AOA NEW YEAR’S CAMP AT AUGUSTA Part 3

30/12/2016 – Time to go fishing

I had been looking for the chance to go fishing and word has it that Augusta is a great fishing spot.

First we try for squid at the local boat harbour.

A nice spot but no squid or fish in sight.

So…  follow the locals, plenty of action here, it’s on for young and old.

Hmm, not a good start and look at that sky.

Patience, patience, see the channel of water just in front of me, the tide is coming in and just in front of me is a deep drop, I had better not get too carried away.

Yeah, look what I caught, a double header, and they are slippery little suckers. One has almost jumped away.  These are yellow fin whiting.

Happy days.

I handed my rod over to Val so that she could have a turn. And voila, her first fish, and then she caught another one straight after.

So some poor soul will have to fillet and prepare the fish for eating (I have made it one of my policies of life never to learn how to gut fish).  We were pondering on the problem when along came this nice gentleman and his wife on a walk, he saw me dubiously looking at the fish with a knife in my hand and offered to show me how to do it.  “Oh yes please, how kind”.  “Oh you do that so well, a pleasure to watch”

“Oh, you don’t mind doing all of them, how kind, thank you so much, we are just helpless females after all, you have shown me so much, aren’t you wonderful.”  and voila, 8 fillets of fish – and that my friends is how you gut fish!!!

STROMATOLITES OF HAMELIN POOL

9/07/2016 – Onwards to Monkey Mia

We passed this lookout on the way to Hamelin Pool.

We arrived at Hamelin Pool and here are the stromatolites.  Stromatolites are considered ‘living fossils’, part of the Earth’s evolutionary history, they are the oldest and largest living fossils on earth.  Hamelin Pool in Western Australia is a place of great interest to botanists and geologists as it gives an indication of what the earth may have looked like about 3.5 billion years ago, when stromatolites grew widespread across the water. Visitors can view these amazing life forms, without causing damage by walking on a purpose built jetty and looking down at the Hamelin Pool stromatolites below.

Stromatolites grow successfully and undisturbed at Hamelin Pool because the sea water is twice as saline as usual sea water, due to a bar across the entrance of the bay and also due to rapid evaporation from shallow water.  Stromatolites which are found to be up to a metre high are believed to be hundreds to thousands of years old as they grow at a maximum of 0.3mm per year.  Hamelin Pool in Western Australia is one of only two places on earth where living marine stromatolites exist.

Nearby is Hamelin Pool Homestead, complete with the Old Hamelin Pool Telegraph Station, which was built in 1884 as part of the communication line between Perth and Roebourne. The original building is now a museum housing many artefacts.

Above shows shell stone quarry blocks used to build historic buildings in Shark Bay.

Here is the quarry.  You can still see the marks where bricks have been cut.

GLADSTONE, WESTERN AUSTRALIA – SHARK BAY

8/07/2016 – Peace and Serenity

Here is our campground the next morning, so quiet and peaceful.

Looking out over the bay.  This area is apparently where many dugongs come to feed and mate in another season.

The Dugong (Dugong dugon), sometimes referred to as a sea cow, is the only true  marine mammalian herbivore. It is a strange looking creature with a head designed to ‘vacuum’ seagrass off the sea floor and a dolphin-like tail. It is thought that the legend of the mermaid came about after sailors who had spent too long at sea, spied the dugong and thought they were beautiful women with fish tails. Its closest living relative is the manatee – a freshwater version of the Dugong.  Despite appearances they are not so closely related to other sea mammals, rather more related to elephants.

But look to the left, and ….. where has all the water gone?  Not to worry it is just low tide.  Shark Bay has the world’s second largest dugong population, 15,000 dugongs, and is the world’s most significant dugong behavioural research site.  Disappointed not to see any, but there is always next time.  Further to the left are copious beds of seagrass that the dugongs come in to feed on during the mating season.

What an amazing day.

Linda took this beautiful photo of a … bird.   Not sure what species this is,  help please?   I decided to play around with my software and see if I could bring out the best of it.

Very pleased with this, and I think it is a Caspian Tern?

GLADSTONE JETTY, SHARK BAY

7/7/2016 – A Magical Evening

I couldn’t resist the chance to practice with my camera again when a brilliant sunset hit the skies.  Right on the horizon is the Gladstone Jetty with two fishermen standing on it, you can just make them out.

So I got a bit closer and I think this photo is the best one, I particularly like the sea on the wet sand in the foreground.

I got back to the campsite and of course there is Linda with her two favourite things – fire and wine!!!   – and look at the happy face.

A bit later, much darker and the little fire is still going.   “Nothing like a good fire”.