Lazy Days at Ningaloo

Friday 19^th

The motor camp we were staying at in Exmouth was costing us $52 a night, the dearest we have had.  On our trip out to Turquoise Bay we had passed another motorcamp right under the Lighthouse at the top of the Cape, and strangely enough called Ningaloo Lighthouse Caravan Park.  We had called in and booked for three nights beginning today.  Their charges were $40 a night, and even better, there were about half a dozen beautiful beaches within about 10km drive.

We moved the 20 odd kilometres from Exmouth up to the Lighthouse Motor Camp, and after lunch headed for the nearest beach. As we walked down onto the beach we saw everyone pointing and looking out to sea.  Sure enough there were whale spouts everywhere, and the occasional huge splash as they slapped their huge flippers onto the water.  We had brought our binoculars with us, and with them we could get a great close up of the action.

After making ourselves comfortable on the beach we spent the day swimming and snorkelling, sunbathing and watching the whale shows. It was just amazing how many whales were out there.  No matter where you looked there were whale spouts followed by the huge grey backs rising out of the water as the whales sounded.  Quite often we would see a huge flipper wave in the air and then get slammed down on the water causing a huge splash.

At one stage we saw some huge splashes out on the horizon, and through the binoculars we could see three or four whales breaching and lifting half of their bodies out of the water and then whacking their tails down.  They kept this up for about five minutes.  Apparently this is called Tail Lobbing, and as far as the scientists can ascertain, it is done purely for entertainment.

While we weren’t watching the whales, we were spotting turtles inside the reef, some of them only about 5 meters from the shore. We tried to get photos of them, but they were always too quick, only coming to the surface to grab a breath of air before going down again.  This whole coast line is a Turtle Rookery, that is, a place where turtles come ashore to lay their eggs. 

There are three types of turtles that use this coast as a Rookery, Green Turtles, Hawkesbill, and Loggerhead.  In the sand dunes behind the beach we found these huge hollows in the sand, and it wasn’t until we saw turtle tracks leading away from one of the hollows that we realised we were actually looking at turtle nests.  The hollows were about 2 ½ to 3 meters across and about 1 meter deep. 

Bearing in mind that the eggs were buried under the sand at the bottom of the hollow, it was one big hole the turtles had to dig to lay their eggs.

On the walking track into the beach we came across these cute little buds growing on a shrub.  The locals call them Humming Bird Flowers. 

Needless to say the day passed pretty quickly and before we knew it, it was beer o’clock, and we headed back to camp.

Saturday 20^th.

Today we headed back to Turquoise Bay in the Cape Range National Park.  Another absolutely brilliant day with clear blue skies, no wind, and that beautiful Turquoise coloured water.  Absolutely picture perfect.

We joined heaps of other people snorkelling over the reef looking at all the brilliantly coloured tropical fish.  On one occasion I dived down to look under a coral shelf, and found a huge lobster hiding there.  Cameron is an absolute fish and just lives in the water. There were schools of fish right at the water’s edge, which we fed with some bread while Cameron snorkelled amongst them.

Again the day ended too quickly and we were soon headed back to camp.  It was getting close to sunset as we drove through the National Park, and the Kangaroos, or Euros as they are know in this area, were coming out for their nightly feeding.  They seemed to be everywhere and we had to be careful when they suddenly bounded across the road in front of us.

We had decided that the three days we had booked at the motorcamp weren’t going to be long enough for us to fully enjoy everything Ningaloo had to offer, so when we got back to camp we booked for another two days.

Sunday 21^st

Today we headed back to the same beach we had been at on Friday.  Again we spent the day watching the whales performing but we also had some extra attractions.  We saw a large green shape in the water about 10 meters from the shore.  Christel and I thought it was another turtle, but Cameron reckoned it was a Dugong.  It was surfacing and then sounding and we watched as it gradually got closer to shore.  Suddenly it surfaced right in front of us, and sure enough Cameron was right.  It was a Dugong.  Quietly going about its business about 3 metres in front of us.  Absolutely brilliant.  What a nature lesson.

I grabbed my snorkel to swim with it, but as soon as I got in the water, it quietly swum further away.  Half an hour later it was back again and we followed it along the shore as it quietly made its way along the shore about 3 meters from us. We managed to grab a few quick photos when it surfaced.  It was so close we could hear the rush of air from its nostrils when it breathed out.

Next on the entertainment list were several turtles popping up for some air before going down again.  These guys were a bit further out than the dugong, but one, obviously younger and smaller than the rest, came in quite close and stayed on top of the water for quite a while. Unfortunately we couldn’t get a photo of it.  While watching the whales through the binoculars I spotted a pod of dolphins playing just inside the reef.

I thought I would try a bit of spinning to see if I could catch a fish for tea.  Cameron was standing beside me watching the dugong and turtles, and as a seagull flew past Cameron said “See if you can catch a seagull Dad”.  I threw out the line and wham; a seagull flew straight into it and got itself tangled up.  I had caught a seagull.  Cameron couldn’t believe how good I was.

The poor thing crashed into the sea, and I had to reel it in, and then catch it.  It wasn’t as impressed with my bird catching abilities as Cameron was, and was most uncooperative.  For a little bird it sure had a powerful bite.  It took the three of us to get it untangled, and it took off like a rocket once we let it go. It landed on the beach about 100 metres away, ruffled its feathers, gave us a withering look, and then took off to join its mates.

What a brilliant day it had been.  So much nature right at our feet.  Ningaloo just keeps getting better and better.

Monday 22^nd August

Another hard day at Ningaloo.  Started with a couple of hours school work, and then a trip into Exmouth to pick up the DVD of our Whale Shark swim, do some groceries, and buy some prawns.  There is a fish factory and retail outlet about 20km south of Exmouth, and they specialize in prawns. Some fellow campers had recommended we try them out. We duly bought a kilo of Exmouth King Prawns for $15.



We decided that tonight we would have tea on the beach and watch the sun set.  Back at the caravan we made some lunch and then came the hard part of the day, making a decision on which beach to go to.  Back to Turquoise Bay for snorkelling on the reef, or return to the same beach as yesterday to watch whales, turtles, dolphins and maybe dugongs, and do a bit of fishing.

In the end the latter won out and we spent another lazy day at the beach.  Unfortunately there was nowhere near as much activity with any of the above and all we saw were whales and a turtle.  Again the fish weren’t biting, but hey, we can handle that.  The swimming and the scenery were just as good. About an hour before sunset we came back to camp and loaded up with the prawns and a bottle of bubbly before returning to the beach to enjoy them while watching the sunset.  

To me, watching the sunset over the Indian Ocean from the west coast of Australia has a special significance.  Watching that huge red ball, that has been scorching this enormous dry country since time began, quietly slipping into the ocean at the end of the day is truly a magical moment. The prawns weren’t bad either. 

Cameron couldn’t understand what was so great about watching the sun setting, and spent the entire time, as usual, in the water.  We’re going to have to get that boy x-rayed when we get back to NZ.  I’m sure he must be starting to grow gills.

Back at the caravan we watched the DVD of our Whale Shark swim.  It was brilliant.  Christel got very technical with the laptop and managed to capture several shots from the DVD, which we then managed to post on the Blog Site.

Tuesday 23^rd August

Another hard day at Ningaloo.

After school work this morning, it was time to try out Turquoise Bay again, and catch up on our snorkelling skills.  Even though it is a 65 km drive from Exmouth, Turquoise Bay is always very busy, and today was no exception.  There must have been well over 50 cars plus a few buses parked there when we arrived.  Luckily there is plenty of beach and room for everyone.



As usual, Cameron was straight into the water, where he stayed for the rest of the day.  We couldn’t even convince him to come out for some lunch.  After a while Christel and I joined him out on the coral.  His confidence with a mask and snorkel has increased no end, and he spends as much time, 2 or 3 meters under water exploring nooks and crannies and under coral heads, as he does swimming on top. He discovers all sorts of things away down under the coral, and then we’ve all got to go down and look at it.

He found a big cod hiding under a coral head, and then Christel found an octopus.  We had a lot of fun watching him changing colours every time we got a bit too close to him.  I chased a small stingray for a while but he wouldn’t stop long enough for the others to come and see him.  The number and variety of fish is amazing, including some fairly big specimens.

When Cameron’s not out over the coral, he is playing in the shallows by the shore, and spent some time feeding the fish that flock around as soon as you drop a few chunks of bread in the water.  These guys were quite brave and would snatch bread from between your fingers, and didn’t hesitate to nibble your fingers as well. 



Before we knew it, it was time to pack up and head back to camp. We are enjoying it so much here we have decided to book for another couple of days.

Wednesday 24^th August

Another glorious day on the beach.  Not much happening out to sea today apart from the odd turtle just off shore, and a few whale spouts away out to see.  Just as we packing up to head back to camp, Christel spotted a large dark shape on the surface of the water about 100 meters off shore.  It looked like a turtle but seemed too big, and it was staying on the surface, which was unlike the other turtles we had seen.

After watching it for a while we realised it was in fact two turtles, apparently carrying out one of nature’s more essential acts, needed to ensure the continuation of the species.  There was also a third turtle circling the engaged pair. We didn’t wait around to see where he fitted into the scene.

 Of course Cameron had to know what the two turtles were doing, and was quite happy to learn they were mating.  We thought it best not to mention the third turtle we could see; after all, he is only nine.

So ended another hard day at Ningaloo. One more to go, and then we will have to move on down the coast.  Next stop is Coral Bay, about 150km south.  Unfortunately it sounds very much like Exmouth.  Oh well ...