Cape Range National Park
The Cape Range leg of our trip had been fiercely anticipated. Not just for the coral reef but for the arrival of Nanny Vick and Grandpa Joddy who would be spending a week there with us. The excitement had been slowly mounting as the weeks closed in and by the time we reached Exmouth it was at fever pitch.
We had a big day getting from South Lefroy up to Exmouth, shopping, refuelling, loading up with water, showering and then finally setting up camp at North Kurrajong. It felt a bit like coming out of the wilderness and back into suburbia at our new camp. The sites were neatly delineated, raked clean and very open. We had the luxury of toilets, picnic tables and rubbish bins. It was still simple camping but with less of a remote feel.
Even though the day of the big reunion was finally upon us, we still had 10 daylight hours to fill before our guests arrived. We tested the snorkeling directly out from our beach and found that the best corals were accessed by kayak. It was a different underwater scene to South Lefroy, plenty to see but not quite the diversity.
In the afternoon we did the Mandu Mandu Gorge walk which was a good distraction and also promised mobile reception up on the ridge. It was a great walk offering very different flora to what we'd seen before and great sightings of the very cute black-flanked rock-wallabies. We were able to connect with Nanny and Joddy just as they were leaving Exmouth and we raced back to camp knowing they were only minutes away.
So much excitement! Hugh was over the moon to see them both. Claire's reaction was more one of searching the memory bank for a connection between the people in front of her and why she felt she knew them. But as Nanny unpacked treat after treat for the next hour, it didn't take Claire long to warm up.
Needless to say, our six days with Nanny and Joddy were very full. We snorkelled, fished, hiked, kayaked and swam with whale sharks.
On our first day together, Matthias and Dad braved the outside of the reef while Mum and the kids and I bobbed patiently nearby in the kayak. In the afternoon Hugh walked the Yardie Creek trail with Nanny and Joddy while Claire paddled up the creek with me and Matthias. It was wonderful viewing the gorge from water level and getting a closer look at the wallabies and a colony of fruit bats.
Hugh loved fishing with Joddy, showing off and honing his casting skills and landing the odd fish or two. In the evenings Joddy imparted some of his astronomy knowledge and Hugh was a very attentive scholar. Claire got involved in the coconut husking and cracking activity and was also excited to taste the one and only fish that was deemed fit for the plate.
We celebrated Claire's birthday again, this time with a chocolate panforte which Nan jazzed up with some Nutella and Easter egg chocolate. And Claire finally received a wrapped present to open - thanks Matt Dana and Maeve!
We had fabulous snorkeling at Turquoise Bay and Oyster Stacks and Matthias and I took it in turns to snorkel Lake Side. Lake Side was really different to anything else we'd snorkelled. It was a landscape of huge bommies and sandy channels attracting schools of big fish, making it intimidating but exciting. Turquoise and Oyster Stacks were beautiful coral gardens with everything to see. The currents at Turquoise took Mum and Dad by surprise who almost got swept out to sea with Hugh between them.
While we snorkelled Lake Side, Hugh did the Mandu Mandu Gorge walk again with Nanny and Joddy. He was in his element. He apparently talked the whole way, regaling Mum and Dad with all his knowledge of the plants and birds and just generally blabbering.
Sleeping arrangements were interesting. Mum and Dad opted for the trailer while Matthias and I took swags outside, until the third night when a big squalling rain storm sent us all inside. Hugh jumped in between Nanny and Joddy and Matthias and I shared the kid's side with Claire. After that I slept between the kids each night while Matthias stuck it out in the swag.
Mum, Dad and I had a whale shark dive booked for the morning after the stormy night, the one day of windy and cool weather we had for the whole week. We considered postponing but when we got to the Tantabiddi boat ramp no-one else seemed bothered by the white-caps on the water. It turned out to be a fabulous tour. We had five dives with the sharks and yes, the swell was big and at times intimidating, but the water was bath warm and in the excitement of it all there didn't seem room to worry about the conditions. Admittedly, our first "drop" was pretty horrific. It felt like a navy seal drill. Apparently the shark changed direction just as we plunged in. Amidst shouted instructions to "swim swim swim", I battled into the swell, frantically looking for a grey shape ahead of me. My snorkel felt like I was breathing through a drinking straw and as the swell surged under me I thought "I can't keep up, I'm going to miss it all". Then I heard Mum calling for help. That was the excuse I needed to give up the chase and I swam back to poor Mum who was drinking sea water and probably as distressed as half the rest of us felt. Luckily that was not a forerunner for how the rest of the day would pan out. Mum recovered, we all caught our breath and the next four drops after that were much more tame and we had some fabulous sightings. On the third drop the whale shark swam right under us and it felt just magical. Next, we swam directly alongside it and finally we were treated to two sharks together, one of which hung around and swam circles around us. All in all a fabulous day. Ningaloo Discovery were excellent operators, looking after us really well.
We saw two dingos while we were in the park. Both roaming the side of the road. Neither looked particularly healthy and I felt sorry that they're so maligned.
For our final two nights we moved to Osprey Bay which is widely touted as the top campground in the national park. We were keen to see what all the fuss was about, particularly as it felt like a lot of effort to pack up and move only five minutes down the road. The campground had a similar carpark feel about it with open exposed sites and lots of them. Our site was a lot further from the beach than our North Kurrajong site. But the general setting was very pretty being in a large protected bay with a mixed rocky shelf and sandy shoreline. Would the snorkeling measure up? Not on our first outing off the beach. All the dark patches in close were weed - good for turtle sightings but not for coral. But, with a bit of effort, the offshore snorkelling was great. A good kilometre out and down the lagoon were two kayak moorings out near the breakwater. Matthias and I had our first joint childless outing in our whole six months on the road and had an awesome time exploring around the moorings together. Mum and Dad's efforts occupying the kids while we had our date were rewarded with a big fillet of Wahoo fish gifted by a successful fisher person. Dinner for our final night together sorted!
Emotions ran high on our big departure and farewell day. We distracted ourselves with a stop at the Jurabi Turtle Centre and Mum and Dad treated us to lunch at the Beach Shack at Bundegi Beach. We did our goodbyes like whipping off a band-aid. I was left smarting as I restocked at the shops in Exmouth. Claire missed the farewell entirely as she'd fallen asleep in the car and ever since she's been asking "where Nanny Joddy go?". Even this morning, two weeks after their departure, Claire woke up and unzipped the window of the camper trailer to see if "Nanny Joddy there?"
It was very hard saying goodbye to Mum and Dad. The greatest enjoyment of their fleeting stay was the reciprocal joy that they get out of the kids. I loved sharing my two babes with them and the kids adored having Mum and Dad lavish them with attention. It was also great sharing a sample of our travelling life with them and what a sample week it was.
I also felt sad to say goodbye to Cape Range. We'd been too busy to fit in Charles Knife Gorge and even though we'd had a total of 18 nights on the reef, 8 in the National Park, Cape Range felt rushed. I hadn't yet sated my snorkeling appetite.
