Ningaloo Reef

As we crossed the Tropic of Capricorn we gave a cheer. But one would be forgiven for being sceptical as to the actual presence of the 'tropics'. As we drove up the peninsula towards Exmouth and the Ningaloo Reef we were confronted with dry farmland dotted with red termite mounds and dust storms being swept up by the colossal winds ripping through the area. Hardly the tropical paradise we had imagined. But we are learning more and more that nothing in Western Australia seems to be quite the way you might imagine.

We had planned on staying on a station for a week or so as our introductory week on the Ningaloo Reef. But both Waroora and Nigngaloo Station required campers to have their own chemical toilets. We tried to show them our very nifty shovel but they didn't seem to think it cut the mustard. Rob even offered to dig a nice deep hole to show off his hole digging skills, but alas, not good enough. So we decided to head straight for Cape Range National Park. It runs right along the shores of the Ningaloo Reef and is one of the most popular National Parks in WA. We were a bit worried about getting a campsite, as we had heard horror stories of line-ups at the gate at 5am. But we rolled in at midday and got a spot at Ned's Camp without any fuss. 

We were camped a couple of spots down from another young family and just as we finished setting up another travelling family, whom we had met before, slipped into the spot between us. Both families were travelling round Australia and had three kids each. It was kid central and we all loved it.

We were dubious at first about the national park. There's not much to see on the land, it is very arid, with almost no trees, dry river beds and the wind was still blowing a gale. But as we discovered, the real beauty of the Cape Range National Park is not what is on the land but what is below the ocean and on the beaches. The coral reef is, in some places, only a short swim out from the beach. It was pretty magical sitting in a calm bay watching the surf pound the reef just off shore.

We spent the next week fishing at dawn in the boat, swimming at the white sandy beaches,  snorkelling around the coral reefs and we finished each day off with a few beers under the trees with the other mums and dads while the kids rode their bikes or played with Jarvis' ever increasing store of Lego.

We went snorkelling at the famous Turquoise Bay, it was divine. A gentle current takes you over the coral and fish and then you hop out on the sand bar, run down the beach and do it all again.  But we probably enjoyed the early mornings out on the reef in the boat even more, when the water was so still we could see every fish and coral and no one else was around. Rob got his lure snagged on the reef one morning, but the water was so clear he could simply dive down and grab it. The reef was teeming with life; just from the boat we saw turtles, dolphins, sharks and even a dugong.

Although, the highlight of our time on Ningaloo Reef was definitely the fishing. We went out in the boat every day and had great fun spinning lures, trawling live bait, jigging for squid and throwing Jarvis' hand line over. Em caught her first big fish, a 45cm spangled emperor, maybe not huge by fisherman's standards but enough to be proud of and it was yummy too.

For a week that started off a little on the wrong foot (rejections from station stays and doubtful first impressions of the national park), it has turned out to be fantastic. We bid our new friends farewell with the hope that we bump into them again and got back on the road. This time we're heading inland for a few days to visit the Hamesley Ranges.