weren't large they were fresh & nice. Terry returned later to try his hand at Squid but the wind again picked up & no good, we meanwhile went down to the coral cove in the Sanctuary & Rans had a snorkel, he said it was good. We then came back and had a shower outside enjoying the freedom, (we couldn't put up the en suite due to the wind) The camp shower was very hot, had to add cold. Another windy night so we pulled the pop top down prior to sleeping but the wind died during the night & it became hot so we pushed it up again. Rans then had the urge to sit..... so here he is sitting outside on the toilet looking up at the stars, he even watched the moon rise at 2.30am.....no not his,  the real moon!! MONDAY 21 NOV...Up early, the wind has died down but the seaweed that has come in is about 2-3ft high on the shore, but again we try and get our line caught up in weed.. yeah I know we are making every excuse, but when we do finally catch a few, then the stories will start!! In the arvo we head up nth again seeing if we can fish off the rocks but the swell is up still so no luck there. Us 2 then head down to the coral cove again and we have a snorkel. Visibility is crap, but the area is shallow so you get a great view of the coral with some great colours and there are heaps of small coloured fish. On a perfect day it would be better than Coral Bay. We sit outside for a time watching the stars which seem to be brighter than most places than that we have been. We like this spot, shame about the wind but we can't have good conditions everyday ( still have not seen rain since mid May !)

. TUESDAY 22 NOV....We went for a walk down the beach this morning and it is like glass, no wind hardly any swell, still heaps of weed but, we head off back to Carnarvon as we are heading sth tomorrow. We pass Sandy & John who have made it down to Carnarvon with the 2nd fridge (which doesn't work) so they gave them a Waeco portable fridge/freezer which also didn't work, so they gave them another one until another fridge (No 3) arrives at Geraldton. oh Boy.... On getting back into Carnarvon we clean the van & car as the salt & sand from the winds is caked on. We then did some shopping & go for a walk by ourselves out to the 1 mile Jetty. It only takes 10min to walk as a section has been burnt out by some vandal, approx 2/3 of the way out & you can't go any further. It was disappointing.

Usually there is a old train ride out to the end but some idiot spoilt that ! We then returned & tidied up and got ready as to head off early tomorrow. We have done Monkey Mia & want to see new places/areas. We then went for a swim in the cement pond and meet up with 2 couples, one who new Merrynne & Billy(Carols cousin) and the other whose daughter lives in Umina and Rans knowing of them.  Carol had made a nice meal for everyone (Lamb shank Curry) which everyone enjoyed with all returning for 2nds. We then had some of the those nice strawberries & ice cream.  WEDNESDAY 23 NOV... We are awake early and wait for sunrise 5.40am before we head off. Today is a big drive approx 430km's taking 6 1/2hrs, but we are glad we did leave early as it turns out the wind was favourable and it is 39deg, so by the time we set up in Kalbarri we got a chance to look around and cool down. This is a nice town, we went down to the local for a drink, sitting outside with a cool one looking over the river, just great. THURSDAY 24 NOV...Rans went for an early morn walk and is away for almost 2hrs, said it was one of the prettiest walks he has done looking over the ocean.

 We then did some paperwork before heading out to do the lookouts. It might not sound much but as you start in Kalbarri & work your way sth along the coastline, each lookout just gets better, with some of the most magnificent ocean & rock cliff views ever seen. We took some lunch with us and we sat at a shelter at the Natural Bridge looking out over the ocean, eating our lunch, it doesn't get much better.

 We then made our way back to Blue Holes which is an area where you can snorkel without fear of sharks. It is a sanctuary and although small it is enjoyable with heaps of fish. Yes Carol snorkeled again!!! We made our way back, they have a sausage sizzle on here tonight so Rans might get a snag. Carol will no doubt cook herself a great meal !! FRIDAY 25 NOV.....Happy B'Day Maureen & Abbey. Hope you had a great day, we know you would have Maur with Emma flying in from Kununurra this morning enjoy your time together. We are up early today as we headed into the National Park and you need to be out there before the heat sets in. We are glad we did as it was quite warm by the time we finished. The drive out is on corrugated road but not as bad as Karigini N.P. but still not up to standard.

We first headed to The Loop where we walked down to the lookout and saw another AMAZING sight, with River Gorges looking down onto the Murchison River, and rock faces with so many different colours, fantastic, we then made our way to the Natures Window where a hole in the rock face overlooking the gorge. Here we had a photo taken of us two by Sebastian who we met yesterday out at the Coastal walk. He is out from Germany and likes bush walking as he done the 8km walk yesterday and was about to do another 8k's. We then headed over to Z bend lookout which has also great views of the gorge. Along the way out we stopped a number of times as the wildflowers are still out so Caz got heaps of photos. (It was like being back in Canada with the wildlife on the side of the road!!!). We then drove to Hawks Head which is sealed road, but you should see the Pink Wildflowers, so many even Rans thought it was AMAZING.

We then went to Ross Graham lookout but this was no where near as spectacular as the others. We then headed back to our site where we enjoyed a arvo snooze before heading back out to the beach for some photos & rays, we then returned and Caz had made a number of calls but she said she didn't hear from Sandra to see if she made it to Monkey Mia safely, so she sends a SMS & the next thing Sandra rings back with not great news, their front nearside tyre had sheared off, (lucky they have duel wheels) hitting the door before going into the bush. Luckily no vehicle was coming in the other direction as it would have been disastrous. Di & Terry were following behind, so the boys went and arranged for a tow truck, whilst the girls stayed with the vans. The result was it took 2hrs to get the van onto the truck & it has been returned to Carnarvon with Sand & John who are in a cabin at Wintersun C/P. Di & Terry have gone onto Monkey Mia. It looks like when the van was serviced in Broome it was not done properly (so rans is checking on his now as we had the same people do ours!) and the wheel nuts have sheared off. OH MY GOD, what else can go wrong for them. We then had arvo drink, rang Di who had made Monkey Mia safely.We then headed off down to the beach at Blue Holes to watch the sunset.It was windy but sitting on the sand having a cold one, watching the sun go down with the waves crashing on the reef in the foreground was good to watch, enjoyable.

 SATURDAY 26 NOV.... Today we head off early and drive Sth to Port Gregory, just before the turn off there is a huge PINK coloured lake which follows the roadway around to the town. Yes I did say PINK, it is caused by some weird named dietary supplement " betacarcotene" Anyway it is not something you are expecting.

Port Gregory is a small fishing town with a reef surrounding the foreshore. It was very windy so not picturesque as it would have been. We then stopped at a convict settlement called Lynton which has a number of old houses, barns etc, with some magnificent relics inside. There was also a number of trees which due to the wind grown horizontal with the ground. We then went to Northhampton, which a small town on the main Hwy, it had a  cottage feel about it. We then drove into Horrocks another fishing town, but it has these fishing shacks which are in line & painted in diff colours, cute.

They are also livable (more than Quobba) with million dollar views.We then made our way back along the coastline. After lunch Rans ducked down to the local for a bet, nothing has changed here in WA..... the same result... no wins ! The rest of the arvo was taken up with photos, blogs etc.   SUNDAY 27 NOV  Wash & tidy day.  This morning it is overcast & windy so we do cleaning, Rans checks his tyres, than we muck around with photos & blog. We now have 4000 photos saved from our trip. We see photos of the Bewells van, there is damage between the tyres and the entry door to the van and it is not superficial. Also the axle is bent, it would make you cry....I know Rans would. We head down to the beach carpark for lunch, then over to Blue Holes, where we hang around for an hr or 2. Rans had a swim. We then went to one of the other van parks to look for friends Matt & Sarah & we find Phil & Donna. We talk to them for a while then headed to another park where we find Matt & Sarah. We have a drink with them before heading off to pack up & tea. MONDAY 28 NOV... Up early and head to Geraldton.Stop to check tyres which are OK.  We booked into the Belair C/park nice site out of the wind. We head out and have to do a number of shopping things, have a look at John & Sandra's van OH BOY !!!  & then have a brief look at the sites of the town especially the war memorial for HMAS Sydney, which is one of the best memorials.

We then head back to van park & catch up with John & Sandra who looks tired & exhausted both physically & mentally and who wouldn't be. We decide to go out for tea to a pub in town(The Freemasons). The pub is OK but it is expensive, but the girls at least get nice GF meals. It has turned cold and cloudy tonight so early to bed.  TUESDAY 29 NOV.. Rans is up early AGAIN, he leaves at 5.30am to go & vacuum & clean the car but returns in 10min...Because you know what.......yep It started to RRRRRain, yes that's right after 191 days we had rain & although it wasn't heavy or went for a long time, it was rain!! After breakie we went down town to get some groceries etc, as we are going to do some free camping in the next few days. We returned hitched and said out goodbyes to the Bewells & wished them all the best with their repairs etc to the van. We then drove Sth stopping at S Bend caravan Park at Greenough & then continued on by passing Dongarra as we had stayed there before and our friends who live there are away. We then stopped at Leeman a nice small town on the water, we had a look around & at the C/Park & decided to continue to Green Head which was a good decision. We set up here, we are the only van in the park other than a couple of permanents here, we are almost totally out of the wind which has picked up again..surprise surprise!! After lunch we went for a drive along the coastline which has a number of bays/inlets/lookouts with all having drive access to the beach, its just so good, so pretty the only thing is the wind & weed but there are a number of small beaches protected, which we will try tomorrow to bake, snorkel & fish. this is a must place to come to, just to see the coastline & the many bays.

  Tonight is baked dinner, we think we'll  stay here for another night then head to Jurian Bay and then inland a little to National Parks away from this wind and free camp for a week or so. So we will post this now as we mightn't have service soon, so bye until next time, Happy B'Day Katelyn Holman, Jade,  Maureen, Abbey & Katelyn Manson.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

CORAL BAY FRIDAY 18th NOV

Hi to all, hope this finds you well. We are currently in Coral Bay a nice part of the Ningaloo Reef, where the caravan park is directly across from the Bay and you can swim through the reef & fish. So here is a breakdown of our days. 

FRIDAY 11 NOV.....We left Exmouth and stopped at the Learmonth Wharf, not much but is supposed to be a good area for fishing. We arrived at Coral Bay and set up with the Bewells & us at the back of the park, sites are a good size plus some shade, whilst the Butlers are down in Snobsville.... set up at the front facing the water. If you come to this area make sure you bring your own fresh water, as it is scarce and what you can use is salty.  We had a swim before lunch then went for a snorkel in the arvo. There are heaps of different fish and its good to see the coral. Today is windy again and it will be like this for rest of the week. SAT 12 NOV....Windy again today, we first went for a walk around the shoreline to the shark nursery, where young reef sharks hang close to shore. We walked into the water and they came within 15-20ft of us, Carol ended up up bit closer to them as one of her shoes floated off towards them, so she had to do a quick dash to grab it, Di & Carol continued further around the Point whilst the Bewells & Rans returned.

We then hung around the beach for a while, Rans went for another snorkel, says that the coral is fantastic and saw heaps of fish.  After lunch, a swim, sun bake etc...doing it real hard. The wind eases off during the night. SUN 13 NOV........ Today the 5 of us went on a cruise on a glass bottom boat across the reef. This is a real highlight of our trip so far, seeing wonderful shapes of Coral and AMAZING colours of fish. We stoppped on the reef & we snorkeled all round the boat.

 The girls did well, Di hung onto a tow rope, whilst Sandy hung onto John and adventured out, & Carol just snorkeled everywhere, she has become a real dere devil!!! We are close to the Coral here with it only being 1-2m deep. We saw some awesome fish, some really huge ones.  We are in the water for approx 1/2hr so it was good. We then continued further out into the reef, almost to the Bomboras and stopped again for another snorkel. Here it is a bit deeper and the coral shapes are huge, in shapes of lettuce/caulies, tables. There is a resident grey nurse shark here so you are keeping an eye out but we didn't see him but John & I headed a fair distance away from the boat and we came over this rock ledge where it goes straight down to deep waters, maybe 30-40ft, it was a bit eerie, but saw huge fish and coral. So so good.

We then went to the Turtle Sanctuary where turtles swim & live as it is too shallow for sharks and it has ideal food supplies for the turtles. Here we see heaps of turtles beside the boat as well as through the glass bottom, we also see a large blue starfish & a Eagle Ray which was quite big. Overall it was another fantastic cruise, well worth the money and something that is a must. We have been so lucky. In the arvo we just hung around the beach and had a swim. This is a great place, the c/park is good, has enough shade to relax during the heat of the day, it is clean & right on the reef.

MON 14 NOV.....Did some washing, then off to beach, John & Sandy went for a snorkel, then Rans & I went for a snorkel, we walked around the point and out into the water where the reef is. It drops off quite quick and believe it or not me,(Carol) who wouldn't put her face in the water is snorkeling in water 5 to 15m deep. The current takes you back to the bay so you just float looking at the magnificent coral formations as well as the fish & clams. This place is another must do on your bucket list, we spent almost an hour in the water taking heaps of underwater photos.

 Rans also likes the scenery on the beach where the European girls just get changed right in front of you.....not that he looks!! After lunch the boys headed over to Mauds Landing where they fished. Tezza got a good size Queenie, & Long Tom. The water is so nice here, but very windy, they said their tackle boxes got covered in sand & by the time they finished they almost couldn't find them. Meanwhile the 3 girls again went for a snorkel together, with Carol & Sandra teaching Di, yes that's right 2 girls who only liked water from showers ! teaching/assisting someone else to snorkel !!! They saw some clams and heaps of parrot fish which have so many pretty colours.We had so much fun, laughed most of the way out there, especially when Di needed to blow her nose & pulled a hankie (yes a WET hanki !)out of her cosie top!! Another great day.  TUESDAY 15 NOV...... Sand & John got good news late yesterday that their fridge has arrived so they will head back to Exmouth tomorrow. Wind has eased a little here today, but flies are on the increase..The Bewells & Ransley went for a snorkel this morning, we are in the water for almost an hour, approx 70=80m from shore and 5-10m deep. Yes you can't believe Caz & Sandra are doing this....neither can John & Rans, but they are very proud of the girls as they know what they think of water. Caz gets some great shots and we know how the Rock, gorges & shells made you bored, try looking at all the underwater photos, but we believe that these are great shots giving you a look at so fascinating Coral formations. After lunch the 3 boys went to the boat ramp where the wind is blowing again, but the bait fish is abundant (see caz photo) so Tezza throws in a net & we get 9 bags of bait fish, which is good for us as we go through a lot with not much success!! Rans catches 1 Long Tom, a good size but it swallowed the hook to his tail almost, cut & throw.

 The boys return & the 2 of us go for one last snorkel and see a huge bat fish with magnificent colours. Rans then joins John for a snorkel. This is the best place by far, just bring a lot of food & water and you will have a great & AMAZING Time. We have fish for tea which was nice.  WED 16 NOV.....The Butlers & us head off south towards Carnarvon whilst the Bewells head nth to Exmouth to get their new fridge. The trip was easy, a few road trains, but there is more shrubs & wattles around, so it makes it a bit more enjoyable. We arrive in Carnarvon which has lots of Banana Plantations, Mangoes & Strawberries. We set up at the Wintersun C/P which is OK, all the parks are in close prox to each other. We then made a beeline to Woolies to re stock as we were down to the bare minimal. Donna & Phil from Alice Springs join us for happy hr. THURS 17 NOV.....Today we wash vans & car to get the salt and tree saps off, so it takes up most of our morning, after lunch we went for a drive around Carnarvon looking for fishing spots, but due to the wind there is not much around. We checked out a couple of seafood shops (if we can't catch them we might as well buy them !!) with prawns being reasonable, but fish is still expensive. Caz spoke to Sand & John who got their new fridge installed but bad news this one not working either ! bloody frustrating.  FRID 18 NOV.... Well its been 7months since we left home, we miss our boys, Jade, family & friends immensley. But we are enjoying everything so so much, having a great time with us seeing things and doing things some people only dream about. The west coast is beautiful only downfall is the wind but we still have a lot to see before we get to South Aus so we just have to get used to it. Today we went for a drive out to Miaboolya Beach, but it was blowing a gale, its suppose to be a nudist beach but things would have been blown away today!!! We then went to Bumbaks Plantation and bought some nice jams & had  Mango Ice creams.yummy. We also had a look at the big dish and visitor centre before heading back. We have decided to head nth tomorrow to the blowhole which is on the coast We hope to have 3-4days here and hopefully the Bewells can join us, but they are still having problems with the fridge.A big hello to all, hope you are all doing ok, take care, Carol & Rans xxx   Happy Birthday to Heals, Colly Doll, Maureen, Abbey Dabby Do, Miss Trish & Gary T, Katelyn M, Jade & Katelyn H. Hope you all have/had a great day.xxxxxxx

EXMOUTH THURSDAY 10TH NOV 11.

Well hi again, we are currently in Exmouth and are having a great time. We even had a few sprinkles of rain, the first since 19 May back in Cobar !!. So here is what we have been up to since our last post. SUNDAY....We packed up to leave nice & early, but we find we have a flat rear tyre on our car, so with the help of John & Tezza we change the tyre ( how many grey nomads does it take to change a tyre ??) and we headed off. The other four continue south while we went into Karratha to see if a tyre shop is open. Whilst in there we get a call from Steve Williams (cowboy) who is in town on his way to the van park we had just left as he is working in the mines, anyway we get to see him for 10min or so which was good just to quickly catch up. As no tyre shops were open, we continued south, catching up with the others for lunch at a nice parking area beside the river. We then made our way to Onslow which is 80km's off the main road. This is a small industrial town (another one) beside the water. The van park is so so but the area we have is not to bad. It was late arvo by the time we set up so no exploring. 

MONDAY 31 OCT.... Rans went for a walk, finds the boat ramp and other local sites (not many). He then came back for breakie and the boys went for a fish down at 5mile creek, and they caught some fish, bream etc. Later that arvo the 5 of us went for a drive to Old Onslow where the township use to be, but is now the area for the new Gas Factories & pipelines which are being laid at present, so the road is busy with work utes/trucks graders, loaders etc, very very dusty. Anyway we get to the area where the town was and now there is one building and all over the place are signs saying what use to be there, eg there is a sign that says This was the site for the Police Stn.......wow we drove 80km for this, anyway....we can say we've been there !! TUESDAY 1ST NOV....We head off early as we have a long drive, on the way we stop beside the road to listen on the car radio to the Melbourne Cup (a bit diff to 2yrs ago when we were there !) so here are the 6 of us egging our horses on, Carol won the sweep!!

We continued on into Exmouth & set up then drove into the shopping centre which is lucky to be one block, it has 2 IGA's 50m apart ??????? & not much else. WEDNESDAY...The Bewells & us went for a drive up to Charles Knife Gorge & Thomas Carter Lookout which is only a few kilometres off the main road. This is another AMAZING sight with these deep gorges which overlook the Gulf, giving us some great photos of the water in the background, just fantastic. We then drove to the Marina which is being developed with man made canals & new homes being built, a nice area to live. The township is quite small with most of the area either Commonwealth Land with RAAF & Naval bases or National Park. We bought some prawns for tea which were delicious. THURSDAY 3/11.... We hired a tinny for 3 days, so today its the 3 boys and a mate, Matt who we met at 80mile beach, headed out into the Ningaloo Reef, putting the boat in at Tantabiddi Boat Ramp. We were out for approx 4hrs and caught a couple of keepers, Spotted Makerel but Matt had a good fish & lost it back overboard when he went to measure it!!!! boy did we give it to him.... Meanwhile the 4 girls went for a drive into the Nat Park with them stopping at Woribi Beach where there were hundreds of turtles on the sand or  close to shore. It was just magnificant to see. We meet the girls for lunch at  Bundegi Boat Ramp, then put the boat in on the Gulf side and went out for another 3hrs but did no good, lost some good bites (same ol' story !) 

We then headed back to cook up with what we had caught which was enough for 8 people so not a bad day.  FRIDAY 4/11.... The 3 boys headed off early to try & beat the wind, but it was still blowing, we headed out into the reef but after 4hrs we only caught one keeper. Rans was pretty tired and had a nap in the arvo, the same with Tezza, as his back was killing him, whilst John had the service man to his vans fridge freezer...again, it must beso frustrating. SATURDAY  5/11.. ..Today is the Bewells & the Ransleys day out in the boat, we headed out into the Gulf today, a nice morning with a slight swell & a little windy....well, we went out for 1-2km before we realised the bait is still in the car fridge !!! so back to the ramp, then we headed out again and within 4seconds of Sandy throwing her line over she has a fish, a blue Emperor, she ends up catching 8 on a hand line, Carol catches 5, John 3 & Rans....0.

 It was a good day, everyone enjoyed themselves without getting sea sick, the water was so clear, we ended up keeping 2 but could have kept another 5 but the chart we had was showing a different size to the legal one, anyway a good day had by all. Over the 3 days we may not have caught heaps or huge ones but there were times that we did have some decent size ones on but we lost them & the tackles.....( blahh blahh blaahh !) SUNDAY....6/11 Rans woke up during the night to watch the footy. The girls & John headed out to the markets this morning, they were back before they left....that's how big they were....The 5 of us then went for a drive into Cape Range Nat Park with us stopping at the Lighthouse looking over the Indian Ocean and Ningaloo Reef with its blue waters a fantastic sight, also seeing Drilling Platforms in the distance, we also see an Emu with 8 chicks walking along the roadway.

 We then drove to the Turtle Info centre and then made our way to Wobiri Beach Access track where there are dozens of Turtles either swimming close to the shore or up on the beach. We then continued south stopping at Mangrove Bay, Neds Camp, Mesa Camp, the last 2 are where you can camp for up to 28days.These camping areas are all along the coastline heading south and close to the water, they are beautiful areas but there are limited spaces (bet 3 to 15 max spots) with not much shade  & you have to line up at the Park entrance to be allocated a site, so we may not have been altogether.   We then went to the Milyering Visitor Centre which was well done out. Here we had morning tea with some nice home made muffins...well done Sandy, we then drove down to Lakeside where we walked along the shoreline for 500m and then John & Rans went for a snorkel. They both said it was fantastic so much different fishes,  manta rays, coral & we think a shark lurking further out (this is when they came back to shore....quickly). The colours were AMAZING.. We then made our way back as John is still having probs with his fridge. Later in the arvo the 5 of us again headed out on a Sunset/Whale Watch cruise on the Gulf.

We ended up sitting up top looking out with the skipper, it was a bit windy....but that's WA, after a short time Sandy & Rans spotted Whales which we came close to but we then saw a mother & calf playing so we spent the next 2hrs following them, it was so good, having nibblies, prawns, beer & wine watching the sunset & whales breaching etc. Another great day. MONDAY 7/11.... The 3 boys went for a fish down off a rock ledge but it was very windy so only 1 Flathead today, the girls work out food for the next week or so as we have extended our stay here as Coral Bay has limited shops for food. A quiet arvo as the wind has picked up. TUESDAY  8/11....We all head off early going down the Peninsula first stopping at Turquoise Bay, a beautiful beach on the Reef where you can snorkel. The girls hired a body board which has a viewing piece at the top so you can put your face in to see the coral & fish.

Well what a laugh, when Di had her go it filled with water and she was nearly drowning with her face in the water & couldn't see a thing. Carol then had a go at snorkeling, ( yes she got her face wet !!) with me between her and the ocean and swimming beside her...but after a second go she ended up about 30m from me looking up to see where I was and then going back under, the new Val Taylor !!!  The coral, the large amount of different types of fish, the colours were amazing, Carol loved it. Sandy had a go too, which was good. We stayed here for a while then we moved onto Sandy Bay for lunch. This is another beautiful swimming area with the brightest blue water. There were a number of Wake boarders as the wind was very strong. We then called into Osprey Bay where you can camp. This has a couple of sites which look over the pristine water of the Reef and although no shade it would be my pick to set up the van.

We then drove down to Yardi Creek. Here you can catch a boat which goes up through the gorge, but it wasn't working today. This is as far as you can go South unless you have a 4WD with all the gear & another vehicle to assist if trouble as its very sandy.(the road goes to Coral Bay). We then made our way back stopping at the site of ship wreck"Mildura" then making our way back making it a full day. It is very windy here again and continues throughout the nite. WEDNESDAY...9 NOV Happy B'Day Heals. Its windy again today so we just caught up on photos, blogs etc, The Bewells found out that Dometic has come to the party and will supply & install a new fridge for their van, it may take a week or so to arrive etc, but at least they will hopefully have a fridge that works on gas etc. After lunch the Bewells & us drove into Shothole Gorge which was another AMAZING place with different coloured rock escarpments, varing from white to red & oranges all on one rock face.

We then returned & grabbed our fishing gear as the wind had eased and the 6 of us drove out past the Industrial area to a rock face onto the reef. Here we had a couple of good bites, with Tezza catching 2 bream but he threw them back. THURSDAY 10 Nov... Still windy here so its tidy up day as the dust/dirt in the cars & vans, you can feel everywhere you touch, so not too much to report so after a swim in the pool and cleaning we relaxed with a drink or 2. So we are moving on tomorrow to Coral Bay for a few days which should be nice. So everyone take care, miss you's all & check out the photos under WA part 2 on the RHS of our blog. love Rans & The Mrs !! XXXXXXXXXXXXX.