A trip down memory lane
Making the turnoff and driving down the little winding road into Coral Bay brought back some of the happiest memories of my childhood. Coral Bay was our family holiday destination for a number of years, and the only place I ever saw mum actually swim in the ocean! Cresting the hill past the Welcome to Ningaloo sign, the backpackers was still there, the shopping arcade, the red quad bikes, the green strips of lawn with hot, salty sprinklers...ah! The nostalgia! Thankfully, it's still the quaint one-street town I know and love.
Sadly, I can't say the same for the reef. When I eagerly dove in, I was horrified to discover the reef completely dead, covered in algae, and no fish life. The eeriest part was that it was totally silent; no clicks and crunches that indicate a healthy reef ecosystem. I swam and swam out desperately to try and find any life, but came across nothing. I couldn't bear it any longer and swam quickly in, had a little cry and then did some research. Surely I would have heard of a mass reef death somewhere before now?! Well, turns out that in March of this year, 2022, there was a freak massive spawn, which is a natural thing, but the issue was it happened at the time of some bad heat waves and no wind. So the spawn literally suffocated the reef and fish of oxygen, killing the coral and thousands upon thousands of the fish that rely on the coral. It was devastating. In my lifetime this is the first real concrete evidence of climate change I've experienced. Heartbreaking.
So I didn't snorkel again, it was just too distressing. I enjoyed the beach and wandering up and down the town. I even ran into some friends, Deb and Simon, and had sunset drinks at their holiday home. But I have to say I was okay with leaving as planned, hoping to find some healthy reef again down Carnarvon way.
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Where the reef meets the range
I didn’t plan on gunning it all the way from Tom Price to Exmouth, as it’s an 8 hour trip, but something came over me and I felt an uncontrollable desire to just get to the coast. So I did.
When I finally first saw the ocean again I hooted and hollered like a maniac and drove straight through Exmouth town into the National Park, getting to my campsite at Osprey right before sunset and leapt straight into the water. I actually cried a bit! One thing 3 months inland of Australia has taught me is that I NEED to be by the ocean to live, no compromise.
I was lucky enough to ab two nights at Osprey, which was a lovely little campsite with a beach fronted by rocky outcrops and white sand. The snorkelling wasn’t bad, but it’s not known as one of the big 3 (Oyster stacks, Turquoise Bay and Lakeside) but I still found an impressive cleaning station with lots of fish and a leopard shark, and best of all TURTLES! Every snorkel I saw at least one, and I even saw 4 turtles one snorkel.
After Osprey I headed back to town to stock up and managed some sneaky free camping, enjoying sunset at town beach with seemingly every other van lifer. I was able to book 5 days in the NP at different sites, enjoying Yardie Creek, Neds, North Mandu and Tulki beach.
I don’t think I could ever get bored exploring Ningaloo reef. Right when I think I can’t find a better snorkelling spot, it’s bested by the next. Turquoise Bay gives you a beautiful drift loop over big chunks of coral, but Oyster Stacks is a solid carpet of delicate reef with a dazzling array of colours and fish. However, I think my favourite spot so far has bee Lakeside, which is a bit less accessible as you have to leg it from the carpark about 500m, then swim again a pretty strong current to these huge coral bommies, but when you get to them it’s out of this world! Colossal lumps of brain coral in either vivid green or electric purple, fringed by many different types of coral, squat merrily over white sand and is prime real estate for a city of fish. So many varieties of all shapes and sizes, with gropers and little sharks hiding underneath the ledges, rays nestled in the sand and huge clams.
I’ve decided I can’t leave quite yet, so am going to be doing a ‘work-for-stay’ deal at Yardie Homestead, which is located just out of the National Park. In exchange for a couple hours cleaning, I get a free campsite! Good deal to me. Happy days in paradise.
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Rock art and ghost towns
Onto Cue, only an hour north. A very pretty little town dotted with some amazing historic buildings made from stone, I made my way to Walgahna (Walga) Rock. A very special place, the Wadjarri people have allowed the sacred site to be open to the public and have the privilege of not only experiencing the 'Uluru' of the West, but what is thought to be the largest gallery of Indigenous painted rock art in WA. In particular, the ship is a chilling insight into just how frightening and bizarre the sight of such a thing arriving from the ocean would have been for First Nations people. Spanning a decent length of the rock, the more I looked at the work the more details, shapes and figures I could find. It was truly a moving place.
I camped the night and on the way back to town stopped at Big Bell, which used to be quite a grand town in it's heyday, but like so many communities out here, died out when mining stopped. I especially enjoyed the derelict pub with its many rooms and passages hiding graffiti and street art.
Then it was lunch at Lake Nallan and onto Meekatharra.
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