Cape Range National Park

Cape Range National Park occupies a dramatic limestone ridge rising from the Exmouth Peninsula in northwestern Western Australia, forming the terrestrial counterpart to the world-renowned Ningaloo Reef that fringes its coastline. The park encompasses rugged gorges, arid scrubland, pristine beaches, and the remarkable marine ecosystem of Ningaloo Marine Park.

The Ningaloo Reef — one of the longest fringing reefs in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site — runs almost continuously along the park's western coastline, offering snorkelling directly from the beach with no boat required. The reef shelters over 500 species of fish, 600 types of coral, manta rays, sea turtles, and whale sharks — the largest fish in the ocean — which gather seasonally in Ningaloo's warm waters between March and July.

Within the park itself, Yardie Creek Gorge is the most visited attraction — a dramatic canyon where red cliffs reflect in a permanent freshwater pool, and colonies of black-footed rock wallabies pick their way along the cliff faces. Several gorge trails penetrate the limestone range offering rewarding hikes through dry creek beds and spinifex scrubland.

Turquoise Bay is consistently ranked among Australia's most beautiful beaches — a crescent of powder-white sand with a drift-snorkel trail carrying visitors along a coral-studded channel teeming with marine life. The park is best visited between April and October, avoiding the intense summer heat that descends on the Exmouth region in the wet season.