Ningaloo Reef, located off the northwest coast of Australia, is a UNESCO World Heritage site renowned for its vibrant coral reefs, diverse marine life, and seasonal whale shark migrations. Join us, while we explore the top things to do in Ningaloo Coast.
Date visited: Dec-2018
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Things to do in Ningaloo Coast (Western Australia)
Ningaloo is one of the longest fringing coral reefs in the world and the only large reef positioned very close to shore. Much of the reefs are mere footsteps from the beach, making them one of the most accessible coral reefs in Australia.
The lagoons are on average only 2-4m deep and incredibly rich in marine life. Further offshore, whales, dolphins, dugongs, manta rays, turtles and whale sharks are often sighted.
We flew into Perth and collected our campervan before making the long 1200km drive to Exmouth, the gateway to Ningaloo Coast.
Trip itinerary
Below are various details about the Ningaloo leg (3-days) of our trip:
First Day
- Arrive mid-day at Exmouth. Check-in caravan park.
- VLF Tower (Google Map)
- Built by the US Navy for communications (especially for submarine communications)
- For a while, it was the tallest man-made structure in the Southern Hemisphere
- Mildura Wreck (Google Map)
- Wrecked a short distance off the coast in 1907. Visible from a viewing area along the shore.
- Jurabi Turtle Centre (Google Map)
- Vlamingh Head Lighthouse (sunset) (Google Map)
- Excellent sunrise/sunset views. Do not miss this!
- It is one of the few places along Australia’s coast where you can catch both sunrise/sunset.
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Second Day
- Milyering Visitor Centre (Google Map)
- Get tide info for Oyster Stacks (snorkelling is possible only at high tide)
- Lakeside Snorkelling Area (Google Map)
- Turquoise Bay (snorkelling) (Google Map)
- Two snorkelling areas in Turquoise Bay: Drift Snorkel Area and Bay Snorkel Area
- The Drift Snorkel Area is east of the bay. Walk south (from the sandy point) along the beach for ~30m and enter the water from there. The drift current will push you north back towards the sandy point. Make sure you exit the water at the marked Snorkel Exit point, before reaching the sandy point.
- The Bay Snorkel Area is west of the sandy point. The water here is calm, though the amount of coral and marine life is less than that at Oyster Stacks.
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Third Day
- Oyster Stack (snorkelling) (Google Map)
- Snorkelling is only possible during high tide (get info from Milyering Visitor Centre).
- Sharp and rocky entry into the water. Watch your steps.
- One of the better snorkelling sites in the area.
- Turquoise Bay (snorkelling)
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Things to note when visiting Ningaloo Coast/Exmouth
- Do not drive outside town after sunset. Many animals get attracted by vehicle headlights and inadvertently wander into oncoming traffic. This advice applies to the majority of intercity/state highways in Australia.
- Visit the Ningaloo Visitor Centre in Exmouth for up-to-date information. (Google Map)
- Free drinking water can be obtained via two water taps at the car park beside the “Big Prawn” next to Ningaloo Visitor Centre. (Google Map)
- Petrol can be expensive/limited in the area (especially in the national park). The best/cheapest place to get petrol is in town (Exmouth).
Our 9 days Western Australia self-drive campervan trip (Dec-2018)
- Day#1-3 (Ningaloo Coast, Exmouth),
- See above
- Day#4-5 (Coral Bay)
- Day#6-7 (Shark Bay)
- Day#8-9 (Pinnacles, Lancelin Sand Dunes, Hutt Lagoon (Pink Lake))
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Our other travel blogs on Western Australia:
Related posts:
- Northern Territory
- Queensland
- New South Wales
- Western Australia
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