About Exmouth
The Exmouth area was known to Europeans, specifically the Dutch, as early as the 17th century but it was not until World War II that the huge airport was built and it was as recently as 1963 that a naval town serving the US Naval Communication Station, Harold E. Holt, and the Learmonth RAAF Base, was established. The US Navy left in the early 1990s and while part of the old naval base is still used by the Australian Navy today the town is driven primarily by tourism with deep sea fishing, the beautiful Ningaloo Reef and the complex coastal wildlife (whale sharks are prevalent in the area) attracting visitors to this strikingly beautiful region. It is a place where a visitor could easily spend a week. Certainly the remarkable Cape Range National Park deserves days of exploration (sourced from the Aussie Towns website – click for more).
Exmouth Caravan Park
We hit Exmouth today and booked into the RAC Big 4 Caravan Park located to the southern end of town (maplink). A very neat and tidy park with fairly new facilities and amenities. If we return we may try out Yardie Homestead, which is more of a “bush park” (maplink)
Catching up with travel buddies and having a look around the place
It was a great piece of timing as we managed to catch up with a couple of travel buddies, Bob & Michelle for dinner that night. Merrisa even bumped into Keith Urban & I bumped into Willie Nelson out the front of the pub (and got photos too).
The next day was spent having a look around what is known as “North West Cape”. It’s got a lot of history.
One fascinating thing is the “Harold E Holt Communications Station VLF towers” built by the Americans in the 1960’s so they could transmit via radio to submerged submarines. Have a look at the image from Google maps.
We then had a coffee and cake at a quaint little beach shack called Bundegi Shack situated on the nearby beach.
We then checked out the views from Vlaming Head Lighthouse and watched as kite surfers absolutely flew out across the waves with the gusty winds we were experiencing and finished up at the wreck of the SS Mildura, (a cattle steamer, wrecked in 1907 during a cyclone) which was the reason the lighthouse was eventually constructed (after it bumped into the coastline.
Bundegi Shack Café
Tour of Yardie Creek
Booked into a tour along Yardie Creek, which is in the Cape Range National Park. This was a delightful trip along the creek viewing the gorges and native wildlife.
Have a look at the photos, where we spotted black-footed rock wallabies, ospreys in their nest and were thoroughly entertained by Ash, the boat captain. If you are ever in Exmouth then we recommend you do this trip.
Our tour boat
Some links…
Ningaloo Beaches
Exmouth is located on a peninsula called North West Cape (maplink) and there was so much we missed here that we will definitely return; such as Cape Range National Park.
We took a day trip along the west side of the Cape and checked out the beaches and some great camp grounds (for the next trip) and also took a look at Ningaloo Lighthouse Holiday Park which is the northern end of the Cape and Yardie Homestead.
Exmouth is located on a peninsula called North West Cape (maplink) and there was so much we missed here that we will definitely return; such as Cape Range National Park.
We took a day trip along the west side of the Cape and checked out the beaches and some great camp grounds (for the next trip) and also took a look at Ningaloo Lighthouse Holiday Park which is the northern end of the Cape and Yardie Homestead.
