By Sandra Herd 

Travel 1,100 kilometres north of London and you’ll end up submerged in the icy waters of the North Atlantic. Travel 1,100kms north of Perth and you’ll find yourself swimming in the turquoise waters of Coral Bay.

Rather than waste valuable snorkelling time driving to Coral Bay (11 hours from Perth), I arrived by plane at Learmonth airport in Exmouth and drove my hire car south for the 120kms down to Coral bay.

When it was first established in 1968, the settlement consisted of a caravan park, a service station and, of course, a hotel pub. The hotel was named The Coral Bay Hotel because of the beautiful coral reef right on its doorstep and so the town itself came to be known as Coral Bay. Even today Coral Bay is a simple town of simple means and, although it now has two caravan parks, a resort built around the pub, a backpackers and two small shopping villages (the local bakery does a great pepper steak pie!), it’s usually not the township that tourists come to visit. The settlement is simply somewhere to lay your head at night (and enjoy a cold beer) while you wait for another dawn to break in anticipation of a day spent on, in or around the Ningaloo Reef.

I turn right off the Exmouth-Minilya road and follow the sign that promises the bay is only 12 kms away. I pass a sign for Mauds Landing on my right, a dirt road which leads off to the sight where the schooner ‘Maud’ first landed in 1884. Before I know it, I have driven through the township and arrive, literally, at the end of the road looking out across the bluest and clearest water I have ever seen. Just below the horizon I can see the white water of the waves breaking over the outer reef. Without hesitation, I grab my mask, snorkel and fins and head out into the underwater paradise that is Ningaloo Reef.

Starting from 50kms south of Coral Bay and stretching some 260kms north up to the top of the Ningaloo Peninsula near Exmouth, Ningaloo Reef is home to around 250 species of coral and over 500 species of fish. It is one of the largest fringing coral reefs in the world and one of only two places on our planet that the majestic whalesharks congregate, allowing tourists the chance to snorkel with these gentle giants. The whaleshark season starts mid to late March and finishes around June each year. The humpback whales swing by once the whalesharks have left and can be seen from June to October and, even in the months in between, there is never a dull moment with the spotting of manta rays, the turtle nesting and hatching seasons and the plethora of underwater creatures just waiting to be discovered.

I’m a little early for the 2008 whaleshark season but am unperturbed as, after spending only five minutes in the water, my attentions are diverted by the tiny blue fish darting around me and by the masses of coral that I can see in the underwater distance. The water is calm and warm. I can hear the psychedelic-patterned parrot fish chomping on the coral and, swimming out further, I can chase the fish and negotiate my way through a section of coral that is growing so close to the surface I have to make a detour to avoid catching its delicate structure with my flippers.

Fusiliers, butterflyfish, angelfish, trumpetfish, big fish, little fish and even a small trigger fish all swim by, unphased by my presence (I once saw a large trigger fish draw blood from a diver in Thailand and decide to keep my distance just in case!).
Surrounded by these fin-tailed friends, I suddenly realised how inept my fish naming skills are and vow to get a book as soon as I reach dry land. Splashing through the gardens of coral, I also realised that my knowledge of coral is even worse than my knowledge of fish and again, vow to educate myself while I am here. With my full attention absorbed by my surroundings, I notice a Christmas tree worm sitting on a huge brain coral (and am proud that I know what a brain coral is…and yes, it is fairly self explanatory…it looks like a brain!). My passage through the water disturbs the little Christmas tree worm and it disappears in an instant back inside its tiny tube.

An alternative way to see the reef is by booking a tour on one of the coral viewing boats that leave from the bay each morning. The glass bottom allows you to view the coral as the boat moves over the reef and the two hour cruise also allows time for snorkelling at two different sites further out. Anchoring at Snapper Point offers you the opportunity to jump off the back of the boat into a hungry school of spangled emperor, also known as north-west snapper. Fortunately, these fairly sizeable fish are not man eaters but are, in fact, waiting for the special fish food that the tour operator feeds them, off the back of the boat. Watch out if a few pellets are thrown in your direction as you are likely to be lost in a frenzy of fishy bodies flailing for the last morsels. 

If the sight of these large snapper being so easily within reach makes your mouth water then be warned…the Ningaloo reef is listed as a national marine park with protected sanctuary zones marked out up and down the coast. There are eight sanctuary zones in total, making up about 18 percent of the whole marine park. Nothing should be taken from any of the sanctuary zones (that includes shells) and the old saying, ‘take only photographs, leave only footprints’ should apply at all times. Fortunately for the fishermen, there are also recreational zones and, if any unsuspecting snapper stray into this zone, they are absolutely fair game. Fishing charters can also be booked from the township and the catch is cleaned and iced back on shore.

A more relaxing charter can be booked on the Coral Breeze Catamaran or maybe a scenic flight is more to your liking. The colours of the reef from the air are fabulous and, if you’re lucky, you may even spot a giant Manta Ray gliding through the crystal water. For those with a more adventurous spirit, you can join a convoy of quad bikes on a 4WD adventure through the dunes, stopping (as with all of the tours) for a snorkel along the way. If you’re feeling strong, then a kayaking adventure out to otherwise inaccessible reefs is another way to enjoy your morning. The local papers don’t arrive in town until about 1.30 in the afternoon so you may as well do something with your morning!

After a few days in town you quickly come to realise that part of its charm are the casual and friendly personalities of the locals. The Coral Bay Hotel is very laid back and a great place to relax and swap stories at the end of each day. The Shades Restaurant next door (part of the resort) has a tasty selection to choose from for breakfast, lunch and dinner. If you crave more variety you can try Finns Café two minutes down the road in the Peoples’ Park shopping village (also home to a small jewellery/clothes shop, tour centre, small supplies shop and petrol bowser!) where you are welcome to BYO and dine alfresco in the balmy evening air. Your third, and last, option is the Reef Café which, as with Shades, has an ever-changing specials board and does a wicked pizza!

Rising at dawn and walking the few minutes down to the bay, I am on the lookout for the many and varied species of ray that hide out in the soft sandy shallows. You can spot the rays swimming during the day but early in the morning is the best time to see them. As I walk through the ankle deep shallows there are rays darting out of my path left, right and centre. It’s a little disconcerting to realise that on my first day here I ran through these same shallows without a care in the world as many of these rays are hiding just below the sand and have a venomous barb in their tails. Still, I can’t help but be charmed by the blue spotted rays who shoot out of my way faster than I can chase them but I do make a mental note to ‘shuffle’ through the sand in future instead of running.

On my last night in the bay I sat up at the lookout on Fletcher point to watch a Coral Bay sunset. For one fleeting moment I considered leaving the relative ‘big smoke’ of Perth to work behind the bar or out on the tour boats with all the other travellers who have extended their stays in Coral Bay after being enchanted by it’s magic…but then I remembered how good a freshwater shower feels and decide maybe it is time to go home.

Novotel Ningaloo Resort
That freshwater shower was closer than I imagined as I headed back up towards Exmouth to book into the Novotel Ningaloo Resort for a welcome night of luxury before flying back to Perth. Located on Sunrise Beach in Exmouth’s new marina development, this four star resort is a beautiful oasis in the midst of a developing marina.

With 44 one, two and three bedroom apartments and bungalows, there is something for everyone, from families to couples to business people and each apartment, bungalow or studio is tastefully decorated in a way that reflects the rugged landscape of the North-West. The maqgnificent feature walls are made from rammed earth and each room is filled with natural wood and lots of natural light. My bungalow looked out over the gulf, affording me the rare opportunity of seeing the sun rise over the Indian Ocean although it was a distinct effort to drag myself out from under the crisp white sheets and air conditioned room.

Although the reef is now on the other side of the peninsula from the resort, I was happy to give my overworked senses a rest and submerged myself in the cool, clean waters of the huge pool before dining in the Mantarays Restaurant. A massive wrought iron manta ray hangs from the ceiling and out in the reception and bar areas, more ‘fishy’ artworks tastefully adorn the walls.

I did get up for the sunrise.

I did sit outside for breakfast, watching the day break over the gulf and promised myself one more swim before leaving this North West paradise and heading back to reality.

SIDEBAR/FACTS and FIGURES panel:

Ningaloo Reef is a largely untouched, fringing coral reef, 280km long. The state government is currently pushing for the world heritage listing of Ningaloo Reef as an important tourist destination and the vital habitat of threatened species of coral as well as dugong, sea turtles and whale sharks.

• Skywest offers return flights to Exmouth/Learmonth once every Sunday and twice daily from Monday to Saturday, with an extra flight on Thursday. Return flights from Perth start at $460 a person inclusive of taxes.
• The Ningaloo Reef Resort Hotel, Coral Bay, has Daydreamer Motel rooms from $177 a night and deluxe Penthouse rooms at $333. Prices are per room, per night for two people, available from April 1 this year. Special offers and multiple night package deals are available. For more information call (08) 9942 5934/ http://www.coralbay.info/resort.htm
• The Novotel Ningaloo Resort has King Bed Pool View rooms for two people available from $200 and two bedroom bungalows with a king and two single beds from $400 per room, per night, (08) 9949 0000 www.novotel.com
• Mahi Mahi Game Fishing, operate full and half day charters all year round. For bookings, contact Sandra and Bernie ( 08) 9942 5874.Sea Force Fishing offers a similar service with skipper, Glenn Hill, (08 9942 5817) seaforce@coralbay.info
• Coral Breeze Cruises offer Reef Explorer, Snorkel Discovery and Sunset Sail cruises. Contact Coastal Adventure tours for bookings.(08) 9948 5190.
• Scenic Flights over Ningaloo Reef are operated by Norwest Air Work and run from 20 minutes to an hour, (08) 9949 2888/ info@norwestairwork.com.au
• A range of quad bike treks are also available through Coastal Adventure tours, 9948 5190/ quadtreks@bigpond.com.