Coral Bay

“On the road again”

If Willy Nelson received 1 cent each time this phrase was sung he would be a billionaire!

Along the way we passed places of interest,

but some things never change:

It is 27 August 2011 and we have arrived at Coral Bay.  We had a good spot in the caravan park and nice warm showers, but that isn’t what Coral Bay is all about.  It is the coral and the fish life of which there is HEAPS!

All of us got in the spirit of snorkelling; none more so than the kids:

Fish feeding on the beach was a favourite.  These Spangled Emperors (a type of brim) are at least 50cm long in ankle deep water!  We were told to bury our toes in the sand to stop them being nibbled!

Jack and Stu spent half a day on a large boat doing a spot of whale watching, swimming with manta rays and diving on coral reefs.  It was a great day.  Excluding footy stuff, I haven’t seen Jack so animated and excited.  He could not get enough of the whales as they rolled and hit their fins and tails on the water.  This was the highlight of his day!

Not far behind was swimming with the manta rays; a totally harmless yet majestic creature.  JR never left the guide’s side and was always at the front of the pack throughout the whole swim.  The way they effortlessly glide through water is remarkable; yet with 3 quick flaps of their wings they can reach speeds of 70km/h.

But I loved snorkelling over the coral and seeing the vast array of fish life.  We saw a heap of 5 foot reef sharks, stingrays and fish of every shape and size.  Many you would recognise from marine aquariums and from the movies like Finding Nemo.  The coral is not the most colourful, but the fish are beautiful.

Ella again had no problems with making friends.  When she meets someone new they become instant best friends.  All they want to do is hang out at the pool, and of course Ruby loves to tag along.  In Coral Bay Ruby met some kids her own age and like Ella wanted to spend the whole day with them.  Girls their age are so sociable and inclusive.

Jodi has also done some snorkelling and enjoyed it.  She is well and truly in the swing of things.  A couple of days in one spot and she is itching to move on to something new.

Coral Bay, a beautiful place, but it is time to move on.

1 Sep 2011; Cape Range National Park here we come…….