Exmouth and Ningaloo Reef

Exmouth. Ningaloo Reef. Places that have long been on my bucket list. And we were finally there. I was beyond excited! Exmouth also felt like it marked a bit of a milestone for us on this trip; we were finally heading south down the coast of WA and would be heading into more populated areas with more facilities and easier cruising. Or so we thought.

We spent almost 3 weeks in Exmouth and in the Ningaloo Reef. Exmouth is a small tourist town and is the northern gateway to the Ningaloo Coast World Heritage area. The cute little town centre had everything we needed; supermarkets, bakery, cafés, gift shops, laundromat, bottleshop… And all the other services we needed were just a few streets away. The town itself was full of people, as many of WA’s tourist towns were, and the caravan parks were all fully packed.

The marina in Exmouth is run by the Department of Transport. This was the first time we had stayed in one of the Western Australian government marinas and so it was here we were introduced to their nonsensical rules. They charged us a daily rate of $56 which was fine. But, that is only for six nights. If you stay a seventh night, your daily rate of $56 becomes a weekly rate of around $750. Work that out. It makes no sense whatsoever. You were able to leave the marina for one night, re-enter and then you would be back on the daily rate. No, I am not making this up. That is their actual policy.

On the east coast of Australia, in the privately run marinas, you would often get a ‘stay six nights, get the seventh night free’ deal. But not here. Not only are the WA government’s rules ridiculous, but they border on downright dangerous. As we were to find out, the winds here, especially at this time of year, are incredibly strong and relentlessly consistent. Most cruisers can’t afford to essentially pay double for a marina berth and so many would be tempted to leave the marina in unsafe conditions. In addition to that, the toilet and shower facilities were woeful. Now we aren’t particularly fussy, but this toilet block was pretty disgusting. All for $56 a night.

So we stayed in the marina for six nights, went out into Exmouth Gulf for four nights and then came back into the marina for another six nights. We hadn’t planned on staying that long in the marina on the second stay, but the weather turned bad and delayed our departure around to the Ningaloo Reef. Never more than now was it perfectly clear that the weather and the winds were in charge!! When we did finally make it around to the coast, we had a very rough passage and only a tiny window for our stop in Coral Bay.

Here’s what we got up to during our time in Exmouth, out in the Gulf and around in Ningaloo Reef……

Jobs, jobs, jobs….

As we were tied up to a dock for the first time in 12 weeks it was time for a spring clean. We used the fresh water to hose down every single surface of the boat. 12 weeks worth of salt and dust encrusted on the boat was finally washed off. The whole boat got a good clean, inside and out; a very satisfying feeling.

We hired a car with Brian and Sandra and spent a day running around doing jobs and errands. Sandra and I did laundry at the laundromat in town, while the boys picked up various parts they needed, swapped gas bottles and dropped off our split water tank to be repaired. Matt changed the oil in our desalinator pump and generator, and then accidentally ripped the starter cord on the genset. Fixing this turned into a three day saga, including a quick dive in the marina to retrieve a wayward spring.

Out and about in Exmouth….

We walked the four kilometres into town a few times, and borrowed Brian and Sandra’s hire bikes a couple of times. It was a hot, dry walk. One day we were surprised find an emu wandering along the main street. Matt started to speed up and slowly broke into a run, trying to catch up to him, but it was like the emu had eyes in the back of its head, and it took off fast down a side street, easily evading Matt.

We all had a much needed massage in town, I went to a yoga class and we had dinner out several times. The Whalebone Brewery was a particularly good night, with great live music and delicious pizzas. There was a great atmosphere, with heaps of kids on the dance floor and everyone was very friendly.

Another night Matt and I ended up at The Beach Shack for dinner. We marvelled at the incredibly flat, calm water of Ningaloo Reef. Please let it be like that when we get round there, I thought!!

Day tripping….

The hire car enabled us to be tourists for a few days and Matt and I drove to Cape Range National Park where we hiked in the Mandu Mandu Gorge and I did a drift snorkel at Turquoise Bay in the Ningaloo Reef. Another day saw all four us of us day trip to Coral Bay via Charles Knife Canyon. Coral Bay, a tiny little holiday village on Ningaloo Reef, was absolutely packed with people. It was positively swarming. It was school holidays and I think every kid in WA was there. It was all a bit overwhelming for us, not being used to crowds. We hoped that when we arrived in our boats in a week or so that the crowds might have thinned a bit.

Swimming with a whale shark….

One of the highlights of our time in Exmouth was the whale shark tour that we did with tour company Ningaloo Blue. A full day out in Ningaloo Reef with multiple snorkels in the crystal clear turquoise water and several swims with a juvenile male whale shark. It was a wonderful day out and an incredible feeling to see a whale shark up so close. We were very lucky because the whale shark season has generally finished at this time of year, and so I was extra grateful for the opportunity.

Here are some photos from the professional photographer on the Ningaloo Blue whale shark tour:

Hanging out in Exmouth Gulf….

Since we needed to vacate our berth in the marina and there were some strong winds predicted, we decided we’d find the best protection in Exmouth Gulf. Plus I’d heard tantalising stories of humpback whales coming right up to boats anchored in the gulf. Of dolphins, dugongs and manta rays. It didn’t seem like a bad place to hang out for a while and try to spot some wildlife.

We were on high alert as we motored out of the short channel from the marina. When we’d entered a few days previously, we’d seen a big humpback whale surface right in front of the channel. Although none came up close this time, we could see lots of whales in the distance. A hopeful sign.

Heading south to the Bay of Rest, we anchored just before dark and had a comfortable night, enjoying being on anchor. Exmouth Gulf is also known as the ‘Glassy Gulf’ and this is what we woke up to on our first morning. The water was so calm and still that it was hard to tell the difference between sky and water. I took some photos and just sat for a while, absorbing the beautiful scenery.

Dolphins swam past the boat and whales were spotted in the distance, breeching and pec slapping. When Matt put the drone up, there were a couple of whales not far from us, rolling about in the water and slapping their pecs. I urged him to try to get the drone above the whales, but the glassy sea meant that it was hard for him to tell the difference between water and sky. Nevertheless it was pretty awesome just sitting on the boat and watching these whales.

We stayed in the Bay of Rest for four nights, moving further south for protection when the winds and swell rolled in on the second morning. It turned out to be a pretty good place to shelter from the weather and we lounged around on the boat, not doing a whole lot. By the end of four days, we were both feeling pretty restless and were happy to be sailing back to Exmouth. Our return to the marina was just in time, because overnight the winds picked up strongly and absolutely howled for the next five days. Cool Change sat awkwardly in her pen, leaning heavily on her fenders. It was a huge relief to be tied up safely in such wild weather.

Road tripping to Carnarvon….

Due to the strong winds we had an extra few days up our sleeve and decided to make the most of them by hiring a car and going on an overnight road trip. We wouldn’t be stopping at Carnarvon in our boats, due to the shallow waters, so thought it would be a great opportunity to check out the town.

We stopped at Point Quobba to see the Quobba Blowholes.  The blowholes are a natural phenomenon, caused by powerful ocean swells forcing water through sea caves and up out of narrow holes in the rocks. Jets of water erupt into the air, sometimes to a height of 20 metres. It’s a pretty spectacular sight.

In Carnarvon we set about ticking off the ‘Ten Best Things To Do in Carnarvon list.’

Matt and I walked the Heritage Tramway walk to the Heritage Precinct at One Mile Jetty. I must say that it was a slightly underwhelming walk, but it was good to stretch our legs, and Brian and Sandra joined us here. We wandered along the central waterway known as The Fascine, the incredibly strong winds bowling us over. I didn’t get a good picture, but all over Carnarvon trees are growing bent over to the north-east as they are consistently bombarded by the relentless winds from the south-west.

Carnarvon is known as the ‘food bowl’ of the West, producing 80% of Western Australia’s total fruit and vegetable crops. We drove the ‘Fruit Loop’ trail, stopping at several roadside stalls for fresh fruit and vegies.

Probably the best thing to do in Carnarvon is a tour of the Space and Technology Museum. We arrived early, before the school holiday crowds, and spent an interesting few hours learning about Carnarvon’s little known role in NASA’s space program. The Carnarvon Tracking Station (which used to be located 10 km south of Carnarvon) was built to support NASA’s Gemini, Apollo and Skylab programs and operated for 11 years from 1964. It was the last station to communicate with the space capsules as they left Earth’s orbit. There was a range of interactive displays, including a full-size Apollo capsule which simulates a launch.

Rough trip to Maud’s Landing….

The weather gods had finally let up and it was time to depart Exmouth and head around to Ningaloo Reef. We motored out into choppy water, but thankfully it calmed off a bit and although there were some big swells, the seas were from behind, making it a fairly comfortable trip. I had taken a sea sickness pill and it made me so drowsy that I napped for most of the passage. It was a tricky entry through the reef into Lefroy Bay, our overnight anchorage. I was on bommie watch out on the bow while Matt steered us through the shallow water over to where Sealeaf was already anchored.

The next day we left early for our passage around to Maud’s Landing. I didn’t take a pill as I had been so drowsy the day before. This turned out to be a big mistake. It was much windier and swellier than predicted, the conditions taking us completely by surprise. The seas were huge with massive waves crashing over the boat. Everything was drenched. As Sealeaf passed us we could see the full extent of the sea conditions as they rode up and then disappeared behind the huge waves. We managed to take some photos of each other before it got really rough.

The wind and seas picked up as the day wore on, and I lasted five hours before succumbing, and then I went and lay below, vomiting and feeling utterly miserable. Matt was up top, braving the conditions on his own. As we finally approached Coral Bay I came back up to find our wind instruments were reading over 30 knots. We decided not to risk trying to pick up a mooring in winds that strong, and motored further in to anchor just off the beach where there was a little more protection.

What a day. What a trip. We were both utterly exhausted. It had probably been the worst conditions of our entire circumnavigation so far. But we were safe and we were ok. After straightening the boat out and putting everything away (stuff had flown everywhere) we were pleased to see that no real damage had been sustained, other than a large rip in one of the clear windows on our dodger.

We rang Brian and Sandra to debrief and check that they were ok too. I got in touch with my cousin who was holidaying in Coral Bay and organised to spend the next day on land with them. I was definitely ready for some time on solid ground!

Sealeaf on the passage to Maud’s Landing, Coral Bay:

Cool Change on the passage to Maud’s Landing, Coral Bay:

Coral Bay….

Coral Bay is a tiny tourist town on the beautiful Ningaloo Reef. The waters are a crystal clear turquoise, teeming with marine life. We were anchored at Maud’s Landing which is just above Coral Bay, so my cousin Jason came to pick us up to save us the walk, and Brian gave us a lift to shore in his tender, to save us from hoisting ours off the deck. What great friends we have!

We spent a great day hanging out with Jason, Sarah, Isabella and Jasper. They were at the start of a three week holiday in Coral Bay, having driven their caravan up from Esperance. Sarah and Jason used to work at Coral Bay several years ago, so they had lots of local knowledge and gave us a little 4WD tour of the area. We spent the afternoon enjoying refreshing beverages on the beach, watching the kids play in the sand and splash in the shallows. We were joined by the two other families they were holidaying with and it was lovely to meet them all. A really fun bunch of people!

The afternoon continued into dinner and more drinks up at ‘The Pub’ as Sarah declared there was no way the Mums could possibly cook now. By the time Jase dropped us back at Maud’s Landing and Brian came out in his tender to pick us up, we were pretty happy. Matt charged out into the water to meet Brian and before I knew it we were both wading in waist deep water, and laughing as we attempted to clamber into the tender.

We were due to go on a tour boat to swim with manta rays the following day, but unfortunately it was cancelled at the last minute. Jase and Sarah rang around their contacts for us, but all the other boats were full. Not to be put off, Brian and Sandra decided to take Sealeaf out and see if we could find some mantas for ourselves. We invited Jason and the gang and an hour or so later Brian picked up Jason, Bella, Rock, Meeka and Mick; the tinny was overflowing as it putted back to the big boat.

The weather was beautiful and the water was lovely and calm as we motored around the reef, with Jason directing us to possible manta ray sites. Unfortunately we didn’t manage to find any, but we did all have a snorkel over some coral and a yummy BBQ for lunch. It was a nice day out, very chilled and relaxed, and lovely to spend time with our new friends. We look forward to seeing them all again when we reach Esperance in a few months.

Whilst we would have liked to spend more time in Coral Bay, and re-book onto another manta ray tour, there was a good weather window for our next passage, a pretty long one down to Shark Bay. These windows of good weather were becoming fewer and shorter, so we had to take advantage of them when we could.

It was a frustrating time, but as it turns out it was just the beginning of our frustrations.

The shark is fierce, the whale is mighty, but the ocean is both.

Matshona Dhliwayo