Overview

  • Main Attractions: Snapper feeding, shark nursery
  • Best Time to Visit: September to November
  • Local Specialty: Beaches
  • Travelled By: Rental car
  • Cost: $$$$
  • Duration of Stay: 1 day
  • Location: Western Australia

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What We Liked

Everything is really close to the main beach so you don’t need to walk or drive very far too see the attractions.

What We Disliked

The main beach can get really congested during the peak of summer as Coral Bay is a very small seaside town.

Summary

Coral Bay is a great place to get away from it all and relax on pristine beaches. From coral gardens to norwest snappers, everything is at your fingertips, and I mean that literally.

Coral Bay: Our Experience

 

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When we get to Coral Bay, we realise that one day is too little a time to spend in this relaxed place. Having just arrived from Exmouth though, it didn’t seem as spectacular to us but Coral Bay has its charms nonetheless.

What impressed us about Coral Bay is the proximity of everything to the centre of town, especially the Main Beach and the snorkelling sites.

 

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One of the highlights of Coral Bay is the proximity of the coral gardens. Situated in the Ningaloo Reef, it is possible to snorkel amongst the beautiful coral gardens of the Ningaloo Reef without having to hire a boat of join a tour group. Our favourite snorkelling spot in Coral Bay is at Purdy Point.

Bill’s Bay is less spectacular than Purdy Point however it’s attraction lies in the its proximity to the Main Beach and the township of Coral Bay.

I must admit that after snorkelling at Oyster Stacks and Turquoise Bay in Exmouth, we find that the snorkelling sites in Coral Bay lack the diversity and concentration of marine life, however it is still a delight snorkelling around the beautiful coral gardens of Bill’s Bay.

What we found really nice is the relaxed atmosphere at Coral Bay where people come to sit at the beach and swim in the shallow waters of the bay. It is definitely a family holiday destination as we found a lot of families with small children around.

 

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The highlight of our trip to Coral Bay is the school of norwest snapper that we came across in knee deep water from the beach. The reason for them being there is due to the snapper feeding session that takes place daily at the Main Beach.

 

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The other little delight about Coral Bay is the reef shark nursery just a 20-minute walk from the Main Beach. Not many people know about the reef shark nursery at Coral Bay as it is well hidden from the main beach.

 

Our home for the night is the Coral Bay YHA which is one of the best YHA’s that I’ve stayed at. It is pricier than most but the room is really nice – well decorated, spacious and superbly clean. Also, it has a well appointed communal kitchen which we made good use of for preparing our dinner. Considering Coral Bay is an expensive place to stay, this place is pretty good value for money.

It’s an early night for us as we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow. We are driving to Kalbarri in the morning, stopping en route at Carnarvon in the afternoon for lunch and a break.