All posts tagged Sea

Flinders Bay, Augusta
Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse
Sunset at Skippy Rocks, Leeuwin

Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park

Greg went back to Sydney this morning and it all felt a bit strange. Having friends around for a few days and now I am all alone in the car again πŸ™ It was a bit hard to get back into my routine at first. But once I started to see photo opportunities; am feeling ok again.

I went as far south as I could to a town called Augusta. It was about 40km south of Margaret River. If lucky, sometimes whales can be spotted here at Flinders Bay but I didn’t today. Not far from Augusta was the Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park. There were many caves in this N.P. as well as beaches and a lighthouse. I found myself a spot called Skippy Rocks for some seascape shots. I have always wanted to try taking long exposure shots on water but never got around to it. Finally I have tried it today and I am rather happy with the result.

It is a bit of a slow start to my trip again but will try get back into it from tomorrow. I have a few destinations in mind and should get me going again.

John @ Augusta, W.A.


Images: 1. Flinders Bay, Augusta; 2. Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse; 3. Skippy Rocks, Leeuwin
Dolphin Viewing at Monkey Mia
Dolphin Feeding
Shells on Boardwalk
Emu at Monkey Mia
Pelicans in Monkey Mia
Shell Bay
What Shell Bay Covers In
Storm Approaching

Monkey Mia, Shell Bay & Kalbarri

Another long day of driving again πŸ™‚

Left Carnarvon at 6am this morning and got to Monkey Mia just after 10:30. They already had the first dolphin feeding which is normally the more certain one. What I meant was that the dolphins are come and go as they wish but they have been coming everyday for 3 generations now the staff said.

Luckily, couple of dolphins hung around so I saw them when I entered. Touching the dolphins is not allowed anymore they said… since there was a biting incident happened few years back. I love dolphins not sure why though… but doesn’t everyone?

The ones here are almost like pets really, they kind of know when the feeding is happening and they have their own spot and, of course, packing order. It was nice to be able to stand in the water and have them swimming around your legs.

There are also, pelicans and emus in the park. They are so used to human that you can get really close to them. I literally stucked my camera in one pelican’s face and she or he didn’t even blink.

I stayed in Monkey Mia much longer than I intended that made it difficult for me to get to Kalbarri National Park. So I just took it easy and stopped wherever I desired.

Not far from Monkey Mia is Shell Bay. At first glance, it just looked like any other beach, sand and blue sea. However when you look closely it is not sand…. the entire beach is covered in these tiny shells. I mean the whole beach. Amazing!

After Shell Bay, I decided to still take the Kalbarri route to Geraldton. So I could at least have a look through the area. The National Park is kind of blend in with the town Kalbarri. It’s nice around the N.P. Unfortunately it was a bit late to visit. So I stopped at Kalbarri township to have a look around. It was a very nice seaside town. Some nice houses around πŸ™‚

I continued my driving and another 180km later, I arrived Geraldton. I had a quick drive around in the dark but I have a feeling that I will like this town. Let’s see in the morning/ The storm is approaching WA southwest. It was blowing gale bear the water at Kalbarri and here in Geraldton. I am now parked by the water front here and I can see and hear the storm doing it’s things.

John @ Geraldton, W.A.


Images: 1. Dolphin Viewing at Monkey Mia; 2. Dolphin Feeding; 3. Shells on Boardwalk; 4. Emu in Monkey Mia; 5. Pelicans in Monkey Mia; 7. Shell Bay; 8. What Shell Bay Covers In; 9. Storm Approaching
Unexpected Rainbow
Rainbow Albino
At the End of the Rainbow is a _
Lake Macleod
Coral Bay
Seagull at Coral Bay
Kings Wave
Blowholes
Carnarvon Waterside

Coral Bay, Lake Macleod & Carnarvon

It was a rainy night last night. I heard it this morning on the radio that storm hit the southern part of WA pretty bad. Rain was heavy at times where I was but nothing too severe. Also heard on the news that a 37 year-old Victorian woman fell 60m to her death at Mitchell Falls yesterday. I felt sorry for the woman πŸ™ It was also a destination I was going to visit but skipped all that part of WA because meeting up with Greg and a friend, Eamon, in Perth.

I left Exmouth around 7am. While I was driving, I saw a rainbow and quickly pulled over. Took a few photos. Got back into the car and drove again… but couldn’t go very far. I noticed something at the corner of my eye and thought it was some reflection on the car window. I opened the window and there it was….  a rainbow arch with no colour. I named it “Rainbow Albino”. It was the strangest thing to see. I had to get the shot of it and whoala… it came out just how I saw it. Trust me…. wasn’t photoshop effect πŸ™‚

Continued driving and again…pulled over for more rainbows. I love this shot that I took and later Greg told me there’s a legend saying: At the end of the rainbow is a pot of gold. LOL… I am sure that wasn’t a pot of gold… or was it? Nah,..

Finally the sky cleared up a bit so no more rainbow stops and arrived at Coral Bay, my first destination for the day. It’s very tranquil here… white sandy beach and turquoise water. However, I didn’t stay for very long as I had my next stop to go to.

Lake Macleod, saw some images on Google that the lake is pink at certain time. So I wanted to see if I could see it. Well…. the lake was mostly dried or just a shallow bit of water. However, I did find one pool that was what I was looking for. It was pink as I saw on the web.

One of the surprises today for me came after Lake Macleod. I knew it was only just over 10km from where I was to the edge of Australia shore and I saw the sign says “Blowhole”. I had to see what it was. It’s the power of nature alright. A big sign “King Waves Kill” stands at the T-junction. Here you can really feel the power of those waves slamming onto the shore. Honestly, it was brutal.

Among all the battered rock cliffs; there was this stream of water shooting up into the sky every now and then. It was really like a whale blowing water through it’s blowhole. So… that’s the Blowhole

I took many shots of water shooting out of the Blowhole but the one I love the most was this older man tried to see it in close proximity. I love the shot πŸ™‚

It was only about half an hour from here to Carnarvon where I will be spending the night. Did some grocery shopping at Wollies then checked in to a caravan site which I booked last night. Once settled, I did a load laundry and a shower. Now I have clean clothes again πŸ™‚

John @ Carnarvon, W.A.


Images: 1. First Rainbow I Saw This Morning; 2. Rainbow Albino; 3. What’s at the End of the Rainbow? 4. Lake Macleod; 5. Coral Bay; 6. Seagull in Flight; 7. King Waves; 8. The Blowhole; 9. Carnarvon Water Front
Exmouth Gulf
Vlaming Head Lighthouse
Pelican at Cape Range
Parrots Self Cleaning
Yardi Creek
Yardi Creek Gorge
Sunset Behind Vlaming Head Lighthouse

Exmouth Gulf

I had a quick look around Dampier but didn’t find any interesting things to photograph. It would be nice going to the islands but didn’t really have time. So got myself ready and left Dampier. I have to say from Port Hedland all the way to Dampier is not very photogenic or could be just ‘me’ πŸ™‚

I decided to follow the coastline down and my destination was Exmouth Gulf. I mainly wanted to visit Cape Range National Park. I tend to get drawn to more remote places. Exmouth is definitely one of those places. It is definitely not easy to get to. Either 2 hours flying from Perth or 1300km of driving. Your choice..

Besides driving through a rain storm; the drive to Exmouth was quite boring. However, things started to change when I entered the gulf itself. I started to noticed turquoise water over my right. It was quite lively here, many visitors around.

I first headed to Cape Range National Park which is about 10km from Exmouth. If you like fishing, corals, dolphins… this is the place to be. Unfortunately, all camp sites were full by the time I got here and I could understand why. It is a great place to camp for a few days or even a week, There are many different sites here so you could stay at different every night. You can snorkel and see coral and fish.

The main landscape attraction here is the Yardi Creek Gorge. It is the only gorge in this park that is with water permanently. I guess the water would be from the Indian Ocean when the tide is high.

This place gives me a feeling of Byron Bay but without the hussle and bussle. Just the bare nature and a lighthouse. πŸ™‚

I really enjoyed this place today but sadly I have to leave tomorrow πŸ™

John @ Exmouth, W.A.


Images: 1. Exmouth Gulf; 2. Vlaming Head Lighthouse; 3. Pelican at Cape Range; 4. Parrots Self Cleaning; 5. Yardi Creek; 6. Yardi Creek Gorge; 7. Sunset Behind Vlaming Head Lighthouse

Day 13: Cooktown to Coen

Left Cooktown this morning hoping to camp in Lakefiled National Park but found the road was closed after 15km into the park. Bummer… had to turn around and find another destination. The choice were either Musgrave Roadhouse or the town, Coen. I picked Coen.

It was a long drive (felt like it anyway). I must have driven on a straight stretch of road for more than 50km, thought it would never end. Arrived at Coen just after 3pm and I was exhausted.

The car got a serious workout today, some might even say torture. It was completely covered in red dust. Had to borrow a hose here at the homestead to hose it down. Then I found a small hole punctured on the back passenger door. It must have been hit by a rock on the way. Ouch!

I remember that I kept thinking how can anyone live out here. It’s hours to the next town. I have never been anywhere as remote as this. Then I am going to more places that are even more remote. “What have I got myself into?” WINK…

Nah, its all fun and a great experience. I am enjoying it greatly; just hope I can finish it in 3 months.

No pictures were taken today so will try tomorrow.

John @ Coen, QLD


Today’s image: Old Fishing Boat at Cardwell by the Sea
Mick the Miner Statue at Cook’s Landing
James Cook Statue
Black Mountain

Day 12: Cooktown

I had more time today to explore Cooktown. It is a relatively small town made up by a handful of streets. You can easily walk around the town in half a day. It has a nice sea dock where locals and tourists fish. There’s also the Botanical Gardens and a couple of bays. I will try to go to the bays later at dusk to see if I can get some good shots.

There are few statues around the dock area. James Cook, Mick the Miner and even a Chinese sculpture. I guess Chinese must have a bit of history here as well. A retired lighthouse stands on top of Grassy Hill here. I read that it was built in England and it was shipped over and installed back in 1885. That’s one ‘old’ lighthouse.

Just 25km south of Cooktown, there is this strangest mountain range formed by black granite boulders, the Black Mountain National Park. You can clearly see this from Google maps using satellite view. It is a must see for anyone travelling this way.

It is a Saturday today, so a bit of crowd was around earlier in the day. There was a little street market, tourists were stopping over and having their lunch at cafes. It didn’t last very long before it all went quiet again except the local pubs. I suppose this is how small little fishing town like this works.

It’s been good spending a couple of days here. Tomorrow, I will be heading further north; not sure where I will be staying yet so stay tuned.

^_^

John @ Cooktown, QLD


Today’s images: 1. Mick the Miner Statue at Cook’s Landing; 2. James Cook Statue; 3. Black Mountain National Park

Day 9: Townsville to Cairns

One thing I have noticed in the last few days is that sugar cane farms are just everywhere here in Queensland. It makes me wonder how much sugar do we consumed. The scenery changed quite a bit from Townsville to Cairns and the weather is definitely a bit ‘stickier’. Stopped at a few little towns along the way. Some are like hidden gems.

At the Tourist Info Centre, talked to a most helpful staff. He gave me all information that I need for the Cape York adventure. I am feeling much more confident to tackle the journey.

John @ Cairns, QLD


Today’s image: Townsville at Dusk

Day 4: Byron Bay

Left Coffs Harbour this morning and next destination: Byron Bay. I took a little detour here; passing through towns like Grafton, Casino and Lismore. I have to say that living in Sydney for too long; have almost forgotten how beautiful Australia actually is after the last couple of days.

Arriving Byron just after 2pm and it has changed a lot. I don’t really recognize it anymore.

Where do you think my first stop here was? Yes, the lighthouse.

Got up there and, of course, the lighthouse was the centre of everyone’s attention. But something else had drawn my full attention. The light show that was performed from up above. I just myself hopelessly snapping away. In fact, I loved it so much… I use a pic that was taken as the featured image of this post.

Not sure if I would stay tomorrow night here… really want to get further up north asap. We’ll see. Can’t wait what’s coming next!

John @ Byron Bay, NSW