Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
chart and know your limits, as the currents can be dangerous. The shop next to the park
office sells and rents snorkelling equipment ($10 per day, $15 overnight). The following
are the most popular snorkelling spots.
SNORKELLING
Lakeside
Walk 500m south along the beach from the car park, then snorkel out with the current be-
fore returning close to your original point.
Oyster Stacks
These spectacular bommies are just metres offshore, but you need a tide of at least 1.2m
and sharp rocks make entry/exit difficult. If you tire, don't stand on the bommies; look for
some sand.
SNORKELLING
Turquoise Bay
The Bay Snorkel Area is suitable for all skill levels and provides myriad fish and corals
just off the beach to the right of the bay car park. Stronger swimmers will want to head to
the Drift Snorkel Area: 300m south along the beach from the Drift car park, swim out for
about 40m then float face down. The current will carry you over coral bommies and
abundant sea life. Get out before the sandy point, then run back along the beach and start
all over! Beware of strong currents and don't miss the exit point or you'll be carried out
through the gap in the reef.
SNORKELLING
Lighthouse Bay
There's great scuba diving at Lighthouse Bay at sites like the Labyrinth, Blizzard Ridge
and Mandu Wall. Check out the DEC book
Dive and Snorkel Sites in Western Australia
for other ideas.
SCUBA DIVING
TOP OF CHAPTER
Cape Range National Park
The jagged limestone peaks and gorges of rugged 510-sq-km
Cape Range National Park
(per car
$11)
offer relief from the other-wise flat, arid expanse of the North West Cape, and are rich
in wildlife, including the rare black-flanked rock wallaby, five types of bat and over 200
species of bird. Spectacular deep canyons cut dramatically into the range, before emptying
out onto the wind-blown coastal dunes and turquoise waters of Ningaloo Reef.
