Ningaloo / Exmouth
16 November 2022
Wednesday was a driving day from Monkey Mia to Exmouth. On the way out, we stopped to see the Stromatolites in Hamlin Bay. They were not much to look at but about 3 Billion years ago the stromatolites terraformed the planet, converting water to oxygen.
We stopped in Carnarvon for lunch, unfortunately the Goth IHOP seemed to be closed, instead we ate at a yummy Thai place on the edge of town. Anthony made friends.
Just after sunset, we arrived at Mantaray’s Ningaloo Beach Resort. This is by far the nicest room we stayed at, and was a pleasant surprise after 10 hours on the road. The Restaurant and Bar open up into a beautiful pool, which overlooks the bay. We had dinner at the hotel restaurant.
Thursday morning, we had a snorkel tour, leaving from the hotel at 7:30. The dive boat took us out to the Muiron Islands, where we saw colorful fish and coral, Julie saw a 1.5 meter eel. Linda, our Belgian snorkel guide, noticed Anthony’s mask was fogged over. She scrubbed the inside with some Jif, and he was able to actually see some fish at our next stop. Next, we interrupted some amorous sea turtles. At the next stop there was a brave little sea turtle who hung out while we dove above it. Julie saw a ray and we saw another turtle. Overall a great ride.
On Friday, took a ride in a 4WD mini van for the Top of the Range Safari. Dave, our guide, regaled us with the history of the Ningaloo area. We drove into Cape Range National Park, to the top of the ridge that runs north to south down the length of the peninsula. We drove to Vlamingh Light House, and Turquoise Bay where Julie and I snorkeled in the coral reef just off the shore. The highlight of the trip was the “cruise” about a mile up Yardie Creek. We saw Osprey, Egrets, and 19 Black Flanked Rock Wallabies (Dave kept meticulous count). Yardie Creek runs about a mile through a canyon with craggy red stoned cliff face.
Exmouth is home to the oversized prawn sculpture, another example of large art in Australia. Across the street there is a Whale Shark sculpture, which is underwhelming.
What we learnt:
Dingos have decimated much of the wildlife in the Cape Range National Park, which is why we have not seen many kangaroo on our drives,.
A soft sided cooler makes a good dry bag, when going out on a dive boat.
We need to buy Dramamine, enough to share. A nice lady on our snorkel trip shared her stash, with nary a case of sea sickness on the trip.
Anthony really enjoyed the Session Ale from Whalebone Brewery, located in Exmouth.