WA: GERALDTON TO NINGALOO
DAY 1: GERALDTON
Start in Geraldton, where you can drive to the famous pink lake, Hutt Lagoon, in the morning, lunch at Cafe Fleur in town, and head out along the Yamaji Drive Trail in the afternoon, which takes in 14 Aboriginal sites that explore Indigenous history. Watch the sun set behind Horizon, a 1.5-metre crystal ball on Beresford Foreshore. Where to stay: Ocean Centre Hotel for a view and a comfortable room; oceancentrehotel.com.au
Where to eat: Skeetas, for fresh rock lobster and sweeping views over the marina and the ocean beyond.
DAY 2: GERALDTON TO KALBARRI Set off early to beat the heat and spend the day at Kalbarri National Park. A hundred metres above the Murchison River, the Kalbarri Skywalk extends from the cliff edge, giving panoramic views of the gorge. The Murchison has carved out sandstone formations like Nature’s Window and The Loop. Drive on to Kalbarri town, where the Murchison reaches the Indian Ocean, and lunch at The Gorges Cafe, then cruise away the afternoon on a river boat.
Where to stay: 27 Degrees Kalbarri is a charmingly decorated villa only a couple of hundred metres from Kalbarri’s popular Blue Holes Lagoon; booking.com/hotel/au/27-degreeskalbarri
Where to eat: Pick Upstairs Restaurant in Kalbarri for locally sourced fine dining, or grab fish and chips at The Jetty Seafood Shack.
DAY 3: KALBARRI TO MONKEY MIA If you can stretch your itinerary to spend three nights in rustic luxury on Dirk Hartog Island’s eco resort, it’s well worth the detour. You can do a day tour, too. Otherwise, it’s on to Monkey Mia, where wild bottlenose dolphins visit every day to be fed. Explore the teeming wildlife, white beaches and turquoise waters of Francois Peron National Park in the afternoon. And in the evening, take the Didgeridoo Dreaming Night Tour run by Wula Gura Nyinda Eco Tours, which explores Aboriginal history and culture and includes bush tucker cooked over a campfire.
Where to stay: RAC Monkey Mia Dolphin Resort is the only game in town (unless you drive half an hour to Denham, on the peninsula’s opposite shore), so book ahead! Luckily it’s a good beachfront option with a pool, bar and restaurant; parksandresorts. rac.com.au/monkey-mia
Where to eat: The Boughshed at the resort has tasty offerings, or head over to Denham for fresh seafood at Oceans Restaurant.
DAY 4: MONKEY MIA TO CORAL BAY It’s a long drive to Coral Bay today, so rise early. Stretch your legs looking at the 3.5 billion-year-old living fossils called stromatolites at Hamelin Pool, and duck in for an ocean dip at Carnarvon. Explore One Mile Jetty and eat lunch at Sunsets Cafe, before getting back on the road. Once at Coral Bay, wash off the journey by snorkelling along the Ningaloo Reef – one of the few places in the world where you can swim lazily straight off a beach and onto a reef. A World Heritage site, it’s unsurprisingly rich in marine life, with dugongs, manta rays, turtles and hundreds of fish finning among the coral. If you’re there from March to July, take a whale shark trip to swim among (or simply observe) the gentle ocean giants.
Where to stay: Ningaloo Coral Bay Bayview is a straightforward resort with a variety of accommodation options from camping to villas; ningaloocoralbay.com
Where to eat: Bill’s Bar at the resort will sort you out with good pub grub, or try Fin’s Cafe for a change of scene.
DAY 5: CORAL BAY TO NINGALOO Relax on the beach in the morning, then make the drive to your final destination, the jewel in WA’S crown, Sal Salis. On the way, explore the towering red cliffs of Cape Range National Park and hike the Badjirrajirra Loop Trail, before settling into your luxury wilderness camp. Fill your days with swimming, snorkelling, kayaking or simply reading and dozing in your hammock.
Where to stay: Sal Salis is an eco retreat whose tents are kitted out with every luxury you might need – except wi-fi or phone reception; salsalis.com.au
Where to eat: Sal Salis is pretty remote, so it’s a good thing its resident chef is committed to creating meals from local, seasonal, ultrafresh produce, served alongside regional wines and beers.