Today we have the lovely Kate of Foxs Lane on the blog. Kate spent six months last year travelling around Australia with her family, and her insightful blog posts, travel tips and amazing adventures won her the title of Road Tripper of the Year 2011. Today she’s going to reveal her top spot from her travels. Welcome, Kate!
Our road trip was six months long. Or rather six months short. Six of the most wonderful months of my life. Six months spent together as a family touring and exploring this great and beautiful land of ours. Six months in a caravan with no plans but lots of time. A six-month holiday from our real lives. A six-month adventure.
Now, a month home, I find I am being asked the same question over and over: What was your favourite spot?
This seemingly simple question is in reality oh so difficult. I keep playing places off against each other. Turquoise Bay had the most magnificent water colour I have ever seen. In Monkey Mia we had the best campsite of our entire trip, right on the beach, and there were dolphins frolicking right in front of us in the water.
80 Mile Beach had the best fishing and the most exquisite shells. Broome had perfect 35 degrees days, a child-safe swimming beach, miles and miles to walk, camels, cocktail bars and gorgeous beachy barbecues. The South-West had rugged, beautiful and exciting surf beaches. At Point Samson we had an entire little cove to ourselves for swimming, collecting shells and sea glass … I could go on and on.
Our trip took us for one month up the centre of Australia and then five months of beaches down the west coast.
But I think overall my favourite would have to be Coral Bay.
Coral Bay is like a little undiscovered paradise. The caravan park is right across the little road from the beach. Often we’d pop over for a swim and not even bother to bring a towel.
Coral Bay has white sand and BLUE water. A shallow beach for safe kiddie swimming and then a shelf to sit on to don your mask and fins and drop off to explore the most wondrous coral and fish. At Coral Bay you can snorkel the Ningaloo Reef right off the beach. No need for a boat or a tour.
And then when you have tired of exploring the reef, Coral Bay has gorgeous walks along the beach, a cute little shopping centre, a couple of cafes and restaurants and a few tour companies that will take you further up the beach or further out to sea.
Coral Bay is really a kind of paradise.
Now we are home, on the odd occasion that life feels a little overwhelming, I close my eyes and its Coral Bay that I see. It’s Coral Bay that is my happy place.
Thanks for stopping by the blog, Kate! We agree – Coral Bay is a truly beautiful spot.
Images: all images courtesy of Kate from Foxs Lane.
