Barren and bereft to theuntrained eye, the wonders of WesternAustralia’s Coral Coast are now front-and-centre on the world eco-tourism stage.

By Roderick EimePhotography Tourism Western Australia

There she is!” cried Greg our champion fisherman. Histrained eyes, aided by Polaroid sunglasses, spotted thetelltale wake on the shimmering sea. It was just a ripple atfirst, but soon looked like a midget submarine just beneath

the surface. “She” was a magnificent whale shark, the world’s largestfish, and she was coming straight for us.

This beautiful and serene creature is at least partly responsible for thesurge in interest in Western Australia’s Coral Coast. The othersignificant and established attraction is the wild dolphin viewing atMonkey Mia, but the bounty of activities and sightseeing opportunitieson the Coral Coast just begins there.

The Coral Coast starts about 100 kilometres north of Perth andcontinues its upward sweep beyond the continent’s westernmostextremity at Steep Point, to Exmouth and the famous Ningaloo Reef, a

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W.A.’s Coral CoastWest ‘n’ Wild

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distance of around 1200 kilometres. Its name, as you’ve alreadydeduced, is derived from the rich coral formations along its length,unusual because they exist so far south.

Fed by the warm, southward flowing Leeuwin Current, the water iskept constant at about 20 to 22 degrees allowing the formation of coraland the growth of sea grass. Bright, colourful tropical fish abound in thewaters where they really shouldn’t and the clash of northward currentscreate a rich mix of nutrients that make for great fishing and big lobsters.

This expansive region is itself dived into smaller parcels, popularlyknown as the Turquoise, Batavia and Outback Coasts.

I set out to explore this region aboard one of the vessels offering acomprehensive cruise itinerary in the region: North Star Cruises’ smartnew 36-passenger expedition yacht, True North II. She travels this routebut once a year as she returns to her home port of Broome fromFremantle to begin the busy Kimberley cruise season.

The Turquoise Coast is the first region we encountered and is an easydrive or sail from the city of Perth and dotted with popular weekendattractions for Perth locals looking for a short getaway. The iconiclandmark of the region is the famous ‘pinnacles’ in the NambungNational Park, four kilometres inland. Although the pinnacles were noton our itinerary, a previous visit brought home the highly unusualspectacle of these limestone and quartz formations. In the evolutionaryscheme of things, these bizarre natural objects are a brief quirk in thisslow but dynamic desert landscape.

Other regional highlights include the Jurien Bay colony of noisyAustralian Sea Lions and the wild colours of the Yarra Yarra Salt Lakesthat create brilliant hues of pink, red and purple in the setting sun.

Our first stop en route north is the unassuming and outwardly

Diver with coral in Ningaloo Marine Park

Divers with whale shark

Diver with potato codnear Exmouth

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unexciting Abrolhus Islands. Located about 60 kilometres offshore fromGeraldton, the bleak flat islands were little comfort for the Bataviasurvivors who endured unimaginable hardships during their months ofisolation here in 1629. Authorities believe there are almost twentywrecks dotted around the islands

Today the islands are decorated with clusters of fishing huts for theitinerant crayfish hunters and recreational fishermen. A memorial andplaque stands testament to its brutal past.

The Batavia Coast is home to several land-based curiosities, includingthe world famous micronation, Hutt River Province about 30kilometres inland from Gerladton. Visit Prince Leonard of Hutt andpick up a knighthood while you’re there. HRH celebrates thirty sevenyears on the throne this year. Onya Leonard!

The regional hub is the town of Geraldton. Rich with maritimehistory, the town of 30,000 is a thriving business and tourism centre.Windsurfing, fishing, diving, surfing and swimming are all popularwatersports here.

Overlooking the city centre is the recently completed HMAS SydneyMemorial which serves as a poignant reminder to another nearby navaltragedy, that of the loss of Australia’s flagship in November 1941 in abattle with the German raider Kormoran (see breakout).

Beyond the Batavia Coast and her many distractions, we venture to thepristine waters of Shark Bay and the namesake marine park that is hometo the famous wild dolphins of Monkey Mia and the mysterious whalesharks. Ashore we explore Steep Point, taking delight in the knowledge weare the most westerly humans on the continent for a few moments.

True North lingers in the region, now known as the Outback Coast,long enough for us to explore parts of Dirk Hartog Island, Turtle Bay,

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The Pinnacles, Nambung National Park

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Feeding the dolphins at Monkey MiaYardie Creek Goorge in the CapeRange National Park

Abrolhus Islands

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Bernier Island, Norwegian Bay and the nominal home of the whaleshark, Ningaloo Reef.

Shark Bay is truly an Australian tourism jewel and is now recognisedas a World Heritage site by UNESCO for its natural treasures. Accessfor cruise vessels like True North is limited and we must do the bulk ofour exploring in the tenders, such is the determination of WA’sDepartment of Conservation to protect this region.

The towns of Denham, Carnarvon and Monkey Mia have expandedconsiderably over the last decade as the reputation of this area hasspread. Once a casual and leisurely affair, the iconic wild dolphin-feeding at Monkey Mia is now strictly managed by rangers who aredetermined to retain the very special experience, but not corrupt thebeautiful creatures with over-indulgence. Apart from the celebritydolphins, mighty manta rays, huge humpback whales and dociledugongs, squadrons of seabirds patrol this ecologically abundant bodyof water at various times.

Now (April – July) is Whale Shark season. These magnificentcreatures, the world’s largest fish, congregate offshore from the CapeRange National Park each year. Around Exmouth and particularlyNingaloo Reef, are the only locations in the world where their presencecan be guaranteed and their habits studied by marine scientists. Justwhere they go in the meantime is still a mystery.

Greg stopped shouting and was just pointing now as the massiveaquatic beast neared our little fishing dingy. We’d been busily hauling ina rewarding catch of snapper for tonight’s dinner when the apparitionappeared. Just when I thought I’d drop the rod and dive in with theanimal, it dived. The four of us scoured the sea for another fifteenminutes and were even joined by another tender also on the lookout,but she’d gone as suddenly and mysteriously as she had arrived.

Swimming with whale sharks, it should be noted, is also now strictlycontrolled with licenses issued to a limited number of operators, all ofwhom are based in the village of Coral Bay north of Carnarvon. If astray animal stumbles on you when you are out fishing, well that’s justgood luck. Regardless, swimming with them is governed by laws thatforbid you from approaching closer than 3 metres. Boats must maintaina 250 metre distance.

Our 10-day mini-odyssey finishes in Dampier, but not before weexplore the remote and forlorn Monte Bello Islands, once the site ofBritish nuclear tests in the 1950s. In one test, a war surplus frigate wasvaporised by a 25 kiloton device detonated beneath its hull. Warningsigns are still erected on the beach where loggerhead turtles havereturned to nest and a rusty jeep lies hidden in the dunes, once tooradioactive to recover.

Disguised as rugged and unhospitable, Western Australia’s Coral Coastsuccessfully deterred all but the most determined explorers for hundreds,even thousands of years. Only now is its exquisite and very special naturalbeauty being fully appreciated by the conservation conscious and eco-tourists in search of new and rewarding destinations.

The Search for HMAS SydneyAt about 4pm on 19 November 1941, the lookout on HMAS Sydneyreported an unidentified merchant ship near Shark Bay. An exchange ofsignals aroused the suspicions of Captain Burnett RAN, and he closedin for a closer look at the mysterious 8500 tonne vessel. When the two ships were less than a kilometre apart, the disguisedGerman raider, Kormoran, dropped its camouflage and let loose with a

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The Western AustraliaMuseum in Geraldton

O

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salvo from six 150mm guns and torpedoes. HMAS Sydney wascaught unawares, took the full brunt of the German guns andwas immediately set ablaze. In a desperate act of reply, HMAS Sydney unleashed a returnsalvo from her remaining gun and struck the raider in theengine room, a blow that would prove fatal for the Germans. After the short, bloody battle, both ships’ crews were busyfighting their respective fires. HMAS Sydney and her 645 mendrifted off to the horizon never to be seen again. Kormoranssurvivors abandoned ship and scuttled her near the site of thebattle. Neither wreck has ever been located. Numerous conspiracy theories have developed since,including a massacre of survivors by the Kormoran and evenan intervening Japanese submarine. In 2005, the Federal Government allocated $1.3 million tohelp set up a company to search for the wreck and both NSWand WA State Governments have since added funds. As of March this year, despite extensive sonar soundings, thetwo wrecks stubbornly remained hidden. Website: www.findingsydney.com

The Massacre on the Abrolhus It was the middle of a moonlit night on 4 June 1629 whenthe brand new Dutch East Indiaman, Batavia, struckMorning Reef in the Abrolhus Islands. This event was thebeginning of one of the most horrific tales of humansavagery ever. About half of the 268 survivors, including women andchildren, were systematically slaughtered by the mutinousand psychopathic Jeronimus Cornelisz who was plotting acareer in piracy with the corrupt captain, Ariaen Jacobsz. Relics of this spine chilling chapter of Australia’s maritimehistory can still be found on the Abrolhus Islands. Severalgraves were excavated on Beacon Island and their mutilatedremain examined. A cannon still lies in shallow waters weretreasure hunters tried in vain to get the heavy souvenirashore. The hero of the Batavia, Wiebbe Hayes’ ‘fort’ stillstands on Wallabi Island: Australia’s oldest knownEuropean structures. In 1963 the wreck was located and the fable reignited.Many recovered items are on display in the MaritimeMuseum in Fremantle and replicas of both the ship and itsfamous lifeboat have since been built. Located just off Beacon Island in about five metres ofwater, what remains of the wreck is a popular dive site. Website: http://www.museum.wa.gov.au/maritime/

Dirk Wos Heere In October 1616, after a long and arduous traverse of the IndianOcean, a 700 tonne trading ship, Eendracht, of the Dutch EastIndia Company (the VOC) came “unexpectedly” upon someislands. It was not completely unusual for the Dutch to sightAustralia if they had been blown off course or had become lost ontheir crossing of the vast Indian Ocean. Skipper of the vessel, Theodoric Hertoge (Dirk Hartog)however, came ashore. It has since been established that this

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was actually the second European landing on the Australianmainland after his countryman, Willem Janszoon, landed near CapeYork ten years prior. Unimpressed and behind schedule, Hartog nailed a pewter plate to apost and set off to his destination of Batavia (now Jakarta). That platewas later rediscovered and replaced and the original transported back toAmsterdam by another Dutch mariner in 1696. It is now a covetedartefact in the Rijks museum. The island that now bears his name forms a natural, 15 kilometre longsea wall that shelters the azure waters of Shark Bay, now a UNESCOWorld Heritage site. In 1969 the island was purchased by Sir Thomas Wardle, an ex-LordMayor and one-time grocery millionaire from Perth and is nowmaintained by his grandson, Kieran, where he operates a successful eco-tourism lodge and fishing retreat. Website: www.dirkhartigisland.com

Fact File:

Western Australian Government Tourism Website: http://www.australiascoralcoast.com/

North Star Cruises http://www.northstarcruises.com.au/

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