Yesterday we awoke and Nat suggested I go for a fish for a
couple of hours, so who was I to argue….
Another patchy night, this time Maverick had the opposite to
constipation at 1am, so there is a whole other story best left unsaid.
Exmouth is a funny sort of town, it’s not really directly on
the beach as such, it’s about 1klm inland. There is a new Marina where the
Novotel is and it’s pretty nice, but that is it. Basic essentials in town, IGA,
bakery, butcher etc. The weird thing is that if you want to fish or go on any
tours, you have to drive to them, and it’s not just around the corner, it’s up
to 60klms. There are a few fishing beaches within 10-15 minutes, but most of
the good stuff is a bit of a drive. The Town Planner must had been drunk when
he decided where to put the town…..
Not much luck with the fishing at Bendegi Beach, but a
couple of hours was nice to fish Exmouth, not too many people from the east
coast can say they have done that.
Late morning we headed to see a couple of lookouts in the
ranges south of the town, and spent some time making sand castles on the
eastern beaches and relaxing. I threw some lures in but it was low tide by then
and very shallow, nothing again.
We decided to have fish and chips for tea (because I am an
amateur at catching them I am told) which was a hit, then read a few books to
the boys before bed after which Nat and I sat up for a while and had a couple of
wines.
A good day all round.
Today we booked a glass bottom tour of the reef and the boys
went bananas. It was really a great thing to do given they are a little young
to grasp the snorkelling thing. They got to see what we had been trying to
explain to them up close, & again, the cheap admission price of $100 for
the family was worth every cent particularly when you see the impression it
leaves on your kids. I was a bit dirty I couldn’t get any fishing charters due
to not booking early enough, but seeing their smiles made me think I know where
I’d rather be anyway.
Off to the nudist beach after that to do some more fishing,
although I couldn’t convince Nat to get her kit off. She still thinks we were
too far south to be at that beach, but I just wanted to make her think we were
anyway….it was worth a try and I was up for it…...
No luck again although there were plenty of fish out there
following my lures in every cast, they mustn’t have been on the chew today. It
is definitely more exciting fishing with lures and keeps you moving, so I
enjoyed it and the boys were by my side the whole time pointing out the fish
and telling me to catch them. Priceless. Another good day.
Having 4 nights here unfortunately doesn’t mean 4 days, by
the time you get here, set up, wash vomit ridden sheets and get settled, the
first day is gone. This afternoon we had to stock up and make sure everything
was in order for our Ningaloo Station holiday so essentially given we moved
site the second day, we really only had 2.5 days here but we still managed to
get a fair bit in.
Pleasingly, when we were loading up the car and the
pantry/fridges etc this afternoon, a gentleman from across the way came over
for a chat. He said “Hi there, I am not a stalker or anything but I just wanted
to say that we really admire the way you are bringing up your two boys!”
It was nice to hear but a little strange…. He said that they
had been watching us for the last few days in terms of how we let them do their
own thing (to an extent) then reel them in when they try to cross the line. He
watched me finally get Maverick to start riding by himself on his bike without
a push and commented on how far he has come in a couple of days…(we don’t see
him now, true to his name!!) Whilst I was on the same page I didn’t have the
heart to tell him that part of it was that it was just good to get them out of
our hair for a little while!!!
He has 4 boys who grew into respectable young men from
parenting a similar way and way too many times he sees parents not letting kids
be kids and regulating everything they do. He had no idea where we were from or
how long we were travelling, but when we told him it sealed the deal. He did
this with his kids and he says what we are doing is building a bond with them
that will never be broken, and they will be our best mates for life as a result
of it….as his boys are with him today. We told him he was lucky and that we
have just had a few good days here. They have their moments – big moments –
which he agreed and expected, but for him to say those things was just what the
doctor ordered and made Nat feel particularly special. It certainly was what we
needed because we think we are too harsh on them sometimes and feel like we are
always finding negatives rather than positives, especially on this trip because
we can get too concerned about what others think when they are noisy or
disruptive.
One thing he is right about however, there are a lot of
clowns around so if what he says eventuates for us and the boys, it will bury
any reservations – if we had any – about touring the country.
Bring on Ningaloo private station camping – our own patch of
Ningaloo Reef and 4 days of self-sufficiency.
All good…Jase…..
