Norwegian Bay - Ningaloo

Bit of a coincidence. The All 4 Adventure show today covered Norwegian Bay and showed footage of the old whaling station.

The show is usually repeated on a Saturday if you get the chance to have a look.

Regards

Reading this thread brought back memories of my early primary school days and being taught about what was, at the time, an operating whaling industry along the WA coast.
From memory there were 3 main stations. Point Cloates (spelling?) or Norwegian Bay, Babbage Island near Carnarvon and Cheynes Beach Albany.

How come I can remember that stuff but lose the name of someone I met yesterday. (:=((

Cheers
Pop

We tried to access Norwegian Bay on our trip last year without success. I believe you can only access it from Ningaloo Station. Our detailed maps showed a few tracks off the main track however they all lead to dead ends.

Check out the EO Ningaloo-Reef-Adventure Trek

All 4 Adventure has a web site where you can view the TV show episodes if you miss them on TV. All4adventure

We found it to be a very photogenic place with whale bones, huge tanks, machinery etc. scattered around.
The drive in is one that I remember as exhilarating but also nerve wracking.
According to my 1999 diary, about 12 km north of the station house we turned west through the dune field directly to the remains.To return we drove over smaller dunes to the north of the whaling station rather than along the beach to our camp.

Cheers, Graham.

Vehicle access to Norwegian Bay whaling station is via South Lefroy Bay on Ningaloo Station. It is necessary to go to the station homestead first to get the key to the locked gate. The modest fees for access and camping are explained on Ningaloo Station's website.

The most direct way to reach the homestead is via the Ningaloo Road from the Minilya Exmouth Road. This dirt road is often corrugated and the cattle grids are so bad it is worth stopping before crossing them. The Cardabia Road from Coral Bay is longer but may be in better condition. The most exciting way to get to the homestead is from the North through Cape Range National Park. This requires crossing Yardie Creek at low tide. Some years this crossing is impassable.

From the homestead a sandy track takes you to the locked gate at South Lefroy. Proceed straight ahead over some small dunes to reach the camping area. Turn left and follow the track behind the campsites and the foredunes until it ends in front of a big sand hill. The route then proceeds straight up and over. From April to September it is likely that there will be a set of wheel tracks to follow. However the wheel tracks can be obliterated by the wind. The views on top are spectacular. The route down the other side is obvious and connects with a sandy track that will take you to Norwegian Bay.

The route is not difficult but requires 4WD and lowered tyre pressures- 15 psi worked for me.

Thanks for all the responses - it sounds like it is fantastic place to try and visit.