Saturday May 10

I cannot believe that it was a week ago tomorrow that I was writing that we would be leaving next Sunday and here it is – on us already!

We have had a very relaxing, enjoyable week – on the beach every day, even after rain and wind on Wednesday night. There are far fewer people here now that the school holidays are over so the town is relatively quiet, certainly compared to when we were here in 2012. Now that winter has arrived in the east though, the grey nomads will be starting their exodus so it won’t be long before that all changes.

Our part of the caravan park has a large population of Zebra Finches and Singing Honeyeaters and one morning the finches were busy collecting feathers and any bits of soft fluffy stuff which may have been dropped around the camp sites – obviously nest building time. They are just beautiful little birds and this pair was busily gathering all sorts of goodies.

Mum's found a feather . . .

and Dad has some cotton bits - a cosy nest in the offing!

The Singing Honeyeaters are typical honeyeaters – chasing and bullying all the other birds, but they do sing beautifully.

On Wednesday Murray went out fishing with Terry, who he had met on one of his twice-daily trips to the fish cleaning table to check out what everyone was catching. They spent the morning about 8 – 10 miles (American GPS) offshore and came back with some superb fish. Three Red Emperor each (their limit), a Pearl Perch and a Spangled Emperor, so we have been eating like royalty ever since.

The one with the huge eye is the Pearl Perch

Filleting the catch

On Friday we went to Five Finger Reef, which is a little south of the boat ramp. It was quite the 4x4 experience along the sand tracks behind and over the dunes and we had our first drive on a beach for the trip. Thus far we have resisted doing this, but there was no alternative on this occasion. It was yet another lovely spot with the five coral ‘fingers’ separated by canyons of sand. Murray has been disappointed to date that we haven’t seen many clams, but he saw some here, along with lots of fat, black Beche de Mer.

 

Spied this juvenile Osprey perched on a post as we were driving through the dunes

Five Finger Reef beach

The Humbug Dascyllus are lovely little fish

Clams are all different colours - this one is brown

Looking across Five Finger Reef from the dunes

The track in (and out!)

Yesterday Murray described to me an amazing, large insect he had been watching outside the toilet block. It was hovering like a hummingbird on wings shaped like those of a jet fighter, whilst feeding on small flowers in the garden bed with a ‘tongue’ or proboscis at least as long as its body. Amazingly, it was still there in the evening so I got to have a look as well. Some googling time later I had established that it was a Hummingbird Hawk Moth, an amazing moth which is diurnal, feeds on both nectar and pollen which it ‘sucks’ up through its proboscis, which is really two separate concave sections which come together to form a funnel (it separates the two sections to clean them). There are many other fascinating features of this moth but I will resist the temptation to regale you with them all – you can google it yourself to find out! I had planned to sit by the garden and try to get a photo today, but the rotten things didn’t come so I have had to pinch one for you. In reality, my chances of success were pretty slim as it moves quite quickly.

What an incredible creature. Need to discover if we have them in the south or if they prefer the tropics!

Today we travelled north along the Coast Access track which ultimately ends up at Cape Range National Park for about 5 kilometres and then did a bit more sand dune crossing to reach The Lagoon and Oyster Bridge. This really is the most incredible environment – harsh, dry country and then over a sand dune or two there sits the most amazing beaches with white sand and azure blue water. We lazed around on the beach and swam for a while before wandering back to Coral Bay

The start of Oyster Bridge

The whole of Oyster Bridge

The Lagoon

More amazing eroded limestone rocks

What a spot!!!!

Back to the van and then down to Bills Bay beach for our last swim. As much as we are keen to get home and share in the great excitement that is going on there – Caitlin’s birthday yesterday and Tim and Caitlin have settlement on the house they have bought in Balnarring on Monday, it will be sad to leave the beach and the warmth knowing that we are heading back to winter.

We took ourselves back to the beach to enjoy the sunset and bid it all farewell this evening, but we are sure we will be back!

And it's goodbye from me and goodbye from him . . .

Tomorrow it is off towards Geraldton, which we will probably reach some time on Monday so that we can stock up for our trip east. Checked out the Tjukayirla Roadhouse website yesterday and they are saying that apart from the first 130 kilometres east of Laverton, which is a bit corrugated in sections, the Great Central Road is in good condition as the grader has been over it not too long ago. We will confirm this in Leonora and then hopefully begin our next adventure, so stay tuned!