Red Bluff is a spectacular little bay with a wide sandy beach. The land rises slowly up to a small cliff and the plateau.
Right: walking at Gnaraloo. Some good snorkelling, coral and tonnes of fish here.
An afternoon game of Cluedo in the cafe. The smoothies were delicious. Ma and Marie had a tea.
The old faithful travellers; I'm under pressure to let them go.
The waves are awesome. The rocks are not. Ollie got stuck on a wave and cut his arm. We both got sand rash in the dumpers. Caught some great rides.
Red Bluff says it is a wildlife sanctuary. The guy keeps a cat that likes to sleep all day and hunt all night. There are wild looking sheep with tails and goats. Huts, camping, roads and toilets are scattered across the sanctuary at Red Bluff.
Pizza night: good pizzas, had a chat to some of the visitors: a couple from Exmouth, can't remember who else. A lot of them are repeat stayers, many with their own caravans.
Right: the second surf shack we stayed in.
Stayed in a surf shack the first night. It's spacious but dirty. The mattresses are older, more ripped and more dank than I'd hoped for but it's out of the wind.
The second shack is relatively clean, dusty, sand on dank ripped mattresses again, but an amazing view of the beach. We've got a short path straight onto the beach. There is a sign up to not graffiti or urinate here so management must come down to see the place occasionally.
This is more like a serious holiday for the boys. We went for two or three swims per day.
The next 2 nights we stayed in our tent, as shacks were unavailable, next to the shelter of a tree with our own pit toilet. Privacy in the toilet is a few palm branches. Opening the lid brings a swarm of flies. The sanctuary provides wood chips and insecticide to try to master this.
The wind is non stop but got strong. Got sand blasted on the beach, gusts of dust walking, conversation was difficult. Sitting next to tent or walking around was miserable. At the office there is a sign saying no refunds given for early departure. We upgraded to a surf shack again, not in time to save the tent which got a decent rip in the corner.
The bluff out to the left with all the fossils and the surf break.
The swell is just non stop.
A walk out past the lefthand point shows limestone with its distinctive surface that looks like rain splashing on mud. Dotted everywhere, there are what looks like old reef, still recognisable, and whole shells. Some of the stones crunching underfoot on the path are whole chunks of fossilised reef.
Left: A wipe out. Deliberate? Seems like a nice wave.
Right: our second surf shack
Below: fossilised coral
Under it all is a massive layer of conglomerate rock and limestone chockers full of fossilised shells and coral. As the limestone reefs of the Kimberleys, and the limestone at Katherine NT, are Devonian era, I'm guessing these are 350 million years old also.
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