Hello lovely people no. 27 (no. 4 in Australia)

Shark Bay. I think I mentioned our relief at finding camping at Hamelin Pool, at the southern end of Shark bay and then a hotel in Denham during peak school holidays. Six nights followed by three. The camp site sounds great, right next to the beach 400m to see the stromatolites. Camp kitchen. ablutions block. Laundry. Drivable to Shark Bay attractions. What could possibly go wrong. Well in reality nothing went seriously wrong but, but, but…

The campsite is right next to the beach and the sea looks amazing, the shore is a mix of white sand and shells, but it is strictly off limits, except for the 400m walking track, because it is a protected marine park for the stromatolites. How did we not discover that before booking?

It’s windy and the night time temperatures are cold

It is drivable to Shark Bay attractions but that means collapsing the roof top tent every morning and erecting it every evening. Roberto gets good and quick at this but it is still a considerable effort, not to mention the time required to secure everything else left on site while we drive off. And the distances: we have to get smarter at this. To see anything other than the campsite is between a 200k and 280k round trip daily. Could be a long five days…

Stromatolites: not especially photogenic of themselves but evolutionarily important, and undeniably in a great spot (I knew nothing about them: “coral like formations, using photosynthesis are considered largely responsible for creating our current atmosphere and paving the way for more complex life”). Pretty cool to be able to walk to visit them

Our initial full day excursion finds us at Nanga Beach and then Shell Beach. Nanga was stunning, our first experience this trip of that classic Aussie sweep of white, white sand, amazing turquoise waters and no people. Roberto fished, Alison M embroidered, Andy and I walked, him dunes, me beach. The sand was actually a mix of sand and small, brilliant white shells. It was glorious

Then on to Shell Beach. I have inadequate adjectives and superlatives. All white and aqua. The beach entirely of shells of the Fragum Cockle, the only creature capable of surviving in the oh so salty sea. We admire, and photograph, and (except Roberto) venture into the water. It is very cold, and buoyant,  and probably the safest place in Australia to swim – zero chance of any nasties

Another day, another drive. This time to Monkey Mia, too late today for the “dolphin interaction” (see below). We enjoyed lunch at a great beachside bar, walked and were captivated by the beach and the sunset with shore-cruising bottle nosed dolphins

One of the major attractions of the area is the Francois Peron National Park. We spent two days exploring parts of it and loved all we saw. Only accessible by 4WD it felt adventurous. Well set up with a compressed air station at the park entrance, to deflate (and on exit re-inflate) one’s tyres. Roberto drove us in and Andy out that first day and they both enjoyed the red dirt and the corrugations

We drove to Cape Peron, stunning red cliffs, yellow sand, blue and green sea. A beautiful walk to Skipjack Point and back, high above the crystal waters, through floral bush, spotting rays, sharks and a turtle

We even saw a giant echidna, an emu, a standard echidna and a kangaroo on the drive home. At last some wildlife!!

The next day at Francois Peron we chilled at South Gregories, another beautiful beach, great shells, fascinating rock pools, energizing (damn cold!!) swimming and Roberto caught two fish. We considered keeping and cooking them for supper but decided against it* so the exercise became one of catch and release

*The campsite provides a good BBQ facility and the camp kitchen has a sink and running water BUT campers have to remove all their own rubbish. The nearest place to dispose of it is a skip bin at the Francois Peron entrance. Putting aside all issues of our uncertainty about gutting and cleaning the fish, and avoiding fish bones eating it in near dark, we decided living with the waste for a day or so and driving it approx 130Ks to dispose of it would be really unpleasant and best avoided

A late afternoon walk at Big Lagoon (great light, red mud!) concluded our visit and we saw a spectacular moon rise as the sun set on our way “home”

Francois Peron has been fabulous, pristine and fascinating

All happy to be striking camp and leaving Hamelin Pool the next day; we drive to Denham stopping at a panorama where the color of the sand bar (another white-sand-and-shell beauty) tempted us for a walk. More spectacular sea views from Eagle Bluff – crystal clear waters but not a marine creature or avian of any sort in sight

Denham is a small town and we have already explored its shopping (two supermarkets) and cafe culture (there is one, run by an eccentric ex-pat Englishwoman, apart from the bakery) on earlier forays from Hamelin Pool. Slightly worried three nights here is too much we are immediately cheered by large rooms, excellent showers and a great bar at the hotel. Happy hour 5 till 6, Mumm at $75 less 20%** and another fabulous sunset. What’s not to love?

** About £33!! Sadly they only had two bottles but one of those was a pink which they sold us for the same price…

The following day the boys were off on a fishing charter and Alison M and I walked the town’s heritage trail (a short if interesting walk, highlights being the church, the Old Pearler Restaurant and the war memorial)

Boys successful: Andy snared a pink snapper and Roberto a mulloway. Apparently a pair of dolphins visited and stayed for a long time with the boat and Andy is most upset that he couldn’t photograph them. All phones and cameras were locked in a Faraday cage at the beginning of the charter: the skipper does not want GPS co-ordinates embedded in digital photographs disclosing his best spots! Fishing is a big activity in the town and on the foreshore are two gutting/filleting tables with running water and bins for the waste. By an amazing stroke of luck a group of friends from Albany had been out on a boat overnight, came back with an amazing catch (despite losing at least five loaded lines to voracious sharks) and were more than happy to fillet our boys’ catch – phew!!

We used a town BBQ to grill and eat the fish for supper with chips from the local chippie. Delish despite the very cold wind!!

And so to Monkey Mia (pronounced myah…I keep getting it wrong, damn ABBA). It is an eco-conservation dolphin interaction. Tourists line up on the beach or jetty at 7.45 a.m. There is a talk from a Parks & Wildlife employee explaining the history of dolphin feeding at Monkey Mia and the evolution of this practice into scientific research and conservation. And then, dolphins appear. There are five “resident” females in the bay, most with a calf, one of which will be fed about one tenth of her necessary daily intake of fish so as not to discourage normal hunting, feeding and nursing practices. The dolphins are recognized by damage to their dorsal fins and are given names, as are the calves. The science appears sound, the dolphins are unbelievably cute but it still feels a bit, well, like witnessing a show at a marine park. After the feeding we walk away from the jetty and the resort and have the best time watching the pelicans and then dolphins who cruise the shoreline NOT being fed. The pelicans in particular provide irresistible photograph subjects

A late afternoon walk at Little Lagoon is fabulous; we have to retrace our steps to find the crossing – sandbar and wading – to enable us to traverse the sea-mouth of the lagoon and complete the circuit

Dinner at The Old Pearler and an excellent crayfish mornay (for me and Alison M) is the end to our three days which we have very much enjoyed. Now we are looking forward to Coral Bay and lots of sea based excitement

Until next time, g’day to you all

ALISON