Cape Range National Park 23 Feb 2017

Today we spent our day in the Cape Range National Park the northern tip of Western Australia. Our hotel claims to be closest to the park, but it's only by 5km! The park covers most of the northern tip of Western Australia and includes Ningaloo reef which is a fringing reef stretching right down the coast from here. The northern entrance to the park is about 30km down the coastal road whilst the southern entrance is about 100km away and only accessible from Coral Bay.

Our aim was to go snorkelling at Turquoise Bay about 70km down the coast, so we set off at a reasonable speed until we met our first group of Emus, I'm not sure what the collective noun for Emus is. After seeing one lot, we continued to spot them for the rest of the day. After last nights excitement about seeing Kangaroo finally, we got to see them in daylight today, we saw two groups, one of which crossed the road in front of us. Sadly, they moved too far for us to capture them on the camera.

Park entrance was A$12 for the car. The entry point was mikes from anywhere and was manned by a very cheerful lady. Traffic was extremely light so it must be a boring job you'd think.

We found the turn off for Turquoise Bay and parked in the 'drift' car park and walked across a sand dune to the beach. We'd been told to turn left, walk down the beach for 100 metres then get in the water and drift back over the coral. Repeat as many times as you like!

The current was stronger than we expected close into shore although it was less of an issue further out. Before we even got into the water we saw a white-tip ref shark in the shallows! Snorkel kit on, we ventured out. There was plenty of sea-life and coral heads, but the current made it difficult for Lynn with no fins on. That said we were in the water for well over an hour. The best thing was that there were no flies!

After a quick bite to eat, we moved to Turquoise Bay itself. There's no current there and it's a wonderful place for a swim, coral is a bit sparse, but there were plenty of fish in the shallows. We spent another hour in the water!

On the way back to Exmouth, we saw several more Emus and a tree full of Gallahs, a red and white parrot-like bird. They didn't seem bothered about us parked next to them, but I think they we in the shade of a tree with no other trees in sight. Shade is a premium out in the scrub here especially as it was rather hot at 38C today.

 Back at the hotel, it was laundry day for us! The best thing is, after the washing is done in 30 minutes, the laundry is hung on a line in the shade and will dry within the hour! Tonight we will pack our bags ready to head south in the morning.