WA’s best coastal adventures

Western Australia’s coastline stretches the entire length of the country and then some. Along it, you’ll find untouched beaches, abundant sea life and some of the most stunning coastal scenery in the world. Start your adventure at any of these highly recommended destinations.

Cape Le Grand

Stunning scenery and idyllic beaches make Cape Le Grand a popular coastal escape, just out of Esperance on the state’s south coast. For the most breathtaking views, head to the southwestern corner, where massive granite peaks rise from the coastal plain. You’ll find pygmy possums, western grey kangaroos and an array of wildflowers in the park’s rolling heathlands, and if you’re lucky, you might just catch a kangaroo lazing on the beach.

Kalbarri

The outback meets white sand beaches at Kalbarri – 569 kilometres north of Perth. Known as its adventure activities, there’s plenty to keep you busy. Cruise the Murchison River cruise, hire a paddleboat or hit the water in a kayak, hike, go canyoning or abseiling, swim or surf at one of the many beaches or take a scenic flight over the coastline and Abrolhos Islands. Spot humpback whales migrating between June and November, watch the pelicans being fed and learn about our feathered friends at the parrot breeding centre.

Monkey Mia and Francois Peron National Park

A pod of resident bottlenose dolphins swim to Monkey Mia’s shoreline three times a day, making this one of the best and most reliable places to interact with dolphins in the world. Nearby, Francois Peron National Park offers a four-wheel driving adventure like no other: along a white sandy beach against dramatic red cliffs. Head to the Cape Peron cliff tops to see dugong, manta rays, turtles and sharks swimming in the water below.

Ningaloo Reef

Off the coast of Coral Bay, Ningaloo Reef is one of the best places to swim with whale sharks in the world. You’ll also find turtles, tropical fish, manta rays, humpback whales in these waters. At the shore, the reef meets Cape Range National Park where the landscape of limestone ranges and deep canyons plays host to emus, echidnas, lizards, wallabies, kangaroos, dingoes, many birds and hundreds of species of wildflowers.

Cape Leveque

200 kilometres north of Broome lies Cape Levaque – a remote coastal wilderness where Pindan cliffs give way to white sand and clear turquoise waters. Stay at a camp run by the local indigenous community and see the area through their eyes. Join a bushtucker tour, tag-along four wheel drive tour or go on a mud crabbing expedition. Snorkel the reef, hike, fish or fly over the Horizontal Waterfalls at Talbot Bay and the remote Buccaneer Archipelago.

Image credit: Tourism Western Australia