We almost missed the small, understated sign that pointed the way to Warroora Station from the main road. Luckily, Jonathan, the annoying person inside our trusty Hema (GPS) was on the ball, giving us the heads up as we approached the turn off! The hand painted corrugated iron sheet at the beginning of the 25km driveway provided welcome advice to let our tyres down, drive slowly and relax! It took about 15 minutes to traverse the sandy, sometimes windy and sometimes corrugated track to the camp area. We checked in with the caretakers, Lesley and Roscoe, who must have the easiest ‘job’ in Australia. Roscoe had the most impressively large guts I think any of us have ever seen. Given his ‘uniform’ consisted of a single item of clothing – shorts – his guts was proudly on show for all to see as he went about his daily business. It was a constant source of amazement and humour for the kids and one of those things you tell yourself you won’t look at but every time he came by you couldn’t not look!
There were plenty of signs along the way identifying the 4wd and 2wd camps throughout the Station. We headed along the 4wd tracks, enjoying the chance to get off-road. The camp sites were genuinely ‘beach-side’, being only metres from the waters edge. The relentless wind that greeted us finally gave way to gentle sea breezes after two days so we decided to stay a week and ride out the end of the school holidays.
There was an abundance of offerings to keep everyone active and interested. We visited some of the other beach locations around the property, using the opportunity to go 4w driving through the dunes. We saw turtles, sea stars, sting rays, clams, crabs and even a 3m grey reef shark - a mere 2 metres from the waters edge! We took our camp chairs to the high tide line every evening for a bevvie or two and watched the unbelievable sunsets. The kids played in the calm waters and the dogs wore themselves out chasing hundreds of crabs who would tentatively emerge from their sandy holes and scurry fervently about, looking for a tasty dinner.
We watched as waves crashed along the Ningaloo Reef, which lay about 1km off the coast from our camp. It’s mass creating protection for the beaches inside it, ensuring a safe and gentle swimming experience for the kids. The Reef is regarded as one of the last great ocean paradises on Earth. It is Australia’s largest fringing reef, making it accessible for snorkeling and diving from the beach in many spots. Ningaloo Reef is also famous for the annual migration of whale sharks and humpback whales. A seemingly endless number of tour operators offering to fulflll your ‘dream’ to get close to these majestic ocean giants. They offer ‘guaranteed’ sightings and some even give you the chance to swim with them. We liked the sound of that but at more than $1000, it was just not possible on our tight budget! Maybe next time!
We spent a day at Coral Bay, just north of the Station. Coral Bay is the ‘developed’ area of Ningaloo Reef, accommodating 1200 people when all camp sites and apartments are full. It was certainly at capacity when we visited; the school holiday crowds making sure of that! We were grateful we had the seclusion and privacy of Warroora Station to return to. It was a great place to snorkel though, as the reef lies only 20 metres or so from shore. The dog friendly part of Coral Bay is just south of the main bay and necessitated us navigating around a rocky point. We arrived at high tide, which meant we had to wade through waist deep water to get there. The dogs had to swim and the kids were neck deep! By the time we returned, the tide had abated and it was an easy walk back to the car along the sand! Our snorkeling experience revealed an array of incredible colours and shapes swimming amongst the coral; the waters so clear you could see for miles!
Back at the station there was a constant parade of dinky di Australian animals to keep an eye out for - kangaroos, goannas & hawks to name but a few.
We met many lovely campers and the kids enjoyed the company of some new friends. As is customary, we shared stories of our favourite stays and gratefully accepted recommendations of new places to visit as we continue our travels. We could have easily spent longer but our eagerness to get ever closer to the Pilbara was enough to get us moving.
PHOTOS: CLICK FOR MORE INFO
PHOTOS: BEAUTIFUL BEACHES
PHOTOS: INCREDIBLE SUNSETS (& no trick photography!)
