Coral Bay – 21st to 24th July, 2012
We arrived at Coral Bay late Saturday morning and in keeping with our routine headed straight for the local bakery to evaluate the culinary delights that were on offer. Our fears were put to rest as we settled into our Aussie meat pies and a nice cappuccino to plan the days ahead.
We called into the Coral Bay visitor centre and booked a fishing charter before heading over to the Ningaloo Resort to check-in for our three day visit. We stayed at the resort on our last trip in 2010 and were looking forward to once again enjoying a relaxing stay next to the beach and overlooking the Ningaloo Reef. Our room had a great view over Coral Bay and in the distance we could see the waves breaking over the Ningaloo Reef.
View from our room, Ningaloo Resort, Coral Bay, West Australia
View from our room, Ningaloo Resort, Coral Bay, West Australia
On the lead-up to the fishing charter on the Monday we spent the remainder of Saturday and Sunday on the beach making the best of the warm weather, which would be in short supply as we headed for Perth…..we won’t talk about that just yet 
Julie blocking the sunset over Coral Bay, Ningaloo, West Australia
Sunset over Coral Bay, Ningaloo, West Australia
Monday morning we were up bright and early and being Mr and Mrs Predictable, headed for the bakery to stock-up for an anticipated hard days fishing. We had decided to use Sea Force Charters , which turned out to be a great decision as we had a most enjoyable and rewarding day out on the reef and beyond. An added bonus for the day was to see some of the local wildlife out and about, including a couple of Whales and friendly albatrosses and even a sea snake that cruised past the boat while we were fishing.
The average depths we were fishing were around the 80-100 metres and on a couple of occasions we had to up and move due to sharks taking our caught fish as we would reel them in. When I say take our fish they would be bitten in half as single clean bites.
Julie with her big one, Ningaloo, West Australia
Greg with his big one, Ningaloo, West Australia
Fishing is a serious business, Ningaloo, West Australia
We brought the lines in at around 2.30pm and made our way back to Coral Bay. Utterly exhausted after a hard day’s work, we spent the return journey on the fly bridge taking in the sun, sea-air and a cold drink; or two.
After a hard days fishing, Ningaloo, West Australia
Upon our return the crew, Captain ‘Bushy’ and first mate Kirsty filleted and bagged our catches ready for the freezer and the trip to Perth. What a great crew and a day out we had….absolutely perfect and a big thank-you!
After a hard day’s work we slept well that night and made our way out of Coral Bay first thing on Tuesday morning……..and yes we did go via the bakery . Heading south we called into Carnarvon and then onto Northampton, before making camp for the last time on the trip. The next day would see us arriving back in Perth and spending a few days with family.
Our last campfire, Northampton, West Australia
Our next post will be upon our return to the sunny UK, though in the meantime please have a look at some of the other pics we have posted on the ‘Photographs’ page.
Keep safe and warmest regards to all,
Greg and Julie
x
Hey Greg & Julie, many thanks for the blog posts during your trip. It’s been really great following your progress
Looks like you had a great time. Good luck for the flight back tomorrow and maybe we’ll catch up in the UK in the near future?
All the best,
Graham
Hi Graham, We arrived back in the UK last night, arriving at Birmingham around 9.30pm. It seems a little warmer here at the moment compared with Perth, though it is winter there. Back to the old routine next week looking for my next contract
Keep safe and keep in touch….Greg