|
Exmouth
|
|
|
On the Exmouth road, north of Coral Bay, you pass the part-sealed Bullara-Giralia road to the highway, which cuts 150km out of the journey between Exmouth and the north. A worthwhile overnight stopover along this road is
Giralia Station
(tel 08/9942 5937,
giralia@aol.com
) a working sheep station which offers
caravans
and
camping
(under $20), backpacker
rooms
($20-35), or boutique private rooms with en-suite bath ($115-150). Continuing towards Exmouth, two roads lead up onto the Cape Range: the Charles Knife Road climbs precipitously to the top of the range, 311m above sea level. From here it's possible to walk to the head of Shothole Canyon (allow 2hr), which is also accessible off the Exmouth road though this option makes a far less dramatic introduction to the range.
EXMOUTH was built in 1967 to serve the American Naval VLF (very low frequency) Communications Station and has since become a tourist base for visits to the Cape Range National Park and Ningaloo Marine Park. The cloud-free atmosphere - so suited to VLF transmissions - and the prolific marine wildlife (including whale sharks in autumn and giant turtles in summer) make the town a popular winter holiday-makers' resort which is set to boom as the wonders of the Ningaloo reef become more widely known. The town's so-called Sunrise Beach is now the site of a marina. To see the reef you need to head up to Bundegi Beach , 14km north of Exmouth, opposite the antennae of the naval station. Buses stop at the shopping centre on Thew Street, where the excellent tourist office (Mon-Fri 8.30am-5pm, Sat & Sun 9am-4pm; tel 08/9949 1176, fax 9949 1141, exmouth-tour@nwc.net.au ) is located. The post office is nearby on Maidstone Crescent, and there's a vast book exchange in the secondhand shed opposite the Exmouth Cape Tourist Village on Murat Road, 1km south of the town centre. ExCape Hire, on the same road (tel 08/9949 1334), rents out everything from light 4WDs and bicycles to beach umbrellas. Accommodation is available from Exmouth Base Lodge (tel 08/9949 1474 or free call 1800 241 474, fax 9949 1440, baselodge@nwc.net.au ; dorms under $20), the converted US airforce base with a gym, tennis courts, huge swimming pool and all the kinds of facilities dicarded by the US military that you can think of; free pick-ups from the coach stop and a shuttle service between the base and the town centre are offered. The Potshot Hotel Resort (tel 08/9949 1200, fax 9949 1486; $90-115) is the town's upmarket complex with restaurants, a pool and sporting facilities, where you can stay in motel rooms or units. Excape Backpackers on Payne St (tel 08/9949 1201, fax 9949 1680; under $20) has four-bed dorms and a swimming pool. The tourist office has a complete accommodation guide and booking service.
When it comes to
eating
there's nothing much to get excited about:
Whalers CafAŠ
near the shopping centre has appeal, with the usual takeaways, a baker and two
supermarkets
just over the road. The
Rock Caf
AŠ, behind the Ampol service station, is worth a try, Mon-Fri 12.30-9.30pm. The
Potshot Hotel Resort
accommodates the town's one
pub
. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
|
Australia,
|