Day 103 – 26th April 2018 – Giralia Station

Today we did a bit of filming using the drone of creek camping areas and the beach camp areas. It is part of the video of the station that we are compiling, both for advertising the station as well as for Denver being able to show people the camping spots when they arrive at the station. We got some good footage. After we finished filming the beach camps it was just before sunset and Col had brought along the cast net for a bit more practice. I have never seen so much activity in the ocean as I have here. The water just comes alive and fish are jumping and splashing, you couldn’t take a step in the shallow water without stepping on a small shovelnosed ray, a turtle swam past intermittently raising it’s head to keep an eye on us and take a breath and there were schools of small bait fish swimming past rippling up the surface of the water and causing the other marine creatures to chase them and try to catch a feed. Just a spectacular scene to behold. Match that with the setting sun bouncing off the water then colouring the sky with brilliant rays of gold, it was truly magical.

These little Starfish were frantically moving all the little white hairs (not sure what to call them) and they looked hilarious.  We put them back in the ocean where they belong.

I am pleased to say that Cols cast net throwing has improved exponentially and he managed to catch a few small whiting as bait for our next fishing adventure. We both had our reef shoes on but as I was walking along the beach something stabbed into the bottom of my foot. I looked at my shoe and a piece of coral and gone straight through the rubber, luckily it didnt cut the skin, but it did make me doubt the quality of the shoes that Col and I have. I would suggest investing in a really good pair of reef shoes if you decide to do the North West of WA. It made me worry a bit that the shoes we have may not protect us against a stone fish, so I plan on upgrading next we are in town.

I would also recommend to anyone to make sure you have a fly net handy. You don’t always need it, but nothing can make you angrier than a group of bush flies trying to get in your ears, nose and eyes. It brings out a whole other side of my personality that I wasn’t really in touch with! So when they get on my nerves I just chuck on the fly net. You may not need it, but so worth having I think, a real sanity saver. Also handy when you are working or exercising. Col has swallowed one fly and almost swallowed a second! Gross. With much gagging and coughing he managed to expel the offending fly the second time around. The annex has also been a life saver. The additional space that is a ‘no fly sanctuary’ where we can sit and watch TV at night and enjoy the cool breeze blowing through. So nice.

The camp has been pretty quiet so far, apparently things start getting busier in May, after Mother’s Day. The Grey Nomads start their migration from the cooler places in Australia up North. Also the heat starts to drop off and the weather cools down a bit from then, so the numbers will begin to increase soon. No campfires in the evening until there are more campers and the heat subsides a little more.