Exmouth to Karratha road trip: Distance, drive time & best stops
The best stops on an Exmouth to Karratha road trip include Charles Knife Canyon, Onslow and Miaree Pool. The 548km drive should take around 5h57m.
Most visitors tackle the drive from Exmouth to Karratha in Western Australia as a leg on the coastal road trip from Perth to Broome. Exmouth is where most Ningaloo Reef tours depart from, while Karratha is an industrial town on the edge of the Dampier Archipelago. It is, however, somewhere you can do Aboriginal-guided rock art tours.
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.
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Karratha accommodation is fairly scarce. Find the best options and book in advance here.
Exmouth to Karratha distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Exmouth to Karratha is 548km. That makes for a driving time of around five hours and 57 minutes. There’s a lot of Pilbara red dirt along the way, with only the occasional attraction worth stopping for.
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.
The first section of the drive requires a significant backtrack down the North West Cape. You’ll head south down the Minilya-Exmouth Road, going past Pebble Beach, Shothole Gorge, Charles Knife Canyon and Learmonth Airport. Charles Knife Canyon is the most appealing of these to explore, with some spectacular views.
The connection to the NW Coastal Highway – as National Highway 1 is known in these parts – is through Giralia Station along Burkett Road.
Exmouth to Karratha road trip: Fuel and rest stops
Once on the highway, there’s a rest and free camping area in Yannarie by the Yannarie River. Then, 17km further along, you can make a photo stop at an odd collection of roadside boulders.
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The turn-off towards Karijini National Park comes at the Nanutarra Roadhouse, which is otherwise a good place to stock up on fuel and supplies.
Click through to the next section: Is it worth detouring to Onslow?