Exmouth to Carnarvon

Barradale:

This is one of many free overnight camp sites available to people like ourselves travelling long distances between places and need to pull in to rest for the night, usually there are lots of other people at these camp sites. Another reason for their popularity is they are free.

Free Roadside Camping Spot.

Exmouth:      

We have booked in for 4 nights here at the Ningaloo Lighthouse caravan park, time for a break from being on the road. 

Exmouth with Ningaloo Reef in the background.

 

The Ningaloo Marine Park is World Heritage listed and the Ningaloo Reef stretches for 260km and is rich in marine life.  We drove 70km into the National Park and stopped into a few of the ‘Bays, the scenery is breathtaking, the sea is  green and blue in colour with beautiful beaches, the Ningaloo reef creates breaking waves which attracts surfers. I think our favorite spot was called T-bone Bay.

 

T.Bone Bay Looking out to Ningaloo Reef.

Yardie Creek Gorge is in the same National park so we hiked up to the top of the gorge and enjoyed the scenery and views which made it worthwhile.

Above Yardie Creek Gorge.

Womens Business in the Bush.

       

Back at the Caravan Park, we drove up to the Lighthouse and from there we saw a whale breaching and we think there was a calf as well, incredible to see.  In the afternoon we had a walk along the beach opposite and we saw Turtles feeding in the waves coming into shore (how good is that).

Charles Knife Gorge in the rough ranges. Just for a change instead of hiking up we drove all the way to the top and along the ridge, it was a sealed road half of the way then it became rock and corrugation for the next 5 or so Klm. This was one of the first places they discovered oil in Australia, unfortunately they did not get much as it was too difficult to extract.

Rough Ranges where oil was discovered.

Exmouth to Carnarvon:

We said goodbye to David & Brenda this morning, as they are heading into Mount Tom Price and Karijini National Park in the centre of Australia to see where Craig their son worked for a while and then onto Newman and Kalgoorlie.

Saying goodbye to David & Brenda for a short while.

 We are heading down the coast toward Perth to meet up with some old friends and hopefully meet up again with Brenda & David for the last leg of the trip across the Nullarbor and back to Melbourne. We have come a long way together and been in touch all the way along the road with our C.B.Radio's, it was strange not seeing them in the mirror or up front as we moved on to different destinations, and look forward to catching up with them again at Kalgoorlie.

Coral Bay:  On the way to Carnarvon we stopped into Coral Bay Lovely bay view’s and safe swimming spot for the children, there was 2 Caravan Parks with 1 better than the other, however the public amenities on the beach were disgusting.

Coral Bay still on Ninggaloo Reef.

Carnarvon:  Turned off the main highway onto alternative route and drove through a large fruit and Veg growing area, on sale at the roadside shops was Bananas, Avocado, Mango’s and Passion Fruit.
With water for irrigation being pumped up from under the dry river bed to irrigate all the crops in the area seemd rather odd..

Ina at the Nassa Sattelite Dish, Carnarvon.

Arrived at the Top Tourist caravan park that we had booked into, it was one of the cleanest and best kept Caravan Parks we have stayed at on this long trip. They even had an 8 rink bowling green with some people coming here from Albany in South West Australia for the past 3 years and they stay for up to 3 months, basically the same as us, just getting away from the cold winters in the south.

Carnarvon also had an Avenue of Honour lined with Palm Tree’s to honour the men who died on the S.S.Sydney the night she sank off shore during W.W.1.
It is also famous for it's Mile long jetty for loading Boats with stock and farm produce south to Perth, long before the roads were made.

1 Mile Jetty Carnarvon.