Coral Bay, Ningaloo Coast WA

Amazingly just down the road from these spinifex dotted red sand dunes lies the beautiful turquoise waters of Coral Bay. One day a dusty mining town - the next day beautiful crystal clear waters of the ocean!

The dunes lay in parallel lines continuing in each direction for kilometres. It must have been demoralising for the early explorers as they came over the crest of one dune only to be confronted by the valley in between & the next dune rising again like the constant waves of the ocean.

But, what a jewel lay ahead!

The waters of Ningaloo Reef are World Heritage listed and are one of the largest fringing reefs in the world accessible at many beaches along the reef by simply stepping into the water. The aqua is the natural water colour shot with the darker blue of the underwater coral reefs. The reef stretches for 260 km along the coast & 20 km seaward.

Marine life is abundant & while some areas are marine parks their is ample ocean areas where strictly controlled recreational fishing is permitted. There are 500 species of tropical fish & 220 species of coral calling this are home.

New facilities cater well for the fisherman & their boats. Can't help but think the proximity of the mining boom population has resulted in lots more infrastructure going in. Hopefully the balance will be kept between man & ocean?

 

 

 

Coral Bay is itself a beautiful little bay loved by the tourists. Walk across the road from the caravan park & you are on pristine white sand with aqua water gently lapping the shore while the coral reefs are clearly visible a couple of body lengths from the edge.

 

 

 

 

Bodies of all ages & sizes decked in goggles, snorkels & flippers flop, flip or glide over the 100's of Nemo & clown fish that call the coral home.

Informative volunteers feed fish in the late afternoon with dried Bream pellets & while you stand in the water the fish will swim in & out between your legs, even a little stroking does not scare them off. They are up to about 50 cm long but I forget now what they are!

 

 

 

The beach further south of Coral Bay, accessible across salt flats, is another popular fishing area & like North Shore at home, it is accessible by four wheel drive to travel further north toward Exmouth & Oyster Stacks. Get stuck in the soft sand as the tide rises & the cars meet the same fate as when caught on the rocks at Rainbow Beach.

 

 

Looking out to sea there is a line of white water as the open ocean meets the reef. Further north near Exmouth part of this reef is accessible for the board riders to crack a wave or two.

 

 

 

We were able to drive down to a little beach near the boat ramp to launch the kayak. You can see how clear the water is in the shallows, I was in water about 60cm deep in the photo, then there was a drop off where the water is aqua, the dark blue line on the horizon is the coral reef.

 

 

 

 

Unbelievably we had the beach to ourselves for the day as the holiday makers all seemed to prefer to walk from their accommodation to the bay - suits us!

Tone busy enjoying retirement

 

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