NAMBUNG NATIONAL PARK
The 1200-kilometre chunk of shoreline that runs north from Perth to Exmouth is sensational driving-holiday nation, with turquoise ocean on the left and orange earth and pink rocks on the correct. Your first marvel is just two hours out of town the place the ragged rock spires of The Pinnacles stick up from the ribbed sand of Nambung Nationwide Park like one thing from the Star Wars backlot. You may ideally need to be lingering in late afternoon as lengthy mild shifts throughout the panorama and kangaroos emerge for a sluggish shuffle. August-October brings an eruption of wildflowers. See exploreparks.dbca.wa.gov.au
HOUTMAN ABROLHOS ISLANDS
When you have time for a 60-kilometre detour out to sea, then this scattering of 122 uninhabited islands off Geraldton will delight you with its corals, sea lions (which regularly swim alongside you as you snorkel) and outrageously ample seabirds. You’ll be able to dive over the location the place the Batavia was shipwrecked in 1629; the Shipwreck Gallery in Geraldton shows its artefacts. There’s additionally nice fishing for snapper, grouper and coral trout. Though the islands are low-lying, peacock-hued waters and a fringe of seashores white as washing powder create luxurious surroundings, particularly on a scenic flight. See visitgeraldton.com.au
KALBARRI NATIONAL PARK
There are two worthy components to this panorama. The primary is the blood-red gorges of the Murchison River, with pure rock arch Nature’s Window offering probably the most splendid outlooks, though Kalbarri Skywalk on the alternative aspect of the gorge (and projecting over its lip) and Z-Bend Lookout are magnificent too. The coast gives a second spectacle in rugged pink cliffs that rear from sapphire-hued waves. Migrating whales are sometimes noticed within the ocean, and wedge-tailed eagles within the sky. The snoozy, pelican-flapped city of Kalbarri is a candy spot by which to in a single day. See kalbarri.org.au
SHARK BAY
The pleasant dolphins of Monkey Mia are Shark Bay’s best-known attraction right here and the panorama comparatively low and unassuming – though, like a modernist portray, a startling conflict of rust-red, inexperienced and blue. Skipjack Level on Cape Peron offers you a brash eyeful of color. What makes this panorama significantly hanging, nevertheless, is the element, such because the rock-like (however spongy) 3.5-billion-year-old stromatolites of Hamelin Pool, that are among the many world’s most historical life kinds. You can spend a half-day strolling at aptly-named Shell Seashore, which runs for 70 kilometres and is piled with marvellous seashells of each pink hue and selection. See sharkbay.org
NINGALOO REEF
This spot is legendary for its alternatives to swim with whale sharks, these mild giants of the ocean that may develop 13 metres in size. It is one of many world’s high wildlife encounters, however the underwater panorama should be extra celebrated. You’ll be able to wade proper in off wonderful seashores and end up amid Australia’s most intensive fringing reefs. Over 300 coral species present marvellous baroque partitions of followers, plates and branches. Divers also can examine sponge gardens, coral ridges, knobbly karst outcrops and caves, and deep cracks from which large pelagic fish and eels emerge. See australiascoralcoast.com
CAPE RANGE NATIONAL PARK
End your highway journey with a bang in a panorama so pink and uncooked you possibly can virtually sense its rucks and humps nonetheless being created. Charles Knife Canyon matches the landscapes of that different Wild West. From the rim of Mandu Mandu Gorge you possibly can gaze out over the peacock palette of Ningaloo Reef. Simply accessed Yardie Creek is great for its rust-red reflections, hopping wallabies and sense of tranquillity. Then there are the kilometres of white seashores lapped by improbably blue water: sufficient to increase each your automobile legs and your soul. See exploreparks.dbca.wa.gov.au
The author travelled at his personal expense.
