Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
and enjoy the local wildlife; emus walking down the street, 'roos lounging in the shade,
lizards ambling across the highway and corellas, galahs and ringnecks screeching and
swooping through the trees.
Exmouth is at the western end of the Pilbara's 'cyclone alley', and in 1999 Cyclone
Vance caused widespread devastation, reaching wind speeds of 267km/h. Once hailed as
'New Broome' (the marina development that stalled during the 2009 global financial
crisis is showing signs of life again), with Rio Tinto's successful application to billet its
FIFO workers in local accommodation, hopefully the town won't become 'New Kar-
ratha'.
1
Sights & Activities
Exmouth is flat, hot and sprawling, with most of the attractions outside town and no pub-
mers and anglers usually head to
Bundegi Beach
, 14km north in the shadow of the VLF an-
tenna array. A set of cycle paths ring the town and continue out to the Harold E Holt Nav-
al Base (HEH), where you can follow the road on to Bundegi; watch out for dingos! Bikes
www.exmouthminigolf.com.au
;
Murat Rd; bike/kayak/snorkel gear per day $20/50/10; 9am-5pm)
.
The
sewerage works
(Willersdorf Rd)
and
golf course
(Willersdorf Rd)
are good places for birdwatch-
ing, while turtle volunteering (see boxed text,
Click here
) is popular from November to
January. From April to October a Sunday crafts market runs in the mall area.
Snorkellers and divers head to Ningaloo Marine Park or the Muiron Islands. Try to find
the informative Department for Environment and Conservation (DEC) book
Dive and
Snorkel Sites in Western Australia
. Several dive shops in town offer PADI courses.
Surfers flock to Dunes (
Click here
) on the western cape during winter, while in the
summer months windsurfing and kiteboarding are popular.
