Table of Contents
Ningaloo
The following notes are based on our experiences from a trip made by Fair Wind, Whimbrel and Bass and Flinders in April 2024
The Ningaloo coast is a beautiful place for dinghy cruising and the snorkelling is stunning. It is, however a remote place and you need to be equipped accordingly. Also, you should note that once you are a few kilometres north of Coral Bay there is no phone reception for the whole coastline until a few kilometres south of Tantabiddi. It takes about 6 or 7 days to sail from Coral Bay to Tantabiddy sailing at an easy pace with plenty of time for exploring and snorkelling.
There is no fresh water and no toilets provided at any of the campsites. You have to bring both yourself (see the link to the Park website below). You must use self contained toilets, disappearing into the bushes is not an option, The aim is to leave no trace of your visit to the National Park. For toilets we used buckets with tight fitting lids with a seat that sits on top.
Good ramps are at each end of the coast, Coral Bay and Tantabiddi. You have to decide whether you will do a one-way trip with a car shuffle, or an out and return trip from one of these ramps. If you go for a one-way trip the car shuffle is very long, about a 400km round trip which you have to do twice, once at the beginning of your trip and again at the end. Another factor to consider is that Yardi Homestead, where you would leave a car if you are planning to finish at Tantabiddi, is about 4-5 km from the Tantabiddi ramp. Having managed all this on a one-way trip I recommend an out and return trip!
Boat launching is permitted at Point Billie, South Lefroy Bay and Winderabandi campgrounds but you will need to be confident in beach launching over soft sand with a 4WD.
Within the National Park you are only permitted to camp at the designated campsites. To comply with this as closely as possible we booked places at each of the camp sites according to our estimated schedule but camped on the beach near our boats in the vicinity of each of the camp sites. We also slept on our boats if conditions permitted.
Nyinggulara National Park (Ningaloo) information and campsite booking
DoT Coral Bay Boating Guide
DoT Exmouth Boating Guide
Ningaloo Coastal Waters Forecast: North West Cape to Cape Cuvier
Chart WA1108 Coral Bay
Chart WA900 Exmouth
Marine Rescue Coral Bay
Telephone: +61 8 9948 5105
Marine Rescue Exmouth
Telephone: +61 8 9949 2426
Mobile: 0418 183 416
Coral Bay
The ramp is about 2km south of the town. If you are leaving your car and trailer at the caravan park, and there are two of you, one can carefully take the boat northwards inside the reef around to Bills Bay to meet the driver at the caravan park. Do look out for coral bommies on the way. Otherwise there is no real beach to pull the boat up on at the ramp. The pontoons are for commercial or private use. Tie up on them and hope no-one needs them while you are there. To get to the main channel from the ramp you initially head south to the anchorage. From there you pick up the markers that will take you out through the reef.
Tantabiddi
This is an industrial strength tourism site! The Google Maps image above is an accurate depiction of what we encountered when we arrived there. Lots of cars and boat trailers, and a big line of buses delivering tourists to the whale shark boats. Eventually all the tourists get onto their boats, things calm down and you can retrieve your boat (that is, once you have hiked to Yardie Station, retrieved your car, driven back to Tantabiddi to pick up the other drivers, and then driven 400km to retrieve the cars and trailers left at Coral Bay!)
Camping at Point Cloates