Our immediate target was Exmouth, the gateway to Cape Range National Park and Ningaloo Reef. Ningaloo is a fringing coral reef 280 km long, Australia's largest fringing coral reef and the only large reef positioned very close to a landmass. Unlike the Great Barrier Reef, which has to be reached by a long boat trip, Ningaloo is visible from the shore. It is home to gentle Whale Sharks and endangered Loggerhead Turtles.
Cape Range National Park covers some 50,581 hectares, a spectacular place of rugged limestone ranges, breathtaking deep canyons and 50km of pristine beaches. Wildlife is abundant with a variety of birds, emus, euros and red kangaroos commonly sighted. Camping in Cape Range is tightly controlled and our arrival at the Ranger station at 8:15 am was barely enough to get us the last campsite of the day, at Yardie Creek, the furthermost tip of the park. Again, long drop toilets and no showers but we were right on a most pristine beach (though not easy to see here, the occasional white tops at the horizon are the reef.)
The drive in alone was rewarding as we saw a magnificent goanna (iguana):
The drive in alone was rewarding as we saw a magnificent goanna (iguana):
and Cape Range's own unique variety of Sturt's Desert Pea, which lacks the characteristic glossy black swelling or ’boss’ at the base of the uppermost petal:
My only disappointment with Cape Range was that I couldn't catch any fish. Snorkelling off our local beach I couldn't see a single fish. My only catch was an obviously poisonous kind of Puffer Fish. Yet when I snorkelled at the protected area a few kilometres down I was surrounded by a massive array of colourful reef fish - who says fish are stupid?Being at Yardie Creek we were able to take a boat cruise up the creek during which we were rewarded by a sighting of the shy endangered Rock wallaby:
The Wallaroos (Euros) weren't so shy!
By the time we left Cape Range was indelibly impressed on our minds as one of the most memorable places we had ever been
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