West Coast, part 2

Day 3

I got up early this morning (well, earlier than the others in my room) and went down to the beach in Denham. The whole town's along the waterfront, so I didn't have to walk far. I did go up to the far end of town to where the beach widens. It was a nice windy day so I was able to lie on the beach in the morning without being too hot. In fact, I didn't even warm up enough to want to swim. It probably wasn't the best place to swim, either, as I was the only person on the beach!



I ate my lunch down there and collected a few shells. The beach was more a mixture of sand and shells but had many different types of shells. All tiny, though. At the moment I've got them in a small plastic box but I saw a really neat idea for displaying them in front of a photo but behind the glass. A project for when I get home!

After lunch, I strolled through the few (very few) shops in Denham. There's a pottery studio, a newsagents/post office/souvenir shop, a couple supermarkets, a cafe and another souvenir shop along the main street between the beach and the hostel. A quiet afternoon by the pool about finished off this busy day!

Day 4

The hostel in Denham runs a free shuttle to Monkey Mia so I hopped onto it this morning at 7:45. To get into Monkey Mia as a day visitor, you have to pay $6 (like a national park fee). Darren from the hostel dropped us off out front of the resort at about 8:15 and would be back to get us at about 3:30. We walked through the visitors' centre to the beach just in time to catch the end of the first dolphin talk.



At Monkey Mia, they have a group of about 13 dolphins that visit the beach regularily. Five of them, all females, are fed each day. The feedings are strictly controlled in terms of the amount of fish, which dolphins can be fed, and what times of day the feedings happen. In general, there are a maximum of 3 feedings each morning and a limited weight of fish for each dolphin (about 3-4 fish per feed). Because these dolphins have been getting fed at the same beach at the same time of day for years now, it's become a pretty popular tourist spot. When we arrived, there were at least 50 people standing on the beach watching the dolphins get fed on this last day of school holidays. There would have been another feed and talk shortly but I decided to save my dolphin experience until the next day, hoping it would be a bit less busy.

So, I set off to find Lindsay (the same one I flew down with from Vancouver). She's been in Monkey Mia since the beginning of Febuary and I really wanted to see what she's been up to. After some wandering around, I managed to find her! She and the other researchers there are in the caravan (R.V.) park of the resort and I got there as they were all thinking about breakfast. For various reasons, Lindsay didn't have to be out on the boat that morning so we got to hang out a bit. She took me on a tour of the resort and I got to meet all her coworkers - lovely people! And then, super exciting, Lindsay switched with someone else so that we could go out on a boat that afternoon. Not the research boat but a catamaran sailing boat that does a 2 hour wildlife cruise!

On the cruise, we saw a bunch of turtles and at least two dugongs (sea cows, kind of like manatees). And it was just so nice to be out on a boat! It was pretty calm, but enough wind to sail. Even though we saw lots of animals, I didn't get any good photos of them. But here's one of Lindsay and I on the boat!



The afternoon around Monkey Mia was pretty quiet for me - just ate lunch and watched a movie with Lindsay and a couple of the other research assistants (Adam and Rachel). Headed back at around 3:30 into Denham. That night, the people from the bus I'd be getting on the next day arrived so mingled with them by the pool table and then checked out some stars from the beach. The stars down here, even in the cities are amazing because you can see the Milky Way. Once you get away from all the lights, though, they're incredible! And, I found out that the moon waxes and wanes (gets bigger and smaller) in the opposite direction from the Northern Hemisphere!

Day 5

Met the tour bus and new driver, Wes, at 7am this morning and we all headed off to Monkey Mia. This time, though, I got there in time for the first dolphin talk. There were still at least 30 people all standing on the beach and only about 6 dolphins around. I guess having been pretty up close with whales and dolphins over the years at the aquarium, I wasn't all that impressed by the whole thing. It's a neat idea, though, and seems like it's well run. But to say that you're getting up close with wild dolphins in Monkey Mia is a bit of an exaggeration. The dolphins do come right into shore, where there's a big group of people in about calf-deep water. Once it's time for the feeding, though, everyone has to step back onto the shore. The volunteers pick people out of the crowd to feed each fish to the dolphins, so maybe 15 visitors in total do the feeding. And while these dolphins aren't in captivity, they are 'trained' to come in to the beach everyday. Of course, they don't have to but the easy to catch fish seems like it brings them in very regularily. Overall, I'm glad I did the dolphin experience but I think that there are better wildlife encounters around.



After Monkey Mia, we headed to an amazing look out called Eagle Bluff (still in the Shark Bay World Heritage Area). From the bluff, we were able to see sharks, rays, and perhaps some turtles. We were quite high up, though, so they really just looked like specks of different shapes. A lovely look-out, though! Next up it was lunch time, so we headed to Shell Beach. It was a pretty hot day so it was great to be near the water. This beach is more famous in the area, but I actually liked Nanga Bay better. Shell Beach, though, has the same shells around, and apparently in some places they are at least 10m deep!

Shell Beach is right at the edge of what is called Project Eden. I'd have taken a photo but Project Eden is, essentially, a fence. The penninsula is completely fenced off to keep feral cats (and others) out of Frances Peron National Park. Throughout the park, the native wildlife were being eaten to near-extinction by introduced animals. In addition to being a physical barrier, the fence is wired so that when something approaches it, it barks! Very funny because if the windows are down, you can hear it as you drive past. The project is along the same lines as the predator-free islands around New Zealand but, I think, it's pretty amazing that they've had similar success with an area so close to towns and roads.



Once we left Shark Bay, we had a big drive ahead of us along the North West Freeway. We drove along the second longest straight stretch of road in the southern hemisphere (something like 500km). Other than a few eagles and the Tropic of Capricorn, we didn't see much along the way. We did play a few fun bus games, though. And had a kangaroo spotting contest! Luckily we didn't hit any, but we were close a few times. We were driving along a road where they often see 50 in 100km, and I've learned that 'roos are not so traffic aware as you'd like to hope. Wes, our driver, said that on the roads up here, the most common fatal accident comes not from cars hitting kangaroos but from swerving to avoid them and rolling over on the shoulder. They're a bit different than hitting a moose, I'd say, but still would do a lot of damage to a small car. Lesson - don't drive a car after dusk in rural Australia!

We arrived in Coral Bay by around 7:30 and checked into the hostel. Coral Bay's a tiny community, only about 120 people live there. All their drinking water comes from a desalination plant that is quite expensive to run. To help save money and resources, there are essentially 3 types of water that can come out of various taps - grey water is used for watering lawns, partially desalinated water for showers, sinks and toilets and drinkable water only in marked taps. The whole hostel (maybe 100 beds) has only 2 taps that are for drinking. I'm really glad I got a chance to get to this area now, though, as Coral Bay is currently being essentially bulldozed to make way for a Hilton Resort to come in. It's sad, really, as it's a quaint little town that really is there to take full advantage of lovely beaches and accessible Ningaloo Reef. I wonder what all that will be like once there's a big resort instead of smaller, local-run hotels and motels.

That night in Coral Bay, after dinner, we had a party down on the beach - so much fun just talking with everyone on the tour and listening to the waves. We'd have watched the stars but the sky had clouded over. We had an iPod for entertainment, though, and my overpacking saved the day - I had AAA batteries for someone's speakers!

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Just a few days left to report on! In the present, however, I'm in Fremantle, settling back into the same hostel as before. I briefly tried out a different one but it was very loud and had mice. Therefore, back here. Looking for a second job, possibly looking for a job up in Exmouth or Coral Bay. Ideally, I'd like to be out of the city soon but it's expensive to get to anywhere from Perth (there's not much nearby as I learned!).

The West Coast, part 1

Day 1

I met the tour up in Perth at about 7:15. We all checked in and had a coffee, so by the time we left the city, it was about 8 or so. Everyone was tired but pretty friendly. Enzo, our bus driver, was super fun, had lots of things for us to do in the stops and was just a super nice guy. Other than the driver, though, it was a bus full of 14 girls until we got to Dongara where we picked up one German guy! The first day was heaps of driving, about 750km or so. We didn't see too much, but had a few nice scenic stops.

First up were the Pinnacles in Nambung National Park. There are thousands of limestone pillars poking out of the sand. They can get up to four metres tall, but the ones we saw were smaller, maybe only two metres at the most. The desert landscape was pretty impressive, as well. And luckily there was a bit of a breeze going through so it wasn't too hot and the flies mostly stayed away.



We also passed through major crayfishing towns like Dongara and Geraldton. Not much to see, really, but crayfishing's a huge industry in WA. The crayfish out here are a lot different than the ones in North America, they're much more like lobsters and can be pretty huge. Crayfishing season is on now, and lasts for about 6 months. The guys working on the boats make $60-70k in just that time (and spend the rest of the year surfing, apparently). The companies pay them quite well - they get a retainer at the beginning of the season and then are paid a percentage of what their boat makes (usually 5-10%) at the end of the season. Much better than other remote jobs where they get paid throughout then often don't save enough to get through off season. All along the coast these shacks are set up so they can get to the boat easily. There's really nothing else around for a few hours' drive, though.

We got in to Kalbarri at about 7:30pm that night, so didn't end up seeing much of the town. We left for dinner at about 8 and walked a ways to a really awesome seafood BBQ place - Finlay's. They do a backpackers' special, so for $10, we each got a huge plate of food - battered fish, grilled fish, mussels, prawns, squid rings, chips, rice. And there was a salad bar, too! None of us could finish it all, but it was really delicious. And a fun place, too!

After having such a long day on the bus, we all crashed pretty early that night.

Day 2

Seven o'clock start today! We went to the supermarket for breakfast and lunch shopping he headed inland from Kalbarri to see the gorges of the Murchison River. We checked out Nature's Window and The Loop. We could have gone to another spot, but given the option between that and going to a beach in the afternoon, everyone on the bus chose the beach! The gorges we saw were quite nice, though, but lots of flies!




Really flat boring drive - we were on the 2nd longest stretch of road with no turns in the Southern Hemisphere. It makes driving across the prairies seem interesting - at least there are grain elevators and the occasional cow, there. This drive, though, was just flat expanses of shrubs for as far as you could see. To keep ourselves occupied, we played bus cricket. Everyone puts $2 into a cup. One by one, we went and sat next to the driver and you had to try to get cars driving the other way to wave at you. If they did a little wave, you got 2 points. Proper wave, 4 points, and if they used 2 hands or the passenger waved as well, then 6 points. But, if they didn't wave, then you're out! The person with the most points won the money! And if you didn't get any waves, then you got a squirt of cold water in the face!

Of course, as soon as we started the game, we went about half an hour without seeing any cars! But the game stretched out nicely, and ended up taking a couple hours. I didn't win, but I didn't get squirted either.

We also played Enzo's Bus Bingo. Everyone wrote down 15 cards on a piece of paper and then Enzo called out cards until someone had all their 15 cards called out. Bingo! Quite a good driving game, actually!

Finally, we got to the Shark Bay World Heritage Site. First stop there was Hamelin Pool Stromatolites. They're really not much to look at but they were the first organisms to really start producing oxygen and pumping it into the atmosphere. Shark Bay is one of the only places where they're still alive - quite a feat considering they've been around for about 4 billion years! The organisms are cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) and they form mats and pillars out of sand and mucus. These pillars were, way back when, similar to what coral reefs are today. They made great habitats for primitive ocean creatures. But considering they're not much to see, it was a pretty quick stop.



We ate lunch on the bus between the stromatolites and our next stop, Nanga Bay. Went for a bit of a swim there, even though the water was quite chilly! The beach was amazing, though. It was all shells, little tiny clam shells mostly but also some pretty snail shells. It looked a bit like shell pasta, but was actually quite comfortable to lay on. And no sand between the toes!

A short drive away and we were at Ocean Park, an outdoor aquarium. We saw baby loggerhead turtles, sea snakes, a bunch of sharks. It was a really nice place, actually. All the fish were caught in the Shark Bay area, and the guide was really knowledgeable about everything. My favourite, though, was a stone fish.



Doesn't look much like a fish, but see if you can find its mouth and eyes. They don't move hardly at all, but have really poisonous spikes along their backs. Luckily, they aren't ever found on sandy beaches, so it's pretty unlikely to step on one.



They fed some sharks at the aquarium, too. Lemon sharks and nervous sharks. There was also a big tiger shark in there, but it stayed under the whole time, so we just got glimpses of it. Very cool, though. And because the aquarium's right on the water, things like the sharks are just there for a few months and are then released back to the ocean.

After the aquarium, we arrived in Denham at the hostel. It's a really nice hostel, there's a pool and it's across the street from the beach. I'm in a 3 bed room, and it's quite lovely. I think the hostel was once family motel units. I'm in a 3 room unit, so there's a kitchen/lounge area and then three dorm rooms attached. After getting settled, we went to the pub for dinner, and then to the hotel bar where the local band (The Denham Genes) played. Pretty awesome night out, actually.

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Well, that's about long enough for now, I think! I'm still working on writing up the rest and I'll post more soon.

Photos from the West Coast

Sorry it's been such a long time since I blogged but I've been super busy and in pretty tiny places with slow internet. But I'm now it the thriving metropolis of Exmouth (pop. approx 3000) so I'm making a start on getting you all updated with what I've been doing.

These are the photos from the beginning up until two days ago.

I've been keeping good notes and will have, once I'm back in Perth, a full account of what I've been doing. But, for now, if you go here, you can see the tour that I was on. It doesn't have everything there, but you'll get an idea. I haven't any photos past Coral Bay uploaded.

Overall, it's been a great trip. Since Coral Bay, though, it's been raining a lot (first time since October or so). I wasn't able to do a whale shark tour because of the rain yesterday. But I'm going out to do 3 dives on the Ningaloo Reef today, so that should be awesome!!

I hope you're all doing well and I promise I'll have more details soon. I get back to Perth on Saturday afternoon, I think.

Back in a hostel

So, I've moved out of the share house I was in and back into a hostel. On the plus side, I'm a ten minute walk from shops, work, everything. On the minus side, the rooms here are a bit small and sometimes it's a bit loud. I'm just here until I leave on my trip up the coast next Thursday. And then I guess I'll come back here when I return. The plan, though, is to find another share house to live in down here. Places seem to come up frequently all over the city, so it's just a matter of finding one that's near Fremantle and not too expensive.

I worked today, just for the morning to get the aquarium stuff done. I was awake at about 5, though, and couldn't get back to sleep. Being so close, though, I could get up and start work whenever. On days when there aren't any tours booked and it's just me in, I have about three hours of work to get done. As long as everything's finished by about 10, they don't mind when I start. So, I got to work about 6, worked until 9. Then came back just in time for the free breakfast - it runs 8-9:30 everyday. Just toast, jam, cereal and coffee/tea but as I'm out of cereal and haven't bothered to buy jam or tea yet, it's quite a nice treat. Had a big nap and now I'm ready to go for the day.

Oh, except it's raining here, so no beach today. Might go to the market or perhaps just wander around town. I'm on a hunt for new flip-flops. There are lots around, but I haven't seen any that aren't bright pink or too big or too expensive. Old Navy indeed spoils us - tons of selection and the pair I got before I left Vancouver were only $5!

On the subject of Holey Soles/Crocs

Like in Vancouver, these strange plastic clogs are everywhere down here. I own a pair of turquoise ones that I recieved as a Christmas present from my mum. I thought they might come in handy as slippers/boat shoes, and might be nice on long bus rides. And they have been, but I've also been wearing them more often than I'd expected to. Now, have no fear, I don't wear them around town or anymore than I have to. Trust me. But they're the perfect shoes for work. We're not allowed to wear sandals/flip-flops, but our feet are often in puddles or getting water spraying on them. They're not great when we go to the beach as they fill with sand, but they also let the sand out pretty easily. I've been wearing them so much that, on top of the lovely flip-flop tan, I've got a bit of a Croc-tan. Yes, I have faint polka dots on my feet. Laugh away!

Minor update

I booked myself into a tour up the west coast today. Perth to Exmouth and all stops between. I leave Perth on the 19th and get back on the 28th. I'll spend a couple days in Monkey Mia (where Lindsay is) and a couple in Exmouth (where the whale sharkies are). Other stops include Kalbarri and Coral Bay.

Going tomorrow to look at a new share house. It's just two train stops away from work. It also looks like it's closer to grocery stores and such than the current place. A bit more expensive but I'll save money on transport.

Easter weekend and then two weeks of school holidays coming up here. Means I won't be doing many aquarium tours but I'll still be working. We have a few daycare groups coming in. And the fishies still need care and feeding. I'll probably end up peeling a few kilos of carrots here and there, too. And yes, one of these days I'll remember to take my camera with me!

Happy Easter all!