Carnarvon

The Ocean Aquarium is on our way, as we leave today, so we stop in and the carpark is already full, I dash in and get the last 4 spots on the next tour. Although this is a small aquarium consisting mostly of waist high tanks with open tops they contain very interesting creatures and our trusty guide Josh with his booming voice keeps us informed and entertained as we move from tank to tank. As the group huddles in close around each tank he reminds us to keep our hands out. The first contains two sea snakes, they’re super poisonous but rarely bite, Josh says they’re just too friendly, one is looking super friendly right now as it wavers up stretching toward the teenage girl opposite us, she backs away as its head stretches up above the lip of the tank. 

There’s box fish, puffer fish, stonefish and lionfish its like a who’s who of the most dangerous creatures in the world and they all reside in the waters near here on the coast of Western Australia. The tanks are all connected by pipes and Josh points to one fish that looks a like a snail “if this fish feels threatened he releases a toxin so powerful it would kill every fish in this aquarium” hmm I think, probably not the best fish for dinner. There are also two larger tanks, one like a large pool which contains several species of shark including a juvenile tiger shark, we know he’s a juvenile because of our shark expert Alila tells us so. The other large tank is an old silo with windows cut out over two stories. Josh demonstrates the speed and jaw power of various fish by throwing them bits of food. The clop of the jaw clearly audible and as he throws the next bit of bait metres away we see another fish flash across the surface to claim it. Thoroughly enjoy our ‘school trip’ to the aquarium. 

 

Hours down the road with rain clouds gathering we are approaching the fruit bowl of the region - Carnarvon. There's a river that winds through the region and it is suddenly green and lush. We’ve missed the mango season but it's late melon season and fingers crossed for bananas and papaya. 


It’s Easter and the only good thing about Carnarvon is the rec area at tbe campground and the supermarket that still had a smattering of Easter eggs. It’s 4am when I hear the first noise, then the kids come and snuggle in our bed and actual wait an hour while I wake up to begin the hunt. It’s drizzling out, then proper raining on and off all day with one patch of dry long enough for a walk and some playground time. The rec area that was so cool last night  with its  outdoor lounge and big screen with movies is all wet and packed away tonight. Oh well off to Coral Bay in the morning. 


We do get some fruit but its from the supermarket - its a very sweet pineapple which travelled 5,000km from Queensland.













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