We're in the Tropics

Passing the Tropic of Capricorn sign provided a good lesson in geography for the big boys and an interesting question from Lukas: "Why was there a Tropical Cyclone below the tropical line?" We decided the Tropic of Capricorn line was probably a bit like the lines in parking spaces - just a guide, not always mandatory!

We've had no problems travelling in the cyclone-affected areas. Carnarvon had masses of flattened banana plantations but all the infrastructure was up and running. The road to Coral Bay had only just opened and had a bit of debris and a couple of large puddles, but otherwise fine.

Arriving at Coral Bay was an exciting point on our trip, as it's our first port of call on the Ningaloo Reef. Lukas and I in particular have been looking forward to this since we crossed into WA on the Nullarbor.



It certainly hasn't disappointed. The beauty of Ningaloo is that you can walk straight onto the reef from the beach and be swimming amongst coral and fishes within metres of the shore. Coral Bay is also pretty remote, so therefore pretty quiet (or maybe we just beat the Easter rush): we went on a glass-bottomed boat to take us to a turtle sanctuary and some of the more remote snorkelling sites, and it was just us and eight other people.

And what an experience! One of the best things I've ever done and the kids could barely get the grins off their faces. Even Evie and Max jumped into the ocean with their floaties and noodles and had a turn swimming with the fish!

This underwater photography is thanks to Dylan.

We're heading to Exmouth next to try our luck at camping near the reef for some more snorkelling and see if we can find some whale sharks.