Western Australia’s Coral Coast Highway is the perfect antidote for the urban-weary traveller. Take to the road and discover an oceanside drive like no other. When you need to get away from it all, there's nothing better than jumping in the car and hitting the open road. When that road happens to pass by magnificent Indian Ocean vistas, sandy desert, delightful seaside towns, national parks and a world-class reef, then you can be assured this road trip won't disappoint.
Western Australia's Coral Coast Highway is counted as one of Australia's great scenic drives, stretching some 1250 kilometres from Perth to Exmouth. There's no shortage of gorgeous sights to contemplate along the way and plenty of stops and detours to make, depending on what tickles you.
Starting in Perth, two hours north you'll come across the Pinnacles in the Nambung National Park. This fascinating site invokes an other-worldly ambience, with its tall limestone spires rising eerily from the desert. Just under three hours later you'll be soaking up the laid-back vibes of Geraldton. The maritime town also serves as the starting point for aerial tours, taking in yet more captivating sights, including the stunning Abrolhos Islands.
More natural wonder is in store further up the coast at Kalbarri National Park, where visitors can revel in 183,000 hectares of outback, with dramatic gorges and dazzling displays of wildflowers. Get the heart pumping with a visit to the new Kalbarri Skywalk, projecting 25 metres and 17 metres beyond the Murchison River Gorge rim.
North from here there are opportunities to meet some of Western Australia's beloved marine creatures. In the Shark Bay World Heritage Area, head to Monkey Mia and interact with a friendly pod of wild bottlenose dolphins as they feed. At Hamelin Bay, prepare to clap your eyes on one of the world's earliest known forms of life in the form of dome-shaped stromatolites rising out of the water; fossils of primitive life forms that first existed on earth 3.5 billion years ago.
More history can be unearthed with eco cultural adventures run by Wula Gura Nyinda at Shark Bay, exploring the ancient cultural ties of the region's first people, the Nhanda and Malgana Aboriginal people.
Of course, no road trip is complete without some top-notch eats in Carnarvon. Known as the region's tropical food bowl, tuck into the freshest seafood and tropical fruit flavours direct from nearby plantations and farms.
Appetite sated, drive three hours north and base yourself at the chilled-out seaside town of Coral Bay in readiness for World Heritage-listed Ningaloo Reef. Opt for a sea kayak, dive charter or snorkel tour to get up close to some giant marine friends: whale sharks, turtles and manta rays are all common sights. At the northern tip of Ningaloo Reef lies Exmouth, where you can swim with whale sharks. The season runs from March to July, followed by humpback whale swim tours which operate between August and October.
If you manage to drag yourself out of the water, Cape Range National Park on the west side of Exmouth is a place of spectacular rugged limestone ranges and deep canyons.
Wildlife is abundant with a variety of birds, emus, lizards, wallabies and kangaroos often spotted. Then all that's left to do is take your pick from a string of stunning lagoons, white-sand beaches and snorkel trails, and recall an epic road trip filled with unbeatable memories.
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