Up the west coast

Just out of the plane, Sébastien, the very special package and also Olivier's brother, has only one goal: go swimming in the Indian Ocean. Everybody in the Mentos !! The sun does not really shine, the water is not particularly hot and the sea is rough (to the delight of a kyte surfer, our only bathing colleague). But the need is satisfied :). Now we have to take forces for the next steps. After a short guided tour of the coach, Seb spontaneously begins cooking: tonight it will be couscous fennel spinach ( in order to get used to the standard camping menu).

First step of Seb's wish list: Rottnest Island. It's a small island off Perth that was a prison for dissident Aborigines then a summer camp then a military outpost during the Second World War and again a holiday destination. It's especially famous for its population of quokkas, cute little marsupials who seem to smile up on their little hind legs. They are therefore perfect for selfies-quokka (art in which Seb excels :) ).

Back on the mainland, we head north along the coast to the second leg of the trip: Shark Bay. As usual, we often stop on the way because the road is very long. Kangaroos, sandboarding (snowboarding on sand dunes), pinnacles desert and red-colored cliffs punctuate the journey.

As its name suggests, Shark Bay has sharks, but also dolphins, dugongs and manta rays ... Unfortunately, we have not seen anything like that. However the most abundant animal in Shark Bay is the fly. There are plenty of them, everywhere, they land on your face, come in your eyes, your ears, your mouth and your nose. It is extremely annoying but fortunately, they do not sting and disappear at sunset.

Further north, we come close to the coral reef of Ningaloo and, on the program, snorkeling! The beaches have idyllic names like the aquarium or Coral Bay. Still healthy, the coral reef is brimming with life! In addition to millions of fish of all shapes and colors, we have seen rays, turtles, cuttlefish, lobsters and giant sea snails [you must believe us on the word, we have no underwater camera]. Ningaloo is also famous for its whale shark population. Still amongst the wish list, we praise ourselves with a very memorable day swimming with these gentle giants.

After three weeks, Seb has to leave us already to return to the flat country. We move away from the coast for the inland to go volunteering with Nic and Scottie friends. Now we are fully prepared to welcome you on board of the Mentos ! ;)