I arrived in Coral Bay late August 2004 after an 18 hour drive from Perth (which in turn had been preceded by an 18 flight from London). So I was fairly shattered when I got there but it was just so… perfect. In saying this, the trip up to Coral Bay was fairly spectacular: crossing the Tropic of Capricorn, dodging ‘roos(!). Words fail me to be honest but it’s worth mentioning that the locals had just won a fight to stop a hotel from being built in the area and destroying much of what made the place so special. I felt really proud for them – sticking one to The Man.

Six of us stayed in a house near the shore complete with coin-operated barbecues and dived and snorkelled in the Ningaloo Reef nearby. We were only there for a few days but in that time we dived with sharks and turtles and swam with a manta ray. There was a great bar on the beach – I forget the name and the beer wasn’t too cheap but then I’m British and most anywhere outside of Japan is cheap in comparison!

Hell, this is a beautiful place to visit. Dive if you can, swim with whale sharks, fish, watch the starts at night, drink with friends, barbecue a day’s catch, enjoy it.