Frommer's Australia from $50 a Day 13th Edition - To Parent Directory

THE MIDWEST & THE NORTHWEST 469
in Carnarvon, which is the only town between Geraldton and Exmouth. Everything
else that looks like a town on your map is just a gas station.
VISITOR INFORMATION The Exmouth Visitor Centre, Murat Road,
Exmouth, WA 6707 (& 1800/287 328 within Western Australia, or 08/9949
1176; www.exmouth-australia.com), is open daily from 8:30am to 5pm, or from
10am to 3pm on weekends November through March. The Milyering Visitors
Centre, 52km (32 1 ⁄4 miles) northwest of Exmouth, is the Cape Range National
Park’s information center, run by the Department of Conservation and Land
Management (CALM). It is open daily from 10am to 4pm but closes for lunch
from 12:30 to 1:15pm. You can pick up a hiking-trail map of the park from
CALM’s office in Nimitz Street, Exmouth. Coral Bay Adventures runs a tour
information and booking center in Robinson Street, Coral Bay, WA 6701
(& 08/9942 5955; www.users.bigpond.com/coralbay).
The entry fee to the Cape Range National Park, payable at the Milyering Visitor
Centre, is A$9 (US$5.85) per vehicle.
Note: There is only one ATM on the Cape, in Exmouth.
GETTING AROUND Tours and dive operators pick up from either
Exmouth or Coral Bay accommodations, but usually not both. The roads to
Exmouth and Coral Bay are paved, and so is the only road around the Cape’s
coast. To explore more widely, rent a 4WD. Avis (& 08/9949 2942), Budget
(& 08/9949 1534), and local operator Allens Car Hire (& 08/9949 2403)
have offices in Exmouth; there is no car rental in Coral Bay.
Ningaloo Reef Bus (& 08/9949 1776) runs from Exmouth hotels to various
beaches around the cape, calling at the Milyering Visitors Centre en route.
It runs every day except Thursday April through September, and Tuesday,
Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday October through March. The round-trip fare to
the snorkel beauty spot of Turquoise Bay is A$22 (US$14), including the park
entry fee. Ask about the sea kayak-and-snorkeling day trip, or the overnight
safari camp-out, offered by the bus’s operator, Ningaloo Reef Retreat.
DIVING WITH WHALE SHARKS
“Diving” is not really a correct term for this activity, because it’s by snorkeling
that you get close to these leviathans. Whale sharks are sharks, not whales, and
they are the world’s biggest fish, reaching 12m to 18m (39 ft.–59 ft.) in length.
Terrified? Don’t be. Their gigantic size belies a gentle nature and slow swimming
speed, and despite having a mouth big enough to swallow a boatload of snorkelers,
they only eat plankton (which cannot possibly be confused with humans).
Several boat operators take people out to swim alongside the fish when they
appear late March through mid June. A trip with Exmouth Diving Centre
(& 1800/655 156 in Australia, or 08/9949 1201; www.exmouthdiving.com.au)
or its Coral Bay sister company, Ningaloo Reef Dive (& 08/9942 5824; www.
users.bigpond.com/ningaloo) costs A$320 (US$208) for snorkeling or A$360
(US$234) including a scuba dive, with all gear included. Shark protection regulations
limit your boat to 10 snorkelers and a maximum 90 minutes with any one
fish, but your boat is free to search for several fish in 1 day. Most boats stop at
reefs for more snorkeling, and some incorporate optional scuba dives.
DIVING, SNORKELING, FISHING & FOUR-WHEEL-DRIVING
Scuba dive the unspoiled waters of the Cape and you will see marvelous reef formations,
grouper, manta rays, angel fish, octopus, morays, potato cod—which you
can hand feed—and other underwater marvels. Divers often spot humpback and