Exmouth, Western Australia

Whale shark at Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia
© Tourism Western Australia

The Ningaloo Whaleshark Festival is a biennial event held at the beginning of the whale shark season to welcome back the gentle giants to the waters of the Exmouth coast in Western Australia.

In 2007 the festival was held from May 3 to 6, with entertainment displays, workshops, boating and car shows, celebrities, exhibits, photographic and art competitions showcasing the magnificent whale sharks, also some extreme sports displays, wakeboarding, kiteboarding and freestyle motocross riders, particularly on the weekend.

The next Whaleshark Festival is expected to take place in April/May 2009.

Snorkeling with the whalesharks is a feature of the festival.

Main festival venue

The biennial festival is aimed at bringing together all government departments, industry and community members in relation to protecting the whale shark and its environment and encouraging public participation in the many and varied festival events.

The main festival events are held at Talanjee Oval, Murat Rd, Exmouth. Entry is free. Phone (08) 9949 2135 for event details and more information.

Home to the whale shark

Ningaloo Reef — recognised nationally and internationally as a "premier marine environment" and home to the world's most predictable, seasonal gathering of whale sharks — lies on Western Australia's Indian Ocean coast west of Exmouth and just north of the town of Ningaloo.

The whale shark season is from April to July, following the mass spawning of coral, when the world's biggest species of fish congregate in the Ningaloo Marine Park.

• Ningaloo Reef: Where to Swim with the Sharks
• Shark Bay: Dugongs, Dolphins, Stromatolites