Going South in Western Australia

 We have just had a week in a small corner of Western Australia driving south from Exmouth to Denham and Monkey Mia and then back again to Coral Bay. We then flew from Exmouth/Learmonth to Adelaide to stay with our dear friends Doug and Mary, from whose computer we are posting this blog. On our way south we crossed the Tropic of Capricorn, so a good photo opportunity.This is a very typical road in this part of Australia, dead straight for mile after mile (rather km after km!) with very little traffic to be seen. This can make driving difficult and tiring and the mirages floating above the surface give the impression of traffic heading towards you on both sides of the road!

 One thing the guide books had not told us (fortunately from Phileas' point of view) was that in this part of Australia there are plagues of locusts!! We 'met' several of these as we drove and the bodies splatted against the car with a great force!! This one stuck to the radiator grill provided a passing bird with a good supper! The photo of the palm frond shows the damage they do, a real problem around Carnarvon, a major fruit and vegetable town in this area, which provides much of the fresh produce for the whole of WA.

 Much happier on one of the many beaches where a great variety of shells can be found. Can't carry any more home so photos will give us a memory of their range, shape and colour. These on the beach at Denham, 50 metres from our motel unit.

 Shell Beach, near Denham was made from tiny cockle shells and in some places was reputedly up to 10m deep.

 A handful scooped from the beach certainly revealed many more underneath. In places these shells have become compressed so much so that blocks can be quarried. In the past these blocks were used to build houses for the early pearling pioneers. These were very well insulated both from the hot summer sun and the occasional cool nights.

 Monkey Mia is another must do. Here the local dolphins come to the beach every morning to be fed. This routine is now nearly 50 yrs old and as well as giving a wonderful opportunity for visitors to see the dolphins up close and personal it has also given scientists a chance to study these extraordinary  animals and to learn more about their lives and behaviour. Only 5 females are fed and the amount of fish they are given is strictly monitored. They bring with them their calves and so we were able to 'meet' 4 families on the morning that we visited.

 Later on a catamaran trip to find dugongs we saw many of them again, easily recognised by the distinctive notches and scars on their dorsal fins. Unfortunately no dugongs that day, at this time of the year they migrate to warmer waters. Part of the trip involved a visit to a pearl farm where we learnt about how oyster shells are seeded to produce a cultured pearl - no grain of sand involved but a small bead of shell which is introduced into the gonad of  the oyster shell where the pearl then grows around the bead. The seeding traditionally done by Japanese women who have very small hands!

 We left Denham/Monkey Mia and drove north to Coral Bay to enjoy the delights of the Ningaloo Coral Reef which can be accessed from the beach. We took a trip on a glass bottomed boat and Fogg managed to capture these pictures of  a giant cabbage like coral ......

 ..... and an Emperor Fish. We also saw, amongst many others, lots of Parrot fish, Angel fish and brightly coloured neon fish.
 The reef was pretty spectacular as this photo shows, this part of it well out to sea. The photo taken whilst on a snorkling and whale watching trip. We were delighted to see humpback whales and the elusive dugong, a female with a calf, as well as a number of loggerhead turtles.

 It was here that your intrepid correpondents went snorkling with Manta Rays and saw more of the coral reef. We have no photos of the mantas (or dugong/humpback whale) with us at the moment but do have access to a CD of pictures taken by our guide so watch out for a supplementary blog written on our return home. We look exhausted but triumphant; this experience was one we both wanted to have. Phileas was very nervous and as some readers will know had been practising wearing a snorkel whilst doing the housework!! This tactic paid off and she was able to snorkel successfully on 3 occasions. Fogg was in and out like a dolphin, fulfilling a boyhood dream to 'meet' manta rays, some of which were 2-3 metres from fin tip to fin tip. These beautiful and totally harmless fish were found at a so called cleaning station where parasites and other debris was removed by cleaner fish. This meant that the rays were quietly swimming around quite unphased by our presence. A really wonderful experience and a great way to finish our WA travels.

This is our last posting from Australia, but look out for a final posting and photos once we return to the UK.

Until then, dear reader, best wishes from us both

Phileas and Fogg