Hutt Lagoon Pink Lake
Hutt Lagoon Pink Lake is one of Western Australia’s most striking naturally occurring sights. The lake is located just 1 km away from the small coastal town of Port Gregory and is about 100 km north of Geraldton.
The lake covers around 70 km² and is very shallow. Although the lake lies very close to the ocean, it is not directly connected to it. In the hot, dry climate, as water evaporates quickly from the very shallow lake, its salinity increases over time, often becoming significantly higher than that of seawater. The extreme salinity creates perfect conditions for Dunaliella salina, a type of algae that produces a pink pigment called beta-carotene. Hutt Lagoon Pink Lake is where beta-carotene is commercially harvested for use in food colouring, cosmetics, and nutritional supplements.
Port Gregory Road, which leads to Port Gregory runs along the edge of the lake, so visitors can just get out of their vehicle to have close-up views right by the side of the lake within a short walk.
Kalbarri
Located at a 45-minute drive from Port Gregory, or a 1-hour-45-minute drive from Geraldton if you are coming directly from Geraldton, and at the mouth of the Murchison River, the small coastal town of Kalbarri is well-known for its dramatic coastal cliffs and Kalbarri National Park’s river gorges with gorge walks and lookouts along the Murchison River.
Its population of around 2000 can increase significantly during holiday and wildflower seasons. Kalbarri is a must-visit destination on the Coral Coast. Tourism, fishing, and marine activities drive the local economy.
As visitors drive into Kalbarri, they will enjoy stunning views of coastal red cliffs dropping dramatically into the ocean. Amazing river gorges and rock formations along the twists and bends of the Murchison River, such as Nature’s Window, Z Bend, Hawks Head Lookout, and Ross Graham Lookout, are within short drives from Kalbarri, which is a hospitality base for most visitors.
Kalbarri Skywalk, a very popular lookout point, consists of 2 platforms of length 18m and 25m extending over the gorge that offers stunning views of the Murchison River canyon.
Kalbarri offers a unique combination of ocean coast/beach, river gorge, and wildflowers in a single destination.
Denham and Monkey Mia
Denham is a small coastal town of around 800 people and a gateway to the UNESCO World Heritage Site Shark Bay. Denham is about a 4-hour drive north of Kalbarri and is the westernmost town in Australia that is easily accessible by sealed road.
Monkey Mia is a 30-minute drive northwest of Denham. Monkey Mia is not a town but really a resort, so the resort staff of around 100 are the permanent residents. Monkey Mia is famous for its wild bottlenose dolphins that visit the shore daily, and visitors can view the feeding of dolphins. The feedings are run by the Western Australia Parks and Wildlife Service. A small number of visitors will be chosen to feed a dolphin. The feeding is strictly controlled to protect dolphin behaviour. Visitors can also enjoy marine life cruises, as well as beach and water activities at the beaches and calm bay waters at the resort. Monkey Mia is one of the few places in the world where wild dolphins regularly interact with humans.
Denham has accommodations for Sharp Bay visitors who choose not to stay in the Monkey Mia resort. Denham has cafes, restaurants, supermarkets, and fuel stations, and they are located on the waterfront strip facing Shark Bay. Visitors can walk to Netta’s Beach to have a good swim.
On the way from Kalbarri before arriving in Denham, Hamelin Pool Marine Nature Reserve and Shell Beach are 2 very unique sights to visit. There are also lookout points that have good ocean and island views, such as Eagle Bluff Lookout, for visitors to stop by.
Hamelin Pool Marine Nature Reserve’s stromatolite viewing boardwalk was severely damaged during Cyclone Seroja in 2021 and has been closed since. The new boardwalk will be constructed, and in Mar 2026, the work is still in progress.
Shell Beach is one of the only beaches in the world composed entirely of billions of tiny white shells, mostly cockles. Here, visitors can walk the shoreline to experience the crunch of shells underfoot and swim in calm and clear water.
Eagle Bluff Lookout is a 200 m-long boardwalk with stunning views of the ocean and islands.
See Walk by The Indian Ocean – Denham on The Coral Coast Blog.
See Walk by The Indian Ocean – Monkey Mia on The Coral Coast Blog.
Carnarvon
Carnarvon is a 3-hour-15-minute drive north of Denham and has a population of around 6,000 people. Carnarvon is a regional transport and logistics hub and the administrative centre of the Gascoyne region. The town has strong amenities for its size, including supermarkets, cafés, restaurants, medical services, schools, an airport, a visitor centre, and a wide range of accommodation options such as hotels, motels, holiday parks, backpacker lodges, and caravan parks.
Carnarvon is a supply base for the broader Gascoyne and Coral Coast areas and a base for exploring Ningaloo Reef and the vast Gascoyne hinterland, including Mount Augustus.
Carnarvon sits just south of the Tropic of Capricorn, giving it a subtropical climate and a reputation as a “tropical oasis” on Western Australia’s coast, and is well-known as Western Australia’s “food bowl” in the north, supported by the Gascoyne River irrigation, producing bananas, mangoes, papaya, melons, grapes, and vegetables.
Carnarvon’s unique geographic position made it one of the most critical nodes in NASA’s global tracking network because it sits in exactly the right place on Earth, giving a clear line‑of‑sight to spacecraft launch trajectories and providing a re-entry communication link for several mission‑critical phases of Gemini and Apollo. Space technology enthusiasts can visit Carnarvon Space and Technology Museum to find out more.
See Walk by Waters – The Carnarvon Fascine Waterfront Blog.
Coral Bay
Coral Bay is a tiny coastal settlement of about 250 residents and is a 2-hour-and-30-minute drive north of Carnarvon. Despite its tiny size, Coral Bay has a small shopping village, cafés, caravan parks, and beachfront accommodation.
Coral Bay is a marine‑lover’s paradise, offering year‑round snorkelling, diving, kayaking, and glass‑bottom boat tours because it sits directly on the southern edge of Ningaloo Reef, the world’s largest fringing coral reefs, making it possible for visitors to step straight from the beach into coral gardens. Yes, visitors can snorkel the UNESCO World Heritage Ningaloo Reef straight from Coral Bay Beach. What is more, the waters stay warm year‑round due to the region’s tropical influence.
Back to Western Australia Coral Coast Road Trip from Perth to Exmouth Part 1.
Western Australia Coral Coast Road Trip from Perth to Exmouth Part 3 will be published on 29/7/26.
Coral Bay is a tiny coastal settlement of about 250 residents and is a 2-hour-and-30-minute drive north of Carnarvon. Despite its tiny size, Coral Bay has a small shopping village, cafés, caravan parks, and beachfront accommodation.