Daniel and Marysia around Australia: Port Smith, Western Australia.

Afternoon walk along rockpools

Everyone we spoke to headed on to another camp but I'd seen only one place that seemed remote from the others, Port Smith. We both agreed that we should stay for the night....but here people would stay for 4 weeks and longer. This was a huge open lagoon where the water came up to the lush mangroves feeding mudcrabs, supporting bounds of birdlife. At one moment as I came from the receding tide I came eye to eye with a cat......can you imagine that! It was probably ferral at that!

As we trecked the soft velvety grey sounds of the tide going out,our feet sank beyond ankles, coming to places as we stretched with the tide to our knees in blue sand...but alas no crabs. Hence I say, that we did not have the right equipment.

Have to find a mudcrab!

With the short time that we had, as everywhere was the case, we headed to the southern side of the beach. A 4 wheel drive track alongside mangroves, inland saltwater islets, floundering small lizards lapping up water in spaces dried before, took us to another step back into the beauty of marine life. Tide out, we walked across what just looked like black rock, but were living wells of marine species. I came across a medium pool to sight the beauty of a baby turtle, I'd guess to say that it was only 2-3 years old...stuck in the pool as it did not make its way out with the tide.

On the morning of our departure we'd made a new friend with a kangaroo who was very interested in our caravan and the crackers it was getting from me for its breakfast. This place was lovely and about 90 ks south of Broome where we headed that day.