Power Rangers

Next stop on our itinerary was the Ningaloo Reef, a long stretch of coral reefs, in the Cape National Park, which is accessed through the town of Exmouth. The idea was to spend the night in a rest area not too far from town, so we could arrive at Exmouth at 9 am and book into a site in the national park. Well, things didn't go exactly according to plan.

Firstly, the rest area we had planned on was 150 Kms from town, on the highway, at the turn off. Although it looked good on paper, with toilets etc, it was dismal when we got there. It was right on the highway, so was noisy, with no trees or protection of any sort. And there was no-one else there. It was about 3 pm so we thought we would push on to see if we could find better. Eventually we stopped at Bullara Station, a sheep station that allowed campers on their paddocks. It was a very interesting place, with sheep wondering around, bathrooms made of corrugated iron sheets and having trees through the middle of them, and the hot water supplied by burning firewood. In the evening there was also a big bonfire for everyone to meet, and possibly cook their dinner.

The best thing about it was it was further on, so then next day it was only 90 Kms to Exmouth, not 150, so we managed to get in before nine. But it really didn't help as we were told they could not book us in, we would have to go to the national park itself and see the rangers. Now this area is on a peninsula, so we had travelled most of the way up the east side to get to Exmouth. We would now need to travel to the tip of the peninsula, around the top, and halfway down the other side (another 45 Kms) just to get to the entrance to the park, pay our fee, then travel up to another 70 Kms down the other side to go to the various spots in the park.

At Exmouth, the Visitor Centre had supplied us with a brochure stating, "25 things to see and do around Exmouth." These included exciting things like visiting the IGA supermarket, but also had a long spiel about the RAAF base close by and the Harold Holt communication base, finished off with the useful advice, "Not open to the public." How is this something to see and do???

We were already starting to get a bit jack of the whole idea, but we started off, stopping at a few things on the way - a couple of beaches and a light house. At all of these it was very windy and cold, and we thought if we do get to the reef, will we really be able to snorkel anyway? Even the path down to the beach was falling apart and caving in, forming a bit of a cliff at the end. Maintenance of facilities is not their strong point. We had had enough, turned around and headed out - the "Farewell from Exmouth" sign being the best thing about the whole Exmouth experience.

To get back to the highway we had to head back down the peninsula and across to the west side, through a town called Coral Bay. This was at the bottom end of the Ningaloo Reef, and we assumed had corals also, from the name. Also the fact that it was a bay was encouraging, as we thought it may be less windy.

We arrived in Coral Bay and fell in love. It is a tiny town consisting of two caravan parks, a few shops, a backpackers and a pub, all strung out along the most beautiful beach you can imagine. Now we have been on the road for some time, and seen many beautiful beaches, but this was something else. It was like the pristine beaches you see on brochures of remote tropical isles, but better. It was situated in a small semi-circular cove, well protected from the elements. The sand was fine and white, the water was so clear you could hardly tell where it started, and was a lovely turquoise blue where it got a bit deeper. The reef was just a few metres out from shore, and if you walked up a few hundred metres to start, a very gentle current would carry you slowly back to the shore where you started. The corals and tropical fish were nice, but to be honest, this is just an added bonus. Even if there was no reef, it is still the best beach we have ever seen. A wonderful ending to a journey that had started very inauspiciously.

GeorgeY's bit

Quirky sheep station set up. The hot water system boiled over because the caretaker over stocked the wood fired, home made boiler with branches.

Exmouth is not a town. It is a lie, all is fake, made up, and documented in glossy brochures. Exmouth makes Caroline Springs and Doreen look like old and historic townships. It is boasting these pretend waterways with massive houses and private jetties, mostly added last week. Town centre has a few shops with no character, and Ningaloo IGA is opposite to Exmouth IGA, separated by a corridor. That's it.

"National Park" camp site, which is code for a camping spot where you pay for zero facilities, drink your shower water, and eat soil. In the glossy brochure you can book at the Tourist Info Centre for a spot, but at Exmouth Tourist Info Centre we were told that we have to drive to the ranger and find out if there is a spot for us, as they never do it from there.

I drove on trying to find the Ranger's office or booking hut. Nothing, till you get there and a chalk board on the road, "No camp sites available". Why didn't you tell the girl at the Info Centre? Dumb ass. So we surveyed the nearby features and found them hopeless and unappealing, which again contradicts the top 25 things to see and don't.

At the Fraser Island tour back in Queensland, the driver was carrying on about stuff ups by the rangers, mostly fueled by a know it all attitude. With this recent event I think a National Park Ranger is a science graduate with no communication skills, little experience in life, and power that has gone to his head. Had enough of Power Rangers. Tme to Exit "Exmouth".