It's astonishing how much greener the landscape around the Pilbara is in comparison to the scoured wasteland we passed through en route to Exmouth. Actual grasses flourish their seedy hats alongside the new growth of the spinifex and its easy to see how new settlers to the land believed it could provide steady grazing for stock. I did not however, remember the landscape along the road into Exmouth being so bleak. It was a red dust bowl studded with wizened trees with negligible undergrowth. Perhaps there had been a huge fire through the area but all I could think was that this is what post war landscape must look like. It was positively apocalyptic.
We had decided to spend a week of the Christmas holidays on the Coral Coast, snorkelling on the fabulously accessible Ningaloo reef and surfing the forgiving break at Dunes. Going back to Exmouth was also the culmination of a long held dream, as it was here that a relationship between a roving surfer and a shy English backpacker began to flower, finally growing into the family we are today. So, post apocalyptic scenery didn't really feature in the rose coloured vision of this trip I guess.
Exmouth itself hasn't changed much. It still has a compact shopping centre and sandy streets along which emus perambulate pondorously in pairs. There is, however, a new marina with a housing estate attached on the outskirts of town which gives some idea of the growth predicted for this little habitation. They need to plant some trees and vegetate it up to make it liveable though. At the moment, in high summer, McMansions with no gardens stand stark against the sky with no protection from the blistering heat. Not my idea of a 800,000 dollar residence.
We stayed at the Lighthouse Caravan Park which snuggled at the base of the Vlamingh Lighthouse. Just 2 km one way down the road was the Dunes Surf beach whilst 2 km down the road in the other direction was a beach commonly used as a turtle hatchery. The road went on into the Cape Range National Park and ended at Yardie Creek, a gorge that opened to the sea.
The boys showed their snorkelling skills at Turquoise Beach and Oyster Stacks, the places where the reef comes closest to land. We saw drifts of sparkling blue tiny fish and the largest, most iridescent parrot fish, purple fish with the texture of velvet and many more beside. Each new sighting was heralded with a chorus of snorkel muffled squeaking from the kids, too excited for boring old hand signals. Ned and Tom saw a small shark as well and Ned swears blind that he saw a second right behind me in Oyster stacks. I didn't see it, I was too busy showing it my bubbles as I walked on water away from that spot!
The highlight of the trip was New Years Eve. A glorious sunset from the top of Vlamingh Lighthouse before dinner and then a moonlit walk along Hunters Beach trying to see any laying turtles. We did not have torches as bright light can put the female off so much that she will return to the sea before laying. It was hard to see, but then all of a sudden sand flipped up in front of us and there was a huge female smoothing sand over her eggs. We watched quietly for about 20 minutes until finally satisfied, she lumbered back to the sea, job done for another year. It was timeless and extraordinary- the perfect way to welcome in a New Year.