We woke early on day thirty-five to catch up on work. With over 500 km ahead of us, we scoffed a few coffees throughout the morning and were on the road by 8am, headed to the Pilbara region.
Neither of us had visited the Pilbara before, and we quickly discovered it is vast with rugged ancient landscapes and rich mineral resources. When we arrived in Karratha it had an immediate appeal with artwork in the roundabouts and an impressive ‘Red Earth Arts Precinct’.
Further on was the Discovery Parks Campground, our home for a couple of nights. Although we’re generally not fans of commercial campgrounds, it was quite well set up - no red dust, large sites with plenty of clean and hot showers. There were also lots of noisy galahs in the trees.
We drove around to familiarise ourselves before heading back to camp for dinner. Karratha gave us a good feeling - it has a quirky and creative vibe and is full of history.
The morning of day thirty-six was a successful one. We got some exercise in, washing on the line, work somewhat caught up on and were out and about early. After a coffee we visited the Visitor Information Centre, stocked up on some brochures and information from the helpful staff and left with a plan for the day.
Our first destination was Murujuga National Park. Unbeknownst to us the area is considered to host the largest concentration of ancient rock art in the world, possibly dating back tens of thousands of years. The art we could see was amazing and incredibly it was still clearly visible. We acknowledge the Traditional Owners, the Ngarda-Ngarli, and their continuing connection to Country.
Next we headed up to the Burrup Peninsula and were taken aback by the scale of the gas plant on the foreshore - a reminder that today Karratha is definitely a mining town.
Not far was the red dog statue, and we caught up on the famous story.
Red Dog was a red kelpie cross who travelled extensively across WA’s Pilbara Region by walking, hitchhiking in cars and taking buses. He became a loved friend to many and a cherished member of various local institutions, even holding a bank account.
Afterwards we visited the North West Brewing Company brewery for a late lunch and of course some beers. It’s Karratha’s first and only craft brewery - the food was great and so was the beer.
We closed out the day at camp afterwards with dinner and cards.
Day thirty-seven saw us pack up and hit the road to Exmouth where we were meeting up with friends from Toowoomba, Damian and Sharon Drews. It was a 548km drive through the Pilbara Region and we arrived just after 2pm to an Airbnb in Davidson Street, close to Exmouth township. The Drews arrived soon after us and it was great to see familiar faces and have friends' company for a few days.
The house was a very original beach shack, but seemed huge after living in the camper for over five weeks. The men went to get supplies for dinner before a fun night catching up with friends.
We woke up early to alarms in preparation for a big day thirty-eight, smashing coffee and toast to hopefully stave off any seasickness. We were going on a whale shark tour today, and were super excited. The ladies took charge of researching what company to book through, as it is quite a saturated market in peak season.
We ended up choosing Live Ningaloo - one of the more expensive (not a great deal more) tours - what made it unique is that they are the only operator to limit guest numbers to a maximum of ten, meaning it eliminates the need to take turns or wait in line.
We were picked up by marine biologist and underwater photographer Ella. Luckily it was only the four of us and we were able to learn heaps over the thirty-minute drive to the jetty. We transferred to our boat for the day via tender and met our skipper, Nick, a matter-of-fact and competent young fella. Also on board was Coultan, another qualified skipper who would assist us in the water, along with Sophie the deckhand and five other guests.
We were taken to an inner reef initially and given a crash course on how to get in and out of the boat and also what was expected of us. Then we jumped in for a quick snorkel of the first reef - it was amazing, full of marine life with vibrantly coloured fish, plentiful coral and beautiful clear water.
It was awesome, and if this was all we saw all day we would have been happy. But it was back to the boat in search of a whale shark. The whale shark is the largest living fish on the planet. From March to July each year hundreds of them aggregate near the reef to feed on plankton following the mass coral spawning.
It wasn’t long before we got our ten minute call - telling us to put our flippers and masks on and get ready to go.
Excitement was building, and when we hopped in we spotted a whale shark immediately. It was a young one, about five metres long and beautiful. We swam beside it for as long as we could, trying to take in the markings, size and movement of this awe-inspiring creature.
And then out of the ordinary, a second whale shark joined our group, which was incredibly lucky, as whale sharks are solitary animals and seeing two together is rare. The second whale shark was well known and had been passing through for many years. Ella had previously shared his story with us, the big guy was a troublesome one they called ‘Zorro’, as he has a Z-shaped scar on his dorsal fin.
We were told in our first briefing to stay to the side of the whale sharks - not to get in front of them or dive down underneath them - but it always felt like you were in front of Zoro, and always trying not to be and to move to his side.
After a while Coultan and Ella, the crew in the water with us, gave the call to move our boat. As we headed back we looked down and saw two sharks circling below us and quickly realised why the “Board Boat Now” call was made. We made a beeline for the duckboard and got back on with no time to waste.
It all went too quickly, and was one of the best experiences we’ve had so far on this trip.
A huge thanks to Live Ningaloo and the crew - we couldn't recommend the experience more.
On day thirty-nine we travelled with Sharon and Damian to Turquoise Bay. It’s a renowned beach in Cape Range National Park, known for its white sand and crystal-clear water and having access to the Ningaloo Marine Park by swimming out a few metres from shore.
We had carted snorkels and flippers from Toowoomba and wanted to put them to use. The conditions weren’t ideal - it was windy and a little cool - but we didn’t hesitate.
The reef greeted us with beautiful coral and an abundance of fish with varying sizes, shapes and colours. It was amazing and we did not have to work hard to see it. After a short while our teeth began to chatter and we hopped out.
We took our time on the 60 km drive back to Exmouth, taking in the scenery and calling in at various campsites and roads along the magical coastline. The Ningaloo Coast is a World Heritage Area of ecological significance, and the fringing reef spans nearly 300km, supporting over 300 coral species and 700 reef fish species. It also serves as the world's largest and most reliable annual gathering site for 300 to 500 whale sharks between March and July, hence the inspiration for our visit to Exmouth along with lots of other tourists.
Afterwards it was back into town to spend the evening sharing drinks, stories and laughs at the Whalebone Brewery. Their beers were very much enjoyed, along with the great pizzas, burgers and live music. Another great day in Exmouth.
Ella from our tour with Live Ningaloo suggested a drive and snorkel at Coral Bay and to call into Bullura Station for some homemade scones, jam and cream. So our plan for day forty was set - we’d do the hour and a half drive from Exmouth to Coral Bay and call into Bullura 30 minutes along the drive.
Bullura Station was an impressive tourist hotspot and the scones did not disappoint.
We’re returning here for two nights after Exmouth, so it was good to do some scouting around.
Coral Bay is stunning. We enjoyed a walk on the beach but weren’t tempted to snorkel this time - it was even colder and windier than yesterday. Content with the view and drive alone, we had an unreal day exploring.
It was our last night here in Exmouth, and we decided to try out another recommendation - Whalers Restaurant's seafood tower. It also did not disappoint, and it felt like we could roll out of the place afterwards. We went to bed satisfied and content with our time in Exmouth. It's been awesome.