Walking with sharks: Day 4

This is the story of a semi-grey nomad's ground breaking attempt to circumnavigate the Peron Peninsular, hiking mainly on the beach from Denham to Monkey Mia. 

Day 4: From Skipjack Point to Herald bight. North to South.

 

Standing on the edge of a steep cliff next to the light house at Skipjack Point my knowledgeable companion pointed out controversially how global warming had affected this area. "There used to be a goat's trail down towards the beach but it looks like it is all washed away by the ocean" he said. "You've gotta find yer own way down further on". Off I went, following a tiny trail high above the beach. I could only see goat and kangaroo prints on this trail. The soft sand and up and down nature of the trail soon had my heart rate up high. In some places my shins got a good scratching from low, sharp bush I still don't recognise. After about 500 metres my precarious balancing act on the ledge had come to an end when my patience was rewarded with a safe passage down to the beach below. Any attempt to decend before that would had been foolish and would have come to a sticky end.



A little kangaroo trail next to a steep drop

 

 



At the first rocky point I rounded, I pathetically slipped on a wet rock and both my feet slipped into the water. As you can see, unexpected small incidents always happen on hikes like this no matter how experienced you think you are. I took my shoes and socks off against my better judgement and dangled them off my pack in the hope for them to dry.

A slippy rock formation

The wind was offshore which made the water still and crystal clear. I enjoyed perfect walking conditions. Flat, hard beach and later when the tide had receded even more, I could walk on the tidal flats for many kilometres short-cutting to my destination.

Selfie of size 13 foot in crystal clear water

 

 

Walking bare feet is always a risk in these parts and I took a fair amount of skin off my big toe when my foot met a much more rigid object called "a rock". I am sure something nasty happened to my 'second toe in command' ranging from a mild sprain to a small split in the bone perhaps. Just keep going Mars! At least my socks were dry!!!!!

A sea-gull in full flight

 

 

Having rebooted my feet, I noticed there were a few washed up items laying around on the beach. I could have built a life raft out of all the washed up water containers. There was no message in this bottle, nor was there a naked woman running around that belonged to these undies.

 

 

 

Love heart tiger undies???

On the muddy flats that I was walking, many birds appeared. Sea-gulls, oyster catchers, turns and lesser sand plovers. The last are these cute little foragers that will not let you anywhere more than about 15 metres near them. They must be amazing flyers as they lay their eggs above the tree line in the Himalayas and then visit us in Australia.

The Lesser Sand Plover no less

This bunch of goats came running towards me and looked inquiringly at me from about 50 metres. At one point I was rummaging around for my "self defence booklet against goats" but I courageously stared them down. Amazingly, to avoid my glaring gaze, they randomly ran up that same steep cliff I had just walked 500 meters along to find a safe way down. 






Ninja goats









 

Today's pick up was a smooth affair with my man of know-how appearing at Herald Bight as soon as I limped onto its white sand.





Another day, another shark



Grey Bits


To avoid having to hike on a rocky, dangerous ledge I suggest that one could start walking along the beach from Cape Peron and rounding Skipjack Point down below. It is a little bit further, but it is a lot safer option.

Today's walk is approximately 12km long and could easily be done as a day walk with car access on both ends.

Please note, that this hike is through very wild, uninhabited country. In my opinion it is not advisable to attempt this hike without a support team or proper communication devices like a satellite phone or  EPIRB. Hiking experience in this area is a must.

A shovelnose ray

Let the Department of Parks and Wildlife  know where you are going to be and when you plan to return. Phone (08) 9948 2226 or click on the following links www.sharkbay.org, www.dpaw.wa.gov.au for more information.

The best time to walk around the Peron Peninsular is at low tide. You can check the tide at www.seabreeze.com.au

 

Pied oystercatcher



Walking with sharks: Day 2.




The view from Cape Lesueur during todays walk

This is the story of the semi-grey nomad's attempt to circumnavigate the Peron Peninsular, hiking mainly on the beach from Denham to Monkey Mia. 


Day two: From Big Lagoon to Cattle Well. South to North.


“If yer liked your first day, today is even more spectacular” said my expert guide in his broad Australian lingo. We had a long conversation bent over aerial maps relevant to today's hike. Navigating needed to be discussed in detail due to some tricky points traversing around the keyholes of the tidal flats and finding a way through to Cape Lesueur.






The map from Francois Peron National Park

I was dropped on a high point overlooking Big Lagoon and had some work to do to get waterside. After rounding the first of the three large tidal lakes, I came across some old bones that belonged to a dead horse. A kind of eerie discovery from an expired pastoral lease.





Horse bones in the sand

Because of the persistent strong southerly wind, navigation became easy. Wind blowing in the left ear for East and wind in the right lug hole for West. On the back of the noggin is the preferred way today, South. There is no one out here in this arid land and that makes asking for directions impossible. In fact I could be doing cartwheels and backflips naked and no one would know (sorry, no photos included). I must admit I enjoy the solitude which at the same time spurs me on to get back to civilization.




Vast empty spaces around the keyholes

There was a lot of temptation to walk straight across the tidal flats but I was told that the ground could get muddy and uncomfortable to walk on. In my mind I did not want to start a new trail through a World Heritage area or trample over something significant unbeknown to me. I tried sticking to the edge of the flats on a faint car track even though it meant more kilometres.




A Cowtail ray cruising past

Almost around the third key hole a track veers off to the right, up the hill and into the scrub. On top, a couple of hundred metres up, is the last spectacular view you get from Big Lagoon and it is the point where I joined a vermin proof fence for almost 4km to cape Lesueur. It was slow going through the sand but the wild life kept me buoyed. A Bungarra tried to run away from me and kept banging its head to the left into the vermin fence about twenty times in a panic. I stopt walking in its direction to give it some space, even talked to it nicely and then with a presumed headache, the large goanna finally saw the error of its way and disappeared in the bush on the right. I heard bleating nearby from some goats but could not spot them and saw black and white fairy wrens that were too illusive for my camera skills.




One last look at Big Lagoon and a first look at the vermin proof fence

At Cape Lesueur I strolled down the dune taking many photos of the scenery. In fact, I found it hard to put my camera down for the next 10km to Broadhurst. Again, I saw many Nervous Sharks but the cliffs were the highlight of today;s hike. The colours varied from the white beach sand to a yellow clay shade with vivid red on top. In some spots, where rain had fallen down cracks and crevasses of the cliff face, all those colours were mixed up to create what's known as blow outs.






The bluff with an ancient vibe and a little camera trick

A sense of awe came over me at the sight of these rugged cliffs. Walking here felt special as if there was more going on than meets the eye. I would not be surprised if there was any Indigenous significance to these cliffs?





A turtle coming up for a breath and checking me out.

Today;s hike was marred by the underestimation of distance or overestimating of my speed. What does that mean? It was a bloody long way to walk. My lift had been waiting a while at Cattle Well. I finally spotted him perched high above me on top of that cliff. He had been watching me through his binoculars for ages and said in his best Aussie “Looked like you were strugglen.” After calling me “a smelly” which is the local nick name for hikers, we had lunch together and I was made a double spooned instant coffee which tasted “grand” after five hours of hiking.






Checking out the "smelly" from above



Grey bits

Please note, you can not cross Big Lagoon inlet due to strong currents, possible stonefish and sulphur smelling mud. Walking around Big Lagoon is a truly beautiful walk. Don't miss it!

To do a day trip to the above mentioned cliffs you could park your car at Cattle Well, walk four kilometers North and pass a low set of dunes called Broadhurst. This area is very beautiful. There is no public access by car between Cattle Well and Big Lagoon.


Please note, that this hike is through very wild, uninhabited country. In my opinion it is not advisable to attempt this hike without a support team or proper communication devices like a satellite phone or  EPIRB. Hiking experience is a must.




Cormorants taking flight over Shark Bay

Let the Department of Parks and Wildlife  know where you are going to be and when you plan to return. Phone (08) 9948 2226 or click on the following links www.sharkbay.org, www.dpaw.wa.gov.au for more information.

The best time to walk around the Peron Peninsular is at low tide. You can check the tide at www.seabreeze.com.au

 Emus out for their afternoon dip in the water at Broadhurst

Living in Francois Peron National Park

Sneaking up on a wedge tail eagle at Point Peron

For years I have been a somewhat frustrated holiday-maker. In the short time one can travel in other countries on working holidays, it has been difficult to emerge fully in to the local culture and get to know the people that live there. Travelling became a procession of visits to the major tourist destinations ticking them off the list one by one. Those lists were acquired from a brochure or a top ten web-site every man and his dog has in his possession and passes by the real world with the real people in them.



Herald Bight - one of the camp sights visited during an excursion into the park

Being able to spend the time here in Shark Bay is a luxury not many people get to experience. We have met a lot of locals and getting to know them was easy. We are now on first name terms with 30% of the town, know the greengrocer by name and have been stopped in the main street of Denham by locals to have a chat. This is the ultimate country inclusive tradition I believe.



A camouflaged bearded dragon

As volunteers for DPaW (Department of Parks and Wildlife) both Julie and I have had the pleasure to travel into the national park with some of the DPaW staff. These guys have a wealth of experience in the job that they know well. Every time we are out in the park something unexpected happens. There will be a lizard sitting on a branch or a sea eagle flying overhead. We have seen a dugong just five metres off the beach and helped a sea snake swim back out to sea. There is a wild life avalanche in Francois Peron National Park - all shown to us with expert commentary ocker Ozzy Attenborough style.

 

 

A white breasted sea eagle flying overhead

Some of the places where we've had “smoko” - even though none of us  smoke - are just simply breath-taking. For morning tea we stopped at Sheila’s Bluff. A stunning red semi-circled bay North of Bottle bay. The story goes that two local young men were collecting firewood on top of the cliff (in the old days one could still light camp fires in this area). They threw the sticks they had collected over the edge of the cliff so they didn't have to carry them down. Sheila the dog wrongly jumped after a stick causing her to fly towards the treacherous terrain below. As you can see in the photo it is quite a drop. Sheila dodged several big boulders on the way down, tumbled and rolled a couple of times and ended up laying completely winded on the beach. After the initial shock of seeing their dog disappear over the cliff edge and after making sure the dog was ok they cracked up laughing and named the rock Sheila’s Bluff. Apparently Sheila spent the rest of the day quietly under the ute.  

Sheila's Bluff

At South Gregories we stopped for lunch at a goat cave carved out at the high tide mark. Inside there are several stages of geological evolution going on if you are interested or you can just enjoy the turquoise sea water lapping at the little white beach in front of you while eating your sandwich.




The snorkelling is great at Gregories reef. 

Even cleaning the toilet is exciting in these parts. We were told about a redback spider trapping big bugs, lizards and even small snakes in its web that is amazingly strong and sticky.

Keep an eye out for these redbacks. We have "removed" several from the toilets at Gregories and Bottle Bay campsites. One such beautiful insect had made its home on the handle of the toilet brush. According to Wikipedia, historically humans were bitten in their genetalia as redbacks were hiding in the outdoor dunny. It must have been like dangling a carrot in front of those little spidy's fangs. These days indoor plumbing and better facilities has solved that problem. Makes you look twice right?




This friendly redback spider lives in our toilet at the homestead.

If you are bitten, symptoms usually include nausea, vomiting, chest or abdominal pain, agitation, generalised sweating and high blood pressure. For first aid treatment of redback spider bites Wikipedia recommends applying ice and taking Panadol against the pain. Keeping still helps prevent the poison from spreading through your body. If pain persists a hospital assessment may be needed. If I was bitten I would be banging the door of the hospital down immediately. Never mind the Panadol.

Another amazing fact I found about redbacks is that during a horrific sexual cannibalistic ritual, the beautiful red striped female eats the all black male spider genitals first. One last amorous act by the male before turning into crunchy spider food. It must be said that redbacks do not engage in long term relationships




The colours of Skipjack Point.

 

A couple of times now we have been able to walk the 1500 metre trail between Cape Peron and Skipjack Point. A truly remarkable spot, with great sweeping views over the beach and ocean. There has to be one of the largest colony of cormorants (otherwise known as shags) queuing up along the beach we have ever seen. A huge wedge tail eagle was spotted by Julie on top of a low scrub. (see Julie's photo at the beginning of this blog).



The largest row of cormorants we have ever seen at Cape Peron.

From the boardwalk - a vantage point high above the sea at Skipjack Point - on a quiet wind-free day you can see many rays, dolphins, dugongs and sharks.  





A dugong coming up for air in Shark Bay.

We have had many chats with the rangers around the homestead, have been invited into peoples homes for cuppa's and loved the DPaW Christmas party. We would like to thank all DPaW staff for the time they have taken to show us around Francois Peron National Park and making us feel welcome.



Grey bits
 

Who is Francois Peron you may ask or you may not? Francois was a French scientist who came out to Terra Australis as Australia was known then on an ill-fated expedition on the ships the "Naturaliste" and the "Geographe" in 1800. The death toll reaching 40 due to scurvy, fever and dysentery on this voyage The two ships were separated for a long time and the expeditions into the peninsular were lost and late returning on three occasions. Francois Peron, whilst earning the wrath of his captain for getting lost, collected around 2500 zoological, for that time unknown species, and his enthusiasm and excitement about the peninsular wild life I share with him. Maybe he wasn't lost at all and just enjoyed the soft glowing low scrubby hills covered in flowers and strange animals. Unfortunately Francois contracted Tuberculosis and died when he was 35.

 

Francois Peron never had a chance to become
 a semi-grey nomad.

 

If you like to read more about Francois Peron go to: http://www.sharkbay.org.au/assets/documents/factsheets/francois-peron-v2.pdf



 You can read more about redback spiders at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redback_spider

A Perennial Tar Vine or Commicarpus Australis at Cape Peron

 

 

First job

First Job

“Here we are. In this special place. What are you gonna do here?”
"What show or song are we gonna get from you?"

Waterboys

We were never going to be this far North. A series of recommendations by friends new and old saw us rock up to Denham, Shark bay. Not a bad place to be after all. Every time we roll over the hill at the entrance of town the turquoise water of the bay just takes your breath away. Julie had rang up for a possible cleaning job going in Denham and scored an interview. It was a cleaning position at holiday apartments. The era of dreaded dunny polishing had begun. We were both required to front up for a meeting. We rode our bikes along the stunning Denham foreshore. For the first time ever we attended a job interview dressed in shorts and T-shirts. We were greeted by the lady owner and stood around awkwardly as no seats or drinks were offered. In the office she berated a cute fresh-faced child that had taken over her computer. “I can't wait for the holidays to be over" she muttered. The husband came in to introduce himself and proceeded to tell his wife to focus on the job at hand. How uncool! We had decided Julie would be the one to start working as it was only two weeks since I had finished working and Jules had been a hard working lady of leisure for..... 

How long?

 



Julie finding better toilets to clean elsewhere.

It wasn’t long before Julie worked out how much hard and fast work was required. Maybe it should be put that Julie was not paid an awful lot for cleaning a sea of units and their bathrooms, floors and kitchens. “How spoilt are you?” you must be thinking. I can tell you, it wasn’t the work or the money Jules was adverse to or that the boss was tough.  It was the way she was treated. Isn't it always the way? We are on this quest around Australia full of smiling energy that it makes your jaw hurt. We are looking for a certain meaningful change of direction. Exposing ourselves to people who are a deflated burnt out mess is not high on our agenda right now and does not fit the plan. No matter how hard Julie tried, short abrupt answers were used as chosen reply. At no time during Julie's fleeting relationship with the boss was any attempt made for extended niceties let alone a conversation. A friendly, but polite phone call was made, after three days of tasting Windex and Pine-o-clean.

Meanwhile….

I was recovering at the Denham tourist park from this horrible corky I got when I decided to test to the car to see if it would move at all if I walked into it real fast. It didn’t. Sitting with iced-up leg, elevated on stool, I managed to send an e-mail to the volunteer coordinator of Parks and Wildlife in Perth. “Does the ranger need any help at all?” Surely there must be more to life than sitting around this beautiful place while the missus is slaving away picking grime out of cracked kitchen floor tiles? The answer luckily was yes. Within a matter of a few days, the Ranger Chris emailed, called and picked us up for induction as voluntary camp ground hosts at the Peron homestead. All very impressive! Right?

That day of the induction I fought hard to ignore the pain from that corked leg. I walked almost as normal and managed to kneel down to change a sprinkler or two. This was an opportunity to good to miss. In the end we all got along like a house on fire and even managed to bribe Ranger Chris with some coffee and cake back at the caravan park.

A male emu running away with chicks at the homestead.

On the way to our new posting we had to drive 6km over a red dusty road. About 3km's in of our leisurely cruise it was halted by two male emus with his 6 chicks blocking our way. While we were waiting Chris explained to us that the male emu does the nesting and takes care of the chicks. He went on to tell us that at the homestead the male emus are known to fake fight each other. They would puff out their chest and make themselves as tall as possible. Whoever was the winner would end up looking after the all the chicks combined. Numbers of the flock could rise dramatically. Chris recalls seeing 26 chicks with one father.

"In my opinion the winner here is the real looser" said Ranger Chris.

After several minutes waiting we chose to carefully overtake the running herd. Carefully, but at high speed. They ran on and on, in front of us until, finally, exhausted, one of the males took a right-hand turn into the bush and immediately disappeared with every other emu in tow. What an introduction to our new work place.

For years I have been dreaming of this kind of work. Lots of diesel and dust. Being surrounded by deathening silence. Time to think and grow. Create.

Write.

The deathening silence of the diesel generator waiting to be refuelled.

There it is! Only after three weeks of travel. We are the new camp hosts of The Peron Homestead,

Shark Bay.

Night falls over the homestead.