Exmouth, Western Australia

Take a tour to Make the Most of your Time in Exmouth

What is there to do in Exmouth? Not much. This is the truth of my experience in Exmouth and while others may have been entertained beyond their wildest dreams, I was not. There's a few reasons why Exmouth isn't my favorite Australian beachside village and here are a few.

For starters, it is on the wrong side of the peninsula. The town of Exmouth was originally built as a Naval Base and defense was its main purpose. What does this mean for you? It means you need a vehicle to get around and explore the surrounding area. If you don't have a vehicle your sights will be limited and than this more or less is what you will see.

 

Exmouth has some pretty plain and uninspiring streets. A few restaurants, souvenir shops, and not one, but two IGAs to make sure you won't go hungry. That is, you won't go hungry, as long as you get there before 7pm. The restaurants in town are particularly expensive, with Whalers the recommended Lonely Planet dining option, costing from $27-$38 for a main. Pinnochios, while also a bit pricey isn't bad. "Grace" also has a tavern there, and they have bar food. It's one of two main pubs in Exmouth.

Where will you stay? Potshots, probably. They own the biggest accommodation in town with a convenient bottle shop attached to the reception area. All this and the other pub in town where locals and travelers hang out. And with its surprisingly reasonable rates, this might be a nice place to consider working at for a few months if you're on your WHV.

The wildlife in Exmouth includes kangaroos and emus which reside across the main street and they can be found jumping around town. This sneaky bastard did reduce his speed, and no fines were given.

The beach nearest to town and the only one that's walking distance is about 15 minutes away and sits on the Exmouth Gulf. What it lacks in soft white sand and turquoise blue waters it makes up for in jagged rocks and washed up seaweed smell. If you do have a vehicle, try Cape Range National Park. It's a short drive away, as is the Indian Ocean and the world famous Ningaloo Reef. The only reason people come here, from what I can tell, is to snorkel or SCUBA dive Ningaloo Reef. Or in my case, to take a whale watching sunset cruise.

What make Exmouth worth the trip? A tour. Taking a sunset whale watching tour will put you a stones throw away from humpback whales as they flip and play in the Exmouth Gulf.

Have a vehicle and go on a tour to make the most of your time in Exmouth. Exmouth might be worth the trip, that is if you have a reason to go. If you want to veg out on a beach and if you're taking the Greyhound around the west coast, then stop in Coral Bay. It is much nicer.