Day 14
Tuesday
17 July 2018
Exmouth – Cape Range National Park
Finished Oh Dear Sylvia!By Dawn French. It was an ok read.
Our day began relatively early, as we had a bit of a hike ahead of us. We were up just after 730am and in the car by 8.30am. Today we were heading to the western side of the Exmouth cape and into the Cape Range National Park to check out a few areas. We opted to drive to the furthest point first and then work our way back towards home.
We passed the lighthouse and the Tantabidi boat ramp, where people were still being loaded onto the various charter vessels for their day’s adventure. We then entered the National Park, paid our $13 and continued on our way. We stopped briefly behind a line of cars, as a scrawny looking dingo sauntered onto the road and past us all, giving us the “Have you got anything for me look?”
At 9.30am, we reached our end point, Yardie Creek. This is the only creek in the Range and a gorge has been created over time. We wandered over to the mouth of the creek, there wasn’t much water pushing through to the ocean.
We then followed the Yardie creek trail and Gorge walk to check out the landscape and the various animals. The initial part of the walk is a grade 1, gentle and flat and runs alongside the creek, but once you opt to complete the gorge walk, it becomes a grade 4 and we could see why, you had to clamber up and down the rock walls. It wasn’t particularly difficult, you just had to stand back inspect the track and then choose the best option.
The walk was only 750m return, but it felt far further. It was well worth doing though. By the end of it, you had a great view over the clear water below. You could see birds’ nests and birds of prey circling and we even spotted a couple of black footed rock wallabies out sunning themselves.
We made our way back safely, returning to the car an hour later and to a jammed car park. There were only 4 cars when we first arrived. From here we followed the road stopping in at Sandy Bay. We decided to hop out and have a look around. The water is such a vibrant, aqua blue and is set off by the white of the sand. The sun was catching the surface and making it twinkle.
Back at the car, we drove on towards Oyster Stacks, a great snorkelling spot. Along the way we passed many beachside camping areas. They were all chock-a-block. When we entered the park the sign had said it was full. It would be a fabulous place to call home for a few days.
Oyster Stacks, was packed too. We had to park on the entrance road and then wander down to the beach. There were plenty of people out snorkelling and you could see the dark patches of coral reef. The only issue we had was getting in. The whole beach is covered in rock and without good footwear, is hard to navigate. I was lucky enough to have worn my reef shoes, but Paul had his thongs on and they provided no protection to the rough surface.
In the end, I found a place I could enter the water and check out the fishy world below. I was amazed to see so much life and lots of big fish as well. Oyster stacks offered a great snorkelling spot, it was just a shame that Paul didn’t get the opportunity to experience it.
Due to the current, I was pushed well down the beach and then had to exit and clamber back over the rocks to get back to our spot. I joined Paul and then we made our way back to the car and on to the next spot, Turquoise Bay.
Unlike the Oyster Stacks, there is plenty of white sand at this beach. It reminded me of Lucky Bay in Esperance to a degree and it is also one of the top 10 beaches in Australia. We found a place to put our gear and then we entered the freezing water, taking our breath away. We were immediately greeted by a large snapper looking fish. There was plenty of life here too, though not the coral.
We didn’t stay in the water too long, as we were hungry, so we returned the beach things to the car and grabbed the lunch bag, taking it to a bench seat in the sun. We ate overlooking the twinkling waters, warming our bones and filling our bellies.
With lunch done, we walked the bay, passing around the bend and finding many more people enjoying the beach and the water. The snorkelling seemed a little better on this side. The tide was in, as there wasn’t much beach here to walk along. We walked until the sand turned to little pebbles and then we made our way back.
Having completed all of the key spots, we then made our way back to the van, getting in at 2pm. I was straight off to the shower and then returned to help Paul put the car on the trailer. While he was having a shower, I had a chat to another guest about our set up and Paul returned to continue the conversation, filling in the technical bits.
I then set about going through the photos taken over the last few days, until I couldn’t sit anymore. We walked over to the shop at 4.30pm, picking up a few things we knew we would need and of course stopping in for a beer at Froth. By the time we got home it was 6pm and time to make dinner.
We ate and then I finished off the photos, before we finally turned in for the night.
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