Exmouth and Cape Range National Park WA

We have had a fantastic nine nights around Exmouth and Cape Range National Park.

Exmouth is a small town situated near the northern tip of the North West Cape in Western Australia. It is the only town in the area and makes a good base for exploring the Ningaloo Reef. Exmouth Gulf became a submarine refuelling base during the Second World War but the town did not develop until 1967 when it was established as a support town for the Harold E. Holt Naval Communications Station, a joint Australian and U.S.A. Government venture. The station's 13 transmission towers, 5klm north of the town, still relay messages between Australia and US command centres and shipping. Further sightseeing around Exmouth we took in the 360 degree panoramic views of the Ningaloo Reef and Cape Range from the Vlaming Head Lighthouse lookout. The lighthouse has been restored to its 1912 origins and is Australia's only kerosene-burning lighthouse. We also visited the Mildura shipwreck and Pebble Beach....as the name suggests it was very pebbly and I didn't think, very appealing to walk on!

Extending west and south of Exmouth over 500,000 ha is Cape Range National Park. It encompasses limestone ranges honeycombed with caves, gullies, sinkholes, as well as coastal plains and mangroves. We stayed four nights at the Tulki campsite in the National Park, camped alongside the lovely family we first met at Ellendale Pools and again at Quobba Point and Coral Bay. David, Bhavani and the children, Jasmin and Isabel, Together we enjoyed snorkelling along the Ningaloo Reef at Turquoise Bay and had fun at Lakeside on another beautiful beach area. In the evening enjoyed 'happy hour' and played card games. Chris and I also walked Mandu Mandu Gorge and the impressive multicoloured Yardie Creek Gorge. On land we saw lots of kangaroos, emus, rock wallabies, birds and a very large snake and out and under the water beautiful fish, stingrays, turtles and coral. The area really is a paradise of diversity.

We enjoyed a visit from fellow travellers we have met over the last few weeks......Sue and Ross, Neville and Cathy and a couple we met up with again in Coral Bay which we had met nearly two years ago when we had our granddaughter Sophie for a weekend stay at a Belmont Caravan Park in our then new motorhome.

The only downfall was the unseasonal strong winds that rocked us relentlessly for the days we stayed out in the National Park and around Exmouth. One night or early morning (1.00am) at Tulki, after much hammering from the strong winds, David (our next door saviour), Chris and I had to wind the annex in for fear of not having an annex at daylight. The whole camp was a bit of a flurry and Chris went and helped the couple camped on the other side of us, do the same thing.

We leave Exmouth tomorrow but today couldn't resist a Whale Shark snorkelling trip. There are at least seven companies who offer the Whale Shark tours. 'Kings' Ningaloo Reef Tours was recommended to us by other travellers who had experienced the King's company. I must say they were excellent. We had a fabulous day out on the King's boat............ swimming with Whale Sharks, Humpbacked Whale with calf and Turtles. As well as seeing at close range from the boat Dugongs, a Tiger Shark, Stingrays and Dolphins. We swam and snorkelled over sections of the Ningaloo Reef seeing beautiful coral, and many species of fish. What an awesome day!

Tomorrow, 26^th June 2012, we will be continuing north towards Onslow, Karratha, Dampier and Port Hedland.