We have covered another 760km since leaving Shark Bay and have hopped from one World Heritage Area to another – the Ningaloo Coast. The drive from Shark Bay was largely uneventful, breaking up the drive with a free camp just south of Carnarvon.

We did enjoy a fun visit to the space and technology museum in Carnarvon, home to the satellite communications which played a key role in the Apollo 11 lunar landing.

The kids enjoyed the opportunity to dress up as astronauts and it was a great stop over to break up the drive north.

The Ningaloo Cost World Heritage Area covers an area of 6045 km2 and stretches more than 300km along the coast. First stop, we enjoyed a wonderful four nights in the small town of Coral Bay. This was a great opportunity to get in some snorkelling practice. Unfortunately, the coral in Mauds Landing, the main easy access bay from Coral Bay, has suffered a large bleaching event and the algae has really taken hold. However, further out the reef is still super healthy and offered some amazing spots for snorkelling.

We took a glass bottom boat out to explore some of the reef and enjoyed some fantastic snorkelling further out on the reef. Some of the most amazing snorkelling however, was found at a place called Oyster Bridge. It was quite an adventurous 4WD track to get there but it was definitely worth the effort. Snorkelling at low tide, we were treated to all kinds of cool fish, eels, sharks and even a turtle. Super cool place and pretty spectacular for a sunset snorkel.

After four days of sleep, eat, snorkel, repeat, it was time to make our way 150km up the coast to the town of Exmouth. I have been to Exmouth for work a couple of times but the chance to be here and explore the area has been incredible. We spent two nights on a campsite in the town of Exmouth which had probably the best pool the kids have enjoyed so far and felt more like a resort than a camp site! Exmouth town was a great base to re-stock with supplies, enjoy being in a small town (coffee and sushi!) and explore some of the stunning Cape Range National Park.

We have now spent the last six nights over on the Ningaloo coast side of the peninsular at Yardie Homestead, a short 35km drive from the town of Exmouth but a more remote style of camping and beautiful setting at the foothills of the Cape Range.

The trip to Exmouth, and opportunity to see the whale sharks, was one of the first things we put on our list of ‘must see’s’ when we first started planning our trip. The timeline of our journey along the west coast has been heavily influenced by the season to be here for the whale sharks! It is estimated that between 300-500 whale sharks make their way to the Ningaloo Coast every year between April and June, following the timing of the mass coral spawning in March – April and major nutrient upwelling. This area has one of the largest and most reliable aggregations of whale sharks in the world and the opportunity to be here for it was just too good to be true.

We set sail on a pretty swish catamaran for our day on the ocean. Ningaloo Discovery operate the only sailing catamaran on the Ningaloo and it was an incredible experience for us all.

We were fortunate enough to enjoy five separate snorkels with two different whale sharks. The first was a 7 to 8 m shark which they estimated to be around 30 years old (teenager in whale shark terms!). The second was a smaller coming in at a mere 4m in length.

Despite their size, they are incredibly graceful animals and just cruise on by, filtering the water as they go.

The boat operators were incredible and super organised. It’s non stop action once the sharks are spotted and they drop the first group of ten snorkelers in the water in front of the whale shark. The shark cruises on by and as it passes you are allowed to then attempt to snorkel with it. I say ‘attempt’ as they can still cruise at quite a speed so it takes some swimming to keep up! After five minutes or so of frantic swimming, the shark is out of sight of our group but in the perfect spot for the next group of ten who were dropped in the water ahead of us. The boat then comes back to pick you up and then you basically play leapfrog for as long as the whale shark is cruising. With only 20 people on the boat, this meant constant action as the sharks were quite content to let us observe them.

Such an incredible experience for us all and the kids were amazing. Quickly overcoming any fear of jumping into the ocean to look at a giant fish, we were so pleased of all the snorkelling practice they had put in before hand. Their confidence in the water was clear and I am sure something they will both remember for ever. The enjoyment factor continued after the swim with the whale sharks as the boat operators put out the cargo net behind the boat for us to be towed along – lots of fun!

After the adventure of the whale sharks, we enjoyed a fun afternoon on the boat with some shallow reef snorkelling, yummy food and even a glass of bubbles – big smiles all around!

Our time in Exmouth has been awesome and a real highlight of the trip so far. We have snorkelled every day, enjoying the very beautiful Turquoise Bay and awesome marine life at Oyster Stacks. Turtles, sharks, so many fish and super healthy corals. It really is some of the best snorkelling we have ever done (which is a lot!). The Ningaloo Coast is one very special place.

Next stop… time to step out of our natural habitat and head inland to Karijini National Park.