The Great Budget 4wd Trip Around Australia – Week 19

Coral Bay

 


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Distance Travelled:
585km

Spot of the Week:
Turquoise Bay, Cape Range National Park, WA.

This place lives up to all the hype, the colour of the sand and the water is out of control!

Camp of the Week:
Bayview Village, Coral Bay.

Everything in this small village is close and we just about had a birdseye view of it all from our lovely little campsite.

Tip of the Week:
Western Australia is seriously windy from November to March!

If you are camping or planning on spending time on the beach you need to think about this.

In these parts November is also aptly named BLO-VEMBER, with all the towns and camping spots along the coral coast getting hammered all day and night by strong winds.

This certainly isn’t highlighted in the brochures!

Disaster of the Week:
The WIND was nuts, with some nights getting up to 25knotts. The poor old roof top tent certainly got a good test.

We even gave in one night and slept in the car, which is seriously uncomfortable, however, better than the noise of the tent flapping like mad in the crazy wind.

The Budget ($ AUD):
Fuel – $134.14
Groceries – $205.58
Camping Fees – $130.00
Total – $469.72

Whoop Whoop – a cheap week!

 

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Day 1 – Exmouth, WA

potshot-pool

Luckily for us, the very kind people at Potshot Hotel Exmouth sponsored us for a 2 bedroom unit which meant we could get out of the wind – Hoorah!

Exmouth is a sleepy little town of just 2000 people. The main industry is fishing, namely prawns, closely followed by tourism.

Unbelievably in the peak season, when the whale sharks arrive in town (March – September), the population swells to 6,000, with everyone coming to dive with these incredible creatures.

 

Day 2 – Exmouth, WA

diving-tanks

My birthday treat from the boy was a day’s adventure with Dive Ningaloo to the amazing Murion Islands in the Ningaloo Marine Park.

Being too late in the season for whale sharks I was still hopeful, but to no avail.

We did, however, see amazingly beautiful corals, loads of fish, turtles and some octopus.

All in all, it was a wonderful day in the water.

 

Day 3 – Cape Range National Park, WA

vlamingh-lighthouse

Just a short drive from Exmouth along the coast, Cape Range National Park is absolutely stunning.

Despite the crazy wind, you can’t help but be amazed at this epic coastline.

Especially from up high near the Vlamingh Head Lighthouse.

After finding a great little spot to camp at the Mesa campground, we checked out the rest of the park.

We had heard a lot of noise about Turquoise Bay and rightly so, WOW!, of all the ridiculously stunning beaches this is the crème- de- la crème, so why not set up the beach umbrella and enjoy a few hours of swimming, snorkelling and absorbing the breathtaking view.

We had heard a lot of noise about Turquoise Bay and rightly so … WOW!

Of all the ridiculously stunning beaches this is the crème- de- la crème, so we set up the beach umbrella and enjoy a few hours of swimming, snorkelling and absorbing the breathtaking views!

 

Day 4 – Cape Range National Park, WA

turquoise-bay

With the wind continuing to increase, we headed out for a few walks, including a lovely one at Yardie Creek, before making our way to the somewhat sheltered jewel of Turquoise Bay again for some more time in its famous waters.

 

Day 5 – Cape Range National Park, WA

cape-range-national-park

We had a very lazy day around camp and tried to stay out the wind, albeit unsuccessfully!

We had the most sheltered spot in all of Cape Range National Park and we still got battered by the wind.

Seriously, it was crazy!

 

Day 6 – Coral Bay, WA

coral-bay-village

Coral bay is a VERY small little village, with only around 180 permanent locals.

With 2 little general stores, a pub, a backpackers and a few dive shops it doesn’t take long to get around this little gem, but it’s definitely well worth a visit.

There’s also 2 caravan parks in town.

We stayed at the cheaper of the 2, Bayview Village, which we really loved, because it had some nice grassy sites and a great camp kitchen.

The beach is also beautiful and, you guessed it, the water is crystal clear.

With these great features, it is a diving and snorkelling mecca, which like Exmouth, explodes in the season explodes with tourists eager to get a taste of paradise.

There’s also a lovely sweeping bay to walk along and if you can get out if the wind, it’s bliss!

 

Day 7 – Coral Bay, WA

pelican

Apparently, this is a huge breeding ground for reef sharks and there is a natural nursery just a 15 minute walk up the beach at Coral Bay.

We walked for about 45 minutes and didn’t see any, but others said they saw hundreds, so I am not quite sure what we were doing wrong!

Although a little disappointed with the outcome, it was a peaceful and picturesque walk to start the day and we didi see a massive pelican!

The rest of the day we just spent relaxing around the pool!

 

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