ningaloo coast
Strap yourselves in! This one is a biggy! There is just so much beauty along this coastline which spans more than 300kms and covers 604,500 hectares!
We loved our time at Shark Bay so it was bittersweet to leave, but knowing we were about to spend the next few weeks exploring the Ningaloo Coast made it better! We stayed are a variety of campgrounds including free, low cost and caravan parks from Point Quobba to Exmouth. To make it a little easier to navigate, all of the information is below:
Point quobba
This campground was great for an overnighter! Unfortunately since our stay, council have now made it a low cost camp to help with the upkeep of the campground. You could stay longer if you wanted but with a long awaited national park booking further up the coast, one night was plenty for us. We took the touristy snapshot with the King Waves Kill sign, visited the Quobba Blowholes in the afternoon then watched sunset with a piña colada in hand. Watching the lighthouse shine its light across the clear sky was something quite mindful to watch. Our warriors just sat in awe as the light beamed across the dunes.
Before we left the following morning, we went for a snorkel at The Aquarium. This place was thriving with marine life! The fish were plentiful and vibrant and we even saw a rare bottlenose wedgefish that is a shark-like ray. We acknowledge the Yinggarda people who are the traditional custodians of this Country and thank them for sharing the story of Wilyara - The Seagull Man. The island at The Aquarium is Wilyara’s nest which explained the hundreds of seagulls that rested on the beach over there.
Before we left the following morning, we went for a snorkel at The Aquarium. This place was thriving with marine life! The fish were plentiful and vibrant and we even saw a rare bottlenose wedgefish that is a shark-like ray. We acknowledge the Yinggarda people who are the traditional custodians of this Country and thank them for sharing the story of Wilyara - The Seagull Man. The island at The Aquarium is Wilyara’s nest which explained the hundreds of seagulls that rested on the beach over there.
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14 mile
Absolute magic! A week of floating and frolicking around in these pristine waters, along with the tropical fish, turtles, rays and sharks. We practically lived in our togs, had wild salty hair and crushed shell baked to our skin. The water temp was mint! We loved it so much that we extended our stay! We were lucky to have the best of both worlds when it came to our sites. We believe things always happen for a reason so after arriving to our original Site 41 booking to find unauthorized campers randomly set up along the track, the caretaker gave us Site 48, his favourite! A site at the most northern end of the campground, tucked behind the dunes that led to our own patch of the Ningaloo. At night, we had our own private viewing of hundreds of ghost crabs crawling along the sand and all around the dunes of our van. We then moved to Site 28 to be right on the beach and closer to our mates. Our youngest warrior was super stoked to catch his first fish of the trip!
We were most definitely riding the heatwave, arriving to 53 degree weather, something that blew our minds being right on the coast! The rest of the days sat around the forties. The breeze and dew each night made for ideal sleeping conditions. During our stay, we also visited Sandy Point for some more swimming and then continued to the homestead for a few ice-creams! The longest and most unique ice-cream run we have ever done! It required opening boundary gates and calling in on a two-way radio on arrival. The heat also brought some flies but nothing that a 10 year old let loose with a fly swat couldn’t deal with. Hands down one of our best stays to date and the perfect place to celebrate our 100th day on the road. This beautiful Baiyungu Country was a traditional gathering place where many tribes would come to hunt, fish and practise cultural activities. Baiyungu people manage the Nyinggulu Coastal Reserve in partnership with the Department of Biodiversity, Conservations and Attractions.
We were most definitely riding the heatwave, arriving to 53 degree weather, something that blew our minds being right on the coast! The rest of the days sat around the forties. The breeze and dew each night made for ideal sleeping conditions. During our stay, we also visited Sandy Point for some more swimming and then continued to the homestead for a few ice-creams! The longest and most unique ice-cream run we have ever done! It required opening boundary gates and calling in on a two-way radio on arrival. The heat also brought some flies but nothing that a 10 year old let loose with a fly swat couldn’t deal with. Hands down one of our best stays to date and the perfect place to celebrate our 100th day on the road. This beautiful Baiyungu Country was a traditional gathering place where many tribes would come to hunt, fish and practise cultural activities. Baiyungu people manage the Nyinggulu Coastal Reserve in partnership with the Department of Biodiversity, Conservations and Attractions.
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coral bay
Ok, not going to lie, Coral Bay wasn’t quite the seaside mecca we expected it to be. We were on a massive high after 14 Mile so it was always going to be a hard act to follow. We can’t quite pin point why it didn’t jump at us, but for the tiny town that it is, it is quite expensive and very commercialised. It is needed to survive as it is a remote coastal town. We used this stop for a place to deep clean the van, catch up on some life admin and to hibernate in the air-con while the heatwave continued. We stayed three nights but two nights would have been plenty.
In saying that, there were some perks! The Reef Cafe had the most delicious food and a fun seaside vibe! We enjoyed pastas and chicken parmis, and the sunset sangrias went down smoothly on a steamy afternoon. We swam around the bay and continued to watch sunsets over the water, something that never gets old for these east coast dwellers. We took on the sandy and heavily bumpy track to Five Fingers Reef. What a ride! The snorkeling was insane! It was abundant with marine life, and although we didn’t see a turtle, the eagle ray was just as epic. We saw firsthand coral bleaching which occurs when coral expels the algae living within their tissues causing the corals to turn white. This is due to environmental stresses such as rising water temperatures, pollution or changes in salinity. Although the coral is still living, they are at a higher risk of dying. This was sadly tangible evidence of climate change happening right before our eyes. From here, we did have a 2 week break from the coast and headed to Karijini.
In saying that, there were some perks! The Reef Cafe had the most delicious food and a fun seaside vibe! We enjoyed pastas and chicken parmis, and the sunset sangrias went down smoothly on a steamy afternoon. We swam around the bay and continued to watch sunsets over the water, something that never gets old for these east coast dwellers. We took on the sandy and heavily bumpy track to Five Fingers Reef. What a ride! The snorkeling was insane! It was abundant with marine life, and although we didn’t see a turtle, the eagle ray was just as epic. We saw firsthand coral bleaching which occurs when coral expels the algae living within their tissues causing the corals to turn white. This is due to environmental stresses such as rising water temperatures, pollution or changes in salinity. Although the coral is still living, they are at a higher risk of dying. This was sadly tangible evidence of climate change happening right before our eyes. From here, we did have a 2 week break from the coast and headed to Karijini.
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osprey bay
After our visit out to Karijini, we were back to having sandy feet and salty skin, what we know best. We had arrived on the beautiful Country of the Baiyungu, Thalanyji and Yinigurdira peoples. We snagged 4 nights at Osprey Bay, one of the places that is highly competitive to book. As we were having Karijini withdrawals, we chose to visit Yardie Creek before any snorkeling at Cape Range National Park! The red limestone cliffs took us right back but this time it was mixed with deep blues of a salty creek. It is the only permanent water source in the range, fed with both freshwater from Warnangura (Cape Range) and saltwater from thanardi (ocean). The 1.5km Grade 5 walk only took us an hour return. Some navigation of rocks is required but nothing too hectic. After a sweaty walk, we took the opportunity to have a dip in the creek which was rather warm! The creek opens up to the ocean once every 3-4 years.
If you are like us and cherish a quieter campground with less crowds, hit up Bungarra Campground. It’s 1km away from the larger campground at Osprey with only five sites. We stayed on Site 2 and had vast views of the reef breaks. The sites are very generous in size. There are bins, a drop toilet and your own hidden beach, your private patch of the Ningaloo to snorkel without the crowds. It’s only a 15min walk from the campsite via a little sandy track. Behind us were dunes which we dubbed sunset hill. From there you can watch the sun disappear over the reef break while the range behind you was glowing pastel pinks and purples. Bungarra, meaning sand goanna, lived up to its name as we passed one crossing the road. The time had come to cross Yardie Creek and head to some campgrounds on the beach.
We copped some strong winds on the first two days, but then the wind eased so we could enjoy some pleasant evenings under the stars. We visited Oyster Stacks, Turquoise Bay, Lakeside and Yardie Creek. We swam in the crystal blue waters with turtles, reef sharks and plenty of fish! This was also the destination where we celebrated Easter! The outback bunny still delivered the goods!
If you are like us and cherish a quieter campground with less crowds, hit up Bungarra Campground. It’s 1km away from the larger campground at Osprey with only five sites. We stayed on Site 2 and had vast views of the reef breaks. The sites are very generous in size. There are bins, a drop toilet and your own hidden beach, your private patch of the Ningaloo to snorkel without the crowds. It’s only a 15min walk from the campsite via a little sandy track. Behind us were dunes which we dubbed sunset hill. From there you can watch the sun disappear over the reef break while the range behind you was glowing pastel pinks and purples. Bungarra, meaning sand goanna, lived up to its name as we passed one crossing the road. The time had come to cross Yardie Creek and head to some campgrounds on the beach.
We copped some strong winds on the first two days, but then the wind eased so we could enjoy some pleasant evenings under the stars. We visited Oyster Stacks, Turquoise Bay, Lakeside and Yardie Creek. We swam in the crystal blue waters with turtles, reef sharks and plenty of fish! This was also the destination where we celebrated Easter! The outback bunny still delivered the goods!
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north lefroy
Long beach days, clear starry nights, right on the lagoon! We were fully offgrid, no facilities, amenities or phone reception. The digital detox we were yearning for. Our days were spent hanging with with turtles, watching dolphins swim past, floating around on our boards, even observing rays, all directly in front of our site.
About our site, we spontaneously found a spare site one afternoon six months ago. We thought it was a glitch, but to our surprise, the booking was confirmed a few moments later. We scored Site 8 and by looking at the not so trusty National Parks campground map, this site looked like it would be back from the beach and behind the main track. We honestly didn’t mind what site was available, we just wanted to go with the flow and not spend a kazillion mornings waking at 3am to secure a campsite (that website is stressful enough on its own)! To our surprise, we were stoked to arrive to a campsite that was directly beachfront! Ten steps and we were in the water! We even watched turtles popping up for air as we laid in bed each morning. Pinch us!
We visited South Lefroy where more snorkeling was had. The amount of tropical fish at these places amazed us! We also saw a shovel-nose ray that kept lingering on the shore. Once the wind picked up, we decided to head back to our quieter oasis. North Lefroy is less busy with half the number of sites than South Lefroy. Be warned, it can get a little windy which brings in the seaweed, and the sites at the other end of the campground can be dusty.
About our site, we spontaneously found a spare site one afternoon six months ago. We thought it was a glitch, but to our surprise, the booking was confirmed a few moments later. We scored Site 8 and by looking at the not so trusty National Parks campground map, this site looked like it would be back from the beach and behind the main track. We honestly didn’t mind what site was available, we just wanted to go with the flow and not spend a kazillion mornings waking at 3am to secure a campsite (that website is stressful enough on its own)! To our surprise, we were stoked to arrive to a campsite that was directly beachfront! Ten steps and we were in the water! We even watched turtles popping up for air as we laid in bed each morning. Pinch us!
We visited South Lefroy where more snorkeling was had. The amount of tropical fish at these places amazed us! We also saw a shovel-nose ray that kept lingering on the shore. Once the wind picked up, we decided to head back to our quieter oasis. North Lefroy is less busy with half the number of sites than South Lefroy. Be warned, it can get a little windy which brings in the seaweed, and the sites at the other end of the campground can be dusty.
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winderabandi
Wow! Winderabandi definitely lived up to its high expectations! It is one place that gets loads of traction from caravanning influencers and we can see why. The Ningaloo blues in a mostly calm bay. It was the norm to see dolphins, rays and turtles slowly frolicking past. A turtle even popped its head up just in front of the board and continued to swim ahead of it! Froth levels were still high every time we saw a turtle! Something we don’t take for granted. We practically lived in our togs and lazed between the van and the beach.
Don’t get caught up in the buzz around the campsites on the point. Yes, they are awesome sites, but most sites are just as great! We had Site 43 which we again snagged one spontaneous afternoon five months ago, again avoiding a 3am wake up call. It was hidden behind saltbush and had ocean views. That end of the campground is much more quieter as it’s less busy with more scattered campsites, but still just as social and stunning. We enjoyed sunset walks to the point and back, finding the most spectacular shells on the way. The wind visited most mornings but then the rest of the stay was calm, with the small amount of flies paying us a visit. It’s either wind or flies so you just embrace whatever is thrown your way! We weren’t going to stay here in our original plans so we’re stoked that we changed our minds!
Don’t get caught up in the buzz around the campsites on the point. Yes, they are awesome sites, but most sites are just as great! We had Site 43 which we again snagged one spontaneous afternoon five months ago, again avoiding a 3am wake up call. It was hidden behind saltbush and had ocean views. That end of the campground is much more quieter as it’s less busy with more scattered campsites, but still just as social and stunning. We enjoyed sunset walks to the point and back, finding the most spectacular shells on the way. The wind visited most mornings but then the rest of the stay was calm, with the small amount of flies paying us a visit. It’s either wind or flies so you just embrace whatever is thrown your way! We weren’t going to stay here in our original plans so we’re stoked that we changed our minds!
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exmouth
We dropped anchor here for a glorious week to chillax back on the grid! We stayed at Ningaloo Caravan and Holiday Resort. The pool scene made you feel like on a tropical escape and the online Italian restaurant was delicious and super convenient. Exmouth was a little taste of home, with homely routines including daily Pilates, clean bedsheets, longer showers, massages and perusing the boutique shops in town. This place had a strong small town feel, making it feel even more like our coastal town on the east coast. We fished at the marina and visited the Mildura Wreck and Vlamingh Head Lighthouse, which is a cracking spot for sunset. It is actually one of many few places in the world where you can watch both the sunrise and sunset over the water! We ate copious amounts of ice-cream (even coconut soft-serve), pizzas and Ningaloo Bakehouse pies. Whalebone Brewery was a hip-and-happening place, and the Bullara burgers sold here were on point!
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We also took a little morning adventure to check out the canyons on the other side of Cape Range. First stop was Charles Knife Canyon which had vast views over the Exmouth Gulf. The drive up was steep, but mostly on a bitumen road. We then drove down the bumpy road to Shothole Canyon which had rugged limestone walls that scaled great heights. A recent bushfire that burnt through 5800 hectares of the bushland in and around Shothole Canyon last month made the landscape feel almost Mars-like.
But the highlight of our stay in Exmouth would have to be swimming with the whale sharks! Another bucket-list moment! This is something we ummmed and ahhhed about while we were drafting up our plans. We then committed after hearing some great reviews. Swimming so close with the whale sharks was such an incredible moment! We were lucky to have four opportunities to swim with three different whale sharks, some moving fast and some very slow. It made you feel minuscule swimming next to the biggest fish in the sea! the spots were glowing and their little beady eyes made this giant creature look cutesy!
Just be prepared, it is quite an intense tour. There are strict rules and procedures around swimming with whale sharks which are absolutely required, so it made for a military-like mission each time we swam. Strictly jumping in on cue, with a live drop-in, and constantly listening out to the directions of the instructors who will tell you when, where and how fast to swim. After all, you are swimming with a wild animal in the deep ocean! Each swim is over within a quick few minutes before you need to pull yourself back onboard. If the wind and swell is up, you really do need to be quite fit as it’s a mammoth effort to keep up with the whale shark and the boat!
We are glad that we decided to go. Even our youngest warrior who opted to be an observer got to see the whale shark from the top deck. We’re grateful that we had so many opportunities with the whale sharks! We booked with Ningaloo Discovery who were very welcoming and put on a great lunch. They are in constant communication with the spotter plane so that they can provide you with the most magical swims with the whale sharks.
Just be prepared, it is quite an intense tour. There are strict rules and procedures around swimming with whale sharks which are absolutely required, so it made for a military-like mission each time we swam. Strictly jumping in on cue, with a live drop-in, and constantly listening out to the directions of the instructors who will tell you when, where and how fast to swim. After all, you are swimming with a wild animal in the deep ocean! Each swim is over within a quick few minutes before you need to pull yourself back onboard. If the wind and swell is up, you really do need to be quite fit as it’s a mammoth effort to keep up with the whale shark and the boat!
We are glad that we decided to go. Even our youngest warrior who opted to be an observer got to see the whale shark from the top deck. We’re grateful that we had so many opportunities with the whale sharks! We booked with Ningaloo Discovery who were very welcoming and put on a great lunch. They are in constant communication with the spotter plane so that they can provide you with the most magical swims with the whale sharks.
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That officially ended our time on the Nyinggulu Coast, home to the Baiyungu, Thalanyji and Yinigurdira Peoples! After four weeks, it was time to leave the reef, turtles, and whale sharks, to start to make our way towards the lands of the red sands, rocky gorges and croc country! Being saltwater lovers, there was a tinge of sadness to finish our time on the Ningaloo Coast, but we are pretty pumped to explore the beauty up north, even if it’s a tease that we can’t swim in the ocean. Broome, we are coming for you!
Peace + love,
Peace + love,