Fri 2nd Jul '21 - Day 21

Coral Bay to Point Quobba

 

Moving day – whilst packing up, Sienna wants to find out the name of one of her fleeting playpark friends and says this girl knows Italian so says she is going to ask in Italian what her name is – which she had started learning at Orange Grove School this year. Adella is her name.

Just a few kilometres back to the freeway, and to the termite mounds either side of the road, though they’re thinning out now as e head South. This section of road has plenty of birdlife from small flocks of birds darting and dashing amongst the hedges to larger ospreys to wedge tailed eagles watching, wings outstretched, soaring above. We cross the Tropic of Capricorn marked with a single understated sign and layby beside the road. Refuel at Miniyla Bridge Roadhouse which we’d stopped off at on the way up – not desperately needed but it’s a fair distance via today’s detour via Carnarvon and once you’ve queued 10 minutes to get to a bowser you might as well fill up.

30kms before Carnarvon we turn right and Westwards and head back to Quobba, home of the Blow Holes and locally named Aquarium Lagoon. Its 50km to the campsite and upon arrival, we’re excited to nab the prime spot which happens to be vacant at this wilderness camping spot – first come, first served. This affords us views over the bay out the back, the lagoon on one side and lighthouse up a hill on the other.

After lunch we carry deck chairs on to the beach and enjoy the view with the other only three groups on the beach. I take my final Road Trip snorkel, having to concentrate on staying very flat and horizontal as its particularly shallow (I could touch the coral just putting my knees down). Whilst there’s less of the sizeable fish of Coral Bay or Cape Range there are plenty much smaller, as colourful fish fishes going about their business weaving in and out of the coral, hiding from any incoming threats (me). Two fish of note I spot at the end are the yellow boxfish (as described with black spots, overall about the size of my fist) and a Lion Fish with all its manes fluttering in the water – though I later read these can be a very invasive fish that can cause havoc to the balanced marine life. They look great though.

Seb has also had a swim while I’ve been I the water whilst Sienna has been playing in the sand making friends with Floss, an elderly deaf King Charles Spaniel who is equipped with a lifejacket for swims with her round-Australia-travelling owners.

On our unpowered site its gas hobs to heat the little after the beach and, armed with a tea and a coffee, we walk the 500m to the Blowholes. Since we were last here, they have finished a short boardwalk over the uneven rocks that gets you closer to the Blowholes. However, all this serves to do is to get you on to the rocks faster to gain a better vantage point. Saying that, Kate hangs back on the boardwalk whilst Seb, Sienna and I walk closer, though staying behind the pair of people closest to the edge. From here you can see there’s actually multiple holes and cracks from which what looks like steam is emptying through fissures with the smaller waves and then water erupts through two of the holes with the big surge waves. This time around it also appears to roar as the water is funnelled through the rocks adding an audio component to the spectacle. Just next to these holes is a much larger ominous looking hole through which all the fallen spouted water is sucked. This mini black hole doesn’t not look inviting.

We walk back along the road in time to cook some burgers and sit outside with a glass of wine as the sun sets to our West over the ocean. The kids take themselves, uninvited, to our neighbours who have just lit a campfire and we also then use their binoculars to view the eagle who’s made a nest on the rocky outcrop surrounded by a palatial food source of seagulls eggs. The gulls try to swoop the eagle but he remains, unperturbed. Night falls on our last ocean-based nights stay on the road.