A stay at Sal Salis Ningaloo Reef redefines the off-grid experience

Katie CarlinBy Katie Carlin
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An off-grid stay in the sand dunes of Sal Salis Ningaloo Reef places Katie Carlin in tune with nature to rewire from everyday life.

The soft glow of first light streams through the shaded mesh covering of my nature en suite. A palm-sized shell from the nearby beach adorns the ledge and a cool ocean breeze rushes through the gap in my tent, collecting strands of my hair as I splash water on my face to start the day. I’m suddenly super aware of how precious this finite resource is after three nights sleeping by the ocean on the sand dunes of Western Australia’s Cape Range National Park where they get 200 millimetres of rain a year – if they’re lucky.

Here, cocooned in a rustic eco-wilderness tent at Sal Salis Ningaloo Reef , I wake with the sunrise and fall asleep to the sound of the ocean crashing against the reef. No devices. No bright lights. No mobile or internet coverage. It’s the antithesis of my life in Sydney and it is rewiring me from the inside out.

The luxury of experience

This deep respect for the power of nature to completely undo you is what Sal Salis defines as its ‘experiential style of luxury’. Everything about the camp is designed to connect you to the environment and wildlife around you.

From the ocean-facing placement of its tents – built to capture the coastal breeze and create a channel for airflow – to its approach to light and noise pollution, allowing you to witness uninterrupted star-speckled skies, and of course its location alongside UNESCO World Heritage-listed Ningaloo Reef with its 500-plus species of fish, coral gardens and megafauna.

It also underpins the ethos of the Eco-Certified bush camp; its guiding principles of minimal impact and sustainability are reflected in the measures Sal Salis has taken to protect its environment: construction of the camp is above ground level to protect the flora and fauna, power is generated by solar, water usage is carefully managed to avoid weed growth, no waste material escapes into the surrounding ecosystem. Every detail has been thought of, even down to the reef-safe sunscreen and toiletries.

an accommodation tent at Sal Salis NingalooReef
Stay under canvas at Sal Salis Ningaloo Reef.

Turtle time on Ningaloo

Camp manager Leith Graham has spent the past 12 years managing remote lodges across the Top End. He left Seven Spirit Bay on the Cobourg Peninsula to manage Sal Salis earlier this year. Leith laughs when I comment on the camp’s remoteness. “This place isn’t remote; it has roads," he says.

an aerial view of camp Sal Salis Ningaloo Reef
Sal Salis is in Australia’s wild, wild west.

“When we drove into town for the first time, I thought, ‘What have I done?’ because it was 50 degrees," he says, shaking his head at the memory. The summer heat is one of the reasons Sal Salis is only open from mid-March to mid-November. But by the time we pull up at Graveyards Beach, you can tell this place has gotten under Leith’s skin. We’re here to see green sea turtles from a distance; it’s late September and hundreds upon hundreds of them gather to mate just offshore at this time of year.

I follow him up the side of a sand dune and the wind blows more fiercely the higher we climb. At the top, a perfect crescent-shaped stretch of sand greets turquoise waters filled with hundreds of turtles bobbing in the waves below. I soon realise several of them are bobbing in piles of three or four. The females mounted by multiple male turtles at a time. “It’s like you’ve fallen into a David Attenborough series, isn’t it?" asks Leith over the wind.

swimming with a sea turtle at Ningaloo Reef
Snorkel with turtles from Sal Salis Ningaloo Reef. (Image: Justin Bumpstead)

The beating heart of camp life

Days start and end in the communal lodge, the beating heart of camp life. It’s here I find the daily included activities scrawled across the chalkboard; normally a combination of a guided snorkelling tour or a hike to nearby Mandu Mandu Gorge or Yardie Creek Gorge.

the eco-wilderness tents at Sal Salis Ningaloo Reef
The exclusive Sal Salis is on the shores of Ningaloo Reef.

There’s also a 24-hour self-serve bar stocked with wine, beer, spirits and non-alcoholic beverages of all kinds from across Western Australia, as well as a barista-style espresso coffee machine and snacks lined up in jars for the taking.

I join the other guests each evening for canapés on the deck, where we gather to watch the sun slip into the ocean and the sky erupt into fiery hues of red and orange before the colour drains into darkness.

an aerial shot of Sal Salis Ningaloo Reef
An aerial shot of Sal Salis, camouflaged in the striking landscape.

It’s also where new chef Paul Seymour (also joining from Seven Spirit Bay) whips up his five-star dining creations that wouldn’t be out of place in Sydney’s finest restaurants. Dinner steals the show: a three-course set menu paired with the state’s best wines. Think crab tortellini, crispy pork belly, seared scallops and lamb rump.

It’s not long before wild tales from the day’s adventures start to spill around the communal tables. I think back to earlier that day when I joined a Live Ningaloo tour of the reef.

a hammock outside an eco-tent at Sal Salis Ningaloo Reef
Find enough relaxation time to switch off.

Swimming with majestic megafauna

The pilot circling the reef above radios to say she’s spotted a whale shark nearby. Whale shark season is over, so this feels like an unexpected gift. I stand, gripping onto the rail as we race towards the sighting; one hand not enough to keep me steady. An explosion of water appears ahead of us. A humpback whale breaches and a calf half her size follows her lead; spiralling into the air and flopping back down with gusto.

a huge whale shark under at Ningaloo Reef
Live Ningaloo offers interactions with whale sharks. (Image: Justin Bumpstead)

None of us, including the crew, can contain our excitement as unguarded squeals of delight ripple through the boat. Our skipper, Kurtis McGlennon, reluctantly pulls us away from the humpbacks at play – our turn to swim with the whale shark is fast approaching.

There are 15 operators with a licence to run swimming tours on the reef and Live Ningaloo is one of the lucky few. Now in position, four of us slip into the water after Katie Gates, our in-water guide and a marine biologist, following her lead as she directs us to kick into position.

a group of tourists posing for a photo op during their Live Ningaloo tour
Join Live Ningaloo Tours. (Image: Justin Bumpstead)

I stick my head underwater at Katie’s direction and, moments later, see a grey figure start to take shape in the distance. A seven-metre whale shark is now directly in front of me. I start swimming to keep up, its tail effortlessly propelling it through the crystal-clear waters of the reef. I’m mesmerised by the white spots scattered in intricate patterns across its back; shimmering as they catch streaks of sunlight.

“Stop swimming!" Yells Katie from above. Our time is up. I reluctantly watch it swim out of view.

swimming deep down Ningaloo Reef
Go deep down under at Ningaloo Reef. (Image: Justin Bumpstead)

Carry it forward

I can still feel a fine coating of sand on my skin and see a light dusting of chalk-white dirt on my feet when I am waiting to collect my luggage at Sydney Airport. I’m reluctant to wash it away; it’s a welcome reminder of what we stand to lose if we keep our heads buried in the busyness of life.

As I stand watching the baggage carousel, I’m reminded of Leith Graham’s words, “The more people that know about Ningaloo, the more protected it will be." I know exactly what he means.

the striking landscape aerial views of Cape RangeNational Park
Explore Cape Range National Park.

A Traveller’s Checklist

Getting there

Exmouth’s Learmonth airport is the closest access point to Ningaloo Reef, located a little over an hour’s drive from Sal Salis. There are daily Qantas flights to Exmouth departing from Perth, with airport transfers available to pre-book for a fee through Sal Salis. Recently, Qantas also launched a twice-weekly direct flight from Melbourne to Exmouth during peak season.

Playing there

Live Ningaloo is the only operator that offers single-swim small-group wildlife interactions in Exmouth. The award-winning Eco-Certified tour operator accommodates 10 guests for whale shark tours and seven guests for humpback tours to ensure minimal disturbance to marine life and maximised experiences for guests.

You can also offset your trip’s carbon emissions for a small fee to support the operator’s sustainable practices and reduce your ecological footprint.  Advance bookings for all tours are essential. Whale shark season runs from March to July and humpback season from June to mid-October.     

Staying there

Eco-Certified Sal Salis Ningaloo Reef offers 15 wilderness tents and one honeymoon tent built amid the sand dunes in Cape Range National Park on the shores of Ningaloo Reef on the Coral Coast of WA. The season runs from mid-March to mid-November and the all-inclusive stay covers all food and drink, activities, snorkel gear and accommodation.

the tent interior with bed at Sal Salis Ningaloo Reef
There are just 16 off-grid luxury safari-style tents around the camp.

Eating there

Daily meals are served at The Lodge in Sal Salis with an à la carte menu for breakfast and lunch, followed by sunset canapés and a three-course set menu paired with Western Australian wines for dinner. The self-serve bar is open 24 hours a day and all dietary requirements are catered for. Expect five-star seasonal produce sourced locally.

food on the plate at Sal Salis Ningaloo Reef
Expect fresh, seasonal produce.
Katie Carlin
Katie Carlin is Australian Traveller's Head of Content and when she’s not travelling or behind her computer, she’s hosting a dinner party (likely cooking an Alison Roman recipe), at brunch, working on extending her running k’s, or has her nose buried in a book. She joined Australian Traveller in 2018 and is responsible for leading the editorial team across print, digital, social, email and native content. Her job is to make sure we create content that connects readers to incredible experiences in Australia and beyond. In addition to sharing her expertise on travel through industry speaking engagements, Katie appears onToday, A Current Affair and various radio segments. With a BA in Communications majoring in Journalism and a career that has spanned roles at Fairfax Media and Are Media writing for titles such as The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, and various lifestyle brands, she brings a wealth of experience to her role. Her most impactful trip to date has been swimming with whale sharks on Ningaloo Reef. For her next trip she is longing to experience the romance of train travel – hopefully on The Ghan or Indian Pacific.
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Guest sips a drink in a hammock at Sal Salis as the sun sets
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Inspire your senses with these iconic East Kimberley stays

    Jennifer EnnionBy Jennifer Ennion
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    The East Kimberley should be on every bucket list, and here’s why.

    Livistona palms soar out of chasms the colour of Valencia oranges. Shady waterholes beckon travellers daring to venture off the bitumen. From the air, fruit farms give way to vast plains that meet rolling hills and fascinating geological formations centuries in the making. The East Kimberley is one of Australia’s most treasured wilderness areas, but don’t be fooled by its rust-coloured roads. This north-eastern corner of Western Australia is home to some of Australia’s most iconic stays by Discovery Resorts  that should be on everyone’s bucket list.

    A group of people enjoy an intimate dining experience at El Questro Homestead.
    Dine in the heart of nature.

    Your guide to Lake Argyle

    The backstory

    With rolling hills that glow amber at sunrise and glassy water that reflects the Kimberley’s bright blue sky, a visit to Lake Argyle is nothing short of awe-inspiring. As Australia’s second-largest man-made freshwater lake, travellers flock here to soak in the views from boats, helicopters and Discovery Resorts – Lake Argyle .

    The latter is a lakeside oasis, a resort where travellers crossing from Western Australia into the Northern Territory (or vice versa) converge. Fifty minutes’ drive south of Kununurra, the property is perched atop a cliff overlooking the sprawling Lake Argyle.

    Discovery Resorts – Lake Argyle was originally built in the late 1960s to provide accommodation for builders of the Ord River dam, which formed Lake Argyle. In the decades that followed it had several owners, until a Kununurra local took the reins in 2004 and reinvented the property with luxury villas and its now world-famous infinity pool. The iconic property was added to the Discovery Resorts portfolio in 2021, undergoing a major upgrade that took the resort from a beloved campground to an all-encompassing resort with premium waterfront villas.

    A boat glides across the expansive waters of Lake Argyle, surrounded by the breathtaking landscapes of the Kimberley. As part of the Discovery Holiday Parks experience, this unforgettable journey offers adventure and relaxation.
    Glide across the vast, shimmering waters of Lake Argyle.

    The rooms

    A lakeside resort like no other, Discovery Resorts – Lake Argyle offers something for everyone, from campsites to villas and cabins . The Deluxe Lakeview Cabins have views of the opposing cliff and are surrounded by bush, ensuring plenty of privacy, while both the Deluxe and Standard Cabins are ideal for families, with contemporary furnishings and one, two or four bedrooms. The campsites also come in a variety of sizes.

    The facilities

    There’s no doubt the biggest drawcard to Discovery Resorts – Lake Argyle is the lake, 20 times the size of Sydney Harbour. One of the best ways to experience it is on the Kimberley Durack Sunset Explorer Cruise , during which you’ll see freshwater crocodiles nesting along the banks (it’s home to 30,000 freshies) and even get the chance to swim in their waters. The cruise also takes in Mt Misery, towering above the original and now submerged Argyle Downs Homestead.

    If you have young children who need to get to bed early, a great alternative is the three-hour Lunch Explorer Cruise . You’ll tour around the lake’s bays as you learn about the local wildlife before stopping at a remote island for a swim.

    Refuel between adventures at the onsite pub-style eatery, The Lake Argyle Cafe. The cafe is the heart of the resort, bringing together friends new and old over a steak, cold beer and live music. Hours vary with the seasons, but rest assured you’ll be able to enjoy a good feed year-round, with a well-stocked general store also open during the day.

    Cool off from a day of exploring in the striking infinity pool with some of the best views in the country (you’ll find sweeping views of the lake below). Or enjoy a flight with HeliSpirit, or clear your mind during a yoga class on the lawn.

    Two people unwind in an infinity pool, overlooking stunning Lake Argyle at Discovery Holiday Parks.
    Take a dip in the infinity pool and soak in breathtaking Lake Argyle views.

    Your guide to El Questro

    The backstory

    One of the most famous stays in Australia is El Questro . A former cattle station, it’s evolved into one of the country’s most recognisable tourism destinations over the past 30 years, and is now embarking on a new chapter to elevate the region’s rich First Nations culture.

    The property draws travellers seeking to reconnect with nature and the beauty of this country. Wild in spirit but immaculate in style, El Questro is a 283,000-hectare property like no other; surrounded by dramatic gorges, impressive mountain ranges, thermal springs, secluded waterfalls and even rainforest, it’s the perfect base for adventurous souls.

    A person floats leisurely in the river at Discovery Holiday Parks, immersed in nature’s tranquillity.
    Float along Zebedee Springs and immerse in nature.

    The rooms

    Across the sprawling El Questro are three properties catering to the wide variety of travellers who journey this way. The most impressive is the luxurious Homestead , where 10 suites perch at the edge of a burnt-orange cliff, with cantilevered bedrooms over the peaceful Chamberlain River. The adults-only, all-inclusive Homestead is a member of the prestigious Luxury Lodges of Australia collection and offers a backdrop of thick bushland; riverside, you’ll find an immaculate lawn and a shaded pool that lures guests out of their rooms.

    At Emma Gorge , travellers will be immersed in the beauty of the Cockburn Ranges, falling asleep to the sounds of wildlife in safari-style tented cabins. This is where you come if you want to completely connect with your environment while retaining a few creature comforts. The Emma Gorge Tented Cabins sleep three or four people and feature private ensuites and ceiling fans.

    Families also love The Station , home to simple yet comfortable air-conditioned rooms, as well as a large, leafy campground. Sitting by the Pentecost River, The Station is open from April to October and has a range of accommodation, from unpowered and powered campsites to air-conditioned tents for two people and a Gardenview Family Room for five.

    Two people stand beside a suite perched on the edge of a striking burnt-orange cliff, gazing out over the serene Chamberlain River below.
    Take a breather with stunning views of nature all around.

    The facilities

    Located in the heart of the Kimberley, El Questro retains its strong connection with its Traditional Owners, the Ngarinyin people. A highlight of a stay here is the Injiid Marlabu Calls Us experience ; over two hours, guests are immersed in the soul of Country by witnessing ancient healing rituals, listening to generational stories and learning about the land’s ancestral heritage.

    Other experiences include bird watching, cruising through Chamberlain Gorge, hiking through Emma Gorge, horse riding, four-wheel-driving and soaking in Zebedee Springs. At the properties, you can also cool off in the pools, and relax in the restaurants or at private dining locations. A bonus of staying at The Homestead is the exclusive service of El Questro’s dedicated reservations team, who will craft a bespoke itinerary tailored to your travel tastes.

    A group of people stand beside a tree, with a car parked nearby, taking in the surrounding natural beauty.
    Experience thrilling nature activities.

    Book your East Kimberley adventure today with Discovery Resorts.