By this Author: KobusM

We have arrived back in Fremantle and have come to the end of our almost 14 month long Big Lap of Australia and wish to post this last page on our blog. It has been a once in a lifetime experience with many highlights and adventures.

We started preparations in Fremantle at the end of February 2012 and departed on 18 March 2012 travelling towards the Coral Coast in the north of Western Australia to enjoy Ningaloo Reef. We loved the Kimberley with its vast remoteness, magnificent gorges and stunning waterfalls. Purnululu and the remote Mitchell Falls were highlights in their own right. The Top End in Northern Territory was also special with Arnhem Land, the extremely remote Cobourg Peninsula and parts of Kakadu the highlights. From the very top of NT we travelled south to the Red Center to visit the iconic Uluru, Kata Tjuta and Kings Canyon. We paid a short visit to Southern Australia travelling through Coober Pedy and around Lake Eyre to Queensland on the Oodnadata and Birdsville tracks. We spent almost four months in Queensland and the highlights were Cape York Peninsula and Fraser Island, where we also met our most serious challenges on rough tracks, deep river crossings and boggy sand dunes. My diving trips to the Coral Sea, the Great Barrier Reef and to the Yongala were unforgettable. Our four day trip to Heron Island was also memorable and a nice break from camping. We visited dense rainforests and hiked the highest mountain in Australia in New South Wales after paying short visits to the other two territories, Jervis Bay and the Capital. In Victoria we visited family and many coastal delights like Phillip Island and Wilsons Prom. The seven week visit to Tasmania was a big highlight with its rugged west coast, remote south-west wilderness, remote Bruny Island, idyllic east coast, especially the Bay of Fires, and the magnificent Cradle Mountain in the center. South Australia’s southern highlights were Kangaroo Island, Coffin Bay and the Flinders Ranges. On the last leg of our tour we crossed the endless Nullarbor, enjoyed stunning Lucky Bay in Cape Le Grand National Park after camping on our piece of land we own in Esperance. We finally arrived back in Fremantle on 15 April 2013 after a brief visit to the stunning Stirling Range.

It was a great privilege and an exciting adventure to explore a whole continent and some of its major islands and I must admit, Australia’s diverse landscapes, vast wilderness areas and stunning beaches pleasantly surprised us. This is a beautiful country!

We travelled 43,000 kilometers with only one flat tyre and absolutely no problems with the Land Cruiser, except for having to replace the fuel filter myself in the Kimberley. The Quantum was the ideal camper for the trip and served us well, especially where it mattered the most in remote sites and on rough off-road tracks. We camped at 163 places and visited 118 national parks and conservation areas.

This blog got more than 110,000 views and we want to thank all our subscribers and everybody that commented on the blog entries and photos. It was nice and encouraging to receive comments and compliments along the way.

The time has come to get back into mainstream life and we will settle somewhere south of Perth with both of us hopefully getting jobs soon.

I have chosen a few photos of us having fun to enhance the final blog entry.

Thank you and goodbye!

Northernmost point of Australia at Cape York, Queensland

Washing day in the bush, Cape Range National Park, WA

Red Dog and Lorraine at Dampier, WA

Framed at Middle Lagoon, Dampier Peninsula, WA

Kimberley Beef Burger at Drysdale River, Kimberley, WA

Swimming at Tjaynera Falls, Litchfield National Park, NT

Golden Snapper at Cobourg Peninsula at the top of the NT

Coral trout in Garig Gunak Barlu, NT

Coober Pedy Old Timers Mine

Greg and I on the Great Barrier Reef

Friendly Alexandrine Parrot

Me in my favourite position on the Great Barrier Reef

On top of Australia at Mt Koscuiszko

The End of the Road in Tasmania

Remarkable Rocks in South Australia

Welcome back to WA! Nullarbor

Our last stop before returning to Fremantle was the spectacular Stirling Range National Park. I have always maintained that the mountains on the Australian mainland were not as spectacular as in South Africa, but after visiting the Stirling Range I can admit that I was wrong. The mountains are breathtaking and they are reminicent of the Western Cape mountains in South Africa.

We camped in the only campsite in the national park at Moingup Springs where we saw the biggest flock of Black Cockotoos that we have seen so far. We hiked halfway up the highest peak, Bluff Knoll, to enjoy the panoramic views of the peak and the other peaks in the range in the distance.

This was a nice conclusion of our trip and we will return to Fremantle almost 13 months since we departed for our Big Lap of Australia.

Stirling Range

Stirling Range peaks

Black Cockatoos

Mountain flowers

Great views!

Bluff Knoll

Bluff Knoll track

Bluff Knoll lookout

Wild coastal scenery, rugged granite peaks, sweeping heathlands and attractive bays with white sandy beaches set between rocky headlands characterise Cape Le Grand National Park.

Lucky Bay is famed as having one of the most beautiful beaches in the country and it is locally claimed to have the whitest beach in Australia. The same claim is made for Hyams Beach in Cape Jervis. After seeing both my vote goes for Lucky Bay beach as not only the whitest bu the most beautiful as well.

Lucky Bay was discovered by Matthew Flinders when he sailed into a storm in the hazardous Archipelago of the Recherche in January 1802. He found found his ship surrounded by islands and rocks with nightfall coming on. They eventually found shelter in the bay before nightfall which he named Lucky Bay.

Thistle Bay around the corner is named after Flinders' ship's Master who drowned at Memory Cove in South Australia. The next bay, Hellfire Bay is a good contender for the second best beach in Australia.

From Lucky Bay we will travel back to Esperance and then on to Stirling Range National Park as our last stop on our 14 month tour of Australia.

Lucky Bay

Lucky Bay kangaroo

Splendid views over Lucky Bay

Source of the Lucky Bay campground water

Whitest beach in Australia

Northern lookout over Lucky Bay

Friendly visitors

Crystal clear water

Frenchman Peak

Thistle Cove

Hellfire Bay

Whispering Rock

Esperance is a beach and nature-lover's dream and is blessed with squeaky-clean beaches, turquoise waters, untouched islands and a pink lake. The town itself was named after a French ship, the Espérance, commanded by Bruni d'Entrecasteaux (Bruny Island in Tasmania is named after him) who visited here in 1792.

We own a piece of land on West Beach and used the opportunity to camp on it for a few days. We had to get permission from the local council to do so and the neighbours didn't seem to mind that we were there. Twilight Beach is just around the corner and it was voted best beach in Australia in 2006. Further along the Great Ocean Drive is Blue Haven, Nine Mile Beach and Ten Mile Lagoon, all stunning beaches with huge Southern Ocean waves breaking onto the shore.

From Esperance we will travel east to Cape Le Grand National Park to camp at the famous Lucky Bay.

Our property on West Beach

West Beach

Twilight Beach

Ten Mile Lagoon

Southern Ocean views

Blue Haven

9 Mile Beach

Pink Lake

West Beach

Crossing The Nullarbor is one of Australia's most iconic road trips. The Nullarbor Plain is part of the area of flat, almost treeless, arid or semi-arid country of southern Australia, located on the Great Australian Bight coast with the Great Victoria Desert to its north. It is the world’s largest limestone karst landscape covering an area of 270,000 square km. Nullarbor literally means 'no trees'.

From Fowlers Bay we travelled west through the Nullarbor and our first stop was in the Nullarbor National Park just short of the Western Australian border where we walked down to the coastline to observe the Head of Bight and the start of the Bunda Cliffs. We continued west and camped on the awesome Bunda Cliffs overlooking the Great Australian Bight. The sheer Bunda Cliffs extend for around 200 km along the Great Australian Bight and are between 60 and 80 meters high.

The next day we crossed the border from South Australia into Western Australia (WA) and we made sure that we have used all our fresh fruit and vegetables as the quarantine laws are strictly enforced by WA. We also had to change our clocks back 2.5 hours because WA is not on daylight savings time. This relatively big time change was easy to adjust to, as now suddenly the sun set at 16:30 instead of 19:00 and sunrise is at 6:00 and not 8:30. Finally, after almost 11 months we were back in WA!

The road crossing the Nullarbor is long with lots of long straight stretches. From Caiguna to Balladonia is the longest straight road in Australia, all 145,6 km of it. Our second stop was at a rest area on this 90 Mile Road, 50 kilometers east of Balladonia. We briefly stopped in Balladonia to refill and to look at the Skylab debris that crashed here and in the Shire of Esperance in 1979. The Shire of Esperance facetiously fined NASA A$400 for littering, a fine which remained unpaid for 30 years. The fine was paid in April 2009, when radio show host Scott Barley of Highway Radio raised the funds from his morning show listeners and paid the fine on behalf of NASA.

From Balladonia we took a 'short cut' to Esperance along a 200 km 4WD track which proved to be shorter in distance but not in time. The track was very rough and corrugated for most of the distance, but two interestingly decorated gates allowed nice breaks in the journey.

We have now arrived in Esperance after travelling 1,140 kilometers along the Nullabor from Fowlers Bay and will stay here for a few days, camping on the piece of land that we own on West Beach.

Nullarbor Plain

Head of the Bight

Eastern end of Bunda Cliffs

Bunda Cliffs

Bunda Cliffs camping

Awesome Bunda Cliffs campsite

Camels, Wombats and Kangaroos

WA-SA Border Village

Welcome back!

90 Mile Straight Road

90 Mile Road camp

Skylab debris

Balladonia Road gate

From Streaky Bay we continued our trip around the Great Australian Bight and drove past Smoky Bay and through Ceduna on our way to Fowlers Bay.

Situated on the edge of the Nullabor, the small township of Fowlers Bay nestles at the waters edge against a spectacular backdrop of magnificent towering sand dunes. It was in the sand dunes at Fowlers Bay that, in 1840, Edward John Eyre set up his base camp before setting out on his epic overland journey of exploration to Albany in Western Australia.

European discovery of the Fowler's Bay coastline was made in 1627 by Captain Francois Thyssen, the Dutch commander of the Gulden Zeepard. In 1802 Matthew Flinders made detailed nautical charts of the area in the sloop HMS Investigator. Flinders named the Fowler's Bay in honour of his First Lieutenant, Robert Fowler.

We took a drive over the sand dunes to the rugged coastline and along Scott Beach. We saw a blue tongued skink in the dunes that was exposed enough for me to take a few photos of him.

From here we travelled west accross the vast Nullabor to Western Australia.

Fowlers Bay jetty

Seaweed on Fowlers Bay beach

Sand dunes next to Fowlers Bay

Rugged coastline

Fantastic Views

Building a cairn

Blue tongued skink

From Coffin Bay we started our trip around the Great Australian Bight and our first stop was at Streaky Bay.

Streaky Bay is a small picturesque town of approximately 1000 people. The town itself serves the local wheat farming community and a significant fishing industry specialising in crayfish (lobsters), abalone and shark.

The first European to sight the area was Dutch explorer Pieter Nuyts, in 1627. in the Golden Zeepaard. In 1802 Matthew Flinders named Streaky Bay whilst on his voyage in the Investigator. He describes in his log that the water was discoloured in Streaks...and therefore named in Straky Bay. It is now known thought these streaks are caused by the release of oils by certain species of seaweed in the bay.

We camped on the beach at Streaky Bay Foreshore Holiday Park and enjoyed the views of the bay and their seafood in the local restaurant.

Our next stop is at Fowlers Bay at the edge of the Nullabor.

Streaky Bay campsite

Streaky Bay

We left Memory Cove one day earlier than planned to secure a campsite in Coffin Bay National Park over the Easter weekend. We stopped in the Coffin Bay village to buy some of the famous Coffin Bay oysters and they are delicious for less than a dollar an oyster!

In the Coffin Bay National Park the 13 km 4WD track from Yangie Bay to the Black Springs campsite is extremely rough and very sandy in places. Although we deflated all six tyres we still got bogged down in soft sand on the track next to Lake Jessie. The set of MaxTrax that I bought in Tasmania came in handy and after a few attempts we got ourselves unbogged and managed to get over the sand dune without getting stuck again. It took us an hour and a half to complete the 13 kilometers.

We found a marvelous, secluded campsite in Black Springs on top of a limestone cliff with spectacular views of the tranquil waters of Port Douglas and Coffin Bay. Coffin Bay National Park offers some of the most spectacular coastal scenery in South Australia, ranging from high windswept cliffs, massive sand dunes, limestone pavements with sheoaks and black tea trees to long white beaches and sheltered waters. The bay is home to many dolphins and seabirds and the campsite was visited by Gallahs (Rose-breasted Cockatoos), Australian Ringnecks and a curious wallaby.

Coffin Bay was discovered by Lieutenant Matthew Flinders and his crew in the HMS Investigator on the 6th February 1802, a few weeks before the disaster at Memory Cove. Flinders, after his return to England in 1810, named the Bay after a friend Sir Isaac Coffin.

This is certainly one of the best campsites we have stayed in on our Big Lap. It only offers a pit toilet in terms of facilities but the remoteness and the stunning views made it a very special place to spend a few days.

We explored the rest of the Coffin Bay National Park during our stay of four days. The rough and sandy 4WD track north of Black Springs includes a nice drive on 7 Mile Beach and then 5 kilometers to get to the southern side of the peninsula to Sensation Beach. We saw young guys who crashed into rocks whilst driving on the beach at night, clearly at speed and probably under the influence. Their 4WD was wrecked with all four tyres slashed, two rims mangled badly and the steering busted. An expensive lesson!

From Coffin Bay we will start our 1,800 kilometer journey around the Great Australian Bight to get back to Western Australia.

Bogged again!

Black Springs campsite

Views from our Black Springs campsite

Moonrise over Port Douglas, Coffin Bay

Gallah

Sunset

Tranquil Port Douglas waters

Visiting Skippy

Australian Ringneck

Sensation Beach

Track from Sensation Beach

7 Mile Beach

7 Mile Beach lunch

Why you should not drive on a beach at night

Trying to fish

Memory Cove Wilderness Protection Area is situated inside the Lincoln National Park in the southernmost point on the Eyre Peninsula. Memory Cove is an isolated, tranquil bay just north of Cape Catastrophe, bordered by vast expanses of mallee, and granite outcrops. The white sandy beach between the park's densely vegetated headlands provides shelter and makes Memory Cove an ideal camping site. To maintain the special wilderness qualities of this area, access to Memory Cove is limited to 15 vehicles a day (although we only saw less than 5) and a gate key is required to access the area and camp in one of the five campsites. We had to pick up the permit and the key from Port Lincoln Information Center and took the opportuinty to have lunch there and to buy some seafood in the seafood capital of Australia.

The 30 kilometer 4WD track to Memory cove was rough but rewarded us with sweeping views of Cape Catastrophe, Curta Rocks and the offshore islands. We saw kangaroos and emus on the way.

Memory Cove was named by Matthew Flinders in memory of eight of his sailors that drowned here after their small boat capsized here in 1802. The wreck of the boat was found but their bodies were never recovered. Matthew Flinders commanded the HMS Investigator while surveying the rugged coastline of the southern Eyre Peninsula. He anchored here on 22 February 1802 and sent two of his senior men, John Thistle and William Taylor, with six other crew members in a small cutter to look for water on the peninsula when disaster struck. Flinders named the offshore islands after these sailors and Cape Catastrophe after the disaster.

We saw many birds that we have not seen before and pelicans also liked to feed in the protected bay. Approximately 30 meters along the rocky shoreline at the right hand of the beach is an engraving 4ft^ in the granite that marks the spot which was the Whalers Post Office where messages where left by crew of early whalers for other boats to collect.

The scenic lookout at Cape Catastrophe is locally known as ‘Ivy’s Leap’ after a local tour operator which parked his vehicle here but the handbrake failed and it rolled forward plunging over the cliff. Luckily no one was in the vehicle at the time.

From here we travelled to the western side of the Eyre Pensinsula to camp in the Coffin Bay National Park.

Port Lincoln foreshore

Lookout at Curta Rocks

Cape Catastrophe

Track to Memory Cove

Memory Cove

Memory Cove campsite

Memory Cove

Painted Button-quail

Pelican

Silvereye

Whalers Post Office

On the way back at Cape Catastrophe

Port Augusta is located at the crossroads of Australia. Its unique geographic position makes it a major service centre for travellers and freight trucks crossing the Nullarbor. In many respects Port Augusta is also the southern gateway to the Northern Territory via the Stuart Highway.

Although we did not plan to stay here according to my original plan, we had to change the plan to stay over to get the Land Cruiser serviced. We have already done 40,000 kilometers!

Located on the western side of Spencer Gulf is the Water Tower Lookout. Port Augusta's Water Tower Lookout offers sweeping views to the east, overlooking Spencer Gulf and the town centre. Originally built in 1882, the water tower provided Port Augusta's residents with a gravity fed water supply.

From Port Augusta we will travel to the southern part of the Eyre Peninsula to camp at Lincoln and Coffin Bay National Parks.

Crossroads

Port Augusta Water Tower

Port Augusta

Rugged mountain ranges, spectacular gorges, sheltered creeks lined with river red gums and abundant wildlife are just some of the attractions that make up the Flinders Ranges. Our first stay was at Mount Remarkable in the Southern Flinders Ranges and we camped at Mambray Creek that has very good facilities for a park campground. However, swarms of flies spoiled our stay and we left after two nights after spending the whole day behind fly screens or inside the Quantum. We then travelled north to Wilpena Pound in the Flinders Ranges National Park and camped there for three days. There were almost no flies but lots of birds and kangaroos. One kangaroo is clearly spoilt by campers and has lost its natural fear of humans. Last night he grabbed our recycling bag and I had to rescue it in a tug of war which left the bag torn and the contents spilled. I also had to chase it away from the kitchen almost every night.

Wilpena Pound is a natural amphitheater of mountains which is actually a remnant valley floor from an ancient range of mountains that have been eroding away over millions of years. The higher walls of the pound are quartzite, a rock which is very resistant to weathering. Wilpena Pound, including the ranges, is approximately 17km long by 8km wide.

We did two hikes, one to the Aboriginal rock carvings at Sacred Canyon and the other to Arkaroo Rock with its fascinating Aboriginal rock paintings. Aboriginal people have lived in the Flinders Ranges for tens of thousands of years. For the Adnyamathanha - the hills or rock people, the ranges are still of immense cultural significance.

The highlight of our stay was a 30 minute scenic flight over Wilpena Pound. The flight completed a circuit of Wilpena Pound where our pilot pointed out the Heysen Range, Elder Range, Edeowie Gorge, Lake Torrens, Bunyeroo Gorge, Brachina Gorge, St Mary Peak and the Pound Gap. We clearly saw how the Flinders Ranges appear to be a backbone on the landscape.

Tomorrow we will travel back south to Port Augusta to start our tour of the Eyre Peninsula and to get the Land Cruiser serviced.

Isolated mangroves in the Spencer Gulf at low tide with the Southern Flinders in the distance

Grazing kangaroo

Arkaroo Rock Aboriginal paintings

Eroded rocks at Sacred Canyon

Sacred Canyon Aboriginal rock carvings

Sacred Canyon

Wilpena Pound

St Mary Peak in the Heysen Range

Heysen Range

ABC Range

Yellow-throated Miner

From Adelaide we travelled around the St Vincent Gulf and down the Yorke Peninsula (that has the shape of a leg and a big foot) to camp at Cable Bay in the Innes National Park on the southern tip of the peninsula.

Innes National Park surprised us with its spectacular coastal landscapes, rugged cliffs and sandy beaches. We drove through the park and enjoyed the sweeping views of the offshore islands and Kangaroo Island from Cape Spencer, views of the wreck of the Ethel, 360 degree views of Pondalowie Bay with South Island from West Cape and the beautiful Dolphin Bay and Browns Beach.

We also visited Inneston, once a booming gypsum-mining town but now abandoned except for some houses that are renovated as guest houses.

From Innes National Park we travelled north up the Yorke Peninsula to visit the Flinders Ranges in the South Australian outback.

Cable Bay

Cable Bay camp

Chinamans Hat

Inneston ruins

Inneston Lake

Inneston Cricket Ground

Cape Spencer

Cape Spencer Lighthouse

Pomdalowie Bay

South Island and Middle Island in Pondalowie Bay

Dolphin Beach

Wreck of the Ethel

West Cape

From Kangaroo Island we took the ferry from Penneshaw back to Cape Jervis and travelled to Adelaide where we stayed in the Adelaide Shores Caravan Park on West Beach. We also had to get the Quantum's brake linings replaced whilst in Adelaide. They took a beating on the steep, winding roads in the Australian Alps and in Tasmania.

Adelaide, the capital of South Australia, is also known as the "city of churches". There are many churches in the city and a number of them have been incorporated into the campus of the Adelaide University. Rundle Street has many buildings with interesting architecture and lots of restaurants and bars. We also visited the seaside suburb of Glenelg which is the site of South Australia's original mainland settlement in 1836. The very first settlement in South Australia was in Kingscote, Kangaroo Island.

We did a day trip to Barossa Valley to sample some of the best wines in the world. There are so many vineyards to choose from but we settled for the famous Jacob's Creek and three others, Grant Burge, Two Hands and Hentley Farm. Most specialise in Shiraz and the absolute best was 'The Beast' Shiraz at Hentley Farms.

From Adelaide we will travel around the St Vincent Gulf and down to the southern tip of the Yorke Peninsula to camp at Cable Beach in the Innes National Park.

Adelaide

Rundle Street architecture

Adelaide University campus

WWI Memorial

St Francis Xavier Cathedral

St Peter's Cathedral

Glenelg

Pioneer settlers memorial in Glenelg

Immigrant statue

Jacob's Creek visitor center

Jacob's Creek

Barossa Valley

Hentley Farm Wines

From the Coorong we travelled over the Murray River by vehicle ferry (free service) to Wellington and on to Victor Harbour and Cape Jervis to take the Sealink vehicle ferry over to Kangaroo Island, which is Australia's third-largest island, after Tasmania and Melville Island.

Our first stop was at the Cape Gantheaume Conservation Park which covers the wild windswept Cape Gantheaume Peninsula on the southernmost point of Kangaroo Island. It stretches from D’Estrees Bay in the east to Seal Bay in the west, and inland to Murray Lagoon. We camped at the peaceful, unspoiled and remote D’Estrees Bay on Wreckers Beach, which is home to a few endangered hooded plovers.

From D'Estrees Bay we travelled north to Kingscote, which is the largest town on the island, albeit with a population of only 1,700. Kingscote is South Australia's oldest European settlement and is a lovely little town these days with lots of pelicans close to the jetty and in the bay. The main reason for staying in Kingscote was to dive with leafy sea dragons and this is covered by a separate entry to this blog.

From Kingscote we travelled across the island to the west to camp in the famous Flinders Chase National Park for four nights. We camped at West Bay which is on the far western side of the park and we had to travel 22 kilometers of a severely corrugated road from the visitors center to get there. This secluded campground is set within a stunning coastal landscape, a short walk from the tranquil West Bay. The presence of resident kangaroos, wallabies and annoying possums makes it a real bush camping experience. We did a day trip down to Remarkable Rocks (which are really remarkable) and to Cape du Couedic with its large colony of New Zealand fur seals and the amazing Admirals Arch.

From Flinders Chase we travelled across the island to the eastern side to camp at Antechamber Bay in the Lashmar Conservation Park. On the way we stopped for lunch at the stunning Vivonne Bay with its crystal clear waters. The campground at Antechamber Bay is next to the tranquil Chapman River which attracks many birds including black swans, pelicans and Australian white ibis.

We also took the opportunity to taste some Dudley Wines whilst in the area and visited their celllar door which has magnificent views of the Backstairs Passage and the mainland. Their wines are delicious and we decided to stay for a bucket of prawns and a couple of glasses of white wine.

Our final night on Kangaroo Island will be spent in the small seaside town of Penneshaw. Tomorrow morning we will take the 05:30 ferry from Penneshaw across the Backstairs Passage to the mainland and travel from Cape Jervis to Adelaide. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay on Kangaroo Island.

SeaLink ferry to Kangaroo Island

Wreckers Beach

Hooded plovers

D'Estrees Bay

Cape Gantheaume Conservation Park

West Bay, Flinders Chase National Park

West Bay rock

West Bay campsite

Remarkable Rocks

Remarkable Rocks

Remarkable Rocks

Remarkable Rocks

New Zealand fur seals

Shortnose Echidna

KI Kangaroo

Flinders Chase National Park

Admirals Arch

Vivonne Bay

Vivonne Bay Jetty

Antechamber Bay

Chapman River

Australian White Ibis

Antechamber Bay

Backstairs Passage view from Dudley Wines

Dudley wine and prawns

We are on Kangaroo Island and I took the opportunity to do two dives from Kingscote. The first was at Western River Cove about an hour drive from Kingscote. The underwater scenery was quite different from the tropical waters that I normally dive in. The water temperature was not too cold (22^oC) and I saw several fish that I have not seen before.

The second dive was under the Kingscote jetty, looking for Leafy Sea Dragons. We found three, one adult and two juveniles. They are my favourite small underwater creatures and the first time I saw them in the wild. The name is derived from the appearance, with long leaf-like protrusions coming from all over the body. These protrusions are not used for propulsion; they serve only as camouflage. As with seahorses, the male leafy seadragon cares for the eggs. The female produces up to 250 bright pink eggs, then deposits them on to the male's tail via a long tube.

Leafy Sea Dragon

Juvenile Leafy Sea Dragon

Surgeon fish

Nudibrach

Yellowtail Leatherjack

Horseshoe Leatherjacket

Cuttle fish