By Isla Quinn
Red desert. Blue reef. Between them, a coast with very few people on it.
UNESCO describes the Ningaloo Coast as a marine and land property on the remote western coast of Australia, with one of the longest near-shore reefs in the world. It was inscribed in 2011, under the criteria for natural beauty and for biodiversity (vii and x).
One number to handle with care. UNESCO’s own page gives 604,500 hectares in its summary and 705,015 hectares in its property data. It does not say why. We give both.
The whale sharks. UNESCO says an estimated 300 to 500 whale sharks gather here each year, timed with mass coral spawning and seasonal surges in productivity. It calls this the largest documented aggregation in the world. UNESCO gives no calendar months, so check the Western Australian parks agency and licensed operators for the season before planning around it.
The reef. More than 300 coral species, over 700 reef fish species and about 650 mollusc species, says UNESCO. The reef sits where tropical and temperate waters meet, which UNESCO links to an unusual range of marine turtle species and an estimated 10,000 nests laid along the coast each year.
The land. Behind the coast is Cape Range, a karst system of hundreds of separate features: caves, dolines and underground water bodies. UNESCO says the peninsula has the highest cave fauna diversity in Australia and one of the highest in the world. Above ground it is an arid ecoregion noted for birds and reptiles.
A bombing range inside a World Heritage area. The Learmonth Air Weapons Range Facility lies within the property. UNESCO says it was one of Australia’s most active bombing ranges until around 1990, and it flags future bombing as a possible threat to the Bundera sinkhole, which sits on defence land.
Pressure. UNESCO says tourism is increasing, and lists damage to vegetation, illegal fishing, waste and disturbance to wildlife among the consequences, along with rising water demand. It also says remoteness and low population give the area a high degree of natural protection.
What we left out. Prices, access, accommodation and snorkelling rules. The history and present role of Traditional Owners, which needs a first-hand source and which UNESCO itself calls indispensable to management.
Roam first. Shop later.