Exmouth Failure June 11th

Click for Slide show

Exmouth

Today we wanted to go to a National Park which we heard had the most fantastic snorkeling There was also the opportunity to swim with some gentle giants-The Whale Sharks. We were very excited . However, it was a very popular place, we were in peak Grey-Nomad season and we hadn't booked so were crossing our fingers there was a spot for us.

It was 200km round trip into the peninsula of Cape Range so it was an expensive detour but on we travelled.

After an hour or so we spotted a sign that pointed to Cape Range 11km. We were both a bit surprised as we had thought it was another 100kms or so along the road. Maybe it was a short cut? The road was tarred and flat so we took the turnoff.

Big Mistake!!

After a km the bitumen road stopped and a dirt road took its place. Except it had been raining so it wasn't dirt anymore. The road started to wind its way upward. Higher and higher, muddier and muddier, slipperier and slipperier

Checking out Google Maps we saw that the road actually went nowhere and was merely a path to the majestic views! It was too narrow to turn around-remember we had the beast behind us! So, we could only go onwards. The fantastic vista was of little consequence as I held onto my seat with white knuckles. I wasn't really having fun.

Finally we found a small road off to the right that Rasmus could back into and then drive back the way we had come. Since we had found a way out we decided to stop for lunch and take in the views, which were quite breath taking.

We at last made it to terra firma scolding ourselves for trying to take the easy way.

A few more hours of driving and we arrived at Exmouth, the gateway to the snorkeling paradise of Cape Range. But guess what! No spots available for 5 days! And the Exmouth caravan park wanted $77 a night!! That didn't included shares in the park, just an overnight stay! And it was a decidedly uninspiring dusty town.

So ended our dream. Coz 5 x $77 adds up to a bloody lot of cash-a-Rooney!

We were disappointed as we travelled back out but as someone famously once said when he was tight spot, Such is Life.
After so many hours driving already we didn't have the energy to find the next camp spot so settled down for the night at a rest stop by the side of the road.