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Toughs Travels

Exmouth Experience Apr 16, 2009

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The Exmouth Experience

Monday 6th April 2009

So, today we are up at 7.30 am to depart for points North!

The early start is OK – except we both have been awake for a while, waiting for the alarm to go off – scared that we sleep in – you know how it is!

Still, we get up and organised and are out of the apartment by 8.40 – so 20 mins ahead of schedule – but to no avail – we just miss the earlier bus and have to wait for the 9.03 (which is late).

In town we get off to change busses only to find that we have missed the airport bus by 1 minute – so wait another 20 mins for the next one!

At the Domestic Terminal things go well and with no queues we are checked in in quick order.

The lounge is quiet and offers Internet access – though we discover that you have to create an account and PAY! Drat – how unfair is that?!

The flight is not full – and as we asked for Emergency Exit seats (on this flight row 13!! – most planes do not have a row 13!!) – we have lots of leg room (which Carolyn of course is especially appreciative of!!) and have a very pleasant flight – only slightly marred by the “lunch” – a white bread sandwich and a cold drink! – you had to pay for proper drink – which of course we did!!

When we arrive it is not clear where in the terminal you collect your luggage – now folks, this terminal is not large, think – tennis court size – yes that small! – So, whilst Neil is waiting to confirm our airport bus reservation Carolyn goes to ask – and lo and behold, the luggage is brought straight from the aircraft, by the cart things, and dumped just OUTSIDE the terminal front door!

None of this namby-pamby Carousel nonsense here Matey! Just drop them where you can and let the punters fight over them!!

Back at the Bus desk a problem has arisen – they have no note of us being booked on the charter bus for the 36 km journey to Exmouth! But after some discussion all is well – they cut the appropriate bit off our reservation copy and off we go! Let’s hope all is well with our hotel booking!

When we arrive in Exmouth – well, it’s different – I’m not sure what we expected, (we later decided that we had Elie in Fife in the sunshine in our minds!) but it’s quiet and slow and feels like the edge of the world – and of course it sort of is – the town has a resident population of only 2500 and is 1200 kms from Perth and about 3366 kms from Darwin (and No, that’s not a typo – it is a long way), with not that much in between!

However, we find the grocery store and a Liquor shop (except that it’s got hardly any stock – and when Carolyn asks if they are closing down, she says “No, we just have not had a delivery for a while!”) – Now hardly any stock means no Gin or Vodka, no beer, no White Wine and only one bottle of red! Plenty of Ouzo though!! But even we have to be in a seriously bad way to want to drink ouzo! – I’d rather down a bottle of cough medicine!

Still we know that there is at least two other shops selling booze – the nicely named “Thirsty Camel” shop and the bottle shop attached to the Pot Shot Hotel.

So, we visit the Thirsty Camel and secure adequate provisions for the evening – 1 bottle of Gin, 1 Tonic, 6 beers and a 4 litre Wine box – enough for one night methinks!

Now dear reader – Here’s another thing about drinking in Australia. Almost every evening there’s adverts on TV about encouraging people to cut down on drinking – but the Off Licences/Bottle Shops/Liquor Stores here have a drive through facility – Yes, that’s right just like a McDonalds – You do not even have to get out of your car to get a drink to take away!

Now, call me a bit old fashioned and cynical – but if you make it that easy to get a drink and have it in your car – then you are (1) more likely to open a can/bottle on the way home and have a drink WHILST you drive or (2) buy more in the first place because it’s so easy – no queuing, no hassle, just drive up shout your order, pay, get it delivered to your lap and drive off!

Not the way to cut down drinking I think!!

On returning to the Hotel (more of which later) we chat to another couple who arrived this afternoon – Peter and Pammy. They have driven from Darwin over several days, after having been at a conference there, but they actually live in Perth. And after some questioning we discover that they lived in Cottesloe and their daughter lives just over the road from the apartment we stayed in for the month.

So, later they invite us to drive out with them to get some food – and we end up at Graces’ Tavern where we have a nice meal with huge portions – especially the Pizza (where Carolyn and I share one between us!)

Tuesday 7th April 2009

On Neil’s run this morning past the Golf Course (think, a patch of red dust with a few tufts of grass/weed and greens made of sand! he spots a small Kangaroo and later in the day we both see an Emu quietly grazing on the football field.

Then we are off to the Travel Centre to book our Whale Shark snorkelling trip. Now, these huge creatures are actually fish and they come to this part of the coast from late March through to July, some reckon to feed on the Coral Spawning which occurs about 10 days after the full moon in March and April.

However, our main credit card is declined and the secondary one is also declined – so off we go to the bank and use the main one to get cash with no problem (odd since both the travel Centre and the bank use the same Westpac bank system) – in the end our Diners Club card works just fine and so we have extra cash!

Then we have a lazy day by the pool and improving the tan! Later we chat again to Peter and Pammy who have had a great day with the Whale Sharks having swum with five of them.

Wednesday 8th April

We are up bright and early for our bus pick-up at 7.30 am for our day out and by 8.30 we are being transported out from the beach to our boat “Draw Card” which is a 17 metres powerboat. The day is glorious, with little wind and only minimal swell breaking over the outlying reef.

Then, after the obligatory safety talk it’s a slow motor to the snorkel site where we spot lots of colourful fish and coral heads and then morning tea on board and we are split into two groups of ten for the day. The point of this is because there are strict Environmental Rules about swimming with the Whale Sharks – only ten people in the water at any one time – only allowed no closer than 3 meters from the side of the fish and four metres from the tail – and no swimming directly towards the head!

Then we motor out beyond the reef to await the spotter plane directing us to the Whale Shark – this soon happens but we are in the water and chasing after this fish and it dives away from us – so frustrating – but then – it’s just nature!

However, soon after we locate another then another and in all we swim with four and spot another two!

On the way back we have a delicious salad and meat lunch and as things seem to be settling down Neil decides to change from wet shorts to dry ones in the heads (the Loo for you landlubbers) and just then another Whale shark is sighted and Neil is called from the heads pronto – but the fish just disappears as quickly as it is spotted.

All in all a great day. The crew of the 3 Islands Whale-shark trips were all fabulous and we have a DVD to show the world – as well as a Certificate to prove that we swam with Whale Sharks!!

Thursday 9th April

After yesterday’s exertions we have a lazy day collecting the DVD, getting more “essential” provisions – as most things are closed in West Australia on Good Friday – At the Thirsty Camel bottle shop we spy only two bottles of cheap Gin - Aye, religion still rules commerce! And then we need to stock up our food at the supermarket for the holiday weekend.

Returning to our hotel we start to walk down the long corridor and spot a lizard in front of us, and as you might expect as we move it runs forward. Now this little lizard, about 9 inches long, passes eight room doors on it’s way towards the open door at the end of the corridor, with only four doors to pass to freedom – Then it decides to go into one of those four rooms – and guess what it’s OUR room!

So, we spend the next 20 minutes chasing a scared lizard round the room, under the beds and behind the furniture – but eventually it heads for the open door and the great outside.

Friday 10th April

The world is closed – Good Friday is a MAJOR public holiday is Australia – so virtually everything is closed.

Tuesday 14th April

The world restarts today so off we go and try to hire a car to see a bit more of the place.

The nearest local hire company is “Allens’ Car Hire” but all they have left today is a 14 year old Ford Estate Wagon with 318,879 Kms on the clock – yes that’s right 199,300 miles – and boy does it look it! But it drives OK, so off we go to the Beach!

For a change today is cloudy but still warm, with an expected high of 32 Deg C. So we head into the Cape Range National Park and down to Yardie Creek – which is the end of the tarmac road, which then continues as a 4 Wheel Drive track which fords the river then down the peninsula.

At the creek several vehicles are arriving at the far side and considering to cross – but it’s an hour before high tide and it’s way too deep. But one guy wades across to check the depth – and decides to wait. So, we resolve to come back later and see what happens.

Then back to Turquoise Bay for some drift snorkelling. That’s where you enter the water at one end of the beach and let the current take you along to the other end, then get out and walk back and repeat the process!

So, we go back to Yardie Creek at 3 hours after high tide and the guy who waded into the water 4 hours earlier is still there – regularly checking the depth. But, strangely half an hour later he rounds up his family and turns round and drives away. Now, why wait over 4 hours and then go away? If he’d waited another 30 minutes he would have had an easy crossing!! We are quite miffed at him doing us out of our expected entertainment, especially as Carolyn acquired 29 sand fly bites on her neck and shoulders while waiting for the show! And yes – she had doused herself liberally with Jungle formula!! (But oops! – she went snorkelling and it washed off!)

Now more about our Hotel – Ningaloo Lodge – the rooms are small, but with en-suite toilets and shower and Air Con and a reasonable sized fridge. A major benefit is the communal kitchen – which has fridges, freezer and lots of equipment – so it’s easy to save money by eating in. All in all a good spot for us and as it is in town we can walk to the shops and bars! It also has a small pool to cool off in, with very nice cushioned loungers, chairs and tables to relax at.

The other hotels we have visited – the Novotel, top of the range and more than twice as expensive as our place – the Pot Shot Hotel, a strange place, bit of a building site and rather odd, but buzzy – The Best Western Sea Breeze, some 5 kms out of town and with no bar, not a great place to stay – we feel we have made a good choice.

Let’s hope our next place, Roebuck Caravan Resort, Broome, suits us just as well!

And think on this phrase seen on the back of a camper van.

"When gay guys want to settle a dispute - they go outside and exchange blows!"

Copyright Neil Tough @ 2009