Around the West in 90-Odd Days: Days 50-51 (22-23 Aug ) Exmouth

Exmouth is located on an interesting little tip of land spiking off the edge of mid-WA. Home of the Big Prawn (which is pretty cool), it is apparently famous for its brown and tiger prawns. Do you think we could find any to actually purchase in either of the supermarkets? Negative. The wharf, then? While the wharf chalkboard cheerily proclaimed that Café Nemo was open, it clearly was not. We found a sign in town pointing optimistically to “The Fish Shack”, but the fish were quite safe as this could not even be located.

In the Exmouth shopping precinct, the slogan is “Exmouth – Spoilt for Choice”. On one side of the mall is an IGA (Ningaloo IGA). On the opposite side, barely 50 metres away, also facing inwards, is another IGA (Exmouth IGA). Spoilt for choice alright. You can shop anywhere you like, as long as it is IGA. I was insanely curious about this state of affairs, but something kept me from asking the staff (at either store). I just didn’t have the mental energy to be subject to a tirade of too much information about small town internal politics – who needs that? I saved my energy to complain about my coffee order at the local bakery (soy chai latte received instead of soy coffee latte; did I really need to specify that?) And they couldn’t spell “latte” (I didn’t want my coffee ‘late’, but refrained from grammar rage on this occasion). Chai could be nice if I wasn’t so sorely in need of caffeine.

Yes, Exmouth is a place of unusual ironies and contradictions. One of the self-proclaimed hottest, driest places on earth (50°C in summer and can be without rain for 18 months), out on a tip away from the main thoroughfare, it is nevertheless home to one of the world’s top rated beaches (Turquoise Bay). The Harold E Holt Naval Base sits on the cape tip north of Exmouth, where the water disappears into the sea on nearly all sides. Some official obviously thought it appropriate that Harold E Holt’s government memorial also be forever in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by sea.

I should now commence my spiel for Exmouth tourism. Notwithstanding the above, we really liked Exmouth! We would even be tempted to live there if it wasn’t 50°C in summer. The scenery is STUNNING. Besides the incredible Turquoise Bay just north, the majestic Shothole Canyon and Charles Knife Gorge are just south. Currently transitioning from ex-military town (massive VLF antennas still exist on the north tip) to top tourist destination, get in now before real estate costs soar. We stayed on the tip of the cape (yes, near the radars), north of town, in the shadow of the lighthouse. No wi-fi reception from the caravan park; every kind of reception from the lighthouse if you drive up the hill late at night to sit in your vehicle, laptops on laps. But who’d be doing that? Ok, guilty.

Our van park had a strange smell, no doubt the artesian bore water. Or maybe just the nearby mudflats. On the night of our arrival, we set up and I boiled the kettle to make a lovely cup of English Breakfast tea to settle down with and read the Weekend Australian magazine before starting on dinner preparations. I took a long sip, which was promptly ejected straight back out, much to the amusement of Dave. Salty water!! I had used the tap connected to the artesian bore water. Which is usually ok – bore water has been fine so far for cuppas and cooking if boiled. This artesian water, however, comes from a saline base. Uugghh. So I had to tip this assault on my taste buds down the drain and start again. The caravan park desalinates its own water, provided in a tank. They boast they have the best tasting water on the cape – and we’d have to agree. The water is indeed very nice – provided you select the correct tap.