Exmouth – Cape Range National Park

Travelling the road to Exmouth an emu and her 3 chicks dart across the road right in front of us, a very cute sight (and lucky we missed ‘em...). Got into our Caravan Park, after a few hours drive with a pretty sparse landscape, as far as the eye can see.

We treat ourselves to a great meal at the Italian restaurant on site. Homemade ravioli stuffed with prawn and crabmeat in a cherry tomato sauce with a hint of chilli (I am salivating writing this...) with ferrer rocher/white chocolate gelati for dessert. (we figure we deserve it, not quite sure why..)

Next morning Mark is up at 5.15am to drive the 45mins to Cape Range National Park. The gates are manned at 8am and we have heard to camp at this special spot (without booking online earlier, which of course we haven’t done) it is first in, best dressed, with only a few sites available per day. He mentally pats himself on the back for his diligence as he’s 4^th in line, but his smile fades when he discovers his wallet is back in the van with us at Exmouth (doh!). Luck is on his side, and at about 9am we get 2 nights at a camp called “Kurrajong” and can pay the camp host on arrival (as long as we can get there by 11am or we lose the site, quickest pack-up on record!!)

The camps are dotted all the way down the Coast to Yardie Creek and include the Ningaloo Reef Marine Park, they have drop toilets and our camp spot is just behind the dune. Our camp hosts are a great couple called “Greame and June” and Greame reminds us both of Billy Connelly (complete with the wild hair!)

Grabbing our snorkelling gear, we wander down to have a look. We pass a couple just back from their fishing trip filleting a huge fish on the edge of their tinnie. They tell us it’s a wahu fish and in true Mark fashion he asks if they plan to feed the whole camp, at which point they offer us some of it. We jump at the chance and a couple of hours later they drive it up to our camp, filleted, sliced, wrapped and enough for tonight’s tea! Mark reckons that’s the only way to fish....

It is very blowy on the beach, water a bit too choppy for good viz. The kids all got out there and had a go though, Charlie was a demon snorkeller. Ella came up and said “I only saw one fish...and it was brown!!”

Nearly forgot to mention the “happy hour” on the beach our camp hosts have every night, so we can meet fellow campers and watch the sunset with a drink in hand. We saw a few, very large “splashes” way out to sea which were humpback whales frolicking about.