Coral Bay

Fri 1^st August

We arrived by 10.15 but everybody had to line up across the road to wait until 11 to get in. The park was sandy, with patches of grass in places. We were parked right up the back on an unpowered site – for $35.00!! Showers were salty bore water and a fair walk away. Coral bay is a very picturesque little bay – clear, calm water bordered by a reef close to shore and layers of brilliant blue to turquoise from shore to ocean. So lovely. I went for a swim in that perfect water, doing laps across the bay. Then I walked out on the sandy bottom to the edge of the reef, sat down in the water, put on my snorkel and flippers, rolled over the edge of the reef and went reef-snorkelling. Yes, it is that close and that convenient. Lots of colourful fish and 'cabbage' coral. Heavenly!

Coral Bay itself is a tiny town with public toilets and shopfronts looking rundown and corroded. Seems puzzling when the whole town is funded by tourism and is meant to draw in the tourist dollars.

Next day, Ian had a pinched tendon at the base of his thumb joint and had to have it strapped. He couldn't do a lot, so I drove us around to see the sights (doesn't take long! - the town is tiny). Wind turbines provide a lot of the power here (as they do in Denham). We went out to the wharf and marvelled once again at the glorious shades of blue. Ian sat on the beach while I went for a long snorkel with the GoPro. I feel so privileged to be able to just splash out on the sandy bottom, put on my gear, flip over and go snorkelling. I'm telling you - the east coast has some work to do....!

The blues of Coral Bay

Coral Bay coral

"Cabbage" coral