Wolf & I Co. Blog | Adventures Of The Wolf Pack

Can you think of any dog luckier than Molly the Border Collie who has made the journey all the way from Queensland to Western Australia? The story goes it was a little cold in South Australia this time of year, so Molly's pawrents thought it best to pack up and head north to the Ningaloo Coast. If you're also thinking of heading north, read what Molly's mum Carly had to share about camping with dogs on the Ningaloo Coast.

Originally from the Sunshine Coast, our plans were to head south, then to slowly make our way over to Western Australia then head up north. We didn’t really consider how cold it would be arriving in South Australia come winter. We were told by so many people that the best time to be along the South Coast was in summer. So after a month battling the rain and wind in the Eyre Peninsula, we thought it was time to head to the Ningaloo Coast.

In winter the temperature doesn’t drop below 22 degrees, the water is crystal clear and warm, there is so much sea life and it only rains a few times in the season. It was a no brainer to head there. When we arrived, we came across so many like minded travellers who had done the exact same thing. Campsites were full of people who loved the ocean and dogs as much as us, so we thought this was the place to be for the winter. We will head back down to SA come summer.

The Ningaloo Coast is a World Heritage Site located in the north west coastal region of Western Australia. The 705,015-hectare heritage-listed area is located approximately 1,200 kilometres north of Perth, along the East Indian Ocean.

When we decided it was time to head north to the Ningaloo Coast, we heard if you had a boat you could access more snorkelling and fishing spots, so we decided to buy a little 3.6m tinny. The water here isn’t very rough and if you pick the right times for the wind, all you need is something small. We picked up the boat on the way through Perth, and we just knew this was going to be a great decision.

Molly loves spotting the fish while out on the boat on the Ningaloo Coast

Molly loves the boat. She loves putting her head over the side, watching the whales, going fishing and seeing what she gets to eat for dinner! When we go spearfishing or snorkelling, we always make sure she has enough water on hand and that she has plenty of room to lie down while we are gone for a short moment. If you have your dog in the boat, we believe you should never be far away from shore and always close enough that you can swim back fast enough if need be.

We had also read that 1080 scares a lot of people travelling certain parts of Western Australia with their dogs. When we arrived to the Ningaloo, we made sure to stay only in the dog friendly areas, put a dog lead on her when going inland from the beaches, keeping an eye open for any 1080 signs and having a close eye on Molly at all times. We have had no problems and don’t think it’s something you should fear.

Playing in the red dirt close to the car so the hoomans can keep an eye on me

When we got here, we saw on the maps that the majority of the area is National Park and thought oh no, maybe we can’t go to as many of the awesome places we had heard about… Oh how wrong we were!

All the upsides:

- The majority of the coast here your dog can go. It’s just a small hour long section of the west side (up north) you can’t.

- The beaches where we can go are just as beautiful, maybe a touch more!

- Way less people! So many people you will find all huddled around the National Parks.

- The campsites are bigger and better here!

- We still watch the whales every day, snorkelling from the shore, spearfishing and everything everyone can do. In fact in the majority of the National Parks you aren’t allowed to spearfish or take any fish from that area as they are in a green zone.

- You cannot fly a drone in most of the National Parks.

- Molly has had fresh fish every single day for her dinner!

- Majority of the camp ground caretakers have dogs so everyone is welcoming of your furry friend.

- Your doggy can go wherever in the Gulf of Exmouth.

- If you do want to explore the National Parks or go on a whale shark tour, head to Mutts Cafe in Exmouth and there is a big list of all the dog sitters in town.

A few downsides:

- You will need a four wheel drive for a lot of these doggy areas.

- You may find dingoes, emus and kangaroos close to your sites so always be cautious.

- We first booked in a site called Janes Bay. On WikiCamps it said it was dog friendly. When we got there it was infested with mice and 1080 signs. So we moved on instantly. Everywhere else is EPIC and haven’t had a problem with any of those.

Molly keeping a very close eye on her next meal...

I think WikiCamps is the best bible for anyone who is travelling. For a one off price, it has everything you need plus more. We used WikiCamps for all our camping on the Ningaloo Coast. It showed us all the doggy friendly camping areas, reviews on campsites, location of water facilities, dump points, directions how to get to the sites and so much more.

Our favourite feature of WikiCamps on the Ningaloo was that it gave us a direct link on how to book your sites when we first didn’t know where to look. You will be directed to the Wildlife and Parks WA page. On this easy to navigate website, it has all the locations and availability on the campsites. This is the only way you can book, as the caretakers don’t take cash or bookings in person. Mobile phone coverage is limited, so always best to book in town. For school holiday periods, make sure you book well in advanced as it is hard to find sites.

Three of my favourite beaches from the Ningaloo Coast are:

South Lefroy - My favourite. As you first drive into South Lefroy, you are only swimming distance from the reef itself. You can drive your car on the beach, set yourself up for the day, load the boat anywhere and enjoy the turquoise blue water all day long. If you were wanting to avoid the masses, drive a little further left down the coast when you first enter to find big sand dunes and calm quiet waters.

Point Billie - I have found this is the best beach for those who have a boat. You are in the middle of all the hot spots and directly out in the water, there are many spots to go for a fish, spearfish, catch some squid and crayfish. Point Billie is more rocky closer to the shore so not as swimming friendly as the other sandier beaches but amazing for all your boating activities.

Winderabandi - This beach is stunning. You are inside a bay where the water is calm and not as exposed to the wind as much as the others. Winderabandi is also very close to the reef. At low tide you could walk out to it and enjoy all the sea life. The whales were much closer to shore here.

Heads up to all dogs! Playtime on the Ningaloo Coast looks like this, amazing!

South Lefroy, Point Billie and Winderabandi all have campsites directly on the beach. That’s the best part about these campsites because you don’t have to go far from your tent or caravan to have an epic day! All of these spots cost $8 pp/pn. They don’t have amenities so you do have to provide your own chemical toilet. You can watch the sunrise from the hills behind you and the sunset from the ocean directly in front. Paradise is right at your doorstep! The sites are all very big and most can fit up to 8 people including boats and caravans. Majority of sites are separated by sand dunes and bush, meaning you have lots of privacy. If you are more social and love meeting new people, you also have the option to book sites that are very open! There are sites for every kind of person.

As we are travelling in a four wheel drive with a rooftop tent, we get asked a lot where Molly sleeps. For our trip, we have taken out the back seats of the car. On one side, we have built a platform that holds all our storage, water tank, air compressor, etc. While the other side is where the fridge sits and behind that is all Molly’s area. It was important to us that she wasn’t sleeping in a small area and had room to move around if she wished.

Molly all snuggled up in her special travel bed

Exmouth is the main town that’s closest when you need supplies. As it is all very rural here in this part of Australia, it takes a couple hours to drive there with all the sandy corrugated roads. The great thing about Exmouth is that you can take your dog everywhere. The gulf itself, right down to Learmonth, is all dog friendly and you can take your dog to almost all the places along the beach. If you are wanting to do your washing, have a warm shower, other chores or just have a little break from camping on the beach, both caravans parks are welcoming of your furry friends. Our favourite thing to do after a day of restocking and chores in Exmouth is to take your dog to the Whale Bone Brewery and get a yummy wood fire pizza with a nice cold drink.

Molly enjoying another dog friendly dog beach on the Ningaloo Coast

Molly has also had a blast meeting and playing with other travelling dogs. She has met Tait (American Bulldog), Oki (Border Collie), Regie (Kelpie) and Bentley (English Mastiff). We have found so many people are travelling with dogs and the more places we go, the more friends Molly makes.

Molly has spent the last month here and thinks that you should all add the Ningaloo Coast to your list when travelling Australia with your dog!

We hope you all have amazing safe travels with your furry friends!

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