The Ultimate Guide to Coral Bay, Western Australia

As a small town on the coast of Western Australia, Coral Bay is home to some of the most stunning white sand beaches and the clearest turquoise blue water. It is one of the few stops along Australia’s Coral Coast, and a family favourite of ours!

This popular coastal town is the perfect location for a family holiday, where you can enjoy the sunshine and sea life in a relaxing environment. We holiday here in October every second year, it truely is one of Western Australia’s must see destinations!

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Is Coral Bay Worth Visiting?

Coral Bay is one of Western Australia’s favourite destinations for a family beach holiday! Bills Bay makes for the perfect beach for families with kids of all ages! With shallow water for the little ones to play in and incredible snorkelling from the shoreline, there’s something for everyone.

As the main beach is located in a Sanctuary Zone you can clearly see fish swimming in the water, even from the shoreline!

When to Visit Coral Bay, Western Australia

Coral Bay is a great place to visit, staying relatively warm and dry throughout the year. However, it is much windier over the summer months, from December to February.

Autumn and Spring are both great seasons to visit Coral Bay.

Peak season for Coral Bay generally runs from March until November, with the September/October School Holidays bringing in lots of local tourists. If you are visiting Western Australia and planning a trip to Coral Bay, be sure to check when the School Holidays are as accommodation can book out up to 2 YEARS in advance!

Book your accommodation well ahead of time so that you won’t be disappointed.

Despite being a very small remote town, there are several accommodation options in Coral Bay to suit everyone’s budgets and style of travel. I’ve included some quick links to accommodation options in Coral Bay here. There are more details on where to stay in Coral Bay lower in this post.

• Ningaloo Coral Bay Backpackers ($): Coral Bay Backpackers offers affordable accommodation, catering for budget travellers. There is an outdoor swimming pool, as well as barbecue and kitchen facilities.
• Bayview Coral Bay ($$): Bayview Coral Bay not only has options for camping, but also has cabins of various sizes available to stay in.
• Peoples Caravan Park ($$): Located opposite Coral Bays’ main beach, this caravan park also has a variety of apartment style cabins to stay in.
• Ningaloo Reef Resort ($$$): Temporarily closed as undergoing renovations.

How Long to Stay in Coral Bay?

We visit every 2 years and stay for 2 weeks each time, so you can definitely plan a longer stay here! However, if you have limited time, I’d recommend staying for at least 3 days to have enough time for all the highlights!

Coral Bay is also a great destination to travel to on a road trip from Perth. Whether it’s a stop along the way or your final destination, you should consider turning your holiday here into a Coral Coast road trip!

How to Get to Coral Bay, WA

There are two options to get from Perth to Coral Bay: Drive or Fly. While flying is a much faster option, driving is more practical. It is extremely useful to have your own car here since everything up north is far apart and there is no public transport available.

If you’re travelling from interstate or overseas and don’t have a car I’d recommend hiring one, as public transport to Coral Bay is non-existent.

Click here to compare prices on rental cars.

Make sure to double check the car rental policies if you’d like to take your rental onto any unsealed roads, such as in some of the National Parks.

Driving to Coral Bay

Coral Bay is situated 1200km north of Perth, Western Australia. The most popular way for tourists to get here is to drive! It is a long drive, taking anywhere from 11-14 hours (depending if your towing and how many stops you need to make along the way).

If that many hours of driving sounds too long, I suggest making an overnight stop along the way. Some popular places to stop include:

• Geraldton
• Galena Bridge Rest Stop (halfway and free)
• Wooramel Riverside Retreat.

However we prefer to leave early and drive the whole way in a day, making as few stops as possible! If you’re planning to do this with young kids, make sure you are prepared to settle in for the long haul!

Flying to Coral Bay

You can also opt to fly to Coral Bay, taking a flight from Perth to Learmonth Airport. From there you will either need to hire a car, or arrange transport in advance from the airport to Coral Bay. The drive will take about 1.5hrs.

Although this may be a quicker option, driving to Coral Bay gives you a great opportunity to enjoy the vast and empty landscape, as well as providing you a car for when you arrive!

Getting Around

Most of the roads along the Ningaloo Coast are unsealed, and you need a 4WD to access them. These tracks give you access to other beaches where you can go fishing, snorkelling or just spend the day relaxing.

I would recommend having a 4WD so you’ll have more control over your itinerary!

If you cannot take or hire a 4WD, you can always join a quad bike tour that takes you down the tracks. The downside is that you won’t get as much time to spend on the beach and experiencing the other activities it offers.

Where to Stay in Coral Bay

The most common style of accommodation in Coral Bay is camping. There are two campgrounds in this small town: Bayview Coral Bay and Peoples Caravan Park. Both of these campgrounds offer sites for caravans and tents as well as cabins and villas for those who prefer not to camp.

We have stayed at Peoples Caravan Park every time we’ve visited Coral Bay and absolutely love the ocean front sites with the beautiful palm trees for shade!

While Bayview Coral Bay isn’t located directly on the ocean front, it is still very close to the beach (a short 5 minute walk). It also has a few extra amenities including a swimming pool and playground for kids. Bayview has also just opened up some beautiful new units that offer views out to the ocean!

If you’re travelling on a budget and not planning on camping, then the Ningaloo Coral Bay Backpackers might be your best option! Don’t let the fact that it’s a backpackers stop you from visiting with kids, it is highly rated for families on Booking.com!

Things to Do in Coral Bay

Coral Bay is filled with amazing things to do. There are plenty of free activities for the budget traveller as well as amazing paid experiences, unique to Australia’s Coral Coast. However, the Coral Bay beaches are definitely the most popular reason for families to come here. With fishing, snorkelling, four-wheel driving and relaxing to fill your days at the beaches in Coral Bay.

Free Activities in Coral Bay, Western Australia

Walk to the Shark Sanctuary: No trip to Coral Bay would be complete without at least one attempt of seeing wild reef sharks swim around in the Shark Sanctuary. Located a 20 minute walk north of Coral Bay Beach, this is an incredible opportunity to see up to 30 reef sharks swimming in the water! Here are some details on How to Visit The Coral Bay Shark Sanctuary.

Snorkelling: Coral Bay is most famous for being the doorstep to Western Australia’s stunning Ningaloo Reef. You can snorkel right from the beach at Coral Bay or take the 4WD tracks to other popular places such as Five Fingers Reef and Oyster Bridge.

• 2-Hour Snorkelling Tour: You can even jump on a snorkelling tour where they’ll take you to reefs further out & you can view the coral through the glass bottom boat!

The Turquoise Bay Drift Snorkel is another great place to enjoy the stunning coral. It is accessible from the Drift Snorkel car park, meaning you won’t need for a 4WD to get there. However, it is located just over 2 hours out of Coral Bay.

Fishing: The Ningaloo Reef is one of the best places to go fishing in Western Australia. You can fish straight off of the beach or out by the reef by boat. If you are looking to score a big catch (like Jason’s prized Spanish Mackrel) you will need to head to deeper water! Just be aware of the water sanctuary zones, where fishing is not allowed (this includes the main beach in Coral Bay!)

Four Wheel Driving: Four wheel driving is one of my top things to do in Coral Bay. It is the best way to see the coastline and get to the prettiest beaches. We even took little 2 month old Koby with us on our adventures! Just be mindful to stay on the approved tracks.

Relax on the Beach: With stunning scenery, the warm sun and the cool water, why not just spend the day relaxing on the beach? The beach in Coral Bay is large, has beautiful white sand and crystal clear water. Perfect for working on your tan!

Paid Experiences: Coral Bay Tours

Snorkelling: You can book a Snorkel Tour leaving from Coral Bay beach. Tour companies will provide you with snorkel gear and bring you out to the reef by boat.

Glass Bottom Boat: View the coral without having to get wet! This 1hr Glass Bottom Boat tour is a great activity if you have young kids. We did this tour on our most recent trip to Coral Bay and our kids loved being able to see all the fish and coral from the comfort of the boat.

• 2-Hour Snorkelling Tour: You can even combine a snorkel and glass bottom boat tour where they’ll take you to reefs further out & you can view the coral through the glass bottom boat!

Fishing: You can take a charter trip, where they will take you outside of the reef. The water here is deep and so the fish are big!

Four Wheel Driving: If you don’t have a 4WD with you, you can book a quad tour that will take you along the tracks and the beach. It is something that everyone in the family will enjoy!

Scubadiving: If you are looking for a bit more of an under-the-water adventure, you can take a scubadiving tour. It is open to everyone, even if you have never been before, and is a great way to get up close and personal with the sea life. You even get the opportunity to swim with mantarays!

Swim with Manta Rays: Get up close to manta rays, sea turtles, and more on a 5-6hr snorkel tour around Ningaloo Reef. The highlight of this tour would definitely have to be swimming with manta rays, an experience I enjoyed back in 2020!

Swim with Whale Sharks: If you are looking for something a little more adventurous, Coral Bay is one of the best places to experience whale sharks in Western Australia. This Whale Shark Safari provides one of the few opportunities in the world where you can swim with Whale Sharks!

Whale sharks make their annual appearance between March and June. If this is something you are interested in doing, be sure to book your trip for that time of year.

Swim with Humpback Whales: Take this Humpback Whale Safari for the chance to see & swim with the humpback whales that migrate past the Ningaloo Reef every year. As we always travel to Coral Bay with our own boat, we have often seen the whales ourselves. If you have an opportunity to see them privately, please don’t get in the water with them!

Humpback Whales make their annual appearance between June and October.

Where to Eat in Coral Bay

Coral Bay Supermarket: Being a small town, Coral Bay has one small supermarket where you will find mostly everything you need. However, you should expect to pay a higher price so try taking pre-planned meals!

Coral Resort Bakery: This is our favorite place to eat in all of Coral Bay. With delicious cakes, and classic Aussie meat pies it is great at any time of the day. We would often pop in to get some breakfast… or morning coffee or lunch or an afternoon snack. Basically, we just love the bakery in Coral Bay and eat here almost every day!

Sweet Ningaloo: While we’re on the subject of sweets, you’ll definitely want to visit Sweet Ningaloo! A handcrafted Italian gelato shop located in both Coral Bay and Exmouth. You have to try their “whale shark” or “manta ray” flavour, they are definitely a favourite of ours and both definitely suit the location! It’s a great place to visit after a warm day down at the beach.

Bill’s Bar: If you are looking for a pub feed or a place to watch some sport, Bill’s Bar is a great place for food and beer. It is best enjoyed from lunchtime until after dinner.

Reef Cafe: Reef Cafe offers dining as well as takeaway options. We love to grab some pizza or fish and chips from here for an easy dinner!

Fin’s: Fin’s is located in People’s Caravan Park, and has delicious food for breakfast, lunch and dinner. This is great place to grab a morning coffee before taking a walk along the beach!

Overall

Overall, Coral Bay is a great place to enjoy the natural Australia landscape. It is perfect for kids of all ages. We’ve continued to visit every 2 years since our youngest was born in 2018 and have loved every trip as our family grows! There are plenty of activities to keep your family busy while you can relax on the beach.