Walking with sharks: Day 5, the end

Please note that some of this story is hard to stomach and has a theme of death that crops up more than I wished for.



This is my fifth and final day in the boots around this beautiful Peron peninsular. I am walking from Herald Bight to Monkey Mia.

Sometimes adventure bites you hard in the proverbial, exposes weaknesses and tests your resolve. Are you ready?

 

Herald Bight was there in all of its glory that early morning. Shortly after being dropped off with the advice this was “an easy walk” and cynically told to “just keep the ocean on yer left” by my skilled adversary, I left Herald Bight behind and cut across the base of Guichenalt Point through a splendid Herald bluff..

Maybe you have realized by now that my mind wanders into the almost insane when I hike for long periods of time. Today my thoughts were drawn to the many different shapes of boulders on the beach that would have broken off the top of the cliff in a random, unpredictable time gone past and thundered down with brutal force. What would it be like to be crushed or bowled over by one of those? I spent time watching the tops of those red walls feeling very small and vulnerable. After a short time I became complacent about the rock-crush idea.

How does that happen?

Boulders of fear

 

Halfway through the dodging of the always stationary boulders I spotted a large turtle above the tidemark. On approach, I knew something wasn’t right. No turtle tracks were coming up from the beach and its body was sitting too low and still on the sand.




Death giving me a wink

Having seen the energetic egg-laying lady turtles from Dirk Hartog Island only a week earlier  I was horrified to find this turtle in a semi-decomposed state with hollow eyes staring at me. The feeling of horror exacerbated by a yellow ghost crab hiding from me in its right eye socket, while a much bigger yellow crustacean completely uninhibited started tearing strips of skin off the turtles face. Near vomiting, my hands moved automatically and started taking (possibly) inappropriate photographs of this Haloweenic scene. What does that tell you Mars? Swim as hard and fast in the ocean before letting the ghost crabs in.

"You've come near enough"

Being even more determined to survive the day I continued on and experienced the stark contrasts nature has to offer when a large white breasted sea-eagle allowed me to come within ten metres. The graceful bird took flight, posing for the camera as it expanded its mighty wings.



Taking to the air

 



Thrashing about in the shallows

 

 

I was very pleased that during this last day the sharks were back, putting on a show in the shallows. Some of them were thrashing wildly exposing almost their entire body; some were so close to the shore I could have put a leash on them and taken them for “walkies”!!

  



Shark swimming here.............................................semi grey nomad walking there

 

 

I sat down after rounding Cape Rose for a long lunch, four hours into my walk, trying to reset my aching body. This proved not an easy task for the semi-grey nomad. Rather stiff, I kept a slow pace at the water’s edge towards Monkey Mia which had come into view at Cape Rose. With the temperature rising above thirty, the Southerly dropping out all together and the humidity levels feeling steam-room high, it became uncomfortable to walk. The beautiful white, sandy beach disappeared making way to treacherous rocks and slippy banks of granite. That's all you need.





Looking back from Cape Rose

 

  

Two kilometres from the end my body felt seriously depleted. I start eating all my leftover snacks and began to drink my unfrozen, but cold, two litres of water that I saved for the end, having already drunk four litres of water today.

 

In the distance I saw an odd shape in the water. What is it? I strained to look at it through sweat- burning eyes. It looks like a goat. It is a goat. What’s a goat doing in the water? Why isn’t it moving? Is my educated friend playing a prank on me here? Has he thrown a taxidermy goat in the water just to freak me out. Nah, that's too far fetched. I am rubbing even more stinging sweat into my eyes trying to lose the spell of an exhaustion fuelled hallucination.

  



 

Goat of silence

 

  

When I drew near, the goat had still not moved an inch and stayed half submerged in the bay. Shark Bay no less. Overlooking nanny goat there were two kids half a metre tall. They look as baffled as myself and are patiently waiting for mum to come out of the shark infested water. Time passes, and except for some pleading bleats of the young ones, nothing changes. I come to the conclusion that nanny-goat has passed on to a better place in goat heaven with lots of green pastures and billy goats to frolic with. Several options run through my mind.

 

I just take those gangly kids, one under each arm, and walk the last couple of kilometres to the ranger's office in Monkey Mia and say: "Hello, meet Billy and Kid. I found them down the road but you can look after them now. See ya!!!"

Or

Let’s just take these cute little rascals back with me to the national park we live. Wait!! Isn't there a full goat eradication program in swing? Would I not be taking a non-native animal into a national park? Yes, you would. 
 

How can you not take me??

 

I chose to do the ever-so-hard option after severe internal dialog where swearwords were hurled back and forward at each other. I walked.

One last glance over my shoulder confirmed the death of the nanny goat as she collapsed into the water. "It is nature’s way" I tell myself.

I reported Billy and Kid's predicament to the rangers office at Monkey Mia as soon as I got there. Feeling like a tired stranger in a fully blown resort with dolphins cruising past and people sipping Pina Coladas on deckchairs as if nothing ever happened, I realised that I had finally completed my walk with sharks. 





 



Walking into the Monkey Mia resort

After my office visit I managed to stumble down to the beach where, without changing, I walked straight into the hyper-salinized water. It proved to be a big mistake. Six hours of hot, sweaty hiking had chafed the dark region where the sun ain’t shining, red raw. Literally, rubbing salt into the wounded proverbial was a nasty shock, but maybe apt punishment for not doing enough for the wildlife today.

Cruising past

 

As Olivia Newton John once sang: Let’s get philosophical.

 

Luckily, I had the absolute privilege to experience the raw peninsular wilderness that taught me much more about survival, death, nature's balance and human limitations. This may be something that we all could learn more about in this beautiful setting that is the Peron Peninsular.

 

However, dear readers, a large part in my heart calls out to discourage you not to walk in my footsteps. I have found pristine biridas, beaches untouched by coconut oiled humans, sharks to walk with, drop boulder bears and, ooohh, those amazing cliffs of Shark Bay. Nature, here on the peninsular, needs to be protected from our human frivolities and kept in that crude, fragile balance I found it in. It is a dangerous place to be, even for semi-grey nomads. Yeah Mars!!  Even by writing about Shark Bay I am guilty of generating more interest in a place that may be best left alone.

In the end the choice to travel into Shark Bay and explore its coastline is up to you. So, if you go, please, take care!!

 



Grey Bits


I was reassured by my erudite comrade that baby goats, the same height as the two I saw, would have no problem surviving on their own.

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 and hiking experience is a must.

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

The end

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



We could be heroes. A dolphin tail.

We could be heroes.

And now ladies and gentlemen here are your beloved volunteers. Please make way and welcome them to the beach. Put your hands together for Julie and Marcel. And the crowd goes wild.

The Champions walk.

 

It didn’t really happen like that. However, somehow it felt like we were champions walking into Wembley stadium for an FA cup final. That first ever feed of the dolphins at Monkey Mia. In our hands holding buckets, with two or three fish each, that we defrosted and weighed carefully in the fish room. A crowd of 180 people on the beach with their backs turned to us as they are watching the dolphins in the shallow. We walked across the sand and moved slowly through the crowd to our chosen dolphin. The crowd is prompted to move their feet out of the water back onto the beach while we, the volunteers, get to stand right next to the dolphin in the water.




Shock taking it all in.

The first dolphin I fed was Shock. To greet me she shot a full repertoire of dolphin clicks at me. Shock than rotated diagonally sideways to look straight at me. I was actually a bit shocked with the attention she gave me. She moved right along side of me while I was handing the fish to… sorry, I cant remember who from the crowd. Absolutely mesmerised I went through the process of feeding the other two fish with two more crowd picks. The ranger who was standing next to me at the time later laughed at me and said that I was calling Shock “mate” all the time even though she's a female. I guess I was just waffling nonsense that first time. The final act of the feed is rinsing the empty bucket in the water. Shock and the others cleverly knew immediately that this was the end of   snack time and super gracefully slid away from me. This is the moment I won't forget, as unexpectedly, I choked up and was looking through a haze of tears at the dolphins as they disappeared into Shark Bay. Where did this reaction come from?

Marcel handing a fish to a member of the crowd
with dolphin paying close attention.

Has life as a semi-grey nomad finally been rewarded?

Every time we went into the water to feed these beautiful creatures something amazing happened. Julie received a belly rub from a pregnant Surprise. Surprise was always nudging our legs carefully to hurry up with that fish already.

Julie being touched by a dolphin.

A large pelican named Rogue appeared at times. We always had to cut up a little extra fish for her as she snapped her beak wildly in the air as if imaginary flies were attacking her. We were told she was blind in one eye and needed redirecting away from the buckets of fish at the beach. No other pelican behaved like this. I was lucky enough to have the job of distracting Rogue to keep her away from the fish buckets during the dolphin feeds. I told Rogue in no uncertain terms she should not be a bloody galah and would not get a fish if she didn’t behave. Luckily she did behave. After taming Rogue I was dubbed the "Rogue" whisperer by the rangers who even wrote this on my volunteering certificate.



Jacob aka Michael Keaton counting
the people on the beach.

We met an amazing couple that were volunteering with us. Jacob and Sabina luckily new what the routine was and showed us how to record every gram and dolphin sighting. After feeding time there were many chores to be done without much pressure and plenty of time for tea and free bikkies.

Sabina having fun in the fish room.

The whole scene on the beach is controlled by two rangers. All the rangers at Monkey Mia were friendly and helpful. Best of all they looked like they were enjoying themselves as much as we did.

Finally - let's do some mathematical brain damage here. If there are 180 people on the beach - four dolphins eating 10 fish, what are your chances of being picked to feed and get up close to a dolphin?  Very little you say?

Go volunteer at Monkey Mia. It is a privilege.

Semi-grey nomad tips and links.

• Feed the dolphins the fish head first. It slides down better.
• If you'd like to volunteer contact Department of Parks and Wildlife Shark Bay District Ph: (08) 9948 1366 | Fax: (08) 9948 1512 | www.sharkbay.org

 

  I wish I could swim!

 

Like dolphins!

 

Like dolphins can swim!

 

(David Bowie, Heroes)