CRYSTAL CLEAR CORAL BAY

The beach at Coral Bay







As we waded thru' the clear waters - these fellows swam in front of us.






From the glass bottom boat





Under-water sculptures



From the Van

  

I have been told that we didn’t give Exmouth a fair go – that is probably true considering our state of health at the time. There is another over-riding issue here tho’ and it will apply to everywhere we stop as we make our way to Perth. We are out of season. Generally the good weather has departed and the weather now is very changeable and super windy. I have to admit to having had doubts about weather really being of particular importance as you travel, but have had to re-think that issue after our last couple of stops. The good news is that the heat has let up somewhat here in Coral Bay but the wind has been consistent and has really prevented us from doing the things that make Coral Bay what it is. Don’t get me wrong here, I am a sand-groper born and bred and the wind is in my blood (and occasionally other parts too), and I actually enjoy the lovely blustery conditions we have on the West Australian coast – but sometimes, enough is enough!

Neither of us is particularly well at the moment, whatever the bug was that had Doug in its grip at Exmouth, has had its wicked way with me ever since we arrived here. On top of that, we both just feel ‘yuck’ – seedy is the best way I can describe it and we are really wondering just what it is. Perhaps it is just the prospect of being back in the everyday world and returning to the realms of responsibility and worry that has us in this sorry state. We celebrated (or tried to celebrate) our eighth year together last Thursday and I couldn’t even bring myself to open a bottle of champers to drink with our traditional seafood feast. Those that know me will understand that I really must be crook! SO......please bear all of this in mind as I tell you all about Coral Bay.


What an amazing little spot this is! This is the first ‘town’ we have encountered that exists wholly and solely for the tourist. Tiny is one way to describe the place. There are two caravan parks, a hotel/resort, several shops and a scattering of beach shacks – that is it – the whole place covers an area of not more than half a kilometre (excluding the tip).


The entire ‘township’ nestles around the crystal clear waters of the bay which is lagoon like in its structure and ideal for swimming and snorkelling. In the distance you can see the froth and foam caused by huge waves crashing on the reef. Although there are a couple of spots designated for beach fishing, in general terms this is a sanctuary and most forms of fishing are prohibited. We went for a wade in the shallow waters on our first day here and were amazed to see large fish swimming contentedly amongst the swimmers. We are told that most of the fish we saw out there that day were Spangled Emperors and they hang around the beach because they are fed there each afternoon. As with most of the WA coast, the sand here is sparkling white and the seas are the most glorious blues and aqua’s – very ‘post-card’ indeed. The People’s Caravan Park where we are staying has a good number of palms and verdant green grass and the whole effect is very tropical.


We have not been to the Visitor Centre since we arrived but it looks very good and we are told that if you take a cruise on the semi-submersible coral viewing boat you will be provided with snorkel and flippers free of charge (on loan of course) in order to better explore the reef. We did take the cruise and found it to be very good value. The charge was $33 for one hour and as we were the only people on board, the service was brilliant. The boat was skippered by one young lady and another, Vickie, was our guide. Vickie seemed to have a very good grip on her subject and we left the boat more knowledgeable than when we boarded.


I have not experienced the reefs off the East Coast so have no real comparison, however we were told that the corals off the West Coast are hard and skeletal as opposed to the softer styles of coral found on the Great Barrier Reef. What we were confronted with as we gazed hopefully thru’ the thick glass panels of the boat were the myriad of natural sculptures that comprise our local corals. We learnt that coral is an animal, not a plant and that being touched by people and boats etc has a very detrimental effect on the coral and can even kill it. The coral here forms a calcified skeleton and does not have the colours displayed in the softer styles. The only real colour displayed on the coral was the electric blue tips of the stag-horn corals. The reef is enormous and provides a haven for a multitude of our fishy friends. We certainly saw plenty of these as we cruised the calm waters of the bay – it appears that the larger fish actually sleep in the domed cavity in the middle of the boat and come out towards the end of the trip to be fed by the crew. Quite a spectacle! One interesting little piece of trivia, one of the most common fish on the reef is the colourful Parrot Fish – this character is equipped to actually bite off pieces of the coral to eat. The fish is especially designed to digest this tough food and the resultant excreta actually contributes to the white sparkling sands of our coast! There you go, next time you are wriggling your toes ecstatically in our beautiful beach sand, just remember what it is partially made of. After learning about how much damage we can do simply by touching the coral we are a bit bemused by the lack of suitable warnings and explanations displayed here. It would appear that the tourist dollar is considered more important than the survival of this enormously important natural resource.


There don’t appear to be any large creatures in the bay itself, any dolphins, rays or sharks. We are told tho’ there is a shark breeding ground just around the corner from the bay. That knowledge did nothing to encourage us to embark on a swimming expedition. I am a bit embarrassed to admit that while here we have not and will not be taking to the crystal clear waters - in our defence, the weather apart from the first afternoon when we arrived, has been too cool for swimming for our taste, especially considering we are not feeling quite ‘the thing’.


From an information perspective, there are a couple of small ‘supermarkets’ here which seem to stock all the emergency produce etc. that you might need while staying here. The bakery is excellent with some of the best pastry we have ever experienced. There are a considerable number of tour operators and a couple of places hire out quad bikes and kayaks for the more adventurous. For the ladies, there is a beautician who advertises all the usual bits. A newsagency provides the daily papers after around 11am and you can purchase alcohol at the pub/resort. We had breakfast at Fin’s cafe and found the food to be quite good and certainly the menu looked to be quite adventurous (albeit not cheap). Following some very good advice we are staying at The People’s Park Caravan Park and have found it to be excellent – not dog friendly tho’ folks. The park is lovely and shady and the sound of the wind sighing thru' the She-Oaks is relaxing in the extreme. The biggest problem in Coral Bay seems to be water. Neither park provides fresh water to the vans, the on-site water is salty bore water. The amenities block here does provide fresh water for the showers and tank water for drinking. Certainly it is advisable to have your tanks full of good fresh water before coming to Coral Bay. This caravan park is pretty much on the water-front and you can pay a little extra to obtain a site with ocean views. The only problem there is that during the season it is almost impossible to get in here – it is usually booked solid from one season to the next! Talking to the manager we were told it seems to him he pays a telephonist $30,000pa to turn people away! Now that’s the sort of business we would all like to own.


Well, we leave here tomorrow heading into Carnarvon and it seems to us we are just about home. Only a couple more weeks and its back to reality – what a bummer! Of course, we are looking forward to seeing our families again having missed them over the past ten or so months, but we are not looking forward to being responsible grown-up people again! Until next time, love your responsibilities and enjoy life whatever it presents. Stephanie.