Going to the beach at Coral Bay is like no other beach experience I’ve encountered. It’s a short shallow wade across the sand which then cuts away sharply.
Goggles on and dive into a wonderland of coral
And fish
For an alternative to swimming there is even a glass bottom kayak to view the reef.
Tomorrow its a day in the water on the outer reef swimming and snorkelling off a boat.
The camera is on charge and I’m hoping I can capture some great images.
Departing Broome my next major destination was Coral Bay and the beautiful Ningaloo Reef. A distance of nearly 1,400km
Western Australia is a vast State covering around 1/3 of the Australian Continent.
In the north towns and settlements are few and far between and the roads long and straight.
Mining is prevalent in this part of Australia and relics of mining are many.
This part of Australia has had significant land returned to aboriginal control under Native Title which commenced in Australia in 1993.
Native Title aims to give back to Australian Aborigines land where there has been continuous connection since colonisation.
When I rode through Roebourne 43 years ago it was a town one didn’t stop in. It was the wild west rough and dangerous.
The Victoria Hotel was a bloodhouse that you entered at great risk. Now it’s a beautiful art gallery.
That I would recommend any and everyone to stop at.
The importance and connection to country that aboriginal people have can not be underestimated or understood by us from a colonial heritage.
At the Welcome Lookout overlooking there are silhouettes of aboriginal men from the local tribes looking out on country. Emblematic of the connection.
The indiginous culture has reclaimed and so has the name Leramugadu.
From Leramugadu I headed to the coast to Point Samson and the Indian Ocean.
The coastal land offering some wonderful views and a taste of the wildflowers to come now spring is emerging.
And the lovely coastal birds
But my aim was Coral Bay and the amazing Ningaloo Reef and Marine Sanctuary.
Have had a first little swim on the edge of the reef and look forward to exploring more.
I’m here for a few days and will explore and share some more of this remote and beautiful place.
Wongalinga Beach on Queensland’s north coast is a beautiful place to rest and regenerate before heading inland again.
The clear water is warm and being inside the Great Barrier Reef the waves are gentle.
Perfect for daily swims to ease the muscles tight from three and a half months on the road.
Scotties Hostel, which is only a few hundred metres to the beach was a perfect place to find a bed and give the tent a rest.
But I wanted to see the Reef again before I needed inland.
Kings Reef is the closest part of the Great Barrier Reef to the mainland.
So I found myself a camp site right beside the sand at Kurrimine Beach.
A good travelling friend had recommended it.
Here, when the moon is coming onto full and the very low tides fall during the day
One is able to walk out to Kings Reef
I walked past the yacht sitting at rest on the sand
And out to the reef
Being exposed so much the coral is sparse but there are beautiful patches
So it was goodbye to the Pacific Ocean.
The next Ocean I will swim in will be the Indian Ocean on the other side of the continent
It was a beautiful ride up onto the Atherton Tableland past the waterfalls and rainforest to historic Herberton, just off the Savannah Way and the route to the west.
And the Outback
It was a well worn path along the Lions Road over the Border Ranges back into Queensland.
Back into the Sunshine State on the first day of winter in Australia
It’s amazing that no matter how often a route is travelled there is something new to find.
The first find was Goomeri on the western side of the Great Divide.
The pear danish would rival any patisserie in the world and the Goomeri emporium and saddlery a blast from the past.
But my aim was the sea again.
To 1770, named after the year of Cooks landing, was where I came back to the Pacific.
Back at the long sandy beaches and the fisherman casting into the sea after Australian Salmon
Sunrise heralded the dawn of a glorious day.
Perfect for some sight seeing on the estuary
Or a walk in the coastal forest
And good weather even for a swim.
Ah nice to be in warm water.
And heading north in winter
The ocean beaches of Northern NSW are the most beautiful I have seen.
The broad sweep of sand
The rolling blue ocean
Town beaches like Byron Bay (above) and Yamba (below)
The beautiful lighthouses on the capes
Sentinels for the sailors as sea.
But its the quiet,
The wild
The largely deserted
The hard to get to beaches on the coast that I love
Beaches like…
Ah you have to search for your own tranquillity!!!!
Where the surf pounds in
And the you can stand alone on the sandy beaches.
With a sea eagle circling overhead as a companion.
Set up the little tent
And at night be bedazzled by the Milky Way.
But the Pacific isn’t always peaceful
It doesn’t always contain its power
The a big swell expoding against the south wall at Coff Harbour a testament to the power of the sea.
It was beautiful spending the last of a mild Autumn on the NSW North Coast.
But the southern hemisphere winter is here and the temperatures are falling.
I’m sitting with my friend in South East Queensland
Tomorrow its time to head back north to the tropics.
Towards the start of the Savannah Way and the ride across the tropical North of Australia.
