The longest shortcut-Kalbarri NP, Sea and surf WA (7)

We arrived to find Exmouth humming, loads of grey nomads and the caravan parks full. Lucky, we booked. I had thought that Exmouth was just another small and isolated Western Australian, coastal town, surviving on agriculture and fishing. Not so, the Harold E Holt Communication Centre was jointly established in the 1960s by the US and Australian military, to service the very low frequency communication needs of submerged US and Au submarines in the Indian and Western Pacific Oceans. It was only after the communication centre was built that the town developed to support the employees of the base, although there had been a small military presence in the area as early as World War 2. The population is currently around 2800 people. The antennae farm, located by the ocean, a few km from town, consists of 13 towers in a star configuration, with tower height ranging between 304 m (the shortest) to 387 m (the tallest). The towers are spread over a diameter of 2.52 km. The communication base is an important facility for both countries, although in more recent years, Exmouth has also become an important tourism destination. The town is a gateway to nearby Ningaloo Marine Park with its coral reefs, colourful fish and migratory whale sharks. Cape Range National Park almost surrounds the town with wildlife, sheer cliffs and red, rocky gorges, while Jurabi Coastal Reserve's tidal rock pools, beaches and seasonal nesting grounds for marine turtles are also popular. After hitting the WA coast at Exmouth, we aimed to follow the coast south towards Perth for 1000 km, camping at a number of locations including Coral Bay, Monkey Mia, Kalbarri and the Pinnacles, before heading inland to New Norcia.

Karinjini to Exmouth

Exmouth to the Pinnacles

KARIJINI TO EXMOUTH

On the 640 km drive on the Nanutarra -Munhjina Rd from Karijini to the Indian Ocean at Exmouth, WA

Beautiful vistas on the Karijini to the Indian Ocean road, WA

Smoko in a wide red and blue land

Desert and sky

In the case of an emergency, land the Royal Flying Doctor's aircraft on the highway

Long and straight. WA must have some of the best roads in Australia. Mining royalties help to keep the state government coffer topped up.

CAPE RANGE NATIONAL PARK AND EXMOUTH

Cape Range National Park, Exmouth WA

Harold E Hold Naval Communication Sation, Exmouth, WA. US and Au very low frequency transmitter and antenna station, used to communicate with US and Au submarines in the Indian and west Pacific Oceans while submerged. Largest VLF station in the world. Tower zero (1) -387 m high, Inner circle towers (6)-364m high, outer circle towers (6)-304m high). Built 1965-67. Still a joint US Au facility although now managed by Au.

Spectacular tower farm

Into the desert

Memorial to the US and Au military presence around Exmouth in World War 2

MONKEY MIA

Sunset at Monkey Mia, WA

Dolphin at Monkey Mia, WA. While there is a lot of hype (tourist promotion that is) associated with the daily feeding of the dolphins, they are only allowed to be fed 10% of their body weight forcing them to wild hunt for the rest of their food. I have no problems with that, but given that only about 3 dolphins arrived for breakfast I would suggest that it is now time to close the operation down, allow the animals to 100% hunt, and put the tourists out of their misery at the same time.

Beautiful pelican

Torquiose waters at Monkey Mia, WA

Vintage pearling lugger anchored off the town of Denham, Monkey Mia,

Thong tree, Eagle Bluff Lookout, Francois Peron National Park, south of Monkey Mia, WA

Eagle Bluff Lookout, Francois Peron National Park, south of Monkey Mia, WA

Beach walk, Monkey Mia, WA

Whale Bone Point, south of Monkey Mia, WA

SHELL BEACH

Shell Beach comprising millions of small shells, appparently up to 9 m deep.

KALBARRI NATIONAL PARK

Kalbarri Sky Walk. A spectacular steel lookout overlooking the Murchison River Gorge, part of the Kalbarri National Park. The sky walk cost in excess of $20 million (including the access road of around 20 km) and going by the visitor numbers, it is very popular.