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Western Australia | Coral Coast Highway - Perth to Exmouth Road Trip Itinerary

Overview

Duration
14 Days
Distance
2964
Start / End
/

Route - 2964

DayLocationDistanceDuration
01Perth to Cervantes2132 hours 40 minutes
02Cervantes to Kalbarri3774 hours 10 minutes
03Kalbarri National Park to Kalbarri National Park
04Kalbarri to Coral Bay6736 hours 45 minutes
05Coral Bay to Coral Bay
06Coral Bay to Exmouth1521 hour 40 minutes
07Exmouth to Exmouth
08Exmouth to Carnarvon3643 hours 50 minutes
09Carnarvon to Carnarvon
10Carnarvon to Monkey Mia3523 hours 30 minutes
11Monkey Mia to Monkey Mia
12Monkey Mia to Geraldton4334 hours 30 minutes
13Geraldton to Geraldton
14Geraldton­ to Perth4164 hours 30 minutes
Itinerary Trip Details Background

Trip Details

Day 1: Perth to Cervantes

Distance: 213km

Travel time: 2 hours 40 minutes

Pick up your Apollo vehicle and hit the road. The first stop on your great Coral Coast road trip is the

Pinnacles

, found just south of

Cervantes

. Formed from a deposit of sea shells, some 30,000 years ago, the Pinnacles are a natural limestone structure and a must do on any Coral Coast road trip.

Image: Mark Stevens and Jess Kearney

Day 2: Cervantes to Kalbarri

Distance: 377km

Travel time: 4 hours 10 minutes

Continue north today in the direction of

Kalbarri

. This town of less than 2000 people is the gateway to the incredible

Kalbarri National Park

and its natural formations and outdoor activities attract tourists from across the world.

Image: Tourism Western Australia

Day 3: Kalbarri National Park

Today is yours to explore at

Kalbarri National Park!

Reaching over 186,000 hectares spend your day exploring one of the most spectacular national parks in Australia. From the Nature's Window, to the Loop Walk and the

Kalbarri Skywalk

, prepared to be awe-struck as you wander through this national park, 400 million years in the making.

Image: Tourism Western Australia

Day 4: Kalbarri to Coral Bay

Distance: 673km

Travel time: 6 hours 45 minutes

Say goodbye to the vibrant red dirt and hello to the squeaky white sand of

Coral Bay

. After almost 7 hours driving today, take in one of Western Australia's amazing sunsets from the beach.

Image: Tourism Western Australia

Day 5: Coral Bay

If you can draw yourself away from the pristine sand of

Coral Bay

, spend today exploring the turquoise waters of

Ningaloo Reef

. This particular area of Western Australia is famous for mantra ray sightings all year round and many tour operators enable you to snorkel alongside them.

Image: Flynn Graham

Day 6: Coral Bay to Exmouth

Distance: 152km

Travel time: 1 hour 40 minutes

Exmouth

and

Turquoise Bay

await you today. With pristine white sand and pinch-me-is-this-real blue water, you'll truly believe you've found paradise as you explore the Western Australian coast.

Image: Tourism Western Australia

Day 7: Exmouth

Every year between March and July,

whale sharks

visit the beautiful waters surrounding

Exmouth

. Swimming with the world's largest fish is a must do activity in the region and there are many tour operators offering this experience. Only 1 in every 3 million people will ever swim with a whale shark - will you be one of the few?

Image: Tourism Western Australia

Day 8: Exmouth to Carnarvon

Distance: 364km

Travel time: 3 hours 50 minutes

Today we turn our Apollo vehicle around and begin to head south again. After 4 hours on the road you'll arrive at

Carnarvon

, a great place to relax and recharge.

Image: Tourism Western Australia

Day 9: Carnarvon

Spend your day exploring

Carnarvon.

80% of the state's fruit and vegetable crops are produced here so it's no surprise that you can drive '

The Fruit Loop

' trail around some of the region's plantations and roadside market stalls. Finish your day by driving the 75km out of town to witness the spectacular

Quobba Blowholes

, it truly is a sight to be behold.

Day 10: Carnarvon to Monkey Mia

Distance: 352km

Travel time: 3 hours 30 minutes

After relaxing in Carnarvon head south to

Monkey Mia

. This area is world famous thanks to a few friendly local dolphins. Sleep tight, tomorrow you'll get to experience this all for yourself.

Image: Tourism Western Australia

Day 11: Monkey Mia

Monkey Mia has been the wild dolphin hangout by choice for well over 40 years. Each morning at 745am you can meet the ranger in front of the visitor centre and follow them down to the beach to experience yourself. The dolphins will hang out in the shallow water to approximately midday.

Image: Tourism Western Australia

Day 12: Monkey Mia to Geraldton

Distance: 433 km

Travel time: 4 hours 30 minutes

After you've 'aww-ed' to your hearts content over the

Monkey Mia dolphins

, continue on your journey to

Geraldton

, 4.5 hours south.

Image: Tourism Western Australia

Day 13: Geraldton

Spend the day exploring Geraldton. We recommend a trip to the red and white

Point Moore Lighthouse

or get your art fix at the

Geraldton Regional Art Gallery

, found in the centre of Geraldton.

Image: Tourism Western Australia

Day 14: Geraldton­ to Perth

Distance: 416km

Travel time: 4 hours 30 minutes

Say goodbye to Geraldton as you head back towards

Perth

. If you have longer to spend in the city, we recommend visiting

Kings Park and Botanic Garden

, the Instagram famous

Blue Boathouse

or make the quick trip across to the beautiful

Rottnest Island

.

Image: Tourism Western Australia