Ningaloo Marine Park is a vast stretch of pristine coastline in Western Australia, recognised by UNESCO as the Ningaloo Coast World Heritage Area in 2011. Offering a stunning combination of rural authenticity, sweeping landscapes, and bucket-list marine interactions, you will delight in the diversity of this unique destination.
Here’s what you need to book that long weekend escape in Ningaloo.
Where is it?
Head to Exmouth as the northern gateway to Ningaloo Marine Park. It is the perfect town to base yourself and explore the grandiose landscapes of the Cape Range National Park, the underwater wonders of the Ningaloo Marine Park, and the laid back seaside town of Coral Bay.
How do you get there?
If you are up for extending your adventure, book a one-way flight with Qantas and then drive back to Perth from Exmouth.
This will allow you to explore the whole Coral Coast Highway back to Perth.
What to do?
Depending on the time of the year, Ningaloo Marine Park is one of the best places in Australia to see and experience an in-water interaction with either Whaleshark’s or migrating Humpback whales. As it’s one of the only places on the planet where Whalesharks can be reliably located in large aggregations, Ningaloo Reef currently holds the world’s highest rate of interactions. The story is similar for the Humpback whale season. Whilst still in its fourth year of trials, the tours have already achieved seriously good interaction success rates year on year.
Don’t be limited by season, as there is plenty to do all year round. Swimming with Manta Rays is popular over summer with tours available out of Coral Bay and Exmouth, there are a range of dive options including the Navy Pier, one of the world’s best dives, turtle season is at its peak from October to February, so pack your snorkeling gear for this trip.
Where to stay?
The Ningaloo region has some seriously amazing accommodation options from traditional hotels and self-catered units, to eco-luxe glamping, caravan parks, and even station stays.
Where to eat and drink?
There is also plenty on offer to eat and drink after all that adventure. More recently, a new boutique brewery has hit the Exmouth food scene, Froth Craft. Not to mention there are some great places for a meal such as Mantaray’s at Mantaray’s Beach Resort, Exmouth Escape Resort’s restaurant Whalers, Café Muiron and the Ningaloo Cooking Studio, Social Society, Bamboo, Short Order, and Sea Salt.
