Boat Launch at Ningaloo Station:
Our next adventure was to launch the boat on the makeshift boat ramp – that does have some concrete on it – but in the main it is just a reef to drive over. This was one of the easiest launches we have done, once again our trusty neighbor came and helped hold the boat whilst we took the ute and trailer up to the parking spot. With the inside knowledge from Noel about which way to get out without hitting any of the large bombies that pop up we managed a great day out on the water.
Whales and Turtles:
There were an abundance of whales and turtles to see – however there were not an abundance of fish. We decided just to troll for the day and that saw us hook up on a couple of small macky’s (that we returned to the water) and then we hooked up on a nice size yellow fin tuna that ended up a lovely dinner of sashimi shared with our neighbors. Here is a link to a great recipe www.delicious.com.au/recipes/sashimi-tuna-wasabi-avocado . Getting the boat back on the trailer was without incident – however it took all my strength to hold it off the beach and rocks whilst Steve went to get the trailer and back it down. Luckily once again, Noel had popped down and helped me hold the boat in the water and this has now made me realize that the sooner I learn to back the trailer down myself the better off we will be.
Housekeeping on a station:
Now I need to tell you a few of the housekeeping side of things here at Ningaloo Station. You must have a chemical toilet or you are not allowed on site. If you haven’t got one then you can hire these from the homestead for a small fee each week. Please also take in to account that these require at least 20 ltrs of water as you will need to factor that in to your calculations when working out how much water to bring. Water is another matter, we took up at least 30lts of good rainwater to drink, and we also filled the tank under the camper which holds 130lts. Whilst here we try to conserve water as much as possible by using sea water for the cold part of the dishwashing water, have a bucket of sea water near the sink to wash our hands in and wash down any really dirty dishes before they are washed up in the sink. We found that the taste of the water in the tank is very plasticy and not nice so we will have to see if we can avoid drinking it – or at least put it through a filter to get rid of the taste before drinking. We have since found out that there is water here on the station that can be accessed if you have the right equipment – this will be discussed in another part of the blog.