Day 163: 9 November – Great White Shark Cage Diving in the Neptune Islands

Author: Mrs A

Location: Port Lincoln & the North Neptune Islands

Distance: 60km as the crow flies – about 2.5 hours by boat

The day began early with a 5.45am alarm. Of course it had begun multiple times throughout the night, as is often the case when you’re excited and don’t want to miss waking up in time! Today Mr A and I went separate ways for the day as I was ticking off a bucket list item – cage diving with Great White Sharks.

A bus collected me from the campground at 6.15am and took me to the harbour where I met my fellow divers. We were provided with tea, juice and breakfast before boarding the Shark Warrier at 7am and heading off on our adventure.

Our wildlife spotting began early, as we were invited up on deck to see a pair of ospreys nesting on a barge in the harbour. This barge cannot be used now until the chicks have flown:

Osprey nesting

From here, it was a 2.5 hour journey out to the Neptune Islands – a group of islands at the entrance to the Spencer Gulf…

Doesn’t seem far on the map!
We were soon joined by dolphins which abandoned their fishing to ride the bow wave of our boat

A couple of hours later, we arrived at the islands, and selected a spot beside one where we could see plenty of fur seals (shark food) and also see some Great Whites on the radar, settled on the sea bed. The cage was lowered into the water, and we got changed in to our 7mm wetsuits, hoods, boots and gloves in anticipation of the 16 degrees centigrade water.

Not the most attractive look!

*

The company I had chosen to dive with was Adventure Bay Charters. Unlike their competition, they do not entice the sharks with blood and fish berley (chopped up fish), rather they use vibrations from music and the slapping of ropes and rattles to mimic the sound of a distressed animal, piquing the shark’s curiosity. This has the result of keeping the interaction more natural, and doesn’t send the sharks into a frenzy – associating humans with food. 

*

We jumped in to the water…16 degrees is rather fresh (much like the English Channel I am guessing!), and given you are moving very little in the cage, you can only last in there for about 20 minutes before you begin to feel numb. On my first dive, I saw lots of silver trevally fish, but unfortunately no sharks. We could still see the sharks on the radar, but clearly they had already filled up on a seal pup and were not feeling peckish.

Yes, these fish really look like this!

Our skipper continued working hard to try and entice them over, but to no avail. We settled down for a delicious lunch and the boat was moved over to another island to try again.

The afternoon warmed up and it got quite steamy in the wetsuit. I decided to go in for another dive in anticipation of success. Just as I was climbing into the cage, the cry went out – ‘shark!’. Usually this means get out of the water, but I sped up and climbed on in. And there he was. A three metre male, many nicks and scars, gracefully cruising around the cage, wondering how he could reach the tasty looking morsels inside. He was soon joined by a female. Incredible. Swimming along with their mouth open teeth always ready to chomp, they do look strangely serene and peaceful. You half forget they have the power to tear off a limb and end a life in seconds.

This shark is checking out one of the rattles, attracted by the splashing
What a rush, seeing this beauty approaching
Smile for the camera!
Imagine the adrenaline at seeing this magnificent creature coming towards you
Amazing!

I lost track of how long I was under water this time, but was ready for a hot shower by the time I climbed back out on to the boat. What a fantastic view of some incredible creatures. Apparently they have very poor eyesight and their only way of testing their food is with their teeth. They don’t actually eat humans once they have attacked. We are much too bony. They far prefer the fat and blubber of a seal.

Unlike in the movies, this is what a great white looks like cruising past a boat – just a dark huge shadow, no fin

Research has shown that the majority of taste-tests on humans have occurred when the light is weak – when it is overcast, at dawn and dusk. Few happen when the sun is bright and the water clear. So don’t go in the water at the high risk times, I say!

Once dry, everything was packed up and we set off on our way back to Port Lincoln, with a few diversions on the way. First of all, to Memory Bay in the Lincoln National Park where we called in on a New Zealand fur seal colony, their fur blending in nicely with the granite rock:

One eye watches us pass by
So tiring
Part seal, part rock

From there we continued around the coast, spotting a white breasted sea eagle nest and another osprey nest, both with chicks in.

We were joined by more bottlenosed dolphins as we headed back to the harbour – finishing off an amazing day out. 

It’s very hard to take photos of dolphins – a bit like photographing lightning or fireworks! 

The bus dropped me off at around 8pm – the end of a long but incredible day – Definitely worth doing if you are out this way.

Mr A had kindly prepared dinner for me too after his day of exploring the Port Lincoln area on bike. It doesn’t get much better than this! Awesome!

*

Day 161: 7 November – Locks Well Beach and its natural treasures

Author: Mrs A

From: Streaky Bay

To: Locks Well, just south of Elliston, Eyre Peninsular

Distance driven: 145 km. Distance walked: 3km. Flights climbed: 30 floors

We farewelled Streaky Bay and continued our exploration of the west coast of the Eyre Peninsular. The drive south took us through fields of corn and abandoned cotton farming villages, the scenery stark yet beautiful. Our destination for today was Locks Well, basically a beach and a free camp above it. We pulled in, wowed at the stunning view across the wild southern ocean, a pathway down the cliffs literally starting at our front door.

After lunch we decided we ought to get out and see the beach, a 1.5km walk down the cliff below us. We followed the path down which eventually led to a lookout and a staircase of 250 steps down to the sand below. I felt very grateful I could breathe as we hiked down.

The beach was only short (a half a kilometer at most), but the scenery breathtakingly beautiful. Strolling along the warm sand, sheltered from the wind (of course it was still breezy here!), we spotted a flock of crested terns resting on the waters edge, and a pair of Australian Kestrels swooping in and out of their nest, a hole in the cliff walls, where we could see three Kestrel chicks looking out at us with curious eyes. A fantastic afternoon was whiled away watching the beautiful birds as they worked hard to feed their family, disappearing over the coastal scrubland and returning with mice, crickets, lizards and snakes to feed their hungry brood.

We eventually tore ourselves away and climbed back up to the mobile apartment for hot showers and to cook dinner – tonight a Beef Rendang curry accompanied by a Plantagenet Pinot Noir – one of our purchases from Mount Barker in WA. Delicious. The evening was topped off by a fine view of the sunset and an incredible clear starlit night unspoilt by any man-made light.

Chatting to friends on the phone this evening we felt a whole world away from Sydney. Today everyone is celebrating the Melbourne Cup, as we too would have done for the past 18+ years.  No sweepstake here, no bets on random horses, no bubbles and fancy clothes…we have no idea which horses ran let alone which ones achieved a place or won! I wonder where we will be this time next year?

Day 159: 5 November – …Or as the locals call it ‘Blowvember’!

Author: Mrs A

Location: Streaky Bay

Distance walked: 4km

Distance cycled: 7km

We finished our final veal, cranberry and chestnut sausages from the Margaret River region, served with eggs in a herb focaccia. Not too bad for Sunday morning breakfast, cooked up by chef Mr A on the Baby Q – delicious!

Breakfast with a view
Madam resuming supervisory duties

*

After breakfast we jumped in the car for a tour of the nearby Cape Bauer – an uninhabited headland jutting out in to the Southern Ocean. We’d heard it was an important breeding ground for the Southern Osprey, White Breasted Sea Eagle and Peregrine Falcon, so were keen to try and spot those.

The wind was strong and chilly off the ocean, but we were rewarded with fabulous views of the rugged coastline. Apparently this area is frequented by endangered sea lions as well, but we couldn’t spot any from the lookouts.

Looking idyllic but rather breezy

We did see a kestrel however, as it managed to maintain a hover over the sand dunes before diving down to catch its breakfast. How it managed to stay so stationary in the strong wind, I will never know, but they are incredibly skilled. 

The photo below shows a sea stack – right on top of this (seen through binoculars) was a White Breasted Sea Eagle nesting – the female sitting on her nest, the male nowhere to be seen.  We failed to see any Pereguine Falcons but two out of three isn’t too bad.

We returned to Streaky Bay via a car wash (shining again now!) and woke Tassie up for an explore.

The tide goes out a very long way here – she was not impressed by all the space
Making a swift return to the safe Zone
Much happier among the shadows and a bit of tree climbing

As the afternoon passed we decided we ought to do a little more exploring ourselves, so jumped on our bikes. By now the wind had reached strong levels at Streaky Bay as well, so it was a little challenging at times to cycle in a straight line. We checked out the jetty as we had heard there were often dolphins fishing around there in the afternoon. Not today though – hold on to your hats!

Nearly lost it!
This is what those fat tyres are made for!

Our Sunday concluded with the cooking of one of Mr A’s old favourites – Shepherd’s Pie, accompanied by the best part of a delicious Brash Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon.

Watching the sun set as the water comes back in to shore
Looking along the coast

*

Day 157: 3 November – Into our fourth state of the trip

Author: Mrs A

From: Mundrabilla, Western Australia

To: Penong, South Australia

Distance driven: 485 km

It was an early departure this morning, the wind continuing to whistle and the skies grey overhead. The road didn’t change though – long and straight, stretching into the distance. It wasn’t too far after Eucla that we caught our first glimpse of the Southern Ocean again, at a very chilly lookout.

Hello Southern Ocean!!

We continued on, crossing over the border into South Australia. We celebrated with a photo before putting our watches forward by 2.5 hours…our body clocks are all over the place now!

We made it to SA!
Great sign! But we didn’t see any of the animals (except as roadkill).

*

It was a gusty drive, Mr A wrestling the steering wheel along the treeless plain.

Onwards on the dead straight road
Even Tassie is over the same-same scenery
Where is the next bend? Or hill?

The wind was even more challenging when one of these beasts (below) rushed past. Fortunately we worked out the road trains use channel 40 on the radio, so we now listen out for their arrival and have a brief chat before they overtake.

Road Trains stop for nobody

*

It was nearly 6pm South Australia time when we pulled up at our campground in Penong.

Sunset

We decided to go for an explore. It’s a tiny settlement, with a store, a fuel station and a pub. Most of the houses are very run down, once beautiful gardens now very overgrown and neglected. Despite a feeling of poverty, there is also some investment here, with a new sports centre and skate park. It is also the site of the windmill museum.

We returned to cook dinner and relax while the sun set. Tomorrow we slow down again and begin to enjoy South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula. Next stop Streaky Bay (…I always think of bacon for some reason)…

*

Day 155: 1 November – Giving blood on a sheep station across the Nullabor

Author: Mrs A

From: Gibson’s Soak

To: Fraser Range Station

Distance driven: 283 km

Distance hiked (at high speed under great duress): 6 km

March flies fed: 200+ (estimate)

After a poor to fair night’s sleep at Gibson’s Soak, we were on the road bright and early to head up to Noseman. The main downside to our free camp was its position – right in between a rail line sporting freight trains hooting their horns from 4am and the main road north, sporting roaring road trains. Not the best combination for relaxation. 

*

We headed first to Norseman, an old goldmining town, and what we expected to be the last frontier before commencing our crossing of the Nullabor. What we found was far from our expectations. Mr A had a nap while I popped to the local chemist and IGA supermarket for some final bits and pieces. Every shop and building was heavily protected with bars on windows, often no windows at all, replaced with shutters. Many shops were long closed and boarded up, the paint peeling and a strong feeling of deprivation. It was very sad indeed. We had intended to find a cash point, but alas there was none – I later discovered the bank closed two years ago.

Just over an hour beyond Norseman was our stop for the night, a sheep station on the Fraser Range. The station was originally settled in 1872, and was the first on the Nullabor. Its located in the Western Woodlands, and with its granite hills apparently looks little like the rest of the Nullabor Plain.

As we called in to announce our arrival we were surrounded instantly by flies, many of them biting March flies. Ouch. We were not impressed. The temperatures here are up in the late 20s, the warmest we have felt in a long while, but we were forced inside behind the safety of the flyscreens for most of the afternoon.

As the day wore on we decided we ought to try and get out. Mr A attempted a cycle but found few tracks to explore, so we decided to head up to the summit of the range on foot. We mistakenly thought the March flies would be preoccupied with other campers, but found there were plenty to go around.

*

Despite being bitten frequently on all limbs, tap dancing our way up the hills over granite bolders, we did manage to see some incredible scenery. It took some skill to stop for the minimum amount of time to quickly frame, focus and shoot photographs while sustaining the fewest bites, but we did it. A few looked vaguely ok even!

Can you spot all the biting March flies on the backs of my legs? Ouch!
The summit!

On our 90 minute high speed dance up and down to the summit, we failed to see a single sheep. We did spot a baby camel, a calf, several red kangaroos, a pair of shingleback lizards, and a wild goat. 

Thirsty Camel! Mr A feeding it milk
Kangaroos – tough fur to protect from flies
Likely to be a feral goat (‘range’ goat)
Signs of wetter times on the lowlands
Quick snap on the walk
Shingleback Lizard
A Shingleback Lizard – well disguised
Great colours up here as the sky shows signs of a change in the weather ahead

Reaching the summit was a relief. I quickly wrote a message in the visitor’s book, and it was about turn and back down to camp as the sun went down.

Low sun
Sunset

With darkness the flies vanished, and we retired for dinner and a good night’s sleep…we hope.

*

Day 153: 30 October – Esperance finally shows us some warmth

Author: Mrs A

Location: Esperance & Cape Le Grand National Park

Distance driven: 120 km return

Distance hiked: 10 km

Finally the wind dropped this morning, with gusts around 30 km an hour instead of 70! So yes, still ‘breezy’ by usual standards, but not uncomfortably so. We had earmarked today to head to the nearby national park – Cape Le Grand – to do some hiking and so the upturn in the weather was a relief.

Cape Le Grand is named after one of the officers on the ship L’Espérance (after which Esperance is named – French for hope) which sailed here in 1792. There are rugged granite peaks and cliffs, the remains of a huge mountain range which once stretched along the coast here, originally higher than the Himalayas, but now smooth and eroded. The many turquoise bays are what it is mostly famous for, and the flora and fauna which exists here and nowhere else.

Long stretches of deserted beach

We commenced our section of the ‘Le Grand Coastal Track’ at Lucky Bay, following an extremely scenic route along the cliffs to the next bay, Thistle Cove. Lucky Bay has been voted the whitest beach in Australia, with sand so fine is literally squeaks as you walk on it. A beautiful bay which stretches round in a great arc, its coastline stretching out to the archipelago of islands off the coast.

Incredible colours
Soft sand and gentle waves – the water is very cold though!

Everywhere we looked was stunning, and barely anyone else about either, certainly not on our walking track. Birds, kangaroos, wildflowers and lizards often tried to block our view of the great blue, but we managed to dodge past them.

One very chilled out roo on the track
Nobody here but us!
An Ornate Dragon basks on the warm granite rocks

We enjoyed a picnic lunch on the white sand beach at Thistle Cove, before retracing our steps back to Lucky Bay. We called into the serenely named Hellfire Bay on our way back to Esperance…no hell or fire, just more turquoise water and glaringly white sand.

We are moving on from Esperance tomorrow, heading further east. We will be travelling across the Nullabor Desert, so this afternoon popped into the local supermarket to stock up on supplies, mostly fresh fruit and vegetables, as these will be few and far between on our 1,300 km (808 miles) journey.

This evening we treated ourselves to a meal at the local Chinese. Once again, our first and second choices of restaurant were both closed (!), but the Chinese was delicious. No more mention of wine for a while – we have been alcohol-free since dinner on Saturday. We have decided to abstain until we reach South Australia. A dry desert crossing if you like!

Day 151: 28 October – Snakes on the way to Paradise

Author: Mrs A

From: Munglingup Beach

To: Paradise Farmstay, Dalyup

We left early this morning, blue skies overhead but continuing strong winds. I had not had a good night’s sleep due to a pinched nerve or similar causing pain from my neck to my right arm – I’m hoping this is not going to be a regular thing – it seemed to get better during the day.

As we drove out from camp we spotted our first snake in a long while – a sunbathing diamond python along the roadside – this one is not venonmous. He posed for some photos. Not long after spotting this beauty, we crossed paths with an actual venomous black snake, which reared up at our rig and slithered quickly into the bush – no photo of that one!

Diamond Python

We continued our journey eastwards towards Esperance, stopping at Paradise Farmstay along the way. We had some difficulty finding the location due to the lack of signage, but once we had settled, found out from Tom the farmer/butcher that he wasn’t allowed to advertise due to the Esperance caravan parks. Thank goodness for the Wiki Camps App!

We settled in for the day – I had an hour’s catch up nap, then we purchased some organic sausages, fresh eggs and some diced steak from Tom. We cooked up three of the sausages for brunch – delicious! I swear there is a difference from the usual butcher or supermarket sausages. The strong wind continued so we mostly settled inside out of the breeze (strong breeze which prevented the awning from going out and blew over chairs and stools outside!). Tassie loves it here though – no dogs or anything threatening – she had a great day strolling around the paddock or dozing in the sunshine.

A fine campsite
One of us loses a chair again!
Dog free zone, hurahh!

At 4pm we congregated on Tom’s deck for happy hour with the other people camping here. We have a couple from the NSW Central Coast, a family from Southerlandshire, also in NSW, and a couple from Mackay in Queensland. We all shared drinks, nibbles and stories for a couple of hours, before retiring to the mobile apartments to cook dinner after enjoying a proper bush sunset.

Mr A and I have a beef rendang, cooked with our local organic beef (we are trying to disassociate dinner from the cattle strolling around in the next paddock), and the remainder of last night’s delicious Brash Vineyard Shiraz.

It’s hard to beat these WA sunsets


Day 149: 26 October – Travelling east through more wild weather

Author: Mrs A

From: Bremer Bay

To: Hopetoun

Distance driven: 250 km

Distance walked: 2 km

As the crow flies from our camp this morning, tonight’s location was around 100km, but in between us and Hopetoun was the Fitzgerald National Park, and the mountains within it that stretch majestically down to the ocean, more than doubling our travel distance.

It was a blustery journey. The 3 tonnes of car and about the same of caravan were being buffeted around by extremely strong winds the whole way, making it a physical drive for Mr A as he struggled to keep us in a straight line. We were pleased Tassie seems to have got the hint about car travel, and immediately settled down for a long sleep on my lap while we journeyed.

We pulled up at our free RV camp in Hopetoun around 2.30pm, and within 5 minutes of parking up the wind gusts strengthened further still, reaching more than 72km/hour at one point, followed by horizontal torrential rain. We locked ourselves into the mobile apartment and put the kettle on for a herbal tea. When in doubt drink tea.

The rain continued for the rest of the afternoon, only breaking just before sunset, allowing us a brief opportunity to explore.

We’re parked alongside a heritage rail trail which traverses the bushland between Hopetoun and its nearest neighbour, Ravensthorpe for about 49km. Definitely an option for tomorrow’s activity. We strolled a short way along it and then down a pathway traversing a sand dune (made from giant tyres – innovation and recycling for you!) to a stunning white sand beach. Beautiful views awaited us, with the small town of Hopetoun in the distance one way, and beaches stretching away along the coast the other.

Follow the yellow brick road?
Sunset on another deserted beach
Anti-crepuscular rays in the sky opposite the setting sun (and a mini rainbow)….yes, I had to look that up!
Incredible skies

We counted the other caravans, motorhomes and campers parked up at this free spot – 12…More than the total number of vehicles we have seen on the road all day! I wonder how the Hopetoun residents feel about the town offering this free camping spot. I guess we all bring much needed money in to the area (Mr A is already eyeing up the bakery and pub!), but there is also a private campground here – how busy it is there?

We’re all settled in for a cosy evening – plenty of solar power despite the lack of sunshine today, full water tanks thanks to our last campground, and stocked up with food…and tomorrow’s forecast is sunshine. Much to look forward to! 

Day 147: 24 October – It’s all about orchids!

Author: Mrs A

Location: Tozer’s Bush Camp, Bremer Bay

Distance walked: 6 km

We did something quite different today, joining Terry, an amateur botanist passionate about orchids, on a wildflower hunting expedition around the bushland surrounding Tozer’s bush camp. I must admit we have very limited knowledge of Australian flowers, and Western Australia seems to be richer in diversity than anywhere else we have been – possibly due to the smaller population and poor soils for farming purposes.

The three hour tour commenced at 10am and we were immediately educated with stories of the importance of the right amount of bushfires to help distribute seeds and open hard seed pods and shown the impact fire can have on the land. Then there were the orchids. Many are dependent on the sun to open (particularly the Shy Sun Orchid which will close up as soon as the clouds come over), whereas others just need warmth.

Below a few that we saw – I will try to remember all the names, but can’t guarantee they are all right!!

Leopard Orchid
Enamel Orchid
Cowslip Orchid
Goodenia
Melaleuca

There are many many more but they will have to wait for a wifi connection – we’re running low on mobile data.

It was a fabulous morning, and we returned for lunch with our heads spinning with all our learning.

We concluded our day with another walk, trying to remember what we had seen during the morning and spot more flowers, while enjoying the serenity of the bush. We finished up at the communal campfire for a chat with our fellow campers before heading back to the mobile apartment for dinner as the sun set. Just another day in paradise!

Another fine evening to conclude the day

Day 145: 22 October – Birds, beaches and blossoms

Author: Mrs A

Distance cycled: 22 km

Distance walked: 3 km

Turning left out of our campground we followed a cycle path without truly knowing where it would take us, enjoying the adventure of spontaneity. The path followed the forest behind the water’s edge with occasional diversions down to white sand beaches and incredible views.

We continued on as the paved pathway made way for an off-road route, following the Bibbulmun Track for a couple of kilometres, and back out through a housing estate. We chatted with a couple of local cyclists out for a Sunday morning explore who gave us advice on directions to go. We chose to follow the river towards the ocean, finishing up at a lookout with a vista of the spectacular Ocean Beach.

Perfectly still waters
Breezy hairstyle Mr A
A typical sleepy sandy and seaweedy beach

It was a warm and very humid day, with temperatures in the late 20s, constantly threatening storms which we would have welcomed, but never came. We returned via the other end of the rail trail, which brought us conveniently back to camp.

A lovely gravel trail to return us to camp

After a BBQ lunch, we spent the afternoon cleaning. Fridge, floors and shoe cupboard for me, mountain bikes and car for Mr A. After a shower and quick pick up of final supplies (we are off bush camping for a few days, and the IGA supermarket here is fabulous!) a walk to enjoy the stunning evening was in order.

The water was very still, offering mirror-like reflections.

The only ripples come from a pelican swimming up the creek
A drumstick – threatened species in these parts, with phytophthora dieback which feeds on the root system, rotting the plants
A pelican checking to see whether I had any fish to feed him
One of four kookaburras which stalked me on the walk
An ancient and twisted gum tree

Tomorrow we farewell this beautiful water and woodland paradise, and head further east. We’ll be sad to leave serene Denmark. It’s not quite Western Australia’s answer to Byron Bay as some suggest, but a far sleepier, more peaceful version of it. Denmark – it has been wonderful.