Video Transcript
Welcome to Wout of the World, and in this episode we’re still on the West Coast of Australia, and this is Cape Grange National Park and Exmouth. We started in Perth in the previous episodes, but as you can see, I’m no longer in the city. We’re cruising the West Coast all the way up to Broome, and in this episode, you see some natural wonders like the Ningaloo Reef over here.
Australia’s West Coast has been a natural paradise so far. From Perth, we increasingly come into a no man’s land without any cities or villages.
And we do this with a rental camper that we got from WA Experts in Western Australia. It’s a sick 4×4 with the rooftop tent, so full of adventure.
And with that Camper, you saw Coral Bay in the previous episode, where we got introduced to the Ningaloo Reef. Now we drive another 150 kilometres up north.
We’re here, guys, this is Exmouth and it’s about 40 degrees celsius, so if I need anything right now, it’s a swimming pool.
So we spent the night in Exmouth, and one of the main reasons to go to this part of Australia is Cape Range National Park. It’s the most northwestern part of Australia on the Northwest Cape, and it’s beautiful both above and below the water surface. So let’s explore that today.
We use our park pass again, which gives access to all the national parks in Western Australia for one month. It costs about 60 Australian dollars per car and I guarantee it is worth your while.
We start at the most beautiful beach.
Our first stop here in Cape Grange National Park is the Turquoise Bay, which is one of the most beautiful snorkeling spots not only here, but in the entire West Coast of Australia. And as you can see, it already looks pretty good above water. I’m practically the only person here, but I’m going to walk right into the Ningaloo Reef. That’s the main reason to go here. You’re practically inside the reef already to see all the beautiful tropical fish and the coral.
Unlike the Great Barrier Reef on Australia’s east coast, you don’t need a boat here to explore the reef, and the colours of the water seem like another world. What we also like is that it is incredibly quiet in this heavenly place. I don’t even see any other snorkelers.
On the other hand, I see enough coloured fish and the coral is also beautiful. I also come across this Hawksbill turtle. This oldie must be about 50 years old and it’s a metre long.
Wow guys, that was so awesome.
Let’s find out more about the different landscapes around Exmouth further on.
I really love the Ningaloo Reef, guys, but we moved on to see the park above Lund as well. From the Turquoise Bay, we drove about 15 minutes to the next spot, which is Mandu Mandu Gorge. You can see behind me already, but there’s a small trail to walk from one to two hours. So while the wife and kid are having lunch, I’m going to walk the trail because it’s 35 degrees celsius, pretty hot, but the views are amazing.
It only takes you half an hour from a dive in the coral to this gigantic Grand Canyon landscape. This is the only limestone plateau on the entire West Coast, and the canyon is about 300 metres deep at its deepest point.
We drive on and see the most beautiful beaches just about every kilometre on the route to the south.
Today we drove the entire Cape Grange National Park from north to south, and we end at Yardie Creek. Yardie Creek is beautiful. It’s a river and you can make a little boat ride, but you can also fly over it with a drone. If you got one… oh, I do have one, so let’s do that.
What a spectacular landscape with so many colours. Yardie Creek is the only river in the park where the rest of the valleys are bone dry.
Time to drive back to Exmouth, the town that is so remote that the nearest cities are about 500 kilometres away. But they got everything for tourists and the campsites are fantastic.
Pizza time!
So the last couple of days, we truly enjoyed ourselves seeing all the natural sites around Exmouth on the North West Cape. But before we leave, we’re going to see the village a bit, explore a little bit, see the town beach, and then we have six hours drive ahead of us because we’re going into the Australian Outback. Another dream come true, so let’s head on over there.
I look at Exmouth from above for one last time and see the amazing location on the Northwest Cape. And then we’ll drive on to the next natural wonder, the canyon lands of Karijini. Travel with us, don’t forget to subscribe and I’ll see you soon.
Wout of the World
Online travel show in Dutch and English with World traveler and actor Wout of the World. In dozens of episodes Wout takes you out for adventure all over the world, always in the most budget-friendly way. Enjoy over 120 countries from your couch, phone or the computer.