Fishing in Onslow

After a good night's sleep we managed to get away from the caravan after 9am and headed out to 4 mile creek, a location about 10km from Onslow where a creek runs into the ocean. River mouth's are always good for fishing as the little fish are swept in and out with the tide and big fish follow along and feed on them.

We decided to fish the top of the tide but it appears that was the wrong call. Although the rest of the family caught a number of Bream there was no sign of the Mackerel we were looking for. After a while we decided to drive to the wharf but there were only little Moses Emperor waiting to be caught.

After lunch and bit of a rest Alexander and I headed out to the Groyne (break wall), another river mouth where the larger fish can be caught.

However, going onto low tide there was a lot of wet area expose and the sandflies were really thick and jostling for skin space with the mosquitos. We have been taking Vitamin B1 and it seemed to work as I didn't get bitten but was still surrounded by them.

Near low tide large schools of bait fish started to move in and I had high expectations for large fish to follow. I managed to lose a rig to a big fish who bit it clean off but was unable to hook another one before we had to go back to the caravan - without a single fish!

The good part about today was that I didn't have to do any filleting!

Onslow

The main reason for Exmouth' existence is the Harold Holt Navy Base. However, this base used to be American soil when it was established. The Yanks put in a lot of infrastructure including ten pin bowling, drive-in movies and burger bar. Back then, all traffic on the base was driving on the right hand side. The primary purpose of the base was to run communication with submarines in the Indian Ocean.

It all changed with 9-11, the US evacuated all personal out of the base into Exmouth the day after the terror attack as they considered the base unsafe. They started to bulldoze the base but some way through the project the Australian Government stopped them and took over the base which is now run under contract by Boeing and guarded by the Australian Federal Police.

The Navy is gone and the tourists are only seasonal so Exmouth is currently negotiating with some large Oil/Gas producers to become a base for their operations.

We were driving out of Exmouth by 8am, heading South for 80km before we turned East for another 80km to get back onto #1 Hwy to continue our journey North. We left the Gascoyne region and entered the Pilbara, a region best known for its mineral resources.

The landscape in the Pilbara is very different with hills rising steep out of the ground and undulating landscape dotted with green bushes and trees growing out of the deep red soil. The change from the flat Gascoyne region to the hilly Pilbara is very noticeable. Another reminder that we are in higher rainfall country are the creeks and rivers, some even with above ground water.

A bit further up the road we left #1 Hwy and turned left for the 80km track to Onslow. After travelling around 400km we reached Onlsow by lunchtime and got a spot at the Ocean View Caravan Park. Onslow is a sleepy and quiet little town with a population of around 800 mainly living of the local salt mine which evaporates water and harvests the reaming sea salt.

Onslow is well known for fishing with the most popular spot being the Montebello Islands around 75Nm off shore. We went for a quick trip around the area to check all the fishing spots before heading out for a bit of fishing later in evening. However, no take home fish, only a few small and as yet unidentified fish.

We have to be a little careful up here as we are now in crocodile territory and we don't want to end up as croc bait ourselves. There are crocodile warnings everywhere and the locals have confirmed that numerous crocs live in the area. In summer time the cross can be seen travelling up and down just in front of the beach.

This area also gets hit by cyclones which is evident from the low buildings and a very different architecture to that found further South.

Onslow's big claim to fame is that it is the only town in Australia with a sunrise and a sunset beach. The salt mine has a very long jetty with a conveyor belt transporting salt to the end of the jetty where bulk loaders are filled up.

Although we had 26DegC today the local are all talking about how cold it is.

Here is a link to todays travel map.

Resting in Exmouth

After a few very busy days we enjoyed our well earned rest day today. We started late with a Sunday style breakfast of Bacon, Eggs and Baked Beans on toast. The day was well suited to resting as the weather was overcast and we had a few showers during the morning.

The kids made good use of the available time and finished most of their school work just in time for the term break starting next week. I spent a bit of time on the computer catching up with emails and work. Ilse did some shopping in the afternoon and we gave the car a bit of a clean to remove the salt crust that had built up.

Last night and tonight we made use of the ovens in the well appointed camp kitchen of this caravan park. Whilst I spent some time in this communal facility I got to talk to a few back packers and heard their stories of travelling the country on a shoestring budget.

The weather cleared up in the afternoon but we stayed put and concentrated on work and school work. I also managed to book in at a very busy caravan park at Point Samson near Karratha. In the evening we started packing up whatever we could so we can get on the road early in the morning and hopefully travel all the way to Onslow.

Swimming with Whale Sharks

We had to get up early today to meet our transport at 7:30 outside the caravan park. Together with 20 other people we were bussed to Tintabiddi beach where we boarded a little rubber ducky to take us to a 60 foot boat moored a little way out.

We were looked after by a crew of 4 young people plus a young lady skipper. Once we left the mooring they took us to a spot some way offshore, but still inside the reef, so we could get our snorkelling gear sorted out and have a good look at the reef as well.

Once everyone was back on board we steamed through north passage, a gap in the reef, into the Indian Ocean were we were greeted with a decent swell which made the boat really rock and roll. The spotter plane took to the air around 10am to see if there were any Whale Sharks around but couldn't find a single one. We steamed South expecting the big fish to show themselves but all we saw was Humpback Whales.

The whales were very impressive, blowing water out the top and moving gently in top layer of water. We saw mothers with their calves and one of them even did a breech just in front of our boat.

A sudden urgency arose amongst the crew and we knew a Whale Shark had been spotted. The skipper put the throttle down and made the boat go so we could get to the Whale Shark before it disappeared. Whale Sharks are the largest fish in the ocean and can dive to a depth of 1600mt. They come up and swim just below the surface but then dive down again and disappear into the dark depth of the Indian Ocean.

The second picture in this blog will give you an idea how far off shore these snorkelling activities took place - click on the picture to see the larger version and you'll see us snorkelling. My GPS log recording tells me we were 4km off shore.

The way this Whale Shark snorkelling works is quite impressive. The skipper manoeuvres the boat into position while 10 snorkelers are ready at the back of the boat. When the skipper is in the right spot the snorkelers jump of the back of the moving vessel and wait for the Whale Shark to come towards them. Once along the side of these wonderful creatures the snorkelers swim along with the big fish. There are strict rules about how long a group can swim with a Whale Shark. One must stay at lease 3mt clear at all times.

However, this particular Whale Shark, a young male, was very inquisitive and kept swimming in circles. As we entered the water I could not see the Whale Shark at all until one of the dive masters started waving his arms trying to tell me something. With the restricted vision of goggles there is no peripheral vision and I could only see straight ahead, but as I turned my head to right, I was looking the Whale Shark straight in the eye as it was just about to T-bone me, only a couple of meters away.

Just as well these animals are moving through the water very gently and gracefully. I certainly wasn't going to argue with a creature twice my size and more than 20 times my weight, so I got out of his way quick smart and then tried to swim along beside him but this young fella was very curious about us snorkelers and kept turning towards us. It was very hard to try and stay 3mt away from this Whale Shark.

This particular animal was 4-5mt long and was surrounded by about a dozen other fish travelling with him. Some Remora's, a Cobia and numerous other small species.

After a few minutes in the water with the Whale Shark we were back on board and really pumped - what a great experience. We went back into the water another two times and by the end of that most people where exhausted. Particularly after the last snorkel as the Whale Shark was moving in a straight line and, although his fins where hardly moving, at quite a speed where most people fell behind. With a bit of effort and some freestyle added to the fins I just managed to keep up with him. As an additional bonus we saw a turtle swimming below the Whale Shark.

To finish off the day pulled up back inside the reef (no swell) and had lunch before going for another snorkel on the reef. This time we swam with a turtle but only while she was going slow, once in top gear there is no way of keeping up with a Turtle.

There is not a lot known about Whale Sharks and they can't survive in captivity so all the study must be done in their natural habitat, the Ocean. All Whale Sharks have an individual pattern and anyone can email their photos to the researchers who identify the individual Whale Shark and then track their progress. Even the tourist boats take part in this research by logging each contact with length, photo and gender information.

We've had another great day in this fascinating underwater world they call the Ningaloo Reef.

Exmouth

Another day in paradise but unfortunately our stay in Cape Range National Park has come to an end. The first photo in this blog shows this great camp with Ningaloo Reef behind it and the Hammerhead wave on the horizon.

After arriving in Exmouth just after 9am the first job was to see if we could get onto one of the whale shark cruises - we were booked in by 9:30 and checked into the caravan park down the road by 10am. After camp setup we went to into town for some more shopping and upon our return started to get ready for fishing.

Today I purchased a netting license so we can use our cast net to get catch fish. I spent a little bit of time casting the net in the caravan park. Net casting is a bit of an art and I just couldn't master is until a fellow camper took pity and showed me how it's done. I think with a bit more practice I'll be able to manage.

Later in the afternoon we drove to the jetty next to the submarine communication station for a bit of fishing. Ilse and Alexander both caught a fish referred to as "Happy Moments" in reference to the immense pain induced by their numerous spikes. We took it easy getting these fish off the hook. Ilse put one of them back into the water, just under the jetty, so I could get the pliers. As she was standing there with her 25cm fish in the water, on the hook, something really big shot out of nowhere and grabbed the fish together with line hook and sinker.

Although we all caught something, Ilse was the only one to get a take-home sized Bream. We went to the fish cleaning table just after the sun went below the horizon. I have never seen so many mozzie as what we had at the fish cleaning table, thousands of them descended upon us and we I had to fillet really quick and get back in the car.

We had the Bream for dinner and once again had to listen to Ilse pointing out that she has caught the biggest fish this afternoon.

Here is today's travel map.

Turquoise Bay

We had another cloud covered sky this morning and the range to our East was shrouded in fog. However, by 10am the cloud had lifted and given way to a brilliant blue sky so we headed to Turquoise Bay for a drift snorkel. In this beautiful spot the coral reef starts just meters from the shoreline and is sometimes only a foot under the water surface.

Waves wash over the outer reef and dump large amounts of water which then escape through one or two gaps in the reef. This process causes a strong current in some parts, especially right on shore near the point where snorkelers are warned that they could get swept out.

The reef is a fascinating marine habitat created by many different types of coral which have grown to a very large size over many decades. The coral provide protection and food for many tropical fish of varying sizes. The largest we saw today was a 2mt Sand Shark, the smallest a bright blue Damsel fish barely and inch long.

Once a year, exactly 8 or 9 days after full moon in March, all coral spawn and release billions upon billions of eggs simultaneously. Lots of fish come in to feed on these eggs with the most spectacular being the Whale Shark and this area renewed as the best area in the world to study those animals. It was only last Friday that Ningaloo Reef was given world heritage status. Hopefully this will keep the oil & gas giants out of the park as they are already knocking on the door with test drilling and exploration.

Snorkelling these reefs is like swimming in an aquarium. I have done some scuba diving but I have never in my life seen an area so full of all kinds of marine life. One of the prettiest today was probably the Banner fish, best known for it's role as "Gill" in the movie Nemo - yes, we also saw Nemo and Dory. About 3mt under water all colours disappear and the world looks green & white but due to the shallow reef near the shore one can admire the tropical fish in their beautiful blue, yellow, red and pink outfits.

Apparently the coral spawning can go wrong when the wind blows the eggs into shore where they decompose and this process takes up so much oxygen that most other creatures, including coral, suffocate. Last time this occurred there were millions of dead fish washed up on the shore.

Right in shore, with water only shin high, we admired dozens of Dart hanging around people's feet and feeding on things in the sand which people stirred up. Garfish were also zooming around in the shallows and the odd Emperor could beed seen sitting in the sand.

Today I spotted a Telstra phone booth with a view (see photo) - one could easily spend hours in there and just admire the view.

The day concluded with a nice sunset over the Indian Ocean which we admired from a spot just behind the caravan. Looking out to see we can clearly see huge waves rising and rolling on the outer reef and we are reliably informed that this wave is one of the most famous surfing waves in the world referred to as "The Hammerhad" amongst surfers. There are a few people in our camp that are here just to surf this wave. They have a little tinny and when the wave is working get out there and surf this large thing way out there.

All in all it was another brilliant day and we have learnt lots of new things and seen a little bit more of this fascinating world that surrounds us.

Stormy Stuff

Last night was rather warm and we woke to find an overcast sky with stormy looking clouds visible in the distance. We debated if the rain would come to us and it wasn't too long until we could feel the fist rain drops.

In typical tropical fashion the temperature stayed over 20 DegC but the wind increased in strength as the storm clouds moved in. After a couple of showers the sun started to peek through but out to see we spotted a very black and nasty looking area which seemed to be heading our way.

I decided that we better roll up the awning as strong wind gusts have been known to rip awnings clean off caravans. As we were in the middle of packing it up, the storm hit with some ferocity. The strong wind made our job very difficult and unfortunately I bent one of the struts trying to rush things. Now the awning was, but no longer secure and the wind gust just kept coming. Alexander and Ilse were hanging onto one end each whilst I tried to secure it as best as I could. Meanwhile the rain was pelting down and moving horizontally. We were completely drenched in less than a minute but had to hang onto the awning.

I commenced assessing the problem, removing bits and bending them back into position while Alexander and Ilse hung onto the awning. By the time the storm passed and the rain stopped I had everything back in working order and we finally rolled up the awning.

One would think that being drenched by rain would be as good as a shower but unfortunately the rain was salt water, not as salty as sea water but very salty nevertheless. I'm not sure why, but I assume these tropical storms pick up water out at sea and then dump it on land.

The storm provided enough excitement for us this morning. After lunch we went for a drive to a number of nice snorkelling spots and checked out the other camp sites in the park. Turquoise Bay, the best known and most popular snorkelling spot is very pretty and well protected, even on a windy day like today but with the overcast conditions and the wind we decided to leave snorkelling for another day.

On the way back to our camp we spotted a rather large snake on the road and stopped the car so we could get a close look at the animal. I would estimate this snake was around 2.5mt long as it covered about half the road. I'm fairly sure this specimen was a black headed python and it seemed happy to have us around and posed nicely for the camera.

Back at the caravan Alexander and I went for an evening fish down to Yardie creek and admired the colours of the gorge as the sun went down. Looking to the west we were treated to a spectacular sunset with clouds over the Indian ocean and the streaks of cloud above us being bathed in deep red.

Having returned to the caravan without fish we had dinner and settled in for another warmish night with the tropical wind still blowing and keeping conditions quite pleasant, but a cloudless sky with a magnificent view of the milky way above us.