Coral Bay, Exmouth and Ningaloo Station (now called Nyinggulu Coastal Reserves)
Coral Bay
Since we had left home on 31 March, and except for Easter in Coffs, we hadn't stopped anywhere for more than 2 nights. Some of our days driving have been small but in retrospect it was a bit rushed.
So we really enjoyed our 5 nights laid back in Coral Bay. It actually felt like a holiday. We were really lucky to secure 5 nights at a beachfront site in Coral Bay. We only booked it 5 days in advance!
We walked down to the bakery for coffee and cake (a small one shared between us of course) each morning, and rode our bikes before 9 am before it started to get hot. We got to know some of our neighbours camped near us and were invited down to the beach with them to feed the fish.
We got to know some local chicks, who each morning were waiting for their mum to feed them just above were we had coffee.
Hurry up mum, we're starving!
I had to mind the sunset one afternoon while Jayne prepared our dinner of gnocchi and prawns, yum!
Exmouth
We had two nights in Exmouth to stock up with food and water. Coral Bay doesn't have drinking water for the caravans. You're able to fill drinking bottles but not caravans.
We did go out one night and walked to Blue Lips Fish and Chippery, which is always good.
While we were there, Merv and Jen rung us to let us know that they had read on Wikicamps that South Lefroy Bay camping was flooded due to the high tides last night and that the National Parks had closed off all bookings into there. So we had to make a quick trip to the Parks HO and speak first hand to them.
We were informed that yes the camping was closed at South Lefroy Bay and wouldn't reopen until end of May. Jayne was livid! I had to calm her down as things were getting feisty with the National Parks lady.
So she booked us into North Lefroy Bay for the duration of our stay out here. Unfortunately North Lefroy is the ugly cousin of South Lefroy. No beach view from the sites and no coral just off the beach.
So we got onto the Bushtracker Facebook page as there's always someone in a Bushtracker out at South Lefroy.
Within an hour we had received an answer and a picture of the current situation out there. What we saw looked pretty scary.
Site 8, a Beach Site. Normally there's around 300 metres of beach before you get to the water
While we were at the local Camping Shop, we got talking to some other people who were also camped out there, and yes while the water is really high, most people were able to stay dry by either building a levy bank or digging a moat.
So considering all of the above, we decided we would go to South Lefroy first and check out the conditions before having to settle on a camp at North Lefroy.
Ningaloo Station
When we got to South Lefroy we jumped out and looked at the beach, which seemed fine to drive on, although a bit soft at the start. There were two boats tied up right at the beach driveway. Why they were parked there, is anyone's guess but it certainly was wrong.
I hit the soft sand at a reasonable speed and managed to get around onto the hard surface. Poor Merv had to miss my tracks and he went a bit close to one of the boat motors. And therefore he stopped so he wouldn't hit it. The result was:
His car and van sunk, in the soft sand
Luckily there was a really nice Victorian guy who was more than willing to assist and ran to get his snatch strap to drag Merv's car and van out. It took 3 goes to get him clear.
So we decided that we had better walk around to our camp sites before venturing further.
In both 2017 and 2018 when we were at Ningaloo Station we camped at Site 33 South Lefroy. Alexis, Chuck, Sue, Luke and Megan will remember this site.
This is Site 33 in 2018 / 2017. Lovely site with plenty of beach
When we walked around we saw what Site 33 looks like right now!
Believe it or not, that's the same site!
You can make out the same sand dune, albeit a bit smaller
Chatting with the campers on Site 33. You can see how big their levy bank is
So we spent the first night camped at South Lefroy way back away from the water, while we de-stressed after Merv's first beach towing experience.
The next day we were confident enough to venture onto our booked site # 38. At first we did several runs up onto the site without the caravan connected to compact the sand as it was damp and spongy as well as soft once you proceeded further to the top of the tiny sand dune.
The car and caravan just drove up without an issue and not even the smallest of wheel spins
We would have made it without compacting the sand first, but after yesterday's experience we were all a touch nervous.
Nicely placed before the tide came in
You can see our tyre tracks, now under water
Nice view
Fireball on the horizon
Not a bad sunset
Sunset drinks with Merv and Jen with lake and sea view
This is really a special place. Yesterday while we were anchoring our boat I was bobbing around about 20 metres from shore while Jayne secured the shore rope when a pod of 4 dolphins came up to have a chat with me. They were within 1 metre of our boat looking at me. It was just great. Pity I didn't have my camera!
Yes, certainly special. We're being hammered at present with almost cyclonic wind and rain. Can't even open the caravan door without it being blown off the side of the van! And you all know we don't want to lose another caravan door!
We did successfully get water from the wells today. After two attempts. I made an absolutely rookie mistake, as yesterday I was certain I had a tyre losing pressure. So I pumped the tyres up to 25psi rear and 22psi front. Thankfully this morning all pressures were exactly the same. So we didn't have a leak in any of the tyres.
But when we went to drive up over the wet dunes our tyres were still at these pressures. Of course we couldn't make it over them, but no real issues as we were always able to back down the dune to safety.
Merv had spoken to Dave another long-term camper here, so we stopped by his site on the way back. "Yes you can get to the wells, it's easy. Come on and I'll show you the way. Follow me".
Not wanting to be too embarrassed I quickly let my tyres down to 18psi all-round and guess what, I was able to drive up over those dunes without even a wheel spin! Absolutely amazing the difference 7 psi makes! But of course I already knew this, but didn't practice what I preach.
So we now has access to unlimited water for washing and showering. :)
