Ningaloo Reef is world renowned for its population of peaceful whale sharks and its clear turquoise waters, perfect for snorkelers. It is also one of Australia’s best fishing locations, as the reef attracts countless fish, which are ideal sport for the average angler. The coast is split into regions; some areas are marine sanctuaries with a “loon but don’t touch” rule, interspersed with areas that allow recreational fishing.
We came to Cape Range National Park (40kms from Exmouth, on the Ningaloo Reef, about as far west as you can get on the Aussie mainland) with the intention of staying a few days to snorkel and fish, then move south towards Geraldton, where our caravan has been booked in to have solar power installed (hooray!!!). By the end of our first day, we extended our stay by a few more nights, and again, when the revised vacate-date approached. It is now an 18-day holiday, the longest time we have stayed in any one place by far.
At 6am on 1st August we queued at the National Park gate, along with other campervans and caravans, and were lucky enough to secure a rare campsite in the Park (and reach the gate without hitting one of the many wandering and dazed kangaroos). There are only 90 sites along this long long shoreline, and people have been known to queue up the night before in the hope of securing a site.
Our camp ground
We are staying at the Mesa Campground, with camp hosts Joel and Helen; and we have befriended many people in the last two weeks. Kylie and Steve, who we met in South Australia so many months ago, have also found the park and are staying at a camp ground a few km’s away. Our campground is sparse and plain, but is adorned with occasional trees and a couple of toilets, and if you walk over the dunes close by, you are rewarded with an unbelievable sight – blue-green waters, and an endless shallow reef about 300m offshore, on which immense waves crash relentlessly. Everyone who camps here meets at 5pm nightly for ‘The Sundowner’; a casual drink and chat about your day.
Fishing the Reef
Most of us enjoy fishing, and the beach is lined with several tinnies (small aluminium boats). Helen and Terry have had excellent luck in catching Spangled Emperors, and Jamie and Michelle and their kids have caught Spanish Mackerel. Four blokes have hired a large fishing boat for a week and are targeting sports fish, such as swordfish. It’s a fisherman’s paradise!
We have regaled tales of our little (inflatable... rubber...) boat being circled by up to 6 reef sharks. I have also snagged a stingray, which simply pulled calmly on the line until it broke. Jase suspects he had a shark on his line for a small amount of time – the lined whizzed and whizzed before breaking abruptly. We have fished over weed beds amongst turtles, and even spotted a dugong a few days ago (a large cow-like mammal that lives on the seabed and eats seagrass).
In terms of ‘keepers’, we have enjoyed many 1kg-sized spotted trevallys, Charlies (like a coral trout), medium snapper-like fish, long toms, and some species which were unable to be found in our Species Guide but were large and delicious! The key, we have found, is to use a basic double-hooked rig and small hooks, and use pilchards on one hook and squid on the other (“It’s the ‘Come to Daddy, stay with Daddy’ technique”, says Jase with a grin).
Snorkelling
Snorkelling at Turquoise Bay is a must for anyone visiting the area. The water is shallow, but teeming with a multitude of healthy colourful fish amongst bleached coral; as well as turtles, reef sharks, sting rays, large clams, and jelly fish. The sharks are a little disquieting to discover, but they are not too large (under 2m) and are known to be relatively shy. Turtles, on the other hand, are quite tame and disinterested in humans snorkelling, so they will swim along and allow you to swim beside them.
My favourite fish would have to be the large parrot fish, up to 60cm long, brilliantly coloured, and have expressive faces. They also sport sharp teeth as they enjoy picking at the coral. If you snorkel over the tree-like coral, you will also spot a large school of yellow/black striped fish which numbers in its hundreds, accompanied by other species of fish, which hunt for food and travel together. It is amazing to be in the middle the school as it moves; the school will split in half around you, then rejoin once it is past.
SMILE FOR THE CAMERA
SEA URCHIN
EVE WATCHES SCHOOLS OF FISH GORGE ON THIS JELLYFISH
A SCHOOL OF DARTS (TREVALLY)
MASSIVE LONGTOMS - THE BIG ONE IS 83CM!
BEAUTIFUL TREVALLY
EVE CATCHES A COUPLE OF CHARLIE'S
HUMPBACK WHALES
THE SUNDOWNER
NEW FRIENDS, SAMMY AND NICK, WHO QUEUED AT THE GATE WITH US AND ENDED UP CAMPING WITH US
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