Denham to Port Hedland road trip: Distance, time & best stops
Denham to Port Hedland road trip: Carnarvon to the Ningaloo Reef.
Heading north from Carnarvon, don’t expect too much excitement along the route. You can stop for fuel and supplies at the Minilya Roadhouse and take a photo at the Tropic of Capricorn sign.
There’s a key decision to make at the Minilya Roadhouse, however – keep going north or branch off down the Minilya-Exmouth Road towards Coral Bay, Exmouth and the Ningaloo Reef. Given this will be the unquestioned highlight of the journey, this is not a difficult decision.
It’s another 98km from Minilya to Coral Bay.
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.
Things to do in Coral Bay include swimming with manta rays, viewing turtles in a glass-bottomed boat and swimming with whale sharks.
You can also watch turtles nesting at Mauds Landing Beach, then snorkel at Five Fingers Reef or Paradise Beach.
Best Coral Bay accommodation
The best Coral Bay accommodation options are…
- For budget travellers: Coral Bay Backpackers.
- For overall quality: Ningaloo Reef Resort.
You should book your Coral Bay tours and accommodation in advance.
Denham to Port Hedland drive: Coral Bay to Learmonth
The distance from Coral Bay to Exmouth is 153km, 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. 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.
Click through for the next section: Learmonth to Exmouth.