Exmouth- Blue Water Town
We hit Exmouth and it has been more than we expected. Bright turquoise waters, squeaky white sandy beaches and sunsets that just leave you in awe. We loved Exmouth so much we stayed here for five weeks. Roaming around and exploring all that this quaint town has to offer and visiting the beaches every day.
Where is Exmouth?
Exmouth is located on Western Australia’s Westerns most tip. It is the doorway to The Ningaloo Reef, colourful fish and whale sharks. The town has a laid back feel and during peak season is filled with tourists passing by. It has trendy pubs, we were spoilt with not one but two IGA shops, a bank, police station, post office and lots of locals…which locals??? EMUS of course. If you head into the town, you will be unlucky if you do not see one or many of the cool friendly feathered friends.
*Town Tip- head to Mrs Mac’s second-hand shop for some cool bargains. We picked up 50c DVD’s and a big container of lego for just $6. Our kids have played with this Lego every day since we purchased it.
Accommodation
While we were in and around Exmouth we were spoilt with the choice of places to stay. All of which were offering really good value. Depending on what you are looking for, there is plenty for everyone…….but keep in mind, if you are wanting to book in the school holidays. PRE BOOK IN ADVANCE because places fill fast. Otherwise you may be left staying at a Caravan Park and that may end up on the pricey side. Our van is equipped to free camp, which spoils us for choice when it comes to accommodation. We always choose free camp first if we can. For our stay in Exmouth we chose the following-
1. Bullara Station
We chose to stay outside of the town of Exmouth at Bullara Station which is a working cattle station, 60 km from Exmouth town. During our stay at Bullara, we experienced so much more than what a local caravan park could offer. We were lucky enough to be there for the last muster of the season and every four or so days we watched the helicopter take off about 100 metres from our van. Our kids loved visiting these cows and bulls every day as they sat waiting to be put on the cattle truck. We loved our nights around the communal fire with Damper John, who told us the history of Bullara and made us some amazing damper.
While we were staying here, the staff at Bullara were taking part in the Blue Tree Project and our children were welcomed to take part which resulted in paint everywhere and they had the best time.
Bullara had lots of animals at the station, our children loved the horses that were in the stables and fed them carrots every day. Every time I went to cook carrots for dinner, I had none!!
After two weeks of being in the red dirt we were ready for some of the famous beaches the Cape Range had to offer, we were ready to explore the Ningaloo Reef.
2. Yardie Creek Homestead
After our red dirt stay we ventured to the other side of Exmouth, Cape Range. Yardie Creek Homestead is a budget-friendly caravan park which is along the coast of some of Western Australia’s best beaches. We had stayed here during the school holidays which made it a very busy place to stay. Yardie Creek offered a lot for the children to keep them busy.
The swimming pool was a clear winner and the large grassy area was the perfect place for us to kick our footy and play a game of family backyard cricket. What’s even better is that we were a stones throw away from some beautiful beaches. Every night we headed to the beach to watch the sunset and enjoyed a picnic dinner. Check out one of the best sunsets we have witnessed yet below.
Our Top Snorkelling Spots
1. Oyster Stacks-
This is by far the best place for Snorkelling. If you want to swim alongside turtles, spot reef sharks in the far and swim with a flurry of colourful fish. This is the place to go. The shore is covered with rocks and to get out there you will have to swim over coral but it is absolutely worth it.
Tip- Get there for high tide which is between 10 am– 2 pm. Take an underwater camera- we had a GoPro 7- absolutely amazing
2. Turquoise Bay-
Here is a great swimming spot. It has the bluest of waters and is just picturesque. While swimming we had an array of starfish wash up on the shore. If you do want to do some snorkelling there is some reef here aswell. Tip- The current can be quite strong here so be mindful if you are not a strong swimmer.
3. Osprey Bay-
Inside the National Park you will find Osprey Campsite and bay. This place gets popular for camping and must be booked in advance. We came for a swim and a float around in the crystal clear waters, with the fish just swimming around us.
Tip- Take a pool noodle and just relax.
10 Must-See Attractions FREE and PAID
1. Vlaming Head Lighthouse
2. Shothole Cannon
3. Charles Knife Gorge
4. Exmouth Waterpark
5. Fig Tree Cave
6. Mildura Shipwreck
7. Tours- Swim with the whale sharks, fishing charters. Check out the visitor centre for more info
8. Ningaloo Centre
9. Jurabi Turtle Centre- Seasonal to see the turtles beach themselves on shore from October- April
Safe Travels
From Dan and Kylie
Fearless and Free Range