Why this ride
1056 km from Kalbarri to Exmouth, about 12 h 12 of riding. It suits an unhurried touring pace.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Coral Coast Highway: Kalbarri to Exmouth
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 1056 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 12 h 12
- Journey
- One way; return travel is separate
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Kalbarri
Kalbarri is a small town on the mouth of the Murchison River, where the river meets the Indian Ocean, and it is the gateway to a national park of the same name. The park covers a huge area of sandstone plateau, cut by deep gorges that expose layers of red and white rock laid down hundreds of millions of years ago. Lookouts such as Nature's Window, a natural arch framing the river below, and the Z Bend, where the gorge folds back on itself, are the main attractions, and the Skywalk platforms stick out into the void for those with a head for heights.
Read the complete Kalbarri write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Kalbarri is where the day begins. Next is Shark Bay.
2. Shark Bay
The bay is a huge, shallow, salty inlet of the Indian Ocean, and it holds the largest seagrass meadows in the world, which feed a population of dugongs, turtles and dolphins. The water is clear, the sand is white and the cliffs are red.
Read the complete Shark Bay write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Shark Bay comes up about 374 km into the recorded legs. Next is Exmouth.
3. Exmouth
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.
Read the complete Exmouth write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The route ends here after 1056 km.
Leg by leg
Kalbarri to Shark Bay
Kalbarri → Shark Bay is 374 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Shark Bay to Exmouth
Shark Bay → Exmouth is 682 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.