Well IOU a number of reports so here goes 1 of 3.

With a week to go to Easter, we decided it was a good idea to go camping...but where? The monday of the week before, I called up Lynton station and managed to get a couple of nights at the station with the plan to be there until easter monday and then work our way home. 

With a new lithium battery in the car, I was keen to trial our planned sleeping arrangement for our Ningaloo station trip mid year (just gone). The plan was for the kids in a newly purchased Black Wolf turbo 300 tent with the gear (and the dog) and my wife and I in a swag. 

We arrived at the station on Friday around 3 ish and were met with all of the fly's in the mid west and a warning that there were a few mice about. As we didnt require power or water, we were pointed to a spot off to the side of the main driveway and unloaded the car. Now joining the fly's were all of the double g's in the mid west. At least we could have a fire. 

We set up and took the boat out to Port Gregory at around 4:30 which is around 6 minutes away simply to try out our beach launching capabilities. Beach was hard which was easy and upon launching, we chatted with a couple of people alongside who showed us a coral trout they managed to get just outside the enterance in 20m on a bit of squid. 

We stayed on the water for an hour or so dragging a couple of twisties around with no interest and after finding some shallow spots headed back to the car to head back to camp for tea.

The next day, the swell was picking up and the southerly was pumping so we launched mid morning (to get away from the fly's) and sent the boat out over some weed to get some squid. 

We managed to get nothing over weed but drifted over sand and managed a couple. Enough for a feed. Time to trawl some soft plastics alongside the reef to look for anything interested and the young bloke managed to get a couple of charlie court. I didnt know what they were at the time so we put them back. Enough to get us excited. We saw a bit of a bust up just outside the enterance but being in a 4m boat with 2.5m of swell and 1.5m of slop, my alterntaitive decision (wife) decided we werent going out there). 

Back in, i thought i would jump in for a cray swim but just as I threw the ladder in, looked back to see a jumbo squid just sitting off the back of the boat. Threw the nearest jig in and wam bam, we had a decent squid.

Blake and I had a swim but found it to be pretty baron with plenty of broken coral. A few small baldies an not much else. 

We were back at camp for lunch and contended with fly's for lunch.

We next took the boat out in Kalbarri and enjoyed the 11cm of vixibility in the chocolate river, venturing to the nirthern bank and strolling up the coast admiring the waves which were perticularly massive. 

Keen to move away from the fly's double g's and mice, which had woken us up chewing on the paper on the mozzie coil tin, we headed to Cliff Head for a night and managed to get a pretty good spot close to the water. Bit too weedy where we were for a fish but it is nice to see the improvements they have made there.

Last stop on the trip was two nights in Cervantes. $70 for 17sqm was pretty rough but hey, considering I booked on Tuesday for Wednesday and Thursday nights in the second week of the holidays, I will take it. 

For years I have wanted to get out on a boat in Cervantes, we finally had the oppertunity. We headed west to wards the islands but got belted by the south easterly so headed in towards the coast to kangaroo point. Managed a couple of squid before heading out to some reef and throwing some tantalising pieces of bait down hoping for rumoured Dhuies but didnt get a touch. Contemplated a swim for some crays but the water was filthy and a bit too sharky. Ella had a great nap on the boat on the way back in. Quite inconvenient but if your kids tired, best to let her sleep...

Squid in the gas cooker on the tailgate on the sand spit at Cervantes was good while the kids played.

Almost forgot to mention that we had a squiz at Horrocks for easter morning but it was drizzling and there wasnt a whole lot of beach. We drove up to Little Bay for a look at a prospective camp site and it looked pretty good. A mate happened to arrive the next day for a few and got a mulloway and some tailor...along with 43 mice (in traps) out of his car after the trip. 

Certainly plenty of potential at all spots given the right conditions. 

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