Our journeys

Best snorkelling near Coral Bay

Snorkelling at Five Fingers

Five Fingers Reef, 4,5km south of Coral Bay, offers the best snorkelling experience near Coral Bay. When we were in Ningaloo Reef in April this year (2022), we were told that while the corals in Coral Bay were affected by bleaching, Five Fingers Reef corals were in much better condition. It is a 10-minute drive from Coral Bay over the sand dunes and a 4WD is required to travel along the track which leads you right onto the beach.

Five Fingers Reef is a popular 4WD destination

Interestingly, the name Five Fingers comes from the way the reef looks like. There are five strips (or fingers) of parallel reef running from the beach to around 200 meters offshore. The waters there are very calm and shallow, with lots of corals and other amazing marine life underneath. A great place to visit for a day or a few hours.

The underwater life at Five Fingers Reef is amazing! From a variety of corals, fishes to blue spotted rays, giant clams, sea cucumbers!

Want to see more corals? We have a big library of underwater photos that we took at Cape Range National Park near Exmouth. Did we mention that at Five Fingers you’ll find the best snorkelling near Coral Bay? We are not the only ones thinking that way.

Delight for the eyes and soul!

Warroora Coastal Reserves

Warroora Coastal Reserves

Warroora Coastal Reserves are part of the Ningaloo (Nyinggulu) Coastal Reserves, adjacent to and part of World Heritage listed Ningaloo Marine Park that stretch for 220 kilometres.

You can get there via Minilya-Exmouth Road (from the north or from the south). 2WD can get you to the Warroora station and 14 Mile beach camp, but to get to all other campgrounds you would need a 4WD as the road is  not only corrugated but also can be soft, rocky and with slopes in some places.

Warroora Coastal reserves are managed by DPAW and can be booked online. There are 11 campgrounds to choose from – some only have a few sites and others are bigger and more popular. There are no amenities at any of the campgrounds. You are required to bring a chemical toilet to this place (which can also be hired at the Warroora station). Dogs are allowed.

For $10 per adult ($5 per child) you get a permission to camp on a beautiful coast with access to some amazing corals only a short driving distance away. If you don’t want to be cramped like sardines in one of the caravan parks in the close-by Coral Bay, camping in nature might be the way to go. It certainly is for us!

Black Moon Cliff

We stayed at Black Moon Cliff, which is 6km south of Warroora station, a small campground, tucked behind the dunes. The campground has only 10 sites, all quite large – some closer to the beach and some behind the second dune.

The coastline at Black Moon Cliff looked quite beautiful with rugged outcrops, although the beach had a lot of weeds at the time we visited (April 2022).

Black Moon Cliff beach

Natural beauty at Warroora Coast

Undeniably the sunsets and sunrises were sensational! Every evening I was awe struck when seeing how the colours and patterns of the sky changed with every second as the sun went down.

Every evening the setting sun painted the sky differently. No sunset is the same.

As the sun was going down on one side above the ocean, the moon was rising up on the opposite side. Just watching sun and moon can be so therapeutic!

Watching the sun emerge from the horizon in the morning was an equally delightful and exciting experience. New day! What will it bring?

If you are into bird watching, Warroora Coast is abundant in wildlife. Spotting it though, requires patience and sometimes it is a matter of luck.

There are also many wildflowers in the region even outside of wildflower season. We visited this place in April and were still a few wildflowers there.

There are also plenty of dragon flies in Warroora Coastal reserves which can be tricky to photograph unless they land somewhere. One ended up in our caravan :).

Lagoon

Lagoon campground is further 6km south from Black Moon Cliff along the Ningaloo Coast. This campground is one of the larger ones (with 20 sites). The road there from the Warroora station is quite rocky, with a couple of hills and rock holes, so you definitely need a 4WD. But once you get to the Lagoon you are rewarded with a fantastic swimming beach. We actually liked the Lagoon better than the Black Moon Cliff campground, where we were based, and we spent a relaxing day at the Lagoon, soaking up experiences and memories.

Maggies

Maggies campground was a pleasant surprise for us. We would have missed going there, if we didn’t hear about it from someone whom we met while travelling. So, we are passing on the information together with our own experience and memories of this place.

Maggies is a small campground (with only 6 sites), a short detour from the coastal dirt road in the Warroora Reserves. It is tucked away behind the hills and dunes and there are a few slopes and one-way sections of the road there. We wouldn’t have thought of pulling anything there but actually saw a few caravans at Maggies. 4WD is still a must to get there.

The best thing about this campground was corals and other marine life, as well as rocky formations along the beach.

The underwater world at Maggies is amazing. Giant clams, Brain corals, Sea urchins, Blue Chromis are only some of the wonderful marine creatures you can see there.

To sum up, Warroora Coastal Reserves did not disappoint. Without a doubt, it is the place to visit again.

Whistlepipe Gully

Whistlepipe Gully trail

Whistlepipe Gully is a moderate difficulty 3.5km return hiking trail in Mundy Regional Park in Kalamunda, Perth Hills. The trail follows the creek up one way and down the other way. There are many picturesque small waterfalls, cascades and rock pools along the trail, as well as flat rocks to rest or have a picnic.

Rapids along Whistlepipe Gully trail
One of the many small waterfalls

We visited this place in June and enjoyed winter weather, stopping many times to admire nature in its amazing forms, colours and patterns.

The Whistlepipe Gully track has a few slopes and rocks. From the highest slope you can enjoy the views of Perth city behind the coastal plain.

The view of the Perth city form Whistlepipe Gully trail.
The view of Perth city from the trail

There is limited parking at the northern end of Lewis Road in Kalamunda and there are no facilities. It is dog friendly and there is no fee to pay to enter.

In conclusion, it is a great place to spend a day or a half, especially during cooler weather. ILooking for other places near Perth? Check out what we’ve visited.

Picnic along Whistlepipe Gully
Having a rest during our hike at Whistlepipe Gully

Best snorkelling sites at Cape Range

Snorkelling at North Kurrajong in Cape Range National Park
North Kurrajong at Cape Range

Looking for the best snorkelling sites at Cape Range? Keep reading. We always loved Cape Range, so travelling there again (the previous trip was in April 2021) was not something unusual. This time we stayed at a different campground and found a new snorkelling spot in addition to our favourite ones.

Oyster Stacks – best snorkelling site at Cape Range #1

There are 3 most popular snorkelling sites in Cape Range National park. Oyster Stacks is one of them. It has always been our favourite. Firstly, the outside reef is only 300m from the shore, so there is a big concentration of corals and other marine life. Secondly, there is hardly any current, so it is quite safe for children and inexperienced swimmers when the water is calm. Thirdly, the corals start right from the beach. So long as you care careful when entering the water because of the sharp rocks, you are straight in a paradise. We must emphasise that you should snorkel only during medium or high tides to avoid damaging corals. The first part of the day is normally the best for snorkeling as there is often some wind in the afternoon.

Apart from the corals, Oyster Stacks beach is also known for its beautiful green crabs. This time we also saw a marine snail (I didn’t even know that such creatures exist!)

South Mandu – best snorkelling site at Cape Range #2

Shhhh… This is a secret spot. We found it was as good for snorkelling as the famous 3 sites in Cape Range National Park, however, it is not advertised anywhere (probably, due to proximity of the privately owned camping ground there). When we arrived in the morning, we had the beach all to ourselves!

The corals are very dense here, only a short distance away from the shore and those few meters before you reach the corals are just pure delight – sandy floor with turquoise clear water.

There is also a “therapeutic” corner, if you go to the right from the snorkelling site. Here there is a patch of red nicely water polished pebbles, which are very pleasant to hold. We spent a good half hour just sitting there – watching the waves and listening to the hissing sound of the water as it was drawn back while passing through the segregation of pebbles. It is an ideal place to de-stress and let any worries melt away. The only downside is 500m walk from the carpark. Although, if you are not into snorkelling, you can have some fun swimming and surfing on the beach right near the carpark.

Turquoise Bay – best snorkelling site at Cape Range #3

Turquoise Bay is the highlight of the Cape Range National Park. It has many times been ranked as one of Australia’s top beaches. With white sandy beaches, crystal clear turquoise waters, amazing corals and other marine life it is an idyllic place. No wonder that it attracts a lot of tourists especially during the peak season (around Easter school holidays). We like to snorkel in Turquoise Bay Drift snorkel area, where the current takes you across corals and all you need to be concerned about is to exit before you reach the sand bar. Due to strong currents, formed by opening in the outer reef, snorkelling at Turquoise Bay is not recommended for inexperienced swimmers.

Try to get to Turquoise Bay early in the morning. Afterwards the tide comes in, claiming the beach and everyone is forced to move behind the fence to save their belongings 😊.

Camping at Cape Range

Located within the Ningaloo Coast World Heritage area, 70km km from Exmouth, Cape Range National Park has a few basic campgrounds only meters away from the beach. In April 2021 we stayed at Tulki beach and exactly a year later we based ourselves at North Kurrajong, from where we explored beautiful beaches.

North Kurrajong campground

It is a new campground (an addition to Kurrajong which is a short distance away), only steps away from the beach.

I was surprised that for a small campground (for 10 sites) there were 3 clean and nicely maintained non-flushing toilets.

There is also a large undercover picnic area with a few tables and a smaller but very popular sunset view undercover table from where we watched the sun going down over the ocean every night.

The campground is accessible via a 2WD short drive from Yardie Creek Road. For $11 per person per night (children are $3 each), it is a great value for a prime location. We had very sweet memories of camping at Cape Range (not to mention amazing corals and fishes we have seen, the pictures of which I posted separately).

Watching sunrise, sunset and moon

When we camp in the bush, we don’t mind getting up early to see how the sun greets the day and sends the first rays of light into the sky before it is even visible above the horizon.

When the sun is rising above the ranges in Cape Range National Park, the opposite side – the beach – is still in its “blue hour” colour. It is quiet and peaceful – a perfect opportunity to spot something interesting.

The magical golden hour.

Looking at the moon and taking pictures of it can be quite fascinating….

And when the sun goes down, it is a great opportunity to try your luck fishing from the beach. North Kurrajong is a recreational zone, so fishing is allowed there.

While the boys are fishing, I am taking pictures of the night sky.

How massive these termite nests are! On the way from Exmouth along Minilya Exmouth Road.

Are you ready to look at the corals and fishes now?

Corals and marine life at Ningaloo

Corals and marine life at Ningaloo Convict surgeonfish at Oyster Stacks

Are you planning a trip that includes viewing corals and marine life at Ningaloo? Let us take you on a virtual journey, so you know what to expect. Snorkerlling at Cape Range, looking at the beautiful corals and watching colourful fishes swim by, is like immersing yourself into another world – a mesmerising world of wonder, beauty, tranquillity and amazement.

Equipped with a new underwater camera and a drone we headed to to Cape Range in April 2022, choosing to stay at North Kurrajong campground for 4 nights while exploring the best snorkelling sites in Cape Range National Park. We had perfect weather during the full 3 days, which we spent at Oyster Stacks, Turquoise Bay and South Mandu.

The Ningaloo Reef contains over 250 species of coral and over 500 species of fish. While we did take more than 1 thousand underwater pictures trying to capture everything we saw, obviously we did not see all of the species but we did see a fair bit of them.

Disclaimer: We are no expert on corals. When researching the names of the corals we found some of the names a bit confusing and repeating. The information presented here is based on our limited understanding and knowledge at the time of writing.

Corals

Staghorn (branching) corals

They come in different colours and sizes and are quite abundant in Ningaloo Reef. They are one of the faster growing corals with growth from 10-20 cm per year.

Finger corals

Acropora humilis (Finger Coral) is a species of corals in the family Staghorn corals.

Porites corals

Porites are small polyp stony (SPS) corals.

Boulder coral bombies

Boulder coral bombies are quite big (as the name suggests) – they can grow up to 2 meters in diameter. They are also very slow growing colonies that are hundreds of years old.

Cabbage (leaf) corals

Cabbage corals are hardy soft corals. They are mostly browning in colour but can be colourful if they grow in shallow water where they get enough sunlight.

Plate Montipora coral

Leaf plate Montipora, also known as vase coral or plating Montipora, is a type of small polyp stony coral. 

Sea stars

Most sea stars have 5 arms, although some can grow as many as 50 arms. Together with sea urchins and sea cucumbers they are not classified as fish, but rather belong to a group of marine creatures called Echinoderms (meaning having “spiny skin”). Did you know that sea stars have amazing capacity for regeneration and are able to regrow from fragments of their body? Sea stars can live up 35 years and only in salt water. There are about 2000 species of Sea Stars, of which we have only seen 2.

Fishes and clams

Clown fish and anemone

Colourful clownfish can often be seen hiding amongst the tentacles of anemones where they are protected from predators. A coating of mucus protect clownfish from the stinging cells of the anemone. The clownfish in return provides the anemone nutrients in the form of waste. Such is a symbiotic relationship between two living organisms. They are often seen together in underwater world. Picture taken at South Mandu, Cape Range NP.

Tomato anemonefish

Giant clam

Giant clams can grow up to 1.2meters. Microscopic algae live in the fleshy mantle inside the clam’s shell contributing to its decorative patterns. The clam closes up when protection required (as it is the case here).

Giant clam at South Mandu

Green Moon Wrasse

Green Moon Wrasse fish changes its colour with growth. That’s reason that despite the “green” in its name, it’s mostly purple in colour here.

Blue spotted ray

Bluespotted Fantail Ray is a shy creature living on the ocean floor, often found in shallow waters and lagoons. Its length is about 70cm, including the tail. It is quite a common marine creature in Ningaloo Reef.

Bluespotted Fantail Ray in Turquoise Bay

Some more colourful tropical fishes

Western buffalo bream and black spotted dart

Wildflowers around Esperance

There are a few places where you can enjoy seeing wildflowers around Esperance.

Stokes Inlet National Park – 80km west of Esperance

Stokes Inlet National Park is an attractive place to visit when you are around Esperance. It is quite big and diverse.

Banksia speciosa is abundant throughout Stokes Inlet National Park and all around Esperance. Eucalyptus pleurocarpa or Tallerack is a mallee type shrub  which can be seen in Stokes Inlet National Park and also Quagi beach reserve.

Cape Le Grand National Park wildflowers – 50km east of Esperance

Located 50km east of Esperance, Cape Le Grand is known for some of the best beaches in Australia. During the season, it is also a place to see many wonderful wildflowers.

Cape Arid National Park wildflowers – 120km east of Esperance

Cape Arid National Park is another place where you can see wildflowers when you are around Esperance. We visited Cape Arid NP a few times and really enjoyed camping there. Every time we went there, it was not the wildflower season, so we didn’t see a huge variety. If you are a serious wildlfower hunter, check out this website for wildflower identification around Esperance.

Stokes Inlet National Park

Stokes Inlet National Park

Stokes Inlet National Park is located 80km west of Esperance on the south coast of Western Australia. It is quite big, diverse and attractive. The park covers an area of more than 10,660 hectares, and there are more attractions there that you can visit in a single day. The actual inlet is 14 km long and mostly shallow (less than 2 meters deep). There are 2 large sheltered picnic areas with running non-drinking water, bbq and toilets near the inlet. There is also DPAW managed campground a short distance away). The place is great for fishing, kayaking and bush walking. One interesting thing about the Stokes Inlet for us was the amount of sea foam near the shore. Apparently, it is a normal process that happens when there is a large amount of algal bloom decays. It is not harmful and is a sign of a productive ocean ecosystem. It looks very picturesque and reminded us of snow.

Sea foam at Stokes Inlet

Fanny Cove

Fanny Cove is one of the few campgrounds within Stokes Inlet National Park. It is small (with only 4 sites suitable for camper trailers or tents) but it is free (although there is a fee to enter the national park) and is close to the beach. The campground has toilets and there is also a day use area with picnic tables. The beach is sheltered and is great for swimming and fishing. It also has some rock formations and pools, which are fun to explore, especially if you are into photography. The access to Fanny Cove is for 4WD only.

Moir Homestead ruins

A short distance from Fanny Cove in Stokes Inlet National Park are ruins of 1870’s Moir Homestead. We felt a slight sense of ghosts hanging around this place, as we walked through the ruins, learning about history of an original settler at Fanny Cove and pastoralist, John Moir. Bees built huge bee hives inside the ruins, especially in one of the buildings closer to the entrance – a huge bee hive hanging down from the roof. It is an interesting place to visit to appreciate how lucky we are to live in the modern world.

Quagi beach

Aerial view of Quagi beach

Quagi beach on the south coast of Western Australia is roughly 80km west of Esperance. There is a basic bush camp on this beach, managed by Esperance Shire and operated on a first come, first serve basis. For $15 per vehicle per night, you get sheltered clearly designated bay and access to toilets and non-drinking water. This campsite is a very popular one but mostly for short term stays. When we visited it over Xmas period last year, we arrived early (around lunch time) and there were plenty of spaces but by evening, newcomers were strugling to find a spot. There are only 17 sites at this campground, which makes it quite cosy. In terms of a layout and facilities, it similar to Munglinup Beach camp.

The beach is only a short walk from the campground. It is quite interesting with its rock formations and water holes. There stayed at Quagi beach for a couple of nights, using it as a base to explore Stokes Inlet National Park. It can also be an alternative accomodation if you wish to visit Esperance or famous Cape Le Grand National Park.

The campground is accessed via gravel 2WD road (off Farrell road). You can bring your dog there, which makes the campground even more attractive.

Fitzgerald River NP wildflowers

Barrens regelia (Regelia velutina) wildflower at Barrens Lookout near 4 Mile Campground in Fitzgerald River NP.

Fitzgerald River NP, one of the largest and most botanically significant national parks in Australia, contains a diversity of wildflowers. It has nearly 20% of Western Australia plant species, 62 of which are found nowhere else. Below are just only a few wildflowers that we have seen and identified.

Eastern side

Most of the wildflowers that you can see on the eastern side of the Fitzgerald River NP can be found around East Mount Barren, including Barrens Lookout.

Barrens Lookout

East Mount Barren

Western side of Fitzgerald River NP

Quaalup in the western side of Fitzgerald River NP is very rich flora.

Fitzgerald River National Park – eastern side

4 Mile campground near Hopetoun in Fitzgerald River National Park

We loved Fitzgerald River National Park, which we visited in December 2020 so much, that the following year we decided to visit it again. This time, we chose to explore the eastern side of the park. The eastern side of this “one of the most botanically significant National Parks in Australia” has seen a major upgrade in the recent years, so there is no shortage of picnic spots and sealed road accesses to various beaches. The park, being huge, still has plenty of 4WD tracks for off road enthusiasts.

4 Mile camp

4 Mile Campground, 10km from Hopetoun, is a DPAW managed campground within Fitzgerald River National Park. It is a very popular place for people who prefer to camp with some facilities. For $20 per person per night (kids are $5 each), you can have access to newly upgraded kitchen, gas bbq facilites, picnic tables, clean large toilets and hot showers. You must book it prior to arrival.

The campground is only a 5-minute walk from the 4 Mile beach, which has a smaller picnic area and toilets.

Wildlife

Kangaroos

There is no shortage of kangaroos at 4 Mile campground in Fitzgerald River National Park. They come in different sizes, in different numbers, jumping and strolling, day and night. During our stay there, we felt like it was not them who visited us but rather it was us, coming to camp in kangaroos’ territory 😊

Lots of kangaroos at 4 Mile campground

South-West Carpet Python

This is South-West Carpet Python (Morelia spilota), quite common snake found in the South West of Western Australia. We found this 2.5 meters long snake in 4 Mile campground. It was moving slowly across the road as we walked out of the kitchen area towards our camp in the dark (always use a torch when you go out in the dark in the bush). Carpet Python is considered non-venomous but like all snakes can be dangerous if threatened.

South-west carpet python

Camping games

Camping in the bush means limited resources but unlimited creativity – finding a way of doing something new with something old. 😊 How many ways do you know of playing with a stone? Did you have a favourite game as a child? Brian taught the kids the game of his childhood – throwing a small stone up in the air and catching it up with one hand. Sounds easy? It is actually a bit tricky for children to get the right coordination between eyes and hands.

Points of interest, walks and beaches in eastern side of Fitzgerald River National Park

Barrens Beach

Barrens Beach in Fitzgerald River NP is about 800-meter walk from 4 Mile Beach campground via path and beach (or you can drive there on a sealed road). With newly installed facilities (toilets, picnic tables), interpretive artwork, this sheltered beach is perfect for swimming, snorkelling and fishing. The granite outcrops and rock holes are also fun to explore.

Barrens Lookout

Barrens Lookout near 4 Mile campground in Fitzgerald River NP is a photographer’s paradise. There are so many beautiful wildflowers (still blooming in late December when we visited that place). And the view of Culham Inlet meeting the Southern Ocean is quite spectacular.

The view of Culham Inlet meeting the Southern Ocean from Barrens Lookout

Cave Point

Cave Point is a starting point (from the east) of a 23km coastal hiking trail in the East Fitzgerald River National Park (the trail is known as Hakea Trail). There is a scenic 600-meter return walk (wheel chair accessible) to the lookout on the edge of the sea cliff from which you can see the cave in the rocky outcrop below (although there is no access to it). From the lookout you can also have a clear view of the magnificent East Mount Barren and you can spot whales (in season) and many birds. The jagged and tilted rock formations, as well as blue mighty waters of the Southern Ocean are a delight to watch for hours. There is also a variety of flora and fauna to spot on the trail.

West beach

West beach is a beautiful beach in the eastern part of Fitzgerald River National Park, next to Cave Point. The beach is accessible via 2WD sealed road. There is a short walk to the beach with a picnic table or two along the way. The beach surprised us with beautiful rock formations and colourful jellyfishes which we have only seen in one other place (Tagon beach in Cape Arid National Park, which is a lot further to the east on the coast). Still trying to identify the jelly fish, with the closest match being Purple stinger (Pelagia noctiluca).

East Mount Barren

East Mount Barren is a rugged peak on the eastern side of Fitzgerald River National Park. The hiking trail to the summit, which is 311m high, is a moderate difficulty walk. It is 2.6km long (one way) and takes 2-3 hours. The trail is rough in some places and could be slippery. It is mostly well marked, except in a couple of places closer to the summit, where you would need to climb a couple of big rocks.

The views from the summit, as well as on the way there are definitely worth the hike. We chose a cloudy day for our hike, which was perfect. The cliff rocks and the views of the Culham Inlet and Southern Ocean were quite impressive.

The view from East Mt Barren overlooking Culham inlet and Southern Ocean

There were still plenty of wildflowers blooming in December when we hiked, the most common being bright red Barrens regalia.

The Napoleon Skink Lizard was another common find on the path, as well as ants – some of them were quite caught doing an amazing job of lifting another giant ant 😊.

Hamersley Inlet

Hamersley Inlet is a roughly 20-minute drive on a sealed road from 4 Mile campground in Fitzgerald River National Park. It is 7km long and 2 meters deep. Being deeper than other estuaries in the park, it holds water for longer, creating a favorable environment for wildlife. The inlet is of a peculiar shape due to the fact that it lies in deep winding valley carved through the hard quartzite rock.

Winding Hamersley Inlet

There are picnic and boat launching facilities, as well as a campground near the inlet. If you are a 4WD enthusiast, make sure you visit Hamersley dunes too!

Travel Nut family near Hamersley Inlet