Apr 5-11: Exmouth and the Cape Peninsula National Park

Exmouth is the gateway to a series of campsites along the Indian ocean (kind of like Jasper is to the Rocky Mountains). There are a handful of different beachside locations up and down the coast, all of which give you immediate access to beach and the ocean. I spent my time at the picturesque Osprey bay.

This is a shared campsite, where you get to spend your time with a handful of other campers, and a small group of kangaroos. The first one to approach me was a female with a heavily laden pouch, who came up to me while I was sitting down and put her front paws up on my knee. How do you deny a pregnant mom food? I gave her a carrot. She and some of her family came to spend the next few days with me.

I spent HOURS in the water every day, happily snorkelling to and fro, examining all of the curious and wonderful things I could find. There were all kinds of fish, timid giant green sea turtles, and a pair of reef sharks. Swimming alone, 300 meters of the shore holding my tiny plastic camera, when I saw shark that was the same size as me, I decided to hightail it back to shore.

My time in the water caught up with me, and cut short my snorkelling adventures when I got an ear infection. It is probably for the best... I'm not sure I would have ever left this place.