July 3rd ... Exmouth

Initially, Garry and I were thinking that 12 days in Exmouth might be a bit long to fill in but we have quickly come to realize that it will not be hard at all. We had a couple of cloudy days where we caught up with things like shopping, washing AND completing and submitting my french assignment. We also did some walking around the town and have really come to like Exmouth. It is very spread out and is developing quickly, but it is a well cared for place.
The local Town Beach is not much though. We went down for a walk and a swim one afternoon and, admittedly it was low tide, but it was very rocky and the water was murky. It was not at all inviting and we decided that a "little" drive for a swim was probably worth it.
On the plus side we have found the best gelato I can ever remember eating, much better than at Griffith. It is freshly made every day and it is really creamy and delicious. We intend to try as many flavours as possible!
After two days of being sedentary, we packed up the van yesterday,Saturday, and set off to explore some more. Firstly we drove out to Bundegi Beach as it is the closest to us and so the most likely for a swim. It is near the Australian /American "Harold Holt"  Naval Communications Base and it looked quite nice with a sandy beach and clear water. Unfortunately it was copping the full brunt of a fairly strong and cool wind yesterday, so we didn't stay long. On the way there I had seen three huge kangaroos bounding along, and a little later we saw an emu with four chicks casually crossing the road.

The Harold Holt Naval Communications Base

 We then ventured over to the other side of the Cape, calling briefly at the Lighthouse Lookout, but it was too gusty to see any whales or to stop for morning tea. However, from there we could see lots of small bays that we decided to explore.

Surfer's Beach with lighthouse

There are literally dozens of well maintained dirt tracks leading from the main road to various beaches, and we spent the next four hours going up many of these to look at the scenery. Without exception, each one was really beautiful. Some were a little rocky but each beach offered a different experience.
We first called at Mauritius Beach where we realized that the wind was not too bad and that a swim would be possible, but food had first priority so we tracked down the perfect lunch spot with amazing sea views at Jansz Beach.

Garry on Mauritius Beach

Wobiri Beach

Lunch at Jansz Beach

After lunch we spent some time walking the full length of the beach and watching the fishermen. There were literally dozens of turtles in the water and apparently they are often hooked accidentally, and this is what happened as we watched one man reel in his "catch". He immediately cut the line once he realized but it was a shame as the turtles seem to have an idyllic existence here.We had intended to go for a swim but a fisherman warned us of reef sharks so we opted for a paddle instead.
The beach was also littered with reef debris, particularly sea urchin skeletons. On the beach these look very attractive as they have beautiful patterns and are coloured purple and white, but on the reef they are black and covered in poisonous spines. They also eat the coral which is not a good thing. The "shells" we found were all broken at the top and a man told us that the parrot fish break them open with their beak and eat the flesh. The empty shells then wash ashore where the sun bleaches them and the spines break off. This is illustrated in the photo where the various stages are depicted.

Sea Urchin Skeletons

 Another fisherman told us of a beach where there were supposed to be dugongs with their pups so we were into the car and off! It was on the SS Mildura Wreck road and again we had a pretty long beach walk. Unfortunately, if it was the right place, it was REALLY low tide and there were no dugongs to be seen, but the beach offered plenty of other interesting finds and I collected a variety of some of the nicer sponges. We will return on the high tide to see if any dugongs are actually about.

Sponges from the reef

"Dugong" beach at low tide

We had really enjoyed a lovely day but it was now getting late and so we headed home determined to spot some more emus. Garry is the best spotter and we saw a number of them quite close to Exmouth. While we were stopped a large eagle also glided by and I have to say that it is the wild life that adds so much interest to each of our drives.

An Exmouth emu

An eagle on the wing

Today being Sunday, we went out for breakfast at a little cafe in town. We do this to help keep track of the days and also, it is enjoyable. There was a market on across the road but most things were quite expensive. Garry is now feasting on prawns "that were swimming yesterday" for lunch and I am looking forward to gelato for afternoon tea. It is 23 degrees and this is a pretty nice way to be spending a "winters" day!