Exmouth is a long way from anywhere, and that is the whole point. The town sits near the tip of the North West Cape in Western Australia, where the Coral Coast Highway runs out of continent, with the Indian Ocean on one side and the shallow Exmouth Gulf on the other. From Carnarvon it is a full day of red dirt, scrub and sky, and when the first sign of the Cape Range appears on the horizon you feel genuinely rewarded.
The town is younger than most riders expect. It was founded in the late 1960s to house people working at the naval communications station on the cape, a Cold War installation that still sends very low frequency signals to submarines, and a forest of tall masts is visible from many points on the peninsula. The residents have since turned to tourism, fishing and prawning, and the main street has a relaxed, sun-baked feel.
What draws people is Ningaloo, a fringing coral reef that comes almost to the beach. Unlike the Great Barrier Reef, you can wade in from the sand with a snorkel and find yourself among parrotfish and coral within a few strokes. From about March to July whale sharks gather offshore, and from June to November humpback whales pass through. On the other side of the road, Cape Range National Park rises in dry limestone gorges where black-footed rock-wallabies cling to ledges, and the road along the coast to Yardie Creek is sealed and easy, with emus and kangaroos along the verge, especially in the evening.
On the bike, the main hazards are distance, wind and wildlife. Crosswinds on the open plains can be strong, kangaroos and emus are most active at dawn and dusk, and the heat from November to March is severe. Fuel and food are available in Exmouth, which is a proper town with a supermarket and workshops, but stations on the way up are far apart, so check your range before leaving the last one.
Ride out to the Vlamingh Head lighthouse near sunset: the view over the reef and the ocean as the colours deepen is worth the short, bumpy approach.