Return to the Life Aquatic

Back to glorious Australia and the remote western coast, in time for Roger’s birthday. First stop was funky Fremantle, where we stayed with friends Rachel and Jethro met long ago in a hillside town in northern India – and hadn’t seen them since! They and their boys showed us wonderful W.A. hospitality, sharing apple strudel birthday ‘cake’ and champagne and the hope that it won’t be 20 years before we see them again.

We then headed north to fulfill a dream of nomading in a campervan, and fortunately very much enjoyed it. Especially the bit where it takes 45min or less to unplug, pack up and move on. Now well accustomed to close quarter living, we didn’t kill each other although Max and Anya happily had a go at in one campground with a plastic cricket bat.

The Mighty Campervan rattled us all the way north to Exmouth, past the tallest metal lighthouse in Australia at Geraldton and a rocket at the Carnarvon space station to see whale sharks. Those west coast beaches are incredibly beautiful – so good to get back to the Big Burnt Country and its life affirming coral reefs.

Exmouth on the edge of the Ningaloo reef treated us to snorkelling in crystal clear turquoise waters and almost spiritual moments of swimming with whale sharks under clear blue skies on a great blue ocean. Photos will follow at a later date – needless to say Roger was as happy as a pig in *$#@ or clownfish in an anemone etc etc.

A few snorkels later we started the 1300km trek back to Perth, stopping at Coral Bay where we were gobsmacked by the idyllic-ness of it. Coral gardens straight off the beach and mantra rays, sharks, turtles and dolphins a boat ride the next bay over. Can highly recommend it, and will return as soon as we can. Wonderous sunsets too.