Surrounded by stunning scenery on WA’s North West Cape, the small town of Exmouth is a grey nomad magnet … and it’s a place no one ever wants to rush away from.
Located about 1,100 kilometres north of Perth and about 370 kilometres north of Carnarvon, this is the gateway to the World Heritage-listed Ningaloo Marine Park, and it offers some of the best ocean experiences in Australia.
Incredibly, although the area was used as a military base during World War II, Exmouth wasn’t actually established until 1967 when the idea was for it to support the nearby US Naval communication station, Harold E. Holt.
Today, of course, this is very much a tourist destination and the town’s population of 2500 or so more than doubles during ‘the season’.
An aerial view of the Ningaloo Reef coastline. PIC: Tourism WA
The area’s headline acts are Cape Range National Park and the iconic Ningaloo Reef. Some people are now beginning to compare Ningaloo Reef favourably with the Great Barrier Reef, and its real ace in the hole is its accessibility.
There is no need to take a long boat ride to snorkel over the reef. You simply take a short swim off Turquoise Beach and there you are there. Intricate coloured coral, spectacular tropical fish, even stingrays and turtles are all right there – and you don’t have to be a super fit, scuba expert to be a part of it.
Some adventurous travellers enjoy diving with whalesharks in season. PIC: Tourism WA
And this is, famously, the place where visitors come from around the world to swim with the gentle giants of the sea, the whale sharks, between March and August. And then, from August to October, humpback whales cruise along the coast.
The 50,000-hectare Cape Range National Park, is a 75-kilometre drive from Exmouth. As well as its stunning coastline, it features dramatic gorges and canyons – including the Charles Knife Canyon and Shothole Canyon – as well as a wide variety of wildlife and birdlife.
In late winter and early spring, blooming wildflowers also deliver a spectacular explosion of colour here. There is camping in the national park – including at the magnificent Yardie Creek – but sites are often highly sought after.
Back in Exmouth, the Ningaloo Caravan & Holiday Park, and the RAC Exmouth Cape Holiday Park are both popular with grey nomads.
Two other places well worth a visit are the Jurabi Turtle Centre and the Vlamingh Lighthouse, both near the tip of the peninsula, north-west of Exmouth.
With extensive displays, the Exciting Exmouth Turtle Centre offers visitors the chance to discover more about the marine turtles found along the Ningaloo Coast. From December through to early March, there’s also a chance join a guided Turtle Eco-Education tour and scout for female turtles making their way on to the beach to lay their eggs.
The famous lighthouse was built after the SS Mildura sunk in 1907, and was first lit in 1912. The lighthouse is also a great place from which to view both the sunrise and the sunset.
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