Cape Range National Park

Cape Range covers the western side of the North West Cape, where a limestone range cut by deep gorges runs down to a coast fringed by Ningaloo Reef, part of the same World Heritage listing. What makes it unusual is proximity: at Turquoise Bay and Oyster Stacks the reef sits within a short swim of the sand, so snorkelling reaches coral, turtles and reef fish without a boat, and the Turquoise Bay drift snorkel carries swimmers along the reef edge on the current. Inland, Yardie Creek is a gorge with a boat tour and black-footed rock-wallabies on the walls, and Mandu Mandu Gorge has a rim walk. Whale sharks pass offshore from March to July.

What you actually see

• Turquoise Bay - a drift snorkel over reef reached directly from the beach.
• Yardie Creek - a gorge with rock-wallabies and a boat tour.
• The Ningaloo reef - coral, turtles and fish close to shore along the coast.
• The limestone range - canyons and gorges behind the beaches.

When to go

April to October for the dry season; whale sharks are offshore from March to July and humpbacks from July to November. Summer is very hot with cyclone risk. Campsites are limited, book out months ahead and cannot be secured on arrival.

Honest expectations

Camping inside the park requires online booking well in advance and there is no water supply. The Turquoise Bay drift has a strong current and swimmers must exit before the sandbar or risk being carried out. Shade is minimal and summer heat severe.

Nearby

Exmouth is the base town; Coral Bay lies south along the Ningaloo coast.