If the Space Museum was a return to the joy of childhood, our excursion to Quobba was a reminder of just how insignificant we are. The space museum was all about wonder. Quobba was all about power. Along with extraordinary survival in the harshest of environments...I suppose a bit like Mars...
We set out from the caravan park at two o'clock, hoping to arrive with the tide rising, which apparently create the best effects through the Quobba Blowholes. We picked up a very late lunch and headed east then turned north onto the Quobba Road. The drive was surprisingly interesting, skirting along the western edge of Lake McLeod, which stretches for over one hundred kilometres. The vegetation was low and thick, with no trees. We did a double take when we spotted what looked like an enormous jet black rat (?!) feeding on a carcass. This creature certainly didn't resemble your average Joe Rat, as its ears and tail were also black, not flesh coloured, plus having the dimensions of a small cat...
We arrived around three in the afternoon. The Blowholes were just gearing up to show off some pretty stunning spouts. The rocks were a touch challenging to navigate and we were in thongs, but once we were in a close and flattish position, we were able to look up and our mouths fell open immediately.
A pod of whales was passing beyond the breakers. I had never been whale watching and I nearly couldn't believe my eyes. Photographing them was incredibly difficult and I only produced one snap with snippets of three whales. Good luck finding them in the photo. Michael has put up a reel on Instagram that captured a whale's fluke amongst his shots at Quobba. Take a peek.
We could have stayed for hours. Those watching was from all over the world, as well as all parts of Australia. We held our breath as each wave crashed into the rocks, waiting for the resulting boom and the visual spectacle. We were just mesmerised.
On our careful return to Lily, I began noticing tenacious little plants growing out of the rocks. On closer inspection, more shrubs appeared as we moved away from the most exposed sites. I was in awe of their ability to grow, and even prosper in such a harsh landscape. Carnarvon receives about 190 millilitres of rain a year, less than half of Beverley. The majority of that rain usually falls between February and August, which means all the flora has to endure a very long hot and dry season. I are not sure if there were any shipwrecks along the Quobba coast, but if they do exist, I am sure any survivors would have believed they had landed in Hell.
I scouted slowly around the edges of shallow pools and we both took photographs under a stunning afternoon sky of streaming high clouds and the half hidden sun. We finished our tour of the area with a drive up to the lighthouse. The views were phenomenal. An added bonus was a messy bird's nest near the top. Babies were definitely in the nest as we heard chirping and squawking. Mum and Dad were presumably out hunting.
A trip out to Quobba is a absolute must if visiting Carnarvon. There is also powered and unpowered camping at Quobba Station, and unpowered sites at other designated camping spots up to Gnaraloo Station, which is the end of the road. Gnaraloo is the southern point of Ningaloo Reef and if also known for surfing, boating and fishing (some areas are marine sanctuaries with no fishing allowed).
I have spent all morning editing the photos of our Quobba trip. No image can really do the site justice. Just get out there and visit!
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