Coral Bay and life on a Station

I've realised that I don't think I explained the title of my last post (and I'm too lazy to go back and read it to check!) The company that hired us our Toyota only seem to have the same model of car and every travelling in WA seems to have hired one. Every site we're visted so far there have been at least 3 of the white cars lined up in a row.

So explanation over - we travelled up from Kalbarri through Carnarvon which is the fruit growing capital of WA (home of the sweetest banana!) The plantations were closed for the summer but as we drove along the edge you could see the mangoes ripening and the banana trees. As we got closer to the tropics the weather got steadily hotter and more humid - only the sea breeze kept me sane. Driving straight through Carnarvon (only stoppping for supplies and a fly net to cover our heads). we drove on up to Coral bay. This is a beautiful bay on the Ningaloo reef which is a mainly still water (i.e. no currents like the great barrier reef) on the north west coast.

We drove down into the settlement which is in the middle of nowehere to be greated by the sight of an amazing turquoise blue bay, a resort hotel and a very bad band playing Eric Clapton. It turns out we'd timed our stay with the monthly Wetern Farmers steering committee meeting, which meant that all the bush folk at come out of their stations to do committee stuff (which looked like getting drunk and arranging the marriages of their daughters - I fear only partly in jest!) Although it was already 7pm the temperature ws still 35 and the water really warm and crystal clear. We stopped for a quick swim (with the Snapper and the scissor fish). Our apartment contained 2 double beds and a top single bunk in one room with a kitchen and a small bathroom area. I was quite surprised to discover while showering that the non-drinking water obviously came straight from the sea! The cold tap produced quite warm water (easy bath temperature) and was definatly salty - my hair has crysallised solid into rather frizzy tight curls!

We spent the next day having a glass bottomed boat tour of the coral - which was amazing - I've never seen so many fish of different colours and such dense coral. As the water is very slow moving, the coral is mainly hard coral. I then tried my hand at snorkelling -bear in mind I'm ont a strong swimmer at the best of times. The snorkelling initially produceed the effect of me filling my mask full of water and breathing in salt water - unpleasant! I eventually got the hang of it but wasn't confident at my ability to swim over the main reef - i.e. anywhere where I couldn't put my feet on the sand. Phil however had a ice trip out over the coral and aparently saw a Stingray (thing that killed Steven Irwin) and a Turtle.

Phils friend 'Hoppy' joined us later on before driving up to his station (Hill Springs Homestead), which involved driving on some very dodgy sand roads - avoiding kangaroos and cattle - our poor rental car.

This morning we got up at 6am to avoid the heat and drove round 2/3s of the station looking at the cattle (photos of the bulls for Grandma!), the Emus and trying to fix a pump, which pulls up the water form one of the bore holes. Most of the days of the farmesrs out here appear to be a constant battle to get water to their stock... The countryside though is beautiful, so much open space and amazing colours (red sand, green plants and bright blue sky) not to mention incredible wildlife, we've seen Emus, Cockatoos, other birds, huge lizards and snakes. I'm now sheltering from the afternoon heat before going out again to finish helping to mend the pump (read watching Hoppy and his dad mend the pump and occasionally holding the piping and passing drinks of water!)

Tomorrow we go to Monkey Mia to look at Dolphins and then back to Perth.

p.s. a note for Grandma and David - some of the neighbours Angus bulls have obviously had their way and there are some beautiful jet black calves - not sure how they manage with a black coat in the sun.