After such a glorious time at Coral Bay, we begun to think that things couldn’t possibly get any better. That’s when we found, Turquoise Bay.
Turquoise Bay is in the Cape Range National Park, just around the point from the booming town of Exmouth. There are 103 beachside campsites at Cape Range National Park but you have to line up at the Rangers office from sunrise in the hope that any other camper will leave and you can take their place – that’s how incredibly packed it gets!
We considered giving it a run but we decided to arrive the day beforehand just to evaluate for ourselves whether or not it was worth the risk & if Cape Range really was all it was cracked up to be. I quickly decided that regardless of how beautiful the place possibly could be, I would have hated to have been the number 13 out of 13 cars waiting that morning. The Ranger explained to us that they were the only ones to miss out as only 12 campers left. After waiting 4 hours in the hopes that someone would leave, unlucky 13 had to turn around and find somewhere else to stay that day. No Thank You!!! No campsite is worth that.
Instead, we decided to pay $11 for the day entry and just stay there for the day having a look around. Word around the campsites and any local you speak to is that Turquoise Bay is THE place to go snorkelling.
And they were 100% correct! WOW! WOW! And WOW!
It was EXTRAORDINARY!!! We were floating just a few feet away from some of the most incredibly colourful and truly amazing underwater creatures. And they weren’t phased by us at all. Some would even have a nibble at your feet as you stood in ankle deep water. Others would just pass us by without a care in the world. This was one of the most memorable and incredible things I think I will ever see in my lifetime – just metres from the shore!
As I lay on the beach under the sunshine on a gorgeous and calm day, I realised that this could possibly be the last time I lie on the beach until we get back to good old Queensland. Unless of course I want to lie on the beach with crocodiles. I soaked in and absorbed every little bit of the fresh salty beach smell and the soft white sand cushioning underneath me. All of my senses agreed with my brain – I was in travellers heaven.
When you can’t get Cape Range National Park where else do you stay? At a Rest Area of course...
Site : Barradale Rest Area
Rating : 6 / 20
Facilities : Very big 24 hour Rest Area. Drop dunnies. Loads of space to find a shady spot under a tree. Fires allowed.
1 comment:
Wow Turquoise Bay certainly does look AMAZING, I will have to add it to my (ever growing) list of destinations!
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