We were not quite sure what Eighty Mile Beach had in store for us other than a 9KM dirt access road. Sandy and quite heavily rutted at that but it’s something we’re becoming accustomed too up here in the Kimberley along with all the red dust.

Several narrow gates protect the livestock from drifting onto the highway, which means someone, ie. Catherine needs to jump into the dust to hold the gate open as I drive carefully through. Several raised ridges covering underground pipes also need negotiating… s l o w l y. As we were braking for one of the ridges an alarming grating sound from under the car made itself noticed. And then again at the next one. No obvious reason why – we had the suspension set for high-clearance, which would easily take the front of the car clear of any obstacles, which there weren’t. It hasn’t occurred since but we have since discovered a scrape on the underside plastic trim.

The last push of the road brings you to the top of a hill and all of a sudden on went the brakes. Sat right before us was the most incredible view. Not just green grass, which we hadn’t seen for a while, but the most perfectly coloured ocean. Deep blue in the distance and vivid turquoise towards the brilliant white beach fringed with palm trees. We decided right then and there that we liked this place… a lot.

Parking our caravan wasn’t the easiest experience, our allocated site was too small really and a large hump by the roadway meant unhitching required the full extension of the air suspension to free the car from the van. Still, we were parked close to our good friends, which meant Happy Hour was always close by. We were all eager to see the ocean up close, which was accessed by a very sturdy raised deck and steps complete with seats and a tiered stand. Clearly this was a popular spot to watch the setting sun.

As for the beach, we don’t think we’ve ever seen so many shells. The majority of the ‘sand’ is crushed shells, which get finer as you walk closer to the water until it becomes almost powder. It’s this very fine sand and and shallow water that is responsible for the stunning colours we saw as we first took sight of the ocean.

The beach is a native turtle breeding ground and access along the shore by 4WD vehicles is soon to be blocked to prevent the sand from being compacted by the heavy vehicles. Not only do the newly hatched turtles struggle to break through the hard sand but they also struggle to climb over the ridges created by tyres.

Someday in the future we would love to return to watch the hatchlings make their way to the beach. Actually we’d be happy to return at any time.

Eighty Miles?

The beach continues on for many miles in both directions, expectedly 80-miles in total but no. It was originally named Ninety Mile Beach but that title had already been claimed by a beach in South Australia. And so through no sense of logic whatsoever it was changed to Eighty Mile Beach. Clever eh? Well, no again – if you would care to measure it, it is actually 140-miles long!

Beach Fishing

Sharing the very high tides of the North Western shoreline, Eighty Mile Beach is a big draw for fishermen on the fast rising incoming tides. All along the beach you will sea fishing rods casting beyond the waves for whatever comes along.

While we were there Blue Nose Salmon appeared to be quite popular, a tasty white-fleshed fish with its eyes located further forward than looks natural. Our friends spent several days feeding them before eventually snagging one for dinner.

Shark!!

A small shark made its way onto the beach but closer inspection showed it had a large chunk of it chewed away by something much larger than itself.

And a Stoke’s sea snake washed up and struggling to get back to the water. We kept well clear, apparently they are one of the grumpiest of sea snakes. And then there were all the birds; kites, oyster catchers, plovers, terns, crested pigeons – the place was alive. Only one thing missing though, and very gladly – rubbish. Not a single bit of waste anywhere along the beach, it truly is pristine.

Whale Spotting

On one of our days wandering along the beach watching all the fishermen I happened to mention to Catherine that I hadn’t yet seen any whales or dolphins. And then, at that second, I spotted a giant splash as a huge Humpback lifted itself halfway out of the water and crashed back into the ocean. And then another and another. And not to be outdone along swam a pod of dolphins through the waves. I still can’t believe it now, they must have heard me. They even appeared in the right order!

Hot afternoons were the perfect time to visit the well-stocked camp shop/cafe for an ice cream as we chatted about the fish that got away and later, during Happy Hour, tales of the ones that got away. Actually Happy Hour wasn’t strictly 60-minutes but would last until our crisps and cheese and biscuits, beer or wine ran out. In Derby where there was little else to do it could be stretched several hours or more.

Just as fishing is a highly popular activity here, so too is watching the sunset into the Indian Ocean from the tiered seats overlooking the bay. And if that coincides with Happy Hour, as it did for us, often, then all the better.

There is so much more we could describe about this wonderful place but you really have to be here to see it and experience it for yourself. It is one of our most favourite destinations on our Big Lap so far. We’ll be sad when we head out on the dirt road again but will stop to take one last look of that stunning ocean view before heading off towards our next adventure.