Exmouth is a useful base at the northern end of the Coral Coast. Coral Bay and Carnarvon lie to the south, while travellers can also continue east toward the Pilbara. Allow enough time for the longer approach and local stops.
That shape decides the trip. You arrive, you stay, you drive the short local runs, and then you either go back the way you came or leave the vehicle here. There is no onward leg to plan for, which makes this the opposite of a through-route.
Choose a vehicle for the roads you plan to use. Cape Range has accessible sealed-road destinations, while individual tracks may require a suitable 4WD; check park conditions and hire restrictions.
Two weeks is the shape that fits. Anything much shorter spends most of its allowance on the 1,407 km in and the same distance back out, and leaves too little of the coast that justified the drive. That is the whole trade here: distance in, time on the reef, distance out, and no onward leg to build into the plan.
Distances from Exmouth
- Coral Bay152 km
- CarnarvonSouth along the coast
- Karratha610 km
- Perth1,407 km
Every one of these is behind you. That is the difference between a route that ends and one that continues, and it is why the plan here is shaped around arrival and return.
A route that ends asks a different question from one that continues.
A vehicle for the approach, not the exit
The 1,407 km from Perth is the long part and the local runs are short. Choose for the approach and the beach tracks, and ask about leaving the van here rather than driving it back the way you came.
Explore Wicked Campers for campervan hire in Exmouth. Check vehicle availability and road restrictions with the operator.