A first-timer's guide to the Coral Coast, WA

The Coral Coast is home to some of Australia’s most iconic attractions.

The Coral Coast Highway is like the writhing body of a serpent as it makes its way from Cervantes, two hours north of Perth, along 1100 kilometres of coastline to World-Heritage-listed Ningaloo Reef. While there is surf, sun and sea on tap on the Coral Coast, this incredible corner of the country is also home to some of Australia’s most iconic attractions. Swimming with Ningaloo’s Big Three – whale sharks, humpback whales and manta rays – is obviously on top of the to-do list. But it’s also considered compulsory to walk through fields blanketed with everlasting wildflowers, watch the light paint the Pinnacles in a buttery hue, hike through ancient gorges and simply tumble off white sandy beaches into those turquoise waters. Here, find the gems you need to have on your itinerary.

Unique stays

Wooramel River Retreat

Experience the wonders of Wooramel while bunkered down in a rustic eco-cabin tent at this low-impact riverfront campground located 120 kilometres south of Carnarvon. Activities here are based around bushwalking, birdwatching and basking in the naturally heated artesian bore baths.

Bullara Station Stay

Perched on the Ningaloo Coast between Coral Bay and Exmouth is where you will find Bullara Station Stay . Choose between the renovated Shearers Lodge or the Outcamp, private cottages and luxury safari huts that are dotted around the property, which offers an authentic station stay experience.

Bullara Station, Coral Coast, Western Australia — Bullara Station Stay looks out over the Exmouth Gulf. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)

Sail Ningaloo

Stay onboard the luxurious sailing catamaran, Shore Thing, during an overnight sailing adventure from Coral Bay that will enable you to experience world-class snorkelling and scuba diving by day and unwind onboard under a star-spangled ceiling by night.

Sal Salis

When thinking of Australia’s most beautiful stays, Sal Salis is often up the top of traveller’s lists. This luxury safari-style campsite holds prime position on the shores of Ningaloo Reef and allows guests to fully immerse in nature. Swim with whale sharks, kayak the turquoise waters, hike the unique landscape by day, and retreat to your eco-friendly tent by night.

Five top spots

Lake Thetis

Cervantes is the gateway to the Pinnacles Desert. In addition to that iconic landscape of limestone spires, Cervantes whispers ‘come hither’ for its lesser-known Lake Thetis, one of only five sites in WA that feature thrombolites, believed to be more than 3000 years old.

Hutt Lagoon

Kalbarri is known for its rugged landscapes and national parks. It’s where you will find flamingo-pink Hutt Lagoon, see wildflowers, experience Indigenous art, and explore inland and coastal gorges that have been chiselled by the elements over thousands of years.

Ningaloo, Coral Coast, Western Australia — Visit the remote reaches of Ningaloo. (Image: Sail Ningaloo)

Carnarvon

Visiting Ningaloo is a given, but you should also set aside a few days to stay in Carnarvon in between exploring the Ningaloo Coast World Heritage Area. Surf at Gnaraloo, snorkel at Quobba, go windsurfing at Red Bluff and hike into the hinterland to picnic at Rocky Pool.

Shothole Canyon

While visitors from around the world base themselves in Exmouth to swim with whale sharks at Ningaloo Marine Park, this top Aussie town to visit in 2021 (as voted by Wotif) is also a great jumping-off point for the lesser-known Shothole Canyon and Charles Knife Canyon in Cape Range National Park.

Geraldton

Geraldton, located about four and a half hours’ drive north of Perth, has reinvented itself in recent years as a contemporary coastal hub with quirky cafes, hip boutiques, street art and galleries. Factor in a visit to the Yamatji Art Gallery to learn about local Indigenous culture.

Where to eat

The Old Man & the Sea

Catch the lift to Level 3 of The Gerald Apartment Hotel to get your groove on while in Geraldton. This rooftop bar is where the cool kids hang to watch the sun sink over the horizon while enjoying chicken schnitties and schooeys of tap beer.

Finlay’s Kalbarri

This totally of-its-place space is an outdoor seafood restaurant and brewery in Kalbarri where you can enjoy fresh local West Australian fish and chips and beautifully crafted beer. The thing to do here is to sit around the communal campfire under gum trees flickering with fairy lights.

The Lobster Shack

Western rock lobster is the specialty at the Lobster Shack , a business run by the trailblazing Thompson family who have been fishing on the Coral Coast since the 1960s. Try this prized crustacean grilled with garlic butter or in the signature lobster roll.

Lobster Shack, Coral Coast, Western Australia — Enjoy Western rock lobster at the Lobster Shack. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)

Top things to do

Join a citizen science project

Obviously it’s swim with whale sharks, but instead of being just another camera-toting tourist, be a conscious traveller and volunteer to prevent whale shark extinction by taking part in a citizen science project that helps plug the gaps in marine biologist Brad Norman’s research.

The Kalbarri Skywalk

Embrace your vertigo on a stroll along two 100-metre-high lookouts that jut out like open drawers beyond the rim of Murchison Gorge. The cantilevered lookouts, located on the traditional lands of the Indigenous Nanda peoples, are anchored into 400-million-year-old sandstone.

Kalbarri Skywalk, Coral Coast, Western Australia — Kalbarri Skywalk is a top-shelf experience at Kalbarri National Park. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)

Gwoonwardu Mia

Old People Talking tells the stories of the Gascoyne’s Traditional Owners in their own words and language. A replica of a 33,000-year-old shell necklace, images and artefacts are highlights of the permanent exhibition at the Gwoonwardu Mia Aboriginal Heritage and Cultural Centre in Carnarvon.

This remote corner of Australia is one of the world’s last frontiers. This is how to see it properly.

Vast, rugged and deeply spiritual, the Kimberley coast in Australia’s North West feels a world away from everyday Australia – and there are countless ways to explore it. But if you want to reach ancient rock art, hidden gorges and lonely waterfalls, it has to be by boat. Whether you’re aboard a nimble expedition vessel or a luxury yacht with all the trimmings, exploring by the water brings exclusive experiences, shows unique views and makes travel easier than any other mode. And that’s just the beginning of Australia’s North West cruises.

The True North Adventure Cruise in between sandstone cliffs. — Adventure starts where the road ends.

1. Discover Broome, and beyond

Explore your launchpad before you set sail: Broome. Here camels and their riders stride along the 22 kilometres of powdery Cable Beach at sunset. That’s just the start.

At Gantheaume Point, red pindan cliffs plunge into the turquoise sea, whose low tide uncovers fossilised dinosaur footprints. Broome’s pearling history runs deep. Japanese, Chinese, Malay and Aboriginal divers once worked these waters, and their legacy lives on in boutiques where South Sea pearls still shine.

If the moon’s right, you may catch the Staircase to the Moon over Roebuck Bay. Or simply kick back with a cold beverage and a film under the stars at Sun Pictures , screening since 1916.

Ride a camel along Cable Beach as the sun sinks into the Indian Ocean, casting golden light across the sand and sea. — Ride a camel along Cable Beach. (Image: Nick Dunn)

2. Unmatched access to The Kimberley

Once you’re onboard, expect a backstage pass to some of the most isolated places on Earth. No roads. No ports. No phone reception.

At Horizontal Falls/ Garaanngaddim, 10-metre tides surge through twin gorges like a natural waterpark ride that’ll make your palms sweat. Then there’s Montgomery Reef/ Yowjab: a giant living platform of coral and seagrass, where the sea pulls back to reveal waterfalls, sea turtles and ospreys.

Up north, King George Falls/ Oomari rage 80 metres down red cliffs. Zodiac boats often nudge in closer so you can feel the spray on your sun-warmed cheeks. You might even fly in to reach Mitchell Falls/ Punamii-unpuu, a four-tiered cascade where you can swim in freshwater pools above the drop.

Come spring, some itineraries veer west to Rowley Shoals: an atoll chain of white sand and reef walls. Then it’s up the winding Prince Regent River to King Cascade/ Maamboolbadda, tumbling over rock terraces, and into a Zodiac to view the Gwion Gwion rock art, whose slender, ochre-painted figures are older than the pyramids.

A cruise drifts beneath King George Falls, where sheer sandstone cliffs frame the thunderous plunge into turquoise waters. — Get closer to the Kimberley than ever before.

3. Taste the Kimberley with onboard hospitality

You might spend your days clambering over slippery rocks or charging past waterfalls. But when you’re back on the water, it’s a different story. Meals are chef-prepared and regionally inspired: grilled barramundi, pearl meat sashimi, mango tarts, and bush tomato chutney. One night it’s barefoot beach barbecues with your shipmates; the next, alfresco dining on the ship.

Small expedition ships each have their own personality, but many carry just 12 to 36 guests, making being out on the water a whole other experience. You might sink into a spa on the foredeck or sip coffee in a lounge while watching crocodiles cruise by. It’s choose-your-own-relaxation, Kimberley style.

4. Expert-led excursions through the Kimberley

These voyages are led by people who know the Kimberley like the back of their sunburnt hand. Attenborough-esque naturalists might gently tap your shoulder to point out rare birds or tell the story beneath a slab of rock. Historians can explain exactly how that rusted World War II relic came to rest here.

If your ship has a helipad, you might chopper straight to a waterfall-fed swimming hole. If not, you’ll still be hopping ashore for that wet landing at a secret creek.

Then come the evenings: songlines shared by Traditional Owners under the stars, or astronomy sessions that link what’s overhead with what’s underfoot and what’s within.

A small group glides through Kimberley’s rugged coastline by boat, passing ancient cliffs. — Explore with naturalists and historians by your side.

5. Relax in luxurious lodgings

Just because you’re off-grid doesn’t mean you have to rough it. These Kimberley vessels are small in size, but mighty in luxury. True North’s ships come with their own helicopters and a no-sea-days policy, so you’re always in the thick of it. Try the luxurious offerings from Ocean Dream Charters for exploration in style. Kimberley Quest offers a fast boat for easy, off-ship adventures. On the larger end of the scale, Coral Expeditions has open-deck bars and curated wine cellars. And then there’s Ponant’s luxury yachts – sleek and incredibly stylish French sailing yachts.

A helicopter soars above the sea, with a sleek cruise ship gliding in the distance. — See the Kimberley from sky to shore.

6. The adventure continues with pre- and post-cruise experiences

You’ve already come this far – so, why not go further? Broome makes it easy to ease in before you board, or wind down when your voyage ends, and there is no reason to stop there.

Head an hour and a half south to Eco Beach to stay off-grid and off the clock. Join a Yawuru guide for a mangrove walk or ocean forage. Dive even deeper into Broome’s pearling past at Willie Creek or Cygnet Bay, where divers and craftspeople still pull the seawater-slicked gems from the deep.

If you’re still craving adventure, it’s time to go further. Soar over the Buccaneer Archipelago, or detour inland with a 4WD trip along the Gibb River Road. Book a scenic flight over the Bungle Bungles. Or – because you never know when you’ll be back – do all three.

aerial of people walking on eco beach in the kimberley western australia — Stay off grid at Eco Beach. (Image: Tourism WA)

Find out more about your trip to Australia’s North West at australiasnorthwest.com .

A first-timer’s guide to the Coral Coast, WA