Day 54 11/08/2013 Cape Range NP.
Once again the wind blew up in the night...it was really gusty at times. Fortunately our kitchen was sheltered from the direct wind and we were able to enjoy a cooked breakfast, although everything took twice as long! After breakfast we packed up, as we had to move sites. We decided not to unpack.....in the hope that the wind would have eased later on! Although it was a beautifully sunny day, (yet again!), it was unfortunately too windy for snorkelling. So we put Plan B into action. We drove south to Yardie Creek where we walked the gorge track. The gorge has the creek flowing through, so the walk took us along the rim of the gorge. There were great views. Then we watched a few 4WD vehicles attempt to cross the soft sandy gap between the end of the sealed road and the 4WD only track on the other side. This track provides a 'short cut', (although probably not in time), to Coral Bay.
We then headed north again and called in at a few beaches along the way, including Oyster Stacks and Lakeside, which are also popular snorkelling spots, although Oyster Stacks is only recommended for strong swimmers. Apparently the variety of fish there is amazing. Not a soul was at either of the beaches...too rough today.
We then decided that lunch in town would be a great option, so that is what we did. We enjoyed soft shell crab and a spicy chickpea and grilled haloumi salad. Yum!
On the way back to camp we continued our sightseeing. We visited Bundegi Beach on the eastern side of the cape. There were some people fishing there. We then looked at the 13 VLF (very low frequency) antennae which had been constructed for the US Naval Communications Centre mentioned earlier. These VLF waves can communicate with submarines. They rather dominate the landscape at the tip of the cape, although not in a bad way. Next stop was to view the wreck of the SS Mildura which ran aground in a storm in 1907, and was the reason for the erection of the Lighthouse at Vlamingh Head, which was our next port of call. This is a great vantage point for views over the cape and also for whale-watching. There several people doing just that, and they were rewarded by sightings of several whales, albeit in the distance. Another reason for visiting the lighthouse was for the mobile phone reception!
After leaving the lighthouse we called in at the Turtle Centre. At this time of year there is no egg-laying or egg-hatching to observe, (that would be after dark anyway), but we were able to look at the informative display. Next stop was an Observation Bird Hide which overlooked Mangrove Bay. We spent about 20 minutes there. We saw some red-legged stilt birds; egrets, herons, including a Great Western Heron and a white-bellied sea eagle. We also saw a loggerhead turtle swimming by.
It was after 4pm when we got back to camp. We set up our camper and had a cup of tea. By then it was almost time for happy hour! The wind had died down and we again enjoyed the company of fellow campers over a glass of wine. We re-heated leftovers from last night for dinner....very easy. Then we retreated indoors to escape the increasing wind!