thepinkginpassportAustralia’s West Coast is one of the country’s least explored parts due to its remoteness from the rest of the country. However, Western Australia is on many traveller’s bucket list as it’s known for having dramatically beautiful landscapes from pink lakes to coral reef beaches. I took a 6 night/ 7 day tour from Perth to Exmouth (returning to Perth) as it takes 13 hours minimum to drive to Exmouth in intense heat with very few towns in that distance I did not want to do the drive on my own like I did for Esperance. Plus joining a tour meant I could meet many other like minded travellers which made the experience even more memorable.
The Pinnacles
You could visit the Pinnacles as a day trip from Perth maybe even on your way back from visiting Jurien Bay or save it for a full West Coast Tour/ road trip. The bright golden sand with natural limestone sculptures protruding from the ground makes you feel like you’re on another planet. Nobody quite knows how they got there which adds to the mystery. Around 2 hours from Perth this makes a great first stop on the road trip.
Hutt Lagoon (Pink Lake)
I was a bit dubious before visiting this lake in Western Australia, as I thought surely the photos on Instagram have been edited to make it look more pink than it really is. But I was amazed at how pink it really is! I visited in February 2025 and it was very pink, I know with some pink lakes like in Melbourne and Esperance the algae changes and it loses the colour but for now Hutt Lagoon is a great chance to see a unique pink lake.
Kalbarri
Kalbarri is a small fishing town and while we didn’t spend much time in the town itself it’s a very popular holiday destination. We were up early to catch the sunrise from Nature’s Window a Kalbarri National Park and even took a punt at abseiling down a cliff which was a great experience!
Monkey Mia
Monkey Mia is somewhere I could spend a whole weekend. Watching Dolphins swim across the shore at sunset was amazing. Getting to view the feeding demonstration the morning was so lovely too. A very relaxing place to enjoy these playful dolphins.
Shell Beach
A beach made entirely of shells! It was a good stop to stretch our legs and take videos dropping the shells in slow mo but the tide was very far out so not the best swim stop (you start getting spoilt living in Western Australia with the abundance of world class beaches).
Coral Bay
This is a beautiful bay to swim in and offers a shark nursery to observe around a 30 minute walk up the beach. We also took a snorkelling tour and while we didn’t see much wildlife the diversity of coral was really impressive. I also really enjoyed the beach town vibe where you can join in with the seasonal workers having a drink at the pub. While there are only a few eateries from 2 or 3 restaurants and a bakery they were all delicious!
Turquoise Bay
This bay is often voted in the top 10 beaches in the world. Not only did it offer white sand, clear water and a reef to snorkel straight from the beach but we were the only people there! On this snorkel we saw a sea turtle, a blue starfish, diverse coral and various species of fish.
Ningaloo Reef
The Ningaloo Reef (where Coral Bay and Turquoise Bay are part of) offers amazing wildlife experience in certain seasons. I visited in February and was meant to swim with Manta Rays but unfortunately an approaching cyclone meant that excursion was cancelled. Also, June to September is optimal season for swimming with Whale Sharks which look incredible and is something I would love to come back to Australia to do.
Ningaloo Reef vs Great Barrier Reef
Having been to both of Australia’s Reefs, Ningaloo has a lot stronger coral and more wildlife that I saw such as turtles and star fish and a wider variety of coral including cauliflower coral. Having said that, The Great Barrier Reef is iconic and has more joining points and other activities on offer from scuba diving, flying over the reef (and seeing the heart shaped island), and the Whitsundays. Both are beautiful and if you have the option to visit both you are very lucky.
How to book a tour across Western Australia’s Coast
I booked Autopia Tours through Get Your Guide. I would 100% recommend this tour as it’s one of the best I have ever done but if the dates/time frame don’t work for you there are other companies that run these tours such as Adventure Tours and the Why Not bus.
