Coral Bay to Exmouth, WA road trip: Distance, drive time & best stops
The Coral Bay to Exmouth drive is 153km in distance, mainly along the Minilya – Exmouth Road. The Coral Bay to Exmouth driving time is around 1h38, unless you take detours to attractions such as Charles Knife Canyon and Shothole Canyon.
The Coral Bay to Exmouth drive in Western Australia connects the two main access points to the Ningaloo Reef. Both Coral Bay and Exmouth offer swimming with whale sharks and snorkelling with whales on the Ningaloo.
Coral Bay highlights include swimming with whale sharks – the biggest fish on earth, as well as snorkelling with wild manta rays and viewing turtles on a glass bottom boat. To see a fuller range of brilliant activities, come this way. To book Coral Bay accommodation (and the whole town can sell out – so book in advance), head over here.
If you can do just one thing in Exmouth, make it snorkelling with whale sharks. Seeing the biggest fish on earth gracefully gliding towards you is utterly awe-inspiring. Out of whale shark season, other great Exmouth experiences include swimming with humpback whales, full day lagoon kayaking adventures, Cape Range National Park trekking tours, whale-watching cruises and snorkelling with turtles.
For Exmouth accommodation deals, hunt here.
Coral Bay to Exmouth distance and driving time
The Coral Bay to Exmouth drive is 153km in distance, with a driving time of one hour and 38 minutes. Almost all of this drive is along the Minilya – Exmouth Road, which is a masterclass in monotonous outback driving.
5 Coral Bay experiences to book before you arrive
- Swim with whale sharks – with a dedicated spotter plane for more time in the water with them.
- Go on a glass bottom boat cruise – perfect for non-swimmers.
- Snorkel with turtles – on a boat tour that visits two top snorkelling sites.
- Swim with humpback whales – they visit between June and October.
- Swim with manta rays – available most of the year, with lunch & snorkelling gear included.
There’s plenty of red dirt to be seen on either side of the road, and not an awful lot else. If you’re doing this as the last stretch of the Carnarvon to Exmouth or Perth to Exmouth drive, you’re in severe danger of falling asleep at the wheel.
Aside from vast sheep stations, there is nothing of note until you reach Learmonth Airport. This is where the Perth to Exmouth flights land. Learmonth isn’t so much a settlement as an Air Force base with a solar observatory to one side. The Learmonth Jetty on the Exmouth Gulf makes for a fairly photogenic stop, however. It’s also a notoriously good spot for fishing if you’ve brought your gear with you.
8 amazing Exmouth experiences to book in advance.
- Swim with whale sharks – using a spotter plane for maximum shark snorkelling time. This is an experience you’ll genuinely remember forever.
- Ningaloo wildlife adventure – see much more than just the whale sharks.
- Full day kayaking tour – stopping to snorkel at parts of the reef the boats can’t reach.
- Sunset cruise – with dolphin-spotting, snacks and drinks.
- Cape Range trekking adventure.
- Dive on the Ningaloo Reef.
- Swim with humpback whales – they come after whale shark season is over.
- Kayak and snorkel with turtles.
Click through for next section: Cape Range National Park.