Manic Monday

Whilst we managed to catch up on our sleep last night we are slightly late in leaving for Cape Range National Park and even later after getting stuck behind a slow moving emu, yet again......

We arrive at the park entrance to be met by a little old lady collecting the fees and her security, otherwise known as 'Bouncers'.

Into the Visitor Centre, can you advise please, blah de blah until I say, "Can I swim out to that part of the reef" lady behind counter says, "Yes but I wouldn't, it's full of Tiger Sharks at the moment feeding on the turtles, they may be full but ........." I leave thinking what a Nice helpful cheerful lady whilst she is thinking, 'Plonker'

We decide to go to the other end of the park and work our way back slowly and within the hour we are almost rock climbing on a walk to see another Gorge, only this time with tidal sea water in.  We find two sets of Ospreys nesting on the gorge walls and plenty of evidence that the rare black toed rock wallaby frequents this location, only we never actually see one itself. After me impersonating a gazelle come mountain goat and making this walk look like a walk in the park, we are climbing up a part of the path we had to come down on the way, I am carrying both water bottles in one hand and camera in the other whilst I hop, skip and jump from Boulder to stone to rock to solid baked earth, until my right foot finds a piece of gravel........ I have a millisecond to make a decision, do I save my camera or my dignity........... I next remember looking up at my walking partner through the gap between my knees, whilst sitting fare and squarely on my butt, listening to her saying "are you alright?" I reply, "Just about but at least I saved the camera, well apart from the fingerprints all over the lens......" Next stop lunch, which bay shall we choose out of the 29 we have for choice.... We decide on Osprey Bay, how can lunch take so long,  well imagine an idyllic setting, where the Dark Blue ocean, with white water breaking over the reef, edging a turquoise lagoon lapping up onto golden sand, that's Osprey Bay........ 

After lunch we continue our bay examination and come to Oyster Stacks, where within minutes we see a Shovel Nose Ray swimming no more than two feet from the shore, it's at least 7 feet long and I'm standing 6 feet away with a camera but not a snorkel....... Ten minutes later I'm in the Indian Ocean but not a ray in sight, half hour later I come out and get asked what was it like, if I was twenty something I would have said "Awesome" but instead I say amazing, best yet and we will come back tomorrow so you can do it........

Next stop Turquoise Bay, it's okay but has a dangerous rip current that takes you out between an opening in the reef to the waiting sharks.......  

Onto Mangrove Bay and a Bird Hide looking out over a mangrove swamp, all is well until a Brahminy Kite flew over and then dived, not a happy swamp except for Pelicans, Herons and Sea gulls.......

We get back just before dusk, having avoided dozens of kangaroos who are out enjoying the slightly cooler weather but we are unable to have ankles checked as Pharmacy is closed, however we now have a new theory as to said life threatening injury because of the shape of what now appears to be a burn, it's bloody fly repellant that has reacted with the sun.......... nowhere on the can, can I find a disclaimer about not using it in the sun, so we file our law suit tomorrow and hope that the discomfort and suffering claim payout will be enough to pay for coffee........

    'Bouncers' security........

    Yardie Creek Gorge

    Osprey Nest

    Turquoise Bay