Exmouth: 1,260km (781 miles) N of Perth; 1,567km (972 miles) SW of Broome
Driving along the only road on the Exmouth Peninsula toward North West Cape is surreal. Hundreds of anthills march through the scrub and away to the horizon, clumps of spinifex dot the red earth, occasional sheep and 'roos threaten to get under the wheels, and the sun shines down from a cloudless blue sky. On the western shore is the tiny reef resort settlement of Coral Bay (pop. 120), a cluster of dive shops, backpacker lodges, a low-key resort, and charter boats nestled on sand so white, water so blue, and ocher dust so orange you'd think the townsfolk had computer-enhanced the colors. Away from the settlement are sandy beaches edged by coral. Another 141km (88 miles) farther north is Exmouth (pop. 3,500), born in 1967 as a support town to the Harold E. Holt Naval Communications Station, a joint Australian-United States center. It has become the principal center for trips and tours to Ningaloo and has a new marina.
Apart from swimming with the whale sharks, the reason you come here is to scuba dive and snorkel in the Ningaloo Marine Park, which hugs the peninsula's western shores. You can also take four-wheel-drive trips into and over the Cape Range National Park, which covers much of the northern portion and the surrounding sheep stations.
Exmouth is on the eastern shore, facing Exmouth Gulf, and tends to be several degrees warmer than the west (Ningaloo-facing) coast, including Coral Bay. Coral Bay is one of Australia's most casual resorts, but it has divine diving, swimming, and snorkeling. Exmouth has more facilities, including a supermarket, an outdoor cinema, rental cars, and smarter accommodations and dining options. Most tours pick up or leave from Exmouth. Both places have plenty of dive, snorkel, fishing, and whale-watch companies. Wherever you stay, book ahead in whale-shark season (from late March to June) and school holidays. Carry drinking water everywhere you go.
'Roos and Wedgies -- Driving between Shark Bay and Exmouth, you need to be aware not just of kangaroos on the road (mostly at dusk, dawn, and at night), but also of the ones that didn't make it -- who have attracted scavengers, mostly crows and wedge-tailed eagles. The crows are not a problem, but wedgies are large and ponderous when trying to get out of your way. You don't want one of these in your windshield, so slow down and beep your horn if you see a large bird ahead.
