Head to WA’S Coral Coast

Check out the natural delights Exmouth has to offer

from reef to range, a visit to Western Australia’s Coral Coast is an experience you won’t forget. It’s the gateway to Ningaloo Marine Park and the Cape Range National Park. At the top end of this expanse of stunning coastline and pristine bush is Exmouth, 1270km north of Perth. This small, picturesque town straddles both bush and coast, and with accommodation, breweries and excellent seafood it’s a perfect staging area for your Western Australian adventure.

NINGALOO REEF

Central to your Coral Coast experience is a visit to Ningaloo Marine Park. This World Heritagelisted reef boasts tremendous biodiversity. It’s the largest fringing reef in the world and is so close to the shoreline you can walk or swim to it with ease. The list of marine life you might encounter extends to more than 1200 species, including 500 species of fish plus dolphins, dugongs, turtles and whales.

The key experience, though, is swimming with the migratory whale sharks, the world’s largest shark, which migrates to this area every year around March and April. These gentle, planktoneating giants can grow up to 18 metres in length. Whale shark dive operators can get you right up close to these magnificent creatures; a truly unforgettable and humbling experience. whalesharkdive.com visitningaloo.com.au/thingsto-see-do/whale-sharks

THE BEACHES

All you need to do is look at the photos – the beaches around Exmouth are world class and the appropriately named Turquoise Bay, in the Cape Range National

Park, is one of the jewels in the crown. This unblemished stretch of snow white sand is lapped by clear waters and fringed by reef. It’s a snorkeller’s paradise, of course, but also ideal for a spot of paddling or picnicking. For a base camp that’s nearby you can do no better than Sal Salis Safari Camp. This coastal array of wilderness tents sits on the dunes above the beach. It offers comfortable accommodation for your Ningaloo stay where you can switch off completely and laze in your tent or at the camp lodge surrounded by pristine bush and beach. salsalis.com.au THE NATIONAL PARKS

While the reef hogs the limelight, there is also a great deal of beauty to encounter in them thar hills! The Cape Range National Park is renowned for its natural beauty and spectacular biodiversity, home to some of Australia’s most famous fauna: kangaroos, emus, echidna and wombats to name a few. In spring, the Cape Range Flower Trail bursts into colour, crowning the deep red sand dunes with a cascade of wildflower blooms. Depending on the time of year you visit, the area blooms with bright red yulbah flowers, purple mulla mulla and the golden glow of spring wattles. A great family hike is the 3km Mandu Mandu Gorge walk, which takes you through dense wilderness. Keep an eye out for the rare black-footed rock wallabies, which grow to just 50cm tall and live beside the walls of the gorge. There are plenty of campsites and farm stays, including Bullara Station.