The range and the reef - Cape Range National Park

We've just returned to Exmouth following a few days in the remote wilderness of Cape Range National Park. Well I say remote only because there was absolutely zero phone reception, which seems to be the general definition of the far-flung frontier these days. I love my internet and phone, but there is something great about a few days where you don't even think about anything online!

Remoteness aside, the wilderness element of Cape Range is indisputable. The park is a narrow coastal plain fringed by the Ningaloo Reef on the ocean side and a rocky mountain range on the other. The variety of experiences and vistas is quite stunning as a result.

A fair bit of time was spent snorkelling, with Turquoise Bay being the favourite location thanks to the pristine white sand and gentle turquoise (surprisingly!!) water that offered up lovely corals and fish just five or 10 metres offshore.

Max enjoyed dressing up as "Mummy-Phoebe-Lukas" while donning my hat and borrowing Lukas' fins.

The views of the red gorge at Yardie Creek were spectacular and really felt like the desert remoteness I expected in the part of the country. No doubt we'll be seeing a lot more of this scenery, probably with the added interest of crocodiles as we head towards Darwin. And the termite mounds have started to pop up everywhere, they are fantastic additions to the otherwise fairly flat scenery on long drives.

Seeing the very rare rock wallabies was pretty special.

There was also time for fishing and Dylan managed our first catch of the trip - a reef shark! Luckily it snapped the line just as he got it onto the rocks because I had not the faintest idea what to do with it once it was on dry land!

Water doesn't seem to last long in these sort of places, and we used up our tank pretty quickly camping in the park, mostly gulped down in large mouthfuls to take the edge off the rather warm temperatures. Thankfully the visitor centre stocked 10L bottles of the delicious-sounding Ningaloo Nectar. In our thirsty states we all decided it was the sweetest, most delicious water ever tasted and wondered about the amazing natural spring that must be its source. Back in Exmouth I found out it is just filtered town water - those bottled water companies strike again!