Return to Wedge - Indian Ocean Drive, Western Australia

It is summer here in Western Australia - and the beach is a big part of our culture for those who live near the coast. So I thought I would take you back a few years before taking you along the Indian Ocean Drive.


In the mid 1970s newly married and before children, we all climbed into our friend’s old Land Rover after work one Friday and headed north along a 4WD dirt track to Wedge Island relying on our mate’s memory of how to get there.  We arrived around 11 o’clock at night and stumbled around the squatters' and fishermens' shacks looking for ‘Mill’s Mansion’. 

 Typical of all the beach shacks it was made from whatever was at hand, washed up timber and corrugated iron. A water-tank, gas camp stove, camp stretchers, louvre windows, a bucket of water to throw down the outside loo, fishing nets strung up and everything covered with a thin layer of beach sand, completed the picture.  

It all looked better in the morning, and we felt like kings in our ‘mansion’ as we cooked bacon and eggs, sand boarded down the sand hills on bits of scavenged cardboard, caught fish off the beach, collected shells and went 4WD beach driving in the Landie. I remember sitting in the Landie’s back ‘seat’ when the seat came to an abrupt end when we hit a washaway on the beach. Those were the days. 

To keep reading, please click on "read more". 

Summer and 2014 begins

Well here we are in 2014 already! The years are going far too quick for me. Are they for you? My life is zooming past! It feels like it was only last year that we were celebrating the new millennium - and it was odd to be saying 2000 and here we are 14 years into it!

I am not big on making new year resolutions. Plans yes - but not resolutions. I wonder what the 2014 will bring. 

Today was the last day of my holidays, so we took a drive down the coast to Dunsborough, Meelup and the coastline around Cape Naturaliste.  The ocean was at is sparkling summer best and there were families on summer holidays everywhere. There is a Cape to Cape walking track between Cape Naturaliste and Cape Leeuwin with spectacular coastal views - but you wouldn't want to walk along it in summer. The 700 metres and return we did to get some of these shots was enough for me today!  Don't forget the hat and sunscreen!

 I have embarked on a plan to do a 365 project - one photo a day for a whole year. Many others have done it before me and say how much their photography improved over the year. I don't know if I can keep up the pace, but I carry my camera with me every day anyway, so will I start with the best intentions, and see what happens from there.

 Please click on "read more" to keeping reading and seeing more pics from the summer of 2014

Life is a Beach in Western Australia

It is summer downunder and time for the beach. The beach is part of Western Australia’s way of life - kilometres of white sandy beaches, sparkling clear blue water, coral reefs, aquatic playgrounds, and the sun setting over the Indian Ocean in a brilliant array of colours.

Stretching from Broome’s Cable Beach in the north, to Lucky Bay near Esperance in the south east, a trip to Western Australia would not be complete without a visit to one of its beaches.

In the image below you can see left to right from top - Smiths Beach Yallingup, Cable Beach Broome, Conspicuous Cliffs near Denmark, Greens Pool Denmark, Lucky Bay Esperance, dolphins at Monkey Mia Shark Bay, snorkeling on Ningaloo Reef Coral Bay. 

I wrote about my selection of Western Australia's best beaches in my article which was recently published in Go Camping Australia magazine December2012-January2013 edition.  

Below is an excerpt from the article with my choices of some of Western Australia's best beaches.

CABLE BEACH, BROOME – WHITE SAND, SUNSHINE & PEARLS

Where is it? - 2237 kilometres north of Perth

Established around the pearling industry in the late 1800s, a colourful history and a melting pot of nationalities, the tropical seaside town of Broome is the gateway to the Kimberleys. On Cable Beach’s twenty two kilometre stretch of pristine white sand, you can escape the southern winter by relaxing on the beach, rejuvenate in the warm ocean water, enjoy a sunset camel ride, or experience the “stair case to the moon”. 

When you have had enough of the beach there is an extensive collection of pearl outlets, art and photographic galleries, shops and restaurants, or take a boat tour to one of the pearling farms or a scenic flight over spectacular coastal scenery.

NINGALOO REEF – CORAL BAY AND EXMOUTH – UNDERWATER WONDERLAND

Where is it? - Coral Bay is 1131 kilometres and Exmouth 1260 kilometres north of Perth

Serviced by Exmouth and Coral Bay, Ningaloo Reef is one of the world’s largest fringing coral reefs and a prime conservation sanctuary stretching 260 kilometres along North West Cape. Home to 250 species of coral and 500 species of fish, Ningaloo is one of Australia’s great nature based tourism destinations and leads the way in Whale Shark eco-tourism. You can snorkel over the reef only a few metres from the shore, and Coral Bay’s town beach has safe swimming for children.  Blessed with warm weather all year round, perfect for fishing, swimming or relaxing, Ningaloo is a paradise for holiday-makers. 

MONKEY MIA, SHARK BAY – DOLPHIN EXPERIENCE

Where is it?: 856 kilometres from Perth

Thousands of visitors come every year to see the bottle nose dolphins which visit the beach at Monkey Mia, located in the World Heritage listed Peron Peninsular. Dolphin feeding, three times a day between 8am and 1pm, is carefully controlled in the special interaction area on the beach front near the jetty to ensure the dolphins continue to live in their natural environment. Although you are discouraged from touching them, the experience is one you will never forget.  

THE CAPES – SURFING THE SOUTH WEST

Where is it?: Margaret River is 277 kms and Yallingup 263 kms south of Perth. 

Enjoying a Mediterranean climate, the Cape to Cape region between Cape Naturalist and Cape Leeuwin is a playground for holiday makers during the summer, and surfers all year round, as well as being an internationally acclaimed wine growing region. Meelup offers safe swimming and a shady beachfront picnic area popular with families, whilst Surfers Point near Margaret River is home to the Margaret River Pro competition. Yallingup provides great swimming and snorkelling with a protected lagoon, and surfing further out.

Wineries, breweries and artisans outlets provide an enjoyable way to spend a lazy afternoon or you could stretch your legs along the Cape to Cape Track which winds 135 kilometres between the Capes.

SOUTH COAST  - WHERE THE FOREST MEETS THE SEA

Where is it?: Denmark is 414 kms south of Perth

When summer hits the northern half of WA it is time to escape to a milder climate and the beautiful pristine beaches of the South Coast. From Mandalay Beach west of Walpole, through Denmark to Albany, the southern coastline is a mixture of magnificent coastal scenery, rugged headlands, rock pools and secluded beaches. Popular beaches include - Greens Pool, William Bay, Ocean Beach, Lights Beach and Peaceful Bay.
 Combining to make a complete destination are relaxed friendly towns, wineries, restaurants, galleries, walk trails and rivers for canoeing which wind through the spectacular Karri and Tingle forests and an international biodiversity hotspot.  

ESPERANCE – AUSTRALIA’S WHITEST BEACH

Where is it?: 721 kilometres from Perth on the south coast 

The combination of dazzling white squeaky clean sand and cold sparkling aqua blue water under a canopy of brilliant blue sky is a feast for the senses.  Lucky Bay in the Cape Le Grand National Park near Esperance was judged in 2006 by a national committee of scientific experts through Geoscience Australia to be the whitest beach in Australia, so Esperance can justifiably claim to be the home of Australia’s best beaches.

Isolated by distance, Esperance enjoys a laid back life style and a Mediterranean climate.  It is a paradise for beach lovers with kilometres of pristine beaches, spectacular coastal scenery, national parks, and an aquatic paradise amongst the islands of the Recherche Archipelago

FOR MORE INFORMATION on WA’s beaches and where to stay, log onto the individual visitor information web sites or visit WA Tourism at www.westernaustralia.com

To read this complete article please see December 2012- January 2013 edition of Go Camping Australia magazine - Go Camping Australia magazine on Facebook

 Even in winter I like walking on the beach - this image I took on a cold morning in July when we had a weekend getaway at Smith's beach.  We walked along the beach at sunrise - you can see the mist rising off the ocean - 

 And  at days end, you can't beat a brilliant sunset over the Indian Ocean, like this one at Denham, Shark Bay.

  And the best beach? A beach near you! We are lucky to be blessed with one only quarter of an hour from home. Sometimes I go there in my lunch hour and just let the wind blow my cares away.  There is something comforting about the continual rhythm of the waves going in and out.

Thank you for stopping by. I look forward to hearing from you. Do you have a beach near you? Where is your favourite beach? Or is it a secret?

I am sharing today with Mosaic Monday at Little Red House. Please click on the link to see the wonderful work of Mary and other contributors -  Mosaic Monday

You might also like - please click on the links to go to -
 
Coral Bay - blue on blue
Yallingup & Smiths Beach - the oceans edge
Lunch at Busselton Jetty

Coral Bay, Western Australia - blue on blue

created from an image I took at Coral Bay

We have just returned from two fabulous weeks at Coral Bay on Western Australia's spectacular Coral Coast. The weather was warm, but not too hot, the water temperature was perfect, the snorkeling was fantastic, there was lots of people about enjoying the sun, we had a wonderful time with our friends who came to stay with us for a week and my husband got to do some fishing and bring home some fish - AND the relaxing relaxing relaxing - morning and evening walks on the beach, stunning sunsets, sitting under an umbrella on the beach reading a book, flopping around in the warm water snorkeling amongst the beautiful fish, taking heaps of photos, trying out my new underwater camera housing, having our meals out on the veranda, not bothering about TV or news or work or computers. A wonderful holiday all round. 
read on for more..........

CORAL BAY

Bikini girls tumble out of painted vans

Sun-kissed laughter and languages merge

In a kaleidoscope of sound

Mazarine ocean sandwiched between yellow sand and sapphire sky

The fringing reef a tumble of white on the horizon.

Bring the picnic baskets and spread out the beach mats

Sunhats and sunscreen and rainbow umbrellas

Buckets and spades

Build sandcastles on the beach

Families and children mingle

Grandmothers under sunhats read from beach chairs

Grandad tips buckets of water into the moat

Boys running send seagulls squawking from their patch of sand

Little girls in frilly bathers

Brown skin baking

Ice-cream dripping over chins and fingers

Kayaks cutting through the sparkling blue.

Pull on goggles and snorkel

Wiggle into flippers

Transport you to another world

Filtered light creating patterns on the rippled sand

Flashes of silver and gold just out of reach

Weave through their underwater garden

Little stripy peers at you through the glass

An open clam waits

A spreadeagled star fish guards his collection of shells

A turtle glides across the coral floor

Following his mate into the approaching shadows.

Time to shake the sand from wet towels

The last glows of light

Turn the sky pink, red and purple

Couples entwined linger

A guitar softly strums its love song

A heron stalks the shallows

Golden ripples whisper on the sand

                                                               by Jill Harrison May 2012 

Blue, so bright and crystal clear it is startling. Its warmth envelopes me, calm and soothing as I float in another world, weightless. Floating with the current, absorbed by the sights around me I can only hear the sound of my own breathing.

Fish swim around me in shoals, parting and reforming, flashes of silver and gold in the sunlight. Tiny fish in a myriad of colours and patterns dart in and out of their underwater garden.  I am close to the shore in only a couple of metres of water but the underwater world of coral and brightly coloured fish around me is amazing.

I am snorkeling on the Ningaloo Reef at Coral Bay.  For someone like me who has never dived and has rarely snorkelled, the underwater experience was amazing, (made even more special by my new underwater housing for my camera!) and goes to show that nearly everyone can experience the reef. 

  

The Ningaloo Reef which stretches 260 kilometres along the North West Cape and covers 5,000 square kilometres, is the jewel of Western Australia's Coral Coast. It is one of the largest fringing coral reefs in the world, home to 250 species of coral and 500 species of fish and a prime conservation and sanctuary area as well as one of Australia’s great nature based tourism locations.

It is also one of the few places where you can swim with the world’s biggest fish, the Whale Shark which visits Ningaloo Reef from late March until July each year following the mass spawning of coral. Exmouth celebrates by holding its bi-annual Whale Shark Festival.

The Coral Coast and the Ningaloo Marine Park can be easily explored by staying at Exmouth at the top of North West Cape, or its smaller neighbour Coral Bay, 155 kilometres south. Both towns are geared towards tourism, but Coral Bay exudes a more casual relaxed holiday feel.

Most of Coral Bay’s small population is directly involved in catering for the hundreds of tourists that come here every year to catch the winter sun, experience the reef and relax on the beach that is only a stones throw from the front door of your caravan or holiday cottage.






Any time of day you will find people sitting on the beach, swimming or snorkelling on the reef that starts only metres from the shore. The town beach provides safe swimming for children and fish can be seen swimming in shallow water near the shore line, making it a favourite place for families. It also attracts many “grey nomads” judging by the number of retirees you can see sitting on the beach or in the water talking about their travels around Australia.

Dive tours are conducted daily from Exmouth and Coral Bay, but you can also experience the coral gardens of the reef by taking a tour on the glass bottom or submariner boat. For non divers, the submariner and their informative guides bring you in close contact with the underwater world. It is also great for children, who love seeing the fish through the glass. 

At days end ...... sunset walks along the beach......

Golden ripples whisper on the sand

these few words from the WA Department of Environment and Conservation sum it all up - Marine parks and reserves protect Western Australia's underwater wonders from top to bottom. We need marine parks for the same reasons we already have national parks on the land. Together they protect our precious plants and animals, above and below the water line.  
To learn more please go to Nature Base



Do you like the postcard at the beginning of the post? - I created this from one of my images, manipulated in Photoshop Elements with a technique taught in one of Kim's Beyond Layers e-classes.  To check out Kim's classes please go to her blog by clicking here - kimklassencafe
 

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you have enjoyed these images and excerpts about Coral Bay.  I would love you to leave a comment - I look forward to hearing from you.

I am linking up to Mosaic Monday at Little Red House - please click on the link to see the work of other wonderful contributors. Mosaic Monday at Little Red House

The power has been off all day today, so I am a little late in connecting! and I know I wrote this a week or so ago - but I so wanted to share some of Coral Bay with you!

I look forward to hearing from you.

Sunset on Steve Jobs

A quote from Steve Jobs from Apple Inc Co-Founder, a visionary and creative genius who died from pancreatic cancer on Wednesday 5 October at the age of 56.....

“And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

I took this photo walking down to the beach late afternoon at Hopetoun on Western Australia's south coast on Sunday.

Went down to the beach to play one day.................

I recently found this peom in an old poetry book I found while packing up my mother-in-laws house. The book is called "The Charge of the Light Brigade and other story poems" (Scholastic Book Services, 1969)

I really liked the image it created of the little girls playing on the beach and the treasures they found...........and the innocence of childhood and carefree days on the beach.

ps - there are no capital letters because this is how it was printed in the book....

maggie and milly and molly and may

maggie and milly and molly and may

went down to the beach (to play one day)

and maggie discovered a shell that sang

so sweetly she couldn’t remember her troubles, and

milly befriended a stranded star

whose rays five languid fingers were;

and molly was chased by a horrible thing

which raced sideways while blowing bubbles; and

may came home with a smooth round stone

as small as a world and as large as alone.

For whatever we lose (like a you or a me)

It’s always ourselves we find in the sea

                                                             By EE Cummings

It is winter here in Australia, but the beach is so much a part of the culture of Australia it can be enjoyed any time of year in different ways.  Here is my mosaic I created from the poem - some photos are new from our recent weekend in Yallingup, and some are from my archives -  unfortunately I don't have a star fish...

 I hope you enjoyed the poem and pictures. I look forward to hearing from you. I am linking up with Mosaic Monday at Little Red House. To see the work of Mary and other wonderful contributors, please click on the link here -  Mosaic Monday

Take care, have a wonderful week, and hug the ones you love.