Destination Australia
North West Cape
Once
again it's time for Julia and me to travel the world. On this trip our goal is
to voyage to the beautiful and very remote region of Australia's North West
Cape. It is over 10,000 miles from here in Oakland to Sal Salis camp on the
lovely beaches of the Cape Range National Park in Western Australia. This
beautiful and remote destination is our ultimate goal. Coincidentally, it is
the same distance Julia and I flew when we made our circumnavigation of the
continental United States in 2008 -- except instead of taking three months to
travel the distance will only take seven days.
The
first leg of the journey leaves from Oakland and continues onto Honolulu. Here
we'll spend two nights and two sunshiny days soaking up the sun and recovering
from being squeezed into undersized jet aircraft seats for 6 hours.
We'll continue our excursion by traveling on a recycled-air
airplane, hopeful our lungs don't dry out too much from exposure to its
extremely parched atmosphere, for another 10 hours from Honolulu to Sydney.
Fortunately, we'll have two nights and days to recover from our ordeal in the
wonderful metropolis of Sydney. We'll take-in its gorgeous harbor and unique
sights and prepare ourselves for another long flight.
The
next leg of the expedition will have us flying high, for six hours, through the
skies of Australia from Sydney to sunny Perth -- the capital city of Western
Australia. Here we'll spend another two nights recovering from modern air
travel with its dehydration, poor circulation, and circadian clock issues. But
I can't wait to visit Kings Park and cast my eyes once more on the winding Swan
River.
Once recovered from this massive traversing of distance
Julia and me will fly north, for an hour to Learmonth Airport, near Exmouth
Western Australia. Here we'll pick up a car and drive ourselves to Sal Salis
camp. Sal Salis is an eco-friendly resort in this very inaccessible Gascoigne region of Australia.
They offer tents on the beach, each with its own
facilities. The whole resort is powered by solar energy and they restrict guest
water usage all in an effort to reduce the impact tourist have in this highly
eco-sensitive Cape Range National Park. But the restrictions are all worth it
as the place offers up-close and personal access to one of the world's most
remote and beautiful locations.
Julia and me plan to take advantage of the yearly migration of Whale Sharks that
lumber slowly and gracefully through the warm water near Ningaloo Reef. We'll
don our snorkel gear and dive in to swim a long side the world's largest fish.
Sure, they are sharks, but don't worry they restrict their diet to plankton --
and only on rare occasions tourists.
Mandu Mandu gorge is just behind the camp and will allow us
to walk back into geological history as the area is steeped in fossil bearing
limestone formations. The location captures 30,000 years of human habitation
and history. Studies of artefacts, middens, and rock shelters found among the
Acacia trees, spinifex, kurrajong, and rock fig have slowly revealed the rich
human history of the place. The hike also offers spectacular views back to the
coast, overlooking Ningaloo Reef.
A
little further south of Ningaloo Reef is Shark Bay. This is the last known
location on the planet of the most ancient creatures left alive in the
evolution of life: the Stromatolites. Stromatolites provide an ancient record
of life on Earth by their fossil remains, which might date from more than 3.5
billion years ago. These creatures mark a point in the history of the Earth
before which there was little oxygen in the atmosphere. No oxygen, no us. No
Stromatolites, no us. I really hope I get to see one.
After taking in as much as we can of the Cape Range National
Park and its many wonders we'll fly back to Perth to spend four days hiking the
numerous parks and trails near the city.
Once
we've immersed ourselves in the riches of Western Australia we'll begin our
long eastward trek back -- first stop Melbourne in my home State of Victoria.
Here Julia and I will stay for a few weeks visiting with family and taking-in
as many of the sights and hikes that we can.
Finally, we'll continue our long eastward trek to Sydney,
then Honolulu again, and then home. Stay tuned for trip updates when we begin
this amazing adventure.