Novotel Ningaloo Resort

New posh hotel in Exmouth!!

by Purpleshade about Novotel Ningaloo Resort

This restaurant is part of the new Novotel Ningaloo Resort at Sunrise Beach, part of the new Marine developement.
It's a beautifully designed area overlooking a lilly pond, swimming-pool and beautiful gardens, with first class service and food.
There are 2 seating areas, inside and outside, both with comfortable chairs and a pleasant ambiance.
The outside dining area is shaded and cooled a little by the air-con from inside.
The restaurant and bar are beautifully decorated with original artworks, mostly of local fauna.

The bar area also has comfortable chairs in side and out. Smoking is permitted in the outside area.

The prices are only fractionally more than other restaurants in the area. I had the best garlic tiger prawns and scallop risotto I've ever tasted, and the food my friends ordered was equally as good. Portions were of a generous size.

Snack foods such as wedges are available in the bar area if you wish to just relax in the delightful setting with a drink and a snack.

Exmouth : a very remote town

by Purpleshade

Exmouth is a tiny town (about 2,000 people) in a very remote area on the most western tip of north west Australia.
It only exists because of the miliatary base and the oil rigs, 20 years ago there was almost nothing here.
It's the closest town to the Ningaloo Reef, one of the rare places in the world where the fringing coral reef comes to within a few metres of the beach.

The town swells to about 10,000 in peak tourist sesaon (June, July) when it's not so hot and there is no danger of cyclones. There are lots of cafes and restaurants, several campsites, 3 backpackers and several hotels, including the new Novotel Ningaloo Resort which is now almost finished on Sunrise Beach.
I went there in May, when it's still quite quiet, with just a few tourists in town for the Whale Shark Festival.
It was still quite hot(about 30c every day) which meant it was perfect weather for snorkelling.

It is an absolutely amazing place!
Kangaroos and emus running around in the streets (no need to mow the front lawn, the roos come and trim it for you), nearby stunning beaches with coral reef swarming with fish-whale sharks, hump back whales, reefsharks, turtles and manta rays at different times of the year. There's also canyons to explore, an ecological adventurer's delight.

NB Don't come here if you want shopping or nightlife, there's hardly any!
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While wading through the lagoon at Coral Bay, we found these big fish who were not at all afraid of people. Apparently the tourist boats throw bait over the side to attract them and they follow the boats back to shore.

The amount of coral on the beach at Turquoise Bay was amazing! It was so beautiful, I desperately wanted to bring somehome with me, but all the beaches in the Cape Range National Park are protected and it's not permitted...so I took photos instead.

If you come here, do protect the reef and it's environs! It's virtually unspoiled as it's only just becoming popular for tourists.
#Be very careful not to stand on or touch the corals, they are very fragile.
#Be very careful not to leave rubbish, especially cans and plastic bags.
#Be especially carefull not to leave any plastic on the beach, turtles are not very bright and try to eat them and choke.

Exmouth Visitors Centre
http://www.exmouthwa.com.au/search.asp