Mauds Landing, Coral Bay: Turtle nesting & beach fishing

Mauds Landing, Coral Bay, is one of the best beach fishing spots in Western Australia. It is also a renowned turtle nesting site. Visitors can drive a 4WD along the beach if they like.

What is Mauds Landing?

Mauds Landing is a beach in Coral Bay, Western Australia. It is also the original site of the settlement that later became known as Coral Bay.

Where is Mauds Landing?

Mauds Landing Beach is about 3km to the north of present day Coral Bay. The beach is 8.5km long and faces north then north-east.

The beach gets its name from the Maud, which was the first European ship to make a documented visit to the area back in 1884.

5 Coral Bay experiences to book before you arrive

Swim with whale sharks – with a dedicated spotter plane for more time in the water with them.
Go on a glass bottom boat cruise – perfect for non-swimmers.
Snorkel with turtles – on a boat tour that visits two top snorkelling sites.
Swim with humpback whales – they visit between June and October.
Swim with manta rays – available most of the year, with lunch & snorkelling gear included.

What happened to the town of Mauds Landing?

Soon afterwards, Mauds Landing was earmarked as a town site, and a jetty was built there. The jetty saw supplies come in, and wool go out. However, the shipping ceased in 1947 and the jetty was dismantled.

From 1968, Mauds Landing had competition, too, as a hotel, caravan park and service station were built at Bills Bay to the south.

This settlement quickly became known as Coral Bay, and it where the small holiday township can be found today.

Turtle nesting in Coral Bay

Today, Mauds Landing is a particularly good place to watch turtles nesting and hatching. Nesting season is between December and March.

Visitors are encouraged to keep at least 15 metres from the turtles, and not use torches or flash photography near them.

Fishing at Mauds Landing

Mauds Landing is also a notoriously good beach fishing spot. If you have a 4WD vehicle, you can drive it down the beach to find a fishing spot a good distance from anyone else.

Other things to do in Coral Bay include swimming with manta rays, viewing turtles in a glass-bottomed boat and swimming with whale sharks.

You can also go snorkelling at Paradise Beach and Five Fingers Reef.