|
|
|
  |
| Coral Coast - Western Australia |
|
| Scroll down for details of Coral Coast Intro, Geraldton, Kalbarri, Shark Bay+Monkey Mia, Ningallo Reef/Coral Bay/Exmouth |
 |
|
The Coral Coast stretches up the west coast of Australia from Cervantes
up to Onslow, where the Pilbara region begins. The Coral Coast is named
for its wonderful, unspoiled fringing coral reefs which are extremely
accessible and often only metres from the beach. However it used to be
known as the Outback Coast and this perhaps more accurately describes
the place where the Red Centre meets the sea. It is wild and rugged with huge distances between towns and often the road can be tedious, running some distance inland in low scrubland. It is still an adventure to drive between Perth and Broome but you need time to spare to enjoy it, otherwise flying is the best option. Shark Bay/Monkey Mia and Coral Bay/Ningaloo Reef/Exmouth are two of the best known holiday spots on the Coral Coast and there are frequent flights from Perth to both with a number of flight/accommodation packages on offer. It is possible to do Monkey Mia in a day from Perth on small group tours offered by the light aircraft operators. If you are planning to use a hire car for all or part of the journey, you need to research drop-off fees relating to remote locations carefully, plus domestic flight times and car hire office opening times. |
|
 Geraldton is 424 km north of
Perth and is the second largest town in Western Australia. It is a
popular local holiday centre surrounded by agricultural countryside and
has good beaches.Geraldton has a range of hotel and motel accommodation plus self catering, caravan and camp sites. From here the coast road becomes the North West Coastal Highway and heads northwards first to the turn off for Kalbarri and then on to Overlander Roadhouse, the turn off for Shark Bay. The picture at the top of this page is of Geraldton. |
|
 Kalbarri is on the coast 167
km north of Geraldton and 661 km north of Perth, roughly 66 km off the
North West Coastal Highway. Set on the Murchison River estuary, it is a
popular small holiday town and the area is noted for its spring wild
flowers. There are several hotel/motels plus caravan and camping parks.The beautiful Kalbarri National Park www.naturebase.net(Kalbarri) is only a kilometre from the town and it includes the spectacular gorges of the Murchison River and some dramatic coastline and swimming beaches. The park is accessed by gravel roads and offers good bush walking, especially in the cooler winter months. There are no camp sites in the national park. Kalbarri is worth more than a quick overnight stop and would be a good place to relax for a few days on a trip up the coast. |
|
|
|
Shark Bay is a double bay shaped like the letter 'W' just over 800 km from
Perth. On the Cape Peron Peninsula in the middle of the bay are the small
town of Denham and Monkey Mia Resort, about 150 km from the Overlander
Roadhouse turn off on the North West Coastal Highway. En route from the
highway is Hamelin Pool with its colony of stromatolites. Greyhound buses run from Perth and there are domestic flights between Perth and Denham/Monkey Mia. 
The Monkey Mia Resort, beside the beach where dolphins visit virtually
every day, offers a range of accommodation from campsites to motel rooms.
However, you don’t have to stay here to see the dolphins (you simply pay
a small entry fee) and the small holiday town of Denham, 833 km from Perth
and about 25 km away from Monkey Mia, also has a range of camping and
caravan sites and motel accommodation.Beyond Monkey Mia and Denham, on the end of the Francois Peron Peninsula, is the Francois Peron National Park www.naturebase.net(Francois Peron), named after a French naturalist who visited the area in the early 1800s. It was formerly a sheep station and the old homestead is open to the public. It is a lovely park with unspoiled coastal scenery, but you do need a 4WD to access it. Back on the NW Highway, Carnarvon is the next town of significance, 904 km north of Perth. It is the administrative town of its region and offers a functional stop with several motels, caravan and camp sites if you need to break your journey here. |
|
NINGALOO REEF runs from Red Bluff to Exmouth around the North West
Cape covering 5,000 square and is one of the largest fringing coral reefs
in the world. The reef here is much closer to the coast than the Great
Barrier Reef and is often only a few yards from the beach. The area has
year round warm weather. Here you can swim with the whale shark as well as
seeing plenty of dolphins, dugongs, manta rays and turtles. Humpback and
southern right whales, too, can be seen migrating in season. The whale sha rk is the largest fish in the world and this is the only place where
you are virtually guaranteed a swim with one.Taking in part of the Ningaloo Reef is the Cape Range National Park www.naturebase.net(Cape Range) a few kilometres from Exmouth, offering superb beaches and diving and with some excellent camping spots. Enquire at the Milyering Information centre just inside the park. The park also has sweeping gorges and rugged peaks, much wildlife and wildflowers in season. There are some excellent walking tracks and you can take a boat cruise on Yardie Creek to view the gorge and its wildlife. |
|
|
| CORAL BAY is a very pleasant, small beach resort 150 km south of Exmouth, with beautiful beaches and motel/caravan park accommodation. There is easy access to the Ningaloo Reef here and local operators offer a variety of glass bottom boat, diving and snorkelling experiences. |
|
|
|
EXMOUTH was built relatively recently in 1967 to service a (now
defunct) US Navy station and now serves as a tourist centre for the
Ningaloo Reef and Cape Range National Park. It has a selection of
accommodation including hotel/motels, hostels, caravan and camping parks. North of Exmouth the Coral Coast ends at Onslow, a small coastal settlement on the edge of the Pilbara region 80 km off the main North West Coastal Highway. |
| Return to - Top
Western Australia Summary Page
WA Regions Intro AUS
GUIDE BOOK Contents Page or hit 'Back' Button
|
| HOME |
|
|
| Truly Australia have attempted to give an honest and objective description of the topics covered on this page and have deliberately avoided regurgitating tourist office media releases. The information shown has been compiled from a variety of reputable sources and our own experiences. We check and review this information from time to time, but we assume no responsibility for the absolute accuracy of the details given. |
