Ningaloo Reef. A place I’ve been telling B I’ve wanted to go to for a long time.
We took a small plane north to the RAAF base airport Learmonth located near the town of Exmouth on the north-west coast of Western Australia. Ningaloo is a long way from anywhere and there are advantages to that. One being the mass crowds of the Great Barrier Reef are nowhere to be seen.
We travelled down the dusty highway for just over an hour (spotting emus and kangaroos amongst the towering red termite mounds) and arrived at Sal Salis – a beachside eco camp nestled in the sand dunes within the Cape Range National Park. This is where nature meets modern day luxury. The tents have no electricity instead they are lit by lanterns. There is a large solar powered communal tent where guests come together and wine and dine on locally caught produce.
The food at Sal Salis is a serious affair. There is a resident chef who prepares contemporary and delicious seasonal dishes. At sunset, we enjoyed canapés with a glass of wine and chatted to people from all over the world who had come to see the reef. Dinner is a real highlight – we enjoyed an elegant three-course meal each night, created out of a simple camp kitchen.
Ningaloo Reef is far more accessible than the Great Barrier Reef where you need a tour operator and a couple of hours by boat to access. Ningaloo is a fringing reef with the best spots to explore just a few meters away from the beach. One of those spots is Turquoise Bay where the natural ocean currents push you along the reef so you hardly have to do much to move along. We went back and forth several times a day enjoying the warm clear waters and exploring the reef and sea life.
The snorkelling is out of this world. We saw bright turquoise parrotfish circling the coral, groups of silver bream, startling four eye butterflyfish, vibrant orange zebra-striped clownfish, turtles, stingrays and electric-blue damselfish weaving around us. B spotted a whitetip reef shark while we were snorkelling around a rocky part of the shore on our last day. We watched it for a quick few seconds before it shot away with a quick flick of its tail.
This place is wild Australia at its very best. We hiked through the Cape Range National Park for a wildlife detour, taking in the rocky gorges, carved by ancient flowing rivers, and spotted some black-footed rock wallabies – timid little creatures which seek shelter on ledges along the gorge walls. Yardie Creek Gorge is a great walk up to the top with some amazing views back to the coast and over the Ningaloo Reef.
Before falling asleep each night, we listened to the waves crashing against the shore and the light howl of the wind against our tent. All the complications, expectations and everyday demands of modern life were gone for those few days. As I spent more time in nature, more time experiencing awe, more time exploring and discovering the incredible beauty here, I experienced a calmness I hadn’t felt in a long while.
I feel like switching off at Sal Salis was just what the doctor ordered. Did I mention there is no Wi-Fi or mobile phone coverage? You quickly realise the stunning landscape surrounding the camp deserves your undivided attention. The ruggedly beautiful Cape Range National Park and the sparkling blue waters of the Ningaloo Coast won’t be forgotten.
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