Point Quobba was our next stop with a lighthouse to view and the best and most reliable blowholes on the coast. Every wave sent up a number of spouts from holes in the rock shelf. We were also privileged to see a humpback close in to shore.
We then went inland to Kennedy Ranges which had come highly recommended and luckily didn’t disappoint. We stayed three nights and every night had a chat around the communal campfire which are so much better that everyone wasting wood and not interacting at their own individual fires. There were three gorges to see – Temple, Drapers and Honeycomb and each one was different. As well we climbed up to the escarpment to overlook the campsite and the flat country around.
A stop off at Wooramel River Retreat as recommended and a dip in the spa pool had us refreshed as we headed on to Hamelin Pool and the ancient, but boring looking stromatolites. The whole area is made up of shells and was used as a building material. We did get a great sunset!
Francois Peron NP was our next destination and I wanted to go to one of the northern campsites. We managed the first part of the sandy drive easily but then ignored the sign that said – Soft sand, no caravans. We don’t feel like we have a caravan but we shouldn’t have ignored this sign as we quickly sank into the bottomless, soft sand. Out with the shovel and tracks but no progress. Luckily a passing expert took pity on us and snatch strapped us out. We got him to wait until we had turned around and were back on firm ground ready to retreat. Of course I forgot to take any photos but on the next day we came across a family from Hong Kong with a hire car in the same predicament but he hadn’t let down his tyres so I took pictures of them instead.
The camp at Big Lagoon that we could get into was lovely so we didn’t miss out and drove up to the Cape easily the next day without the van holding us back. It had the beautiful red sand contrasting with the blue sea that I had wanted to photograph.
We finished our trip to Francois Peron with a dip in the hot tub at the homestead and farewelled Shark Bay with a night at Eagle Bluff, a pretty spot amongst the flowers.
Travels with my camera in Oz 