From the Pilbara we headed west to the Exmouth peninsula, and turned north again to Exmouth at the tip of the narrow land mass. The west side of the coast has the famous Ningaloo Coral reef, which is one of the few rare coral reefs on the WEST side of a continent. Here the coral comes virtually to the shore and is so easily accessible..unlike the Barrier Reef which is sometimes 90 kms out to sea. It is also the place where the famous Whale Sharks swim up and down the coast. These are the biggest creatures on earth ..huge gentle giants which eat plankton and cruise along the edge of the reef with their gaping mouths open like funnels. Many whale watching cruises take people out to snorkel with these beautiful creatures..but they cost a fortune so we did not do it. However, we saw many other whales swim by, dolphins, turtles and a giant Potatoe Cod which was about 6 foot long with a girth of a couple of meters. ..probably weighing well over 200 kg. Unfortunately when we got to Exmouth we realized that it was school holidays, and since this is such a wonderful family place and also warm in the winter, all 5 if its Caravan Parks were booked out. For a while we thought the 300 kms journey was wasted, but finally managed to get 4 days in one park, and another 4 at a park on the west side nearest the Coral. We had a few wonderful days snorkelling at Turquoise Bay and Oyster Stacks beaches, and also tried our hands at fishing the rugged coast. It is still an area that is very remote and treacherous despite the crowds in the parks. Going south again we had wanted to spend a week or so at Coral Bay, our favourite holiday spot from years ago. Here the Coral comes into shore in an idyllic azure bay with pure white sand and gentle waves. The coral and fish are wonderful and it’s like swimming in a giant aquarium. Once again we knew we would have trouble getting a place since the school hols were still in full swing, so had resigned ourselves to having a swim and driving to the next town. Somehow there was ONE spot left for a couple of nights for which we were grateful, and managed to get in some nice snorkelling despite the windy and miserable weather. Disappointed, we drove 300 kms south to Carnarvon where we restocked and decided our next destination.
We re- evaluated and decided to explore a remote area along the lower WEST side of the peninsula which had only one dirt road going up through a couple of Sheep stations and then ending abruptly. We had heard that the fishing was good along that coast, but it was difficult to get information..people we asked seemed evasive and mumbled..”Yes, the fishing is good, but it’s VERY dangerous”. There was no real accommodation except for a bush camp where the campers were allowed to camp on the edge of a lovely bay, but there were NO facilities...one had to be self sufficient with everything. power, water, food etc. Since we had our little freezer full of fish, we opted for the only other place..a sheep station that had turned its shearing sheds into basic Fishermans cabins, and cleared some bits of bush for caravans...VERY remote and basic. There was borehole (salty) water, a wood fired hot water for the dingy showers, generator power for 8 hours a day, and nothing else. Only windswept salt bushes, sheep, and the pounding of the huge ocean nearby. We wondered WHY people came here..the coast was spectacular, but surely it was more than that? Well, we soon found out..here fishing is an EXTREME SPORT, and fishermen come from all over and risk their lives fishing on this very dangerous coast.
This is the world’s premier Balloon fishing region, and many people have lost their lives along this savage coast. Balloon fishing is basically land based big game fishing. The fisherman stands on the edge of a high cliff and releases a large helium balloon into the wind and it floats out to sea, dangling a large fish with coloured tassles just onto the surface of the waves. They need large rods, 700 metres strong tackle..but more than that..nerves of steel! In this area the cliffs are 40 meters high covered with large jagged rocks which extend to a shelf out to sea. The sea is wild and has huge swells which foam up and dash 20 meters or so up the rocks, often washing right over them. Add to that, this is the area of the King Wave..extra large waves that come from nowhere and engulf the whole cliff face. Enthusiasts come here for weeks/months at a time, getting up before dawn to get the best vantage point..often on precarious ledges or rock stacks out to sea..reached by scrambling along wave swept ridges. Sadly, the whole coast is testomy to this obsession for the fighting fish...cliffs are studded with crosses, memorials and warnings. Only last year, we were told, someone was swept to sea at this ledge, or that high rock. The fish they catch are Tuna, Spanish mackerel, Cobia, huge sharks, Sail Fish ,and other game fish. Once a ‘strike’ has been made, the fish has to be brought up to the cliff which often involves scrambling down the cliff face with many different kinds of gaffe arrangements..only to have the catch chomped in half as it leaps out of the water by a huge shark!
Yes....We DID go fishing here..how could we not at least give it a go? Since we don’t have the balloon gear needed for that type of fishing we decided to just put our ordinary rods into the water and see what happened. We chose a high rock (the highest we could find to hopefully be out of range of the swell) which had a steel cable running along the edge so that fishermen could tie themselves to the cable, and the rods to shackles. (Even so there had been people washed over at that same place the year before).The sea crashed onto hidden ledges below, and anyone with vertigo would feel seasick immediately. To get to this place one had to traverse half a km across sharp rocks of moonscape, and there was nowhere to stand or sit comfortably. Paul immediately tied me to the cable with a cord (it’s not that I am clumsy or foolhardy you understand, it’s just that he was afraid that a big fish would jerk me suddenly into the drink!) We spent an exhilarating day fishing and Paul caught enough for dinner. Dolphins swam just below, and the highlight for me was watching the whales swim by, diving and leaping with their tails flapping in the waves. At one stage we looked behind us at a little bay and there were two whales swimming only meters away...so close we could see their eyes and hear the swoosh as they spurted the water...huge and wonderful creatures. The dedicated fishermen at the station were quite a clique..they all knew each other and watched balloons bobbing around along the cliffs and could tell who had caught what. They were also very generous and we came away with large pieces of tuna, mackerel and other fish which we sliced to take home. On our last day we went to the big rock we had fished from before and pitched our bait into the swirling maelstrom below us. From our high vantage point we had a view of the whole coast and the whales and dolphins swimming past. We also had good day fishing with Paul catching a large Spangled Emperor and I caught a huge Rankin Cod (well, huge for me..he was about 3 kg and 53 cms). Since this was the best fish I had ever caught (they are wonderful to eat) I was so thrilled and did a dance on the top of the sharp rocks..for a minute or so!
Before we realized it a week had slipped by, and it was time to start the final journey home. We are nearly home now, even though it is still 1300 kms away!!
Photos
Coral Bay
Fishermen on rock stack ballooning
Quobba Coast
Huge waves crashing over high cliffs
Fishing from cliff
Colleens cod
We re- evaluated and decided to explore a remote area along the lower WEST side of the peninsula which had only one dirt road going up through a couple of Sheep stations and then ending abruptly. We had heard that the fishing was good along that coast, but it was difficult to get information..people we asked seemed evasive and mumbled..”Yes, the fishing is good, but it’s VERY dangerous”. There was no real accommodation except for a bush camp where the campers were allowed to camp on the edge of a lovely bay, but there were NO facilities...one had to be self sufficient with everything. power, water, food etc. Since we had our little freezer full of fish, we opted for the only other place..a sheep station that had turned its shearing sheds into basic Fishermans cabins, and cleared some bits of bush for caravans...VERY remote and basic. There was borehole (salty) water, a wood fired hot water for the dingy showers, generator power for 8 hours a day, and nothing else. Only windswept salt bushes, sheep, and the pounding of the huge ocean nearby. We wondered WHY people came here..the coast was spectacular, but surely it was more than that? Well, we soon found out..here fishing is an EXTREME SPORT, and fishermen come from all over and risk their lives fishing on this very dangerous coast.
This is the world’s premier Balloon fishing region, and many people have lost their lives along this savage coast. Balloon fishing is basically land based big game fishing. The fisherman stands on the edge of a high cliff and releases a large helium balloon into the wind and it floats out to sea, dangling a large fish with coloured tassles just onto the surface of the waves. They need large rods, 700 metres strong tackle..but more than that..nerves of steel! In this area the cliffs are 40 meters high covered with large jagged rocks which extend to a shelf out to sea. The sea is wild and has huge swells which foam up and dash 20 meters or so up the rocks, often washing right over them. Add to that, this is the area of the King Wave..extra large waves that come from nowhere and engulf the whole cliff face. Enthusiasts come here for weeks/months at a time, getting up before dawn to get the best vantage point..often on precarious ledges or rock stacks out to sea..reached by scrambling along wave swept ridges. Sadly, the whole coast is testomy to this obsession for the fighting fish...cliffs are studded with crosses, memorials and warnings. Only last year, we were told, someone was swept to sea at this ledge, or that high rock. The fish they catch are Tuna, Spanish mackerel, Cobia, huge sharks, Sail Fish ,and other game fish. Once a ‘strike’ has been made, the fish has to be brought up to the cliff which often involves scrambling down the cliff face with many different kinds of gaffe arrangements..only to have the catch chomped in half as it leaps out of the water by a huge shark!
Yes....We DID go fishing here..how could we not at least give it a go? Since we don’t have the balloon gear needed for that type of fishing we decided to just put our ordinary rods into the water and see what happened. We chose a high rock (the highest we could find to hopefully be out of range of the swell) which had a steel cable running along the edge so that fishermen could tie themselves to the cable, and the rods to shackles. (Even so there had been people washed over at that same place the year before).The sea crashed onto hidden ledges below, and anyone with vertigo would feel seasick immediately. To get to this place one had to traverse half a km across sharp rocks of moonscape, and there was nowhere to stand or sit comfortably. Paul immediately tied me to the cable with a cord (it’s not that I am clumsy or foolhardy you understand, it’s just that he was afraid that a big fish would jerk me suddenly into the drink!) We spent an exhilarating day fishing and Paul caught enough for dinner. Dolphins swam just below, and the highlight for me was watching the whales swim by, diving and leaping with their tails flapping in the waves. At one stage we looked behind us at a little bay and there were two whales swimming only meters away...so close we could see their eyes and hear the swoosh as they spurted the water...huge and wonderful creatures. The dedicated fishermen at the station were quite a clique..they all knew each other and watched balloons bobbing around along the cliffs and could tell who had caught what. They were also very generous and we came away with large pieces of tuna, mackerel and other fish which we sliced to take home. On our last day we went to the big rock we had fished from before and pitched our bait into the swirling maelstrom below us. From our high vantage point we had a view of the whole coast and the whales and dolphins swimming past. We also had good day fishing with Paul catching a large Spangled Emperor and I caught a huge Rankin Cod (well, huge for me..he was about 3 kg and 53 cms). Since this was the best fish I had ever caught (they are wonderful to eat) I was so thrilled and did a dance on the top of the sharp rocks..for a minute or so!
Before we realized it a week had slipped by, and it was time to start the final journey home. We are nearly home now, even though it is still 1300 kms away!!
Photos
Coral Bay
Fishermen on rock stack ballooning
Quobba Coast
Huge waves crashing over high cliffs
Fishing from cliff
Colleens cod
1 comment:
Sounds completely awesome!
Love
Pris
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