Exmouth marks the start of the Ningaloo Reef which stretches down the WA coastline for several hundred kilometres. The area is well known for whales, whalesharks and turtles.

We decided to head to Yardie Creek which is about 80klms and tracks the coastline all the way. Along the way there are numerous tracks that head to the beach as well as secluded campsites. First stop was the lighthouse which sits atop a steep climb. This offers spectacular views of the coastline and a good vantage point for whale spotting. Whilst there were plenty of whales, they were a fair way out.

We stopped at several of the beaches enroute to Yardie Creek. The first beach we stopped at we spotted an osprey nesting on 3 eggs. The nest was on a log on the beach and was only about 1 metre high, so was easy to look into the nest. The mother wasn't too happy about us being so close, so we had a quick look and left her to it. The water at these beaches is just crystal clear and the turqoise color is amazing. Another beach we stopped at was called oyster stacks which seemed a very popular snorkelling area.

At Yardie Creek we did the short hike along the top of the gorge. On the return trip we called into the Yardie Creek homestead which seemed a nice little place to stay.

Next day we headed to the Charles Knife Gorge. Exmouth is on a headland about 2 or 3 klms wide. Through the middle of the headland is a range thats about 600 metres high, once you get up on top of this range the views are quite spectacular.

On our second day in Exmouth the wind had started to blow, each day it just got worse and by day 4 was very gusty.

Next destination Coral Bay.