The trip up north was incredible. Rob and I volunteered at Ningaloo Reef Retreat, an eco-resort in the Cape Range National Park which consists of 5 luxury tents with ensuite bathrooms and miles of private beach on all sides. In exchange for veggie chopping and dish washing, we stayed/ate/kayaked/snorkelled for free on a beach about 15 metres from Ningaloo reef for 2 weeks. Here's a photo of our beach:
I swam with things I thought never I wanted to swim with. Like:
Sharks. Big ones. White tipped reef sharks, apparently harmless to humans. But they were still bigger than me and could take a bite out of my naked leg.
Rays. Blue spotted lagoon rays and one giant manta ray. I kept having flashbacks to the Steve Irwin incident and picturing a singer shooting through my chest.
Moray Eeels. They sit in the coral with their big mouths wide open waiting for something edible to swim by.
And some things I always dreamed about swimming with, like:
Nemo. Clown fish swimming in the anemones.
Sea turtles. Awesome.
Amazing corals.
Octopuses. Not of the blue ringed variety, thank GOD. And believe me, I was on the lookout after a guide explained that they cause sudden death and are also the size of a golf ball.
And we some some pretty amazing animals as well, like:
Breaching humpback whales off the coast.
Whale shark.
Emus.
Kangaroos. I know, big deal, but it’s still pretty exciting for me, I’m not from here after all.
Oh yeah, and incredible beaches, gorges, cliffs, and sunsets. But I won’t pretend the trip was a complete breeze.
Downsides:
They said there would be a staff shower at the camp. They should have been more specific. I would call it a small, 5-litre sized sack of water with a hole in the bottom so that it can be strung up in the sun to get ‘warm’ and then stood under to ‘shower’ in the open right next to the guests enjoying the communal eating area. I didn’t ‘shower’ for 2 weeks straight, a new record for me. I literally had salty dreadlocks, Jack Sparrow style.
Rob now knows I can shriek like a five year old girl when a kangaroo hops 1 metre in front of the 120 kph car. I try to keep things like that hidden from him.
On the last day of the trip, pre-14 hour drive home, Rob put the passenger side window all the way down and it stayed there permanently.
I lost a running shoe in Exmouth, Rob lost his wallet in Kalbarri.
Road trains. (American translation: tractor trailers with 3 trailers behind them, making them nearly impassable.) They make me feel like a 15 year old driver with my learners permit gripping the wheel scared for my life.
Petrol is more expensive than my soul.
