Sat. 8th Sept., 2012 - Exploring the area around Exmouth

For the first time in nearly 3 months, we awoke to to a very dark & ominous-looking sky - surely it wasn't going to rain; our itinerary didn't allow for bad weather!  However, like the hardy Victorians & Poms that we are, we packed a picnic & set out to explore the peninsular.

Bob drove us north-west to the Jurabi Turtle Centre, where an excellent display described the life-cycle of the turtles.  Unfortunately, the mating/nesting season is from November to March, so we had not arrived at the right time to experience that.

Coffee Time

Next, we visited the lighthouse near the tip of the peninsular, from where we were lucky enough to see some humpback whale activity in the far distance.  We could just see the whales surfacing & "blowing".  The dark clouds looked very threatening & it became windy, quite cold & showery, so we decided to move on.

View from lighthouse

We called at the Milyering Visitor Centre, where a completely unplanned item turned out to be a major attraction.  A pair of ospreys had built their nest at the top of what appeared to be a communications mast & people were observing & photographing them.  Inside the Centre, there were displays & information relating to the area's marine life, as well as all the usual gifts, postcards, T-shirts, etc. that are laid out to tempt the tourists.

 

By this time, the clouds had gone & the sun was out, so we continued on to Turquoise Bay, which was absolutely beautiful - fine, white sand & turquoise water; idyllic!

We met two couples who were snorkelling & who reported that the fish & the reef were lovely.  However, a combination of no swimming gear & warnings about strong currents & the possible presence of dangerous sea creatures, ensured that we did no more than paddle.  What a shame!  We enjoyed our picnic, though.

Turquoise Bay

The shipwreck is in the rear of the picture not the front

Finally, we stopped to look at the wreck of the SS 'Mildura', which is what remains of a 1907 cattle ship that perished on the rocks.  It is still clearly visible from the shore.



SS Mildura