Exmouth and Ningaloo Reef

3 nights in Exmouth which is situated on the west side of the peninsula on the coral coast. We stayed in a caravan park which was pretty pricey... as this area is very popular with tourists including WA residents. We spent at least one day cleaning the caravan, clothes, sheets and towels in an attempt to remove the red dust from Karigini - it was everywhere!!! We went grocery shopping and gathered information from the visitor's centre. We also took a drive to Cape Range National Park, visiting beaches along the Ningaloo Reef, which became home for the next four nights.

The Ningaloo Reef is one of the few reef systems worldwide that have formed on the western side of a continent. The Ningaloo Marine Park encompasses 260km coastline and the reefs proximity makes it easily accessible.

We camped at Mesa Campground for 4 nights, beautifully positioned just over the sand dunes from the reef. We met some lovely people at the campground - and it was great to sit around and chat each evening.

We went to Turquoise Bay which was a short drive from where we were camping. Aptly named this bay had a white sandy beach, calm blue water and the reef starts metres from the shoreline. We eagerly put on our snorkels and flippers and off we went...



We saw many big and colourful fish very close to the shore. And although everyone assures us that the water clarity is superb on the reef, as we approached the coral the visibility was poor. Much to our disappointment the snorkeling wasn't as great as we were expecting and we assume it is because it was coral spawning season, which only lasts for a few weeks a year. We did enjoy the beautiful beaches, swimming and the weather.

We took a day trip to Yardie Creek. We went for a walk there, but our main reason for the day trip was to judge the possibility of crossing the creek with the caravan when we left, instead of driving back through Exmouth. Although Rod was really keen, after examining the creek, looking at the tide chart and speaking with people... we thought against the idea as the low tide was sitting pretty high at over 1m. So back around the peninsula we drove - which apparently is a quicker route but not as scenic.

The kids met other children who are also travelling around Australia - this makes them happier than anything! Kids just love other kids company.

We went for walks along our beach and swam there too. On one ocassion we spotted two turtles swimming nearby.



We spent some time at the visitor's centre which had extremely informative displays.

We also took some time to watch the sun rise...