So the next installment of our travels along/ on / mostly in or under the Ningaloo Coast is here, Coral Bay to Exmouth.  And what a time it was.  I’m gonna go out on a limb & state right now that this stretch of coast (the whole of the Ningaloo Coast) has been our favourite of all the Australian Coastline that we have explored so far.  Though it is hard to beat the southern coast of WA (Esperance area), the reef up here just takes everything up a few notches of epicness.  The marine life, the fishing, the snorkel time, the surf, the warm water & absolutely blissful cloudless days – it has been glorious!  Especially as the reef is reachable from land with only a short ride in our dingy, sometimes no boat even needed, flipper out right from the shore!

It is probably becoming extremely evident that Fred & myself are ocean goers.  We love getting salty. So when it came to deciding whether or not to bring a boat with us on this trip, well it was a no brainer.  And we wouldn’t have it any other way. There is no way we could have explored the reef, enjoyed the fishing & all marine aspects of this coast without it.  It is a 3.75m Savage, with a 15-horse power outboard.  Big enough to fit a man, woman & German Shepherd with all our fishing / diving gear, though still small enough for said man & woman to lift the boat on & off the roof of Perry (our Nissan Patrol).

Coral Bay’s name says it all.  It’s a bay & it is jam packed full or coral!  I’m talking there is 1 designated channel that you follow in & out of the whole bay (it’s a big bay) otherwise you’d be hitting reef left right & center.  Protected by the outer reef from the swell, it makes for some really fun snorkeling.

We were so lucky to have caught up with our long time friends & fellow nomads Ronnie & Nadia while we were here.  Shout out to you legends!!  They had come down from Exmouth & brought a bigger boat with them so we could all head out on the water together for a few days.  And that we did.  Though it was pretty windy for the trip we still managed a few snorkels.  Nadia & Ronnie were lucky enough to even score a swim with a manta ray! (Fred & I were soaking up the sun on the beach, whoops!).  We dived at a known “shark cleaning station” but unfortunately didn’t see any sharks 😦 .  A few turtles & an anemone fish (like a Nemo but not quite the same colours) were the highlights amongst the pretty reef.

The small township of Coral Bay was ridiculously busy, school holiday crowds at its finest.  We would advise visiting at almost any other time of year, for a more peaceful experience.  Though the Sunday sesh at Bill’s Bistro was pretty cool, drinking fruit filled Pimms & listening to the local take off of Elton John.

Ningaloo Station was our next stop.  Located only 50 k’s up the road from Coral Bay & just 20 k south of Yardie Creek.  We spent 5 days camped in the dunes at Billie’s Point, exploring Lefroy Bay & it’s surrounds.  Unfortunately the wind was relentless almost the whole time.  Howling offshore, with a bit of swell rolling too makes for not so fun tinny time :-(.  Though we still attempted everyday, (Fred thought it was a waste not attempting fishing at least once each day).

After 3 days of howling winds we decided to try our luck with a dawny trip out past the reef before the winds picked right up.  FINALLY, our trawling efforts paid off.  I reeled in my first Spanish Mackerel :-).  The next few mornings, dawn patrol for Mackerel before the wind got too strong was the go.

Besides fishing & beaching we also went on a few road trips exploring the rest of Ningaloo Station.  Yardie Creek, north of us & inside Cape Range National Park was beautiful!  We did the hike along the edge of the creek, a few tourists around but still amazing.  The old lighthouse ruins to the south of us were also pretty cool.

Once we reached Exmouth as well as having a general look around, we ventured up to the top of Cape Range to get a look at all the canyons & gorges it has to offer.  Such a humbling place up there.  We also travelled back into Cape Range National Park to visit the famous Turquoise Bay & Oyster Stacks for some pristine beaching & snorkeling time.

On Fred’s last day before heading back to work, mother nature gave up the goods.  A sunny, windLESS day :-).  So as you could guess we launched the tinny & headed out for a fish & dive.  Between dodging the humpback whales we found some very special friends to swim alongside.  We had to take turns, one of us in the water swimming with the Mantas, one in the boat steering.  They were so big & majestic, just slowly cruising along.  Amaze balls really!

And so now the pirate has headed back to his ship, & I am hanging out here in Exmouth for the next month.

Until next time friends.

Xo

 

First stop along the Ningaloo Coast World Heritage Area was Red Bluff & Gnaraloo Stations; known best for their world-renowned left hand reef breaks.  Less known for their highly corrugated bumpy as all hell roads, bound to throw all your neatly stored items allllll over the inside of your caravan.  We have gotten pretty good at tying the cupboards shut but our skills were no match for these roads!  A place where the desert literally meets the sea.  Baron red, dusty plains with the occasional dead shrub & bounding goat covers as far as you can see right up to the cliff tops, which are then met with pristine white beaches & a beautiful turquoise ocean.  It’s pretty breathtaking.

 

Besides the surf & desert Gnaraloo also boasts wonderful coral reefs for snorkeling, loads of tasty fish in the sea to keep your belly full & a wealth of other marvelous marine life.  We surfed twice a day everyday while we stayed here.  The frothing grommets inside us really burst to life when there’s a long, fun left hand reef rolling through.  Especially when it’s in water warm enough not to have to wear 3 inches of rubber & a coral bottom pretty enough that between sets you can peek under your board watching all the colourful fishies swim by.  Not to mention the continuous stream of humpback whales surfacing & breaching out the back, behind the breakers.  More magic moments for the brain bank.

 

We have a rule of whoever returns from the surf first gets to take some snaps of the surrounds & of course the surf.  I’ll let you decide who can never quite get that ‘last wave’ in by the photos below… 😉

 

From here on up we have stayed on “Stations”.  They are privately owned homesteads / turned tourist destinations.  They allow dogs, which has been great for us!  Mostly they provide you with a fee, a map of the area, some highly corrugated roads for accessing the coast & some dirt for you to call camp.  If you luck out you might find one with a toilet or shower block but this seems to be becoming a rarity.  We have had to invest in a chemical toilet (a porta-potty).  It is nothing but gross.  As Fred says, “I’ll just wait ‘til the cover of darkness when I can take my shovel & bog roll into the dunes”!!!  We did break out the solar shower recently, once the salt on our skin had reached maximum crust levels.  A very handy piece of equipment!

 

Warroora Station is just north of Gnaraloo Station & just below Coral Bay.  Our week spent here was pretty great & also pretty chilled out.  Fred anchored the tinny off the beach in front of 14 Mile camp & it didn’t come out of the water all week.  Everyday here we have been out to the reef fishing & snorkeling twice a day.  When we weren’t out on the water we were beach exploring & shell collecting with Barney.  (Mothership you would be jealous of all the cowrie shells!).  We also had a fair bit of down time waiting on the wind & tide some days.  To get us through we played A LOT of board games, as well as stared day dreaming at the map of Australia glued to our ceiling, ATE too many treats & generally went mildly insane tinkering around creating our own entertainment.  There has been zero reception for 99% of the time.  Kind of great, we have had to remember what being bored feels like!!

 

Fishing out on the reef we were mainly catching Spangled Emperor, Golden Trevally & the dreaded cod.  Our trawling efforts out in the deeper waters unfortunately didn’t pay off.  Though we did spot some more dolphins & lots of turtles.  Next time big fish, next time!!  The reef was amazing to dive.  Bursting with life & colour.  Ningaloo is most definitely living up to it’s reputation so far, & I feel like from here on up we are just going to get blown further away.

 

During our snorkel times so far on the reef we have met quite a few of the local residents.  It’s always a nice though sometimes startling surprise when you’re swimming along checking under all the coral shelves & you run into a sting ray or a shark!  A few photos below!

 

Here’s to keeping on north, toward Coral Bay & Exmouth.  Stay tuned!!

Xo