DiNo's Travels Around Australia - 2014/2015/16/17: Day 111 - Cape Range National Park and Ningaloo Marine Park

Toady, on a simply stunning day, we motored 200k as we visited Cape Range National Park and The Ningaloo Marine Park. The road is on the western side of the peninsula and stretches for about 85km from Vlamingh Head to Yardie Creek. There are many access points along the road to the equally many beaches. Most beaches are similar with whitish sand, lapped by emerald water with the Ningallo Reef running at various distances from the beach, providing calm waters for swimming, snorkelling or fishing. White foaming breakers marked the outer edge of the reef.

We visited some of the beaches, the nicest of which would have been Turquoise Bay, which was true to name. The Milyering Discovery Centre was a source of information for the whole area. An unexpected bird hide was available to the public at Mangrove Bay and, yes, we did see some birds.

The sealed road ended at Yardie Creek, where there was a gorge with permanent water fed from the ocean. We were too late for the boat trip up the gorge so we walked a fair way into it, across the rim. The trail became too rugged for us. So we struggled back and had a cuppa under some she oaks by the side of the creek instead.

We called into Vlamingh Head on the way back and were fortunate to see some whales swimming not more than 400m from the shore. They were difficult to photograph from the top of the Heads.

If you were a serious fisherman, this would be a good place to come, if the number of boats around is any indication. Also, Toyota and Nissan would be rapt, because most of the towing vehicles are their 4WD.