Quobba Station, Western Australia: Why should I stay on a sheep station?
Quobba Station is half way between Shark Bay and the Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia. Accommodation options at this working sheep station next to the Indian Ocean include unpowered camping, cottages, chalets and shearers’ quarters.
Quobba Station, like Kings Creek Station in the Northern Territory, is one of Australia’s vast outback stations. This one is a sheep station rather than a cattle station, but the premise is the same. There’s a vast amount of land that’s good for little else, and animals live there in extremely low densities.
Quobba Station covers 187,000 acres, bordering 80km of Western Australia’s coastline. It was founded in 1898, and the nearest town of any size is Carnarvon, an 82km drive to the south.
Quobba Station accommodation between Shark Bay and Ningaloo Reef
So why would you want to visit a sheep station in the middle of nowhere? Well, if you’re camping, Quobba Station is a handy place to stay between Shark Bay and the Ningaloo Reef. It’s still a sizable detour on the Carnarvon to Coral Bay section of the drive, however.
From Monkey Mia in Shark Bay, Quobba Station is a four hour and 25 minute drive to the north. It’s another four hours north to Exmouth, the hub town for Ningaloo Reef kayaking tours and swimming with whale sharks.
Quobba station camping
There’s a range of accommodation at Quobba Station, starting with bush camping at basic, unpowered sites. There’s no need to book this in advance, and sites cost $17.
Advance bookings are required for the other Quobba Station accommodation options, however. These include the spectacularly-sited waterfront camp sites and powered camp sites, both of which cost $22.
More Quobba Station accommodation
If camping’s not your thing, there are other options. Simple beachside shacks with palm frond roofs costs $35 per adult per night, while other options include the shearers’ quarters, a couple of cottages, chalets with kitchens and the old blacksmith’s quarters.
Prices for these Quobba Station accommodation options range from $70 to $165. None of them are luxurious, but there is plenty of character, and you’re in a remote, beautiful spot surrounded by wildlife.
Front Beach goes straight to a reef, so it’s no good for swimming. But there’s a good chance of seeing leatherback turtles, humpback whales, manta rays, goannas and thorny devils. Kangaroos, rock wallabies and echidnas are also common sights on the property.
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