Ten Days up the West Coast

I can't believe how long it's been since I've written a post, actually, it's been too bloody long! My ten day west coast tour was actually over 2 months ago now but it was ten of the best days I've had since I've been in Australia, so it definitely needs writing about. Not only did I experience some amazing sights, I did things that a year ago, I never would have dreamt of. All of this with a great group of people.
In the first couple of days, Toby, our lovely tour guide, smashed out about 16 hours driving, in between stops for snacks and the inevitable iced coffee (my new addiction) I never knew how much I could actually sleep on a moving vehicle! The first night we spent in the creepiest little place you could imagine, seriously, there were weird ass tools hanging on the wall, and an old school cot in the hall. Genuinely felt like I was in a scene from Wolf Creek. Once we had settled in though, we cracked open a few beers and all helped prepare dinner, so it turned out to be quite a nice evening.

Our hastiness in the morning to leave was slightly crushed when 30 seconds into the journey our bus got stuck...in mud. I think we were there for a good hour and half, running around in search of flat objects to try and wedge under the wheels. Despite it delaying us, it was a good way to bring us all together....plus it was frickin hilarious.

So the next two days we spent in Karijini!! This place was most definitely the highlight of my trip. Karijini National Park is by far the most beautiful place I have ever seen. We spent two days, hiking around gorges, swimming in beautiful lakes and waterfalls, strategically climbing through the spider walk and walking down the handrail. The two latter were a bit of a challenge for me, I've never done anything like that before, and at the time I remember thinking (particularly with regards to the handrail) that if I had been given the option, I probably would have said no. I am ridiculously glad I wasn't though because they were such great experiences. To be honest there's very little else I can say about Karijini, because no matter what words I use or how much I try and describe how every gorge and pool made me feel, it really wont be enough. Hopefully some of these pictures will do the talking though.

The Handrail

Coral bay. Where do I even start. Although it probably sounds quite ridiculous, the idea of snorkeling has always made me feel slightly nervous. Over the years I've developed a small fear of putting my head under water, so when the suggestion of going out on a boat to snorkel for the day came up, I was hesitant to say the least. When I came out here I brought with me a few cards that family and friends had given me with supportive messages, just in case I ever needed a pick me up. One particular sentence that has really stuck with me, is something that my brother Luke wrote "Take every opportunity and have no regrets". I know I know, you might think it cheesy or cliche. "Just do it", "Live it". But that line has really stayed with me and encouraged me to do things that fear would normally have forced me not to. So with that mantra in mind I experienced an amazing day that I will not be forgetting easily. Being there with some of the girls I met on the tour was such a massive help too, We all got on so well and they really helped me when I first got into the water. It took me a few minutes to actually go under and get used to the snorkel, but once I had taken that first breath, I didn't want to go back up. The outer part of Ningaloo Reef is considered one of the best reefs to snorkel in the whole of Australia, and in some parts, even better than the Great Barrier Reef, and I can completely understand why. Just the structure and colour of the reef is mesmerising, let alone the hundreds of beautiful fish. The main attraction for this particular tour was that we were going to be able to swim with Manta Rays. Now don't get me wrong, it was incredible swimming above these massive fish, and its not something that you get to do everyday. For me though, one particular turtle was the highlight of my day. There I was, swimming along, and out of the blue, this amazing turtle started swimming up next to me. For at least four minutes it was just me and him, gliding along side each other. Well, he was gliding, I was more...wadding. That was pretty awesome.

I'm not going to go into too much detail about all the other activities as this is already becoming quite a long post. Karijini and Coral Bay were the two that I was really itching to write about. Monkey Mia was a lovely morning. Its the edge of a beach where dolphins come to be fed on a regular basis. They have about 3 feeds a morning and it means that you can get really close. We spent a good two hours getting in and out of the water, watching them eat and play. Ive never been that close to a dolphin before, they're kinda funny looking!

Shell beach was another really lovely way to spend a few hours. Its a beach made up of.....yep you guessed it, shells. Australia has a knack of coming up with really inventive names for places.

The Stromatolites at Hamelin Pool were a sight and a half! Its one of only two places in the world where living marine stromatolites exist. They're considered living fossils as they're more than 3.5 billion years old! Something I'm very glad I got to see.

Saying goodbye to everyone at the end of the tour was actually a bit emotional. I became really close with our little group, and knowing that I most likely wont see any of them again, was quite a harsh reality. It was honestly ten of the best days I've had since being in Australia and I made memories that are going to last forever!