Day 48: cheat side trip to Cape Range National Park

September 4, 2022

Today was Father’s Day. I could hear the kids next door giving their dad cards in the morning. My Dad has already gone for a walk and I didn’t have a card for him anyway. I did find him on his walk and we completed the windmill walk together.

Mum and I shared a scone and Dad and I had a coffee at the cafe before heading back up the road to Exmouth and beyond. The VLF towers are right up on the tip of the Cape. We stopped at Vlamingh lighthouse, where there was a coffee cart and lots of interesting signs but it started raining heavily so we drove on.

Next stop was Mangrove Bay where Dad saw two mangrove birds he’d never seen before (lifers).

Mum and I walked on the beach and looked at crabs

We stopped at the Milyering visitor centre, mostly because I needed to go to the toilet. Inside I saw Phoebe and Tessa, the teachers from Melbourne I met at Adcock Gorge. They are planning to have three nights at a bush campsite south of Yardie Creek and seem to have had a lovely time around Broome and Karajini.

There were also two types of Sturt desert peas at the centre - ones in front have a red centre not black

Then we drove onto Turquoise Bay. It is voted amongst the best beaches in Australia and it was so lovely I didn’t take any photos just got straight into my togs and jumped in. There were some big fish swimming around and people snorkelling.

After that, we went on to the end of the bitumen road at Yardie Creek. Yardie apparently means creek in Yinikurtira language. We had a gourmet picnic including a cup of tea, fresh bread, salad and cheese.

This is the only permanent creek in the range and I think it’s brackish even though the entrance to the ocean is largely closed

Dad and I walked up to the top of the gorge and saw black footed rock wallabies and ospreys

I ran into Karen, who I’d met at the Wyndham caravan park. She’d spent about ten days up on the Dampier Peninsula then gone into Karajini.

We stopped at the lighthouse again when it wasn’t pouring with rain

Then we drove back down to Bullara, fourth time on that road. I might’ve ridden to the lighthouse but I don’t think I would’ve ridden on to Turquoise Bay or Yardie Creek so I was very appreciative of the car.

Luckily it hadn’t rained on our washing back at Bullara. A band was playing outside the cafe and there was a huge crowd but we got a good listen in our private kitchen.

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