Ningaloo Reef

Ningaloo Reef Facts

• Largest fringing reef in Australia
• Ningaloo Coast is a World Heritage site
• Ningaloo Reef is famous for its Whale Sharks
• You can swim with Whale Sharks on guided tours
• Whale Sharks visit March-July
• Coral spawning takes place March–April
• Marine turtles are present all year around
• With Turtles nesting from Oct–Feb
• Manta Rays are present all year round
• Dugongs visit March-July
• Humpback Whales swim past June–Oct 
• Reef Sharks are present all year around

Where is Ningaloo Reef?

The Ningaloo Coast sits in the north west coastal region of Western Australia. It is a 705,000+ hectare area located 1,200 kilometres north of Perth along the East Indian Ocean. The Ningaloo Coast is best known for its fringing reef, Ningaloo Reef. This is a 260 kilometre long coral reef system that is easily accessible as its positioned very close to the mainland. 

Ningaloo Reef Whale Sharks

Swimming with Ningaloo Reef Whale Sharks has become the major draw card for this amazing reef system. Visitors flock to the reef during the months of Autumn and Winter (March–July) to take part in guided tours out to the sharks. An organised tour is possibly the best way to see these majestic fish as many tour operators use spotter planes to seek out the whale sharks. 

Best time to visit Ningaloo Reef

The best time to visit Ningaloo Reef is in the Autumn and Winter months, from March to September. This is because the Whale Sharks visit the region between these months. It is also during this period you could witness coral spawning which is the reefs annual breeding ritual. You may want to extend your visit to witness and swim with Humpback whales which migrate past Ningaloo from August to October.

Ningaloo doesn’t have a wet season. This means the weather is always drier both in summer and winter. Summer temperatures range from 30–40ºC during the day with a winters day hovering around 25ºC. The Ningaloo Coast is bathed in sunshine on average, 320 days of the year. Water temperatures range from 20–28ºC. With sunny days and cooler nights, Ningaloo Reef is a paradise for water activities.

Ningaloo Reef Camping Sites

The Coral Coast of WA has its fair share of motels and resorts located around Coral Bay and Exmouth but if you are after something more rustic and literally a few steps from the reef then you can’t go past camping. 

Wilderness camping is available at Ningaloo Station, a 50,000 hectare pastoral lease working farm which also offers camp sites located along, on or near the prestige beach fronts that adjoins Ningaloo Station.

Wilderness camping means you must be fully self sufficient, carry and transport everything to your designated camping site, enjoy the natural surroundings and leave nothing behind. No facilities are provided and camps are well spaced to ensure a sense of privacy and comfort for all.

There is also plenty of beach camping available in the Cape Range National Park. There are eleven campgrounds available along the Cape Range coast and are in very high demand from April to October.  These campsites include Bungarra, Osprey Bay, North Kurrajong and Kurrajong (Cape Range), Sal Salis, North Mandu, Yardie Creek, One K, Boat Harbour and Tulki Beach. Most are accessible by 2WD. They all have toilets but only 1 offers showers. No fires are allowed. No powered sites are available. This is remote beach camping.

And as with all camping please “leave nothing behind”.

So add Ningaloo Reef to your “to do” list. It’s an amazing location, a little out of the way for the normal traveller. But hey, we are adventurers!