Ningaloo Station (Week 3) and Tom Price
Arrival of new visitors
After Alexis left, we had 5 days before our next visitors arrived. Luke, Megan, Osric and Shacklock arrived at South Lefroy Bay, Ningaloo Station in the morning ahead of Chuck and Sue that afternoon. So they were able to setup their camp prior to the big surprise arrival.
The boys had already dug a hole on the beach, and didn't know of the pending arrival, so we were waiting with much excitement.
Osric saying hello to Bailey again
Shackie was the first to recognise the new visitors and he was off!
At speed, that boy can sure run!
Nana was the object of his sprint
A few seconds later, Osric recognised Pa, and he was also off at at great rate of knots!
Chuck wouldn't give up Osric and Shack, or was it the other way around?
The hole kept growing in size
Norwegian Bay Whaling Station
The remnants of the Norwegian Bay whaling station are still at Ningaloo Station, just on from the water wells so we all went on an excursion.
There are lots of relics there
A Norwegian Whaling company operated steam powered whaling
ships with harpoon guns and factory ships in the seasons 1912 to 1916 and
eventually built
a shore-based facility in 1915 featuring a 53m jetty.
Prior to the construction of the access road the jetty
provided the only link between the whale men and the outside world.
Thinking about how remote the Ningaloo Reef is today simply boggles one’s mind as to how
different life would have been almost 100 years ago working as a
whaler at the Norwegian Bay whaling station.
A vast array of material lies scattered over the seabed including bottles, fuel drums, railway line, lead piping and other iron equipment. Numerous modern glass bottles (beer bottles, pickle jars, and bottles with Japanese script) have also been found on the seabed.
The remains of a sunken barge are also located close to the
shoreline. Rusting remains of winches, cables and lengths of piping are
scattered widely along the beach.
The Australian North-West Whaling Company purchased the
station in 1920 and operated 3 whale chasers, the Fynd, Fin (wrecked in 1923)
and Frey. The Norwegian Bay Whaling Company then leased the site and operations,
and operated four whale chasers until 1929.
The station was reopened in 1949 until it was closed in 1957
due to operations being centred around Babbage Island near Carnarvon.
The whaling station at Norwegian Bay was the first modern
shore station to be constructed in Western Australia, utilising new forms of
technology both for catching and processing the whales.
Between 1913 and 1916 they caught more than 4,000 whales making considerable profit from the whale oil and fertilizer they produced. That's 1,333 whales per year.
Then again from 1936 foreign whalers operated off the
North-West, killing 7,000 whales in three years.
We can't establish how many whales the Australian Nor'-West Whaling Company and Norwegian Bay Whaling Company pulled out between 1920 and 1929, and again between 1949 and 1957. But one could estimate somewhere near 2,000 a year would be a reasonable figure.
That means in these 17 years a total of 34,000 plus the known 11,000 gives 45,000 whales taken just off Ningaloo Station!
Luckily they're not extinct and have recovered and here for us to enjoy.
This photo was taken from our caravan site!
If the wind is still, you can even hear the whales thumping as their breach splashes into the water. A fact that Chuck didn't believe until one morning he said that he could hear them!
If you wish to see the full history of Norwegian Bay, click this link - Norwegian Bay History
Life on Ningaloo Station
There are many duties to do while you're staying at Ningaloo Station, as there aren't any facilities there.
Toilet Emptying
Toilet empting duties turns into a morning adventure, and male bonding exercise
Water Collection
Water is available from wells at South Lefroy Bay. These wells are just holes in the sand which other very ni e campers have dug. You need a pump for water extraction and a vessel to hold your takings.
Water collection again involved Jayne's now famous fresh scones, jam and cream, then the boys went sand dune surfing
Fishing
Fishing is always a big event, and Jayne caught two GT's (Giant Trevally)
Jayne and I had two meals from these two beauties
Luke and Osric joined Jayne and me for a days fishing, with Osric catching a really large Red Blotched Wrasse on his brand new $15 Target fishing rod. Our little boat is barely big enough for 2 when the fish are biting, so 3 adults and 1 kid was really pushing the limits.
Redblotched Wrasse (Courtesy of www.fishesofaustralia.net.au)
While Osric was landing his monster with assistance from Luke and I, Jayne had already caught a fish and was trying to get the hook out, using Luke's new safety gizmo. Then my rod went off with a fish. There was pandemonium in the little boat as three fish were being landed at once. It was hilarious and a very special moment in our fishing adventures.
During this day all three of us had caught a Redblotched Wrasse, but we did "Catch and release" as they are a protected species and more at home in an aquarium.
I've never laughed so much fishing as I did this day. It was a great adventure.
Snorkelling
This is another important activity.
Getting ready for snorkelling
Shack was a bit small to hit the water, here he is with snorkelling envy
But as cute as ever!
Sunset
As you know, sunset is always a time to rejoice and many celebratory drinks including our favourite Aperol Spritz were enjoyed watching the sun go down.
Finally the end of Chuck and Sue's week at Ningaloo Station drew to a close. The farewells were very emotional, but it's not long now until everyone is home together again.
Luke, Megan, Osric and Shacklock also departed on the same day, and we've made plans to meet them in a few weeks in the Flinders Ranges, South Australia, or some other suitable venue.
Our toilet mechanism broke, which meant we couldn't close it, so we had to go back to Exmouth for the night before heading west to start our homeward journey. This is the only place I know with confidence that stocks such caravan parts. Exmouth Caravan Repairs has turned into a Caravan Superstore, and we've become quite well known to the owners Cheryl and Shaun.
After nearly 3 weeks our time on Ningaloo Station had drawn to an end. We were both really pleased we were finally able to share this paradise with some of our family - Alexis, Chuck, Sue, Luke, Megan, Osric and Shacklock. They all left us thinking that this was certainly one of the really special places in the world. We've always known it was special, but to hear that from others is certainly nice.
The future of Ningaloo Station is very unclear with the Western Australian Government wanting to take if off the current occupiers, as their 99 year Pastoral Lease expired a few years ago. That will certainly change the dynamics of camping here.
Tom Price
We came to Tom Price, which is a mining town, to stock up on supplies before heading east.
While we were on Ningaloo Station I launched my car over a sand dune, causing much excitement to the occupants of Chuck, Sue and Jayne. Luke and Megan were watching from their car, but unfortunately they didn't have their camera running! I have to say they build these LandCruisers tough.
I also had dislodged a wheel balancing weight in the sand on the beach at Ningaloo and driving here the car felt a bit "funny". So we booked it in for a wheel balance and wheel alignment in Tom Price, just to be sure.
The mechanic reported that all wheels are now balanced and there is no damage at all under the car from this attempt of mine to put the first LandCruiser into a low orbit. Man are they tough!
Tomorrow we're off to Alice Springs via the Gary Junction Road. Yes, this is the road where we broke so many of our white goods in the van last year. I'll be going much slower this time, and we have addressed all those breakages strengthening the said white goods. So let's see if we can get to Alice with the insides of the van all intact.
