Inspired by
Jean Watson's virtual visit to the USA, I've decided to take a virtual tour of the WORLD. Money is no barrier, so I'm choosing all my dream locations I haven't been to. It's free of COVID-19 and super-safe, and virtually carbon neutral. I'm going to stay at the best hotels and do the most amazing activities! Who would like to follow along?
For my first stop, I'm staying domestic, although the flight is lengthy.
✈️Although we lived in WA, we never got to go to Nin
galoo Reef (stoopid pregnancy🧸 - love you Sean).
We flew (business class, of course) to Perth, then Exmouth (which did not have business class), then hired a 4WD to take us to Sal Salis beachfront safari camp, about 90 minutes drive from Exmouth Airport. It's the right kind of camping - glamping! Each Wilderness Tent has an eco-friendly en suite bathroom with a solar hot water shower. Ours had a four-poster bed with mozzie tent! Guests help themselves to a selection of beverages from the open bar and watch the resident chef as he prepares contemporary Australian cuisine with hints of native produce. 🏕🏝🥂🦞
 |
| Our humble (glamping) abode |
 |
| Dressed ready for dinner! |
 |
| Dinner on the deck |
 |
Gotta balance out the fancy-schmancy with a back to basics picnic (don't we look amazing?)
We timed it perfectly, so we went snorkelling/diving with whale sharks, humpback whales AND the manta rays! Virtual travel is great like that. What an experience - water was clear and warm and I'll never forget those gentle giants. 🐋🐠 We also saw baby turtles hatching on the beach in front of our tent! 🐢How lucky!
|
 |
| That's a whale shark snorkelling with me! |
 |
| Andrew took the underwater camera (no gopros for us) to capture the moment with the humpbacks |
 |
| So excited to see mantas I almost peed in my wetsuit! |
 |
| Naw, bubbies at sunset |
We also kayaked over the water and went on a stunning walk through Mandu Mandu Gorge, where we saw black-footed rock wallabies 🛶🦘
 |
Fabulous kayaking over the reef
 |
| It was a hike, but worth it! I mean, I'm super fit, so the heat didn't even bother me. |
|
Bonus - dark sky night viewing! 💫🌌I never thought about it, but once we got here, we realised just how far it is away from civilisation and how dark the skies were - apart from our amazing Emu in the Sky! Glad we packed the telescope and I know how to use it 😁🔭
 |
| Stunning remote skies - that astrophotography course I took paid off! |
We then boarded the 51ft catamaran ‘Shore Thing’⛵️for a couple of nights - all meals and beverages as well as snorkelling, diving, kayaking and fishing as you explore the outer Ningaloo Reef and islands are included. We also got to see dugongs grazing seagrass beds and dolphins can often be seen chasing fish through the clear water 🐬
 |
| Lucky I never get seasick, but the ocean stayed calm the whole trip anyway. |
So glad I finally got to visit this amazing part of Australia and I hope you enjoyed it too 🌏😘
I'm going there! That deck sold it to me. I haven't had an email from you in YEARS. How's it going Ingrid? We used to homeschool too.... until Corona.
ReplyDeleteHi Alyson - going OK. I haven't blogged for years, that's why. I'm trying to add some of my more rambling social media posts here because I can put the pics in the text. Kids all finished school now, thank god.
Delete