My Walk To The Point. Day 4.

After seeing them off at the jetty for their day out on the charter boat I walked back along the path to the boatramp across from the cottages where we were staying.    I took a photo of them heading Westward, the same direction as I would be but they were out there and going a lot faster than me.

I started off feeling all confident, heading Westish which in itself was strange as at home if I was out at the beach and heading Westward then I'd end up in the water.   Different up here though.
My destination was what I call *the point*   It looks so far away that I start having second thoughts. 
I didn't change my mind though, I just figured I'd walk, rest, walk, rest, as needed.  It started off quite easy, walking along the beach but  there seemed to be more water and less beach to walk on than I remembered.



After a short period of walking in the sand I came to some rocks that were too close to the waters edge so climbed around them, back on the sand again, a bit more sand walking then more rocks so up again...



 This time though I couldn't get back down to the sand so had to mountain goat it up a rocky hill, around then back down again.   I didn't remember this from last time so I stopped and when looking and thinking I realised that the tide was in and there was too much water for the easy walk along the beach.  Never mind, I had a few hours  to spare so kept going.    

I still have so far to go, that's it way up there.
 

 I have to get back down there to the water

  If I can get down to the beach again it will be a lot easier.

I eventually come across a track.

Once down on the beach the going was easier and I knew that I should soon come across a sandbar then a track up to a lookout with a picnic table and shelter.  I was hanging out to reach this as that was where I planned to have a decent drink and my Orange.
Came to the first sandbar but this time there was still a lot of water over it.

 I need to get over this water and up to that shelter.  It wasn't very deep so I waded across, only got a little bit wet.

Up a steeper than it looks track

 And once up the top I could see the second sandbar.  Made it!

 While I was sitting under the shade shelter drinking my water a dog came up to me and then it's owner.  He had walked here from town too but he had come along the road and then this track.  A lot easier than my way but not half as much adventurous.

 Getting ready to walk down the track to the beach and back to town, that's the sandbar down there, still has water over it but maybe not quite as much...

Looking back toward town, so far away.  What seemed like a great idea an hour ago now not so much...

 At least the tide was going out and I could walk along the sand, so much easier.

Nearly back to where I started, another 100 or so metres then a coffee at the cottage before going down to see if the charter was in yet.

Shark Bay, Day 4. Fishing Charter.

On the Tuesday the 3 of them went out on a Charter Boat.  They booked this not long after we arrived at the cottages and husband goes out on this charter each time he comes up here.  Mac Attack is the name of the boat, a small boat compared to some of the others but that is one of the things they like about it.

 They had chosen a half day morning charter, it leaves at 8am so we get down there and wait around for 15 minutes.  It was interesting seeing the bigger boats and this small one getting ready for their day out on the water.  This Tuesday that they picked was one of the better days to go out, much less windy than most of the days we had while up there.

Them standing around waiting gave me a chance to practice using the new camera that the son gave me...I need more practice, I keep forgetting to change the focus thingy.  My guys had booked but 2 men showed up on the morning to go out too.  Another of the things they like about the smaller boat is that there are less people.

Right, they leave and I have the rest of the morning to myself.  I planned on walking along the beach up to the point.  I did this walk last time I was here, near on 10 years ago and though I was a lot fitter then I was pretty sure that I could still do it.  And I did.  Go me!

I was back before the boat was due in so around 12.30ish I started hanging around the jetty, riding up to the end of town and coming back, walking up the road then coming back...Looking out for their boat coming in...
The half day charter is supposed to be back in at 12.30 but before they left I did hear the skipper ask if anyone needed to be back in then.  His decky said she needed to be in by 2.30 so I knew they'd be back by then.  More walking, sitting and watching, waiting...It was just after 2.30 when I saw the boat coming in so I walked down to the jetty to meet them.

I kindly allowed the daughter to take my new!! camera out with them, she better get me some photos of all the sea creatures they see.  Oh, yeah, and them catching big fish...




 Ooooh, looks like someone has caught something.










Charter boat, big money, deep water, big fish...Yes?  Not always.
Don't ask me what they are, they are fish.  They were after Pink Snapper, don't know if these are them but they are too small regardless.

Maybe She will show them how it's done.

Did they find some fish to catch?  The 2 blokes that showed up before the boat left didn't catch anything, poor fellas but the skipper gave them some that he had caught and so did our lot so it wasn't a wasted trip for them.
I was more interested in what sea life they had seen but apart from a sea snake and a turtle there wasn''t anything I missed out on.


You catch lots of big fish and don't bring the car then you need to carry said big fish back to where they will be cleaned.  Here's a tip, have a container of some sort to put the fish into.  No container?  Strong plastic bag might work.  Weak plastic bag...not so good.  Even when you use 2 or 3 together.  Fish have sharp pointy bits and it seems that even dead fish try to escape.

 The walk from the jetty to the fish cleaning area across from the cottages isn't very far but it seems that a bag of fish can get heavy and need a carrying person changeover. 

The worst thing about catching any fish is the cleaning of it and these guys had a lot to clean.  That's the reason they come though so there wasn't too much complaining.

Long Toms.

Seems like I know what a Long Tom is...I do know they also caught Black Snapper, Pink Snapper, Rankin Cod, and Estuary Cod, Mackeral..It all tastes good so we had fish for tea again and lots more in the freezer to take home.

The afternoon after the charter was spent sleeping by some and card playing by others.

Shark Bay. Days 2 and 3.

I would be the first to admit that I am not the best blogger.  My life is not full of the exciting adventures that I was hoping for at this age.  But to not blog about some place that I actually have been too?  Bad blogger! 
After day 1 comes day 2 and 3 and already I am having trouble remembering.  So much for all my whinging to the husband about us needing to make memories before one of us dies. 
I had to ask him what we did on the Sunday and Monday so I am thinking that I really need a write-in diary of some kind so that I can put the days happenings in whenever I go somewhere, do something.  The trouble there would be remembering to do it though. 

He reminded me that we went to the markets on the Sunday. 
Around the corner from the cottages is a little shop, we buy whatever we need from here.  The prices are very reasonable and even a tighty like me doesn't mind buying supplies from here.  Saturday afternoon when we were checking it out I noticed a sign in the window about Shark Bay Markets, held monthly and tomorrow being the day.  How lucky for us.  
So Sunday we walked around the corner, up the hill, passed the school, down the road to where the markets were being held.  Husband, daughter and I had already been for a walk to find out where they were so there was no chance of us getting lost.  They are held next door to the putt putt course and we have been here before.  

Now I *know* that I took photos while we were at these markets but I have been through both cameras and cannot find them so I will just tell you what I thought of them.  They were small, much smaller than I expected.  Not many stalls, only a couple of craft stalls that looked like local people selling what they make.  I was sure that we would find some locally made beanies and scarves, we wanted beanies.  There was one woman there knitting and selling but she only had the one fancy beanie, we were after fishing beanies.  
There was a fruit and veges stall, down from Carnavon.  Daughter wanted us to buy a watermelon.  Yeah OK, you going to carry it?  We bought bananas instead.    On the way out we re-passed a stall selling new clothing, it looked like it was bought bulk not locally made.  I didn't see any beanies but asked and down the bottom of a box she found 3 at $4.99 each so we bought 2.   The coldheaded couple could have should have bought warmer, nicer, cheaper beanies from the op-shop before leaving home.   Just saying...
Over all I was disapointed in these markets.

The things you see on the quiet walk home...

 Lucky they were let off and were allowed to continue on their way.

Monday...they put the boat in and went fishing.  I walked, and read.  I was planning on going to the library but it was a public holiday so that wasn't open.  Did some more riding, walking, reading...

They caught a decent amount of fish, it makes a difference when all on the boat have their boat fishing licence.  We had fish for tea and there was still plenty to put in the freezer to bring home.

Daughter took up a pack of cards and it was fun to spend the evenings playing assorted card games, some of which I haven't played for years.  Good fun.

Shark Bay Trip. Day 1.

Early Saturday morn, 2.30ish to be exact, I awoke to get more ready for my tagalong role on the husbands fishing trip.  It was the 1st of June so awhile back now and I figure it's passed time that I told you all about it.

I expected to have a coffee, do some last minute packing, a quick tidy-up of the house...Instead I heard what I thought was a hose that I must have left on.  I go out to see which one and turn it off but what I see is steamy water pouring out from the hot water system..  That can't be good!  I yell for husband and he gets up, comes out, calmly swears, turns off the gas, turns off the water, says are you ready yet...Yep, 2 minutes and we leave to pick up daughter and her fella.   Fifteen minutes waiting for them and we are off.

Husband drives first on this 10 hour drive so we other 3 snuggle up with our pillow and blanket and go back to sleep.   We stop at Enneaba for a coffee and though the suns rays have reached the road it is COLD!!  So cold!!  No lingering, we get moving again.   A rest stop at Cataby, petrol stop and change of driver at the 440, petrol top up at the Overlander and drivers change over again, we are at the turnoff for Shark Bay, only a couple of hours to go before we get into Denham.

We all wanted to call into Shell Beach on the way in and I like the Stomatolites s talked them into going there first.  I have been to Shark Bay once before, around 10 years ago, the daughter the same, her fella never.  Husband used to go every year so for him seeing the places that we wanted to aren't much fun.  He remembers the whole area from when he started annual fishing trips, 30 years ago, before it became popular and touristy.  He liked it all better before people became too involved with it all, way back when it was just a fishing destination.  But for us he went again.

Stromatolites 
I'm pretty sure, going by all the mocking comments, that I was/am the only one that finds these living fossils interesting.  They are not rocks, they are alive, they grow...not much but hey, it's still something. 

I see you with that camera.

On the way in from the carpark T and J went off chasing some wild goats.  They managed to get quite close but couldn't catch any.

Shell Beach.    This beach doesn't have sand, it is made up of small shells.  In the old days they used blocks of these for buildings in the area.  Nowadays you can buy bags of it for shell grit for poultry.

Mega millions if shells.  So different to the sandy beaches that I usually go to.

 Washing his hair with Shell shampoo

What goes up...

Must come down..

After a bit of playing around we continued on our way to Denham and the Shark Bay Cottages where our fisher people usually stay when they are not out the Big Lagoon.

By chance we were in the same cottage that we stayed in 10 years ago when I first went here.
We bags a room, empty the car then have a coffee before walking down the jetty to see what's happening down there.  There is what looks like fresh squid ink on the wooden jetty so they put squiding on the nights to do list.

Of the dozen or so people on the jetty that night while we were there only one bloke caught one squid and that was before we arrived.  

Once I saw that nothing was being caught I started throwing a line in too.  I'm not very good.

Very tempting to give this bloke a little push but we didn't want to end up wet ourselves so we resisted.

It was a long drive to get here but fun too, interesting seeing the countryside change as we headed North.

What will Tomorrow bring...