Hey everyone, welcome to World Heritage Journey. I'm Joel on the Road, thanks for joining me! For
today's video, we're at the Ningaloo Coast, of western Australia. So we're here today
in a remote stretch of coastline in western Australia. It's where the red rock of the interior
meets the sparkling Indian Ocean, that you can see behind me. It's on the World Heritage list
for three reasons: on land, there's the magnificent, semi-arid landscape full of
interesting features like gorges and canyons. On the water, there's the Ningaloo Marine Reserve,
featuring Ningaloo Reef, one of the most fascinating reef systems in the world. And of
course, it's also home to the world's largest fish, which I cannot wait to see. Let's go!
The Ningaloo Coast World Heritage Site is located on the Coral Coast
of western Australia, on land of the Baiyungu,
Thalanyji and Yinikurtura people, the traditional owners and custodians of these lands.
The World Heritage Area covers a vast expanse of land and water, over 6000 square kilometres,
with more than 300 kilometres of coastline, and plenty of islands too. Coral reefs
are normally accompanied by tropical rainforest, and although Ningaloo is squarely in the tropics,
it's one of the only spots in the world where a coral reef is directly adjacent to a semi-arid
desert landscape, making it a fascinating and unique environment.
On land, the Ningaloo Coast World Heritage Area is dominated by Cape Range National Park,
a large escarpment area where the desert meets the tropical water. It's a fascinating spot,
with incredible diversity, featuring gorges,
canyons, and caves, along with precious animals and plants, like the gorgeous Sturt's Desert Pea.
One highlight is Yardie Creek, a large gorge with beautiful red cliffs, green plants,
and dark blue water.
We also enjoyed hiking through Mandu Mandu Gorge, an ancient dry river bed. It's the spot where some
of the oldest known human jewellery was found - a shell necklace dated at 30,000 years old.
Other features include the spectacular Shothole Canyon,
and Charles Knife Canyon, along with many caves that aren't accessible by the general public.
The on-water portion of this World Heritage Site is covered by Ningaloo Marine Reserve, a huge
and diverse collection of marine environments. The main feature is of course Ningaloo Reef,
the world's largest near-shore, or fringing, coral reef. Unlike it's Australian cousin,
the Great Barrier Reef, which lies several kilometres offshore, Ningaloo Reef is directly
adjacent to land, so close that you can just wade out and start snorkelling over the coral!
There's an estimated 300 different types of coral here on the reef, in excellent condition,
and there's loads of marine life to see as well, with an estimated 700 species of fish.
Many of these are bright, tropical colours, and swimming around the reef is a wonderful
experience. You'll also find other, larger species here, like dugongs, dolphins, whales, rays,
and plenty of smaller sharks too.
But the biggest highlight of Ningaloo is definitely the whale shark, the world's largest
fish. An estimated 300-500 whale sharks visit Ningaloo every year, attracted by the food-rich
environment, and swimming with them is absolutely mind-blowing. A spotter plane locates the sharks,
you jump off the back of your boat, and before you know it, there's a 6 metre shark
bearing down on you! It's a little terrifying at first, but overwhelmingly exciting too.
Surprisingly little is actually known about these beautiful animals. They
can grow up to 19 metres long and live to over a hundred years old,
though the sharks at Ningaloo are typically younger and shorter, about 6-8 metres.
The spot patterns are known as "constellations", and are unique to each shark.
Researchers use star-tracking technology developed by NASA to monitor each shark's movements.
And since you're probably wondering, no, they aren't dangerous to humans. Like whales, they're
filter feeders who feast on plankton, krill, and other tiny fish. Whale sharks do have teeth,
but located right at the back of their throats, so they couldn't bite me even if they'd wanted to!
Wow, what a fantastic experience. Those whale sharks are just such magnificent creatures,
and I'm really glad I got the opportunity to see them both in the flesh and in the wild
with my own eyes, and I hope that came through in the video. They're just such magnificent
creatures, and it's really part of what makes Ningaloo such a fantastic World Heritage Site.
But that's it from me, thank you so much for watching. I'm Joel on the Road,
give me a thumbs-up if you liked the video. Or, leave me a comment,
let me know what you thought - I'd love to hear from you. And of course, don't forget
to hit Subscribe, to see more from the World Heritage Journey. We'll see you next time.