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    Coral Bay

    Australia

    Coral Bay

    Coastal Town

    Coral Bay is a tiny place on the southern Ningaloo Reef, around 1,100 km north of Perth. The reef starts directly at the beach, and from here, boats go to manta rays and whale sharks.

    by Felix Gillen

    1. Home
    3. Destinations
    5. Australia
    7. Coral Bay
    Coral Bay is a tiny place on the southern Ningaloo Reef, around 1,100 km north of Perth. The reef starts directly at the beach, and from here, boats go to manta rays and whale sharks.

    Sights

    Discover the most important sights and attractions

    Ningaloo Reef

    1Ningaloo Reef

    The Ningaloo Reef is an approximately 300-kilometer-long fringing reef and has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2011. In Coral Bay, it lies so close to the shore that you can swim to the corals directly from the beach. By boat, you can visit manta rays, whale sharks from approximately March to July, and humpback whales from June to October.
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    Bill's Bay

    2Bill's Bay

    Bill's Bay is Coral Bay's main sheltered beach with shallow, calm waters. Just a few metres from the shore, you can snorkel among corals and fish. Snorkelling equipment and kayaks can be rented in town. Be aware of the marked boat channel.
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    Oyster Bridge

    3Oyster Bridge

    Oyster Bridge is a snorkeling spot on the reef off Coral Bay with dense corals and many fish. You best reach it with a glass-bottom or snorkeling tour from the town.
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    Restaurants & Cafés

    1

    Fins Cafe

    Cafe in Coral Bay's small town center, offering breakfast, lunch, and dinner, often with local fish. Outdoor seating.
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    2

    Coral Bay Bakery

    Local bakery with Meat Pies, sandwiches & coffee, ideal for boat tour provisions.
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    Food and Beverages

    The selection is limited: a few cafés, a bakery, a pub, and a small, pricey supermarket. Those staying at the caravan park usually barbecue themselves. You'll do larger shopping in Carnarvon or Exmouth.

    Fish, from grill

    Caught fish like Spanish Mackerel or Snapper often lands directly on the grill at the caravan park. Observe the fishing rules in the Marine Park.

    Chronicle

    The coast is Baiyungu country. From the late 19th century, Europeans used nearby Maud's Landing as a jetty to ship wool from sheep farms in the hinterland. Tourism began in the 1960s. Since 1987, the reef has been protected as Ningaloo Marine Park, and in 2011 the Ningaloo Coast became World Heritage.

    Traveling in Coral Bay

    From Perth, it's about 1,100 kilometers, a good twelve hours' drive. The nearest airport is Learmonth near Exmouth, about 1.5 hours north. Integrity Coach Lines runs several times a week from Perth.Within the town, you get around on foot. Tour operators pick you up at your accommodation. For the beaches north of town, you'll need a 4WD.

    Accommodations in Coral Bay

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    Nearby

    Exmouth

    Exmouth, at the tip of the North West Cape, is the gateway to the Ningaloo Reef and the Cape Range National Park. Here, you can snorkel from the beach over corals and swim with whale sharks in autumn.

    Shark Bay

    Shark Bay on the West Coast has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1991: a vast, shallow bay with seagrass meadows, dugongs, the dolphins of Monkey Mia, stromatolites, and a shell beach. A good eight hours' drive north of Perth.

    Karijini NP

    Karijini National Park in the Pilbara is one of Australia's most impressive parks: narrow red gorges, cutting up to 100 metres deep into the Hamersley Plateau, with waterfalls and swimming holes at their base.

    Kalbarri NP

    Kalbarri National Park, about six hours north of Perth, combines two landscapes: red sandstone gorges along the Murchison River inland and high cliffs on the Indian Ocean. The town of Kalbarri at the river mouth is the starting point.
    Perth

    Perth

    Perth, one of the world's most remote major cities: sunny, relaxed, long Indian Ocean beaches, vast Kings Park, and port city Fremantle nearby.

    Sources & method

    • Photos: Pexels. Each photo carries its credit.
    • The content is based on web research from public, traceable sources. How the content is made · The role of AI