Decades of Change at Exmouth

The Western Australian coastal town of Exmouth is the perfect example of the difference 30 years can make to a destination!

I clearly remember my first visit in 1995 when I was shocked to see a couple of emus walking down the main street and into the police station.

This time around I was surprised to see the development around town, including the Quay Estate, a waterfront development featuring over 300 houses and flats together with the Exmouth Marina.  Given the look of the development, I had to remind myself I was in outback Western Australia and not the Gold Coast.

Fortunately, such development hasn’t impacted Exmouth’s greatest attraction – its proximity to the Ningaloo Coast World Heritage Area.  Located around 40 kilometres from Exmouth,  the Area (which was given its heritage status in 2011), includes the Cape Range National Park, known for its rugged limestone range and arid coastal plain and Ningaloo Marine Park renowned for its reef and white sandy beaches.

Furthermore, the sighting of a couple of emus in the bushland surrounding town ensured that Exmouth’s outback town feel hasn’t completely gone!

Several stunning sunsets and sunrises  provided a reminder of why the town has grown so much since my first visit.

A good place to start an Exmouth adventure is at the Ningaloo Aquarium and Discovery Centre, although it’s best to time your visit for when some of the large cruise ships, which were visiting Exmouth during our stay in May, aren’t in dock!

In the centre’s history galleries, you’ll learn about Exmouth’s importance as a US Naval base. In the cyclone room you can experience what it was like during cyclone Vance in 1999 which still holds the record for the highest wind gusts ever recorded over mainland Australia.

The Range Gallery explains the environment of the Cape Range National Park and showcases some of the reptile inhabitants who call this arid environment home.

The Reef Gallery provides a great introduction Ningaloo, Australia’s largest fringing coral reef, extending across 300 kilometres of coastline. The reef, which is protected by the Ningaloo Marine Park, is home to more than 500 fish, 250 coral and 600 mollusc species, as well as dolphins, manta rays, turtles, dugongs and, at certain times of the year, whale sharks and humpback whales.

While our visit coincided with the whale shark viewing season (which operates from around April to July) our swimming prowess or more specifically lack of it was such that we decided to give it a miss. Instead, we chose View Ningaloo’s more sedate two-hour snorkelling and coral viewing tour through the reef’s Tantabiddi Sanctuary.

Conducted in the company’s semi-submersible vessels, complete with 16 large glass windows, offering underwater viewings of the reef’s coral gardens and marine life, the tour includes a commentary on the reef and any wildlife sighted.  Guests then have the option of snorkelling on the reef.

Sadly, the health of the reef was another of the changes evident from my first visit.  Apparently much of the damage was caused by the 2024/25 marine heatwave which was the longest, largest and most intense ever recorded in WA.  However, my companion from the UK was still pleased to have done the tour thanks to the marine life we saw and the chance to learn more about the reef.

She was equally enamoured with the Yardie Creek Boat Tour which provides a one-hour introduction to Yardie Creek Gorge.  The gorge is renowned for its spectacular red limestone cliff faces and array of birds and wildlife including the rare black-footed wallaby, euros and red kangaroos.

Sightings of the wallabies, osprey and sea eagles were amongst the highlights of our cruise which also included a commentary on Yardie Creek, the area’s history, the formation of the gorge and the plants, birds and animals which can be found here.

Despite the many additions  to  downtown Exmouth, the couple of days we spent exploring the Ningaloo Coast World Heritage Area confirmed those natural features, which have made this part of the country so special, remain untouched by development.  And why the town is a destination in its own right (thanks to direct flights from Perth)  or a great place for anyone considering driving from Perth to Broome to schedule a break here.